Although she didn't know why those three demons had returned, it was clear they hadn't come back alone.
Luo Li stood at the cave entrance, observing the situation.
Even from a distance, she could see a troop of demons marching toward her in perfect, disciplined formation.
This was clearly an elite unit; every soldier was clad in armor and carried standardized weapons.
Even their races were similar, consisting almost entirely of demonized beastmen.
Luo Li was all too familiar with this army.
Wasn't this the same elite demon force she had clashed with... the one that had surrounded the knight regiment?
Luo Li's brow furrowed tightly.
At this moment, she wasn't just worried about Mochizuki Shingen inside; she was more concerned that she might be recognized.
Leading the troop was a figure riding a strange-looking mount.
The creature had the head of a lion, the body of a horse, and the legs of an ox, looking like a patchwork of various animals.
Behind the mount trailed three long tails that flickered like serpents.
The individual riding the beast appeared to be a purebred demon.
Two horns protruded from the top of his head.
However, unlike Luo Li's, his horns extended from his forehead and pointed upward.
Luo Li's horns grew from the top of her head and swept backward.
"Lord General, that is the female we told you about. See? We didn't lie to you; she really is a pureblood demon!"
"Yes, my lord! Look at those horns. That is definitely not something hybrids like us could ever possess."
Luo Li's exceptionally keen hearing, combined with the passive skill Mind's Eye, allowed her to barely catch the conversation of the group in the distance.
The three demons walking alongside the mount were clearly the ones who had delivered the supplies two days ago.
It seemed she had been too soft-hearted back then. If she had killed them on the spot, perhaps this wouldn't be happening.
At this point, she could only take things as they came.
Luo Li looked up, her gaze fixed directly on the demon atop the mount.
Despite the distance, she could clearly see his features.
His body was masculine and robust, covered in thick muscle, standing over two meters tall.
Long black hair draped over his shoulders, and his face was etched with resilience and dominance.
That kind of presence couldn't be described with mere words.
His gaze was so sharp it felt as if he might devour anyone he looked at; any demon he passed instinctively lowered their head.
However, Luo Li did not look away, quietly watching as the demon drew closer.
From their conversation, she gathered that the demon before her was likely a demon general.
Judging by his level, he was probably around level fifty.
If she staged a surprise attack, Luo Li was confident she could kill him in one hit.
She might even be able to wipe out the entire demon troop instantly if she activated her special class skills.
In this world, killing those at a higher level was relatively easy.
Even a ten-year-old child with a fruit knife could kill a defenseless level seventy powerhouse.
With the exception of certain special entities, there were almost no exceptions to this rule.
Being powerful didn't mean your physical body was invincible.
There was no such thing as absolute level suppression.
Unless it was a direct contest of raw strength, level didn't dictate everything.
To an ordinary person, Luo Li's skills were essentially cheat-level.
But that was because of the unique authority granted by her Saintess title.
Even at level thirty, she had the potential to go toe-to-toe with a level fifty powerhouse.
Therefore, level and actual combat strength weren't always comparable.
It wasn't like a level seventy could stand there and let a level one hack at them without taking damage.
That only happened in games with bloated stats.
But the world before her wasn't a game; it was reality.
Even a level seventy powerhouse would feel pain if stabbed and would vomit if they drank too much.
Luo Li's gaze remained locked on the demon general riding the strange creature.
The demon general's gaze had also long since fixed upon Luo Li.
His eyes were like lightning, constantly scanning her body.
When his mount finally stopped in front of Luo Li, neither of them backed down.
They stared at each other for a long while. Luo Li's eyes were constantly searching for the other's weaknesses.
Clearly, this demon general didn't seem to think much of her.
The disdain born of his perceived superior strength practically radiated from him.
Yet, for some reason, he seemed to be vaguely wary of her.
It wasn't her strength he feared.
It was a wariness rooted in something much deeper.
Luo Li didn't know what that reason was, but it didn't stop her from understanding the current situation.
This demon general was certainly powerful enough to be a threat.
However, he definitely wouldn't resort to violence against her.
Though she didn't know what he was wary of, being certain of this fact was enough.
"A wandering demoness? This is the first time I have seen one. How interesting! What is your name?"
The man spoke slowly. His voice was slightly raspy but filled with authority, which made Luo Li feel quite annoyed.
It wasn't the tone itself, but the way he asked the question—it felt as if he were speaking from a position of absolute superiority.
This made Luo Li very displeased.
Extremely! Extremely! Extremely!
Displeased!!
The violent impulses that had been washed away by the heavy rain began to resurface, hanging heavy in her heart once more.
In that moment, the killing intent radiating from Luo Li was released almost without reservation.
A faint, ethereal black aura began to swirl around her.
If she were still in her Saintess state, she would have cooperated immediately.
She would have used her not-so-clever brain to think of a peaceful solution.
But right now... in her demon state, Luo Li's reaction was entirely different.
That violent aura was easily ignited by anger.
Even a single thought could instantly trigger a powerful desire for destruction!
"Before asking for my name, shouldn't you offer your own first? Demon general?"
Luo Li remained expressionless, her eyes flashing with killing intent.
At this moment, the violent desires in her heart had the upper hand.
If the demon general said one more thing she didn't like, she wouldn't hesitate to strike.
This was the way of the demons!
If you're not satisfied, you fight!
"Heh, quite a temper, isn't it? Not bad. I like it."
The demon general nodded and let out a wide, toothy grin.
"My name is Imam! One of the seventy-two demon generals under the Western Demon Emperor."
Having said that, he lowered his head and looked down at Luo Li.
"And you, demoness?"
"None of your business. If there's nothing else, please get lost."
Luo Li could barely suppress the violent urge within her now.
"Wait!"
Luo Li's brow tightened, her footsteps pausing slightly as her fingers began to gather strength.
"What else?"
Imam suddenly jumped down from his mount.
He walked over to her and dropped to one knee.
"I, Imam, propose to you. I hope to become your sub-lover."
"???"
She was speechless. It seemed that no matter where she went, she would hear similar things.
What kind of sins had she committed in her past life to end up in these situations in this one?
Luo Li glanced at Imam, who was kneeling on one knee.
Even in that position, Imam's height reached Luo Li's chest.
She had to admit that the majority of male demons were absurdly large.
"Sub-lover?"
"Yes, a sub-lover... my respected Queen. If you are willing to accept me, I am willing to be your sub-lover."
Qu... Queen?
Me?
Luo Li's mind was instantly filled with countless question marks again.
For a moment, she couldn't wrap her head around the situation.
However, while she didn't quite understand the specific term, based on the context...
This 'sub-lover' was likely shorthand for a 'subordinate lover.'
But the word 'Queen' left Luo Li completely bewildered.
"What... is a sub-lover?" Luo Li asked, feeling uncertain.
"It means your slave! I am willing to become your slave!"
The Imam before her looked entirely sincere, without a hint of pretension or acting.
This was clearly genuine.
A slave?
Wait, didn't demons look down on female biological entities of the continent?
Couldn't any creature become a breeding bed?
Was the internal order of the demon race completely different?
No, something was wrong.
She needed to re-evaluate the situation!
Previously, those three demons had treated her with obvious respect.
At that time, those three didn't even know her level.
Yet they hadn't shown her any disrespect; they had even been somewhat fearful.
According to Luo Li's understanding, demons were trash creatures that viewed females as nothing more than reproductive tools.
However, the current situation instantly overturned her worldview.
It was highly likely that... within the demon race, the treatment of pureblood females was entirely different from how they treated females of other races.
Judging by Imam's reaction, the status of females within the demon race was likely very high.
And this was specifically restricted to 'purebloods.'
Inferring from Imam's choice of words, the kind of slave he wanted to be definitely wasn't the ordinary kind that did chores and served people.
It was... that kind of 'no-no' slave!
From this perspective, it seemed demonesses held a very high position within the demon hierarchy.
And... it was very likely that females were extremely rare among demons.
At least from what Luo Li had seen so far, there truly weren't many females among them.
On the battlefield, she hadn't seen a single female other than Martha.
That was already a major red flag.
Glancing at Imam, Luo Li asked tentatively, "Are you a pureblood?"
Imam looked as if he had just grasped a ray of hope. His face lit up with excitement, and he nodded vigorously like a chicken pecking at grain.
"Yes, yes, yes! I am a pureblood! Look, these two horns... they are proof of my pure blood!"
So, demons really did distinguish pureblood status by the number of horns on their heads?
Imam then stood up and spun around.
"Look at me! Look at my body. I maintain a nearly human form. Isn't that the symbol of a pureblood?"
So that was it!
Luo Li looked down at herself.
Except for the armor on her hands and feet, which she couldn't remove, everything else—including her leg guards, arm guards, chestplate, and armor skirt—could be taken off.
As for whether her boots could be removed?
Luo Li wasn't sure herself; perhaps there were certain conditions for that.
But she was fairly certain the gauntlets on her fingers couldn't be removed.
The armor on those ten fingers had practically fused with her flesh.
As for the boots?
Luo Li could feel her ten toes.
That meant the boots could actually be taken off as well.
In other words, except for her two horns and her fingers, Luo Li was identical to a human.
If she followed that logic...
The Imam before her wasn't actually a pureblood.
Although most of his body maintained a human form, the front of his arms was covered in a layer of black fur.
Though there was only a small amount of black skin and fur, it was enough to distinguish him from a normal human.
Another factor was his height.
At the very least, the Demon Emperor Luo Li had seen wasn't this tall.
The Demon Emperor's height was around one hundred and ninety centimeters.
Though much taller than an average person, his overall build was identical to a human's.
There was one more thing: Luo Li hadn't seen those two horns on the Demon Emperor's head.
Yet both the Beast Sovereign and the Dragon King felt the Demon Emperor didn't seem real.
The true form the Demon Emperor had revealed that time was just a mass of tentacles.
Could it be... that from the very beginning, the real Demon Emperor had never actually appeared?
Were all the Demon Emperors she had seen merely clones?
If it were the Demon Emperor's true body, there should be two horns on his head.
But when Luo Li saw him, no horns had appeared on his body.
So that was the case.
It seemed bloodline distinctions among demons were quite simple.
The closer one was to a human form and the presence of horns on the head meant the bloodline was more noble.
Looking at the expectant Imam, Luo Li gave him a cold look.
"Sorry, I'm not interested. If there's nothing else, please get lost."
"Well... that truly is a pity."
Imam shook his head helplessly, then stood up and looked at Luo Li.
"Respected Queen, by the look of it, you haven't prepared a location for your nest yet, have you?"
Nest? What kind of bizarre term was that?
Luo Li was stunned for a moment and instinctively looked back at Imam.
Imam, however, quickly corrected himself.
"No, I mean a castle, right?"
Well... judging by his description, the status of demonesses was truly extraordinary.
Interesting.
Of course, this specifically referred to purebloods.
As for non-purebloods, their treatment likely wasn't much better.
And as for other races, in the eyes of a demon's instincts, they weren't even considered females—they were just tools for reproduction.
It seemed... almost normal for such a race to develop a morbid social hierarchy.
"What if... I haven't?"
She had no other choice now but to play along with his words and see what he had to say.
"Queen, why don't you come to my West Demon City and take a look? Perhaps you will find a sub-lover you like there. Of course, if you do find one you like, I also hope... you can leave a place for me."
Imam's intentions were clearly not pure.
But then again, expecting a demon to have pure motives would be truly absurd.
His suggestion was actually quite good. Being trapped in this cave left her with no other options.
Rate on N.U.
