“Hmm, but just to be safe, someone should still go and investigate. Elder Hui, I’ll trouble you with this matter,” the Long Family Patriarch mused before turning to the black-robed man beside him.
“This is a trivial matter. I’ll be back in half a day,” Hui replied with a nod. A dark light flickered over his body as he transformed into a streak of light and shot into the distance.
“Now, I have a few questions for the two of you. Answer truthfully, and you’ll be rewarded. But if there’s even a hint of deception, you know the consequences,” the Long Family Patriarch finally turned his gaze to the two demonic beings and spoke indifferently.
“Senior, please ask freely. We will answer everything we know,” the burly demonic man replied with a shudder.
The elderly demonic man, equally fearful, wore an expression of utmost deference.
“How far is Blood Crow City from here? Aside from this city, what’s the nearest one? Also, what’s your city lord’s name, and what’s his exact cultivation level?” the Long Family Patriarch fired off in one breath.
Fortunately, though the questions were numerous, none were particularly sensitive or required concealment. The burly demonic man hesitated only slightly before answering truthfully, “Reporting to Senior, Blood Crow City is about a hundred thousand miles from here. The nearest other city would likely be Nightrest City, but reaching it would take at least two months. As for our city lord, he is Lord Bing Qiandan, roughly at the mid-tier Demon Venerable level.”
“A mid-tier Demon Venerable—that’s not weak. What’s the current situation in Blood Crow City? Are there any teleportation arrays to other cities, or any other way to bypass the beast tide to the east?” the Long Family Patriarch nodded and pressed further.
“Our city is currently under martial law to guard against sudden attacks by the Butterfly-Tailed Beasts. But if you Seniors wish to enter, there’d naturally be no issue. As for teleportation arrays, we don’t have any. Our city is too small to support a fixed teleportation array. There are ways to bypass the beast tide, but they’d take far longer than just a dozen or so days. It might be more suitable for you Seniors to wait until the tide passes before continuing your journey,” the burly demonic man replied after a moment’s hesitation.
“Regardless of the time it takes, first explain the method to bypass the beast tide. I’ll decide whether it’s suitable or not. Also, you must have a map of the nearby area. Hand it over so I can make a copy,” the Long Family Patriarch said expressionlessly.
“Yes, Senior! I spoke out of turn earlier. The beast tide to the east covers a vast area. To bypass it, one would have to cross either the Withered Leaf Forest to the south or the northern grasslands…” The burly demonic man, now thoroughly intimidated, quickly explained before pulling out a dark, crystalline stone and handing it to the Long Family Patriarch.
The patriarch took the black crystal without ceremony, then produced a white one of his own and copied the contents within.
These objects were similar to the jade slips of the Spirit Realm, which the Long Family had deliberately collected before entering the Demon Realm. Their function and usage were nearly identical to ordinary jade slips, though activating them required a trace of demonic energy mixed into one’s spiritual power.
But such a small amount of demonic energy was trivial for someone like Han Li, who cultivated demonic techniques, and posed no issue for others equipped with pseudo-demon pearls.
To avoid arousing suspicion, the group had already been distributed a batch of such demonic items. After copying the map, the Long Family Patriarch tossed the crystal to the others, allowing figures like the Eternal Sage Maiden to make their own copies.
With a detailed map of the area, they could now carefully study ways to circumvent the beast tide.
However, after everyone—including Han Li—examined the map, they couldn’t help but frown, finding the situation quite tricky.
“Fellow Daoist Han, if there truly is a Butterfly-Tailed Beast tide to the east, it seems we really can’t bypass it. Perhaps we should stay nearby until the tide passes before continuing. A delay of just over ten days isn’t critical for us. As for Blood Crow City, to be safe, we needn’t go there,” the Long Family Patriarch’s voice suddenly transmitted into Han Li’s ear as he pondered silently.
As a late-stage Body Integration cultivator, Han Li was naturally one of the first the patriarch consulted.
“Risking the beast tide to the east for such a short delay isn’t worth it, but I do think we should visit Blood Crow City,” Han Li replied after a moment’s thought.
“Oh? Fellow Daoist Han must have your reasons. Would you care to share them?” the patriarch responded, sounding slightly surprised.
“Brother Long is reluctant to enter the city for fear of being exposed. But Blood Crow City is just a small town without even a teleportation array, so it’s unlikely to have powerful restrictions. Our disguises shouldn’t be detected. My main reason for suggesting this is that we might be in the Demon Realm for a decade or even several decades. Over such a long time, interacting with demons is inevitable. Though pseudo-demon pearls can mask our auras, relying solely on limited information might still leave gaps in our speech and behavior. Moreover, aside from the Cleansing Spirit Pond and the Pure Spirit Lotus, the Demon Realm likely holds other rare spiritual medicines hard to find in the Spirit Realm—some of which could be quite useful. Doesn’t Brother Long want to gather some while here?” Han Li replied calmly via voice transmission.
“Fellow Daoist Han makes a fair point. Let me discuss this with Fellow Daoist Eternal and the others before deciding our next move,” the patriarch said after a moment’s contemplation, seemingly convinced.
“Naturally. I suspect Fellow Daoist Eternal and the other Spirit Tribe members are even more eager to enter Blood Crow City than we are,” Han Li chuckled meaningfully.
“Haha, true enough. There are indeed a few rare materials highly sought after by the Spirit Tribe that can only be found in abundance here,” the patriarch laughed before ending the conversation with Han Li and turning to transmit his thoughts to the Eternal Sage Maiden.
Upon hearing the patriarch’s words, the Eternal Sage Maiden first showed a flicker of surprise, then quickly engaged in an eager discussion. Their exchange was brief, and without further consultation with the other Sacred Spirits, she gave the patriarch a clear reply.
Evidently, the Spirit Tribe had already made up their minds on this matter.
When the patriarch relayed the decision back to Han Li, it was settled: if the beast tide to the east was real, they would temporarily enter Blood Crow City.
The robed maiden and the disheveled man from the Lin Family were informed shortly after, neither voicing any objections, appearing indifferent to the plan.
The two demonic beings, though aware that Han Li’s group had been discussing something, dared not move a muscle, knowing that any one of these “Demon Venerables” could end their lives effortlessly.
Half a day later, a streak of dark light shot across the sky—the black-robed man returning from his scouting mission.
“Brother Hui, was your trip successful? Did you confirm the beast tide’s situation?” the Long Family Patriarch stepped forward to greet him as soon as he landed.
“Brother Long, there are indeed countless Butterfly-Tailed Beasts blocking the path east, occupying the entire route. I must admit, I didn’t dare get too close—just observed from afar before returning to report,” the black-robed man said with a wry smile before detailing his findings.
Though the patriarch had expected this, he still asked several specific questions about the tide. After pondering for a moment, he suddenly raised his arm and flicked his fingers.
*Thud! Thud!*
Two golden streaks shot out like lightning, vanishing into the bodies of the two demonic men standing obediently nearby.
Caught completely off guard by the sudden attack from a “Demon Venerable,” the two collapsed instantly without even a chance to react.
Apart from Han Li, the others’ expressions shifted in surprise.
“Brother Long, what’s the meaning of this? We still need them to guide us to Blood Crow City,” the elderly Confucian scholar, Cang Xing, asked with a flicker in his eyes.
“We already know Blood Crow City’s location. Why would we need these two to guide us? Besides, I haven’t killed them—just knocked them unconscious,” the patriarch replied impassively.
“Ah, so Brother Long intends to…” Cang Xing, a being of immense wisdom, quickly grasped the idea.
“Exactly. Killing them outright might alert Blood Crow City’s lord. Though we’ve no reason to fear a mere mid-tier Demon Venerable, it’s better to avoid unnecessary trouble. I plan to use the Soul-Sealing Technique to temporarily erase their memories of us before releasing them. As for us, we’ll disguise ourselves as ordinary demons and blend into the city. That way, we shouldn’t attract attention,” the patriarch explained confidently.
“That’s a sound plan. But Brother Long, is your Soul-Sealing Technique reliable? What if Blood Crow City’s Demon Venerable detects something amiss?” the disheveled man from the Lin Family voiced his concern.
“Haha, this technique is a secret art passed down by an ancient mighty figure. Unless a Demon Ancestor personally inspects them, no one will notice anything unusual. Otherwise, wouldn’t my efforts be counterproductive?” the patriarch chuckled.
Reassured by his confidence, the others nodded in agreement.
With a wave of his hand, the patriarch summoned the elderly demonic man before him and exhaled a cloud of purple mist that enveloped the man’s face. His eyes glowed gold as he fixed them on the demon’s, chanting incantations under his breath.
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