Chapter 1376: Killing Intent

Wu Liang chuckled, "Your Majesty, if I tell you, can you spare my life?"

The Demon Emperor said expressionlessly, "If you don't speak, you will die now."

Wu Liang's hair stood on end. "Speak, speak, I'll speak right away."

Yun Jianyue and Yan Xuehen rolled their eyes. This guy really had no backbone, begging for mercy so easily.

Then Wu Liang hurriedly said, "If I'm not mistaken, the Demon Race's Imperial Mausoleum and the ancient unknowable land have experienced a spatial-temporal overlap, inadvertently forming a special burial style within the tomb – the 'Yang Tomb, Yin Grave.'"

The Demon Emperor frowned, "What is a Yang Tomb, and what is a Yin Grave?"

"The so-called Yang Tomb is this Imperial Mausoleum that everyone can see with their own eyes – the underground palace chambers. The legendary design of a Yang Tomb, Yin Grave uses the Yang Tomb as a facade to attract the attention of various tomb raiders. Of course, it also contains many valuable funerary objects," Wu Liang's eyes glowed when he mentioned funerary objects, clearly a deep-rooted thrill for him, "However, the true tomb owner is hidden within the Yin Grave. This way, they avoid having their peace disturbed after death by using the Yang Tomb."

"Nonsense, are you saying our ancestors' Imperial Mausoleum has become someone else's facade?" Prince Jinwu cursed furiously.

Wu Liang chuckled awkwardly, "I just said it was a coincidence, a coincidence. In fact, it's precisely because it was hidden within the Demon Race's Imperial Mausoleum that this unknowable land wasn't discovered for so many years."

Prince Jinwu wanted to say more but was stopped by the Demon Emperor, who sighed deeply. "With my abilities, I've exhausted everything in this life and never found an unknowable land. Now it seems these legendary places are indeed hidden very deeply; no wonder they couldn't be found."

At this point, Wu Liang continued, "Your Majesty, have there been any such anomalies in the Imperial Mausoleum over the years?"

"That's right, if it had been recorded, I'm afraid this unknowable land would have already been excavated by a previous Demon Emperor," Wu Liang formed hand seals as if calculating something. "If my prediction is correct, this time it appeared because a specific condition was met – perhaps a particular time, or a specific alignment of the sun, moon, and stars, and so on. The hidden unknowable land only reveals its traces under these conditions. If this opportunity is missed, it might be thousands or tens of thousands of years before it appears again."

The Demon Emperor's breathing quickened. He thought, "Am I truly destined for this? So many previous Demon Emperor ancestors never had this opportunity, yet I receive such a chance just before the Five Decays of Heaven and Man."

"Are you a descendant of the Pangolin Clan?" The Demon Emperor scrutinized Wu Liang, his expression seemingly pleased.

"Your Majesty truly has discerning eyes; my humble skills naturally cannot escape your notice…" Wu Liang showered him with flattery.

Zu'an was speechless. This fat guy really knew how to grovel.

"The Pangolin Clan indeed had unique abilities back then. It's a pity their sacrificial heritage was broken."

Hearing the Demon Emperor's appreciation, Wu Liang's chubby face smiled even more brightly. However, the next second, it froze as the Demon Emperor stared at him coldly, "Who sent you this time?"

Wu Liang hurriedly explained, "It's because this humble one has been a bit tight on money recently, and for a moment, I was possessed by greed for the treasures in the Imperial Mausoleum. This humble one hasn't touched anything yet, nor harmed a single blade of grass or tree in the mausoleum…"

Zu'an rolled his eyes. This guy had the nerve to say that, after digging such a huge tunnel to get in, who knows how much he'd damaged.

"Please, Your Majesty, grant me clemency. This humble one will serve you diligently in the future, and my knowledge can help Your Majesty unravel the secrets of this unknowable land." Wu Liang spoke so sincerely that even Zu'an was somewhat moved.

The Demon Emperor interrupted him directly, "If you don't tell the truth, you'll never speak again."

A murderous aura instantly enveloped Wu Liang, making his fatty body tremble. He quickly blurted out, "It was the Second Prince."

Zu'an thought, "Just as I expected." In fact, he had long suspected it. This cunning fat guy, no matter how greedy, wouldn't dare to target the Imperial Mausoleum. And if he really intended to, he would choose a normal time. How could it be such a coincidence to come on the very day Prince Jinwu was undergoing his trial? The defenses today were much stricter than usual. Later, Wu Liang intentionally or unintentionally led them towards this great hall, and at the corner, he "accidentally" made a noise, alarming those inside, forcing them to fight with Prince Jinwu's party. At first, he cursed him as a "pig teammate," but soon he realized that with Wu Liang's cunning, he would never make such a low-level mistake. It was clearly deliberate, a conscious act of borrowing a knife to kill. And in the entire Royal Court, with such a motive and capability, besides the Little Demon Queen, there was only the Second Prince.

"It really was him! That heartless wretch!" Prince Jinwu cursed loudly.

"What are you cursing?" The Demon Emperor cast a cold glance at him.

Prince Jinwu then remembered that the Second Prince was also his father's son. Had he just cursed his father too? He quickly said, "Father, my second brother plotted meticulously, causing your son to suffer so terribly this time. Father, please do justice for me."

The Demon Emperor snorted coldly. "Such things are normal. If it were you, or even me, in his position, with ambition, you certainly wouldn't be content with your fate and would likely take a gamble."

Prince Jinwu said mournfully, "But he almost killed your son."

The Demon Emperor said calmly, "We demons are different from the weak human race. We believe in fierce competition. Successive Demon Emperors have all been victors in cruel competitions among siblings. Only this way can we ensure the strength and wisdom of each Demon Emperor and prevent a waste from harming the demon race."

Zu'an was startled, thinking, "No wonder the demon race is generally valiant and skilled in battle; it's because of this brutal competition passed down through generations."

"Father is right to teach me," Prince Jinwu bowed his head obediently, but inwardly, he was filled with cold killing intent.

Seemingly sensing his dissatisfaction, the Demon Emperor instructed, "When you ascend the throne in the future, you must treat your brothers kindly. In the struggle for succession, everyone can compete fully, but once you become Demon Emperor and the general situation is set, they will be your most reliable right-hand men."

"Yes, I will treat them kindly," Prince Jinwu sneered inwardly, but showed no hint of it on his face.

The Demon Emperor frowned slightly. With his understanding of his son, how could he not hear the insincerity in his words? He had originally wanted to add a few more instructions, but then he thought, "Once I find the legendary method of immortality in the unknowable land, I will still be the Demon Emperor, and with me holding them down, there won't be any trouble between the brothers."

At this moment, he sensed many experts and armies approaching the Imperial Mausoleum, clearly alerted by the disturbance.

So he directly let his primordial spirit depart his body. A golden figure left his physical form, then grew rapidly, penetrating the entire mountain and appearing above the Imperial Mausoleum.

The massive phantom looked at the approaching crowd and said calmly, "Issue a command: guard all crucial passages. No one is allowed to approach the Imperial Mausoleum. Violators will be killed without mercy."

Hei Chi Fei at the entrance had originally doubted whether the person who went in earlier was the Demon Emperor. Seeing this, he secretly congratulated himself. It was indeed him; luckily, he hadn't acted impulsively just now, or he would have been finished. Thinking that the Demon Emperor knew about him and his wife, he felt anxious and quickly tried to prove his worth. So he stopped the various approaching forces, preventing them from getting close.

The Demon Emperor was somewhat puzzled. This guy was usually most loyal to the Prince and he had expected him to raise questions. Why was he so obedient today? However, he didn't dwell on it. After issuing the command, he returned to the Imperial Mausoleum and looked coldly at Yan Xuehen and the other women.

Zu'an's heart skipped a beat. This guy was thinking of killing them.

***

Some people died, but not completely dead…

He took deep breaths of fresh air, his chest heaving.

Confusion, bewilderment, various emotions flooded his mind.

Where is this?

Then, Shi Yu unconsciously observed his surroundings, becoming even more bewildered.

A single dorm room?

Even if he had been successfully rescued, he should be in a hospital room by now.

And his body… how could it have no injuries at all?

Filled with doubt, Shi Yu's gaze quickly swept around the room, finally resting on a mirror on the bedside table.

The mirror reflected his current appearance, around seventeen or eighteen years old, with a very handsome face.

His previous self was a handsome young man in his twenties with an extraordinary demeanor, who had been working for some time.

But now, this appearance looked like that of a high school student…

This change left Shi Yu in a daze for a long time.

Don't tell him the surgery was very successful…

His body and appearance had changed; this wasn't a matter of surgery anymore, but of immortal arts.

He had completely become another person!

Could it be… he had transmigrated?

Besides the mirror, which was clearly placed in a bad feng shui position at the bedside, Shi Yu also found three books nearby.

Shi Yu picked them up and his expression immediately became serious at the titles.

《Essential Pet Breeder's Handbook for Beginners》《Post-Natal Care for Pet Beasts》《Guide to Appreciating Beast-Eared Girls of Different Species》

Shi Yu: ???

The first two book titles were relatively normal, but what was up with the last one?

"Cough."

Shi Yu's eyes sharpened, and he reached out, but his arm stiffened quickly.

Just as he was about to open the third book to see what it was, a sharp pain shot through his brain, and a flood of memories surged forth.

Icefield City.

Pet Beast Breeding Base.

Trainee Pet Beast Breeder.

Beast Tamer?