C15 Demon King Demon Emperor!

Qin Buyi soared in the direction the compass needle pointed.

"The compass is leading us straight to the true forbidden zone of the Falling Star Mountain Range."

He recalled the whispers about the area, where it was rumored that Demon Kings at the Deification Stage roamed.

Only a rare few wild beasts had the chance to awaken their intelligence, and upon doing so, they would cultivate instinctively.

These enlightened creatures shed the name 'wild beast' and were known to humans as Demon Beasts.

Those at the Foundation Stage and Golden Core were considered Minor Demons, while the Nascent Infant and Deification Stages were home to the formidable Major Demons.

Within the Falling Star Mountain Range, reaching the late Nascent Infant Stage typically meant one could claim a territory and rule it.

"It's likely I'll face off against a Deification Stage Demon King on this journey. No wonder it's classified as an Epic Level mission; a moment's inattention could cost me my life."

Before long, Qin Buyi arrived at the outskirts of the forbidden zone in the Falling Star Mountain Range.

An eerie silence pervaded the area, thick with a chilling, murderous air.

A venomous snake, as thick as a bucket with a triangular head, was coiled on a tree branch, flicking its tongue as it fixed its gaze on Qin Buyi.

Through his Probing Eye, Qin Buyi discerned that the snake was in the late Golden Core Stage.

"Late Golden Core Stage? It should be capable of communication. Perhaps I can glean some information from it."

With that thought, he sped up his flight through the air.

"Whoosh!"

The snake watched Qin Buyi approach without a hint of distress.

It bared its gaping maw, its fangs gleaming ominously.

As Qin Buyi closed to within ten feet, the snake struck with deadly intent.

But to Qin Buyi, its lunge was as slow as a replay.

"Snap!"

He seized the snake just behind its head, exerting slight pressure, and hurled the hefty serpent from the sky to the ground with a forceful smash.

"Boom!" The impact resounded.

The ground cratered upon impact, the snake left in disarray, too dazed to react.

In a flash, Qin Buyi was upon it, seizing its tail and flinging it to the earth like cracking a whip.

"Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!" The earth thundered with each impact as a barrage of over a dozen strikes pummeled the ground. Qin Buyi dusted off his hands, gazing down at the once formidable snake, now limp and defeated like a slug.

"Tell me, how many Demon Kings reside within the Falling Star Mountain Range, and what is the extent of their power?" Qin Buyi demanded.

It took a while for the snake to regain its senses. Rising up, it assumed an aggressive stance, flicking its forked tongue menacingly.

Its eyes, cold and ruthless, bore into Qin Buyi.

Observing the snake's defiant posture, Qin Buyi nodded with a mocking smile. "Still spirited, I see. Can't talk, can you? Allow me to enlighten you."

With a swift "Bang!" he delivered a kick to the snake's belly, sending it soaring dozens of meters through the air.

Qin Buyi took to the skies, unleashing another round of kicks.

"Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!" And like that, the snake was volleyed upward, becoming a mere speck in the sky.

To the snake, the ground seemed to recede further and further away.

Dozens of meters...

Hundreds of meters...

Thousands of meters...

Ten thousand meters...

Qin Buyi's voice, laced with curiosity, floated down to the snake. "I wonder, at this height, would a creature in the Golden Core Late Period splatter into a mess upon impact?"

Before the snake could process the thought, it was gripped by a sudden, gut-wrenching drop.

"Whoosh!" Plunging earthward, the snake's descent accelerated under the force of gravity, plummeting from the heavens in a blur.

Amidst the roar of the wind, the snake's voice, raspy as sandpaper, cried out desperately, "Save... save me, I'll talk, I'll talk!"

"Thud!" Just a few hundred meters from the ground, Qin Buyi snatched the snake's tail, halting its fall with a jarring stop.

The agony of the abrupt catch, after a free fall from ten thousand meters, had the snake internally cursing Qin Buyi's ancestors.

"Hmm? Looks like I frightened you. Time to snap out of it," Qin Buyi said, feigning concern.

Without another word, he sent the snake hurtling back down from several hundred meters up.

"Bang!" The snake smashed into the earth, carving out a massive crater upon impact.

Standing next to the battered form of the snake, Qin Buyi remarked, "I'm not one to coerce. I prefer to win people over with kindness. But if you're unwilling to speak, feel free to let me know."

The viper watched as Qin Buyi, with deliberate slowness, drew a blade that gleamed with a dangerous, icy light.

The snake quivered with fear, knowing that the wise survive by recognizing the times. Any further defiance and this man might just skin him alive.

No longer feigning death, the snake spoke with a hint of sycophancy, "No, I'd be more than happy to answer your questions..."

Qin Buyi, silent after hearing this, seized the snake's tail and slammed it against the ground repeatedly.

"Repeat what you just said," he commanded.

Bewildered and unable to grasp the situation, the viper, filled with impotent rage, complied.

After the recitation, predictably, the man seized its tail once more.

"Bang!" "Bang!"

"Bang!"

The cycle of beatings and answers continued until finally, the man before him cracked a satisfied smile.

The viper, gazing at the Killing Saber in the man's hand, felt tears welling up. After such inhumane treatment, was it now facing its end?

Qin Buyi eyed the trembling viper on the ground and asked, puzzled, "Why haven't you left? Were you thinking of staying for dinner?"

At these words, the snake felt as if pardoned, and with its thick body, it slithered away, vanishing from Qin Buyi's sight.

As it fled, the snake thought bitterly, "Dinner? Impossible. Stay to be your dinner? I, the formidable Lau Qing, have been humiliated by a human. This isn't over!"

Qin Buyi watched the snake's departure with a bemused look, shaking his head, "What an odd snake..."

He then dismissed the snake from his mind, focusing instead on the intelligence he had gathered.

Within the forbidden zone of the Falling Star Mountain Range, there were three Demon Kings: the Wolf Demon King, the Short-legged Beast Demon King, and the Demon Bear King, as well as the legendary Fox Demon Emperor, unseen for centuries.

The weakest among them was the Short-legged Beast Demon King, at the Nascent Infant Late Period. The Wolf Demon King had reached Nascent Infant Perfection, and the most formidable was the Demon Bear King, at the early stages of Deification.

Regarding the Fox Demon Emperor, his exact level remained a mystery. As the sole Demon Emperor within the Falling Star Mountain Range, one thing was for sure: his power definitely exceeded the Deification Stage.

Dealing with a Demon Bear King at the Deification Stage was already a massive headache. Facing the Fox Demon Emperor, who was beyond that stage, would essentially be a death sentence.

Qin Buyi voiced his uncertainty, "The system wouldn't assign a mission that's impossible to complete, would it?" As he spoke, doubt lingered in his mind. If it hadn't been for the timely intervention of the Killing Saber back at the Tang family, he would have probably met his demise.

Back then, he couldn't avoid missions involving the Tang family if he wanted to gain attribute points and advance his cultivation. Unlike now, where he could simply exchange for attribute points through the System Mall, the system had compelled him to confront the Tangs head-on.

The thought of exchanging attributes sparked a glimmer of hope in Qin Buyi's eyes. He could enhance his cultivation by trading in attribute points. With nearly three months until the mission deadline, he had ample time to gather resources for the exchange.

Glancing at the Spirit Stones packed in boxes within his storage ring, he considered borrowing some if needed. Once the mission was completed, he could replenish the exact amount using points from the System Mall.

Qin Buyi was not one to cling to outdated principles. He hadn't anticipated the mission's perilous nature, with threats not only from Demon Kings in the early Deification Stage but also the potential of facing a Demon Emperor beyond it.

Ideally, he'd prefer not to deplete the Spirit Stones in Ying Zhi's storage ring, but to stubbornly hold onto them in dire circumstances would be absurd.

Ding! A time-limited mission triggered: Slay three great Demon Kings within three days. Failure will result in death!

Mission Reward: Each slain Demon King will yield ten attribute points. Eliminate all three, and receive a Fourth Rank Teleportation Talisman.

Note: All System Mall functions are now disabled. They will be reactivated after completing the Epic Level mission!

With the mission clock set to three days and the System Mall shut down, he was left with no shortcuts, forcing him to hone his skills through a brutal fight for survival.

After the system alert, Qin Buyi's expression turned to one of sheer frustration. He stood frozen for what seemed like an eternity before finally managing to utter, "Great... what a rip-off!"

[The host has shown disrespect towards the system for the second time. A penalty will be administered!]

Above his head, a spark of electricity crackled, and a thumb-sized bolt of purple lightning materialized.

"Crack!"

The bolt struck Qin Buyi, sending waves of tingling pain throughout his body, which lingered for about a minute before fading away.

Qin Buyi bit his lip, choosing to remain silent. His mind was busy strategizing which Demon King to confront first.

Given that the circumstances were unchangeable, he figured it was better to channel his energy into devising a plan to turn the tables, rather than wallow in complaints.