After resting for a while, the two continued deeper into the abyss.
A castle more than ten times larger than the Wolger black market gradually came into view before Su Sheng. Though the surroundings were pitch black, the countless gemstones embedded in the castle’s roof were nearly blinding.
As Su Sheng’s gaze fell upon the castle, a look of pride involuntarily appeared on Luo Ren’s face. He had built this castle bit by bit, spending centuries just to gather the white crystal rocks, let alone the gemstones.
Su Sheng pursed his lips, glanced at the castle built from silver, and lowered his opinion of the Demon King even further.
Who would have thought the Demon King was not only ugly but also had such questionable taste?
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Luo Ren’s voice, tinged with envy, sounded beside his ear.
Beautiful? Su Sheng shot Luo Ren a glance, his disdain evident as he mercilessly criticized, “It looks like a gaudy peacock draped in gold and silver, as ugly as its owner.”
Ignoring Luo Ren’s face turning green and purple and his trembling hands, Su Sheng continued with disdain, “The taste is simply indescribably poor.”
Luo Ren: “…”
Luo Ren was still smiling, but he was practically grinding his teeth.
What kind of taste did this Saint have?! That was the castle he had poured his heart and soul into building, and he called it ugly? And mocked him?
Luo Ren really wanted to transform back and ask this person face-to-face: What’s ugly about it? Such a magnificent castle, so grand and imposing, isn’t it?!
“Let’s split up. It’ll be faster,” Su Sheng said, no longer commenting on the castle but turning to the purpose of their trip.
Hearing this suggestion, Luo Ren suddenly calmed down, forcibly reining in his overflowing emotions and returning to a serious demeanor. With a forced smile, he said, “Sure.”
After using magic to re-engrave their contact method, the two went their separate ways.
Su Sheng had seen an illustration of Silver Star Orchids in a book about the abyss and still remembered what the flower looked like. He began searching around the edges of the castle.
Perhaps because this was the territory of the Abyss Lord, there were no demons around the castle, only creatures like groundhogs, wild rabbits, and sprites that had adapted to the abyssal climate, none of which could even be considered demons.
But after searching the northern and western sides of the castle, Su Sheng couldn’t find any Silver Star Orchids, so he had to move closer.
Closer meant right under the castle walls.
Were Silver Star Orchids really this hard to find? Su Sheng pondered. If they were so difficult to locate, how had the author of that book managed to get so close to the castle without being discovered?
Unable to find an answer after much thought, Su Sheng shook his head and chuckled. The author couldn’t possibly be the Demon King himself, could he?
Moving even closer, even the groundhogs disappeared. Sparse shrubs lined a small path leading inward. Su Sheng lightened his footsteps and slowly approached.
Pushing aside the shrubs, his vision brightened. A small silver-blue flower was quietly rooted there, with the castle’s main gate just ahead.
The castle gate was tightly shut, and the lights were dim, indicating no one was inside. To avoid being detected by the guards inside, Su Sheng cast a concealment spell and walked toward the Silver Star Orchid.
After quietly plucking the Silver Star Orchid, Su Sheng tucked it into his robe and was about to use a magic circle to send a message to Luo Ren when a soft chuckle sounded behind him.
“Saint, won’t you come in for a visit before leaving?”
It was a tone he hadn’t heard in a long time. Su Sheng slowly turned around and softly uttered the name:
“Li Xier.”
“Long time no see.”
Their voices overlapped.
The Demon King was still dressed in that black tailcoat, a pair of demon horns atop his head, his wings folded behind him. He looked at Su Sheng with a faint, ambiguous smile.
Su Sheng said coldly, “So you really aren’t dead.”
“Disappointed, are you? Care to come in?”
Though phrased as a question, the Demon King had already made an inviting gesture, his attitude leaving no room for refusal.
Su Sheng secretly crushed a magic array in his hand, his expression noncommittal.
But the next moment, the Demon King was pinching a glowing magic sphere between his fingertips, smiling as he said, “Trying to send a message to your friends?”
He then shook his head with a sigh. “That won’t do.”
With a gentle squeeze of his fingers, the light sphere shattered into fragments.
Su Sheng’s expression darkened. Could he even detect communication magic now? Had he grown weaker, or had the Demon King grown stronger?
The Demon King had been waiting for him, leading him into the castle until the great doors behind them slammed shut with a heavy thud.
The exterior was extravagant, but the interior was even more so. The vast space alone could easily accommodate ten ordinary castles. The spiraling staircases were adorned with gold and silver, and the walls were hung with lanterns made of colored glass, their flames fueled by magical potions, a level of luxury that bordered on absurdity.
The Demon King led him upstairs. At a glance, Su Sheng counted over twenty rooms just on the first floor.
Entering the room nearest to the staircase, his eyes were met with a dazzling array of wine glasses.
The Demon King made a selection from the cabinet and, moments later, produced an exquisitely delicate stemmed glass. Holding it up before Su Sheng, a faint smile curled at the corner of his lips as he asked, “Beautiful, isn’t it?”
Su Sheng watched the Demon King’s actions with confusion, unsure of what he was trying to accomplish. But under the Demon King’s urging, he nodded perfunctorily.
Satisfied, the Demon King placed the glass back.
Next, he was led into the second room, filled with all kinds of pure white statues, demons with human heads and lion bodies, angels with broken wings, and some strange, peculiar plants.
The statues Su Sheng recognized were famous works, carved by renowned artists from various kingdoms throughout history. Most were thought to be lost, yet here they were, in the Demon King’s possession.
The Demon King walked over to the statue of the angel, gently stroking it with a hint of pity. As he caressed it, he turned his head and asked, “What about this one? Is it beautiful?”
That fallen angel statue was carved by an artist from the now-extinct Kingdom of Klemsey. It was indeed quite impressive. Su Sheng replied, “Not bad.”
Then came the third room, which housed a collection of rare and exotic plants. The Demon King stood in a small clearing, looking at him with pride. “These are all my collections. What do you think?”
Su Sheng frowned impatiently, thinking to himself, Is this ever going to end?
“What do you think, really?” the Demon King pressed insistently.
“Average,” Su Sheng replied flatly.
Unwilling to give up, the Demon King led him to the fourth room, which contained various vials of rare materials, even the blood of fallen elves stored in jars.
But Su Sheng was utterly speechless by now.
Room by room, floor by floor, they went. Each time they entered a room, the Demon King would lead him around and then persistently ask, “Beautiful, isn’t it?”
If Su Sheng remained silent or gave an unsatisfactory answer, the Demon King would stubbornly wait until he said “not bad” or “beautiful.”
After touring over a hundred rooms, Su Sheng was completely unwilling to utter even one more word.
However, he noticed that the Demon King today seemed uninterested in fighting him.
After the last room was visited, the Demon King’s eyes were filled with satisfaction. He licked his lips, still craving more, and turned to ask, “Shall we continue?”
There’s more?
Su Sheng furrowed his brows, feeling unable to endure any longer, and spoke each word deliberately, “It’s truly beautiful, no need to continue.”
The last few words were practically gritted out.
Thus, the Demon King reluctantly gave up on using teleportation magic. After all, he still had a back garden and a lake, both of which were equally stunning. But since his little lover didn’t want to continue, he would have to wait until next time.
So, he said politely and with a hint of regret, “Very well, then.”
Su Sheng frowned. There was something he had kept buried in his heart for a long time. Since the Demon King didn’t want to fight him, he had to seize this opportunity to ask.
“You’ve already punished them, so why did you still impose something like the ‘Three-Day Pact’ on them? That doesn’t seem like your style,” Su Sheng said coldly.
The Demon King tilted his head, looking intrigued, and asked with a smile, “Oh? Then what would be my style?”
Su Sheng tightened his brows and murmured, “Breaking their spirits, that’s your style.”
The Demon King suddenly chuckled softly, “Wrong, my Holiness. Your understanding of me is still too one-sided.”
“Acting on a whim is my style.”
Li Xier reached out and gently smoothed Su Sheng’s furrowed brow, saying, “But from now on, you’ll come to understand it bit by bit.”
What does that mean?
Su Sheng was puzzled, but then his gaze abruptly paused.
With the Demon King’s movement, an empty potion bottle fell out and shattered on the ground.
It was a familiar pattern and design. Su Sheng recognized it as belonging to Luo Ren, and his expression instantly turned extremely grim.
Li Xier swayed slightly, “I-”
Su Sheng stared intently at the bottle and asked, “What have you done to Luo Ren?”
The two voices nearly overlapped.
The Demon King was taken aback for a moment, then slowly smiled, his eyes filled with disdain, “What I’ve done to him, what can you do about it?”