Chapter 1740: Entering the Abyss

“Is there a reason I shouldn’t be mad?” Ye Qing asked icily and coldly.

He had given quarter at every turn only to be taken advantage of again and again. In that case, why should he tolerate this bullshit any longer?

It was true that he was no match for the Thousand-headed Demonic Serpent in the Ghastly Abyss of the Lost, but just because he was no match did not mean that he was afraid. If the Thousand-headed Demonic Serpent really took him as a pushover, then he would show it exactly how hard he could push.

Besides, he wasn’t alone. He had Feng Qingyou and Old Man Turtle as his allies. Together, who said they were no match for the Thousand-headed Demonic Serpent? Who said they couldn’t put an end to its life?

He might not want to incur trouble, but he definitely wasn’t afraid of trouble. Not before, not now, not ever.

“You think you can kill me?” The Thousand-headed Demonic Serpent asked.

“I wouldn’t know until I try, would I?”

Ye Qing said murderously and icily, “It’s not like I’ve never killed people stronger than me. It’s not like I’ve never witnessed someone stronger than you.”

“Even you are not unkillable!”

“Hahahahahaha!”

Surprisingly, the Thousand-headed Demonic Serpent laughed heartily instead of getting angry. It sounded incredibly happy as he said, “And here I thought you don’t have it in you to get mad. Now you’re acting more like a hot-blooded youngster; more like that tyrannical old fart; more like the successor of the Earthly Sovereign!”

“Not bad. Not bad at all...”

Ye Qing lifted his eyebrows in puzzlement.

I thought you hated me so much you wanted to kill me? Why are you suddenly licking my boots now?

Do you have schizophrenia or something?

“If you want to fight, then fight! Cut the bullshit!” Ye Qing said icily. Above his head, the Earthly Sovereign Bell was shaking mildly while letting out deep, low echoes, causing vibrations here and there. Its profound light wasn’t grand, but it was dazzling, violent, and blazing like the sun. Even space was warping under its heat.

Just when Ye Qing clenched his fist and got ready for an all-out war, the giant maw abruptly dissipated into nothing, and the Thousand-headed Demonic Serpent retracted the strange energy of the Ghastly Abyss of the Lost. “Alright. We can stop here!”

“Huh?” Ye Qing raised his eyebrows in confusion. He did not let down his guard though. On the contrary, he was growing more alert by the second.

“Still don’t believe me?”

The Thousand-headed Demonic Serpent appeared in front of Ye Qing, though its previous bloodthirst was nowhere to be found, and its tone was perfectly relaxed. “Or do you actually want to fight me to the death?”

At this point, Ye Qing was seriously confused. “What on earth do you want, senior?”

“What do I want?” The Thousand-headed Demonic Serpent’s snake heads spread out and laughed all at the same time. “Nothing, really! Or more accurately, I just want to play a little!”

Ye Qing frowned deeply. “Play?”

“Yep! Play!” The Thousand-headed Demonic Serpent cackled. “Do you know that you can wait decades in the Ghastly Abyss of the Lost and not encounter a single human soul? Do you know how boring it is? But today, not only did I encounter four people at once, one of them is even the successor of that old fart! Of course I had to play to my heart’s content.”

Ye Qing lifted his eyebrows. “So, you don’t actually hold a grudge against the Earthly Sovereign?”

“Oh no, I absolutely resent that old fart.”

The Thousand-headed Demonic Serpent suddenly grumbled in an aggrieved tone, “But if you’re asking if I want that old fart dead because of some irreconcilable differences, then no. I just want to get back at him for lying to me and tricking me countless times when he was still alive. That bastard!”

You could never score one against that old man, so you decided to screw with me, his successor, instead, is that right?

Ye Qing was finally understanding what was going on here.

As if it could hear his thoughts, the Thousand-headed Demonic Serpent said, “You humans have a quote called, ‘A son repays his father’s debts’, right? That old man made fun of me in the past, so I’ll toy with his successor in return. That’s perfectly justified, right?”

Perfectly justified... my ass! You’re just taking it out on me because I’m not as strong as the Earthly Sovereign!

Ye Qing was seriously speechless.

“Hahaha! That’s the expression I was waiting for! I love it!” The Thousand-headed Demonic Serpent guffawed and rolled back and forth in the fog.

Ye Qing rubbed his nose in annoyance. “Since you’ve taken your revenge and vented your frustration, can I go now?”

The Thousand-headed Demonic Serpent stopped laughing and said, “Not yet!”

“Is it still not enough?”

Ye Qing could not help but feel a bit of anger. The damn Stranger had taunted repeatedly over a short time. Did it really think he was a pushover?

The Thousand-headed Demonic Serpent smiled. “Nah, it’s enough. You

aren’t

that vile old bastard after all. It’s one thing to take it out on you one time, but to do it multiple times is just meh. Also, it makes me seem like a petty-minded asshole.”

So you

do

know that you’re being petty and assholish?

Ye Qing mentally ranted before asking, “For what reason are you telling me to stay then?”

“Follow me. I’ll show you something!”

The Thousand-headed Demonic Serpent said before flying toward the bottom of the Ghastly Abyss of the Lost. When it noticed that Ye Qing wasn’t following, it looked back and said, “The thing I’m about to show you is something the old man had purposely left behind for you. Don’t you want it? Or are you scared?”

Ye Qing automatically filtered the Thousand-headed Demonic Serpent’s taunt of his head and focused only on the important message. “Did you just say that the Earthly Sovereign left behind something for me?”

“Yeah? The old man said it’s meant for his successor. You are his successor, aren’t you? Who else should it go to?”

The Thousand-headed Demonic Serpent said before resuming its flight. “If you want the item, then follow me.”

Ye Qing frowned and thought for a few seconds. In the end, he decided to follow the Thousand-headed Demonic Serpent.

There was no way he could confirm if the Stranger was speaking the truth, nor could he be sure if the Stranger harbored malice toward him. It was possible that it was trying to lure him into the depths of the Ghastly Abyss of the Lost so it could definitely defeat him.

Still, he decided to follow the Thousand-headed Demonic Serpent.

For one, he was interested in this so-called object the Thousand-headed Demonic Serpent had left behind for him.

And two, he was confident in his own strength.

Of course, just in case this turned out to be a trap, he had already contacted reinforcements. Feng Qingyou was secretly following behind him right now.

“At least you’re not spineless. Not bad, not bad.”

The Thousand-headed Demonic Serpent paid Ye Qing a compliment after Ye Qing had caught up to it.

“I guess you didn’t fight me purely to vent your frustrations on me, senior?” Ye Qing asked.

The Thousand-headed Demonic Serpent admitted, “But of course. You are that old fart’s successor. Naturally, I gotta check if you’re up to snuff. I want to know if you’re worthy of his legacy; if you’re worthy of receiving his inheritance.”

“I don’t want to give it up to a useless piece of trash, you know?”

“Ye Qing smiled. “So, did my performance satisfy you?”

The Thousand-headed Demonic Serpent answered, “You’re okay. The old fart hasn’t chosen wrong at least, nor did you bring shame to his name.”

“Thank you.”

Ye Qing asked another question after thanking the Stranger, “So, what is this item the Earthly Sovereign had left behind for me?”

Instead of answering, the Thousand-headed Demonic Serpent kept him in suspense. “Why the rush? You’ll find out very soon.”

It was clear he wasn’t going to get an answer from the Thousand-headed Demonic Serpent, so Ye Qing fell silent and followed obediently behind its back.

The deeper they ventured into the Ghastly Abyss of the Lost, the thicker the fog became, and the deadlier its life-consuming energies grew. It was easily thousands of times greater than it was on the surface.

It was to the point where Ye Qing was starting to wonder if his decision to follow the Thousand-headed Demonic Serpent was the right one.