Looking at Danila, who was keeping his posture so ridiculously low, Zhang Ye felt like he was dealing with a collaborator leading the enemy into his own village.
Pfft, pfft, pfft, I'm not an enemy officer.
Zhang Ye feigned a cold, aloof expression, gave a nod, and flew into the depths of the forest alongside Danila.
On the way, he didn't dare transmit his voice to Hainowei for fear of being noticed, but he still flashed her a reassuring look.
Hainowei nodded with a faint smile, seemingly without a shred of worry.
In her mind, as long as Zhang Ye was around, there was nothing to fear.
Along the way, Danila thoughtfully produced a flying artifact—a flying magic carpet—for Zhang Ye to ride on. This delighted Zhang Ye, as Danila was flying far too fast, and keeping up on his own would have required his full effort.
They flew for over ten thousand kilometers before reaching the depths of Vadana Forest. The deeper they went, the sparser the vegetation grew and the more withered the aura of life became. By the time they reached the innermost area, even the soil had turned a charcoal-like dark gray, completely devoid of life.
Zhang Ye shook his head secretly.
No wonder everyone resisted the Dark Demon Cult.
Setting everything else aside, this level of environmental destruction alone was enough to make anyone lose their patience.
Finally, they arrived at the Dark Demon Cult branch.
The branch was situated at the bottom of a gorge, thoroughly concealed, with its structures built directly into the canyon's cliff faces.
As they landed, Zhang Ye noticed four Black Mages guarding the branch's main entrance. All four were Tier Eight beings, dressed in uniform black robes, though clearly less exquisite than Danila's.
“Lord Danila!” Seeing Danila, the four Dark Demon Cultists immediately bowed in respect, then looked with confusion at Zhang Ye and Hainowei on his back.
“Insolent fools! This is Lord True Demon—kneel at once!” Seeing the four fail to show proper deference, Danila snapped in fury.
Hearing those words, the four guards' expressions shifted instantly into sheer panic and profound reverence. They dropped to their knees one after another, lowering their heads in deep prostration.
“Failing to show respect upon meeting Lord True Demon for the first time is a capital offense. Go notify everyone first, then execute yourselves,” Danila said coldly.
The four immediately answered, “Yes!”
They then opened the main gate and sprinted deeper into the cave.
The scene left Zhang Ye astonished. Sentenced to death merely for a momentary lapse in respect upon a first meeting, yet they didn't hesitate in the slightest...
Zhang Ye was thoroughly shaken.
The reverence these Dark Demon Cultists held for the Demon Race had reached a truly unhinged level. They wouldn't even blink at an order to commit suicide. Enemies like this... were terrifying!
“My Lord, after you,” Danila said.
Zhang Ye nodded and stepped ahead of Danila, while Danila dutifully followed half a pace behind, thoughtfully guiding the way.
Stepping into the Dark Demon Cult branch, they entered a massive underground chamber resembling a plaza, where thousands of cultists had already assembled.
Without waiting for Danila to speak, Zhang Ye walked up to a high platform and looked down with his hands behind his back, inwardly astounded.
Every cultist gathered here possessed a cultivation above Tier Seven, and there were fully three thousand of them!
Among them were over a dozen Saint-tiers!
A force like this could destroy a small to medium-sized kingdom without breaking a sweat!
After all, the nations in the Realm Bridge Secret Realm only had four or five Saint-tiers at most.
Danila stepped beside Zhang Ye and sought his permission. Seeing Zhang Ye nod, Danila stepped forward and bellowed, “All present, pay your respects to Lord True Demon!”
“Hail Lord True Demon!!!” Instant fanaticism flushed across the faces of every cultist as they bowed down to prostrate themselves. A thunderous roar of voices surged through the chamber, causing the cave to tremble.
Zhang Ye was almost worried the stalactites overhead might come crashing down.
“My Lord, everyone has been eagerly anticipating your arrival. Would you care to say a few words to inspire them?” Danila asked cautiously, returning to Zhang Ye's side.
Say a few words?
Zhang Ye raised an eyebrow, but he still nodded and slowly stepped forward.
Every gaze locked onto him.
Truth be told, Zhang Ye was extremely nervous at this moment.
Even back when he held a concert under the gaze of tens of thousands, he hadn't felt this tense. Because if he exposed himself this time, he would be ground to dust!
Fortunately, his mental fortitude was rock-solid, and he didn't reveal a single trace of cold feet.
He swept his gaze around, taking in the fanatical and devout looks of the cultists below. Slowly, he opened his mouth, his deep, magnetic voice echoing in everyone's ears.
“Everyone... you have worked hard!”
“Though you are as weak as ants, you carry on your shoulders the very foundation of the great dark demon cause!”
“You are all doing a fine job!”
The moment his words fell, bursts of cheering erupted below.
“Ahhh! Did you hear that?! Lord True Demon called me an ant!”
“I'm so moved! Mother, I've finally made it in life!”
“Lord True Demon is so handsome! I want to—”
“Shut up! Show some respect to Lord True Demon!”
Zhang Ye: “...”
Watching this scene, even with Zhang Ye's strong mental fortitude, he couldn't help but swallow hard.
Holy crap, is it really this terrifying?
The brainwashing of the Dark Demon Cult was way too horrifying. These people were insane...
Zhang Ye pressed his hand down, and the din instantly ceased.
He spoke slowly, “Having just battled a knight of the Holy See, I am somewhat fatigued. I shall say no more; return to your duties.”
With that, he turned and walked toward the inner depths of the branch, looking completely as if he owned the place.
This exact air of dismissive, matchless dominance was what he needed to exude.
Sure enough, hearing that he was going to rest, Danila immediately jogged up and purred servilely, “Lord True Demon, I have already instructed them to prepare your bedchamber. You may rest comfortably inside, and I shall personally deliver delicious delicacies to you shortly...”
Zhang Ye waved a hand, and Danila shut his mouth at once, guiding Zhang Ye to the bedchamber prepared for him.
One look inside made Zhang Ye gasp inwardly. Whoa!
Zhang Ye had originally assumed that since this branch was underground, the bedchamber would be nothing more than a cavernous secret room. But it wasn't.
The bedchamber was constructed from rare, luxurious materials. Stepping inside, it was entirely distinct from the rocky cavern walls outside, radiating sheer magnificence. Anyone who didn't know better would think they had walked into a royal palace.
Zhang Ye nodded. “Not bad. You have shown thoughtfulness.”
“It is only my duty...” Danila replied.
Zhang Ye spoke slowly, “Very well. Step down. I require quiet rest.”
“Yes.” Danila nodded, backed out of the room, and personally shut the door for Zhang Ye. Before leaving, he added, “If you need anything, call for me at any time. I shall be at your beck and call.”
After confirming Danila had departed, Zhang Ye let out a massive sigh of relief.
Truth be told, acting like this had stretched his nerves to the absolute limit, terrified that exposing even a single flaw would blow his cover.
Fortunately, these Dark Demon Cultists were completely blinded by their demonic faith and hadn't noticed anything amiss.
In the end, it was the demon aura clinging to him that duped them.
Spreading his perception to scan the bedchamber, Zhang Ye confirmed there were no surveillance magic circles. He then released a barrier of mana to isolate the room completely from the outside world, ensuring their conversation wouldn't be overheard.
Zhang Ye let go of Hainowei, and both of them sank directly onto the soft, massive bed. Zhang Ye exhaled heavily.
“That was way too nerve-racking...”
Hainowei looked at him with a smile and teased, “You really dared to pull off an act like that.”
Zhang Ye chuckled bitterly. “What else could I do? If I didn't act, we'd be dead.”
Hainowei nodded, then lay on her stomach on the bed, propping her chin on her hands and swaying her tail as she looked at him. “So... what do we do next? Are you really going to bring me to the Dark Demon Cult headquarters?”
Zhang Ye shook his head. “How could I? Our plan now is to find an opportunity within five days to sabotage their super-long-distance teleportation circle, then figure out a way to get out of here.”
“However, the defenses here are formidable. If we just run, we'll easily be hunted down. So we need thorough preparations—ideally, we escape before they even realize we've duped them!”
Hearing this, Hainowei nodded. “Alright, I'll follow your lead!”
Zhang Ye then rolled over, looked at Hainowei, and asked, “Don't you want to ask why I can use magic of the Demon Race, or why I have a demon aura?”
Hainowei smiled and shook her head. “No.”
“Why?” Zhang Ye asked, puzzled.
“Because it doesn't matter.” Hainowei looked into Zhang Ye's eyes, her gaze extraordinarily soft. “Whether you are human or demon, you are Ye.”
Hearing that, Zhang Ye broke into a smile.
“Alright, rest for now. As long as I'm here, there's nothing to worry about.”
“Mm.” Hainowei nodded, snuggling closer to him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and rubbed her cheek against his chest, looking entirely at ease.
Zhang Ye didn't overthink her gesture, assuming she simply needed a sense of security.
Zhang Ye then drifted into deep thought.
What should I do next...
...
...
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