Starting as a stray dog, I embarked on a journey of cultivation.

Upon hearing this, the group of bird demons exchanged bewildered glances.

This place is located in the far north snow region, remote and bitterly cold, rarely visited by people. For decades, almost no demon cultivators from outside the region have come to visit, let alone come specifically to negotiate a trade.

Gou An's appearance truly surprised all the guards.

"You all stay here and guard the barrier, keep a close watch on this person!"

The largest bird demon in the lead gave a deep command, then flapped its wings, turned around, and flew swiftly into the depths of the snow-capped mountains to report.

The remaining demon soldiers stood firmly guarding the barrier, their eyes fixed on Gou An. The atmosphere was tense, with only the howling wind and snow. The two sides stared at each other, creating an awkward atmosphere.

Gou An opened his mouth, wanting to get closer to them, but he didn't know what to say, because these bird demons didn't seem very smart.

A short while later, the bird demon who had gone to report returned swiftly.

"Come with me, the Demon King will grant you permission to see him."

Having said that, it swooped down in front of Gou An, its sharp claws gently gripping his shoulder, leading him through the transparent barrier and smoothly into the heart of the Great Snow Peak.

At the foot of Daxuefeng Mountain, a magnificent stone cave entrance opens against the mountain. The entrance is heavily guarded, with a large number of demon soldiers lined up on duty, and the defense is very tight. This is the entrance to the cave of the Snowfield Demon King.

The group landed and stopped, abandoning the air and slowly walking deeper into the cave from the entrance.

The bird demon led the way in silence. Before long, Gou An was led into a very spacious and square stone chamber.

The entire stone chamber was inlaid with warm, fiery stones, which dispelled the biting cold of the snowy region, making the interior warm, cozy, and comfortable.

The stone chamber has a regular and square layout, complete with stone tables and chairs, and the edges and corners are all carved with fine patterns, making it elegant and grand.

This exquisite and well-organized layout is completely unlike the rough and desolate typical demon caves. Instead, it resembles the secluded retreat of a powerful human cultivator, exuding elegance and refinement.

In the very center of the stone chamber stands a towering stone platform, upon which sits a majestic jade throne, its surface covered with intricate patterns that, upon closer inspection, reveal a magnificent scene of ten thousand beasts galloping about, exuding an aura of grandeur.

On both sides of the jade platform, ten stone chairs of slightly lower quality are neatly arranged, in an orderly and solemn manner.

"You shall wait here and not wander off. The Demon King will be here soon."

The bird demon who was leading the way brought Gou An to the open space in the center of the hall, gave him some instructions, and then left, leaving Gou An alone in the hall, secretly observing his surroundings.

Just as Gou Anxin was curiously observing, a dark figure swept down from the sky and landed steadily on the elevated platform next to the Jade Throne.

Gou An looked up and saw that it was a parrot with brightly colored feathers.

The parrot cleared its throat, then suddenly raised its head and loudly proclaimed, "The Demon King has arrived!"

The moment the words fell, a figure slowly walked out from the depths of the platform.

The other party was completely shrouded in a snow-white cloak, his face completely concealed, and walked steadily to the jade throne, where he slowly sat down.

At the same time, twenty fully armed demon generals emerged simultaneously from the left and right sides of the Jade Platform. The demons of various races had different appearances and fierce auras, forming an encirclement that trapped Gou An in the hall.

Gou An's nose twitched slightly as he secretly probed. The demon generals on both sides were all condensed with demonic energy and possessed considerable strength. They were by no means ordinary soldiers and exuded a strong sense of oppression.

The demon king, who sat on the high platform, had no aura about him, as if he had been completely concealed by a secret technique, making him unfathomable and impossible to discern.

After a moment of silence, the parrot on the perch spoke again, its voice sharp and cold: "Whoever comes, state your purpose."

Gou An composed himself and solemnly bowed, saying, "This humble demon thief, whose Daoist name is Gou Zhenren, comes from the City of Ten Thousand Demons in the Demon Beast Mountain Range. Passing through the Snow Region, I have long admired the Demon King's reputation and have come to pay him a visit, wishing to make a deal with him."

The demon generals on both sides stood silently, dozens of eyes fixed on Gou An, a heavy sense of oppression pressing down on him, making Gou An tense.

The demon king on the high platform remained silent, uttering not a word. Only the parrot beside him spoke on his behalf: "What deal?"

Gou An steadied himself and said frankly, "This junior has some knowledge of alchemy. I have heard that the Demon King needs a lot of laborers, and I happen to have a batch of Demon Transformation Pills. I am willing to use these pills as collateral to exchange for something from the Demon King."

Upon hearing this, the entire stone chamber fell into a deathly silence, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

After a long pause, the parrot finally spoke again: "How many Demon Transformation Pills do you have on you?"

"I was traveling in a hurry this time, and I only carried about thirty with me," Gou An replied truthfully.

What would you like to exchange it for?

"I only ask to exchange it for an ordinary small flying boat."

After listening, the parrot glanced at the demon king beside it before saying, "The number of pills is too few! To exchange for the flying boat, at least three thousand demon-transforming pills are needed, not a single one less."

Gou An's lips twitched slightly upon hearing this, and he secretly clicked his tongue in amazement.

This Snowfield Demon King is far too greedy, asking for an astronomical sum right off the bat.

He could only concede, saying, "This little demon does not have that many pills here. If the Demon King agrees, I can make up the difference with spirit stones."

He still had nearly ten thousand low-grade spirit stones left, enough to buy an ordinary flying boat, so he was still quite confident.

Upon hearing this, the mysterious demon king on the throne merely raised his hand and waved it indifferently.

The parrot immediately understood and coldly relayed the message: "My demon king has no shortage of spirit stones, he only accepts pills. If you want the flying boat, you need three thousand demon transformation pills, not one less."

Gou An was immediately overwhelmed with a headache.

The process of refining the Demon Transformation Pill is complicated and requires a lot of materials.

Three thousand coins would take an extremely long time, and with such an exorbitant price, where would he find the money to collect in such a short time?

Seeing Gou An's troubled expression, the parrot on the high perch spoke again, conveying the message: "His Majesty said that since you are skilled in alchemy, you may refine more on the spot if you do not have enough."

"The alchemy furnace, the earth fire, and all kinds of spiritual materials and medicinal herbs will be supplied by my cave. You only need to refine the pills."

"But with this arrangement, the cost will rise to five thousand Transformation Pills."

Gou An's lips twitched violently upon hearing this.

Based on his usual refining efficiency, he could only refine a maximum of twenty or thirty Transformation Pills a day. If he calculated five thousand pills, it would take about two hundred days.

He immediately felt the urge to retreat and planned to leave to find another way to obtain a flying boat.

Whether it's stealing or robbing, it's better than being trapped here and working for the Demon King.

"This humble demon has urgent matters to attend to and cannot remain here any longer." Suppressing his emotions, Gou An cupped his hands in a gesture of polite refusal: "The elixir requested by the Demon King is indeed beyond my ability to provide, so I shall take my leave now."

As soon as he finished speaking, Gou An turned around and was about to leave.

But he had only taken one step back when the demon generals on both sides stepped forward, tightening the encirclement and trapping him in the center of the hall.

Only then did the demon king on the high throne finally speak.

It was a woman's voice, clear and cold, without a trace of warmth.

"This is not a place where you can come and go as you please."

Gou An paused, no longer daring to make a move.

The Demon King raised his hand, removed the snow-white cloak covering his entire body, stood up, and revealed his true face.

Gou An looked up and was immediately struck by a jolt.

This Snowfield Demon King was actually a female demon of unparalleled beauty, whose transformation was so perfect that it was impossible to tell what kind of being she was in her true form.

Her hair was as white as snow, her skin as white as snow, her eyebrows and eyes were cold and aloof, and she had an icy temperament that kept strangers at bay, which was intimidating.