Neither Ye Jingyu nor Xuanyuan Jing and the others had any inkling that their predecessors were already aware of the existence of the Ancient Splendor Continent, nor that they had long been striving to liberate the people of that land. Especially over the last three centuries, the ranks of supreme experts on the Dou Hun Continent had drastically thinned. Even the Nine Great Families of Ancient Splendor assumed this was merely a decline in Martial Soul Arts, unaware that the vast majority of those with the potential to become powerhouses had been secretly recruited by various major factions, becoming forces hidden in the shadows.

Now, such formidable power was heading toward the Ancient Splendor Continent, defending the undying. They represented the pinnacle force of the Nine Provinces, the accumulated might of hundreds of years. This strength was enough to shatter any power on the Dou Hun Continent, yet they did not know that the hidden forces on the Ancient Splendor Continent were even stronger—far stronger, in fact.

The formidable Fang Family alone possessed the might to counter this force. Coupled with the other major families, their strength utterly surpassed the accumulation of the Dou Hun Continent over several centuries. After all, how could the accumulation of a few hundred years compare to the immeasurable, millennia-long heritage of these great families?

Dugu Bachen and the others somewhat understood this situation, yet they had shrewdly focused on the existing feuds between the major families. They did not need to fight the entirety of the Ancient Splendor Continent; they only needed to strike one family with their full might, cripple it, and the remaining great families would naturally vie to exploit the resulting chaos.

So many supreme experts, centuries of savings, all aimed at inciting civil strife on the Ancient Splendor Continent—it was a tragic reality, born of profound helplessness.

The Demon Realm, also known as the Asura Realm, was a plane countless times vaster than the Dou Hun Continent, almost boundless. Although it lacked a sun, it was home to countless creatures of extreme power. Some were powerful merely as individuals, while others possessed intellect comparable to humans. Combined with their naturally robust physiques, their inherent strength far surpassed that of ordinary humans.

Due to the sheer expanse of the Demon Realm—so large that even a Martial Saint or a Martial God might never traverse it in a lifetime—it had no principalities or nations.

However, every high-ranking Demon possessed their own domain, and they were known as Lords. Since the Demon Realm was a realm where strength was the ultimate law, the power of every Lord was equivalent to at least a Martial God.

Besides these Lords of varying scales, the Demon Realm was governed by the eight most powerful Royal Clans. Each Royal Clan was anchored by at least one Demon King whose power reached the level of Martial Venerable. These eight clans were the most dominant Asura Clan, the Violet Flame Clan, the Azure Feather Clan, the Blood Clan, the Werewolf Clan, the Silver Serpent Clan, the Fiend Clan, and the Demon Dragon Clan, which, despite its scarcity in numbers, possessed terrifying strength.

Of course, the Werewolf Clan mentioned here was entirely distinct from the common Demon Wolf. A Demon Wolf was merely a powerful demonic beast, whereas a Werewolf was a demon race possessing high-level intelligence.

It was these eight Royal Clans that held dominion over the entire Demon Realm.

Legend held that in the distant past, the Demon Race had produced a Demon Emperor who unified the realm, an even mightier Demon Sovereign, and various Demon Gods capable of world-shattering destruction.

But as time eroded, the whereabouts of those powerful demons were lost. Currently, the strongest entities in the Demon Realm were the Demon Kings of these eight Royal Clans.

Certainly, there might be other King-level experts in existence, but overtly, only these eight supreme figures presided over the Demon Realm, and the territories they commanded were concentrated in the central regions of the plane.

At this very moment, in an extremely remote area of the Demon Realm, lay a plain carpeted with Blood Grass, ruled by a minor commander named Fabrega.

Wherever a commander held sway, it was certainly not a chaotic region overrun by mere demonic beasts. Such areas featured settlements akin to cities and towns in the human world.

The city where Fabrega resided was named Fabregas City. Compared to the city walls that stood dozens of feet high in the human world, this city appeared far simpler. There were no defensive ramparts surrounding it, and consequently, no patrolling soldiers. The city’s structures were built from a kind of luminescent stone, housing various shops. Reportedly, this commercial model was learned tens of thousands of years ago by a Demon King visiting the human world. Initially implemented only within his own domain, it eventually spread throughout the Demon Realm.

Presently, within a relatively luxurious tavern in Fabregas City, two men dressed in black sat quietly by a window, drawing inquisitive glances from the other patrons.

The reason was simple: the majority of the patrons were non-human in form. Some had human torsos but the head of a crocodile; others had the body of a serpent but a human head; some were entirely horses, though their hooves had morphed into claws; and even those who resembled humans generally sported either a single horn on their forehead or a gemstone embedded there. In short, not a single perfectly human form was present. Yet, the two men, judging by their attire, demeanor, and appearance, were the quintessential definition of humans.

Of course, non-humanoid forms did exist in the Demon Realm. The women of the Asura Clan were exquisitely beautiful, and the Violet Flame Clan, Azure Feather Clan, and even the standard forms of the Blood Clan, Werewolf Clan, and adult Silver Serpents all possessed this humanoid appearance. However, the Violet Flame Clan had purple eyes, the Azure Feather Clan had blue eyes, the Blood Clan and Werewolf Clan sported golden hair and eyes, and the Silver Serpents had silver hair. None possessed the black hair and black eyes of these two strangers.

Perhaps no such race existed in the Demon Realm. It was rumored that races like this belonged to another world—humans? How many years had passed since humans had been seen in the Demon Realm? These demons were naturally curious.

Unlike the human prejudice of "if they are not of my kind, they must be my foe," the Demon Realm, due to the sheer diversity of races, held no inherent aversion toward others. They revered only strength. Even if one were human, as long as they possessed sufficient power, they could establish their own faction within the Demon Realm.

Therefore, the eyes of these demons held no trace of rejection, only curiosity, and perhaps a faint flicker of predatory intent. At least several Tiger-Headed Men stared intently at Liang Xiaoke and Ye Jingyu, seemingly contemplating the flavor of human flesh...

"Tuk, tuk..." Just then, a series of light footsteps sounded from the staircase of the tavern. All eyes turned to see a full-figured woman clad in a pale purple, low-cut gown ascending the stairs...

(Since I don't keep drafts, this chapter is written and uploaded the same day. To avoid keeping everyone waiting, I'm posting one chapter first; more updates will follow! Brothers, it’s a new month; send in your encouragement!)

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