Beast God
Chapter 42: The Great Demon Lord

The Shituo King should be a level 10 legendary-grade Mystical Spirit. Such a spirit ranks among the top-tier combat forces in a single awakening.  

Shadow killed the Shituo King with just one sword strike. This terrifying level of power made Chen Guan suspect that his own level was higher than 10.  

Chen Guan and Ji Nanhong exchanged glances and both saw the fear reflected in each other's eyes.  

Facing such an existence, they had no grounds to fight. If the Shituo King couldn’t escape Shadow’s sword, then neither could they.  

Shadow is born from light, and without light, there is no shadow. From a certain perspective, Shadow’s speed might rival that of light itself.  

Of course, judging from just now, Shadow’s speed definitely wasn’t as fast as light speed, but the strange and bizarre attack methods were beyond their ability to resist.  

“We have to escape as soon as possible.” Ji Nanhong’s gaze shifted to the Shituo King’s corpse hanging from the bone chain.  

The Shituo King had climbed down that bone chain. Although they couldn’t see what the top of the chain was connected to, judging by the chain’s position, it was below the fissure. Maybe they could climb up the bone chain.  

The Shituo King’s corpse was about ten meters in a straight line from them, and about five or six meters in vertical height.  

If she weren’t injured, Ji Nanhong could leap up and grab the corpse. Unfortunately, she couldn’t even stand now.  

“Can you jump up and grab the Shituo King’s corpse?” Ji Nanhong asked Chen Guan.  

Chen Guan shook his head. “I’m only level 6, and I don’t have any lightness skill secrets. I can’t jump that far or that high.”  

Besides not being able to jump far enough, Chen Guan had an even deeper worry.  

They had been here for a while, and Shadow hadn’t attacked them. The Shituo King climbed down the bone chain and was killed immediately by Shadow.  

Chen Guan worried that if he climbed up the bone chain, Shadow might attack again. That would be a death sentence.  

But there was nowhere else to go—no way up, no way down except climbing the bone chain or going into the water to find an exit.  

Chen Guan preferred going into the water, even though his swimming skills were average and there might be unknown Mystical Spirits underwater. It was still better than provoking a terrifying being like Shadow.  

“I know what you’re worried about. From what I see, Shadow isn’t an ordinary wild Mystical Spirit. It should be a guardian that the Ancestral Emperor assigned to protect The Epang Scripture from damage. That’s why it only attacks Mystical Spirits and hasn’t attacked us.” Ji Nanhong said.  

Chen Guan thought Ji Nanhong’s words made sense, but he would never take such a risk.  

“It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s that I can’t reach it,” Chen Guan said.  

“Here’s the plan. Although your legs can’t exert force, your hands can. You can use my hands to propel yourself up, then use the rope to pull me up. I can climb up with my hands.” Ji Nanhong said.  

“No.” Chen Guan refused outright, without excuses or hesitation.  

Ji Nanhong stared at Chen Guan in surprise. She hadn’t expected him to be so direct, showing no regard for face at all.  

Darkness fell again. Ji Nanhong lowered her head, her expression unsettled. If her feet weren’t injured, she wouldn’t have to look to Chen Guan for help.  

But now she had no other options. After much thought, she couldn’t come up with a better plan, and she couldn’t climb the bone chain herself.  

Chen Guan sat down to rest. Zhan Guo was by his side, and he placed a hand on Zhan Guo’s head, pondering.  

“Although what Ji Nanhong said makes some sense, there are still loopholes. Zhan Guo is also a Mystical Spirit, but Shadow hasn’t attacked him directly…” Chen Guan thought. Suddenly, the stone wall lit up again. Shadow resumed a seated posture, and the shadow sword in its hand disappeared.  

Seeing this, Chen Guan relaxed slightly. Shadow didn’t seem to intend to attack them, but the feeling of being watched by Shadow remained. He felt Shadow wouldn’t let him leave alive so easily.  

“Chen Guan, if you’re willing to help me, I can introduce you to join the Celestial Army,” Ji Nanhong suddenly said.  

Chen Guan was stunned and turned to stare at Ji Nanhong without speaking.  

The Celestial Army was the elite force of the ancestral sect. Besides guarding the ancestral grounds, they had the duty and authority to enforce the sect’s decisions.  

The Celestial Army was the highest law enforcement agency in Divine Continent. Any member’s status was comparable to a small city lord.  

The benefits and cultivation resources they received were beyond what ordinary people could achieve in a lifetime.  

Moreover, the Celestial Army had a tradition of inheritance. Although not explicitly stated, generally the descendants who trained from childhood and passed tests as adults had the chance to become backups and fill vacancies.  

Being in the Celestial Army was not just a lifetime iron rice bowl, but possibly a legacy for generations, elevating status and providing one of the best paths for ordinary people to cross social classes.  

If Chen Guan came from a completely ordinary family, joining the Celestial Army might be his best chance to turn his life around.  

Unfortunately, Chen Guan’s family background was even worse than ordinary people’s. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have entered the secret realm empty-handed.  

Chen Guan wanted to join the Celestial Army, but he absolutely could not. They performed detailed background checks on every member. If he joined, he might not even qualify as an ordinary person and could bring disaster to his family.  

All this was because of one man: Chen Guan’s father, Chen Xinghe.  

Chen Xinghe originally didn’t have the surname Chen, nor was that his original name. He changed his name to follow Chen Guan’s mother’s surname. Chen Guan also took his mother’s surname.  

The reason for the name change was because Chen Xinghe’s original identity was unacceptable in this world.  

Thirty years ago, the name of the Great Demon Lord Qingbai was known everywhere across Divine Continent, powerful enough to stop babies from crying at night.  

In the ten-thousand-year history of Divine Continent, there might be successors, but the infamy of the Great Demon Lord Qingbai was unprecedented.  

The calamity the Great Demon Lord Qingbai unleashed alone swept almost the entire Divine Continent, with death tolls exceeding millions.  

In history, the only universally recognized Great Demon Lord is this one. If anyone mentions the words “Great Demon Lord” without qualifiers, it definitely refers to Chen Guan’s father.  

He was a man full of evil deeds, heinous crimes, intolerable by heaven and earth. These words were usually used to describe Chen Guan’s father.  

Later, the Great Demon Lord was besieged and killed by the ancestral sect and ten major families. Although he escaped with his life, his cultivation was ruined and he could never resume the path of cultivation, living like an ordinary person.