Record of a Demon's Cultivation Chapter 1445: Negotiating with the Tiger

Translator: CinderTL

Yuanrong remained composed, as if he had anticipated Song Wen’s reaction. He showed no irritation at Song Wen’s demand that he leave.

"Why the alarm, little friend? The Willow Serpent Clan is not as formidable as the rumors suggest. The so-called Ninth-Tier Demon Venerable has long since turned to dust and bone."

Despite this startling revelation, Song Wen remained unmoved, his tone as cold and unyielding as before.

"Senior Yuanrong, whether the Ninth-Tier Demon Venerable still exists is irrelevant to me. Your schemes are of no concern to me either. I urge you to leave swiftly, or I will notify King Jianglin that someone plots against the Willow Serpent Clan."

Yuanrong’s face darkened abruptly.

"Ji Yin, you risked your life to infiltrate the Willow Serpent Clan. You must be after some of their treasures, aren’t you? I promise you, once the plan succeeds, I will hand over what you desire with both hands. If you refuse, I will expose your secrets to the Willow Serpent Clan. Not only will your plans fail, but your very life will be in peril."

"Are you threatening to drag us both down in a desperate struggle?" Song Wen asked coldly.

Song Wen didn’t believe a word of Yuanrong’s promise to hand over the treasures with both hands after the fact. He had no intention of becoming a pawn in the schemes of Yuanrong and his ilk.

"A fight to the death?" Yuanrong scoffed. "The Willow Serpent Clan has no Ninth-Tier Demon Venerable to defend it, only thirteen Demon Kings. Even if I can’t defeat them all, they’d never stop me if I wanted to escape."

Seeing Yuanrong’s conviction, Song Wen couldn’t help but entertain some thoughts.

"Senior, where did you hear that the Willow Serpent Clan’s Ninth-Tier Demon Venerable, Bi Wu, has already perished?"

"Around the Cloudfall Plains where the Willow Serpent Clan resides, there are five Great Demon Clans: the Black Scale Flood Dragon, the Golden-Winged Profound Eagle, the Profound Bone Demon Tiger, the Heavenflame Cloud Sparrow, and the Frostsilver Wolf. I’ve visited all five, and they haven’t seen Venerable Bi Wu in three thousand years. These five clans are also plotting to annihilate the Willow Serpent Clan and carve up the Cloudfall Plains, and they’ll be part of this scheme," Yuanrong said.

Song Wen spent his days with Qing Lian and had learned a fair bit about the region around the Willow Serpent Clan from her.

The Five Great Demon Clans mentioned by Yuanrong were actually subordinate to the Willow Serpent Clan, required to obey its commands. Each of these five clans was guarded by only two or three eighth-tier demon kings, with no Ninth-Realm Demon Sovereigns among them.

"Venerable Bi Wu has only been absent for a few thousand years. How can you be so certain she is dead?" Song Wen asked.

Yuanrong explained slowly.

"It seems you don’t know this Demon Venerable well. Her reputation for sensuality preceded her. During her reign over the Willow Serpent Clan, she had countless lovers, and not just within her own clan. She welcomed male suitors from all the Great Demon Clans without discrimination. All human male cultivators captured by the Willow Serpent Clan were sent to her chambers."

"Mountains and rivers may change, but human nature remains constant. If she were still alive, why has she left no trace for millennia? Given her nature, she wouldn’t have remained so inactive. Even the human male cultivators most favored by the Willow Serpent Clan were handed over to the various demon kings. If she were alive, would she have accepted this willingly?"

Song Wen fell into a brief silence after hearing this.

Yuanrong’s words were not without merit.

But ultimately, it was merely speculation, leaving him uneasy.

Before a Ninth-Tier Demon Venerable, even Song Wen’s most elaborate life-saving methods would prove futile.

At that moment, Yuanrong continued.

"Ji Yin, you needn’t worry too much. What I ask of you will be effortless. I have here a bottle of poison specifically targeting the Willow Serpent Clan, called ’Bone Blossom.’ It has only a mild toxicity to humans, but it’s a deadly poison to the Willow Serpent Clan. Contact with it will corrode their demon essence, severely weakening their strength."

"You are close to King Jianglin. Simply contaminate her body with this poison during your intimacy. King Jianglin is the strongest and most respected member of the Willow Serpent Clan. If she suffers a severe blow, it will be a devastating blow to the clan’s overall strength and morale."

Song Wen was somewhat surprised. "Senior, how did you learn that King Jianglin and I have... shared intimacy?"

Yuanrong replied, "King Yinliu told me. She said she smelled King Jianglin’s scent on you. This rivalry between the two serpents has actually made my plan much smoother."

Song Wen’s nose twitched slightly.

King Jianglin’s scent on me?

How come I didn’t notice it?

Song Wen had always been puzzled by the animosity between King Jianglin and King Yinliu, and he hadn’t figured out how to exploit this conflict. Yet, in less than a day, Yuanrong had already seized upon their feud to profit from it—truly a masterstroke!

"Where is the Bone Blossom located? May I take a look, Senior?" Song Wen asked.

"Of course."

With a flick of his hand, a black jade bottle the size of a chicken’s egg materialized in Yuanrong’s palm. He tossed it casually to Song Wen.

Instead of catching it, Song Wen used his spiritual power to levitate the bottle, setting it down on the stone table.

As he hesitated whether to open the bottle, Yuanrong spoke.

"Little friend, there’s no need for such caution. As I’ve said, this poison poses minimal threat to the human race."

Yuanrong snatched the jade bottle back and pried open the stopper.

A cool, refreshing aura wafted from within. It was faint, carrying only a subtle coolness, with no trace of danger.

"Is this truly poison?" Song Wen asked.

Yuanrong said, "This poison was provided by the Black Scale Flood Dragon clan. They have long harbored rebellious intentions, and deliberately used toxins from their own venom sacs to refine this poison. The Black Scale Flood Dragons have conducted numerous trials. Once infected, a seventh-tier Willow Serpent will be completely immobilized within half an hour, and even an eighth-tier Willow Serpent will suffer a significant reduction in strength."

"If I understand correctly, Senior," Song Wen said, "this poison must be applied directly to King Jianglin to take effect. If she discovers I’ve poisoned her, how could I possibly survive?"

"You are too modest, little friend," Yuanrong replied. "You were able to escape the pursuit of three eighth-tier Azure Jade Foxes. How could a single, severely injured eighth-tier Willow Serpent pose a threat to you? Moreover, this poison is colorless and odorless. King Jianglin won’t detect the poisoning until the effects manifest. Just seize the right moment, leave before the poison erupts, and you’ll be perfectly safe."

Song Wen pondered for a moment, then asked, "Senior, and the Five Great Demon Clans—when do you plan to strike?"

"In three days," Yuanrong said. "During this time, I will use the guise of a ’Human Delegation’ to gather the strongest experts from the Five Great Demon Clans at the Willow Serpent Clan."

"Very well, this junior accepts this task."

Song Wen snatched the jade bottle from the stone table.

He had no desire to get involved in this matter, but he knew Yuanrong would never let him off the hook.

Since that was the case, he could only play along and turn the scheme to his own advantage.

By having Yuanrong lead the Five Great Demon Clans to fight the Willow Serpent Clan, he might be able to profit from the chaos.

"Little friend, you truly possess extraordinary courage. This seat wasn’t mistaken in choosing you," Yuanrong said, his face beaming with delight.

He produced a dark cyan jade talisman and pressed it into Song Wen’s hand.

Song Wen recognized this talisman; it was the same warning talisman Yuanrong had given to him, Shangguan Ren, and Tian Ming during their time with the Azure Jade Fox Clan.

"Once King Jianglin is poisoned, please activate this jade talisman. The Five Great Demon Clans and I will immediately launch our attack."

(End of the Chapter)

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