Five Hundred Thirty-Eight: Blind, Short-Eared Great Chapter :Yesterday, things at home were too chaotic... I completely forgot to update, my apologies, my apologies. So, a big chapter update today to make up for yesterday's word count. Please bear with me, bear with me.

Another supporter has come forward! The Elders, who were just staring blankly, suddenly snapped back to reality. If they didn't rush to show their allegiance now, how could they possibly cozy up to Jiliu Feijing?

Loyalty? Who can’t offer that? These Elders had all witnessed major events; they suddenly rushed forward like market women flooding a vegetable stall, completely abandoning their usual dignified and leisurely gait, shoving each other for fear of being the last to declare their fealty.

The two Clan Leaders of the Mamen Demon Race kept signaling frantically to the Elders when they saw this commotion. It had all been settled beforehand: only the two leaders were to pledge allegiance and take a side; the rest of the Elders were meant to stand in opposition. But in this instant... did they have no regard for the bigger picture anymore?

Regard for the bigger picture? The Elders responded to the two Clan Leaders with looks of disdain. Why should we regard the bigger picture? Are you two here to reap the benefits? If Jiliu Feijing was only slightly stronger than Bubusolong, then perhaps us regarding the bigger picture would make sense.

This half-blood demon, upon meeting someone, immediately gifts a Level Ten Combat Soldier! A Level Ten Combat Soldier! What bigger picture is there to consider? If there is one, it’s for other demons to consider; I’m busy forging a connection with this half-blood demon.

Xingchen suddenly wondered if this half-blood demon, when excited, might start forging Soul Weapons and gifting them to every demon he meets? Consider the bigger picture at a time like this? Consider your sister’s bigger picture! If someone needs to consider it, go ahead and consider it; this Demon certainly won't.

Chaos! Utter chaos!

Following Gan Jin’s immediate gift of a Level Ten Combat Soldier, the groundwork the two Mamen Clan Leaders had painstakingly laid with the Elders instantly crumbled. The entire Mamen Demon Race descended into complete disarray over the appearance of a single Level Ten Combat Soldier.

If it were any other demon race, they might have stuck to the agreement, but this was the Mamen Demon Race—the Mamen Demon Race that would even dare to betray their Great Demon King. Faced with such immense benefits, what would they hesitate to do?

The benefit of a Level Ten Combat Soldier was enough to drive these demons into a frenzy. Who didn't want their descendants to be stronger? Who didn't wish for their descendants to become Mamen Clan Leaders, or even the Great Demon King of the entire Demon Race?

To put it mildly, who didn't want a greater chance of survival on the future Human-Demon battlefield? On the Human-Demon battlefield, even an Ultimate Awakening wouldn't guarantee survival; a Heaven-Tier Awakening or an Earth-Tier Awakening offered no absolute safety either.

A Bloodline Warrior of Heaven-Tier Awakening, if their identity were exposed and they were targeted by two or more Heaven-Tier Awakening mages, would likely end up buried on the battlefield. Or, a few Earth-Tier Awakening Bloodline Mages forming a Magic Array could also ensure they were permanently left behind.

Possessing a Level Ten Combat Soldier at least increases one's capital for survival. Especially when the strengths of both sides are comparable, a single Combat Soldier can often determine life or death.

Lucifer Liushui watched the Mamen Demon Race hierarchy drop to their knees en masse, feeling an indescribable thrill! Although her ultimate goal was to become Empress, she never expected to witness such a spectacular scene.

“Excellent, I can feel your sincerity,” Lucifer Liushui nodded repeatedly with a smile. “All of you, stand up. We will sign the cooperation documents shortly.”

The faces of the Mamen Demon Elders stiffened. They glanced at Gan Jin standing nearby, then gritted their teeth and nodded.

In this era, mere verbal declarations of loyalty held little weight.

Lucifer Liushui knew that the Mamen Elders were also fully aware that, in the history of the Demon Race, only allegiance documents formed according to the Demon Codex held true effect.

Once such a document was established, it carried real force. Even a greedy tribe like the Mamen would not easily tear up such an agreement.

If agreements were frequently broken, no tribe would trust them, and then where would they find resources to extort? The Mamen Demon Race was greedy, but they were even more meticulous about this aspect. Without a certain foundation of credibility, no one would do business with them—so where would their greed find its target?

Allegiance documents? Sign! If they had needed to deliberate before seeing how generously Jiliu Feijing acted, then anyone hesitating now would be nothing but a fool.

Hesitation? Any hesitation at this juncture would surely result in future losses.

The Mamen Elders scrambled to sign the allegiance documents, looking as if they feared missing the chance entirely.

The two Clan Leaders looked at every Elder, except Sabonis Feibier, behaving in such a manner. They gave up trying to stop them. Jiliu Feijing's generosity was so overwhelming that even these seasoned Elders, who had seen much, could not withstand the powerful temptation and promptly capitulated.

After signing the allegiance documents, the Elders surrounded Lucifer Liushui again, spewing forth torrents of flattery and sycophantic praise. Some Mamen Elders shamelessly claimed they had held her when she was an infant, trying to narrow the gap.

Even bolder Elders directly inquired if Jiliu Feijing had a wife, and whether she favored beauties of the Mamen type, adding that they had a magnificent daughter who was the foremost beauty of the Mamen Race...

Before they could finish their sentence, they were interrupted by several other Mamen Elders, each boasting that their daughter was the true premier beauty. If Jiliu Feijing was unmarried, they were eager to take him as a son-in-law; if he already had a wife...

That didn't matter! Did Jiliu Feijing perhaps have an interest in taking another, younger wife? Their daughters wouldn't mind being a secondary spouse for Jiliu Feijing...

Gan Jin, listening from the side, felt cold sweat prickling his forehead. These Mamen Demons truly lived up to their reputation as the epitome of greed; they dared to do anything for profit.

The two Clan Leaders exchanged glances, muttered a few words quietly, and walked toward Gan Jin, subtly tugging at his sleeve.

Gan Jin followed the two leaders to a less conspicuous spot with curiosity. Bokesili rubbed his hands back and forth in thought and then spoke, “Actually, Master Feijing, you see... you are practically half-Mamen Demon yourself.”

Gan Jin merely inclined his head. Bokesili let out a long breath; his tension eased considerably. Initially, he feared this half-blood demon might hate the tribal blood flowing in him, like most half-bloods, which would have complicated matters.

“This is what we were thinking. Since you count as half-Mamen, our tribe has failed in fulfilling our obligations to a tribal member. This makes us both feel very apologetic,” Sabonis Guang smoothly continued. “Therefore, we... we wish to invite you to become an Elder Guest of Honor for our Mamen Demon Race, as compensation. What are your thoughts on this...”

“Elder Guest of Honor?” Gan Jin frowned, secretly chuckling! Compensation? What kind of compensation was that? If I become your Elder Guest of Honor, won't our relationship become much closer? Then you all...

“It’s Elder Guest of Honor. Oh!” Bokesili slapped his forehead. “We didn't explain clearly. Being an Elder Guest of Honor is a tradition in the Mamen Demon Race. Becoming one means you don't have to contribute anything to the tribe, nor do you need to obey our Clan Leaders' commands. You remain who you are; this is simply a sincere expression of our desire to befriend you. You are free to use any of the tribe's resources...”

“Just taking benefits without responsibility?” Gan Jin thought it over briefly and understood. In this world, who aside from truly shameless demons would dare only take without offering help? If the Clan Leaders later came begging for his assistance, would he feel comfortable refusing?

“Yes, yes,” Bokesili nodded repeatedly. “It’s just to express our sincerity in wanting to be friends with you.”

“Clan Leaders! Appointing an Elder Guest of Honor, according to tradition, requires a proposal to the Elder Council! How dare you do this? Without consulting our Council?”

An Elder with particularly sharp ears and eyes quickly noticed the two leaders attempting to curry favor. He immediately shouted, drawing the attention of all the other Elders, who then rushed forward.

“That’s right! This matter requires the approval of our Elder Council! Master Feijing! Don't worry, we all support you becoming our Elder Guest of Honor! Even if the Clan Leaders don't propose it, we will propose and pass it ourselves...”

Elder Guest of Honor? Gan Jin shrugged. Accidentally becoming an Elder Guest of Honor of the Mamen Demon Race... Wait! Didn't I have a wager with the Dwarf Bubulongsuo? Where is the Dwarf Bubulongsuo?

In the midst of the demon crowd, the Dwarf Bubulongsuo knelt on both knees, his entire being sunk into a state beyond mere bewilderment—he looked utterly broken.

For ten days, Bubulongsuo had witnessed miracle after miracle from Gan Jin’s hands.

For ten days, Bubulongsuo had repeatedly tried to secretly learn Gan Jin’s forging techniques. Even grasping a tiny fraction would lead to significant advancements in his own smithing.

Yet, after the entire ten days passed, Bubulongsuo had learned nothing. His eyes, wide open, were bloodshot red; his eyes, like two snowballs of crimson, had failed to comprehend even the slightest detail of how that god-like forging skill was achieved.

The gap was too vast! Bubulongsuo felt his entire life had been lived in vain! His lifelong pride in his forging skills seemed no better than an apprentice's level before this young half-blood demon.

Even though both were Forging Masters, the difference between them wasn't just in technique, but in depth of foundation! Bubulongsuo felt that if Jiliu Feijing's foundation was as vast and boundless as the Boundless Horizon Sea, then his own foundation was but a single drop in that boundless sea.

And a very small drop at that.

Gan Jin approached Bubulongsuo, crouched down, and looked at the Forging Master lost in collapse—this brute who, before the wager, had intended to smash his own limbs and toss him into the beast pit, who had spent ten years manipulating a thousand ten-year-old Dwarf Forging Masters.

“It’s your turn.”

Those three calm words struck Bubulongsuo’s entire spiritual world like a wild leopard’s charge.

“My turn? My turn for what?”

Bubulongsuo instinctively shook his head repeatedly. No! He'd rather die than compete! He was the noble Forging Master Bubulongsuo, yet before this young half-blood blacksmith, he felt utterly childish. Competing with him felt like providing a mere stepping stone for the young demon’s fame.

“No... I won't compete...” Bubulongsuo fumbled with the ground, stood up, shaking his head side to side, his face suddenly contorted in terrified distortion and savagery. “I... I... What is... what is happening to me? I... I can’t see anything anymore? Where is my forging hammer...”

Feigning blindness? Gan Jin frowned slightly, about to speak, when Munezhence, who was standing stiffly, patted his shoulder. He realized the Sixth Prince was shaking his head. “He’s truly blind, not faking it.”

Not faking it? Gan Jin leaned closer to Bubulongsuo and saw that the Dwarf Forging Master’s pupils... were shattered! Like pristine crystal glass that had suddenly fractured!

Blind! Bubulongsuo hadn't closed his eyes for ten days and nights, exhausting every bit of his sight, trying to capture Gan Jin’s forging movements, attempting to steal his techniques, searching for any flaw.

Having pushed his vision to its absolute limit, combined with intense mental pressure and stimulation, his eyes finally succumbed to the sheer expenditure of energy—his pupils shattered.

Blindness! What did that mean to a blacksmith? Gan Jin gently shook his head and stood up. This meant ruin for his future. A blacksmith who couldn't use his eyes to observe the flames, to observe the material being forged, relying only on so-called 'feel' and 'intuition'? He could never forge a fine creation!

These were words left in Uncle Black’s notes! As Gan Jin’s forging skills grew, he began to understand that one truly could not rely solely on the heart for everything. If feeling things with one’s heart was enough, then humans and demons wouldn't have evolved eyes, nostrils, and ears for observation.

“Is it dark? Why can’t I see anything?” The Dwarf Bubulongsuo staggered to his feet, his hands blindly sweeping the air in front of him, roaring repeatedly, “Come, demons! Where are the demons? Why aren’t you here to support me?”

The Mamen Elders and the accompanying demons stared coldly at Bubulongsuo, even backing away slightly, not wanting any association with this Dwarf Forging Master.

“This is the Demon Race,” Munezhence muttered coldly to himself.

“Humans...” Gan Jin turned to look at Munezhence. “Are probably the same, right? Perhaps even worse.”

Munezhence paused, contemplated silently for a moment, and gently nodded.

Chekefulite quietly walked up to Bubulongsuo’s side, gently supporting the Dwarf Forging Master who was reaching out blindly into the air. He said softly, “Master, there seems to be a slight issue with your eyes. I will take you to find an apothecary for treatment...”

“My eyes? What happened to my eyes?” Bubulongsuo’s voice was filled with terror. “It’s just dark, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is dark,” Chekefulite said, under the gaze of the assembled demons, as he helped support Bubulongsuo toward the door. As he brushed past Gan Jin, he subtly received a potion and a very faint whisper: “Mysterious Potion. Have him take it; it can open a Battle Realm.”

A flicker of astonishment crossed Chekefulite’s handsome face. The smile playing on his lips was enough to mesmerize men as he gracefully walked out the door.

The Mamen Elders paid little attention to the Dwarf Bubulongsuo. This dwarf had spoken such bold words before the wager, threatening Jiliu Feijing. Now that the victor was decided, and he was blind, he held no value. Whatever the other demon intended to do was his business.

A few minutes later, Chekefulite returned to the courtyard with an elegant expression, stepping with gentlemanly grace. The Bubulongsuo he had led out, however, had vanished.

Gan Jin detected a faint scent of blood on Chekefulite—the residual trace of a fine mist of hot blood that had sprayed out from a body.

Dead! Gan Jin didn't need to ask; he knew the fate of Forging Master Bubulongsuo. He had likely been assassinated, half-openly and half-secretly, by this Fallen Angel Bloodline Demon Warrior, just like the City Guard General of Aokelan City.

“There’s half a bottle left,” Chekefulite whispered. “I kept it for myself.”

“Fine!”

Gan Jin nodded indifferently. Last time, Mugu Wuxin had gone to the borderlands to find him, bringing materials that were almost enough for the endeavor, plus materials Gan Jin had looted from border horse bandit groups. Together, they had gathered enough to configure ten bottles of the Mysterious Potion capable of opening a Battle Realm.

Although the configuration process was riddled with errors, resulting in only three bottles successfully made, that was still considered a high success rate. If nothing unexpected happened, it should last him a while.

“City Lord Great Demon...” A Beria Demon knelt on the ground, bowing low. “The Elder of the Duomeng Clan requests an audience.”

“The Duomeng Clan?” Bokesitailer paused before realizing. “That Short-Eared Clan?”

Short-Eared Clan? Gan Jin immediately recalled the background data he had reviewed about the Demon Race. Aside from the Seven Great Demon Races, there were other demon tribes, but these tribes had fewer members and lacked the existence of the Ten Great Bloodlines, meaning they weren't ranked among the Seven Greats.

The Short-Eared Clan, officially named the Duomeng Clan, was one such tribe. Their ears were so short they were nearly nonexistent, yet their hearing was exceptionally acute. Even accounting for the Zhence Dynasty and the Barbarians, no race possessed auditory acuity surpassing the Duomeng Clan.

Their ears were short, but their hearing was incredibly powerful. While their numbers weren't vast, they were always placed in crucial positions during wars for intelligence gathering. In the eyes of the Great Demon King, they were an extremely important tribe. Under normal circumstances, even the Seven Great Demon Races were reluctant to provoke them, not even daring to speak ill of them behind their backs.

If one spoke ill of such a highly-attuned race and they overheard it, or if one carelessly spoke ill of the Great Demon King and they overheard that, they might very well report it to the Great Demon King, leading to much greater trouble.

The Dark Division! Within the Dark Division of the Lucifer Dynasty, besides Demon Warriors with formidable combat prowess, there were many Duomeng members. These short-eared fellows served as the Great Demon King’s ears, monitoring every faction of the Demon Race on his behalf.

Bokesitailer frowned and sighed again. These demons were not to be offended; offending them would bring endless trouble later. Fortunately, they had already forged a very deep relationship with Jiliu Feijing, being the first tribe to swear allegiance to Lucifer Liushui. Even if other tribes came now, they couldn't surpass this primary position.

“Invite them in,” Bokesitailer rubbed his forehead. “Have them come directly here. I suspect they aren't looking for me, but rather for Master Feijing.”

“Hahaha! City Lord Tailer certainly has insight! Then I, Duomenglike, shall enter uninvited. Do you mind?”

The courtyard gate was pushed open again. The demon who entered was short and stout, exuding an indescribable air of looking down on all other demons in his every movement.

Following Elder Duomenglike were two young warriors and a young mage in robes. Their ears were so short they were almost invisible—clearly the younger generation of the Duomeng Clan.

Long having been heavily utilized by His Majesty the Great Demon King, the Duomeng Clan was nearly a vassal tribe to Lucifer. Thus, their temperament carried a touch of the arrogance inherent to the Lucifer lineage.

The three young Duomeng members showed faint glints of disdainful arrogance in their expressions, as if the Mamen Demon Race before them was inferior to their own Short-Eared Clan.

“Which one is Jiliu Feijing?”

Duomenglike stood with his hands behind his back, pacing with a square stride, his belly protruding heavily as if six months pregnant. He swept his gaze contemptuously over the assembled demons, finally settling his sight on Gan Jin.

Gan Jin’s half-Lucifer, half-Mamen appearance made him exceptionally easy to identify among this group.

Duomenglike didn't even nod to the two Mamen Clan Leaders. He merely stared arrogantly at Gan Jin, clearly expecting Gan Jin to approach and bow before him.

Bokesili and Sabonis Guang exchanged angry glances. Even for a tribe closely allied with the Lucifer lineage, this action showed excessive disrespect. The Mamen Demon Race was one of the Seven Great Demon Races; how dare this petty Short-Eared Clan member, who was merely an informant for His Majesty the Great Demon King?

Normally, they might endure it, but today... Bokesili's face darkened. If he showed weakness to a Duomeng member in front of Master Jiliu Feijing, then Master Jiliu Feijing would never truly take the Mamen Demon Race seriously in the future—and how could they discuss benefits then?

Teach him a lesson! Sabonis Guang’s eyes held the same sentiment.

“What right do you, earless fellow, have to question who I am?” Gan Jin’s proud voice rang out abruptly, immediately cutting off the plans of the two Mamen Clan Leaders.

Sabonis Guang and Bokesili both smiled. How could they forget that Master Jiliu Feijing carried half of the Lucifer bloodline? How could a master so deeply proud, whose pride was rooted in his very blood, feel pleased at being reprimanded like this in front of so many demons? You Short-Eared Clan are merely lapdogs to the Lucifer lineage, but this Master carries half the blood of your main Demon Lords!

No ears? Domonrick’s haughty expression instantly froze, turning severe and cold, while behind him, the eyes of three younger Domon clansmen were blazing with the urge to strike.

The Domon clan, privately nicknamed the Short-Ears by the Demon race, was a name few tribes dared to use openly in their presence. Today, they had been utterly humiliated by a half-breed demon!

“Why are you just standing there putting on airs?” Qian Jin’s arrogant voice cut through with sharp severity: “Can’t you see Princess Lucifer Flowing Water is here? Do you wish to die by failing to pay respects to the Princess?”

Domonrick’s chest, which had just begun to swell with the intent to roar, suddenly felt as if it had been struck solidly on the head. Stars danced before his eyes, and the surge of aggression he was about to unleash was brutally suppressed. Simultaneously, he felt Princess Lucifer Flowing Water’s gaze—cold, as if she were observing an insect—pierce through him.