Chapter 247: Great Trouble

Within one of the nine grand supernatural worlds attached to the Xia Clan’s world—the ‘World of the Tree Sea’—which was occupied by the Race of Magical Beasts,

“Roar~~~”

“Awooooo~~~” The vast World of the Tree Sea resounded with all manner of roars and cries.

Atop the canopy of a colossal tree stood a wooden hut.

Inside the hut, an old man with white hair sat reading a book. He was the supreme leader of the Magical Beasts—the Elder High Priest Orland!

A hazy figure suddenly materialized in the midair at a distance, then vanished in a flash, and appeared before the wooden hut. It was a slim, beautiful woman, yet with cat ears and fur on her face, clearly a Magical Beast transformed into a human form.

“High Elder,” the cat girl saluted respectfully.

“Hmm?” Elder Orland looked up.

“We’ve tried every means possible, but we still cannot find Dongbo Xueying,” the cat girl said, filled with grief and frustration. “We’ve done our utmost!”

“Alright, child, continue your search, and be patient,” Elder Orland said with a smile. “Our spies within the Xia Clan have tried contacting Dongbo Xueying through communication rings, but he did not respond immediately. When he finally did, he refused, saying he was entering seclusion for cultivation. Perhaps he truly has been in long-term retreat!”

“Yes,” the cat girl nodded.

“Be patient, wait slowly. Dongbo Xueying is very young; his retreat won’t last forever. He will eventually emerge,” Elder Orland continued. “Once he appears, our opportunity will come. You may leave now.”

“Yes,” the cat girl flashed away and vanished.

Elder Orland closed his book, stepped outside the hut, and walked upon the tree canopy. The canopy was immense, spanning several miles in diameter, like a green sea.

Standing atop the canopy, Elder Orland gazed over the vast world, his wise eyes filled with sorrow.

“Why! Why did the ancestors of the Xia Clan bestow treasures one after another, while our ancestors, the Magical Beasts, were mostly selfish and foolish? The Xia Clan could suppress the Spark World with a spatial divine artifact and fully control it. But we, the Magical Beasts… we must constantly counter the retaliation of the native supernatural beings, paying a heavy toll in lives.”

Once the native supernatural beings of a grand supernatural world were nearly wiped out, it would take thousands of years for the world to birth new ones.

Thus, when one batch perished, another would emerge.

It was extremely difficult to maintain long-term control over a grand supernatural world! The Xia Clan had only managed to control the Spark World, and even that relied on a spatial divine artifact. The Magical Beasts, however, had to fight for it through life-and-death battles.

“Dongbo Xueying—he makes me feel threatened. That foolish High Priest wouldn’t even lift a finger more than necessary! Their Church of the Demon God has infiltrated deeper into the Xia Clan, making their search for Dongbo Xueying far easier than mine.” Elder Orland also felt some anger, yet helplessness, for he had no authority over the Church of the Demon God.

“Hmm?” Elder Orland suddenly sensed something. “This High Priest of the Three from the Church of the Demon God dares to contact me?”

The High Priest of the Three was the most mysterious of the Church of the Demon God’s half-divine beings.

Reportedly highly favored by the Great Demon God, his power was also formidable. Yet he rarely acted, and even in the few times he had contacted Elder Orland, it had only been through communication rings. Never had he used a crystal orb for communication, seemingly fearful even of revealing his appearance.

“High Priest of the Three, what is it?” Elder Orland sent a message.

“Orland Elder, I wish to ask, were you not previously seeking to kill Dongbo Xueying?” the High Priest of the Three asked.

“Yes, but your Church of the Demon God has never cooperated!” Elder Orland replied.

“Have you found him?” the High Priest of the Three asked next.

“No, we simply cannot find him. It seems Dongbo Xueying has been in long-term retreat for cultivation!” Elder Orland responded.

“Alright, thank you.” The High Priest of the Three immediately cut off the communication.

Elder Orland was left puzzled—asked a few questions and then the communication ended?

…

Within a secluded, shadowy valley.

A mysterious figure clad in dark crimson armor and a bull-horned helmet stood alongside the Ice Demon Ralph. Above them, a massive, sinister head materialized in midair! The head was gaunt, with scaled skin and crimson eyes… the enormous head was ethereal, yet its malevolence made both the mysterious figure and the Ice Demon feel uneasy.

“Revered Great Demon God!” Ralph bowed respectfully. “Ralph Saka thanks the Great Demon God for saving my life!”

“Oh, you are from the Saka family?” the massive Demon God head looked down. “The last time I met with Mardoc was three million years ago. Back then, both Mardoc and I had just become Demon Gods, still quite immature, fighting side by side for a thousand years.”

“Mardoc the Progenitor is the founder of my Saka family. I am merely a minor, weak demon from a branch family,” Ralph replied respectfully.

“Never belittle your own potential. With but one decisive stride forward, you could ascend as a Demon God! The bloodline of House Saka flows with the makings of legend—you might yet rise as the mightiest among the Demon Gods.” The colossal spectral visage intoned. “This day I have preserved your existence, and now you shall serve my purpose. Certain… arrangements are being made with the Beast God Wu Shen. Upon the scheme’s completion, your rewards shall be magnificent! Pledge yourself to my banner, and I shall bestow upon you dominion—a Demon Lord you shall become.”

(Note: “巫神” is translated as “Beast God” to maintain thematic consistency with “Magical Beasts,” while “Wu Shen” is preserved as a proper name. The translation amplifies the archaic, ceremonial tone befitting a dark fantasy setting.)

“I am willing to serve the Great Demon God!” Ralph immediately knelt on one knee, showing submission.

Of course.

He clearly knew the Great Demon God’s identity and origin. This was a being on equal footing with the progenitor of the Saka family. His own elder brother, the clan leader of the branch family, was already a Demon God, yet even he was but a tiny crawling insect before this Great Demon God. If they were in the Dark Abyss, a half-divine demon like himself wouldn’t even be noticed by such a being!

“Hmm.” The massive ethereal head nodded.

“Great Demon God, we were ambushed at the same time—five of us were all attacked!” Ralph quickly added. “I am deeply puzzled—how did the Xia Clan discover us? We had our warships. We shouldn’t have been so easily detected, yet we didn’t sense anything at all!”

“Knowing that the five of you were ambushed, I have been pondering this matter as well.” The colossal Demon God’s head turned toward the enigmatic figure clad in dark crimson armor beside him. “Child, have you consulted the High Elder of the Wu Shen Hall?”

“Reporting to the Great Demon God, I have already asked. The High Elder said… they have been searching for Dongbo Xueying all along, but for six years, they have been unable to find him. Dongbo Xueying should still be in secluded cultivation!” the mysterious figure in dark crimson armor replied.

“I suspected this earlier…”

The ethereal head’s voice thundered, “Throughout their long history, the Xia Clan has never discovered the positions of demon generals so easily in the face of demon invasions! The fall of Redstone Mountain happened a million years ago. If the Xia Clan had obtained a certain treasure from Redstone Mountain, they should have used it long ago within the million years.”

“When the Demon Legion first descended, the Xia Clan’s response was also quite hasty!”

“Later, Dongbo Xueying alone resolved the threat, even annihilating a team of Time Temple Reincarnators. Just six years later, all five of you demon generals were discovered.”

“Coincidentally… during these six years, he happened to be in long-term retreat.”

“I can’t help but suspect that it was Dongbo Xueying who discovered the five of you,” the massive ethereal head said.

“Dongbo Xueying discovered us?” Ralph was shocked.

The massive ethereal head’s crimson eyes exuded a killing aura: “Discovering you five is a minor matter. What worries me the most now is… you were scattered across various locations in the mortal world. To find the five of you would require searching one place after another. During that search, could he have already discovered my Church of the Demon God’s most important headquarters in this mortal world?”

The Ice Demon Ralph and the mysterious figure in dark crimson armor were both stunned.

“If he discovered it, then we would face great trouble!” the massive ethereal head declared.