Within the vast cave estate, a muffled, thunderous crash swept out in all directions.

The banked clouds across the sky were scattered apart.

A heavy bronze bell tumbled toward the ground, and just as it reached the halfway point, an imposing figure wreathed in sky-blotting demon qi shot to its side.

That powerful, sinewy arm hammered down at the bronze bell with a roar!

In an instant, an even deeper, richer toll rang out through the cave estate.

Beneath a commotion this astonishing—

the cultivators fleeing in all directions slowed their steps one after another, thick terror rising in their faces.

No wonder no great demon had come to attack.

They'd run up against Perfected Master Zhang Xuanyan.

That bronze bell was itself a rather renowned spirit-treasure, naturally recognized at a single glance.

It was the demon, rather, that left the many cultivators weak in the knees while a trace of confusion welled in their eyes.

A lion-demon so towering, together with that pair of brilliant golden eyes.

It was plainly the Gold-Eyed Lion Emperor.

Yet that lion was merely the demon emperor of the Fortieth Den — how could it be forcing Zhang Xuanyan to bring out his bronze bell to save his own life?

For it should be understood that, sinister and venomous as Zhang was, utterly devoid of any lofty cultivator's virtue, his cultivation was genuine through and through.

That he could stand on equal fame with Perfected Master Qingfeng meant that, barring a demon emperor from the top twenty dens making a move, it was very hard to do anything to him at all.

Had the Thousand Demon Den produced yet another great demon on par with late-stage Spirit-Transformation?!

As that thought welled up in their hearts—

every one of them felt a chill run through them.

That they, these cultivators, could get by in relative peace at all was because the three-way alliance kept the Thousand Demon Den in check.

When it came to the late-stage Spirit-Transformation tier—

even a single addition might be enough to bring the whole stable equilibrium crashing down.

Fortunately, the…