Through a brief exchange, added to what he had overheard earlier, Xu Xian gained a deeper understanding of the Demon Abyss.
At the end of the Black Sand Desert lay a fortress known as the Blazing Fortress.
The entrance to the Demon Abyss was situated just beyond it.
According to Chi Ji, the boundary between the demon race and the Northern Borders had originally been at the edge of this yellow desert, in that barren land.
This was the agreement made ten thousand years ago with the Sword Demon.
Four thousand years ago, the Thunder Demon arrived. He slew the demon sovereign and nearly a hundred demon gods, fighting all the way to the banks of the Nether Pool.
He forced the demon race to bow their heads and cede this vast desert of yellow sand.
The boundary was pushed back to the Blazing Fortress.
The Eight Great Heavenly Demon Families promised never to step out of the Demon Abyss for the rest of their lives.
The Blazing Fortress was established to guard the entrance to the Demon Abyss and to prevent the demon commoners within from slipping out and setting foot in the Northern Borders, which would offend the Wendao Sword Sect.
However, as time passed, things became lax.
The demon soldiers guarding the fortress began to turn a blind eye to their kinsmen coming and going, simply muddling through their duties.
She also mentioned that four years ago, the Thunder Demon suddenly appeared outside the Blazing Fortress.
The entire race had been thrown into a panic.
As she continued, she even took the initiative to explain why she had left the Blazing Fortress and how she had ended up being kidnapped.
Xu Xian wasn't particularly interested in the details.
He listened purely for amusement.
To put it simply, she had a close friend who told her all sorts of things about the world outside the Blazing Fortress. Driven by a longing for the unknown, she and her friend had secretly slipped out of the Demon Abyss.
They had snuck past the Blazing Fortress.
And then, she was kidnapped by those seven people from the Immortal Demon Caves.
It was as simple as that.
As for why they kidnapped her, it wasn't just for wealth or a ransom.
Xu Xian guessed that her father's rivals in the Demon Abyss must have secretly colluded with the Immortal Demon Caves.
They wanted to use her to threaten her father and force the Crimson Demon to compromise.
After all, she said she was the only child of her father's lineage.
What was a demon god?
In terms of human cultivation stages, it was equivalent to a ninth stage tribulation transcendence expert.
In terms of the beast race, it was a ninth-grade beast god stage expert.
Across the entire Fanzhou continent, the four great races followed three distinct cultivation systems.
Humans and spirits followed the path of immortal cultivation.
The beast race followed the path of bloodline awakening, breaking their own Great Dao shackles and opening their beast meridians.
Though these two paths differed, their essence was interconnected. Both involved seizing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth for one's own use, though humans and spirits focused more on qi, while the beast race leaned toward power.
As for the demon race, they were entirely different from the other two.
They cultivated using demon qi and naturally had their own unique path.
However, the stages were the same, divided into nine major stages. Only the names were different, and the gap in combat power was largely the same.
The ranks were: Lesser Demon stage, Greater Demon stage, Lesser Demon Master stage, Greater Demon Master stage, Lesser Demon General stage, Greater Demon General stage, Lesser Demon King stage, Greater Demon King stage, and the demon god stage.
Chi Ji was at the demon general stage.
In the entire Demon Abyss, there were only twelve demon god stage experts, excluding the High and Small Priests who presided over the Nether River Hall.
There were only ten other demon gods.
The Crimson Demon was one of them.
It was no wonder this girl dared to be so arrogant and call herself a goddess. She truly had a significant background.
Xu Xian didn't doubt for a second that if he brought her back, he would receive a handsome reward.
Of course, that was assuming he wasn't killed by the demons first.
The demon race was inherently hostile toward humans, let alone someone from the Wendao Sword Sect.
Although the Demon Abyss feared his Master and Senior Brother Lei like tigers, he wasn't either of them. They would have no hesitation in killing him.
If they found out he was Xu Xian, his death would likely be even more miserable.
Therefore, Xu Xian had no intention of earning that money.
His deep incursion into the Demon Abyss was already a gamble; he couldn't afford a single slip-up. He was unwilling to take such a risk.
The world remained gloomy.
Quietly, the speed of the sand boat beneath them surged. For the rest of the journey, Xu Xian and Chi Ji remained in silence. She only spoke to point the way whenever the sand boat veered off course.
Chi Ji was terrified of the human youth before her, yet she couldn't help but be curious.
Who was he? What was his name? Where did he come from?
Was he also one of those evil people from the Immortal Demon Caves? Had he come to the Demon Abyss for the Shadow Soul Stones as well?
But if so, why didn't he know the way?
The more she thought, the more curious she became. She wanted to ask but didn't dare. She was afraid he would kill her, and even more afraid of his slaps.
She wasn't even certain if he would truly release her.
Humans were wicked. Humans were terrifying. This was the perception every demon in the Demon Abyss had of the human race.
She was no exception.
Her thoughts were a mess, a chaotic tug-of-war in her mind.
In truth, Xu Xian was just as conflicted as she was. A similar invisible struggle was playing out in his own mind.
Should he just slaughter her? Or should he let her go?
From a rational perspective, it would be simpler to kill her and save himself the trouble. She was a demon, after all, and he wouldn't feel much guilt about it. In the cultivation world, this was how things were. You kill me, I kill you. You rob me, I rob you. One must struggle against heaven, earth, and all living things.
It all came down to that one word: struggle.
But from an emotional standpoint, he felt he didn't necessarily have to kill her. After all, she hadn't offended him, and there was no conflict of interest between them. Killing someone without rhyme or reason left him feeling a bit uneasy.
No matter how one looked at it, Xu Xian wasn't some unforgivable monster.
Especially during his time at the Wendao Sword Sect, he had been subtly influenced by his Senior Sister, his senior brothers, and others in the sect. Before he did anything, he always wanted to find a reason for it.
A just cause. A clear conscience.
He couldn't quite explain it himself...
...
The wind-riding boat traveled through the darkness for several hours. In the gloomy sky, Xu Xian caught a glimpse of color. On the distant horizon, something like an aurora painted the heavens, casting a crimson glow over the layered clouds.
It looked like a blushing maiden.
Looking closer, he saw it was actually a volcanic range.
Aside from the sound of the wind, other noises began to reach his ears. From time to time, a low rumbling echoed from the distant sky, like the roaring of a giant beast in the abyss.
Volcanoes were erupting.
Magma flowed down like rivers, and the temperature in the air began to rise.
Chi Ji pointed into the distance and told Xu Xian, "We've arrived. Beyond those volcanoes is the Demon Abyss. That is the entrance to the Blazing Fortress."
Xu Xian didn't respond because he could already see it.
The volcanoes stretched out in a line, bisecting the Black Sand Desert. The flowing magma lit up the dark sky, and the plumes of thick smoke rose into the clouds like beacon fires.
As the silhouette of the fortress gradually emerged in Xu Xian's vision, he steered the cloud boat to a stop on a small sand dune. From this vantage point, he had an unobstructed view of the fortress.
The so-called fortress was essentially several extinct volcanoes connected together to form a wall. An opening had been carved in the middle of the wall, fitted with a massive gate.
It was simple and straightforward.
With his Pupil of Insight, he could even see that the wall was covered with the banners of the demon race—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.
All seven colors were represented.
Xu Xian looked back at Chi Ji, who hurriedly lowered her head.
"What are you afraid of? I'm not going to eat you."
Chi Ji said nothing. 'You might not eat me, but you certainly hit me.'
Xu Xian smiled and said, "Hey, girl, look, I've brought you all the way back. Since we're about to part ways, do you have anything valuable on you to give me as a souvenir?"
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