Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

Chen Yuan felt a slight squeezing force coming from all around him. His vision blurred for a moment, and when he came to his senses, he found himself in a grand hall.

The hall was extremely spacious, with a towering dome and a large array carved on the ground, about thirty feet in size, surrounded by array flags.

At this moment, the array was flashing with spiritual light, and figures kept appearing around Chen Yuan. People entered the array and disappeared after a flash of white light. There were thousands of people coming and going, making it extremely busy.

Several hundred people stood around the formation. Whenever someone was teleported in, they would immediately go forward to greet them, but they dared not step into the teleportation array, and would only greet them respectfully.

After Chen Yuan appeared, he happened to be in a secluded corner of the teleportation array. There were only three people around him. Two of them glanced at Chen Yuan, but seeing that he had a deep and unremarkable aura, they looked away.

But one of the young men's eyes lit up. He clasped his hands in a respectful bow and asked, "Does this Demon General need a guide?"

His voice was very low, just enough to reach Chen Yuan's ears, but not to be heard by the other two.

Chen Yuan looked up and saw that the young man was quite muscular. After Chen Yuan used that secret technique, his body doubled in size, reaching twelve feet, but he was only about a head taller than the young man.

This man was dressed in a dignified blue outfit, with his hair tied up and wearing a crown. He looked no different from a human cultivator, but he had a pair of ox ears, which was quite strange.

The young man concealed his aura, but he couldn't escape Chen Yuan's divine sense. The cultivation level of a fourth-level demon beast was completely revealed, yet he had transformed into human form.

Chen Yuan's heart stirred, and he stepped out of the teleportation array, arriving in front of the Bull-Eared Demon General. He said calmly, "How did you discern my cultivation level?"

The young demon general said respectfully, "I have been a guide in Silver Tide City for over a hundred years, and I have also spent over a hundred years by this teleportation array. In my spare time, I have done a lot of research on the spiritual light generated by the teleportation array."

"The spiritual light you evoked was quite bright, and others might not be able to tell it, but I could tell at a glance that you must have been teleported from a very far place."

"The demon general is absolutely unable to resist the spatial compression force of long-distance teleportation. The senior did not carry a teleportation token with him, but he did not show any discomfort. Only a demon general would be so calm."

Chen Yuan nodded slightly: "You have a keen eye. I have never been to Silver Tide City before and am in need of a guide."

"You will stay by Kun's side for the next few days. Please accept these spirit stones."

As he spoke, he flipped his hand and took out ten mid-grade spirit stones, handing them to the young man with the bull-eared head.

The young man with the bull-eared head was taken aback, then accepted the spirit stone with both hands, clasped his hands in thanks, and said, "Thank you for your generous gift, senior."

The other two did not hear the conversation between the two men. They only saw Chen Yuan take out ten mid-grade spirit stones, and their eyes immediately showed a hint of disdain before they turned away.

Chen Yuan was extremely perceptive. Observing the strange expression on the man's face, he was not annoyed. He looked at the young man with the bull-eared head and smiled, "It seems that these ten mid-grade spirit stones are a bit short?"

The young man with the bull's ear did not answer immediately, but carefully observed Chen Yuan's expression. Seeing that he was not angry, he bowed deeply and said respectfully, "Senior's reward is too much for this junior."

"However, Silver Tide City is vast, and a guide usually needs one high-grade spirit stone a day, and according to custom, half of it must be paid in advance."

"However, since you are new to Silver Tide City, you naturally wouldn't know about such things. It was my fault for not speaking up in time. Please forgive me."

Chen Yuan suddenly realized: "It's alright, it was just that I was a little too hasty."

He flipped his hand and took out a high-grade spirit stone, handing it over.

He was never a stingy person, and he was extremely generous to lower-level cultivators.

However, the Demon Burning Realm is an upper realm, where the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is so rich, and the number of spirit stones is far greater than in the human realm and the Myriad Demon Continent.

For a Foundation Establishment cultivator in the human realm, ten mid-grade spirit stones are enough to buy a bottle of cultivation pills, but in the Demon Burning Realm, they are nothing.

The young man with the bull-eared head beamed with joy and accepted the spirit stone with both hands: "Senior, please follow me."

The other two people's expressions changed upon seeing this.

But Chen Yuan had already taken out spirit stones and hired the bull-eared youth, so they could only sigh, hide their regret, force a smile, and huddle around a high-level demon general who exuded a strong demonic aura.

……

Chen Yuan followed the young man with the bull-eared head out of the extremely spacious hall without encountering any obstacles along the way.

No one came up to ask Chen Yuan about his origins, unlike Yan Qi, and asked him to leave a divine imprint.

There was a water-like curtain at the entrance of the main hall, but it did not block the two people's way.

However, Chen Yuan noticed that as they passed through the array, a wooden plaque hanging by the young demon general with bull ears flashed with spiritual light before falling silent again.

Chen Yuan asked, "Does anyone who comes to Silver Tide City need to register their name?"

The young man with the bull's ear said, "Silver Tide City welcomes guests from all directions, and people can come and go freely. Senior, you don't need to worry."

The two walked down the stone steps and saw two large counters on either side of the palace gate, with several people sitting behind each counter.

In front of the counter, several long queues had formed. The people in line all had very peculiar appearances, and many of them still retained characteristics of the demon race.

They took out pieces of top-grade spirit stones, received a token, walked towards the entrance of the main hall, and disappeared into the array.

The young man with the bull-eared head said, "These are people who want to leave Silver Tide City by using the teleportation array. They need to pay spirit stones here before they can enter the main hall. Otherwise, they will be blocked by the array, and even the Demon General will not be able to enter."

Chen Yuan nodded slightly and continued walking forward, asking, "What's your name?" The young man with the bull-eared head replied, "My name is Xu Haiyun. Please come this way, senior."

The main hall is located in a valley, surrounded on three sides by sheer cliffs hundreds of feet high. The valley entrance is quite wide, but it is also shrouded in a layer of veil, making it impossible to see what is happening outside the valley.

Chen Yuan didn't dare to casually spread his divine sense to check the surrounding situation. He simply enveloped himself within a ten-zhang radius to guard against any accidents, and followed behind the young man with the bull's ear, mingling in the crowd as they walked out.

Within this short span of ten zhang, Chen Yuan discovered three demon generals, including one mid-level demon general.

Most of the others were demon generals, and there were also many demons like Xu Haiyun whose cultivation was below that of a demon general, but who had already transformed into human form.

The road leading out of the valley was not long, and the two soon arrived at the valley entrance, where a wide-open space opened up before them.

Amidst several hills, a market town rises from the ground, filled with spacious halls, far grander and more magnificent than any cultivator market town in the human realm. Even the most robust demon race members can move freely in and out.

Countless figures flew through the sky, while birds and beasts pulled magnificent carriages and flying boats, slowly passing by.

But these grand halls are nothing compared to the numerous palaces and pavilions that fill the cave dwellings of any demon general.

What is most eye-catching are the several tall buildings in the city, which are hundreds of feet high, yet exceptionally slender.

The surface, made of some unknown spiritual material, reflected golden light under the blazing sun. Chen Yuan paused, his expression momentarily dazed.

Seeing this, Xu Yunhai explained in a low voice, "Senior Kun, these are several magnificent buildings constructed using the mechanical techniques of human cultivators from the Spirit Realm. They are far taller and more imposing than ordinary palaces..."

Chen Yuan snapped out of his reverie and nodded slightly: "The human race's mechanical arts... do indeed have some novel aspects."

He strode forward, and Xu Yunhai followed, respectfully asking, "May I ask where you are headed, senior, and what treasures you require?"

"Although my cultivation level is low, I have lived in Silver Tide City for hundreds of years and know almost everything about the city. Please give me your instructions, senior."

Chen Yuan's gaze fell on Xu Yunhai, and he said calmly, "This matter is not urgent. You have not yet passed the tribulation of lightning, yet you have already successfully transformed into human form. Are you a human-demon hybrid?"

Xu Yunhai's eyes dimmed: "That's right. Only those of us who are of mixed blood, though our cultivation is low, can serve as guides because we have human bodies."

“Those demons who have not yet taken human form may have a much purer bloodline than us, but they are either unable to speak or are too large in size, so they are rarely seen in Silver Tide City.”

A hint of curiosity flashed in Chen Yuan's eyes: "I observed that the people next to the teleportation array, like you, are also mixed-race."

"Since you are of mixed human and demon blood, or at least sons of demon generals, why are you acting as guides?"

Both the Iron Wing Demon Commander and the Heavenly Hou Demon Commander had spoken at length about the situation in Silver Tide City, but as demon commanders, they naturally wouldn't pay attention to lower-ranking demons and had never mentioned that there were so many mixed-bloods serving as guides in the city.

Xu Yunhai gave a wry smile, his bull ears flapping somewhat awkwardly: "Although I am the offspring of a demon general, I have never seen my father."

Chen Yuan asked, "Why is that?"

Xu Yunhai's expression darkened further: "My mother is... a woman of the night, and she doesn't even know which demon general my father is."

"As for me, my bloodline is mixed, I have no hope of becoming a demon general, my potential is limited, and I have nowhere to go. I can only work as a guide in the city to earn some spirit stones to support my cultivation."

Chen Yuan frowned: "Human cultivators must have a divine soul restriction implanted after entering the Demon Burning Realm. Does your mother not have any demon generals or commanders behind her?"

Xu Yunhai lowered his head slightly, a hint of resentment flashing in his eyes: "Rules are rigid. After a human cultivator has a soul restriction placed on him, his intelligence will be damaged over time, and he will become like a puppet, which will only make people lose interest."

“There are many brothels hidden in the shadows in Silver Tide City. None of the women there have been placed under any soul-binding restriction. They are simply controlled by external forces, their lives are in the hands of others, and they have no choice but to obey orders. My mother is no exception.”

His voice carried a hint of pain, and Chen Yuan sighed inwardly, saying, "Are all the mixed-race people in Silver Tide City like this?"

Xu Yunhai said, "Those like me are few and far between. My mother was pregnant when she took pity on me and risked punishment from the steward to give birth to me."

"Most women of the night are unable to bear children in their lifetime."

"Most mixed-race people are excluded and suppressed in their clans because of their mixed bloodline and lack of hope to become demon generals."

"It would be better to come to Silver Tide City and cultivate on your own; you might even have some good fortune there."

Chen Yuan understood. In the human realm and the Myriad Demon Continent, mixed-blood people, because they have human form, can cultivate techniques from a young age, and their cultivation progresses much faster. They are more valued than low-level demon beasts with pure bloodlines.

However, in the Demon Burning Realm, there are countless low-level demon beasts that have not yet taken human form. Mixed-bloods are naturally mixed in bloodline. If one has no hope of becoming a demon general, no matter how fast one cultivates, it will be of no use.

With a formidable enemy in the spirit realm at hand, and the demon race harboring extreme hatred towards the human race, these mixed-race individuals naturally suffer discrimination, even from the dislike of their own parents.

Chen Yuan asked, "Where is your mother?"

Xu Yunhai said in a low voice, "My mother has passed away."

Chen Yuan remained silent for a moment, then changed the subject: "Are there any well-known shops in Yinchao City? I'm new here, so I'd like to explore the city first."

Xu Yunhai seemed to have expected this, and immediately raised his hand to guide the way: "Senior, please come this way. There are hundreds of shops in Silver Tide City, but the most famous of them all is the Blood Tooth Tower, which was personally opened by the Blood Tooth Demon Saint..." (End of this chapter)