“Where’s the demon king? You’re all guessing it’s the demon king’s doing, but why haven’t I seen any sign of the demon king?”

“I never thought that after roaming the kingdom for so many years, I’d end up dying in the wilderness! I’m not willing to accept this!”

Eric Carter looked speechlessly at this group of grief-stricken cultivators. Damn, do you all have to be this embarrassing?

The tremors in the ground grew stronger and stronger. The beast tide was getting closer and closer to them, and even a large number of demon beasts were now running out from the forest. At this point, aside from the sky, they had no direction left to escape.

Despair began to spread among the crowd. Even Emily Cooper was tightly clutching Senior Sister Thompson’s arm, her whole body trembling uncontrollably.

At this moment, Eric Carter suddenly felt himself grow taller, his back unconsciously straightening.

Looks like it’s time for me to save this bunch of cowards!

“Max!”

Seeing the beast tide drawing ever nearer, Eric Carter called out directly. Max, who was at his feet, strutted forward arrogantly. It had heard every word of the cultivators’ earlier insults loud and clear.

It swept a disdainful glance over the group of eighteen cultivators, then, under their stunned gazes, raised its head and let out a long howl.

“Roar—”

Max’s howl was unlike that of a dog; instead, it sounded more like a tiger or a lion—immensely domineering, deafening, with waves of sound rolling forth, scaring the cultivators into covering their ears.

The beast tide surging from all directions toward Eric Carter and the others all stopped in their tracks, prostrating themselves on the ground. Every demon beast lowered its head, as if worshipping a king.

“Holy crap! This…”

“This black dog… is the demon king?”

“No wonder it ran so fast!”

“I don’t believe it! How could it possibly be the demon king…”

After a brief moment of shock, the cultivators immediately began to discuss excitedly. Even Emily Cooper and Grace Bennett stared at Max in astonishment.

At this moment, Max seemed to become majestic, its messy black fur reflecting a metallic sheen under the sunlight, truly awe-inspiring.

Eric Carter ignored the cultivators’ shock and asked Max, “Why did you bring so many demon beasts here?”

Looking around, he could sense the auras of many demon beasts that made his heart tremble, indicating that there were a great number of second-tier demon beasts.

“I am the demon king of this area. Today, I’ve come to pledge allegiance to my lord. These demon beasts are reluctant to part with me, so they’ve come in groups to see me off,” Max said in human speech, unable to hide a hint of smugness in its tone.

Eric Carter suddenly understood. The system assigned each summoned deity or demon an identity, so they had no memories from the original stories. Perhaps all the deities and demons had already appeared, just waiting for his summons.

He really couldn’t believe that the myth system could alter the entire world at any moment.

It really is the demon king!

The cultivators looked at each other in dismay. The black dog they had mocked earlier was actually a demon king. They all felt a chill run down their necks, but also a sense of relief—at least they wouldn’t be trampled to death by the beast tide.

“Just what is this guy’s background?”

Emily Cooper widened her beautiful eyes. Eric Carter always surprised her with new tricks. Just Grace Bennett alone was impressive enough, and now another demon king had pledged allegiance. In the entire Qianyue Kingdom, he could now walk wherever he pleased!

David Cooper, drenched in cold sweat, couldn’t help but swallow nervously. The thought that he had just offended Max made his body shudder uncontrollably.

“All right, Max, disperse them. We need to get moving.”

Eric Carter resisted the urge to farm monsters as he spoke. If he attacked these demon beasts, Max’s loyalty would probably plummet.

Max nodded, then let out a long howl. The beast horde blocking Eric Carter and the others immediately parted to make way. Just like that, Eric Carter led Grace Bennett and Max forward at a leisurely pace. Emily Cooper and David Cooper quickly followed, and the other cultivators naturally didn’t dare linger, trailing behind Eric Carter and his group.

Looking at the various ferocious and terrifying demon beasts on either side, the cultivators were filled with fear, while Eric Carter’s status in their hearts soared.

In the Qianyue Kingdom, they had never heard of anyone being able to subdue a demon king.

Even the kingdom’s strongest, the Purple Light Sect Master Logan Reed, couldn’t do it!

A demon king in the Qianyue Kingdom was a symbol of absolute invincibility. Fortunately, there were only a handful of demon kings in the kingdom, and they never interfered with the human race.

These cultivators came from the three major sects and some smaller ones. By chance, they had teamed up to adventure and seek treasure in the wilderness.

They hadn’t expected to suddenly encounter a beast tide this morning, and were still on edge from the fright.

“My lord, how did you come to know it?” Grace Bennett asked curiously. She had thought she would be the strongest under Eric Carter, but now Max had appeared out of nowhere, leaving her a bit frustrated.

“Haha! Heaven’s secrets must not be revealed!” Eric Carter said smugly. When life is good, you should enjoy it to the fullest—when it’s time to show off, you show off!

“My lord is a divinely appointed child of heaven, destined to unite all realms. It is my honor to serve under my lord,” Max suddenly flattered, making Eric Carter feel very pleased.

Currently, Max’s loyalty was at its maximum, which was why it praised him so highly. If its loyalty were lower, its attitude would be completely different.

“All right, from now on, don’t call me ‘my lord’—call me ‘young master’!” Eric Carter said with a wave and a smile.