Chapter 321: Array Sealing Spirits
Seeing that Yang Haoran's expression wasn't quite right, the snake demon's smile grew unnatural.
"Brother Underworld Agent, what's wrong? Where's that charming smile gone? " the snake demon asked cautiously.
"You didn't tell me any of this before. Since you knew the Evil Spirit was sealed, and you still wanted me to come alone, were you trying to make me waste my trip? If I can't sense Yin Qi, or the power fluctuations of a restrictive barrier, what good is it for me to come to Stone Forest Town alone?"
The snake demon let out two dry laughs, her smile growing even more awkward.
"Hehe, didn't I come with you? With me here, I can definitely lead you to the Evil Spirit. You have to believe me."
Hearing this, Yang Haoran didn't speak immediately, but instead watched the snake demon with a grim face.
The snake demon felt a chill run down her spine under Yang Haoran's gaze, her heart growing tense. She could sense Yang Haoran's anger at that moment, and she didn't know what he would do next, causing her to feel a touch of fear.
The atmosphere in the private room became extremely oppressive due to the change in Yang Haoran's expression, making the snake demon quite uncomfortable.
But what the snake demon hadn't expected was that Yang Haoran's face then broke into a smile again, his expression changing faster than flipping a book.
"It's a good thing I didn't fully trust you back then, and insisted on keeping you here, making you come with me to this place. Otherwise, this deal between us would have left me losing even my underwear."
The snake demon let out two more dry laughs, quickly assuring him, "That was then, this is now. Since I've come to Stone Forest Town with you, I'll definitely make sure you get what you want. I guarantee it."
In response to the snake demon's assurance, Yang Haoran smiled, then took out a pack of cigarettes from his independent space.
"Smoke? " Yang Haoran took out a cigarette, offered it to the snake demon, and asked.
"No, I don't smoke," the snake demon replied with a smile, declining.
"Do you mind if I smoke one? " Yang Haoran asked again.
"No, not at all," the snake demon responded with a smile. After a slight hesitation, she added, "You actually asked me these two questions once before."
Yang Haoran lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and then said with a smile, "I know. I was just asking out of politeness; you don't have to take it to heart. Let's get back to the Evil Spirit. Where in Stone Forest Town is this Evil Spirit sealed now?"
The snake demon didn't dare to harbor any more tricks and quickly said, "Sealed beneath the Stone Forest."
"Beneath the Stone Forest? " Yang Haoran murmured to himself, then furrowed his brow, seemingly pondering something.
The snake demon didn't dare to disturb Yang Haoran and waited quietly.
Yang Haoran took another drag from his cigarette, then looked at the snake demon and continued to ask, "How do you know all this?"
This was actually the question Yang Haoran most wanted to ask, because he wanted to judge the veracity based on the snake demon's answer.
If an Evil Spirit was truly sealed beneath the Stone Forest, it meant a major battle must have occurred there in the past. However, Stone Forest Town had always been peaceful, and he had never heard of any battles or strange occurrences happening there.
Nevertheless, the snake demon didn't seem to be lying at the moment, which was why he asked.
The snake demon didn't know what Yang Haoran was thinking. Seeing that he had asked about this, she responded, "I know because I witnessed the entire process of the Evil Spirit being sealed."
Yang Haoran's eyebrow twitched. The snake demon's words had piqued his interest.
Seeing the look of interest on Yang Haoran's face, the snake demon finally breathed a slight sigh of relief, and the smile on her face became more natural.
"Actually, to be precise, this Stone Forest Town is still my hometown. It's just that back then, it wasn't called Stone Forest Town, nor did the Stone Forest exist, and there were no residents living here. And I was merely a white snake that had just gained sentience; I hadn't truly become a demon yet, nor did I have the ability to transform into human form."
Speaking up to this point, the snake demon took a sip of tea and continued, "A major battle occurred here at that time. My understanding of this world was limited back then, and I didn't know the identities of the two parties. Only later did I learn that it was a great battle between an Array Master and an Evil Spirit."
"I'm not sure what grudges existed between the two sides, but I personally witnessed that battle. The Array Master sealed the Evil Spirit at the cost of his life, and I, out of fear, left this place and found a new cultivation spot."
"The Stone Forest scenic area of Stone Forest Town today was not actually formed naturally. It was left behind by that battle, a technique used by that Array Master. And beneath the Stone Forest lies the restrictive barrier, sealing that Evil Spirit. Stone Forest Town was still a desolate wilderness back then, so besides me, probably no one else knows about this matter."
At this point, the snake demon didn't continue speaking, as she felt she had said everything that needed to be said.
As for Yang Haoran, he was smoking his cigarette, digesting all this information.
When his cigarette burned down, Yang Haoran extinguished the butt and then spoke, "I won't ask you how many years have passed since then. What I want to ask is, can you confirm now that the restrictive barrier beneath the Stone Forest is intact, and can you also confirm that the Evil Spirit inside the restrictive barrier has not undergone soul transformation?"
"Well. . . " The snake demon's face showed an embarrassed expression. After a moment of hesitation, she still spoke, "I. . . I can't confirm that."
Yang Haoran's expression subtly changed. Seeing this, the snake demon quickly continued, "Although I can't confirm it, I can take you to find the original restrictive barrier, and then you can personally confirm whether the Evil Spirit still exists."
After a moment's thought, Yang Haoran nodded.
"Alright, but if I don't get what I want in the end, our deal won't be considered finished. You'll have to provide something else that satisfies me."
The snake demon let out a few dry laughs, then nodded and said, "Of course, of course. I certainly can't let Brother Underworld Agent lose out on this deal."
Although the snake demon spoke pleasingly, in her heart, she was cursing Yang Haoran for being stingy, a grown man calculating every little loss, unable to bear even the slightest disadvantage.
Of course, these words could only be cursed silently in her heart; she wouldn't be foolish enough to say them aloud.
"Let's go. We'll head to the Stone Forest now," Yang Haoran said, standing up.
"Now? There are too many tourists right now. Aren't you worried about causing chaos? I don't have any objections myself; if you want to act now, I'll naturally accompany you," the snake demon said.
"Going now doesn't necessarily mean we have to act right away. Can't we just scout it out beforehand? " Yang Haoran asked with a chuckle.
The snake demon suddenly realized, then said, "Alright then, let's go now."
"Wait a moment," Yang Haoran suddenly stopped the snake demon, who was about to leave.
"What is it? " the snake demon asked with a puzzled expression.
"Don't you demons all have the ability to transform? Change your appearance; it'll save us from any further trouble on the road."
The previous incident was a perfect example. Yang Haoran didn't want to be followed by a swarm of annoying flies the whole way, so he still thought it best for the snake demon to change her appearance.
The transformation art he spoke of was a unique ability of demons; typically, other races did not possess this ability, apart from demons themselves.
Of course, a few exceptional individuals were not included in this, but how many such extraordinary people truly existed in this world?
A demon achieving sentience and cultivation was an incredibly arduous process. From an ordinary animal gaining sentience, then cultivating to become a true demon, it was a long and dangerous path with a very low chance of success.
However, once a demon achieved cultivation, they not only gained powerful abilities but also numerous other benefits, among which the most enviable was this unique transformation art.
When they first arrived at Stone Forest Town, Yang Haoran hadn't paid attention to the snake demon's appearance. However, the recent incident had given him a wake-up call, which was why he now requested the snake demon to change her looks.
"Is it really necessary to change my appearance, Brother Underworld Agent? " the snake demon asked somewhat reluctantly upon hearing Yang Haoran's words.
"It's very necessary," Yang Haoran replied with certainty.
The snake demon had no choice but to do as Yang Haoran requested. A flash of green Demon Qi shimmered across her body, and her appearance instantly changed, becoming ordinary and unremarkable.
However, although her face had changed, her voluptuous figure remained unaltered, and her entire being still exuded a powerful, seductive aura at all times.
"How about this? Is this alright now? " the snake demon asked Yang Haoran, her face a picture of helplessness.
Yang Haoran wasn't entirely satisfied with the result, but seeing the snake demon's helpless expression, he hesitated for a moment before nodding at her.
"Let's make do with this for now. At least it's much better than before."
With his words, Yang Haoran withdrew the restrictive barrier and led the snake demon out of the private room. After paying the bill, they left the tea house and headed towards the location of the Stone Forest.
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