Stoking the Flames

Whether it was coincidence or something else was hard to say. Facing their doubts, Xu Xian merely shook his head and let out a light, mocking laugh. "Your Huang family is incompetent."

Huang Xiao felt like he was about to explode with rage.

Huang Long could barely restrain himself either.

The two of them wanted nothing more than to kill Bai Mang on the spot. Fortunately, others who were familiar with them quickly stepped in to smooth things over, offering words of persuasion.

"Don't get so worked up. He's not wrong; your Huang family really is just mediocre."

"Exactly, very mediocre."

"..."

This 'persuasion' only made them angrier. The little girl hiding behind Xu Xian could no longer hold back her amusement.

The Huang family had two demon gods in a single clan; they could easily rank in the top three among the Eight Great Families of the Demon Abyss.

One was a general commander, and the other was a divine son, yet here they were, being trifled with by a third-class demon. The worst part was that they couldn't even strike back—it was truly stifling.

Seeing that the two were seeing red, Xu Xian quickly spoke up to change the subject.

As the saying went, the ruthless fear the reckless, and the reckless fear the death-defying.

Xu Xian was ruthless, but these two were truly reckless.

"Alright, let's get down to business. There are still eight families left, and we've all met now. To be honest, it's a very difficult choice for me. Which one of you should I go with?"

Everyone stared at him silently.

Xu Xian put on a conflicted expression and threw the question back at them. "How about you guys tell me?"

They exchanged glances before one of them spoke. "Naturally, you should come with me."

"And your reason?"

"Because I was the first to arrive."

Xu Xian nodded and immediately said, "That makes sense. Fine, I'll go with you."

Another person stepped forward to interrupt. "That's not right. You should come with me."

Xu Xian asked with interest, "And what is your reason?"

Lan Yan coughed lightly and said with arrogance, "In the entire Demon Abyss, who doesn't know that my Lan family is the head of the Eight Great Families? As the saying goes, fine birds choose the trees they perch on, and wise men choose the masters they serve. Even a three-year-old knows that truth, wouldn't you agree?"

Xu Xian slapped his thigh and declared solemnly, "Well said! I'll go with you."

The others looked on with nothing but disdain. Standing to the side, Qingmu let out a sneer. "Heh..."

Xu Xian quickly asked, "Oh? Does this young man have something to say?"

Qingmu gave everyone a cold glance and said indifferently, "The Qing Family is the true number one."

"Pfft..."

A chorus of jeers followed, but Qingmu himself didn't care in the slightest.

Xu Xian seized the opportunity to act conflicted. "You say the Lan family is powerful, and you say the Qing Family is powerful. Who should I believe? This is so difficult."

Chi Ji began to see through the charade. Knowing a bit of Xu Xian's personality, she had a guess in her heart and cooperatively raised her small hand.

Xu Xian gestured for her to speak. "Go ahead."

Chi Ji said with a serious face, "You should come with me."

"State your reason?"

Chi Ji pointed a finger toward the sky and said with full confidence, "Does it even need to be said? My family has a dragon. My family is the most powerful. If you come with me, you can ride a dragon."

Xu Xian looked tempted.

The others wouldn't have it.

You say you're powerful, I say I'm amazing; you mock me, I belittle you; you're sarcastic, I glare at you—it looked as though a massive brawl was about to break out.

As the person at the center of it all, Xu Xian remained squatting on those steps, quietly watching the show unfold.

From time to time, he would even say something to stoke the flames, wishing they would start fighting immediately.

The little book spirit was even more excited, cheering them on.

Unfortunately...

Though these divine sons and goddesses were usually high and mighty, the gap in their strength was significant. The strongest, Qingmu, was at the late stage of the eighth-rank greater demon king stage, one of the few top experts in the Demon Abyss.

The weakest, Chi Ji, was only at the sixth rank.

With the rest being at the eighth or seventh rank, a fight was destined not to break out.

They didn't say anything too offensive to each other either.

Moreover, they had lived for quite some time and were not the impulsive, ignorant youths of their early years.

They possessed basic rationality.

The reason they were arguing and bickering was not because they had fallen for Xu Xian's verbal provocations.

Rather, most of them simply couldn't stand each other to begin with.

Just like their fathers.

Even though they all belonged to the group of heavenly demons and were all demons, it was precisely because of this that the conflicts of interest between their seven families were too complex.

These conflicts were not only deep-rooted but also extremely ancient.

Oftentimes, it was common for people to die over private disputes regarding interests.

As the old saying goes, if you trace the lineages of these seven families back three generations, you can always find a relative; but if you trace them back three generations, you can also uncover a blood feud. It worked both ways.

It was only because they shared higher common interests that they were able to exercise restraint and maintain a balance.

The petty bickering before them seemed extremely entertaining to Xu Xian and the little book spirit.

However, in the little girl's eyes, she merely saw a microcosm of their fathers' generation.

The Demon Abyss was like this; it was like this four thousand years ago, and it remained the same four thousand years later.

Schemes, intrigue, backstabbing...

They would only tighten into a single rope when the core interests of the heavenly demon race were threatened.

Take the matter of the Nether Gate, for instance. It was a massive affair concerning the future of the demon race, yet they still split into two factions and insisted on fighting it out.

Some supported her, while others supported Chi Ming. But if she truly moved against Chi Ming or tried to change the existing order of the Demon Abyss, they would unhesitatingly unite to restrain her.

It had been like this for four thousand years.

Just as it was today: one moment ago, they had all acted in unison to wipe out Bai Mang.

What they feared was not a third-class demon who had learned the nether fire; what they feared was that a Bai Mang who had learned the nether fire would be personally elevated to the altar by her.

Thereby truly possessing the ability and the key to manipulate the rules of the Demon Abyss.

Therefore, their attempt to kill Xu Xian was a show of force directed at her—they could tolerate anything except touching the rules and systems established by the heavenly demons.

The Demon Records were created by the heavenly demons to deceive the masses; they acknowledged the things within the Demon Records.

But the things within the Demon Records could also be forbidden from existing.

It was that simple.

And in this next moment, upon learning that Xu Xian could decipher that primordial demon script, they immediately changed their tune. Even though the news hadn't been definitively confirmed, they had sent people at the first possible moment.

They wanted to seize the initiative for this key.

In fact, they knew full well that none of them could take Bai Mang away. Sending people was merely a way to show their stance and let Bai Mang see it.

The little girl understood this clearly in her heart.

Xu Xian wasn't stupid; he could naturally see the clues as well.

If the demon gods truly had to have him, they would have probably come in person. Why would they bother negotiating or letting him choose?

Therefore, everything before him was destined to be nothing more than a farce.

It was a piece of performance art by the demon gods to gain some favor and express their attitudes.

As for how it would ultimately end, Xu Xian didn't even need to guess. He would be placed on the table like a piece of roast pork for the heavenly demons to divide and eat until every last drop of value was squeezed out of him.

The group of divine sons and goddesses continued to argue, and Chi Ji joined in the shouting, her voice especially loud.

Seeing that a fight was still not breaking out, Xu Xian couldn't help but feel a bit of regret, even if it was expected.

He rested his chin on his hand, bored, and let out a yawn.

The rain continued to fall, pitter-pattering inside the room.

In the sky above.

The giant dragon and the carriages remained stationary. The Crimson Demon Guards were growing a bit restless. On the high buildings of the distant Outer City, more and more onlookers gathered, but none dared to approach.

In the slums, those mortal demons remained kneeling on the ground, not daring to move a muscle, filled with unease.

Some children were tired and had fallen asleep in the rain.

The little girl leaned toward Xu Xian's ear and asked, knowing the answer, "Young Master, how much longer are you going to let them argue? It's almost dark..."