Chapter 36 | The Otherworld Journey That Starts From a Slime

Leona's figure appeared in front of Zhang Ye. This wasn't a mana projection, but her actual self.

Still, Zhang Ye couldn't resist reaching out and pinching Leona's cheek.

It was very springy—it was a real person!

Leona slapped his hand away and asked, “Are you okay?”

Zhang Ye grinned. “I'm fine!”

Then he spat out a mouthful of blood.

Leona: “...”

“Trying to act tough,” Leona rolled her eyes at him, then cast 【Phoenix Breath】 to heal him.

As Zhang Ye enjoyed Leona's healing, he asked, “Why did that Green Vine Snake King turn into that?”

“It underwent Demonization. It became Demonized,” Leona said.

“Why did it undergo Demonization?” Zhang Ye asked. “And what was up with what it said? That Soaring Snake Royal Clan...”

Leona reached out a finger and gently pressed it against Zhang Ye's lips, saying, “Those things are still too far away for you.”

“Just listen to me. I'll tell you what needs to be said. If you want to know anything else, wait until you get stronger and find the answers yourself.”

Zhang Ye nodded at her words.

Leona slowly explained, “Demonization is when a creature successfully communicates with the Demon Realm, receives the empowerment of Demon Realm power, and transforms into a Demonized creature.

“Demonized creatures possess far greater power than they did before. Their power after Demonization is closely linked to their original strength. The stronger they were, the stronger they become after Demonization. Correspondingly, the difficulty of Demonization is also higher.

“The conditions for Demonization, besides requiring the laws of the Demon Realm, also include extremely pure emotional fluctuations.

“For example, hatred.

“The reason the Green Vine Snake King successfully Demonized is because its ancestral lineage, the 【Soaring Snake Royal Clan】, was wiped out by humans, and it was likely a descendant of that clan.

“As a human, you cast its innate magic right in front of its eyes. That caused its heart to be consumed by hatred, intensifying its hatred for humanity to the absolute limit.

“This so-called extreme hatred only needs a catalyst to be infinitely magnified, and you were that catalyst.

“Once Demonized, a Demonized creature will follow its pre-Demonization obsession. Even if its soul is eventually consumed by Demon Realm power and it loses all sanity, it will still fight on, guided by that obsession.

“Although they retain their consciousness for a short period after Demonization, it is only a matter of time before the Demonized creature is completely eroded by the Demon Realm power.”

“Is the erosion of Demon Realm power irreversible?” Zhang Ye asked.

“It is reversible. However, the erosion on a Demonized creature specifically is irreversible. One of the reasons a Demonized creature can communicate with the Demon Realm is because it is willing to pay any price for its obsession. Therefore, it has already lost the foundation to resist the Demon Realm power.

“On the other hand, as long as an ordinary person's state of mind is strong enough and their power is sufficient, they can suppress the erosion of Demon Realm power, or even devour it to make it their own.

“You must know that Demon Realm power is one of the strongest forces known to exist.

“Once successfully harnessed, one's strength will multiply and skyrocket!

“But don't go thinking about intentionally absorbing Demon Realm power, because the likelihood of being eroded is far greater than the likelihood of you devouring it.

“Just like me.

“If you hadn't channeled your mana into me back then, I'm afraid even I would have been completely eroded and reduced to a Demonized creature.”

Hearing this, Zhang Ye scratched his bald head and chuckled.

Leona continued, “As for the Soaring Snake Royal Clan... I don't know much. I only know that a few years ago, over a dozen Saint-tier powerhouses from the Holy See teamed up to suppress them. The final word was that the Soaring Snake Royal Clan had been wiped out.

“As for why they had to destroy the Soaring Snake Royal Clan, it is said that the clan incited a beast tide in an attempt to attack a human empire, which ultimately enraged the Holy See.

“The Green Vine Snake King was probably a descendant or offshoot of the Soaring Snake Royal Clan. Of course, it wasn't a direct descendant, because a pureblood Soaring Snake is at least Saint-tier upon reaching adulthood.”

“What is the Holy See?” Zhang Ye asked curiously. “The Light Holy See?”

“Oh? You know about it?” Leona looked surprised.

Zhang Ye laughed.

The Light Holy See was a staple in many novels, and they were usually villains who committed heinous acts under the banner of 【Light】.

He wondered if the Light Holy See of this world was like that too.

“The Light Holy See is a colossus standing upon the West Continent, one of the continent's strongest factions.”

“One of?” Zhang Ye was extremely curious. “Then what other factions can stand on equal footing with the Light Holy See?”

“If we're talking about equal footing, there is only one.

“The Dark Demon Cult!”

Zhang Ye's brow twitched.

Leona smiled. “You've probably guessed it. Yes, it's the same 'Dark Demon' as the Dark Demon Broodqueen. This Dark Demon Cult has a massive connection to the Demon Realm. It is precisely because of this that they can stand firm despite the suppression of all the righteous factions on the continent, and even contend with a colossus like the Light Holy See.

“Next are factions like the Mages Alliance, the Blade of Assassins, and the Beastkin Totems. You'll gradually learn about them once you enter human society, so I won't bother explaining them to you now.”

“Alright...” Zhang Ye nodded. Then he looked at the sky where the ashes had dispersed and muttered disconsolately, “Dinner is gone...”

Leona: “...”

Leona lightly tapped his forehead and said, “Don't we still have the Rockland Monitor? This tastes much better than the Green Vine Snake King.”

“Really? Then hurry up and cook, I'm starving!” Zhang Ye said excitedly.

Leona raised an eyebrow. “Hmm? You're ordering me around?”

Hearing this, Zhang Ye immediately adjusted his attitude. “I mean... Chef Goddess Big Nana, could you please cook a sumptuous dinner for your adorable student?”

Only then did the corner of Leona's mouth curl up. “That's more like it. Wait here.”

With a wave of her hand, the Rockland Monitor's carcass and some of the relatively intact Green Vine Snake corpses on the ground were immediately lifted by mana, flying back toward the cave along with Zhang Ye.

Floating in the air, Zhang Ye quietly looked back at the spot where the Green Vine Snake King had died, silently saying to himself:

“Rest in peace...”

Showing the most basic respect to everything in the world was a principle he had always followed.

To get stronger, he could divert trouble toward others and play the opportunist, but he wouldn't mindlessly slaughter magical beasts for no reason.

To get stronger, he couldn't afford to be soft-hearted. He could only wish those magical beasts who died because of him a safe journey, hoping they wouldn't cross paths with him in their next life.

Besides, the Green Vine Snake King's words had made him feel that the snake king was rather pitiful...

After this incident, Zhang Ye understood a certain truth even more deeply.

Only the strong had the right to show mercy!

And only the strong had the right and the ability to survive!

He must get stronger as quickly as possible. Otherwise, if he encountered something like this again, Leona might not be able to save him in time.

“What's wrong?” Sensing something, Leona turned her head and asked.

“Nothing... Oh right, what about the Green Vine Snake King's magic core?” Zhang Ye asked.

“The magic core of a Demonized creature turns into power to feedback into its entire body at the moment of Demonization, so there is no magic core.” Leona said, suddenly turning serious. “And... Demonized creatures taste awful, and eating them will poison you, so absolutely never try it!”

Zhang Ye: “(๑乛◡乛๑) You've eaten one, haven't you? You absolutely have!”

Leona turned her face away, and her cheeks could be seen turning slightly red.

“How... How was I supposed to know that stuff tasted so bad?”

Zhang Ye couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Big Nana was simply too cute.

What a glutton, to actually be so greedy that she wanted to eat a Demonized creature. Truly one of a kind.

Leona was thoroughly embarrassed by Zhang Ye's laughter.

Back then, she couldn't resist eating a Demonized magical beast. She would never forget that disgusting sensation for the rest of her life. On top of that, she had gotten food poisoning, making her father think she had been poisoned by Black Mages of the Black Demon Cult. He had gone and wiped out eight Black Mage strongholds in a row just to find an antidote.

Recalling it now, her face flushed red.

This was one of her few dark histories—it was incredibly embarrassing.

Fortunately, Leona was bold and open-minded. Anyone else would probably have buried this embarrassing past deep in their heart forever.

But even for a tomboy like Leona, she was currently feeling a wave of shame and anger from Zhang Ye's teasing.

“You're still laughing!” Leona gritted her teeth. Her hair ignited with flames and expanded, looking like an angry lion.

Zhang Ye's smile froze. He lowered his head with an obedient look. “Big Nana, I was wrong...”

Seeing his sincere apology, Leona finally calmed down. She declared loudly, “A real man shouldn't laugh at others so easily. Even if you want to laugh, you have to hold it in, or you might cause trouble for them, got it?!”