Starting as a Grandmaster, all of my cultivation techniques are at max level.

Just as the two were talking, countless tiny golden specks of light appeared out of thin air in the hall and quickly coalesced into a tall and slender figure.

The person who arrived was, of course, Xia Jin.

He smiled and sat down in the seat of honor, then his gaze fell on the Great Demon Sheep, and he spoke first:

"You old man, you didn't lie to me. There really is a treasure of the Golden Crow Clan there. And I'm quite satisfied with that treasure."

Xia Jin's words also made the White Ape King and the Great Demon Sheep in the hall breathe a sigh of relief, their hearts that had been hanging in suspense finally settled back into their stomachs.

"Fellow Daoist...you agreed to what happened just now?" The Great Demon Sheep's sheep-like eyes gleamed with excitement as he took a step forward and asked cautiously.

Xia Jin looked at his extremely nervous expression and nodded gently.

"Of course! I always keep my word. Now that I have obtained the treasure left behind by the Golden Crow Clan, this karmic debt must naturally be settled."

When the Great Demon of the Goat heard Xia Jin agree, his aged body trembled slightly, and he bowed to Xia Jin without hesitation.

"Wei Yang greets Lord Jinwu! From now on, the demon race will rely entirely on you!"

He behaved with utmost respect, without the slightest hint of pretense.

Then he looked up and saw the White Ape King still standing there in a daze. He immediately shouted in displeasure, "White Ape! What are you standing there for? Quickly pay your respects to Lord Golden Crow!!"

The White Ape King suddenly came to his senses, a complex expression flashing across his furry giant face, a mixture of relief and awkwardness.

After all, he was one of the three great demon kings, used to being high and mighty. Now he had to bow down to a young-looking man, and it was indeed difficult for him to adapt to the situation.

Even if the other party is the legendary Golden Crow clan!!

But the glare from the Great Demon Sheep instantly brought him to his senses.

The White Ape King took a deep breath, suppressing the subtle emotions in his heart, and bowed respectfully to Xia Jin, his voice still somewhat stiff, but still respectful:

"White Ape greets Lord Golden Crow!! We hope that Your Excellency can lead the demon race back to its former glory!"

Xia Jin watched as these two highly respected figures from the demon race bowed before her, but she didn't display any arrogance; she simply waved her hand casually.

"No need for formalities. Although I have agreed to become the emperor of the demon race, there is something I need to make clear to you first."

He looked at the White Ape King, his tone very calm.

"I have my own matters to attend to, and I don't have time to manage the daily trivial affairs of the demon race. White Ape King, from now on, you will handle all matters, big and small, of the demon race. If there is anything truly important that requires my intervention, then come and find me."

Upon hearing this, the White Ape King was taken aback at first, but then an undisguised look of joy appeared on his furry face.

His biggest worry was that with an emperor above him, he would be controlled and restricted in everything he did.

But Xia Jin's words now clearly indicate that she is delegating power to him, allowing him to retain real authority.

Moreover, this power governs the entire demon race; it's just that there's an additional nominal emperor overseeing things.

This was a pleasant surprise for him.

"Rest assured, my lord! I will do my utmost!" The White Ape King nodded hurriedly, his voice louder than before, and his awkwardness had largely dissipated.

He rubbed his huge hands together, then asked respectfully:

"My lord, shall we... take you to meet the other two demon kings first? After all, once they acknowledge you as their emperor, it will be much easier to control the entire demon race. Otherwise, if they interfere, it will likely cause a lot of trouble in the future."

Xia Jin glanced at the White Ape King with a half-smile.

"Okay! Let's go now."

Seeing Xia Jin agree so readily, the White Ape King's face immediately showed an eager expression. However, his eyes darted around, and he added:

"My lord, how about... we go to Black Swamp City in the Far East first? That Hydra has always been the most unruly and difficult to talk to among the three demon kings. Once we can persuade him, the last one is much easier to talk to."

Xia Jin glanced at him, and could easily see through the White Ape King's little scheme.

This giant ape clearly didn't get along with the hydra, and now that it had its backer, it couldn't wait to see how the hydra would fare.

However, he was too lazy to point it out and simply nodded casually: "Do as you say."

The gloating smile on the White Ape King's face was almost impossible to hide, but he still remembered his limits and quickly restrained himself, turning around and making a gesture behind his back.

A void gate appeared in front of Xia Jin.

"Sir, please!"

The White Ape King stepped aside to make way and respectfully extended his arm in greeting.

Xia Jin didn't stand on ceremony and stepped into the void gate, disappearing into it.

The White Ape King followed closely behind, and as his massive body squeezed through the door, he gave the Great Demon Sheep a smug smile.

Black Swamp Castle, the back garden of the castle lord's mansion.

The entire garden was filled with strangely shaped black rocks, and a light mist hung in the air, giving the whole back garden a damp smell.

In the center of the garden, a figure with long black hair sat quietly beside a stone table.

He was a man with a delicate and handsome face, and a pair of narrow, snake-like eyes that gleamed with an eerie green light.

He was looking down and playing with a palm-sized wooden carving in his hand. The carving depicted a coiled nine-headed serpent, and it was very lifelike.

On the ground around him, hundreds of wooden carvings of the same material were densely packed together, some large and some small, but almost all of them were exactly the same as the hydra in his hand.

Just then, the man's hand suddenly stopped moving, his narrow snake eyes narrowed slightly, and his brows furrowed slightly.

The tattoo on his neck seemed to come alive, with nine tiny snake heads flicking their scarlet tongues and emitting soft hissing sounds.

"Someone's here!?"

The moment he finished speaking, the space in front of him suddenly distorted, and a void gate appeared, from which two figures walked out.

The newcomers were Xia Jin and the White Ape King.

The White Ape King stared at the figure with long black hair before him, grinned, revealing a set of gleaming white fangs, and spoke with a hint of sarcasm:

"Hydra, it's been a long time. Your city lord's mansion is still as damp and smelly as ever, just like you, making people feel uncomfortable."

"You're one of the three kings of the demon race, just like me, shouldn't you at least be more mindful!"

The effeminate man with long black hair didn't care what the White Ape King said at all.

He narrowed his long, serpentine eyes slightly, his gaze sweeping over the White Ape King before finally settling on Xia Jin. He lingered there for a moment, then turned back to the White Ape King.

"You damned monkey! What are you doing here today?"