Chapter 422 – 422: An Fan’s Rage, Ye Yan’s Movements

Chapter 422: An Fan’s Rage, Ye Yan’s Movements

Demon Suppression Sea, Sixth Layer.

This depth had never been reached by any Demon Suppression Guard.

In fact, even with the combined might of the ten Demon Suppression Fortresses, they had only managed to establish a few outposts on the first, second, and third layers of the Demon Suppression Sea.

Those outposts relied entirely on the power of the Heavenly Dao’s will to remain stable.

An Zhen Shan once again arrived at the demon palace.

At the entrance, the two demonized flood dragons stood guard as before.

They recognized An Zhen Shan, so instead of baring their fangs, they allowed him to pass directly.

He strode quickly through several courtyards, his sharp ears catching the sounds of decadent pleasure.

He knew the children of the Sixth Archdemon were engaging with beautiful succubi.

Not daring to linger or eavesdrop, he hastened his steps.

Finally, he arrived before the deepest courtyard.

It was eerily quiet.

An Zhen Shan knocked and said respectfully, “Lord An Fan, this is An Zhen Shan, reporting as ordered.”

A calm voice replied from within, “Come in.”

Only then did An Zhen Shan dare to push open the door.

At the center of the courtyard, An Fan sat reclining in a chair, as always, reading a book with focused intensity.

No one understood how a demon like An Fan could be so engrossed in books written by humans.

An Fan spoke flatly, “What did you find out? How were An Zhen Xiong and the Demon Execution Society members exposed?”

An Zhen Shan replied awkwardly, “We couldn’t find anything… there were no signs. One day, they were just suddenly captured.”

An Fan frowned and sent out a wave of demonic energy.

An Zhen Shan was flung far back, crashing into the courtyard wall before stopping.

He gritted his teeth, returned to his position, and knelt without complaint.

An Fan said coldly, “Useless. You couldn’t even find that out.”

“Then why are you here?”

An Zhen Shan presented a sheet of paper. “There’s been a change on the Human Rankings. You said that if anything changed, I was to copy it immediately and bring it to you.”

“I heard about it from what remains of the Demon Execution Society and brought it as soon as I could.”

An Fan raised an eyebrow. “The Human Rankings haven’t changed in ten years. What happened? Did Lion Slayer surpass Tang Shenting? Or did someone from below suddenly rise?”

An Zhen Shan shook his head. “Neither. Something very strange happened.”

“A Yellow-Rank Demon Suppression Guard from Xuanwu Fortress suddenly rose to second place, pushing Lion Slayer down.”

An Fan’s interest was piqued. “Interesting. What’s his name?”

“Shen Mo.”

An Fan froze. “What? Say that again?”

An Zhen Shan answered, “Yes, my lord. His name is Shen Mo.”

An Fan took a deep breath. “Shen Mo… Shen Mo… It can’t be. It can’t be him.”

He abruptly stood and began pacing back and forth.

Memories long buried surged in his mind.

“I want a portrait of this Shen Mo within three days!” An Fan ordered sternly.

An Zhen Shan hesitated. “My lord, that will be difficult. All of our Demon Execution Society operatives in Xuanwu Fortress have already been purged.”

“Also, that name is quite common…”

“To obtain an accurate portrait…”

He raised his head and met An Fan’s gaze.

An Fan’s eyes were icily cold.

The words died in An Zhen Shan’s throat. He didn’t dare continue.

“My lord, I’ll handle it! I swear I’ll bring back his portrait within three days!”

With that, he turned and left without looking back.

After An Zhen Shan departed, An Fan slowly sat back down.

“Shen Mo? It can’t be him.”

“No matter how talented Shen Mo was, there’s no way he reached the level that would earn the recognition of the Heavenly Dao’s will.”

“It must be someone else with the same name. I’m overthinking.”

Still, a sense of unease lingered.

Those old memories…

The shadows that once loomed over his heart…

He had thought they were long gone.

But now, just hearing that name, they seemed to return once more.

Like an invisible hand gripping his heart, making it hard to breathe.

“I’ll wait for the portrait from An Zhen Shan…”

An Fan steadied his mind.

Three days later—

An Zhen Shan did indeed return with a portrait.

“My lord, I did not fail you. I’ve brought you a portrait of Shen Mo!” he said respectfully. “Xuanwu Fortress happened to purchase a batch of Blood Energy Cannons from Jinshan Fortress at a high price. Our people from the Demon Execution Society hid within the shipment and infiltrated Xuanwu Fortress. That’s how they managed to acquire this image.”

“However, the person who obtained it didn’t meet Shen Mo directly—it was sketched based on others’ descriptions.”

An Fan praised him a few times, then took the portrait and slowly unfolded it.

His pupils contracted at once.

The image was merely a sketch, resembling the Shen Mo he remembered only in part.

But that aura—no one could imitate that.

It was him.

It was the Shen Mo he once knew!

Shen Mo had returned!

He was in Xuanwu Fortress!

In that instant, An Fan’s body swayed violently.

He nearly passed out.

An Zhen Shan quickly stepped forward, trying to support him.

But An Fan shoved him away.

Taking a deep breath, he gradually calmed himself.

He could feel it.

From the depths of his heart—

The shadow that had vanished was once again rising.

And it refused to fade.

Like maggots clinging to bone.

Unless he personally killed Shen Mo, this nightmare would never leave him.

“What does Father Demon say? When will the assault on Xuanwu Fortress begin?” An Fan asked solemnly.

An Zhen Shan was stunned, then shook his head. “Since the Archdemon gave the order to postpone mobilization, there have been no further commands.”

“They may even be planning to cancel the assault altogether.”

“However, I’ve heard the confidant of the Fifth Archdemon has arrived in our territory. Perhaps the two Archdemons might join forces.”

An Fan paced back and forth.

He knew Shen Mo was only a Yellow-Rank Demon Suppression Guard for now.

He would definitely be sent to the battlefield.

Now was the perfect chance to kill him.

The sooner the battle, the better.

The more it was delayed, the stronger Shen Mo would become.

That much, he had already experienced firsthand.

“I cannot influence Father Demon’s decision. For now, we can only wait.”

An Fan let out a long sigh.

When the Sixth Archdemon made a decision, no one could change it.

He had long accepted that.

An Fan added, “Go back. Keep close watch on Shen Mo’s every move. Find out exactly where he is.”

An Zhen Shan nodded seriously. “Yes, I take my leave.”

He turned and departed, disappearing quickly.

“Shen Mo… Shen Mo… I truly want to kill you with my own hands!”

An Fan’s gaze seemed to pierce through the sea itself, seeing all the way to Xuanwu Fortress.

Seeing that familiar figure from his memories, the one who left him breathless.

…

In the Eastern Sea, the sky and water merged in a vast blue expanse.

A lone figure dashed across the waves at great speed.

His body was mostly human, though several parts still retained bestial traits.

He looked quite strange.

Smiling, he pulled out a palm-sized jade bowl and grinned.

“This Azure Sea Bowl is really something—it can illuminate the condition of the sea within ten thousand li.”

“Makes it so easy to avoid danger and chase fortune!”

This was Ye Yan.

After leaving the Ten Thousand Demon Nation, he had fled to the Eastern Sea, traveling ever eastward.

He had acquired the Azure Sea Bowl while escaping from a sea beast—he found it by accident in a sunken ship.

This treasure could reveal the structure of the ocean across a vast range.

Trenches, undersea valleys, shipwrecks, sea beasts, treasures—all were visible.

The sea was filled with powerful aquatic demon beasts.

But with the Azure Sea Bowl, he could easily avoid dangerous areas.

Sometimes, he’d even lure two powerful sea beasts to fight one another, then swoop in to reap the rewards.

Thanks to the Azure Sea Bowl, he repeatedly stumbled upon great opportunities.

His cultivation advanced rapidly, and now he had reached the peak of the Nascent Soul Realm—just a step away from the Divine Palace Realm.

“I’ve heard that the far eastern region is the Demon Suppression Sea. The cultivation resources there must be even richer. Maybe with this Azure Sea Bowl, I can reach the Demon Suppression Sea just by heading east.”

Ye Yan’s thoughts stirred, and he immediately picked up speed.

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