CHAPTER 116: CHAPTER 108 THE GREAT DEMON KING WANTS TO SHED HIS SKIN_1

Laughter and cheerful voices filled Si Yan’s camp. She Wang stood to one side, watching, his demeanor cold and silent.

She certainly had a penchant for picking up all sorts of strays to raise. She’d already taken in two snake cubs, and now she’d even found a peacock chick.

Si Yan’s family followed the Silver Wolf Tribe towards the refuge, located directly beneath the ice cave. This very spot was where the gecko had scammed her.

Si Yan asked the gecko in surprise, "Isn’t this the exact place where you scammed me?"

The gecko was indignant. "Scammed you? At your young age, don’t spout such nonsense. I, an old man, never scam anyone."

Si Yan chuckled. As she looked up again, she observed the mountain’s winding shape and the unusual patterns in its rock, distinct from ordinary stone. She picked up a piece of rock and tried to chisel at the mountain, only to find it unyielding.

"What kind of ore is this? It’s incredibly hard."

The gecko remained silent. "..."

"Don’t waste your energy," the gecko finally said. "You can’t do anything to it in your current state."

Si Yan ran her hand over the surface. "Even though my field is botany, I’ve seen plenty of minerals from the geology department next door. I’ve never encountered stone like this."

The gecko chuckled, crawling out from Si Yan’s beast-skin robe. It raised its tiny head proudly. "That’s because you’ve seen so little of the world; everything is a novelty to you."

"Then tell me, what is this?"

The gecko sniffed. "Can’t figure it out, can you? This entire mountain is formed around my bones."

Damn it!

Si Yan hastily took two steps back.

"You... you’re that big?" She looked the tiny gecko up and down. "Bullshit."

The gecko said resentfully, "I never bullshit! If I hadn’t carelessly fallen into a trap... Forget it. It’s a dark part of my past, best not spoken of."

Si Yan looked from the mountain to the gecko, then from the gecko back to the mountain.

How could this tiny gecko be an entire mountain? Animals in the Beast World were indeed larger than average, but a gecko the size of a mountain? Impossible!

The beastmen from the Silver Wolf Tribe were tense, stealing furtive glances at She Wang. Ever since they learned that the snake Beastman accompanying Si Yan was the lord of the Delusional Domain, they couldn’t afford to be complacent. Yin Xiu had instructed Yin Hong to stay with Si Yan and ensure her safety.

Undeterred, Yin Hong approached Si Yan and began to explain, "Si Yan, this place is called the Dragon Coil Cave. My mother told me it was formed a hundred years ago when a Golden Dragon fell here, creating Dragon Coil Mountain. The deep cavern within this mountain became known as Dragon Coil Cave."

"During the Flaming Sun event, which occurs every ten years, the nearby caves become unbearably hot. But this place is different. When the Flaming Sun arrives, the temperature here rises to a spring-like warmth, making it very comfortable."

Yin Hong offered Si Yan a slight smile.

She Wang shot him a chilling glare.

Yin Hong quickly wiped the smile from his face.

"A Golden Dragon?" Si Yan glared at the gecko. "You, a Golden Dragon? Impossible."

If it really was a Golden Dragon, wouldn’t that make it a colossal worm? How audacious of it to call others ’worm’!

Seeing Si Yan’s glare, Yin Hong asked, puzzled, "Si Yan, is there something you don’t understand?"

Si Yan looked at the gecko, then back at Yin Hong. With a hint of confusion, she asked, "You can’t see it?"

Yin Hong grew even more bewildered. "Si Yan? What are you referring to?"

Si Yan looked at the four-legged creature perched on her shoulder.

Now Si Yan was certain: Yin Hong truly couldn’t see it. She could see the gecko, but Yin Hong couldn’t. This gecko, Si Yan realized, was truly extraordinary.

Ever since entering this refuge, She Wang’s complexion had gradually paled, and waves of discomfort washed over him. An unfamiliar energy swirled around them, forcefully trying to burrow into his body. This made it even harder for the snake Beastman, already on the verge of molting, to suppress the changes within him.

Upon reaching the depths of the Dragon Coil Cave, the Silver Wolf Tribe beastmen began to sort and arrange their supplies. Si Yan found a corner. After Dongchi spread out a beast skin, She Ying gently placed the cubs down. She Wang had hunted twice recently, bringing back enormous beasts whose hides were large. One skin was spread on the ground, and another was hung as a curtain in front of them, offering some privacy.

Si Yan noticed She Wang’s breathing was ragged. "Great Demon King, are you injured?" she asked.

She Wang’s eyes were slowly turning an uncontrollable, burning red. "I’m fine."

The power within the cave was too frenzied; he could no longer contain it. "I need to leave for a moment."

His lower body transformed into that of a snake. He moved with lightning speed, vanishing deeper into the Dragon Coil Cave.

The gecko, sighing like a little old man, climbed onto Si Yan’s head and stretched its four tiny legs. "He’s going to molt."

"Molt?"

"When a snake Beastman molts, he’s at his most vulnerable. Grandchild, you should consider going to watch over him."

"Yes," Si Yan said without hesitation. She turned to She Ying. "She Ying, please look after the three cubs here."

She Ying, his face pale but expressionless, nodded. "Understood, my lady."

The gecko, still perched on Si Yan’s head, pointed the way with a tiny claw. "Go left, then turn right here. He’s hidden himself deep. Now, right again."

"This cave has so many twists and turns; it’s easy to get lost," Si Yan, who had a terrible sense of direction, muttered.

"Don’t worry. With your grandpa here, you won’t get lost," the tiny gecko declared proudly. "We’re here."

Before them lay an inconspicuous small cave nestled within the larger Dragon Coil Cave. Inside, a colossal, dark purple Sen Ran was coiled.

"Great Demon King!"

At Si Yan’s call, the huge dark purple Sen Ran lifted its head and looked at her. However, that single glance seemed to agitate the great serpent; it thrashed about within the small cave, causing stones to tumble from the ceiling.

Si Yan asked anxiously, "What is he doing?"

The gecko replied, "I’m not a mind reader. How would I know?"

Si Yan shouted, "Great Demon King, it’s me, Si Yan! Don’t be alarmed! Is there anything I can do? Anything I can do to help?"

The dark purple Sen Ran seemed deaf to her pleas, instead pushing the large, fallen rocks to block the entrance, further separating himself from Si Yan.

Si Yan found it increasingly difficult to get closer. "Great Demon King," she cried out anxiously, "I’m not here to harm you! Great Demon King!"

The gecko suddenly mused, "Ah, I understand now."

"What do you understand? Tell me, quickly!"

The gecko explained calmly, "Proximity to my remains means he’s being affected by their cold, resentful aura, causing him to lose some control. He realized this was happening and is trying to keep you away to protect you."

Si Yan paused. "So, my trying to get to him is just making things worse?"

The gecko considered for a moment, then offered, "Not necessarily."

Si Yan finally managed to calm herself, watching as the great dark purple serpent used boulders to almost completely seal off the entrance to its den.

"Why do your remains have a cold and resentful aura?" Si Yan asked.

The gecko huffed indignantly. "I was sleeping soundly when that cursed bogus heaven plotted against me and reduced me to this state! Look how tiny I am now! I used to be enormous—truly massive! Don’t I have a right to be resentful?"

Si Yan was speechless. "..."

Setting that aside, she asked the gecko, "His condition looks really bad. Is there anything I can do to help him?"

The gecko pondered for a moment before saying, "Heaven created both females and males. Males are powerful and strong, capable of providing for their families. Females are gentle and can offer warmth and comfort to males. Think about it: if you can’t get near him, how can you offer him that gentle, warming comfort to soothe him?"