Chapter 119: Even the Elephant Is Insignificant

The Demon Lord lunged toward Ye Sansi, but before he could get close, he was repelled to a distance of ten paces. Fortunately, the Demon Lord’s body of black mist was quite agile, allowing him to regain his footing.

Seeing this, Ye Sansi could hardly believe it; he hadn’t exerted any force, so how could he have knocked the Demon Lord back so far?

While Ye Sansi was pondering, Tao Xiao appeared before him and asked, "Ye Sansi, are you alright?"

Ye Sansi quickly replied, "I am fine, Brother Tao Xiao, but why would you offend your King for my sake?"

Tao Xiao did not answer. He turned to face the Demon Lord and said slowly, "This young man is under my protection. Let him go."

It seemed the Demon Lord did not recognize Tao Xiao, for he roared in anger, "You will protect him? You look quite imposing, but I do not know you. You are likely a rebellious mongrel. To expect me to listen to you is truly laughable."

"Ha! What are you? I am the King, ordained by the late Emperor and approved by the Elders. I sit upon this throne rightfully; how could you be the one to judge?"

Tao Xiao retorted with a sneer, "The late Emperor? And what was your late Emperor?"

"Impudent!" The Demon Lord was frantic. He perceived Tao Xiao as a remnant of the rebellious demons, someone who should have been lowly and insignificant. Yet, today, this person dared to challenge the authority of the King. If he were not eliminated, it would be impossible to establish his own majesty.

Tao Xiao said calmly, "You are the Demon Lord? You possess not a shred of the bearing of an emperor. I am truly puzzled as to how the legacy of the Demon Realm’s monarchs could have become so pathetic over these ten thousand years."

"Impudent, truly impudent..." Stung by Tao Xiao’s mockery, the Demon Lord was filled with fury, unable to find a retort for a moment.

Tao Xiao continued, "A true emperor, yet you sacrificed your physical form to gain power, becoming nothing but a mass of mist—empty and void. How could the vast Demon Realm be ruled by a monster like you?"

In an instant, the "black mist" surged forward, launching strike after strike. Tao Xiao dodged them with ease, saying, "Too slow, too slow. At this speed, you would have died a thousand times over. You have cultivated so bitterly, yet you are this weak. As an emperor, how do you have the face to exist?"

"Oh? Is that so? Then try this technique." The technique the Demon Lord spoke of was his proudest demonic art, one he had spent a hundred years researching and inventing.

The utility of this art was simple: it devoured the souls of his enemies for his own use. To maximize its power, he had sacrificed his physical body to exist in a state of nothingness.

The Demon Lord smiled triumphantly, spread his arms, and laughed, "I have mastered a peerless demonic art that has long transcended the Six Realms. In this state of nothingness, I am immortal and invulnerable. What can you possibly do to me?"

Hearing this, Tao Xiao placed his hands on his hips and scoffed, "You ant, to be so arrogant as to challenge me, Tao Xiao—you will either die or be wounded. Do you have the courage to try?"

Tao Xiao’s words, calling the Demon Lord an ant, enraged him. The Demon Lord, accustomed to being the supreme ruler, was deeply offended by such humiliation. His eyes turned fierce, and a murderous intent rose.

The black mist swirled all around, but it could not penetrate Tao Xiao’s body. After a dozen failed strikes, the Demon Lord was growing weary from the exertion, yet Tao Xiao remained motionless.

Seeing that he could not harm his opponent, the Demon Lord hastily withdrew his power. He felt a flicker of fear and retreated a few steps, exclaiming in shock, "What? You have no soul?"

"Ha." Tao Xiao let out a light laugh and said slowly, "If I had no soul, how could I stand here? I told you that you were weak, and you grew angry. I have withstood your move; now it is my turn."

Seeing the Demon Lord preparing his ultimate move, Tao Xiao did not dodge. Just as he had done previously when the Demon Lord attacked Ye Sansi, he stood straight, arms spread wide, waiting for the attack.

The Demon Lord cast his spell, and several trails of black mist flew out from behind him, encircling Tao Xiao. Seeing this, Ye Sansi could not help but worry; having fought the Demon Lord himself, he knew the strength behind such an attack was not to be underestimated.

***

A moment later, Tao Xiao remained nonchalant, his hands still on his hips, showing complete disdain for the strike.

Tao Xiao sneered, "With only this level of ability, how can you be so boastful? If I wanted to capture you, you would be nothing more than a toy in my palm!"

"Abominable!" The black mist seemed unwilling to submit and exerted its full strength to break free, but it had grossly underestimated Tao Xiao's power.

Seeing the Demon Lord’s defiance, Tao Xiao exerted force instantly. The mass of black mist grew smaller and smaller until it was the size of a palm.

This demonic art had no effect on Tao Xiao. The Demon Lord was shocked, realizing the strength of his opponent, yet he remained confident that he could not be harmed. After all, his state of nothingness was beyond the jurisdiction of the Six Realms; even if Tao Xiao possessed the power to destroy heaven and earth, he could not touch a hair on his head.

Hearing Tao Xiao say he would strike, the Demon Lord laughed triumphantly, "Go ahead and strike! If I blink even once, I shall admit defeat." With that, the Demon Lord closed his eyes and spread his arms, just as he had done when facing Ye Sansi, waiting for the attack.

"Ha, stupid!" Tao Xiao extended a hand toward the Demon Lord and clenched his fist in the air. A powerful force instantly gathered the black mist, compressing it into a sphere.

"Understood, I understand, sir! I will carefully discipline my subordinates. Seeing this young man is the same as seeing me—no, no, it is the same as seeing the late Emperor. I shall not be disrespectful and will follow all orders."

Tao Xiao nodded and rose into the air. Ye Sansi followed on his sword, and neither spoke a word.

It was not until Tao Xiao opened the Demon Well and they reached the human world that Ye Sansi’s heart finally settled. Before he could even stand steady, he bowed to Tao Xiao and said, "Many thanks to Brother Tao Xiao for saving my life. Such a great..."

Unable to withstand the crushing pressure, the Demon Lord begged for mercy, calling him "sir" repeatedly.

Tao Xiao only did this as a lesson. After all, the Demon Lord was the monarch of the Demon Realm, and it would not do to push him too far. He released his grip and gave a slight push, causing the Demon Lord to tumble onto the ground and roll repeatedly—a truly pathetic sight.

Tao Xiao signaled for Ye Sansi to follow him and walked slowly out of the main hall, leaving behind these words: "This Ye Sansi is my benefactor. I shall protect his safety for all eternity. If anyone in the Demon Realm hurts even a hair on his head, I will return to take your life. Do you understand?"

"I first tracked the army that invaded the human world from the Monster Realm, but I could not find the spellcaster. Then I went to the Monster Realm and searched for quite some time before sensing a powerful force overflowing from there. I traced it to its source and found it was indeed the monarch of the Monster Realm who had cast the spell, so I simply wiped him out."

Hearing this, Ye Sansi was overjoyed, but he still couldn't fully put his heart at ease. He continued, "Logically speaking, the catastrophe in the Otherworldly Monster Realm should be resolved now, right?"

Tao Xiao stretched his limbs and said slowly, "Given how long I was gone, how could I have spent so much time just going back and forth to the Monster Realm?"

"Hey, hey, hey, kid, this isn't like you. Get up quickly." Before Ye Sansi could finish his sentence, Tao Xiao had helped him up.

In Tao Xiao’s eyes, Ye Sansi was a benefactor and a friend. He had promised to be at Ye Sansi’s beck and call, and saving a life was nothing he took to heart.

Ye Sansi suddenly remembered and asked, "Brother Tao Xiao, what about the Otherworldly Monster Realm?"

Tao Xiao said urgently, "How could that be? I made a promise to do your bidding, so I must do it. As a dignified Demon General, how could I go back on my word?"

Seeing this, Ye Sansi smiled, "Alright, alright, then I shall take you at your word. By the way, you are only a Demon General; how dare you treat the Demon Lord with such disrespect? You even spoke ill of the late Emperor. Aren't you afraid of being branded as disloyal and unrighteous?"

Tao Xiao scoffed toward the distance and said, "Loyalty? I, Tao Xiao, have only ever been loyal to one demon in my life—my sworn brother, the late Emperor from ten thousand years ago. Other demons are not worth a glance from me!"

"You mean..."

"I prefer to handle things steadily. Since I promised to help you resolve this disaster, I had to see it through. I felt that killing the Monster King alone might not guarantee the spell would cease, so I went to the Otherworldly Monster Realm. Only after seeing that everything was well did I feel at ease to return."

"Wow." Ye Sansi smiled, "Brother Tao Xiao, your way of doing things is truly cautious and efficient. Any debt of gratitude I owed you is more than repaid. From now on, you don't need to take orders from me."

Ye Sansi sighed, wanting to lighten the mood, and continued with a laugh, "Does your Demon Realm love digging wells so much? Even an outsider like me knows of three of them, hahaha."

"The one I guard is called the Well of the Demon Realm. It collects the grievances and remnants of souls, transforming them into water, which has extraordinary effects. The well here is merely a passage between the human world and the Demon Realm. It is no great loss if it is gone."

Ye Sansi teased, "Since your Well of the Demon Realm is so important, why didn't you stay and guard it? Why run out? Aren't you afraid of encountering another traitor and having the seal destroyed again?"

"So that's how it is. Then why didn't they recognize you?"

"For ten thousand years, I have been guarding the Demon Well, never stepping away for a moment. I fear that in this vast Demon Realm, there are no demons left who know my face, and no demons left who remember the title the late Emperor bestowed upon me..."

Listening to Tao Xiao, Ye Sansi was deeply moved. What kind of loyalty could make a demon willing to endure ten thousand years of loneliness, guarding a single well? Just thinking about it was enough to make one crumble.

Ye Sansi smiled, "That’s good, that’s good. A change of scenery is good. In the future, if you feel bored, come find me. The world is only so large; no matter where I am, you will surely be able to find me."

"Very well, kid. I shall leave now, but my promise remains valid forever. If you ever have need of me, just call out loud. Within a thousand miles, I shall hear you." With that, Tao Xiao rose into the air and vanished in a heartbeat.

Ye Sansi looked up to see him off, shaking his head as he murmured to himself, "Brother Tao Xiao, this world is far too vast to be measured by mere miles. I truly hope we can meet again, and I hope that by then, you will have learned to smile..."

Tao Xiao shook his head and said slowly, "It matters not. I have left behind half of my power to seal the forbidden area. Even that Demon Lord would not have the ability to break it, so there is no need to worry."

"Then, Brother Tao Xiao, what do you want to do from now on?"

Tao Xiao put his hands behind his back, looking at the brightening sky, and said meaningfully, "Let me think. The human world is quite nice. It has been ten thousand years, and I have never properly wandered it. From now on, I want to just wander and relax."

The Demon Lord asked if they knew Tao Xiao, and the answer remained no.

In the main hall of the Demon Realm, the Demon Lord gathered all the Demon Generals and ordered, "Do any of you know of a... person called Ye Sansi?"

The Demon Generals knelt, saying they did not know.

...

Seeing this, the Demon Lord recalled the events and waved his hand, ordering, "From now on, if any member of the Demon Realm encounters someone named Ye Sansi—be they god, monster, or human... you must... you must ensure his safety. If he requires your assistance, you must follow him even at the cost of your lives..."

The demons kowtowed in obedience...