Chapter 464: Following the brothers to take care of proper business

Although he had roamed the Yangyue World for so long, Ji Ming felt that this bleak reality had already lowered his expectations of others' abilities considerably.

After all, setting aside the distant ones, just judging the conduct of those Hui Guang nobles, he didn't even use good people as a benchmark, but simply applied the standard of ordinary people.

In less than three minutes, all those esteemed chief examiners would turn into the Yangyue Great Western King under the guidance of their ancestors' wisdom and crack them all.

But this group, having both time and ability, could have accomplished much, yet they were merely a bunch of evil spirit demon dragons messing around, and they still once again refreshed his worldview.

"I can't understand how your world has managed to persist until today!"

Quality answer: 【I don't know】

Whether the little boss knows or not, Ji Ming isn't sure, but he knows that today he will definitely give these damned stupid dragons a stern talking-to.

Therefore, after stopping the Demon Lord's action, he immediately followed up with a combined technique.

"From the moment I started talking with you, you've been nonstop saying things that are utterly ridiculous and downright embarrassing—truly shameless!"

"Moreover, I thought you had been hiding for tens of thousands of years, plotting some earth-shattering conspiracy, but the result is just a bunch of idiots who take things step by step with no plan or idea whatsoever!"

The Demon Lord never expected the Divine Chosen to suddenly be so formidable, and for a moment she was left speechless.

Ji Ming naturally didn't let such a good opportunity pass, letting out a cold snort and continuing to press his attack, his words striking with force.

"At this level, not to mention our Holy Light Church, even the Hui Guang Kingdom could easily wipe you out—without breaking a sweat!"

"Heh, your ideas are nothing but self-congratulatory empty talk; after all that talking, you actually have not even a shred of persuasiveness here."

"So, I say, you guys……"

He sneered, tapping his finger on a scale beneath the Demon Lord's neck, each word deliberate.

"No way, right?"

【Tea】

"Just tea! Just tea!"

And as Ji Ming wished, after hearing that the Demon Lord indeed turned red.

She never imagined that, while busy delivering her champion's acceptance speech, she would be rebutted by the champion's reward, having her bottom scale stripped clean.

She let out a roar, nearly cracking the tiles of the Divine Temple.

"You little brat, you're really sharp-tongued!"

But probably also knowing she wasn't good with words, she didn't argue with Ji Ming, instead composing her expression and regaining her previous calm.

"But I know, all you have left is that mouth of yours! And soon I'll make you open your mouth, yet you won't be able to utter a complete sentence."

Seeing that he could finally steer the topic toward something somewhat ambitious, Ji Ming secretly breathed a sigh of relief, yet he added fuel to the fire with his words.

"What's the point of just talking here? Let me see your abilities instead!"

Who would have thought that at a critical moment the Demon Lord would suddenly gain a bit of wit, cracking a smile.

"If you want to see my abilities, what will you offer in exchange?"

Unfortunately, in terms of courage and tenacity in debate, compared to Ji Ming, the Demon Lord's second life has truly been wasted for countless ages.

Because Ji Ming had prepared in advance, he immediately leaned close to the Demon Lord's ear and whispered a sentence.

The Demon Lord instantly widened her eyes; if her body still had flowing blood, her scales would surely have turned completely red.

And she blurted out from her mouth.

"Is this statement true!?"

The Divine Chosen nodded calmly.

"I'm a Hui Guang person…… I've never eaten pork, nor seen a pig run?"

The Demon Lord didn't know what this had to do with pigs, but she knew this time she should be able to get some meat.

So she didn't waste any more time, after confirming with the three leaders that the humans on ShanShang had been completely purged, she led everyone to the cliff.

To ordinary people, this is just a large piece of pure Purple Lightning crystal; if it could be mined whole and sold in the Royal Capital, after a bit of processing it could be exchanged for a house.

After all, before the demons constructed this building and suppressed it with a reverse spell formation, it was even wrapped in layers of divine turbulent currents, making it extremely difficult to catch even a glimpse of its true form.

But in fact, as long as the secret method of the Purple Lightning Church from back then is used as a driver, it's like constructing a framework to match and reorder the vast majority of the chaotic spell formations on the mountaintop.

Then, when you channel magical power at that point, those formations will fall like dominoes, smoothly forming a complete and tight magical chain.

After three cycles of operation requiring no external interference, finally outputting a highly complex magical signal toward the cliff wall can open the secret space hidden within the crystal.

For those who know, it's not difficult; for those who don't, it's impossible—worldly affairs are nothing more than this.

And after following the Demon Lord into the Purple Lightning Space, the scene inside turned out to be far beyond Ji Ming's expectations.

He originally thought this place should be a cavern entirely made of purple crystal, or a barren land perpetually shrouded in thunder and lightning.

But on the contrary, the vitality here is extraordinarily lush; the many flowers, grasses, and trees inside are growing profusely as if they had plundered all the life force from outside.

But as everyone knows, excess is not good; many things, when too abundant or too intense, are not necessarily beneficial.

Just like Ji Ming's Rejuvenation Elixir—such a fine medicine, why does it reek horribly during production? Isn't it simply because the fragrance is excessively strong?

Moreover, amidst this flourishing vitality, Ji Ming keenly noticed that what supported that undulating sea of flowers, making them bloom in brilliant competition, blazing red, were actually the skeletons of several giant beasts.

The Demon Lord had been secretly watching the Divine Chosen, naturally also noticing Ji Ming's attention, and couldn't help but let out a low laugh.

"You're wondering where those few skeletons came from, huh?"

"Hmm."

"Ha, they were actually unwilling to submit to our demon beasts, but after we killed a batch, the rest have all learned to behave."

That makes sense, after all, in the Demon Lord's plan, the demon beasts in the royal hunting grounds are meant to trigger beast tides as consumables, to draw human firepower.

But which normal intelligent beings would willingly be cannon fodder? Those high-level demon beasts that have just gained intelligence are naturally no exception.

It's a pity that if this righteous pack of cats and dogs were to meet Ji Ming, they might even be spared by the most merciful savior in history.

But unfortunately, their luck is poor—they ran into a bunch of weird neurotics!

These demon dragons who consider themselves part of the dragon race already feel good about themselves, and now that they're all deviant, how could they possibly think that these few broken trinkets have any meaningful speech?

Coincidentally, if the Purple Lightning side wants to inherit divinity, it needs to offer a vast amount of life force, so the Demon Lord simply launched a special 'Love Beast TV' program on the spot and pulled out those few protruding rafters.

In the fervor formed by clusters of death, at the very center of the space lay a perfect square amethyst, crystal clear and translucent, without a speck of impurity.

When the crowd drew near, an elusive yet irresistible scrutiny spread outward from it, examining every person present.

Besides Ji Ming, the ones who entered with the demon lord were the eldest and third leaders; they had presumably been here before, so the will showed no reaction upon contacting them.

But when it made contact with the first entrant—a human who also bore holy light, Ji Ming—the scrutiny instantly turned into malice emanating from the entire space.

Specifically, all the surrounding plants were instantly activated, each flower aiming at him like a camera, on all sides, like a scene from a horror film.

This situation lasted only a second before ending—not because the divine stone mercifully relented, but because the demon lord intervened to help him withstand the pressure.

The purple crystal dimmed for a moment, as if dissatisfied, asking what she intended.

The demon lord, however, did not yield; she simply lifted her head.

"This is my spoil; you need not concern yourself!"

Seeing her say that, the master of this space had no choice but to stand down.

But as he just withdrew his divine ability, he heard the pale-faced man ask in a low voice.

"Your Majesty, what is this thing? I get the feeling it possesses some kind of sentience."

"Huh?"

"Just a mere spoil, and yet you dare to meddle!"

Believing he had figured out the female demon lord's mysterious will, he felt a surge of delight, eager to see how she would scold and punish him—yet she merely turned slightly and lowered her voice as well.

"This, this is the divine remnant left after the fall of the Purple Lightning God, within which lingers a trace of His consciousness."

However, after ten thousand years, it has been worn down by time to a considerable weakness, leaving little power even within this space.

It's merely a guide, a servant? Ha, not worth mentioning.

Purple Lightning remnant consciousness:?

Xiao Bai's face nodded and he drew out his tone, clearly implying there was more to his words.

"Oh… I see, it's not possible then."

Purple Lightning remnant consciousness:???

To be honest, if only the demon lord had acted out of character, suddenly learning to speak properly and obediently answering humanity's questions.

He would only suspect that this neurotic mother dragon's condition had worsened from years of loneliness, and now, with the small head deciding for the big head, she's gone berserk in reverse.

But this mocking combo move is just damn…

Ammonites!! (already heated)

However, no matter how angry it becomes, to outsiders it is nothing more than a self-illuminating magic crystal lamp.

Moreover, in Ji Ming's eyes, the demon lord's reliability is worth about as much as a small boss's function—almost nonexistent.

【Ah, no, I can speak—why are you suddenly insulting me too?】

Therefore, seeing that she at least took the initiative to lend him a hand, Ji Ming also proactively reminded her.

"Even a lion catching a rabbit must exert its full strength; after all, this is but a trace of the remnant consciousness of an ancient Zhen Shen, Your Majesty, so please be careful."

But the demon lord merely gave a "Huh?" in response, then immediately burst into a loud laugh capable of roaring the Toxic Enemy King to death.

While laughing, she also patted Ji Ming's shoulder with her scaly hand.

"Little cutie~ Just moments ago you were so resistant, and now you're actually starting to care about me? Turns out you're someone who admires strength."

"Hmph, but it doesn't matter; I will keep growing stronger. You just need to remember your promise—tonight, huh? That's enough."

Ji Ming: "What the hell, what did I promise her for tonight?"

{You're not going to deny it after finishing the tea, are you? Luckily I have a backup—please watch the VCR! }

"Hold on, hold on, hold on! I just remembered—is that still not okay?!"

But after the exhilaration of that qi and blood subsided, Ji Ming still felt a deep sense of shame, only able to avert his gaze and give an evasive answer.

"Um, uh, I guess so..."

Unfortunately, the demon lord, still immersed in the rhythm of victory, couldn't think of that; she had already light-footedly approached the Purple Lightning magic crystal.

"Remnant consciousness, I have already provided you with sufficient vitality, the entire protective formation has been fully activated—can I now inherit this authority?"

It's laughable that the remnant consciousness of the Purple Lightning God, while possessing thought, lacks the ability to express language directly, only able to show emotion through changes in aura.

This is also the fundamental reason why the demon lord and her fellow dragons, after obtaining the Purple Lightning secret art from ancient ruins and learning the method to open the secret realm, spent over a thousand years before finally obtaining the complete inheritance process from this remnant consciousness.

——Communicating with the crazy demon dragon and the three‑nothing god stone is truly difficult!

And after receiving a soothing emotion from the demon stone, the demon lord, who had awaited this day for far too long, began the final preparations before the inheritance.

First is the third leader, who has always served as the team's blade; she must notify the powerful beasts in the hunting grounds to raise a beast tide, and as part of the "trade," lead them to besiege the human settlement at the mountain's base, i. e., the so‑called "rest stop".

Next is the second leader, who has always served as the team's shield; she must lead six servant dragons in patrolling around the Fallen God Peak to intercept any strong ones attempting to climb the mountain for reconnaissance.

Finally is the eldest leader, who represents the pinnacle of intellect apart from the demon lord; she must ensure the inheritance ceremony proceeds smoothly, acting as the last line of insurance, guarding the demon lord's safety unto death.

Only then did Ji Ming understand why this group of demon dragons was so frenzied and obsessed with obtaining this divine relic that had expired over ten thousand years ago—who knows how much power it still holds as a Zhen Shen's divinity.

Because, after they painstakingly developed a communication system akin to Morse code using their astonishing wisdom, that divine stone reluctantly informed them of one thing.

——When a sentient life becomes a Zhen Shen, its life form first reverts to the state it had at birth, and this becomes the standard for reshaping its divine body.

——Although weak proto‑gods and lesser gods certainly cannot achieve this, if they can be accepted into the divine court by a Zhen Shen, these minor gods can also bask in the same glory under divine grace.

In other words, as long as she can become the new Purple Lightning God, the demon lord Patricia can escape the curse known as the "Evil Spirit," regain her former draconic glory, instead of continuing to wear this disgusting fleshly husk.

As a near‑ninety‑level Zhen Shen walking the mortal world, it would be effortless for her to conjure eight or nine petty gods to serve as her lackeys; naturally she could achieve personal ascension and drag her chickens and dogs to heaven!