……

Blood Demon Ridge.

Blood Demon Ridge is located in the angle between the Immortal No. 3 defense zone and the Demon No. 2 defense zone. It's a remote area with barren land and low-value mineral resources, even within the vast demon realm, it's considered a relatively poor place.

This Blood Demon Ridge is the territory of the Blood Demon King.

Deep within Blood Demon Ridge, there is a Demon King Fortress, known as the Blood Demon King Fortress.

Here lies the core of the Blood Demon King's domain and its power.

However, due to the impoverished nature of Blood Demon Ridge, the Blood Demon King Fortress hasn't been properly maintained or repaired for many years. The towering castle walls are covered with mottled marks, showing signs of age and wear.

Under the light of the blood moon, the dark red bricks seem to be shrouded in a layer of blood, appearing extremely ancient.

Yet.

On this day, this Demon King Fortress in a remote location welcomed a distinguished guest.

In the early morning, before the mountain mist had completely dissipated, a procession of nearly a thousand demons majestically crossed the blood-red sky and arrived outside the Blood Demon King Fortress.

In the center of the procession, a massive black-gold wooden chariot pulled by seven large flying dragon beasts stood out.

The chariot resembled a moving palace, with exquisite carvings like reliefs on its surface. Various gemstones were embedded in the windows, pillars, and the eyes of the reliefs, making it appear extremely luxurious and extravagant.

Even the flying dragon beasts pulling the chariot were clad in metal armor, with eye-catching gemstones embedded in prominent positions.

Inside the flying palace, demon servants of different races, all dressed in uniform attire, stood in various corners, with flags symbolizing the identity of the chariot's owner fluttering in the corners.

Outside the flying palace.

Another contingent of nearly a thousand airborne cavalry escorted the flying palace. Each member of this airborne cavalry was extraordinarily powerful, riding on fully armored small flying dragons.

From a distance, the demon airborne cavalry appeared disciplined and orderly, exuding a pervasive demonic aura, indicating that their combat strength was undoubtedly formidable.

With the escort and contrast of this demon airborne cavalry, the flying palace's presence was even more imposing, resembling an emperor on a grand tour.

The guards of the Blood Demon King Fortress had never witnessed such a spectacle.

Seeing this grand procession stop on the open ground outside the fortress, the demon general in charge of guarding the gate was dumbfounded, standing in a daze for quite a while.

"Go inform your Demon King that the Nether Fiend Young Master has arrived. Tell him to come and greet us promptly."

At this moment, a demon general riding a large flying dragon suddenly flew out from the stopped demon army, halting in front of the gate general and coldly ordering.

Nether, Nether Fiend Young Master?!

The demon general was startled, quickly agreeing in a trembling voice, and then hurriedly rushed into the fortress without further delay.

However, before it could enter the fortress, a rough and deep voice echoed from the sky, "Young Master, you have finally arrived."

As the voice spoke, a blood-red figure descended from the sky, landing in front of the procession.

It was a burly Demon King, roughly humanoid in appearance, but its body was covered with a layer of blood-red hard scales, and even its demon wings were a bright red color. It exuded a strong scent of blood, looking extremely fierce.

Clearly, this blood-red figure was the master of the Blood Demon King Fortress, the Blood Demon King.

"Master?!"

The demon general's movements halted, immediately prostrating on the ground in a trembling manner, paying respectful homage.

The Blood Demon King, however, ignored it, striding past it and deeply bowing towards the massive demon chariot palace, showing utmost respect.

"Young Master, you must be weary from your journey. I have already prepared a feast..."

"The feast is unnecessary."

A haughty male voice interrupted the Blood Demon King's words from within the chariot.

As the voice spoke, two demon maids pulled open the curtain of the chariot, and a figure slowly emerged.

It was a demon who looked remarkably similar to a human male.

It had a tall and slender figure, silver hair, golden eyes, and a handsome appearance. At first glance, it was almost indistinguishable from a human, and in terms of looks, it was even more outstanding than most humans, exuding an elegant and noble aura, surpassing many humans in noble demeanor.

Only the pair of demon horns on its head, the folded demon wings on its back, and the pure and vast Nether Fiend aura marked its identity as a high-ranking demon.

Clearly, this demon was the Nether Fiend Young Master mentioned by the Blood Demon King.

It glanced down at the Blood Demon King and said indifferently, "You should be well aware of why this Young Master has come, so don't waste any more words."

"This... yes."

The Blood Demon King was somewhat surprised, but considering it needed the Nether Fiend Young Master's favor, it eventually agreed.

At this moment, the heavy stone gates of the Demon King Fortress had already opened. Under the Blood Demon King's invitation, the chariot slowly entered the fortress, heading towards the depths of the Demon King Fortress.

Although the Demon King Fortress was named a "fortress," it was more like a city, with a vast interior housing a large number of demons of various levels. Even those demon lords with their own territories mostly resided within the Demon King Fortress.

The inner fortress where the Blood Demon King resided was located at the deepest part of the Blood Demon King Fortress.

Soon, the group of demons arrived at the inner fortress, and under the Blood Demon King's guidance, they passed through most of the inner fortress and reached a cellar in the depths of the inner fortress.

In the center of the cellar, a pool held a lotus with dark purple leaves, a bud about to bloom, quietly growing and emitting pure Nether demonic energy.

Although the lotus had not yet bloomed, it already exuded an extraordinary aura, and once it fully bloomed, it would undoubtedly be even more remarkable.

"Young Master, this is the Netherworld Purple Gold Lotus I acquired," the Blood Demon King introduced with a hint of pride to the Nether Fiend Young Master.

This Netherworld Purple Gold Lotus was discovered by the Blood Demon King in a remote demon spring, already in bud form when found, and not far from maturing and blooming.

To cultivate this Netherworld Purple Gold Lotus, the Blood Demon King specifically cleared out a space deep beneath its Demon King Fortress.

The cellar underwent extensive modifications, with a large pool dug in the center, where the Netherworld Purple Gold Lotus was transplanted.

To prevent the Netherworld Purple Gold Lotus from not adapting to the environment, the Blood Demon King had a blood-colored pearl suspended above the underground space to simulate the light of the blood moon.

Even the water in the pool was specially drawn from the demon spring where it was discovered, with the water being pitch black and filled with demonic energy, clearly pure.

Every day, demons would fetch fresh water from the demon spring to replace part of the pool water, maintaining the vitality of the spring water in the pool.

To prevent the loss of demonic energy and ensure the Netherworld Purple Gold Lotus had a continuous supply of demonic energy, the Blood Demon King even embedded five demon source pearls around the pool to provide a constant supply of demonic energy.

It also set up a guard post outside the cellar, with three teams of demons taking turns watching over the Netherworld Purple Gold Lotus for twelve hours.

The outer perimeter of the cellar was fortified with various methods and formations, tightly guarded to prevent any mishaps.

The Blood Demon King had indeed put a lot of effort into this Netherworld Purple Gold Lotus.

However, all of this was worth it.

"This pure Nether aura... it truly resembles the legendary Netherworld Purple Gold Lotus." The Nether Fiend Young Master stared at the lotus, eyes filled with greed and desire.

The Netherworld Purple Gold Lotus was a rare treasure in the demon realm, and most importantly, it was highly compatible with its bloodline and physique. Once it fully bloomed, consuming its medicinal power could significantly enhance its demon body and refine its bloodline, bringing it closer to the bloodline of ancient demon gods.

This would greatly solidify its foundation, granting it limitless potential for the future.

In fact, with the assistance of this Netherworld Purple Gold Lotus, its future strength would undoubtedly surpass the current Nether Fiend Demon God, and in the distant future, it might even have the potential to vie for the position of Great Demon Lord.

"Young Master, this treasure is not far from maturity. Please endure for a little longer." The Blood Demon King said with a flattering smile, "In the meantime, stay in this humble place. I've already arranged various demon maidens and feasts for you."

"Good, very good." The Nether Fiend Young Master showed a gentle expression, "Lord Blood Demon truly understands me. Finding the Netherworld Purple Gold Lotus for me is a great achievement. I will report your request to exchange the Demon King Fortress to the Ancestor God, ensuring your wish is fulfilled. Moreover, from now on, you will be my trusted confidant, and I will not treat you poorly."

"Thank you, Young Master." The Blood Demon King was overjoyed, repeatedly expressing gratitude, but inwardly couldn't help but curse.

If this Netherworld Purple Gold Lotus had any use for its bloodline, would it have been willing to use it to curry favor with the Nether Fiend Young Master in exchange for territory?

This place is not only poor and barren, but every time there's a battle between demons and humans nearby, it has to send troops to support, making it impossible to develop over time.

However, despite the inner curses, it showed no sign of it on the surface, maintaining a respectful and submissive demeanor.

"Young Master, please follow me."

The Blood Demon King led the Nether Fiend Young Master out of the cellar, then took the Nether Fiend Young Master to experience the pre-arranged activities, indulging in pleasure.

And in the cellar, tranquility returned.

Only the protective formations and steel walls at the bottom of the cellar continued to guard the precious Netherworld Purple Gold Lotus.

Time passed bit by bit.

"Chirp chirp~~ squeak squeak chirp chirp~~"

Suddenly, a barely audible mouse squeak sounded.

Next, from the depths of the cellar, a plump big rat quietly pushed aside a rock and poked its head out.

It sniffed the air, and sensing no one around, it emerged from the hole, waving its paws and squeaking to signal those behind to follow.

Then, two energetic young girls in tight-fitting outfits and a slightly smaller burrowing female rat emerged from the hole.

Clearly, these two young girls were Wang Lici and Lan Wan'er. As for the burrowing female rat, it was naturally the big rat's 395th wife.

The defenses inside the cellar were indeed very strict, but how could they stop a group of seasoned offenders?

With the cooperation of the big rat and Wang Lici, they managed to break through the defenses with some effort and entered the depths of the cellar.

"This is..." Wang Lici sniffed the Netherworld Purple Gold Lotus, showing a very interested expression, swallowing her saliva and saying, "Although I don't know what this is, it looks delicious."

Even though this Netherworld Purple Gold Lotus wasn't the top-grade innate variety, but rather a disguised counterfeit of the Netherworld Gold Lotus, it was still an extremely rare treasure, not inferior to the previous meat fungus.

In Wang Lici's bloodline perception, it was still something that made her drool.

"Sister Lici is amazing, she can eat anything." Lan Wan'er showed an expression of admiration and envy.

She also had the devouring bloodline talent, and thanks to her bloodline traits, her bloodline aptitude had increased significantly over the years, but compared to Wang Lici's ability to devour anything, she was still far behind.

This strangely shaped lotus bud exuded an aura of extreme yin and darkness, with energy that was both pure and domineering. She didn't dare to eat too much. At most, she could only taste a few lotus petals when Lici ate the main part.

"Squeak squeak~" The burrowing female rat rubbed against the big rat, seemingly saying: Didn't I tell you? Now I've made a contribution, right?

"Squeak squeak!"

The big rat responded proudly, making the burrowing female rat very happy, circling around the big rat.

"Sister Lici." Lan Wan'er curiously asked, "What did the big rat promise the female rat?"

"It seems to have promised to spend more time with her and have more litters of baby rats." Wang Lici guessed.

"Truly a scoundrel rat." Lan Wan'er couldn't help but cast a look of deep disdain at the big rat.

"I feel like this thing isn't fully mature yet. If we wait a bit longer and pick it when it's fully ripe, the effect will definitely be better." Wang Lici resisted the urge to swallow the lotus flower whole, her foodie instincts shining through, "I have a strong feeling it won't be long before it blooms."

"Then, should we wait a bit longer?" Lan Wan'er suggested, "I've heard that some spiritual herbs need to be picked at the moment of maturity for the best effect. Eating such a good thing before it's fully ripe would waste a lot of its power, which would be a pity."

"Scoundrel rat." Wang Lici beckoned to the big rat.

It immediately scurried over.

Wang Lici carefully instructed it. The big rat immediately understood, and then cleverly called the female rat over, squeaking instructions.

The female rat then cleverly began burrowing into the hole, instructing its offspring to monitor the cellar, ready to report any movement.

Wang Lici and the others had already considered the Netherworld Purple Gold Lotus as theirs. After setting up a thorough surveillance, the two girls and two rats swaggered into the hole and left.

During the time waiting for the Netherworld Purple Gold Lotus to bloom, they would operate underground in the Blood Demon King Fortress, acting as the underground rulers for a while.

As for food!?

Heh~ The vast Blood Demon King Fortress can't "afford" to feed Wang Lici and her group?

Stealing food from the outer demon realm, Wang Lici and Lan Wan'er felt no guilt, instead feeling a sense of achievement in indirectly suppressing the enemy forces.

In contrast, it was the taste of the food that they found hard to adapt to, being used to gourmet delicacies.

……

Meanwhile.

A caravan composed of over a hundred large Kedor camel beasts was migrating from another Demon King Fortress towards the Blood Demon King Fortress.

Kedor camel beasts are a unique large demonic beast of the outer demon realm. They are large, relatively gentle, and easy to maintain, having been domesticated by the outer demons as beasts of burden long ago.

The largest Kedor camel beasts can weigh two to three hundred tons, slightly heavier than the largest dinosaurs on Earth. They resemble a cross between an elephant and a camel, with a sturdy body and limbs capable of easily carrying dozens of tons of cargo.

Most importantly, they are not slow, able to traverse mountains and valleys with ease.

As a result, many large-scale supplies and transportation tasks in the outer demon realm are handled by Kedor camel beasts.

Of course, demons also have some high-end flying beast vehicles, airships, and other transportation tools. But these are all major consumers of demon crystals, and their cargo capacity is not necessarily high. Considering the efficiency and cost of large-scale transportation, Kedor camel beasts are undoubtedly the most cost-effective choice.

In fact, after the fierce battle with the human race, the outer demon realm also suffered a huge impact, and demon civilization experienced a break. Today's demons are no longer the high-end race that could suppress the Shenwu Royal Dynasty.

In some ways, the final desperate struggle of the Holy Emperor of Shenwu had a greater impact on the outer demon realm than on the human race.

Unfortunately, that history is so ancient that most of it has been lost in the long passage of time. Few demons today remember that history or the former glory of the demon race.

The backs of Kedor camel beasts are very wide, and they move quite steadily, so demon merchants like to set up semi-fixed tents on their backs as temporary residences. This makes the long journey more comfortable.

Depending on financial resources and status, the specifications and luxury of the tents on the backs of Kedor camel beasts vary greatly.

At this moment.

In one of the luxurious and lavishly decorated tents on the back of a Kedor camel beast, two demons were sitting and talking.

One of the demons was a veiled demon woman.

She had a waterfall of silver hair, with the exposed half of her face showing delicate and fair skin, a refined appearance, and cold, snake-like eyes. Beneath her flowing skirt, a snake tail swayed, giving her an extremely seductive and enchanting aura.

Crimson drapes hung from the top of the tent, swaying slightly with the movement of the Kedor camel beast, creating a hazy and alluring atmosphere, making her figure appear even more enchanting and captivating.

This demoness was the recently famous "Dancer" of the demon realm in recent decades—Sulaya.

It was said that she possessed the bloodline of the ancient demon noble Yincha Enchantress Snake lineage. Although not particularly top-tier or pure, she had the potential of a Demon King.

If traced back to the source of her bloodline, she and one of the current eight great demon gods, the Yincha Demon God, could be considered of the same lineage, making them close relatives.

Due to the existence of the Yincha Demon God, most demons with the Yincha Enchantress Snake bloodline in the outer demon realm had gathered under the Yincha Demon God Hall, forming a faction.

However, the Yincha Enchantress Snake bloodline was very ancient, with many branches. The Yincha Demon God couldn't possibly take in all demons with the Yincha Enchantress Snake bloodline. There were still some demons with this bloodline under other demon gods, but they were relatively rare and scattered.

The "Dancer" Sulaya was one such existence.

Rumor had it that she was a descendant of a fallen Demon King. With her unique racial talent, noble bloodline, identity as a Demon King descendant, and unique and creative dance, she had gained fame within just a few decades, spreading across the territories of dozens of Demon King Fortresses.

Now, she toured widely, often receiving warm hospitality from local lords and Demon Kings, earning a fortune.

This time, her team was invited by the Tianmo Pavilion to perform at the Tianmo Pavilion branch in the Blood Demon King Fortress, so they joined the caravan on their journey.

Sitting across from her was an old demon servant.

This old servant was hunched, with cloudy eyes, and even the scales on its body were starting to fade, clearly showing its age.

On the surface, it was a loyal servant passed down from Sulaya's ancestors, possessing the strength of a demon lord.

However, at this moment, the old demon servant was sitting across from Sulaya, using the human language to condescendingly warn "Sulaya," saying, "Demon Envoy Suya, this plan has taken the master over a hundred years, with significant effort and cost. It must succeed, not fail. You are a crucial part of this plan, and if you make any mistakes, you know the consequences."

It turned out that this demoness was actually the disguised Suya Demon Envoy.

Suya Demon Envoy was an elder of the Yincha lineage in the True Demon Hall of the Red Moon Demon Dynasty. She was also a junior sister of the Yin Snake Demon Concubine Ji Yue'er, having once studied under the same demon concubine master.

However, she lost to the Yin Snake Demon Concubine in the competition for the ownership of the Yincha Demon Codex, resulting in her being stuck at the Divine Realm level despite having the potential of a great prodigy B-grade, with little hope of reaching the Lingxu Realm in this lifetime.

"Rest assured, my lord." The disguised "Sulaya" Suya Demon Envoy slightly leaned forward, showing some flattery, "I have rehearsed this many times, and with the treasure personally bestowed by the Demon Lord, I am confident of success."

After a pause, she hesitated a bit and said, "However, regarding the promise made by the Demon Lord..."

"You can rest assured on that point." The old servant said solemnly, "When have you seen the master go back on his word? After the task is completed, the master will personally capture the Yin Snake Demon Concubine and strip her of the Yincha Demon Codex."

"Although the Yincha Demon Codex hasn't accumulated enough essence to elevate your bloodline, if you complete the task beautifully, the master promises to pay a great price to help you step into the realm of the unparalleled, giving you the true qualification to reach the Lingxu Realm."

"Even Ji Yue'er's Demon Lord Hall can be awarded to you. At that time, you will be the rightful heir of the Yincha Demon lineage."

"Thank you, Demon Lord, for fulfilling my wish!" Suya Demon Envoy, upon hearing this, showed a look of fanaticism in her eyes, instantly filled with determination, "I will do everything to complete the task, as he wishes."

……