The Lion Demon's head exploded like a watermelon.
A wave of exhaustion washed over it; while the Southern Demon felt terrified, a sense of unprecedented excitement also welled up within.
It had done it!
It hadn't compromised with its instinctive fear.
But it remained clear-headed, understanding exactly who it had to thank for being able to achieve all this.
Although its body was still shaking, it immediately turned back and knelt before Li Xuanxiao.
"Thank you, My Lord, for helping me take my revenge..."
In the Southern Demon's eyes, Li Xuanxiao finally saw a different kind of spirit, and he felt a sense of gratification.
"Very good!"
He helped the Southern Demon up, pressed his hand on its shoulder, and pushed it toward the Lion Demon. "Now, enjoy the fruits of your victory."
The Southern Demon nodded silently, the hesitation and doubt in its eyes long gone.
It immediately bent down and began to feast greedily!
For a moment, blood splattered everywhere, bones were snapped, and large mouthfuls of flesh were swallowed...
In the Southern Demon's gaze, there was a sense of pleasure it had never experienced before.
To lose one's reason is to lose much, but to lose one's mettle is to lose everything!
Many demons watched silently from the side; among this crowd of demons, the Southern Demon's Realm and strength could only be considered average.
It had managed to become the Demon Venerable's right-hand man only because it was clever.
But now, they felt something from the Southern Demon they had never felt before.
This mysterious and Xuan feeling made them unconsciously feel awe.
They knew the Southern Demon of the past was dead, and they now had to view this demon with entirely new eyes!
It didn't take long for the Southern Demon to consume all of the Lion Demon's flesh and blood.
Its Aura also climbed steadily during this process.
After devouring so many demons at the pass, its Realm had already reached the Peak of the Eighth Layer of the Mystic Realm.
Now, with its cultivation at the Peak of the Eighth Layer of the Mystic Realm, it had devoured a Demon Venerable at the Peak of the Origin Realm Fourth Layer...
The massive gap in Realms brought about a skyrocketing increase in cultivation!
The Ninth Layer of the Mystic Realm was reached in an instant, and reaching the Mystical Realm Peak followed naturally, with power to spare.
In the next second, the Southern Demon felt its whole body tremble, and its mind became increasingly clear and transparent.
A powerful force surged within its body, its True Essence condensed frantically, and its Aura underwent a world-shaking transformation.
A strange and profound feeling welled up in its heart, and a slight smile appeared on the Southern Demon's face.
The Origin Realm!
It had finally stepped into the Origin Realm!
At the same moment the Southern Demon entered the Origin Realm, the many demons all knelt on the ground.
They knew that a new king of the Dayu demons had been born.
"We welcome the new Demon Venerable!"
After the gluttonous feast at the pass, many demons' Realms had improved considerably.
But even the strongest demon was currently only at the Mystical Realm Peak, having not yet entered the Origin Realm.
Now, the Southern Demon had come from behind to take the lead, entering the Origin Realm and becoming the true number one among the Dayu demons!
The Southern Demon scanned the surrounding demons, then turned around and knelt before Li Xuanxiao.
"My Lord, please sign a Master-Servant Contract with me!"
Li Xuanxiao raised an eyebrow, then couldn't help but marvel at the Southern Demon's clear-headedness.
The first layer of the Origin Realm was only slightly higher than the Mystic Realm Demon Emperors present.
It could suppress them individually, but making all these demons truly submit in their hearts would likely be difficult.
The Southern Demon knew its talent was ordinary and that it might soon be overtaken by the demons under its command.
If it wanted to hold the position of Dayu Demon Venerable for a long time, it had to find a backer!
And looking across the entire Three Kingdoms, was there any backer stronger than Li Xuanxiao?
Li Xuanxiao sighed inwardly; the Southern Demon was the second demon he found to be intelligent.
The first was that rat demon, but unfortunately, the rat demon's luck was too poor, having run into him.
It refused to yield and didn't know how to adapt; otherwise, it probably could have gone much further.
Many demons present looked at each other in dismay.
Their new king of the Dayu demons was going to serve a human as master right in front of them?
Although they had many thoughts, they weren't fools either; no one dared to speak up and stop it at this moment.
The Lion Demon's fate was still fresh in their minds, and no one wanted to be the next one.
Li Xuanxiao quickly figured out the key point: if he refused now, he would undoubtedly be pushing the Southern Demon into a pit of fire.
The demons all knew the Southern Demon had close ties with the Human Race and had even devoured the previous Demon Venerable.
A classic case of an illegitimate succession!
Once they had enough strength, many demons would likely turn against the Southern Demon.
With that thought, Li Xuanxiao had no reason to refuse, so he nodded in agreement.
The Southern Demon immediately forced out a wisp of its Heart's Blood and a sliver of its Divine Soul.
They condensed into a flocculent object that flew into Li Xuanxiao's hand.
After doing all this, the Southern Demon's face turned visibly paler.
Li Xuanxiao took the flocculent object and, following the Southern Demon's instructions, wrapped it with his Divine Soul and brought it into his mind.
A mysterious sensation emerged, as if the Southern Demon's life and death were now within a single thought of his.
With this, the Master-Servant Contract was established!
Li Xuanxiao had thought it would be quite flashy, but it turned out to be so simple.
What a simple and unadorned Master-Servant Contract—
Handing one's life directly into another's hands!
After some investigation, Li Xuanxiao discovered that he could not only control the Southern Demon's life and death through the flocculent object but also directly connect with its Soul or even control it.
Regardless of distance or time, it possessed absolute coerciveness!
It was very overbearing.
And as the master, he hardly had to pay any price.
Li Xuanxiao realized that now the Southern Demon was completely his own demon!
Since it was his own demon, he naturally had to help it further increase its strength, at least to ensure it could manage the Dayu demons.
"Southern Demon, come with me!"
"Yes! My Master."
Li Xuanxiao took the Southern Demon straight to the other three passes, where many demon corpses still remained!
Even though the stray demons had already eaten some, there was still quite a lot left.
The Southern Demon was surprised, but it wouldn't overthink things now.
Li Xuanxiao was now its master; if the master was powerful, it would naturally enjoy the benefits.
"You devour the demons here to raise your Realm. Once you've finished consuming these remaining demons, you'll probably reach the third layer of the Origin Realm. By then, you won't have to fear a rebellion from that group of demons under you."
The Southern Demon nodded. "Thank you for the reward, My Master!"
Li Xuanxiao waved his hand. "Don't call me 'My Master,' it's awkward! Just call me 'My Lord' as you did before."
The Southern Demon signaled its understanding.
"I'll head back to Dayu first. Once you've finished here, go back and reorganize the Dayu demons. Within ten years, restrain the demons under you; they are not allowed to step into Dayu territory! As for those who don't comply, you know what to do, right?"
The Southern Demon nodded. "I shall follow your orders, My Lord."
Having finished his instructions, Li Xuanxiao immediately returned to the royal city.
After all this trouble, a few more days had passed.
"Calculating the time, it's almost the day of Si Miaoyin's Coming-of-age Ceremony."
Though he spoke of Si Miaoyin's Coming-of-age Ceremony, Ya Qin's figure abruptly surfaced in Li Xuanxiao's mind.
This wasn't the first time; lately, Ya Qin's voice and appearance would pop into his head from time to time.
And then his waist would throb with a faint ache.
Li Xuanxiao found it strange; why was he always thinking about that girl lately? Was he being a bit too concerned?
Just because they had shared physical intimacy?
Surely not...
Li Xuanxiao felt somewhat perplexed, but he didn't take it too much to heart.