Chapter 717: Among the Four Heavenly Kings, There Are Still Many Stronger Than Me

Cailan's face turned iron-green: "I'm here for a marriage alliance! Doing this makes you enemies of my Sullivan family!"

She didn't know what these two people wanted to do; in any case, refusing first couldn't be wrong.

And Gouzi was also a bit strange, seemingly not like he was helping her.

What did the Demon King mean by "one of us"? Could he be talking about Master Anubis's Gouzi?

"Hm?" Ao Yulie laughed, "What enemies? Isn't a marriage alliance making you my wife? Hehehe, I'm clearly doing the right thing."

"We haven't married yet." Cailan emphasized.

"I'm the Demon King!"

Ao Yulie held his head high and chest out.

"So there needs to be a grand wedding ceremony befitting your status." Cailan said.

"Right, it's already being prepared. When the Hero and the others appear, it'll be held on schedule. How about it, aren't you moved?" Ao Yulie said.

"They really came, but..." Cailan's thoughts couldn't help but drift.

She really didn't want Ken and the others to break into the Demon King's Castle.

This is the Demon King's territory; fighting here is extremely disadvantageous for the Hero.

Originally she had planned to meet up with the Hero and the others on the way here, then use a scheme to lure the Demon King out and defeat him.

But plans can't keep up with changes; the Hero's speed was a beat slow.

Not only had she already arrived at the Demon King's Castle, but even the Hero and the others' whereabouts had been grasped — this was absolutely not good news.

"I've already prepared a special 'ex-boyfriend table' for him. At that time, he can see you at your most beautiful in a wedding dress, and then you'll throw yourself into my arms, hahahaha!"

Ao Yulie let out a villain's laugh.

Basically, laughing like this means getting wrecked.

But Ao Yulie didn't care at all; this kind of metaphysics isn't worth mentioning before Master's iron fist.

With Master, one can do whatever one wants.

"Fine." Her gaze focused on that face completely concealed by the helmet, Cailan said, "Then please leave now, and I'll wait for that grand wedding."

"What are you thinking?" Ao Yulie sneered, "I'm the Demon King, you're a noble plus a demon, not some disciple. Researching and discussing the demon race's body structure in depth before marriage, isn't that only natural? Of course, I'm doing all this for academic needs, to better put on a show."

"We haven't married yet!" Cailan raged.

"Insisting on waiting until after the wedding to do something. Is that a Demon King? That's an idiot!"

Ao Yulie criticized the villain's rigid, ossified honest-man thinking. Speaking of which, being a villain this honest, is that really okay?

The villain Demon King's face has been completely thrown away!

I, Ao Yulie, absolutely cannot make this kind of mistake.

"..."

"Come, let us open our minds and get to know each other mutually." Ao Yulie reached out to grab Cailan.

Cailan's strength wasn't weak, but before Ao Yulie, she didn't have even a shred of power to resist.

He easily grabbed her head.

Strange laughter rang out from time to time in the room, but no more demons heard it.

————

"Sure enough, it's the demon race's territory! I saw quite a few demons in the forest."

At a concealed spot outside the Black Forest, Ying appeared beside the hiding adventurer group and spoke.

"Actually, there's no need to scout, right? A Demon King's castle that big can be seen at a glance." Tang Luo said.

"For safety's sake, maybe that castle is fake." Ya Se said.

The Hero asked: "Ying, any trace of Cailan found?"

This is the key point.

Ying was silent for a moment, then nodded.

Everyone looked at Ying.

"Cailan... if nothing unexpected happens, she is a demon." Ying said, "My previous suspicion was wrong. The Sullivan family doesn't have dealings with demons — they are demons themselves!"

"What?"

"How is that possible!"

"How could Sister Cailan be a demon?"

Ying said: "I interrogated a demon beastman. He said tomorrow is the Demon King's wedding, and the one the Demon King is marrying is precisely the Sullivan family's daughter, Cailan Sullivan."

"The Sullivan family are hidden demons."

Ya Se's face showed sudden realization: "So that's it. No wonder the Sullivan family never intermarried with outsiders."

If they intermarried with other families of comparable strength, the demon secret might not be keepable.

Marrying in and marrying into the family are different; those people would completely enter the Sullivan family's control, no need to worry about the secret being exposed.

"Sister Cailan, how could she be..." Mo Lin's side still couldn't accept the fact, muttering in a low voice, an expression of disbelief.

"Enough."

The Hero spoke up, interrupting Mo Lin's rambling, "Now is not the time to consider this. We have to rescue Cailan first; only then can the truth come to light. If the Sullivan family really are demons, Ying's grudge, I'll settle together with the Sullivan family."

"The most urgent task is to rescue Cailan."

The Hero looked at Ying.

Ying silently nodded, indicating he wouldn't be blinded by hatred at this time.

Next, everyone began preparing to act.

This is the Demon King's lair; naturally one can't just rush in on a hot head.

That would only plunge oneself into a dangerous situation.

Tomorrow the demon king will hold his wedding, which proves that Kaelan is still safe for now.

Don't ask why this conclusion was reached; anyway, in everyone's understanding, the demon king is a traditional and conservative man, so even if he were to do something, he would certainly wait until after the wedding.

Tang Luo reminded them: why do you trust the demon king so much?

That's the demon king, isn't he the representative and symbol of evil?

Aren't you afraid someone might act in advance and stain your head with green grass, hero?

Then came a debate.

Everyone ultimately concluded that there was still no need to worry.

Because this is a political marriage, the demon king will surely respect the other party's wishes, and with the dog here, Kaelan remains safe for the time being.

However, under Tang Luo's hint, the hero inevitably became agitated.

Without the initial composure, his complexion often shifted, faintly showing a hint of green.

The next morning, with the sky just lightening, the hero and his group entered the Black Forest—not hiding, but openly and aboveboard.

Everyone made disguises.

Two small horns were stuck on their foreheads.

The demon king's wedding—demons will certainly come to celebrate; with so many demons, disguising as "our own" and blending in would be hard to detect.

If they could maintain the disguise and sneak in to take Kaelan secretly, that would be ideal.

If not, at least they could avoid early combat.

Conserve strength as much as possible for use during retreat.

The hero's party never considered finishing it in one battle by directly killing the demon king.

For this enemy, the demon king, everyone still holds him in high regard and has some reservations.

This time's goal is simply to rescue Kaelan.

Everything else can be set aside for now.

Entering the Black Forest, everyone still tried to avoid active demons.

To avoid revealing any flaws.

Hurrying forward, the group arrived outside the magnificent demon king's castle.

The enormous black castle resembled a terrifying, silent beast, exuding immense pressure.

Even for a wedding, the demon king's castle had no festive decorations.

No lively scenes were visible—only the main gate stood open, with two rows of demon guards stationed beside it.

Wearing armor, holding longswords, bearing shields on their backs, waist-slung with sharp swords, appearing well-trained—most importantly, they wore no helmets!

Demons in pairs or small groups passed through the gate into the demon king's castle.

A few people exchanged glances.

As they began walking toward the demon king's castle gate, everyone's weapons had already been stored in the hero's spatial ring.

They looked no different from ordinary demons.

As they approached the demon king's castle gate, the guards' gazes fell upon the hero's group.

Merlin's steps suddenly became slightly unsteady.

The hero timely grasped her hand and whispered reassurance: "It's fine; today is the demon lord's great day, don't be nervous."

Merlin nodded slightly.

Until entering the demon king's castle, no one was questioned; the guards merely watched.

They probably never expected someone would, under these circumstances, disguise as demons to infiltrate.

After entering the gate, what met their eyes was a grand and bright hall.

In the center lay a red carpet with gold patterns; on both sides stood massive stone pillars.

At the far end of the hall, stairs led upward to both sides, while below were several passage entrances.

Inside the hall, glowing stones emitted a soft light, unobstructing the view, but the stairs above and the passages within were pitch black.

The demons who had entered earlier had already vanished.

No one knew where they had gone.

The hero's party stood in place, utterly unsure whether to go up the stairs or down one of the passage entrances.

Damn demon king's castle—how did it become like a maze?

It was obvious that the real demons were still more familiar with the demon king's castle; at least they wouldn't stand in the hall like headless flies, clueless about where to go for the wedding.

Feeling the gaze from behind, the hero's party dared not linger too long, nor could they ask.

So they gritted their teeth and headed up the stairs; if they took a wrong turn, the guards should remind them, right?

They would adapt as needed.

When everyone reached the right-side staircase, they could clearly feel the guards' gazes fading.

"We should have gone the right way," Arthur whispered, feeling lucky.

The words had just left his mouth.

Accompanied by a heavy creaking sound, the originally open great door suddenly shut.

The hall's glowing stones dimmed, and the entire hall plunged into darkness where one could not see their own hand.

"What's going on?"

"Oh no, could we have been discovered?"

The hero reacted quickly, activating the illumination technique while instantly drawing his magic sword from the spatial ring.

The light rose from his hand to above his head, illuminating where they stood, but the light did not spread far.

It was suppressed within an abnormal range.

Hehehe...

A malicious laugh echoed from the darkness: "Indeed, heroes, you've taken the bait!"

Damn it!

The hero let out a low growl, the spatial ring on his finger flashing faintly as he drew out everyone's weapons and gear: "You sneaky rat! Get out here!"

The magic sword in his hand ignited in flames as the hero scanned his surroundings.

Arthur and the others quickly donned their own equipment.

Actually, only Arthur's heavy armor was slightly cumbersome; the others had their gear on in no time and were ready for battle.

"It's hopeless."

Tang Luo shook his head and sighed inwardly.

He wasn't referring to the hero—the hero's entire team reacted quite well.

Tang Luo sighed at the one who let out that strange laugh.

Assassin King Asasix, he perfectly inherited the demon race's glorious tradition—senselessly foolish actions.

Had he been a normal assassin, he would have struck when the illumination stones went out and the hall plunged into darkness; even if he couldn't take anyone with him, he could at least wound someone.

Merlin wasn't standing in the hero and Arthur's protective position at that time.

As a result, Asasix didn't move—perhaps because he couldn't react in time—but why are you laughing like an idiot afterward!

Why warn the heroes that someone else is still in the hall?

Tang Luo raised his hand, then lowered it, suppressing the urge to drag Asasix out and beat him senseless.

"Comrades, comrades, stay calm." Tang Luo exhaled softly, smiling at Asasix in the darkness.

The hidden Asasix shuddered; Lord Anubis's smile was rather terrifying.

What now? Surely he thinks I failed to kill the hero!

Screw it—let's go!

Asasix moved silently, appearing instantly above everyone's heads before leaping straight down.

The light from the illumination spell was blocked by shadows.

The hero and Arthur reacted extremely fast—one thrust his sword upward, the other raised his shield to protect Tang Luo and Merlin.

As for Shadow, she had already donned her gear and vanished into the darkness.

Darkness is her domain.

Asasix's body stalled midair, he blurred into a afterimage darting sideways, melting into the darkness and vanishing, leaving only a muffled grunt.

This ambush came to nothing—not to mention, the hero's sword nicked his right arm.

"Not bad reflexes, hero."

Asasix's taunting voice echoed from the darkness, impossible to pinpoint its source.

The hero didn't reply, instead staring at a speck of blood on his blade, then wiping it with his finger.

The surrounding flames instantly vanished, replaced by a streak of blood-red.

The blood rose from the sword, spreading outward, pointing in a direction.

"Got you!"

The hero roared and lunged fiercely toward Asasix's location.

"Impossible! How did you find me!"

Asasix's astonished voice rang out, followed by the clash of metal on metal.

Soon, the battle sounds faded completely.

The darkness over the hall dissipated, revealing a tattered red carpet and stone pillars nearby bearing scratches.

Asasix leaned against a stone pillar, his face deathly pale, a gruesome wound marring his body.

He was seriously injured.

It's only natural—at this moment, the hero's strength surpasses even the Demon King's; how could Asasix possibly be his match?

Moreover, as an assassin, he had his movements locked down by the hero.

He basically had nothing coming but a beating.

"Ken, he might know something." Arthur reminded him.

This assassin wore ornate attire; in the demon realm, he likely held some status.

"Speak! Where is Kailan!" the hero demanded, pressing his swordtip to Asasix's nose.

"Hehehe." The wounded Asasix kept up his persona, still chuckling: "Not bad, hero—you're strong."

I, Asasix, deem you a mighty warrior!

"..."

"Where is Kailan?"

Arthur stepped forward as well, asking while standing beside the hero, his gaze sweeping continually across the hall.

"No one's hiding." Shadow spoke up at the right moment, gesturing that only this wounded demon lay before them.

No other enemies—at least on the surface.

"But do you think defeating me means you can rest easy?"

Asasix ignored the hero's question, continuing on his own: "Among the Four Heavenly Kings, I'm the weakest!"

"There are many stronger than me."

"Defeat them, and you may proceed deeper into the Demon King's city to see the Demon King himself."

Asasix spoke like a guide, outlining the hero's upcoming mission flow.

"Only after you defeat the Demon King will you meet the one you wish to see."

"It seems we've really fallen into their trap," Arthur said with a solemn expression.

"It's fine!"

The hero thrust his sword forward, the blade sinking into the stone pillar.

He paused for a moment, then slowly drew his magic sword: "We are the strongest, we can achieve victory—I will make these demons regret it!"

"They got away."

Tang Luo added from the side.

Asasix finished what he needed to say, then promptly activated his transfer magic and escaped beneath the hero's sword.

The hero's passionate words were somewhat awkward now—everyone had run off.