Chapter 1351: Mysterious Key

"Damn the Blacktooth family!" Ma Tian cursed under his breath, then ordered his subordinates, "Investigate, thoroughly investigate! Find out what exactly the Blacktooth family is up to!"

A gentleman doesn't fail to take revenge. He could use this opportunity to vent his anger.

Meanwhile, Zu An and his group had safely left. Yu Yanluo looked back and asked, "Do you think the Golden Crow Guards will find us? After all, many people at the Jade Garden saw us clash with Hei Chi Gu and Ban Ka."

Zu An comforted her, "What's there to be afraid of? The ashes are scattered, and there are no eyewitnesses. Even if they find us, we just deny everything."

Yu Yanluo was speechless.

This guy was truly a bit of a scoundrel, but sometimes, dealing with shameless people required such scoundrel-like methods.

"For now, this is all we can do," she nodded. Suddenly remembering something, she pulled a dark key from her robes. "I just found this key on Hei Chi Gu's body."

Yun Jianyue and Yan Xuehen both exclaimed in surprise, "Under the burning of the White Lotus True Flame, even the cultivators' ashes didn't remain, yet this key is completely intact?"

Zu An's eyes lit up. "Could it be some kind of treasure?"

Yun Jianyue and Yan Xuehen examined it, finally shaking their heads. "No, though the material is special, it doesn't have any unique function; it's just a key. However, a place that requires such a key to open must be extraordinary."

Unfortunately, no matter how much they thought about it, none of them knew where the lock for this key was. Even Yun Jianyue somewhat regretted killing Hei Chi Gu too hastily; they should have interrogated him first about what this item was for.

But who would have thought that a person of his stature would carry such a valuable item?

After returning to their lodgings, Zu An secretly slipped into Yu Yanluo's room. However, she was thin-skinned and knew that with two Grandmasters in the adjacent rooms, anything happening between them would certainly not escape their notice. So, she absolutely refused to share a room with him.

Zu An also remembered his past experience with Yan Xuehen. If she were to hear anything again, it would be hard to predict her reaction, so he didn't insist and returned to his room to sleep peacefully.

Instead, he caused Yun Jianyue and Yan Xuehen next door to prick up their ears and wait until midnight, expecting something to happen. To their surprise, they waited in vain.

"Hmph, boring," Yun Jianyue grumbled incessantly.

While Yun Jianyue's dissatisfaction stemmed merely from her curiosity for a good show not being satisfied, Yan Xuehen's thoughts were more complex. Her jade-like cheeks were faintly flushed, and her eyes flickered, lost in unknown contemplation.

In the following days, the Golden Crow Guards' patrols on the streets became more frequent. Clearly, the events of that night had put many in the royal court on alert.

However, no one from the Golden Crow Guards came to question the Serpent tribe. Instead, various other tribes came to call, seeking to build connections. It was clear that the Jade Garden incident had spread, and everyone knew the Medusa Queen was skilled in stone-breaking.

Even an ordinary person with such talent would become a distinguished guest of major powers, let alone a tribal leader who was also a figure of unparalleled beauty.

Yu Yanluo was busy with social engagements, while Zu An enjoyed his leisure, taking the opportunity to go to the Elf King's Mansion to discuss follow-up matters with Xue'er.

To his surprise, the Elf King's Mansion was much more heavily guarded than the last time he visited. There were also many Golden Crow Guard secret agents nearby. It was likely that after the Crown Prince's assassination last time, they suspected Princess Xue of colluding with the assassins and didn't fully believe her statement, so they had arranged people to quietly guard the area to see if they could find any flaws.

Fearing he would cause trouble for Xue'er, he did not force his way in.

Three days quickly passed, and the Grand Assembly of Ten Thousand Races officially began.

The assembly was held at the foot of the Imperial Mausoleum mountain, where there was a grand altar surrounded by a vast plaza. Various demonic tribe rituals and major events were all held here.

Zu An truly witnessed what a Grand Assembly of Ten Thousand Races was like, as there were indeed all sorts of bizarre and varied races present.

The common animals were one thing, but there were also races with names he had never heard of. Watching Animal Planet in his previous life wasn't this exciting.

Zu An stared at the Sloth clansmen in the distance, who seemed to do everything in slow motion. He wondered, "Are these guys also this slow in combat? Wouldn't they just be easy targets?"

But even more outrageous, he saw the Tapeworm clan. Zu An felt a wave of nausea. "Do these guys also parasitize others and eat their waste?"

There was also the Giant Maggot clan. Watching those creatures squirm like mountains of flesh, Zu An's stomach churned. He was very curious about what these guys loved to eat most, and if they would transform into some kind of Fly-Man upon reaching a breakthrough.

There were many other bizarre races similar to the Tapeworm and Giant Maggot clans. Zu An thought to himself, "I must never interact with these races in the future. I'm afraid their racial talent might be spraying feces; that would truly be a lifelong trauma."

Each race took its designated seat, arranged in concentric circles radiating outwards from the altar.

Zu An noticed that the innermost and foremost seats were almost all occupied by the most powerful races, while the Serpent tribe and their party were seated in the middle.

As if sensing his thoughts, Yu Yanluo sighed softly, "When my mother was alive, the Serpent tribe was very powerful. We used to sit in the very front. Unfortunately, now..."

"Haha, to still maintain a mid-tier position after declining for so long shows that the Serpent tribe is indeed a major clan," Zu An comforted her. "Don't worry, now that you've returned to the Serpent tribe, and with our help, it won't be long before you can lead your people back to their former peak."

Yu Yanluo gave a bitter smile and said nothing. In truth, she personally didn't particularly want to stay among the demonic tribes; she preferred life among humans and felt a greater affinity for the human side. However, as the Medusa Queen, she couldn't show any weakness or shake the confidence of her people.

Once all the races had taken their places, a sharp, reedy voice announced, "The Demon Emperor has arrived!"

People from all the tribes rose and bowed respectfully, shouting in unison, "Greetings, Your Majesty the Demon Emperor!"

Zu An secretly looked up. A golden light descended from the sky, and in the next second, an old man in yellow robes appeared on the large dragon throne on the central high platform.

It was clear that time had left too many marks on him; he looked no different from an old man on the verge of death.

Zu An hadn't expected the formidable Demon Emperor to be such a frail old man in his twilight years.

No wonder they were holding a succession ceremony; it seemed his time was truly running out.

His appearance was ordinary, neither handsome nor ugly. What was most striking was his prominent hooked nose, coupled with sharp, sinister eyes, which served as a warning that this was by no means an ordinary old man.

Feeling his gaze sweep in their direction, Zu An didn't dare to look further, thinking, "What a shrewd and formidable gaze."

As the Demon Emperor's gaze swept across the entire assembly, a divine sense spread out, and everyone present felt a terrifying pressure. No one dared to make a sound, and some representatives of weaker races trembled with fear.

"Rise, everyone!" a high-ranking eunuch-like figure beside the Demon Emperor shouted in a booming voice.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" all the races replied with bows. Some of the younger generation from various tribes even trembled with excitement, as the Demon Emperor was a totem for the demonic race, an object of worship for countless people. How could they not be thrilled to finally see him with their own eyes?

At that moment, Yan Xuehen's voice reached Zu An's ear: "The Demon Emperor's true body is not here; this is just a wisp of his separated soul."

As a Grandmaster, her knowledge in this area clearly far surpassed that of ordinary cultivators.

Zu An had heard them mention before that at the Earth Immortal realm, one could cultivate a Life Soul, an Earth Soul, and a Heaven Soul, corresponding to the Yin Spirit, Yang Spirit, and Primordial Spirit, respectively.

With the fierce sun directly overhead, the Demon Emperor on the platform must be his Earth Soul.

He looked exactly like a real person. If Yan Xuehen hadn't pointed it out, Zu An wouldn't have noticed any flaw. The methods of an Earth Immortal were indeed miraculous.

He wondered what kind of separated soul Zhao Hao had originally implanted in the Crown Prince; he had destroyed it in the secret realm, which probably had a significant impact on Zhao Hao's strength.

"It seems the Demon Emperor truly doesn't have much time left if his true body can't even attend such an occasion," Yun Jianyue said with a hint of excitement in her voice.

Yan Xuehen was startled. "You're not thinking of going to fight him, are you? Even if he's weak, you can't handle him right now."