Chapter 221: The Wolf Demons of the Stone Cave

“Dare I ask, Sir Immortal, when have we ever offended you?” Though unable to move, the lead wolf could at least still speak.

Thus, it asked with an exceedingly humble tone.

If one didn’t know it was a wolf demon, they might have mistaken it for a well-behaved, talking dog.

Gu Ning’an said indifferently, “Aside from you, who has barely attained a hundred years of cultivation, the rest are merely a few decades old at most.”

“Your comprehension isn’t particularly high either. So how did you manage to refine your throat bone?”

Upon hearing this question, the lead wolf immediately realized—this white-robed gentleman must have come from beyond Great Wu and was unfamiliar with the affairs within.

“Reporting to Sir!”

“The heavens of Great Wu seem to favor beasts more. The chances of wild beasts gaining intelligence are much higher… Any beast that is even slightly more intelligent at birth can almost certainly develop into a demon.”

“And as for refining the throat bone, for us Great Wu demons, there is practically no threshold at all.”

“As long as we reach a certain age, our throat bone will naturally dissolve… Of course, there are always exceptions—some demons take longer to refine theirs, while others do it much faster…”

The lead wolf explained this with great care and detail.

After all, cultivators on the path of immortality had always been hostile toward demons—especially ones like them, whose bodies were overflowing with baleful energy.

Now that it had guessed that the white-robed man was an immortal cultivator from outside Great Wu, the fact that he hadn’t immediately slaughtered them was already beyond its expectations.

Therefore, it desperately sought to gain Gu Ning’an’s favor in hopes of survival, answering his questions as thoroughly as possible.

Gu Ning’an pondered for a moment before continuing, “Then how do you categorize cultivation realms?”

The lead wolf hesitated before saying, “It is based on cultivation age and bloodline purity… But in terms of specific rankings, there is only one that truly matters.”

“If one can contend against a True Immortal, they may be called a Great Demon.”

Gu Ning’an pressed further, “How many Great Demons exist in Great Wu?”

“This…” The lead wolf showed a troubled expression. “As for those hidden in the shadows, we lesser demons have no way of knowing.”

“But there are two we do know of—both walk the path of incense worship and are located in Northern Huangtian, in the northwest of Great Wu.”

“One is honored as the Jiao Emperor, and the other is known as the Void Emperor.”

Gu Ning’an responded, “According to your words, these two demons should at least be able to fight against a True Immortal. Otherwise, they wouldn’t qualify as Great Demons, correct?”

The lead wolf nodded. “Indeed… Outside Northern Huangtian, there is an oasis, within which lies an immortal sect known as Hunling. This sect harbors a True Immortal…”

“Using the oasis as a boundary, the Hunling Immortal Sect keeps the two Great Demons confined within Northern Huangtian.”

So, there exists an immortal sect suppressing demons? It seems that Great Wu is not entirely devoid of fortune.

Thinking further, if such an order did not exist to restrain Great Demons, the throne of Great Wu would have likely fallen out of human hands long ago.

“And one last question…” Gu Ning’an paused slightly before asking, “By devouring living beings, can you demons increase your cultivation?”

The moment those words fell, the wolf demons’ expressions changed drastically.

One of them, a crippled wolf, suddenly seemed to realize something and cried out, “The Universal Immortal! You are the Universal Immortal!”

Its exclamation triggered the memories of the other wolves.

They had all passed through that temple while slaughtering the villagers.

Due to Gu Ning’an’s sudden appearance—and the fact that the Universal Immortal’s statue only bore a 60% resemblance to him—they hadn’t immediately made the connection.

But now that it had been spoken aloud, they instantly linked the man before them to the Universal Immortal of the temple.

Gulp… Gulp… Gulp…

The sounds of nervous swallowing echoed throughout the cave.

At that moment, all the wolf demons realized—there was no escaping death.

They had initially thought they were just unlucky, caught by a passing immortal cultivator… In such a case, their chances of being eliminated in the name of “demon-slaying and upholding the Dao” were around ninety percent.

But if they had encountered the “Universal Immortal” instead… then their chances of survival would be practically zero!

After all, they had nearly wiped out the worshippers of his temple—this was a blood feud!

Now that he had come knocking, there was no way he was just here to ask about demonic cultivation.

For a moment, the wolves felt as if a sword was hanging over their heads, ready to pierce their skulls and send them straight to the afterlife!

“I am not the Universal Immortal…”

Hearing the first half of Gu Ning’an’s words, the demon wolves were so relieved they almost wept with joy.

“But I could be considered one…”

The second half of his sentence instantly sent their hearts plummeting into despair again.

“However, you don’t need to worry—I won’t kill you…” Gu Ning’an casually cast a spell around the cave and continued, “The ones who want to kill you will be here soon. Just wait a little longer.”

With that, his figure disappeared from the stone cave.

The group of demon wolves sat in place, staring at each other in bewilderment.

The lead wolf panted heavily. “It’s over. We’re completely finished this time… All we can do is wait for death…”

“Boss! I don’t want to die!”

“If I had known this would happen, I never would have messed with that temple under the Universal Immortal’s protection!”

“Yeah! Who was the bastard that said ‘wolves must always avenge their grudges’?! Look where that got us—straight to the underworld!”

Amidst the wailing of the wolves, a paralyzed wolf suddenly realized—it could move!

Without saying a word, it immediately stood up and bolted toward the cave entrance!

Seeing this, the other wolves quickly realized that their restraints had vanished.

Desperate to survive, they all scrambled for the exit!

But before they could reach the narrow stone passage, a violent gust of wind blasted them backward!

After a few rounds of this, they finally understood.

The immortal had trapped them inside the cave. Even though their restraints had mysteriously lifted, they still couldn’t escape!

“Boss! What do we do now? Can you break through the Universal Immortal’s barrier?”

Hearing this, the lead wolf scoffed. “Didn’t you see me staying put? If I could break his barrier, do you think I would have cowered like a dog earlier?”

“But we can’t just sit here and wait to die!”

“Exactly! I haven’t even had any offspring yet!”

“I’m the only wolf left in my bloodline! If I die, my lineage ends!”

The wolves chattered noisily, giving the lead wolf no chance to speak.

Annoyed, the leader let out a furious roar, its foul breath filling the air and instantly silencing the pack.

Grabbing a stone cup, the lead wolf downed a mouthful of liquor before laughing grimly. “What’s the point of whining? We’re all dead men walking anyway. Might as well drink while we can.”

“Besides, now that we’re no longer restrained… if the ones who come aren’t as terrifying as that Universal Immortal, then even if we have to die, we can at least take a bite out of them first!”

“If we fight with everything we’ve got, we might even be able to take a hostage and carve out a bloody path to escape!”