Chapter 540: Commander

Wang Lin stepped through the Void Realm, his long hair flowing behind him. He resembled a demonic god, exuding an indifferent ruthlessness. After the Seventh Collapse, he was only five zhang away from the Left Wing Demon General!

The Left Wing Demon General's expression was solemn as he looked at Wang Lin.

At this moment, the Eighth Collapse, like a raging flood, emerged from nothingness and merged with heaven and earth.

This Eighth Collapse possessed unprecedented power, materializing from the Void Realm into a tangible form, sweeping over like an actual flood.

Wang Lin was wreathed in Demonic Qi. His eyes flashed, and facing this Eighth Collapse, he took a direct step forward. The moment his body made contact with the power of the Eighth Collapse, the Demonic Flames on Wang Lin's body immediately boiled, transforming into a column of Demonic Qi that pierced the clouds, making it seem as if the entire world was filled with demonic thoughts.

The Eighth Collapse did not dissipate, but the Ninth Collapse appeared silently and suddenly.

Wang Lin frowned slightly. Although he had demonized and possessed demonic thoughts, his Dao Heart remained firm and unaffected by the demonization. However, with the continuous deepening of his commitment to demonization, his Dao Heart would inevitably be influenced.

Wang Lin was extremely aware of the drawbacks of demonization.

At this moment, the Eighth and Ninth Collapses attacked almost simultaneously. After weighing his options, Wang Lin immediately made a decision. He glanced at the Left Wing Demon General; the distance between them was now only three zhang!

Sighing inwardly, Wang Lin retreated instead of advancing. His retreat was swift, like lightning, quickly disappearing from his original spot and reappearing a thousand zhang away.

The Left Wing Demon General was startled, his eyes flashing, and he burst into laughter, saying, "Knowing when to advance and retreat, understanding how to choose—good!" As he spoke, he grabbed in front of him with his right hand. A rumbling sound echoed through the Void Realm, and the Ten Collapses Fist Intent immediately dissipated. It was as if heaven and earth returned to normal in that instant.

"Although you didn't break my Ten Collapses, with your strength, you are fit for the position of Commander. I, Left Wing Demon General Yun Lihai, hereby appoint you as the Commander of Ancient Demon City, in charge of ten thousand demon soldiers!" The Left Wing Demon General said, grasping at the Void Realm with his right hand. A bronze token immediately appeared in his hand. With a flick, it flew directly towards Wang Lin.

Wang Lin's expression was normal. After catching the token, he cupped his fists and said, "Thank you, General!"

"You rest in the city first. In seven days, someone will take you to your barracks!" Yun Lihai glanced at Wang Lin, a look of appreciation in his eyes. He moved his body, and instantly vanished from his spot, leaving no trace.

Having witnessed all of this, Yao Xixue saw the Left Wing Demon General leave and was about to speak, but Wang Lin didn't even look at her, turning and walking away.

Yao Xixue frowned delicately and let out a soft snort, then turned and walked away.

Wang Lin's pace was not fast. As he walked into the distance, his demonic thoughts gradually calmed. This place was originally the very center of Ancient Demon City. Half an hour later, what appeared before Wang Lin were bustling streets and pavilions.

In an inn, Wang Lin sat cross-legged in his room, quietly cultivating.

He sat there for four days and four nights!

His hair gradually retracted, becoming no different from before. After demonization, although the power of his Divine Abilities greatly increased, reaching an extremely high level, its side effects were also extremely harmful.

Wang Lin's Dao was not the Demonic Path. Thus, after demonization, his body was filled with demonic thoughts, which conflicted with his Dao Heart. If this continued for too long, once his Dao Heart was influenced by demonic thoughts, Wang Lin knew that he would completely become a demonic cultivator. Moreover, due to the conflict with his Dao Heart, his mind would also be affected by demonic thoughts, turning him into a complete Devil Head with no sanity left.

Unless he dedicated himself to the Demonic Path, like Situ Nan, only then could he maintain a clear mind.

With Wang Lin's intelligence, he naturally wouldn't make this mistake. During his previous demonized battles, he constantly calculated the duration of his demonization, considering how to unleash its power while still maintaining a firm Dao Heart. This was his primary concern.

Therefore, when the Eighth and Ninth Collapses were upon him, he decisively chose to retreat. It wasn't that he couldn't fight, but continuing to fight would affect his Dao Heart.

Furthermore, Wang Lin's choice to demonize was partly due to his understanding of belief, but more importantly, he wanted to obtain an external position. Now that he had displayed his strength, even if he hadn't overcome the Eighth Collapse, he believed that the Left Wing Demon General would no longer give him only an Elder's internal position.

If Yun Lihai was truly so blind, Wang Lin had already decided in his heart to leave Ancient Demon City and return to the Barren Lands to develop his forces. At worst, he would simply conquer Ancient Demon City years later.

In the inn, after four days and four nights, Wang Lin finally compressed the demonic thoughts within his body into a single point and sealed them inside. These demonic thoughts could not be expelled, nor did Wang Lin intend to expel them. If used well, demonic thoughts could significantly increase his power.

Thirteen and tiger roar arrived at the inn a day ago, staying in the room next to Wang Lin's. They were able to find this place due to Wang Lin's Divine Sense summons.

After several days of meditation, Wang Lin left the inn on the fifth day, with Thirteen and tiger roar following closely behind.

Walking on the streets of Ancient Demon City, Wang Lin felt as if he had entered another world. Everything here was very different from the outside Cultivation World, from the architecture to the surrounding environment.

"This Demon Spirit Land of the Eastern Sea, forming its own world, is truly wondrous. I just don't know how it was formed. Could it really be as the legends say, an outer Immortal Cave of a powerful Immortal Emperor from before the Immortal Realm shattered…?" Wang Lin found it somewhat unbelievable. If the legends were true, then the cultivation of this Immortal Emperor was truly unimaginable, to be able to turn his Immortal Cave into a world-sized realm was too shocking.

"Although it's a legend, there's no smoke without fire. If it truly is an Immortal Emperor's Immortal Cave, why would this Immortal Emperor create so many local residents within the world he opened in his Immortal Cave…?" Wang Lin walked down the street, lost in thought.

"Could it be…?" Wang Lin's expression changed. He thought of an absurd answer. When he was young, in his mountain village, neighbors often fenced off a piece of land to raise livestock.

Wang Lin looked at the world before him, then up at the sky. A sudden illusion arose in his heart, as if the place he was in was that fenced-off land, and the local residents around him were like those livestock.

Wang Lin shook his head with a bitter smile, thinking he was overthinking things, but this conjecture remained in his heart, lingering for a long time.

Thirteen and tiger roar followed behind Wang Lin. Thirteen's expression was cold, his gaze always lingering around Wang Lin. If there were any suspicious individuals, he would immediately act.

As for tiger roar, he didn't think too much. His gaze always lingered on the pavilions and stalls, occasionally revealing a strange light in his eyes, clearly having seen something he liked.

Wang Lin had no interest in anything in Ancient Demon City. After strolling for two hours, he saw a bustling restaurant with a constant stream of people.

Since cultivating, Wang Lin had gradually lost his desire for Mortal food, reaching the stage of Bigu, where he only needed to cultivate daily to meet his body's needs.

If it were just food, it wouldn't pique Wang Lin's interest, but outside this restaurant was a huge wine jar, about three zhang wide and two zhang tall. Several ladders were placed around it, and some shop assistants climbed the ladders to scoop out fine wine with large ladles.

Seeing the wine jar, Wang Lin paused. He looked up at the name of the restaurant.

"Bamboo Green Pavilion!"

On both sides of the Bamboo Green Pavilion's entrance curtain, there was also a couplet.

"Emerald bamboo and fragrant orchids welcome ancient guests," "Green plums and chrysanthemum scent send off Immortal Lords."

Wang Lin looked at it with great interest. At this moment, the greeter standing at the door quickly stepped forward and smiled, "Esteemed guest, our Bamboo Green Wine is a famous thousand-generation fine wine within the nine prefectures. Why not come in and taste it? A new jar has been opened today, and the owner has said that if you can drink ten small jars without getting drunk, all the wine will be free. Such an opportunity is rare; if I were you, I would definitely come in and try it." This greeter had excellent eyesight. Although he didn't see Wang Lin's extraordinary nature, he saw that the two behind him, Thirteen and tiger roar, were not simple. Their identities were clearly those of guards, which indicated that the person in front of them must be of great status.

Wang Lin found the greeter's words amusing, smiled slightly, and said, "Then I shall taste this Bamboo Green Wine to see what's so special about it!" With that, he walked into the restaurant.

Thirteen and tiger roar immediately followed him inside.

The restaurant's interior was elegant and moderately sized. There were many customers at the moment, conversing and laughing.

When the three of them entered, the greeter quickly took a few steps and loudly announced, "Three esteemed guests!"

As soon as his voice fell, a waiter from the restaurant stepped forward and smiled, "Esteemed guests, please come in. There's a prime seat by the window. Please follow me!"

With that, he led the way, using the towel on his shoulder to wipe down a table by the window.

Wang Lin sat down. Thirteen and tiger roar hesitated for a moment, then, seeing Wang Lin nod, sat opposite him.

"What would the esteemed guests like to eat?" The waiter, with his keen eye, asked Wang Lin.

"Bring three small jars of your Bamboo Green Wine!" Wang Lin said gently.

"Coming right up!" The waiter draped the towel over his shoulder and turned to leave. A moment later, he brought three wine jars and some wine cups.

Thirteen quickly picked up a wine jar, and with a tap, he broke open the clay Seal, pouring a full cup for Wang Lin, but he himself did not drink. tiger roar swallowed a mouthful of saliva. Seeing that Thirteen wasn't drinking, he also didn't feel it appropriate to drink, and couldn't help but grumble inwardly, though his expression betrayed nothing.

Wang Lin picked up the wine cup and took a sip. A long-lost taste involuntarily welled up in his heart. In his life, Wang Lin had only ever drunk one type of wine: the wine left by Big Niu's ancestors when he was a Mortal on the Vermilion Bird Star.

During those decades, Big Niu often brought him fine wine, which gradually made Wang Lin deeply nostalgic for it.

"Times change, and I wonder if the Vermilion Bird Star is peaceful now… Big Niu, a mere Mortal, time is merciless, he must have long turned to dust. His descendants should still be alive, right…?" Wang Lin held the wine cup, his eyes filled with reminiscence.