Chapter 1141: 同行

Just now, Qin Sang had caught a glimpse of the birthday feast from afar. He noticed not only human figures but also female cultivators among them. It was unclear if they were from the Myriad Demon City or if they had been abducted by the Traction Demon King from elsewhere.

These individuals seemed to have been in the Ten Thousand Snake Abyss for a long time, having adapted to the fierce demonic beasts. Though the lesser demons salivated at the prospect of human flesh and blood, they could only suppress their instincts under the discipline of the more evolved demonic beasts. Qin Sang wondered, however, if they would always remain so safe in the Ten Thousand Snake Abyss.

Qin Sang had infiltrated this area alone. Bai had already set up a grand formation elsewhere, awaiting his return.

Qin Sang discreetly surveyed the layout of the Demon King's cave. The terrain here was quite peculiar. The Ten Thousand Snake Abyss transformed into a vast pocket here, with an exceptionally open center dotted with mountains of varying heights. At the foot of the mountains was a marsh, seemingly connected to an underground dark river. Although the Ten Thousand Snake Abyss saw no sunlight, strange flowers and exotic plants grew everywhere, their branches and leaves lush and full of vitality, and the mountains were no exception.

Three treasure vaults were situated among the smaller mountains. "This place is sealed by a spirit formation, and guards are constantly patrolling," he mused. "Infiltrating silently won't be easy. I'll have to wait for the changing of the guards..."

Using his Heavenly Eye ability, Qin Sang clearly discerned the positions of all the hidden guards. He had long since figured out the pattern: these guards were permitted by the Demon King to take turns enjoying delicacies and fine wine at the feast. This was the optimal time for infiltration. He was not in a hurry and remained motionless in his spot.

Time slowly passed. The atmosphere of the birthday feast grew increasingly lively. The guards within the cave seemed to have caught the enticing aroma of the fine wine and delicious food. Each of them appeared distracted, frequently glancing towards the feast and swallowing hard.

"Damn his ancestors! White-feathered Eagle couldn't have gotten drunk and forgotten to relieve us, could he?"

On the summit of the outermost small mountain, outside a stone pavilion, were two demonic pythons, one black and one white, each as thick as a water bucket, speaking in human tongues. The two demons were responsible for guarding the Demon King's cave. They gazed longingly towards the dark lake, their eyes burning with desire, but without the Demon King's command, they dared not abandon their posts. They could only huddle together, sighing.

After waiting for a long time without relief, they were nearing their breaking point. The black python, in particular, began cursing loudly. "Even if that White-feathered Eagle is arrogant, he wouldn't dare openly deceive us brothers," the white python said nonchalantly. "How about you go complain to the Queen? She's soft-hearted; maybe she'll just let us go drink. We'd only be gone for a little while, and who would be so brazen as to infiltrate the King's cave anyway?"

"Why don't *you* go?" the black python glared. "If the King finds out we neglected our duties for a drink, he'll flay you alive!"

As they spoke, a whooshing sound came from ahead. A white-feathered eagle appeared, swaying with an arrogant gait, soaring over from a distance with a group of lesser demons whose faces were flushed red, clearly having had their fill of drink. The two demons rejoiced and whistled. Other patrolling lesser demons immediately rushed to the spirit formation's entrance like hungry wolves.

"Damn it, they finally remembered us!" The black python fiercely flicked its tail at the white-feathered eagle, stirring up a gust of wind. The white-feathered eagle flapped its wings to block the wind, burped, and bragged, "The immortal brew the King prepared today is truly potent; I can't even bear to let the buzz fade! What are you waiting for? Hurry up, or there won't be any left!"

Hearing this, the two demons cursed again and prepared to ride their demonic winds to snatch the wine. The white-feathered eagle suddenly pulled the black python back, nodded towards the depths of the cave, and transmitted a question: "How is the little consort's mood?"

"Heh heh," the black python chuckled, gloating. "Brother Qing was ordered to guard the little consort's chambers, ostensibly for her protection, but she cursed him black and blue. We dared not go near and told the smaller demons to keep their distance to avoid trouble."

The white-feathered eagle clicked its tongue. "When consorts squabble, lesser demons suffer."

"You guard well! Wait for me!" The black python slapped a token into the white-feathered eagle's grasp, then, seeing that the white python had already gone far, it quickly chased after it.

The white-feathered eagle led its subordinates into the formation, activated the token to reseal the grand formation, made arrangements, then flew a circuit to confirm nothing was amiss before returning to the stone pavilion for a nap.

By this time, Qin Sang had successfully infiltrated. These demonic beasts were still deeply immersed in the feast, completely unaware that someone had slipped in behind them. Even the white-feathered eagle, whose cultivation was only at the mid-stage of the Demonic Core, could not possibly detect Qin Sang.

Having infiltrated, Qin Sang couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. But this was only the beginning.

"The birthday feast will continue for a while, so I have plenty of time to search slowly," he thought. "However, the dark lake is very close, and the Traction Demon King can arrive in an instant. I must be careful. First, I need to observe the restrictions on the three treasure vaults to see if there's an opportune moment..."

With these thoughts, Qin Sang quietly made his way to one of the mountains. On the mountain was a stone wall. Within it lay a hidden space. Just now, during the changing of the guards, the white-feathered eagle immediately dispatched a team of lesser demons to guard the stone wall motionlessly. Even the white-feathered eagle itself flew a circuit before feeling reassured.

Qin Sang hid beneath a tree and instructed his Heavenly Eye Butterfly to use its divine ability to observe the restrictions on the stone wall. It was clear that the restrictions here had been personally set up by the Traction Demon King. The Heavenly Eye Butterfly, capable of finding flaws even in ancient restrictions, now identified two weak points in the restriction that offered an opportunity to break through. However, doing so would inevitably cause a great disturbance, instantly alerting the Traction Demon King.

After observing for a while, Qin Sang quietly retreated and went to another treasure vault, which also proved very tricky. This indicated that even if there were no treasures here, it was a place highly valued by the Traction Demon King. He did not act rashly and then approached the Traction Demon King's cave. He had investigated all three potential locations of treasure vaults.

Qin Sang secretly reckoned that even if he managed to painstakingly break through the restrictions without alarming the Demon King, he would at most only be able to open one location. Once the birthday feast concluded, the Traction Demon King would return, and he had to leave before then.

"The defensive spirit formation is actually only partially activated," he considered. "If I wait for the Feather Demon King to draw the Traction Demon King away—assuming he even does—then the full power of the grand formation will be unleashed, making infiltration impossible. Moreover, by then, the Thousand Mountains Bamboo Sea won't be able to conceal me anymore..."

Qin Sang hesitated for a moment, recalling what he had just overheard: the Traction Demon King had a favored consort here. The favored consort was certainly not a great demon in human form, so capturing her should not be difficult. Given her close relationship with the Traction Demon King, she might know something useful.

Thinking of this, Qin Sang looked towards the depths of the cave, to a slightly secluded mountain peak with elegant and refined architecture. He avoided the guards, about to proceed. Unexpectedly, at that very moment, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly suddenly gave a warning. Qin Sang's movements abruptly halted. To his surprise, a dark figure suddenly emerged from the mountain forest ahead, its target also the favored consort's chambers!

"When did this person get in?" Qin Sang was startled.