The old man looked deeply at Xu Xian, hesitating for a moment before saying, "There is a way, but..."
Xu Xian noticed the old man's concern and proactively explained, "Do not overthink it, brother. I just want to take a look by the Nether Pool. After all, it was not easy to get to the Nether Capital. If you are unwilling to say, it is fine; I was just asking in passing."
Xu Xian's explanation sounded reasonable to the old man. Who wouldn't want to see the Nether Pool? Just like everyone in this city, who wouldn't want to be born a heavenly demon?
Thinking about it was one thing.
Doing it was another.
The old man chuckled, easing the awkwardness. "You misunderstand, little brother. I did not mean it that way. There is no harm in saying it; it is no secret in the Nether Capital. You have likely heard that at the outlet of the Nether Pool, which is also the furthest upstream of the Nether River, people from the Demon God Palaces are specifically assigned to salvage shadow soul stones."
"You could say that ninety-nine percent of the shadow soul stones in our Demon Abyss come from their hands."
Xu Xian nodded and interjected casually, "I know of this, but what does it have to do with getting close to the Nether Pool?"
"Little brother, you may not know this, but each of the Ten Great Demon God Palaces keeps a stone-salvaging team. Every three days, they rotate. That is, one palace salvages for three days, and they complete a full cycle every month. Every palace takes a turn."
"Salvaging stones is grueling labor; you are soaked in the water for three days. Those heavenly demons and earthly demons are unwilling to do such a chore, so it falls to lower-class demons like us. However, they do not take just anyone; you must at least be a fourth-rank greater demon master."
Upon hearing this, Xu Xian smiled. "What a coincidence."
"Hmm?"
Xu Xian continued, "I just happen to be a fourth-rank greater demon master."
When the old man heard that Xu Xian was a fourth-rank demon cultivator, his eyes lit up, and his appreciation and respect clearly deepened. "Truly?"
"As real as it gets!"
The old man quickly cupped his hands and bowed, speaking with great solemnity. "My apologies for the lack of respect!"
While there might be a hundred thousand, if not a million, fourth-rank greater demon masters in the Nether Capital, they were common enough.
However, most of those above the fourth rank were earthly demons or heavenly demons.
For someone with the status of the mortal demon race to cultivate to the fourth rank was quite rare.
Setting aside the fact that their bloodline talent was inferior to that of heavenly and earthly demons, the cultivation resources available to the mortal demon race were far fewer.
On the path of the Dao, many could not even enter the gate.
Even those who did enter often stalled at the lesser demon or greater demon stages due to a lack of resources.
Greater demon masters were a tiny minority among them.
To heavenly and earthly demons, a greater demon master was ordinary and not worth mentioning, but within the mortal demon community, they were as rare as phoenix feathers or unicorn horns—true talents.
Xu Xian waved his hand, acting as though it were nothing. He asked again, "I wonder, where does one sign up for this stone-salvaging team you mentioned?"
The old man was straightforward and did not keep him in suspense. "It is right at the gates of the Demon Court's Outer City Prefecture Office. Every few days, people from the Demon God Palaces come to recruit. It is unpredictable; they recruit when they need people. If you truly wish to go, you might as well stay at a nearby inn for convenience."
Xu Xian offered his thanks.
The old man waved his hand modestly but cautioned him, "I must still make it clear to you: salvaging stones at the Nether Pool outlet is no easy task. The nether water there is turbulent, especially at night when there are massive waves. If you lose your footing and get swept into the undercurrents, you will not come back up. People die frequently; otherwise, they would not need to recruit new people every day. However, the pay is indeed high. One trip can earn you a shadow soul stone."
Xu Xian thanked him again. Earning a hundred thousand for three days of work was definitely high-paying, so it was only logical that there would be risks.
However, Xu Xian was only asking out of curiosity.
He could not actually take that job right now.
His body was not that of a true demon; if he jumped into that water, he would be nothing but a few rising bubbles.
He had his own plans.
He stood up to bid farewell, not forgetting to settle the bill for the old man. He even had the waiter bring a plate of pastries to the table. The old man thanked him repeatedly, appearing overwhelmed by the favor.
Leaving the tea house, he found an inn along the way and settled in simply.
Once in his room, he closed the windows and doors. After checking the surroundings, he set up a small formation. Inside, he used the Simulation Art to turn his hair and demon horns blue.
He changed into a set of black clothes with a veiled hat, putting on the hat and a mask to wrap himself up tightly.
He then slipped out of the inn secretly.
After crossing the long street, he returned to the checkpoint where he had been turned away before.
"Halt!"
As expected, he was stopped again.
Xu Xian calmly looked up and slowly took off his hat, revealing his sixth-stage cultivation. He also showed his blue hair and a pair of blue demon horns.
Within his emerald eyes, a cold gaze swept over them, filled with the same disdain that Chi Ji often displayed.
Instantly, the members of the Demon Court's law enforcement squad all pressed their fists to their chests and lowered their heads. The guard who had stopped Xu Xian stepped back in a panic.
He said with utmost sincerity, "My Lord, please forgive my insolence."
Xu Xian did not speak, nor did he look at them again. He swaggered inside, fully embodying the dominant aura of a superior.
In his mind, however, he thought: 'This works! It really works!'
The squad members did not dare to look up until Xu Xian was far away, their hearts still pounding with fear.
Especially the one who had stopped Xu Xian; he let out a long breath, feeling as though he had narrowly escaped death.
Offending a heavenly demon was a grave crime.
To be honest, they had been on duty here for a long time but had rarely encountered a heavenly demon at such close range.
And a top-tier one at that.
After all, heavenly demons rarely visited the outer city. Even when they moved about, they either flew through the sky or rode in carriages drawn by demon beasts.
"That scared me to death!"
"It was a lord from the Lan family."
One of them scratched his head, stealing a glance at Xu Xian's departing back, and murmured, "I feel like he looks somewhat familiar..."
"Stop bragging or you will be the death of us. You are just a grunt; how could you have met a lord of the Lan family?"
"Exactly, exactly..."
His comment only brought a wave of disdain and ridicule from the others, so he had to drop the subject sulkily.
Indeed, how could a mere grunt like him know such a great figure?
Blue hair, two horns, and emerald eyes. A top-tier demon.
Casting himself as a heavenly demon, Xu Xian was very conspicuous. As he passed through the residential area of the earthly demon race, everyone who saw him bowed, showing him the utmost respect.
In the residential area of the earthly demon race, houses were independent units.
If the outer city was like an apartment block, then here in the inner city, there were detached villas everywhere, becoming more luxurious the further in one went.
And beyond the inner city lay grand, luxurious estates. Those were the homes of the heavenly demon race, where earthly demons could only serve as servants.
Further in, ten magnificent buildings stood in a line, stretching from one end of the city to the other.
Each one was as large as a city itself, resembling ancient castles.
There were high walls and even moats.
Seven-colored war flags stood tall, and soldiers could be seen patrolling everywhere.
Giant demon beasts guarded the gates, while soldiers on demon falcons patrolled the skies.
"Tsk tsk, the Demon God Palaces certainly put on quite a show."
Rate on N.U.
