Becoming the Demon Lord: Taming the Demon Queen Begins

Although we had agreed beforehand to work together until we entered the grand hall, once inside, it was every man for himself. But faced with the mysterious stone lock that lay before us in the hall, no one wanted to be the first to make a move.

"If you ask me, Feydran, your sword skills are the envy of us all. That stone lock looks tough, but I bet it's no match for your full force. How about you take the first crack at it?" Umbral Tyrant suggested.

"Hmph, I don't have your fancy spells and tricks, just brute strength. If I use it all up, wouldn't I just be leaving myself open to attack?" Feydran snorted in response.

"Why don't you try using your 'Hundred Beauties Spring Palace Scroll' then?" Umbral Tyrant turned to Sunflare Elder.

Sunflare Elder rolled his eyes, "The 'Hundred Beauties Spring Palace Scroll' only works on living things. You think it's going to do anything to a stone lock?"

"Looks like no one wants to step up. Great allies we are," Umbral Tyrant said sarcastically, his plan falling through.

"I'll do it. I'm best with arcane arts. Even though the essence hidden in this lock is unusual, I might as well give it a try." Finally, an old man in a black robe stepped forward.

Immediately, the others made way for him, none too eager to be the guinea pig.

Watching the others, who had also entered the Mystic Realm incognito, show such wariness, the old man couldn't help but smile smugly. His mastery over mechanical devices and ancient formations was far beyond ordinary.

Even the stringent defenses of the Valley of the Undead would hardly be a match for him.

If he could find an opportunity to discreetly eliminate those six troublesome fellows, the treasures of the Valley of the Undead would almost be within his grasp.

Golden patterns spread from his shoulders and elbows, gradually covering his arms, right hand, and all five fingers.

Feeling the aura emanating from the old man's hand, everyone was taken aback by his profound understanding of formations.

As the old man placed his palm on the stone lock, everyone except Feydran, who knew nothing of cultivation, watched intently, wary of any tricks.

Suddenly, a mysterious and turbulent spiritual energy burst forth from the stone lock.

The energy, wild like a beast, latched onto the old man's arm.

The golden patterns on his arm began to tremble violently, uncontrollably.

Where the golden patterns ended, his flesh began to tear apart, blood spraying everywhere.

Overwhelmed by intense pain, he screamed, his body feeling as if it were being ripped apart.

In a sudden move, the old man in the black robe chopped off half of his arm!

The arm hit the ground with a loud thud and exploded.

Clutching his severed limb, the robed figure sweated profusely, his body shaking uncontrollably.

But at least his life was spared.

The atmosphere turned heavy in an instant.

Just now, everyone had felt an endless, powerful aura emanating from the fallen arm.

None of them were experts in formations, and touching the stone lock rashly could result in a fate even worse than the old man's.

"Maybe you guys want to give it a try?"

"Maybe you should do it..."

Even though they knew the Valley of the Undead held coveted treasures, no one dared to touch the stone lock again.

"You had your chance and blew it."

From a distance, Timothy, hidden in the shadows, sighed. He hadn't expected this group, who boasted of their hidden strengths, to be so useless.

He had hoped to sneak in during the chaos, but now, it seemed he would have to rely on himself.

"System, is there any way to break the stone lock?" Timothy called out to his system in secret.

[Ding, the stone lock contains a profound formation laid by the Holy Emperor, extremely difficult to break. To unlock it, the host can exchange 10 skill points for the 'Key of Secrets', which will render all locks and defensive formations ineffective against the host.]

"That's a handy tool."

If he could get his hands on that, he'd be set for life, with all defensive formations becoming useless against him.

But the problem was, he didn't even have a single skill point to his name right now.

Sensing Timothy's thoughts, the system quickly responded.

[Ding, the host can choose to activate "PayPal Credit" to temporarily borrow ten skill points.]

"You really think of everything, don't you..." Timothy muttered, but he didn't immediately agree.

He knew all too well that anything involving "borrowing" usually came with strings attached.

"What happens if I use PayPal Credit and don't pay it back?" he asked cautiously.

[Ding, after activation, the host can temporarily borrow ten skill points, but must repay them within ten days. Otherwise, the host will be added to the system's blacklist, and a random organ will disappear from the host's body.]

An organ disappearing just like that?

Timothy instinctively looked down at himself, a chill running through him.

If he couldn't pay back on time and luck wasn't on his side, the cost could be enormous.

However, the treasures of the Valley of the Undead were right in front of him. Nothing ventured, nothing gained!

With a hardened resolve, Timothy activated "PayPal Credit" and exchanged ten skill points for the "Key of Secrets."

He also exchanged his previous opportunity to learn an Epic-level technique for the "Shadow Veil," which could completely erase his presence for a short time.

While Umbral Tyrant and Sunflare Elder, along with a few others, were still hesitating to challenge the stone lock again, Timothy stepped forward from a distance and scoffed, "I hear you all snuck in here under false identities, and yet you're held up by a mere stone lock. Isn't that a bit laughable?"

Hearing this, the group was initially stunned, then Umbral Tyrant exploded in rage: "You reckless fool, daring to mock me, you must be looking to die right here!"

"Wait." Sunflare Elder suddenly intervened.

"What are you doing?" Umbral Tyrant was furious, ready to strike Timothy down on the spot.

Sunflare Elder said, "Hold on a moment. He seems confident, almost as if he's got something up his sleeve. Let's use him as a test subject for the stone lock. If it doesn't work out, we can always kill him afterward."

Though still angry, Umbral Tyrant reluctantly reined in his murderous intent.

"Kid, I'm giving you a chance to live. If you can open this stone lock, I'll let you go. If not, don't blame me for cutting out your tongue," Sunflare Elder taunted Timothy.

"I don't want much. Just open the door, and you old monsters can bow to me," Timothy replied with a smirk.

Instantly, everyone was enraged. If not for Sunflare Elder holding them back, they might have attacked right then and there.

But Timothy seemed utterly unconcerned, walking up to the stone lock with Emily, and then he placed his hand on it.

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