The grey snake, seeing the ancient-clad man's expression suddenly turn serious, was so scared he dared not even breathe. His tail trembled incessantly. He was certain that any extra movement would result in his immediate, gruesome death.
"Take me to see Liu Qingshan," the ancient-clad man said.
Hearing the name Liu Qingshan, the grey snake's face turned pale. That was their ancestor's name; everyone had to call him Grand Lord Liu.
"Our ancestor is in closed-door cultivation. I'm afraid going to him now might incur his wrath," the grey snake said, mustering his courage.
"Hmph!"
The ancient-clad man let out a light hum, and a surge of energy blew outwards, causing the leaves on the trees to rustle. "Just lead the way."
The grey snake, terrified, dared not speak. The person before him was far beyond his ability to resist.
The grey snake led the ancient-clad man in a certain direction. Animals they encountered on the way scattered in fear.
Before long, the grey snake stopped at the entrance of a cave. The ancient-clad man looked over and saw two figures standing at the entrance, their arms and faces covered in scales, their tongues forked like snakes.
"What kind of low-class things are you? Don't you know this is where the ancestor is in seclusion?" one of them barked.
The grey snake, frightened, dared not speak. Disturbing the ancestor's seclusion was a capital offense.
"Alright, you can go," the ancient-clad man said, looking at the grey snake.
Without a word, the grey snake quickly burrowed into the nearby bushes and left.
The ancient-clad man walked slowly forward. One of the guards, seeing the grey snake had brought someone else, let out a snort. "I didn't expect that low-class thing to bring others."
"Kid, you're out of luck today. Break an arm and scram." One of them said dismissively.
The ancient-clad man paused, as if he had misheard, then burst into laughter. "Hahaha, how many years has it been since someone dared to speak to me like this?"
As soon as the ancient-clad man finished speaking, his eyes turned icy.
"Kneel!"
The ancient-clad man uttered a soft command, and an invisible pressure descended upon the two.
The two guards felt as if ten thousand pounds were pressing down on their shoulders, and they immediately collapsed to their knees.
"Impossible!!"
Their faces were filled with disbelief. With just a simple command, there was such immense pressure. Who exactly was this person?
The ancient-clad man slowly walked towards them, scoffing, "The last person who dared to speak to me like this was five hundred years ago."
"Who!"
A powerful surge of energy emanated from within the cave, and the two guards felt the pressure on their shoulders instantly dissipate.
The two rejoiced; their ancestor had emerged from seclusion!
The ancient-clad man chuckled, "Scum, open your eyes and see who I am."
As the ancient-clad man spoke, the surge of energy instantly vanished, and a middle-aged man with long, disheveled hair walked out.
"Ancestor!" The two guards cupped their fists in greeting.
The middle-aged man ignored them and walked towards the ancient-clad man.
Upon reaching the ancient-clad man, the middle-aged man immediately knelt. "Liu Qingshan pays his respects to the King."
The two behind them were dumbfounded. In the Daxing'anling Mountains, apart from a few others, everyone who met their ancestor respectfully called him Grand Lord Liu.
The ancient-clad man snorted, "I thought you no longer recognized me as your King."
Liu Qingshan quickly denied it, "This subordinate would not dare."
"Good that you dare not," the ancient-clad man said, showing no warmth.
"May I ask why Your Majesty has graced us with your presence?" Liu Qingshan inquired.
"Rise," the ancient-clad man said without preamble, stating the purpose of his visit. "I require the inner core of a seven-hundred-year-old demon, specifically one that has the potential to transform into a dragon."
The so-called potential to transform into a dragon refers to demons with such latent ability, such as snakes or carp, which have a chance to become dragons.
Liu Qingshan appeared troubled. If it were the inner core of an ordinary demon, it would be manageable, but finding a demon with dragon-transforming potential on short notice was difficult.
"Your Majesty, demons with the potential for dragon transformation are already rare, let alone those with seven hundred years of cultivation. I fear..."
Before Liu Qingshan could finish, the ancient-clad man interrupted, his eyes cold. "This is not a request, but an order."
Liu Qingshan dared not argue further. The man before him could end his life in an instant. "I will go and search immediately."
The ancient-clad man nodded. Since the founding of the People's Republic, all demons had been unable to cultivate human form. However, he possessed a method: using another's inner core as a foundation, he could forcibly fuse and cultivate human form through special techniques. This way, the little one could also have their own human form (referring to the dragon-fish in the shop).
"You have ten days. Only ten days," the ancient-clad man stated.
Liu Qingshan nodded. "Yes."
The ancient-clad man grunted and turned to leave. Although Liu Qingshan only had over a thousand years of cultivation, he relied on a sinister art to ruthlessly hunt and seize the inner cores of other demons for his own cultivation. His strength was not inferior to that of other great demons with two thousand years of cultivation.
In Yin Chen Valley, Yu Daohen and Qiangzi had searched for half a morning without finding any trace of the spiritual spring.
They sat on the grass to rest. Qiangzi asked, "Master Yu, is your information accurate?"
Yu Daohen opened his water flask and took several gulps. "It should be, but we've circled around for half a day. Why haven't we seen any caves?"
Meanwhile, the ancient-clad man was heading in the direction of Yin Chen Valley.
"Yo, I thought I sensed wrong. Isn't this our King?"
A voice carrying a powerful surge of energy echoed from the nearby woods.