So that was it.
It indeed was extremely important information.
Without this warning, even if Bai Xiaodu knew a strange bird would attack, he would never have considered using a domain as a means of defense. After all, the Transcendent Rank didn't have domains yet!
Thinking of this, Bai Xiaodu couldn't help but feel his scalp tingle. Although he didn't know who exactly was plotting against his race, it was simply too ruthless. Forcing a cross-realm battle, using the power of a Domain Lord to crush a mere Transcendent—it was absolutely terrifying!
Fortunately, he now had a general direction. The only pity was that Romansa's words were far too few—it simply wasn't enough!
Rubbing his temples in frustration, Bai Xiaodu continued to ask, “Aside from these memories, is there anything else you want to say?”
The Slime Demon King nodded vigorously. “Yes! Of course there is!”
“I need to clarify one thing beforehand. Lord Romansa wasn't the first silver fox-kin to be killed by that strange bird.”
“She already knew she would face danger before her death. To play it safe, Romansa delayed her ascension to Domain Lord until she had accumulated the absolute maximum amount of Origin her body could hold.”
“Four thousand strands to form the domain, and one thousand strands as a backup. In the end, she didn't realize she needed to use the domain to resist, so she fell to the maw of that strange bird.”
The Slime Demon King pointed beneath her feet. “Knowing she was doomed at the time, she established the laws for this newborn domain called the Demon Forest.”
“Whoever is recognized by the Demon King shall become the new Master of the Demon Forest!”
Bai Xiaodu's eyes lit up as he instantly understood her intention. “The greatest difference between a Domain Lord and a Transcendent is the domain. This is precisely why transcendents find it so difficult to fight across realms.”
“No matter how powerful an individual's strength is, it's hard to contend against an entire world.”
“She wanted to prepare a complete domain in advance for her successors, so that when they face that strange bird in a decisive battle, they won't be forced to rely on a newly born, completely rootless domain of their own!”
After hearing this analysis, Lingxin couldn't help but sigh with emotion. “So that's how it is.”
“Even though I don't like you, your master is indeed worthy of respect.”
“Having spent so much time on the battlefield, I've seen too many people who, in order to survive, did all sorts of dehumanizing things—they could barely be called human anymore.”
“Those who can face death calmly are few and far between. And I have almost never seen someone who, knowing full well they were going to die, gave up their subconscious instinct for survival and chose to put everything on the line to forge a path for those who came after them.”
A look of sorrow appeared on the slime's face. “Her predecessors did so, and Lord Romansa naturally chose the same path with grace.”
“Bai Xiaodu, in my capacity as the Demon King, I can recognize you as the new Master of the Demon Forest.”
“But you must promise me one thing: if even you fail to ascend, can you pass the torch down?”
Seeing both of their gazes fall upon him, Bai Xiaodu put his hands on his hips. “Oi, oi, I haven't even started preparing for my ascension, and you're already raising death flags for me.”
He confidently gave a thumbs-up. “Don't worry. Let all curses and misfortune end with Bai Xiaodu!”
It was an incredibly chuunibyou thing to say. Yet, both the Slime Demon King and Lingxin couldn't help but laugh.
Bai Xiaodu curled his lip. Actually, there was one more thing he hadn't said aloud. Back in the day, he had managed to work his way up from the Tulip Night Lounge to become a transcendent; now, he could surely use his Transcendent Rank to assassinate a Domain Lord!
Ding! A system notification chimed, and Bai Xiaodu saw a small gift pop up.
In any case, the Slime Demon King had let down her final trace of wariness. “Let's go.”
The group walked out of the cave together. The slime took hold of Bai Xiaodu, and the two of them quickly soared up into the sky.
Taking this opportunity, Bai Xiaodu got a clear view of the entire Demon Forest. Mountains and rivers bordered the small town, radiating outward into a vast, dark forest shrouded in eerie mist, teeming with beasts and crawling with monsters.
At the edge of the horizon, a towering, pitch-black spired tower was faintly visible.
The Slime Demon King shook him gently, pulling Bai Xiaodu's thoughts back to reality. Her tone suddenly shifted, and she spoke with extreme slowness and gravity.
Her voice spread across the wilderness, radiating to every inch of the Demon Forest and echoing in every corner, reverberating endlessly. Hearing the sound, beasts prostrated themselves, and monsters bowed their heads.
“As Blueberry, the Demon King of the Demon Forest, I declare that from this day forth, Bai Xiaodu is officially the Master of the Demon Forest!”
“All beasts and birds shall do as you please, all trees and plants shall obey your commands, and all mountains and rivers shall submit to you!”
The voice descended upon the land, sweeping through every corner like a gale, instantly transforming into an inviolable law within the Demon Forest domain.
Bai Xiaodu felt a momentary daze as a silvery-white laurel leaf mark quietly emerged on his forehead.
By the time he snapped out of it, he realized his field of vision was rising higher and higher. Where he previously had to look down and turn around to inspect different directions, now he only had to look up, and the entire Demon Forest Secret Realm was fully visible.
A dome-like sky above a flat earth—that was all there was to it.
With a single thought from Bai Xiaodu, the sky over the Demon Forest rapidly darkened. The concepts of sun and moon began to cycle at high speed, switching between day and night in the span of a single breath.
Turning his gaze to another spot, a majestic mountain hundreds of feet tall collapsed with a deafening crash. Boulders flew through the air and tumbled into the river valley below, letting out a series of rumbling, thunderous roars.
Bai Xiaodu couldn't help but nod. So this is a Domain Lord? This entire small world is under my control!
No wonder they said fighting a Domain Lord was equivalent to contending with an entire world. Damn, it really was literal.
He played around a bit more, until he accidentally disturbed a massive, collective breeding ground of magic snakes. Watching the huge mass of hissing, writhing snakes crawling all over the ground, Bai Xiaodu scratched his head awkwardly and severed his connection, highly satisfied.
He could treat this place as his home turf from now on. With the ability to borrow the power of a Domain Lord in battle, Bai Xiaodu couldn't think of any opponent of the same rank who could possibly beat him!
Blueberry and Lingxin had already been waiting for him below. Bai Xiaodu quickly flew down to rejoin them. Just as he was about to speak, Blueberry waved her hand, interrupting him with a serious expression.
She stepped forward, saying solemnly, “Let me check you first to see if you've integrated perfectly.”
“Alright.” Feeling cheerful, Bai Xiaodu did as she asked and opened his arms. Then, Blueberry pounced right onto him!
Looking at this grand spectacle in sheer terror, the pinned Bai Xiaodu instinctively yelled, “What the fuck are you doing?!”
Blueberry ignored him, simply burying her head and sniffing forcefully. Snuggling up against Bai Xiaodu, she took a single deep breath, smelling him thoroughly from head to toe.
As she exhaled, Blueberry's entire body trembled, an ecstatic expression on her beautiful face. “It's too, too, too, too, too perfect!”
“I haven't smelled a real silver fox-kin in so, so long. You smell so good, I love it so much.”
“Hey, your name is Lingxin, right? Why don't you step outside? I want to have a private chat with Bai Xiaodu and explore the length, breadth, and depth of this Demon Forest domain.”
Rate on N.U.
