Immortality begins with becoming a master weapon refiner

Chapter 177 Aftermath and Smuggling

The story of the Myriad Serpent Nest Secret Realm, which affected half of the Demon Realm, quickly spread throughout the Southern Wilderness Demon Realm after the departure of many young demon geniuses.

Among them, the most rumors are about Qianzhu Jun.

He fought with hundreds of Golden Eagle Guards, beheaded Mang Qian, the pride of Tianlin City, dozens of seventh-rank demons, and hundreds of eighth-rank demons, seized the Serpent Lord's inheritance and treasure vault, and dominated his generation.

All the demon race prodigies who participated in this expedition to the secret realm were working for him.

Not only did they gain nothing, but they also suffered significant losses on their existing savings.

Afterwards, he was interrogated by the Snake King She Tianchou, which greatly diminished his energy and spirit.

This incident has drawn the ire of many demon races, including some of the most powerful demon clans. Rumors are rife in many demon armies, and human spies are even spreading rumors of animosity between the eagle race and the demon race.

Besides these, the most famous is the mixed-blood dragon-snake demon Xuan, who is said to be a male favorite of Qianzhu Jun. During the day, he can act as a henchman to suppress the demons.

At night, I ride on Qianzhu Jun's body, displaying my true dragon nature.

Rumors spread everywhere, and in any case, Mo Xuan became famous and was "registered" among all the races.

There are advantages, but also many disadvantages.

However, if this identity is only used occasionally, then it only has advantages.

After leaving the secret realm.

Qianzhu Jun was imprisoned by She Tianchou. The Golden-Backed Eagle King came in person to take him away, and his praise for the Crown Prince's abilities resounded throughout the Ten Thousand Snake Nest, thus solidifying his position.

Furthermore, they announced that Tianlin City should compensate them with half of the treasure vault as retribution for their reckless actions.

Anyone with a discerning eye knows that this is just an attempt to extort money from the Golden Eagles to make up for their losses after their defeat and to quickly recover their strength. It's just an excuse to launch an attack.

Those who don't know the situation only think that the Eagle King is strong-willed and protective of his own, and that he doesn't even expect to ask for benefits when he comes to help his juniors, which makes him seem like an excellent clan leader.

The Golden-Backed Eagle King may seem to have acted unwisely, undermining the unity of the demon race and causing chaos, but in reality, he was taking the opportunity to amass wealth while feigning loyalty.

The position of Demon Emperor has changed from being filled by talent to being filled by bloodline.

The Ten Eagle Kings were the supporters who were promoted. The emperor was suspicious and did not like his subordinates to be united, especially among the eagle clan, where there was actually a lot of discord.

The ten major eagle king clans rarely intersect.

Eagles and snakes are natural enemies. The Golden-backed Eagle clan's Tianren Peak is adjacent to the Ten Thousand Snake Nest, so it is only natural that they fight.

The Demon Emperor wouldn't interfere; in fact, he was pleased that they were biting each other.

As long as they don't make any fundamental mistakes, every member of the Eagle King clan is a tyrant among the demon race, and no demon dares to provoke them.

…………

…………

The Demon Market of the Forest.

Wearing a dragon-skin robe and further concealed by his demonic appearance, Gu Qing was inquiring about his location and, in the process, listening to a lot of current hot news.

It has been half a month since I used the Golden Token to escape the secret realm.

"This demon race truly resembles a human dynasty. Could it be that a human prime minister is serving as a treacherous minister?"

Such a voice, filled with both doubt and emotion, arose in my heart.

These things have nothing to do with him.

The royal family of the Southern Yue Kingdom arranged for numerous spies to infiltrate the demon race year-round. One of their fundamental purposes was to guide public opinion and find ways to cause the demon race to engage in internal strife, constantly depleting their strength.

Only in this way can we launch a counterattack in the future and expand the territory of the human race.

In contrast, Baiyue Mountain adopted a completely defensive stance.

The spies sent out were few in number, and their job was to gather information. They did not seek secret information about major events; they only needed to keep an eye on a few troublesome demons.

They care more about preserving the achievements laid by their ancestors.

The difference in their philosophies may also be the reason why the Dihong Jiang Clan and Baiyue Mountain have drifted further and further apart. Internal strife and constant infighting among the aristocratic families have made them not much better off than the demon race. If it weren't for the stable channels for advancement provided by the border battlefields and the Hundred Thousand Mountains of Jishan, the independent cultivators of the Southern Yue Kingdom would not even exist.

After gathering information.

Gu Qing is currently deep in the Demon Realm. The Golden Token's teleportation has transported him to a no-man's-land, a place similar to the Maru Land, teeming with rogue cultivators and demons.

There are no demon cities here, only demon markets developed by seventh-rank demons. There are many vendors who mainly sell various materials from demon corpses, half-demon slaves, human pills, ancient artifacts, ancient corpses, and broken treasures.

Legend has it that this place is the burial ground of the ancient Heavenly Demon Phoenix, with the tomb complex covering a million kilometers, which is quite exaggerated.

Therefore, all the demon markets were built around tombs.

It appears somewhat eerie and terrifying, hence this area, popular among treasure hunters, is also known as the "Demon Phoenix Tomb Realm".

But in reality, most of them are small tombs, and no one has ever discovered the true tomb of the Heavenly Phoenix.

Gu Qing had no intention of lingering. This exploration had already been incredibly profitable, and his immediate priority was to return to the human territory as soon as possible and go into seclusion to seek a breakthrough.

Once you decide to break through to the next realm, you will face the tribulations of the Three Calamities and Soul Tribulations.

If one's soul can overcome this obstacle, the benefits will be countless. In the cultivation of the path of refining the spirit, when one truly reaches the stage of reaping the rewards, all previous accumulation and arduous training will begin to transform into Gu Qing's immortal foundation and combat power.

The strong stay strong.

I found a group of scattered demons and hitched a ride by showing off my strength.

Gu Qing then set off towards the team's destination.

Along the way, they gathered information, prepared materials for submitting their missions, and traveled at various stops, broadening their horizons in the demon realm and witnessing many demon-related matters and spiritual creatures.

It took nearly two months to finally reach the vicinity of the border.

The journey was surprisingly peaceful, without any unexpected incidents.

"Brother Leopard, this stop is fine."

"Then we will not see you off any further. May I ask if you have come to this border intending to infiltrate human territory? Or perhaps to join the demon army and serve the eagle clan?"

This caravan was a small group of merchants called the Wind Leopards. The strongest members were only two low-ranking eighth-grade demons who could barely transform into half-human forms; the rest were all in beast form.

Gu Qing hitched a ride, but in return, he paid the price of being protected. With the caravan's authorization, he was able to pass through a large number of demon territories smoothly.

Hearing this, he didn't answer, but instead asked a question.

"Brother Leopard, do you have any ideas?"

"Alas, fellow Daoist, you are powerful, but you are unaware of the hardships our small clans face in surviving. In recent years, the war has slowed down, and apart from the Golden-backed Eagle launching an attack once in the last hundred years, the rest of the time has been extremely peaceful."

"We transport some inexpensive goods, and if we can sell them to humans, we can make a considerable profit."

"Simply engaging in trade yields increasingly less profit, making it difficult to support the cultivation of a clan."

Gu Qing immediately understood. Just as there are treacherous people among humans, there are also treacherous demons. This practice of smuggling and trading has existed since ancient times.

But he didn't expect that a small clan like the Wind Leopard would dare to participate. Either they were arrogant and unwise and had powerful backers, or the scale of their smuggling was unimaginable, allowing even such a small clan to participate and get a share of the profits.

Judging from their strength, they don't seem to have anyone backing them.

He immediately laughed.

"We've only known each other for two months, yet Brother Leopard has already given me this surname? Do you even know my name?"

"I don't know, but it won't affect our cooperation."

Leopard Head gave an awkward yet polite smile and whispered.

“Those who come to this border are either joining the army or smuggling.”

What do you think, fellow Daoist?

(End of this chapter)