Chapter 445 - 443: Impersonation

"Is it ready or not?"

"Don’t rush me; why don’t you do it?"

"Hmph, several great kings are waiting. You’d better hurry up!"

The yellow figure walked away.

"I’ll cook you myself someday, you damned bear!" Another brown figure cursed angrily.

Beside the brown figure was a massive black iron pot, three to four yards in diameter, raised high.

Below, a roaring fire blazed; the water inside had boiled over, bubbling furiously, occasionally releasing white substances floating to the surface.

The bear demon, with a towering stature and covered in brown fur, held a wooden stick with both paws, constantly stirring the pot.

Its eyes gleamed at the scent of meat from the pot, and a stream of foul-smelling yellow drool dripped incessantly from its mouth.

Scattered around the pot were human corpses in disarray, blood flowing everywhere, shattered organs lying all about.

Some bodies were bent at grotesque angles, others missing limbs.

Some, though intact in form, bore faces twisted in horror, as if scared to death.

The bear demon casually grabbed a corpse, stripped it naked, and threw it into the pot with a splash.

Beside it, a young couple was clutching each other, wailing loudly.

The man wore a moon-white robe, his head scarf fallen away, his face covered in tears, yet still showing some scholarly air.

The woman wore a red dress, her appearance plain, lacking the man’s faint elegance.

"My wife, it’s my fault; I shouldn’t have wanted to go out of the city to pick greens, writing that damn article..."

"Husband, our fate has come, don’t blame yourself... We may not be born the same year, month, and day, but we can die together the same year, month, and day..."

"My wife, I’ve wronged you..."

The bear demon stirred the pot for a while, then asked in a muffled voice, "Have you two decided who goes first into the pot?"

"I’ll go first; eat me, I’m big, my wife barely has two ounces of flesh!"

"No, eat me; I’m a woman, my flesh is tender..."

"No, eat me first..."

The scholarly man and his wife argued over who should go in first.

Moments later, they were holding each other and crying again, feeling nothing could be more tragic in the world.

Watching their constant selflessness, the bear demon felt no pity, only impatience.

"Enough blabbering; cry more and I’ll throw both of you in!"

"You, the other one can wait for tomorrow!"

After speaking, the bear demon’s massive paw reached for the scholarly man.

The man and his wife hugged each other, trembling; though they were not tied, they dared not flee.

Just as he was about to be grabbed, a voice rang out.

"Hold on!"

The bear demon suddenly turned its head, seeing a white-haired ape not even a yard tall approaching.

’Why does this wretch look so unfamiliar?’

Just as the bear demon was about to ask the white-haired ape’s origins, it heard it say, "You’re just throwing people in without washing them?"

If the great kings knew you were lazy like this, they’d have you skinned and boiled!"

The harsh words startled the bear demon.

It instinctively wanted to rebut but suddenly found wisdom in them, its earlier suspicion vanished.

It couldn’t help but nod its bear head repeatedly: "You’re right, don’t tell the kings, I’ll wash them right now!"

Then, it picked up a rough stone ladle, scooping up boiling water to splash on the scholarly man and woman.

’Snap!’

The bear demon felt pain in its arm, dropping the stone ladle, furious.

It was about to explode but met the black eyes of the white-haired ape.

Inside seemed to be a power that seduced, causing its mind to stall.

"Wash with hot water, and they’ll be dead before they go in; do you want the kings to choke?"

"Use cold water, wash them well!"

"Right, right," the bear demon nodded continuously, finding sense in the other’s words.

"You wash first, I’ll go ask the kings. Wait for my word before putting them in!"

"Okay..." The bear demon nodded stiffly.

Once the white-haired ape had left, it felt odd.

’Why did I listen to it? Forget it, wait for the kings’ instructions.’

Elsewhere, the white-haired ape, transformed by Lou Yi, headed inside.

Hair on his face thickened gradually, bones adjusted, aiming for flawlessness, resembling more a monkey demon.

His rushed use of disguise talent had imperfections.

Luckily, the bear demon was foolish, coupled with control talent, flaws went unnoticed.

Lou Yi was stopped after a few steps by a pig-headed humanoid demon.

"Why isn’t the meat ready? The kings are waiting!" the pig demon glared at the white-haired ape, distrustful.

The number of demons present was overwhelming, in thousands; it knew only a fraction.

"A king must check; it’s too scorched, lacking taste," Lou Yi replied.

"What? I’ll go check!" The pig demon raged.

"You can’t help; the bear won’t regard you!"

While speaking, Lou Yi activated control talent, influencing the pig demon.

The pig demon, weaker than the bear demon, carried resentment from earlier tension, felt a bit intimidated.

Thinking it over, it turned to report to the kings.

Lou Yi stood quietly, waiting for the fish to bite.

Soon.

’Whoosh!’

Golden light flew over from afar, stopping right before Lou Yi.

It moved like lightning.

"Why isn’t the meat done yet?"

The newcomer, over a yard tall, had a leopard head on a human body, covered in golden scales like armor, radiating authority.

"Reporting to Fifth King, the meat’s too scorched, like roots, no chew.

I feel it needs re-cooking; would you care to inspect?"

Seeing the smallest leopard man, Lou Yi felt joy.

He subtly stepped closer, within three feet of the leopard man.

"Who are you under?" The leopard man’s eyes, jade-like with black gems, stared at Lou Yi in confusion.

"Wait, why do you lack the scent of Yi Mountain?" The leopard man suddenly realized.

The five leopard kings, claiming Yi Mountain as their origin.

He tried to distance himself.

The white-haired ape dashed forward, claws digging in.

Cold light flashed, overwhelming!

Too close, no escape for the leopard man.

’Snick!’

It looked down in shock, seeing its blood-soaked beating heart pulled out!

’How could those claws be so sharp? Why couldn’t I defend?’ The leopard man felt despair and rage, about to roar.

Suddenly, darkness enveloped his sight.

A black-and-white scroll unfurled, swallowing him whole.

His activity silenced, sound blocked.

’Array is truly a murderous tool,’ Lou Yi thought.

He glanced at his ’claws,’ faintly glowing red.

’Petrification talent, wrapped in energy edge; not weaker than a low-grade spiritual artifact, even surpassing in strength, vastly more flexible.’

’Not to mention, the leopard demon is only at the peak of little demon cultivation...’

Lou Yi controlled the corpse array, activated the array lines.

Gray energy ribbon-like surged, engulfing the attacked leopard demon, snuffing its last breath, all traces gone.

Soon, the attribute panel showed a new prompt:

’Discovered item to pick, choose one:

Energy, ninety-nine points

Slight increase in wind affinity

Talent: Leopard Tendon

Select?

’

...