In the Sixth Demon Realm.
The Lancelot Clan sat in the depths of the Dark Mora.s.s near the northern border of the realm.
A slender spatial rift that floated over the mora.s.s suddenly started to surge with unusual spatial fluctuations. Immediately afterwards, figures started to stream out of it.
After landing on a piece of soggy purple land, Zhao Shanling said to Nie Tian, “We’re here. This is the Sixth Demon Realm.
“There are a large number of spatial rifts in this realm, but most of them connect to its subordinate realms, which are populated with numerous low-grade Demons and spirit beasts.
“Some of those realms even have humans in them, human slaves to be exact. They’re driven by their Demon masters to mine demonic stones and pick demonic gra.s.s.”
SHEW! SHEW! SHEW!
Figures continued to pour out of the spatial rift, and spread out around Nie Tian.
Nie Tian looked skywards, and could vaguely see some stars in the dark sky.
However, those stars were very dim and vague, as if star power couldn’t penetrate the barrier of this realm.
“This realm...” Dong Li’s expression flickered as she glanced around. The black tortoise resting at her feet also suddenly grew spirited, as if the environment in the Sixth Demon Realm agreed with it very much. “This realm is wreathed in pure dark power!”
“This realm once gave birth to a late tenth grade Demon grand monarch, who was recognized to be one of the strongest Demons throughout Demon history,” Zhao Shanling said with a hint of respect in his eyes. “It’s said that he learned the true origin of dark power in the Sixth Demon Realm, and therefore entered the tenth grade.
“Even after becoming a grand monarch, he continued to live in the Sixth Demon Realm for some time. His existence triggered changes, and rich dark power gradually filled every corner of the realm. Most members of the Astarte Clan, which is the strongest clan in the Sixth Demon Realm, carry dark power bloodlines too.”
Taken aback, Nie Tian asked, “So does that mean this realm is an ideal place for Dong Li to practice cultivation?”
“I suppose so,” Zhao Shanling answered.
Both Dong Li and her black tortoise thrived on dark power. This meant the Sixth Demon Realm was indeed a blessed land for them.
“Hey, girl,” Zhao Shanling called out. “You’re up.”
Without saying a word, Pei Qiqi summoned her irregularly shaped crystal.
The crystal spun slowly, glittering spatial blades filling all of its facets, as if to detect any unusual spatial fluctuations throughout the Sixth Demon Realm.
Eyes as bright as diamonds, Pei Qiqi said, “There are a total of seventeen stable spatial rifts in this realm, all connecting to different places. All of the rest are congested and unaccessible. Other than that, there are two teleportation portals. One of them is fairly close to us.”
Zhao Shanling grinned. “Those two teleportation portals are respectively controlled by the Astarte Clan and the Lancelot Clan, which are the two strongest clans in the Sixth Demon Realm. Powerful Demons from the First, Second, and Third Demon Realms rely on them to enter and leave the Sixth Demon Realm.
“By getting rid of those two teleportation portals, we’ll be able to cut off the Sixth Demon Realm’s connections with the three Demon realms that can actually pose a threat to us.”
Pei Qiqi nodded slightly. “None of the places that the seventeen spatial rifts connect to are worth mentioning. We can simply ignore them. But to be safe, I’ll destroy them all the same. How about you take care of the Astarte Clan’s teleportation portal, and leave the Lancelot Clan’s teleportation portal to me?”
“Sure.” Zhao Shanling agreed.
The reason why he had asked for Pei Qiqi’s a.s.sistance was because he intended to destroy the two teleportation portals at the same time.
What he feared was that by destroying one of the teleportation portals, they would alarm the Demons by the other one, and give them time to call for help.
“Okay, let’s get started,” Pei Qiqi said plainly.
Immediately afterwards, she and Zhao Shanling each split open a spatial rift and vanished into them.
All of the others stayed put and waited for word from them.
“Everything’s going to be okay with Miss Pei, right?” Qu Mingde asked, looking somewhat worried. “After all, she’s only at the late Soul realm, and there are some eighth grade Demons in this realm...”
“Everything will be okay.” Nie Tian a.s.sured him.
He had witnessed Pei Qiqi’s mighty means when they had fought side by side in the Domain of Nether Heaven. Back then, her cultivation base had been even lower, and yet she had slain eighth grade outsiders effortlessly.
Not to mention now.
He hadn’t attached much importance to the Sixth Demon Realm since the moment he had learned that the strongest Demon in it was only at the peak of the eighth grade.
He was no longer the same youngster who had been able to do nothing but watch Demon invaders butcher the people of the Domain of the Falling Stars.
Back when the joint forces from the Demons from the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Demon Realms had invaded the Domain of the Falling Stars, he had only been able to watch experts like Hua Mu, Li Muyang, and Ling Dong fight the high-tier Demons.
But now, as long as he had the Star Behemoth bone in his hand, not a single Demon in the Sixth Demon Realm would be able to stop him, provided that no Demon grand patriarchs were to come to their aid.
Raging Demon qi filled every corner of the realm. A large number of low-grade demonic insects were gnawing at each other in the mora.s.s and strengthening themselves by devouring the remains of the dead.
This was commonly seen among low-grade demonic insects and beasts. They fought, killed, and devoured each other nonstop.
This was the way they strengthened themselves and allowed their bloodlines to evolve.
It was said that high-tier Demons had been low-tier demonic insects and beasts at the very beginning. It had taken countless years of evolution for them to develop their intelligence and become the powerful race they were today.
Most of the high-tier Demons today were the descendants of the first high-tier Demons. Therefore, they were born with advanced intelligence, which set them apart from low-tier demonic insects and beasts.
However, their inefficient reproduction had resulted in their being outnumbered by humans by a great margin.
As Nie Tian unleashed his bloodline power to sense the killing between the low-tier demonic insects in the mora.s.s, he frowned and muttered to himself, “Perhaps the way high-tier Demons view low-tier demonic insects and beasts is similar to the way human Qi warriors view commoners. But their internal struggles seem to be more brutal and relentless.
“Their development from weak low-tier creatures to high-tier Demons is accompanied by countless difficulties.
“And those who fail will die and become food for their opponents...”
“What are you mumbling about, Nie Tian?” Dong Li asked with a puzzled expression.
At the same time, the black tortoise nibbled the bottom of her pants, as if to urge her to go somewhere else.
“Nothing. Just some thoughts this place put in my mind.” With these words, Nie Tian came out of his daze and fixed the black tortoise with a puzzled look. “What is it doing?”
“It wants to take me to a place where the dark power is richer,” Dong Li said with a wry smile. “Its perception of dark power is much keener than mine. Apparently, dark power isn’t evenly distributed in this realm. Instead, it’s richer in some areas but thinner in others. It’s sensed a place where dark power is exceptionally rich, and is hoping to take me there.”
After a moment of pondering, Nie Tian said, “Well, I suppose you’ll be alright as long as you keep your guard up. So go ahead.”
After their return from the floating continent, the black tortoise had advanced to the eighth grade from the seventh grade.
An eighth grade black tortoise might not be a mighty force in a powerful realm. However, in the Sixth Demon Realm, being at the eighth grade put it at the top of the food chain.
It would be safe as long as it stayed clear of the chiefs of the Astarte Clan and the Lancelot Clan.
Once Pei Qiqi and Zhao Shanling finished their tasks and returned, Nie Tian would arrange for Qu Mingde, Zhongli Jian, and the other experts to wipe out those powerful Demons first.
“Alright, we’ll go take a quick look around.” With a soft smile, Dong Li summoned an air-transportation spiritual tool and flew off with the black tortoise.
“You, go with her,” Qu Mingde ordered.
Wu Yun, who was now at the late Void domain, nodded slightly and left after Dong Li.
Wu Yun was from the Golden Vast Sect, which meant she took orders from Qu Mingde. She had originally been deployed in the Realm of Maelstrom, but had been summoned to join this operation.
She understood how important Dong Li was to Nie Tian, and thus would do everything within her power to keep her safe. Given her late Void domain cultivation base, Dong Li should be able to go anywhere in the Sixth Demon Realm without meeting much resistance.
At the same time, as they waited, everyone enveloped themselves in their respective spiritual power wards to fend off the Demon qi.
Nie Tian, however, didn’t bother to do so. He simply stood in the Demon qi, and the Demon qi couldn’t harm him.
WHOOs.h.!.+ WHOOs.h.!.+
It wasn’t long before Zhao Shanling and Pei Qiqi returned.
“The Lancelot Clan’s teleportation portal has been destroyed, and I drained the power of all of the stable spatial rifts, rendering them inaccessible.” With these words, Pei Qiqi took a look at Nie Tian and said, “Guard this spatial rift well. It’s your one and only connection with the Realm of Flame Heaven. I’ll come back for you after I finish my tasks. Be careful.”
She turned around and prepared to fly into the glowing spatial rift and head towards the Realm of a Thousand Devastations, where Qi Lianshan was waiting for her.
Only after helping Qi Lianshan, Quan Zixuan, and the others enter the Fifth Demon Realm and get rid of the teleportation portals there would she move on to the Realm of Mystic Heaven, and lead Jing Feiyang and the other experts into the Fourth Demon Realm.
She was undoubtedly the busiest one.
“You too,” Nie Tian said with a concerned face.
“Others may die, but I won’t.” After leaving these confident words, she vanished into the spatial rift.
Seeing this, Nie Tian turned to Zhongli Jian and said, “Sectmaster Zhongli, you’ll take your people to wipe out the Lancelot Clan.”
After Zhao Shanling nodded approvingly at him, he turned to Qu Mingde and said, “Sectmaster Qu, you and your people will go take care of the Astarte Clan.”
As Nie Tian continued to give orders, Zhao Shanling split open spatial rifts to send the experts from the Domain of Heaven Python, the Domain of Heaven’s Boundaries, and the Domain of the Falling Stars to the headquarters of different Demon clans in the Sixth Demon Realm.
Only after that did Zhao Shanling take Nie Tian to the headquarters of the Astarte Clan, which was now in turmoil.
The Astarte Clan’s headquarters stood atop a black mountain peak. At this point, numerous low-tier Demons were letting out heaven-shaking, earth-shattering howls as they swooped across the sky with high-tier Demons sitting astride them.
A spatial rift opened in the sky, and Zhao Shanling, who had just showed up to destroy their teleportation portal, appeared again.