After a month of stabilization, the Slaughter City had basically settled down.
Ten Thousand Year Fiery Sun Serpent, now going by the alias Shang Yang, had become the second-in-command of Slaughter City.
The supreme commander was naturally Tang Sui, while the Slaughter King had outwardly declared abdication in favor of Tang Sui and claimed to be in seclusion.
Even though the Slaughter King had not appeared when announcing the news, outsiders harbored no doubt, as the most powerful proof was the change in Slaughter City's cultivation rules due to Tang Sui's decree.
Thanks to the immeasurable wealth accumulated from the belongings of countless failures who had adventured in Slaughter City over the millennia, Tang Sui used this vast fortune to sign long-term contracts with various external suppliers.
Of course, payment was to be delivered on agreed dates upon arrival of goods.
To prevent a situation of only inflow and no outflow, Tang Sui established an Adventurer's Guild within Slaughter City. Those with over 100 contribution points could register as mercenaries and venture outside to accept missions such as hunting soul beasts for the outside world, earning soul coins.
Mission rewards were split between the adventurer and the Adventurer's Guild at a four-six ratio. In addition to this, missions also offered a certain number of contribution points as rewards.
Everything was running in an orderly fashion.
Finally freed from official documents, Tang Sui let out a sigh of relief, put down the quill, and slumped into her custom-made soft office chair.
"Is everything handled?" Shang Yang asked, glancing at Tang Sui while munching on snacks offered by his juniors.
Tang Sui weakly "mm-hmm"ed, "The overall operations of Slaughter City have stabilized. Now, minor matters can be handled directly by the managers of each department, and there generally won't be any major issues."
Shang Yang took a sip of tea. "What about yourself? If I'm not mistaken, your power hit a bottleneck three months ago when you returned. Do you plan to advance here, or go out?"
Tang Sui paused, and an idea she had shelved for months resurfaced. She straightened her back from the soft chair and looked at Shang Yang. "Uncle Snake, do you know of the Deep Sea Demon Whale King?"
"Deep Sea Demon Whale King?" Shang Yang asked, confused. "What is that?"
Tang Sui explained, "The Deep Sea Demon Whale King is a sea soul beast with a cultivation close to a million years. It lives in the Demon Whale Sea. As its name suggests, it's its territory. Its temperament is unknown, but rumors say it's vengeful."
"It has an old enmity with the Sea God, the specifics of which are also unknown. All that's known is that the other party is very powerful."
"Oh? How powerful?" Shang Yang, having already become a great demon, had flecks of excitement appear in his dark red pupils.
After his promotion, the little fellow had been swamped with work daily. Other powerful individuals were also engrossed in the construction of Slaughter City's order. No one was available for him to spar with; he was starting to feel bored.
"Soul beasts in this world reach their first heavenly tribulation when their cultivation reaches the hundred-thousand-year level. If they pass, they can continue to live; if they fail, they perish with their souls extinguished. After passing the first heavenly tribulation, hundred-thousand-year soul beasts enter the cultivation stage between one hundred thousand and two hundred thousand years. Afterward, they will face a tribulation every hundred thousand years of cultivation. Million-year soul beasts have generally survived ten such tribulations."
"As far as I know, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King should have already passed its tenth heavenly tribulation. Unfortunately, its situation is different from mine; it hasn't found its own path or attained enlightenment. So, it's likely in a stagnant state, existing in this world. I'm not sure how strong it is."
Tang Sui spoke the truth.
Even with the system, without seeing the other party, it couldn't estimate whose strength was greater.
"Soul beast..." Shang Yang narrowed his eyes. "You want to approach it and try to establish relations?"
Tang Sui nodded. "If relations can be established, that would be ideal, as it is a rare powerhouse."
"But if I remember correctly, your human brother is the successor of the Sea God, and the Deep Sea Demon Whale King has a blood feud with the Sea God. This matter is difficult to resolve," Shang Yang pointed out Tang Sui's thoughts incisively.
Tang Sui sighed. "The blood feud is with the current Sea God, not the future Sea God. There is still room for maneuvering here. I'm just not sure about its intentions."
Although she didn't clearly remember the order of her brother's assessment content in the original fate trajectory, one of the later assessments was to kill the Deep Sea Demon Whale King.
To be honest, she felt she could try to pick up a bargain.
Understanding Tang Sui's intentions, Shang Yang raised an eyebrow, a slight curve on his lips. "Alright, I'll accompany you on this trip. And I'll get to see the cultivation level of a million-year soul beast in this world."
When saying the last sentence, Shang Yang's tone carried a hint of anticipation and excitement.
Tang Sui's eyes curved. "Thank you, Uncle Snake. With you here, I feel much more at ease."
"However, if a fight breaks out, our battlefield will inevitably be at sea. Can you do that, Uncle Snake? Do you need me to activate my domain then?"
Shang Yang scoffed, tilting his chin slightly. "No need. So what if it's in the sea? Who doesn't have a domain? I'll just drag it in."
"Oh? Uncle Snake has a domain too?" Tang Sui felt that Shang Yang held many surprises.
Shang Yang said, "Our demon race originally existed in the hidden world, unseen by humans. Once you reach the power level of a great demon, constructing a 'nest' with demonic energy, turning a disadvantage into an advantage, is but a thought."
Tang Sui mused.
It seemed she still had much to learn.
As she was thinking, a hot weight fell upon her head.
"Although I haven't lived as long as that Deep Sea Demon Whale King, you must understand that for our kind of demons, once we reach ten thousand years of cultivation, in terms of combat power, we are on par with the progenitors."
Her head was gently rubbed.
"Regardless of the outcome of our encounter, I am confident I can bring you out of it unscathed. So, don't worry so much."
Her last lingering concern was also addressed.
Tang Sui let Shang Yang pat her head and finally gave a soft "mm-hmm," her eyes shining brightly.
Thus, with the exception of Hu Mian, who was left behind to work as a body double, Tang Sui, taking Shang Yang with her, opened a spatial passage through a demonic energy imprint left on the island of Sea God Island and departed Slaughter City.
Even though they deliberately suppressed their formidable auras, the moment Shang Yang and Tang Sui appeared within the range of Sea God Island, Posey, the Great Priest of Sea God Island, looked towards the two human-like figures, one black and one purple, reflected in the crystal ball, with apprehension and vigilance.
Almost simultaneously, Shang Yang, who had appeared above the island with Tang Sui, glanced into the void. The pupils, disguised as human-like, instantly changed, revealing his original dark red snake eyes.
The deep mist brewing within them signaled his danger and non-human identity.
"Sizzle!"
As if a wire had short-circuited, the image reflected in the crystal ball distorted and then turned blank, rendering further observation of the island impossible.
"Great Priest!" The maid's pupils constricted, and she looked at Posey in surprise, seeking instructions.
Posey's lips tightened, and her heart sank.
In just one encounter, her scrying had been blocked.
Who was this man Tang Sui had brought? What was his origin?
Did he pose a threat to Sea God Island?