Demon King

Chen Xiaolian’s heart sank instantly.

His tone became very bitter, and he took two steps back: “You are a player!”

There was another sentence that Chen Xiaolian didn’t say out loud, and that was “Advanced Player”!

It was simple logic. Up to this point in the dungeon, the system has not prompted the players to enter, which means… Shen, as a player, can enter the dungeon before the system’s specified time. His identity is likely to be similar to that of Miao Yan, possessing an Exclusive ID and special privileges as an Advanced Player!

Shen smiled and looked at Chen Xiaolian: “The look in your eyes right now seems like you could pounce on me and kill me at any moment.”

Chen Xiaolian snorted, “That can be said the other way around too.”

“So, what I’m curious about is, in the second stage, the system clearly prohibits fighting, why do you seem to be able to attack at any time?” Shen shook his head, “I have some special privileges, but what about you? You’re an Awakened, right? Why do you also seem to have special privileges?”

Chen Xiaolian fell silent, just took two more steps back, furrowing his brow as he looked at Shen.

A high-level exclusive player like Miao Yan… he knew how powerful Miao Yan was!

In the Qin Emperor’s Tomb dungeon, she could hold her own against Bai Qi, a formidable presence!

Inside the Qin Emperor’s Tomb, Bai Qi and the transformed Bai Qi, who became his battle soul pet, were not on the same level in terms of combat power. The strength of the battle soul Bai Qi was much weaker than the one in the Qin Emperor’s Tomb.

“Anyway, we’ve come a long way, and if we were going to fight, we would have done so already. So, you don’t have to be so vigilant now,” Shen said with a wry smile, spreading his hands, “You see, Player, it’s just an identity.”

Chen Xiaolian stared at Shen, and after looking him up and down, he suddenly curved his lips slightly, showing a strange smile. He released his clenched fist and actually put the Stone Sword away, saying, “Alright, what you said makes sense.”

Chen Xiaolian’s generosity actually caught Shen off guard, and he couldn’t help but laugh, saying, “Hey? You’re quite unique, if it were other Awakened, they would either come at me with all they’ve got right now, or… just turn and run for their lives.”

Chen Xiaolian shrugged, “If it were other players, they wouldn’t have let me sit on the back of the motorcycle with my back turned to them.”

“Well then, let’s temporarily enjoy some peaceful coexistence!” Shen laughed heartily.

However, Chen Xiaolian’s smile faded, and he said, “The jokes are over. Now I need to address my problem.” He paused and looked at Shen cautiously, “My teammates must be in big trouble right now. If you know anything and can help, I would appreciate it. If you don’t intend to help, then let’s part ways here, and I’ll have to find my own way out.”

“That’s the reason you chose not to attack me, right?” Shen shook his head, “Alright, since your team has already entered this side quest ahead of us, there’s no harm in sharing some information with you.”

With that, Shen pointed to the surroundings and the slime on the ground, saying, “These things are the result of the corruption caused by some form of dark attribute power.”

“What dark power are you talking about, and how do you know about it?”

“It’s the privilege of being a player,” Shen joked, “You natives wouldn’t get such privileges, of course. After all, we’re the ones from the same world as the development team. Naturally, we have to take care of our own.”

Chen Xiaolian nodded, “I can accept that explanation, even though I don’t really like the term ‘natives.’ But… please continue, be more specific.”

“This dungeon is the Holy City, so the content of the dungeon’s missions is often related to ancient legends to some extent,” Shen pondered for a moment and continued, “This side quest is actually hidden. The plot description I received goes like this: a power that unexpectedly escaped from the depths of darkness seized an opportunity to awaken, contaminating an area around the Holy City, where blood flowed like a river. The dark radiance hides beneath the brightness of the Holy City, waiting for its chance to grow.”

“Brightness? Darkness? Chance to grow? What exactly is it?”

“I speculate that it might be a… feather.”

“A feather?”

“Yes, but not just any feather; it’s a feather that fell from the wings of the Demon King.”

…

“In myth and legend, gods suppress demons, and the darkness of the abyss where demons reside has always been suppressed by the power of the gods, or to be more precise, the collective of demons has been defeated and subdued by the power of light, even enslaved by the gods.

Among them, one powerful demon is known as the Demon King.

It once lost to the gods, and its greatest punishment was having its wings severed by the gods, and its power forever sealed. However, during that war, the cunning Demon King secretly dropped one of its feathers from its severed wings into the mortal realm.

This feather carries the mark of the Demon King and is a seed of dark power. This tiny seed waits for the opportunity to awaken, sprout, and gradually grow, allowing the dark power to rise again.

And this side quest in the dungeon is about this feather.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiaolian asked, “So, does this feather have the power to resurrect that whatever Demon King?”

“No, it’s not a resurrection,” Shen chuckled, “Your understanding is a bit off. The Demon King has already been sealed. What escaped is just a feather with its mark, a tiny seed.

The demons’ goal isn’t to revive their true body or ensure its survival, but rather… they hope to bring the power of darkness to the world and turn it into the dark abyss they desire. The demons themselves don’t care about their own life or death; for them, the dominion of dark power is the ultimate objective.

In other words, this feather is a manifestation of the Demon King, and whether or not it ultimately becomes powerful, the true form of the Demon King remains sealed; that won’t change.

However, if this feather were to evolve and grow strong on its own, becoming another entity as powerful as the Demon King, that’s also a possibility.”

Chen Xiaolian nodded, indicating his understanding.

“Because this feather fell from the true body of the Demon King, even though it starts off weak in its initial stage, its power attributes are identical to the Demon King’s. In other words, it has strong growth potential,” Chen Xiaolian asked, then looked at Shen, “Did you come here for this feather? Do you want to obtain it?”

Shen smiled candidly, “I’ve always been interested in collecting various types of power.”

Chen Xiaolian looked at Shen and said, “I have a feeling that you haven’t told me everything. For instance… I’m curious about the relationship between this side quest and the main storyline in Jerusalem.”

Shen intentionally put on a stern face and said, “Of course, I won’t say… after all, we’re not real teammates. I’ve already shared this information with you as a token of gratitude for letting me hitch a ride.”

Chen Xiaolian looked somewhat helpless and said, “Is it really worth talking about this? Hitching a ride… I find it hard to believe that an Advanced Player like you couldn’t find some means of transportation. Even if you didn’t have any storage equipment with you, couldn’t you just run or fly there on your own?”

Shen chuckled, “Alright… I admit that, in fact… I came for you, Mr. Chen Xiaolian, the leader of the Meteor Rock Guild.”

Chen Xiaolian’s body shook!

Because he remembered very clearly that he had never revealed the identity of the “Meteor Rock Guild” to Shen!

…

Qiao Qiao stood there, one hand on her forehead, her eyes closed, but her eyelids were trembling slightly.

A look of pain appeared on her face as if she were forcibly digesting something.

“Sister?” Soo Soo called out, feeling worried.

Qiao Qiao waved her hand, shook her head, and reluctantly opened her eyes, her voice hoarse, “I’m digesting its dark power… and there are many, many of its memories, it’s too vast… I can’t afford to be distracted.”

…

Seeing Shen’s mysterious demeanor, Chen Xiaolian’s curiosity grew stronger.

Why would an Advanced Player take an interest in him, specifically waiting on the road to approach him?

The Meteor Rock Guild wasn’t that well-known in the industry, was it?

Watching Shen’s smug expression, Chen Xiaolian suddenly had a thought and couldn’t help but dismiss the other’s irritating sense of self-satisfaction.

“Well then, let me take a guess,” Chen Xiaolian deliberately smiled and whispered, “You are paying attention to me, to me personally. The only explanation is that my Meteor Rock Guild had some level of interaction with you.”

He rubbed his forehead, “Let me think… the player teams I’ve interacted with… Well, Wind Slasher Guild don’t count; they’ve already been wiped out.”

Chen Xiaolian noticed a slight curl of the corner of Shen’s mouth, seemingly showing disdain for the Wind Slashers.

“So, the other player teams I’ve encountered, and with whom I had a deep feud…” Chen Xiaolian stared at Shen, “Thornflower Group!”

“In the Tokyo dungeon, I fought against Thornflower Group and killed some of your members. And in the London dungeon… I also encountered members of Thornflower Group who happened to be on the opposite side as me. Although I thought I had covered my tracks well, it seems that you still have special sources of information.

So, Mr. Shen… you’re with Thornflower Group, aren’t you? Are you here to seek revenge?”

Shen smiled, his expression very calm. “This is Jerusalem, so I’ll answer you with a phrase in the style of this place: God gives everyone a fair amount of time, and each person has as much time as they are meant to have. Those who died at your hands, while they did die at your hands, it can also be said that it was their time, according to God’s plan. So… you get it.”

“Not for revenge… then what?” Chen Xiaolian widened his eyes.

“It’s quite simple. In the Tokyo dungeon, you killed one of my capable subordinates.”

“Tian Lie!” Chen Xiaolian’s gaze tightened!