Chapter 111 Chapter 111
For the little demons, having the Demon King and not having him seemed like two completely different states. The most obvious change was that if you pulled any little demon over, you'd see hope in their eyes, no longer the dejection and confusion of the past.
If you ask them about other things, they might not be able to say much, but if you ask them about His Majesty, they can definitely talk about it for a whole day and a whole night, and they can recite His Majesty's achievements like the back of their hand.
But even with this knowledge, they still didn't know who that Majesty was, what tribe he belonged to, or what he looked like.
In fact, some demons had speculated that the Lord of the Mountain was His Majesty. Although he had rarely been seen in action, the well-known demons in the team treated him with great respect. This treatment was unlike that of an ordinary demon.
Moreover, he always smiled and spoke softly, making the demons feel as if they were in the spring breeze and extremely kind, which was exactly in line with their fantasy of a benevolent monarch.
Of course, some demons believe that Dragon Lord is the Demon King, and that the Lord of the Dwelling Mountain is merely a pawn to confuse the public. After all, there are rumors that the Demon King can instantly destroy the four ferocious beasts with a single strike. Dragon Lord has long been known for his ferocity, and no one knows his true strength, so it's very likely that he is the Demon King. Furthermore, anyone who sits in this position is undoubtedly a ruthless individual; it's normal for him to be stern and deep-minded.
Of course, besides these two mainstream rumors, there are also a variety of bizarre theories, such as the claim that Fenghuang and Youlin are merely His Majesty's right-hand men, and that the true Demon King has never been seen. Some even say that the Demon King is actually the incarnation of Heaven, unable to bear the suffering of the world, and has come to lead them to the pinnacle of demon life in accordance with Heaven's will...
While these rumors might sound outrageous at first, upon closer inspection, each one held its own truth. The various pieces of information blended together, creating a confusing mess that made it impossible for the demon to discern truth from falsehood. Ultimately, the only conclusion he could draw was: It was only natural for a being like His Majesty to be mysterious and unpredictable.
…
By a deserted lake.
The mysterious and unpredictable Demon King himself was lazily napping in a rattan chair, a map covered in markings cradled in his arms. You Lin crouched not far from the phoenix, attempting to catch a fish with his bare hands.
Phoenix yawned and rubbed his brow wearily. Ever since accepting the title of Demon King, the pressure on him had skyrocketed. It had been a while since he'd had a proper rest. Today, he had to take a break from his busy schedule to rest for a while.
"What's the situation now?"
"Bai Yu'er and the others have already spread the rumors. The situation is pretty much as you thought." You Lin looked a little confused. "I still don't understand. After accepting the title of Demon King, not only did you ask those who knew about it to keep it a secret, but you also asked us to spread false information to confuse everyone?"
Phoenix pulled out an apple from somewhere and took a small bite. "Only the unknown can make the demon feel awe. At this point, deterrence is much more effective than fighting."
But there was one thing he didn't say: if possible, he actually didn't want to be the Demon King. He agreed that day simply because he didn't want to disappoint everyone's expectations.
It’s not like there haven’t been demons who have done this before, but when they failed for various reasons, the followers they gathered together scattered, and their progress was instantly reset to zero.
Although Phoenix believed that he would not fail, he also hoped that the transformation would be able to proceed smoothly even without him in the end.
The monsters need a leader. That leader can be him, You Lin, or any other person who comes later, but it cannot be a fixed person.
"Sometimes I can't guess what you're thinking." You Lin muttered a few words, revealing a rare resentful expression: "There's no need to drag me into spreading rumors..."
You Lin wanted to protest to Fenghuang when he mentioned this. Ever since his friend had dragged him into this to confuse the public, the looks from the little demons around him had been making him panic. The key point was that he couldn't just walk away like he usually did. For someone with social anxiety, this was pure torture.
"Everyone who sees it gets a share~" Fenghuang curved her eyes, picked up a fruit and threw it in You Lin's direction. She thought to herself: Who told you to join in the fun? If you joined in the fun, you have to work with me.
You Lin was caught off guard, and the fruit flew over his head and fell into the water with a "plop", splashing water all over his face. The fish that had been attracted with great difficulty also scattered in the blink of an eye.
“…”
“Pfft…hahahahahahahaha.”
Amidst the Phoenix's gloating laughter, You Lin silently wiped his face, then picked up the fruit, wiped it carefully with his clothes, and took a big bite.
"What is our next goal?" At that time, it seemed that he really had some suspicion of selling out his teammates, and the guilty Lao Shilong tried to change the subject.
Phoenix naturally knew what he meant, so he went down the slope: "Let me see, if nothing unexpected happens, our next target location will be this plain."
He spread out the map. Most of the area on the map was marked with check marks. These were the areas they had successfully integrated. Just one look at it filled him with a sense of accomplishment.
Looking at the next target location circled on the map, Phoenix clutched the apple in his hand and fell into deep thought. On that plain... if memory serves me correctly, there seems to be a particularly survivable tribe stationed there. They should be called... the human race?
Phoenix didn't know much about the human race. His impression of them was that they were tenacious, resilient, and able to survive. Although weak, they were not completely useless.
Unlike other races, humans possess immense potential. Many individuals can achieve levels of cultivation in just a few decades, comparable to what other demons would take hundreds of years to achieve. However, this translates to a very short lifespan. No matter how powerful their cultivation, their lifespan is limited to a hundred years.
This is the way of balance prescribed by the laws of nature. If any living being in the world reaches the pinnacle in one aspect, there will inevitably be defects of the same level to restrain them.
The greater a tribe's innate strength, the more difficult it is to produce offspring. Some powerful tribes even remain childless for centuries. The Phoenix is an extreme case—a mythical beast so immortal and powerful that its population is destined to only have one individual at a time.
The situation of the human race was completely different. Heaven's Law didn't punish them by limiting their offspring, but rather by limiting their lifespan. As a result, even if a strong individual emerged, in times of chaos and with limited lifespans, they could ensure the survival of their race, but it would be difficult for them to thrive.
If I could absorb it...
[Humans cannot move]
Just as Phoenix was about to make a plan, a line of ink suddenly appeared on the map, interrupting his thoughts. Phoenix was stunned for a moment, then calmly folded up the map.
"You Lin, I have to leave for a while. I have some things to take care of."
"Okay." You Lin nibbled on an apple, his face expressionless, but a strand of his hair drooped visibly.
"I'll tell you later."
"Okay, I'll wait for you here." The ahoge stood up again.
Phoenix returned to the room clutching the map. Seeing no one around, she spoke in a sarcastic tone, "Oh, who was that? Turns out it's Master Liuhe, the ever-busy Lord. How is it that, after all these years, you finally remembered there's a hungry phoenix cub waiting to be fed in the mortal world?"
[……] Help, why does this child have such a strong resentment?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com