Chapter 726: The Princess Goes Wild

Lan Ling still agreed to Su Che’s request—she had no choice. She knew well that if Su Che died because of this, she would never be able to leave the Battlefield of Immortals and Demons, nor would she ever see the outside world.

So, Lan Ling took her time bathing and sent a silent message using a method unique to the demons. Even though Su Che controlled the entire Battlefield of Immortals and Demons, he couldn’t hear or see how she sent the message.

In less than half an hour, thousands of Silver-Winged Demons with the strength of Golden Immortals gathered from various regions and appeared before the Demon Princess almost simultaneously.

Lan Ling showed them the image of the “Hand of Annihilation” and ordered them to launch an immediate search. Any work related to collecting immortal artifacts could be postponed for now.

Undoubtedly, these Silver-Winged Demons would return to their respective areas and pass on the image of the “Hand of Annihilation” to their subordinates, who would then gather their own followers to expand the search area further…

It could be said that the demon race had a very clear hierarchy. With such systematic efforts, if lucky, the answer might be found within ten days or half a month. If not, it would be uncertain.

As it turned out, luck wasn’t as good as expected. Su Che waited on the Battlefield of Immortals for a month without any good news. So, he could only inform Lan Ling and temporarily return to the Haoyuan Heavenly Market in the Immortal Realm.

From then on, Su Che would visit the Battlefield of Immortals once a month to inquire with Lan Ling.

Half a year passed—still no results…

One year!
Two years!
Three years…

The answer remained elusive.

Lan Ling also offered a large reward within the demon race, but no demon stepped forward to claim that they had found the “Hand of Annihilation.” It seemed that that crucial demon had disappeared.

Su Che once asked Lan Ling whether any Copper-Winged Demons had been executed in recent years. Perhaps that guy was on the execution list. It didn’t matter if the person was dead; finding the floating boulder where they once lived would still be useful.

Lan Ling replied, “I thought of that long ago and investigated as well. The result? Useless!”

There was no other choice but to keep searching and waiting. There were still seven years left…

During this time, Su Che didn’t slack off in his cultivation. He mainly relied on consuming the Seven-Color Spirit Fruits, and his progress was quite fast. Preliminary estimates suggested he could reach the realm of Earthly Immortal in less than two thousand years.

Two thousand years sounds like a very long time, but at this speed, it’s already unimaginably fast in the entire immortal realm, far exceeding normal norms. Generally, a newly ascended immortal who wants to cultivate to the level of a Earth Immortal needs about 200,000 to 500,000 years; to reach the level of a Heaven Immortal, they require another 600,000 to 1 million years of gradual cultivation. Thus, any Heaven Immortal is likely to be over a million years old. It sounds extremely exaggerated, but in reality, even with countless years of accumulation, failing to advance is a common occurrence for true immortals. It’s not the case that the longer one lives, the higher their cultivation level will naturally rise—such a thing simply doesn’t exist. True immortality doesn’t exist in this world. If a Heaven Immortal remains stuck at their current level for 100 million years, they won’t be able to survive, and terrifying signs of decline may appear. Soiled clothes, withered hair, sweating armpits, a foul body odor, and a lack of joy toward one’s own existence… These are warnings from heaven that the immortal is dying. True immortals who show signs of decline will resort to extreme measures to break through to the next level. If they succeed, they can escape the shadow of death; if their last attempt also fails, they will perish during the process, leaving only a residual soul to be reborn. The higher one’s cultivation level, the longer their lifespan—this is certain. However, there’s no clear numerical pattern for how long true immortals in the immortal realm live, as each person’s situation is different. Besides some special methods to prolong life, one’s own merits can also significantly increase lifespan. Merits, fortune, and karma are the most important factors for true immortals in the immortal realm. Therefore, few immortals dare to commit large-scale killings, unless they’ve lived long enough. Even someone like Zong Yi, who prefers violent methods, even if he has the cultivation level of an Immortal Emperor, would only kill a few immortals for a specific purpose. He would never dare to carry out such insane slaughter as turning the entire Haoyuan Heavenly Market to ashes. In short, Su Che is well aware that after becoming an immortal, relying solely on conventional cultivation, each level of cultivation will be incredibly long. To advance quickly, one must rely on special methods and extreme tactics—something that requires luck and opportunity. There’s no need to rush…

On this day, in the Battlefield of Immortals and Demons, Princess Lan Ling of the demon race had just thoroughly beaten several Silver-Winged Demon Generals, scolding them for their incompetence in failing to uncover the results she desired. Of course, this was merely an outlet for her emotions. She was anxious, fearing that if she couldn’t find the answer, Su Che might die, and then all the hopes she had seized would vanish. Boom! Boom! Boom… On the desolate land, Lan Ling, like a hysterical madwoman, smashed hill after hill flat with thunderous force. Suddenly, a deep voice came from above: “My child, why are you so angry?” The Origin Demon King, Lan Ling’s father and the supreme ruler of the demon realm in the Battlefield of Immortals and Demons. Yet, despite this, his cultivation level was far inferior to Lan Ling’s. Therefore, watching his precious daughter vent her anger on the land, he dared not descend directly, fearing she might slap him. Even if unharmed, it would be an extremely embarrassing situation. “Your Majesty has emerged from seclusion!” Lan Ling quickly explained the situation in the oldest language of the demon race. “A black-and-white palm-shaped artifact?” The Origin Demon King’s tone carried an indescribable hint. Whoosh whoosh whoosh, he flapped his golden wings symbolizing nobility and power as he slowly descended. His figure now appeared much more proportionate, no longer distorted and obese from cultivation. “It’s this damned thing!” Lan Ling displayed the image of the Hand of Annihilation. “He’s looking for this?” The Origin Demon King’s demonic face showed clear contemplation. “Father, do you recognize this palm?” Lan Ling was instantly delighted, sensing that her father might know something. She hurriedly added, “It’s not about finding this palm itself, but tracing its origin.” “You won’t be able to find it,” the Origin Demon King said gravely. “That tomb no longer exists.” “No longer exists?” Lan Ling’s expression changed drastically as she asked urgently, “Father, what exactly happened? Tell me quickly!” Gurgle, gurgle… Strange sounds vibrated from the Origin Demon King’s throat—a physiological trait that appeared when his emotions were extremely complex. “Father, speak up!” Lan Ling had a bad temper; even with her own father, she wouldn’t hold back when angry. Among the Origin demons, strength was paramount, and filial piety wasn’t as emphasized as among humans.

The Origin Demon King looked at his daughter and finally said, “That tomb was destroyed by me seven tens of millions of years ago. That Annihilation Hand was also discarded by me carelessly.”
“Huh?”
Lan Ling was filled with a mix of joy and worry—she had finally obtained useful information, but she was also concerned that what Su Che wanted no longer existed.
“What about the things inside? Those items?”
Still in her human female form, Lan Ling rushed in front of her father, wishing she could strangle him and search his soul directly for satisfaction…
“Useless things—everything was thrown away or destroyed. Because those things are of no use to us demons.”
The Origin Demon King said in a deep voice, “But don’t worry. I know what they’re trying to find… That item still exists, and it’s almost indestructible.”
“Great!”
Lan Ling jumped up in excitement and said, “Father, give it to me quickly! Once I have it, I can leave! All the immortal artifacts have been gathered—just this one is missing! Once I find it, Tian Yu will send me to the Immortal Realm!”
She spoke rapidly, clearly very anxious and excited.
She could finally leave this damned place!
“That item…”
Unexpectedly, the Origin Demon King’s answer was, “It’s you!”
“What?”
Lan Ling froze as if struck by a spell. But just two breaths later, she turned furious, instantly returning to her demonic form. Her body swelled to several zhang in size, far taller than the robust Origin Demon King himself.
Whoosh!
Lan Ling moved like lightning. Her sharp, dark blue claws grabbed the Origin Demon King’s neck as she growled, “If you keep hesitating like this, I’ll lose my patience!”
The Origin Demon King didn’t resist, because he knew very well that if he really angered her, all the demons in the Immortal-Demon Battlefield would be slaughtered by her, including himself.
She definitely had the ability to do it—anger made her stronger and more terrifying.
Anger was her source of power!
…
Eight days later, Su Che returned to the Immortal-Demon Battlefield, once again finding the demon princess Lan Ling in her phantom form.
“How did it go?”
With this usual question, Su Che sensed that Lan Ling seemed listless and preoccupied.
“I found it,” Lan Ling replied in a low voice, head bowed.
“Oh?”

Su Che should have been happy, but he sensed something was wrong, so he asked, “Is there a problem?”
“Yes, there is a problem, a big one…”
Lan Ling looked like a little girl who had suffered greatly and desperately needed a strong shoulder to cry on; she appeared pitiful.
Su Che sat down without asking anything, simply sitting beside her in silence.
There was no need for further questions; she would naturally tell him what needed to be said.