Having the genes of a demon king, I never intended to be a kept man.

Chapter 1338 Taking refuge

"Demon Lord Cain..."

Ye Ge smiled secretly.

I never expected him to emerge from seclusion at this time...

However, it seems that his plan to break through the shackles and advance to demigod after years of seclusion has ended in failure.

Demon Lord Cain, in the game's lore, is the ruler of the demon race, the first unparalleled genius born among demons in tens of thousands of years, and also a complete cultivation and battle fanatic. Despite being the ruler of the demon race, he has no interest in expanding his territory, conquering other races, or plundering and killing. His only concern is to cultivate and become stronger, and to find and defeat stronger opponents, absorbing their demonic power and soul power to nourish himself.

Unfortunately, there is no one on the map of all races now who can rival him in strength. Thousands of years ago, he lost interest because he could not find a worthy opponent, and finally chose to go into seclusion to cultivate diligently, trying to break through to the legendary demigod realm with his own accumulation.

However, this approach is destined to be futile. The spiritual energy in the mortal realm is scarce, making it virtually impossible to break through to demigod status through self-cultivation. Even in the game's storyline of my previous life, no mortal being had ever been able to reach the demigod realm solely through arduous cultivation.

"It seems that even Demon Lord Cain's spiritual power is now inferior to mine. Just now, he failed to see through my disguise, nor could he sense the energy fluctuations of my illusion..."

'With my current holy power as the Ji constellation of the Azure Dragon's Seven Mansions, and my mastery of the Dragon-Ji Breath, I can perfectly conceal my aura.'

Ye Ge gently tossed the black crystal in her hand, feeling the pure energy fluctuations within it.

"Since that's the case, I have even less to worry about, hehe..."

He put the black crystal into his system inventory and turned to leave this place of trouble.

However, just as he was about to leave, a faint but dense rustling sound spread from all around like a tide.

"Ok?"

Ye Ge looked in the direction of the sound. From the thick, fog-like gaseous shadows that had not yet completely dissipated, the outlines of twisted, writhing monsters slowly emerged.

They gathered from all directions, silently surrounding Night Song in the center, but did not immediately launch an attack. Instead, they slowly approached him and stared at him.

Night Song narrowed his eyes: "Shadow creatures? You are from the Shadow Clan, are you seeking revenge for your Shadow Empress?"

"*&%xy@ss￥**@!qe%￥..."

The leading shadowy creature emitted a series of eerie sounds; the frequency and rhythm of the sounds indicated that it was a language.

After Nightsong came to this world, he learned the languages ​​of all races from a young age, so he could tell that it was the language of the Shadow Clan.

"Oh? You're saying you don't want to avenge Yinglan, but instead want to pledge allegiance to me..."

Ye Ge revealed an expression of great interest.

“*s&@%d (Yes).” The shadowy creature nodded slightly.

“That makes sense,” Ye Ge said calmly. “After all, Ying Lan just killed your Shadow Clan’s former ruler a few days ago and seized the throne of the Shadow Emperor… For those of you who were loyal to the original Shadow Emperor, it’s just a change of master. I doubt you have much loyalty to her.”

"However, I am not a member of the Shadow Clan. Are you still willing to serve me? Can I trust you?"

The shadow monster spoke again in that obscure language, its voice low and solemn: "*%Y@k￥；！&&Ti@......"

"So that's how it is. Those who possess the ability to travel through and control the Shadow Realm are qualified to become your rulers?"

Ye Ge understood: "After the Shadow Emperor was killed, and Shadow Annihilation and Shadow Storm also died, no one else in the Shadow Clan had this condition anymore. I see..."

The Shadow Clan's rule is closely related to their control over the Shadowlands.

The ruler must possess the ability to maintain the energy balance of the Shadow Realm; otherwise, the creatures inhabiting the Shadow Realm will not only stagnate in their cultivation but also experience a decline in their lifespan.

Their choice to follow the strong is essentially for the survival and continuation of their group.

Ye Ge smiled softly.

"Alright, if that's the case, then I'll accept you."

As he finished speaking, he slowly raised his right hand. The control over the Shadow Realm that he had just copied from Yinglan moved at his will.

The dense, persistent, black, veil-like gaseous shadow elements around them seemed to hear a silent command, and began to slowly sink and condense, eventually transforming into a vast, calm, and abyss-like shadow pool on the ground.

Seeing this, the shadow creatures quietly and orderly walked towards the Shadow Pool, like wanderers returning to their mother's womb, one by one sinking into the dark "water surface" and disappearing, returning to the shadow realm where they lived.

With a gentle flick of his wrist, Ye Ge caused the vast, deep pool of shadow to shrink and flow as if it were alive, eventually merging completely into the ordinary shadow beneath his feet, blending seamlessly without leaving a trace.

Ah......

Unexpectedly, there was an unexpected bonus.

......

Gene company, temporary base.

Leonardo and Dream, both seriously injured, escaped back here.

"Sima Qing!"

Leonardo's suppressed anger echoed in the empty space, "You get out here!"

"..."

After a brief silence, the sound of unhurried footsteps echoed down the stairs.

Sima Qing, Karl, and the orc doctor Am slowly walked down from upstairs.

Leonardo and Huanmeng's gazes instantly locked onto Sima Qing, their eyes cold and filled with an air of accusation.

"Welcome back, both of you." Sima Qing's voice was as calm as ever, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

"How dare you say such a thing??" Huanmeng said coldly.

A cold glint flashed in Leonardo's eyes.

His figure suddenly blurred, and with a "whoosh," he appeared beside Sima Qing in an instant!

A hand shot out like an iron clamp, gripping Sima Qing's neck tightly!

"..." Sima Qing glanced down at the arm around his neck, his tone still flat: "It seems your injury isn't too serious, and you still have the strength to use teleportation."