The large toad paused, an involuntary question escaping its mouth: "What does acting within one's means mean?"

"Simply put, it means not robbing those stronger than yourself!" Liang Xiaoke snorted coldly, unleashing the full might of his Heavenly rank aura as a Flying Night Yaksha. Of the three hundred-plus Gold-Devouring Demons present, only the strongest had reached the Earth rank; the rest were all at the Profound rank. How could they withstand such a powerful presence?

As Liang Xiaoke released his aura, all three hundred-plus demons present immediately dropped to their knees with a thud, their bodies trembling incessantly.

"My Lord, forgive our insolence, forgive our rashness. We are willing to dedicate our most humble lives to serve you like dogs and horses!" the largest toad, which had already assumed a humanoid form, stammered out.

Seeing these creatures kneel so readily, Ye Jingyu and the others were stunned. Were these fiends too cowardly? Were all demons the type to bully the weak and fear the strong?

Noticing their timidity, Liang Xiaoke and Ye Jingyu showed no mercy. They quickly took some control spells from the Hanba and cast one upon every single demon. These were mobile weapon manufacturers; if they could bring them back, weapons would no longer be a worry.

In subsequent interactions, Ye Jingyu and his group discovered another issue. According to their racial classification, these Gold-Devouring Demons were a small branch tribe of the Devouring Demon faction that had wandered astray, numbering less than a thousand in total. Not only could these demons mass-produce weapons, but they possessed a trait no other demon had: they were eager to learn.

Yes, they were quick studies. This was evident in how intently they focused on Liang Xiaoke's subsequent instructions. They quickly mastered the language of Liang Xiaoke and the others, even morphing their entire bodies into human shapes, albeit still covered in thick scales.

From the Gold-Devouring Demons, Ye Jingyu and the others learned the general state of the Demon Abyss. However, when Ye Jingyu asked if they had heard of any demon enslaving a human soul, these demons unanimously shook their heads.

They were not qualified to know about the matters concerning the Destruction Demon.

Just as Ye Jingyu was contemplating how to move these demons, an army composed of two thousand demons swiftly surrounded the area.

The leader was an ugly male, about the height of an ordinary person but possessing four arms, with a mouth that took up half his face. He wore no clothing, only being covered in a thick layer of golden fur.

This army had surrounded the Gold-Devouring Demons from a distance, and a series of sharp screeches emanated from the leader's mouth.

Ha, the Gold-Devouring Demon whose life Ye Jingyu now controlled, carefully relayed the demon's message: "Respected Lord, this is Qi, a minor captain under the Devouring Demon. He says the Devouring Demon has gathered an army of one hundred thousand and is heading to the Demon Realm, demanding that all of us enlist!"

"Oh? So, it's a recruitment drive?" Ye Jingyu understood, but his heart filled with worry. The survival environment in the Abyss was so harsh that these demons possessed incredible innate strength. An army of one hundred thousand mobilized by a single Lord meant seven hundred thousand if all seven Lords acted—and the weakest of those would be at the Profound rank. How could the mortal world possibly resist such a force? He wondered how many demons Chi Yixiu and the others could gather.

"Yes, My Lord…" Ha replied cautiously.

Ye Jingyu nodded, contemplating whether to eliminate these demons altogether, when the leading demon seemed to finally notice Ye Jingyu and his group. A pair of lecherous eyes immediately fell upon Jiu Feng and Hu Yanmeng.

"Ha, who are these people?" the captain named Qi spoke directly in the demon tongue.

Ha looked up at Qi, then back at Ye Jingyu, displaying an expression of great difficulty. "They... are... are my guests!"

The Devouring Demon's strength was at the Universe rank, a power surely several times greater than Ye Jingyu and his companions. If Ye Jingyu and the others had not cast that spell on them earlier, they would have unhesitatingly sided with the Devouring Demon. But now, their very lives were in Ye Jingyu's hands, leaving them no choice but to take him seriously.

"Guests? By the Lord's command, your entire tribe must join us on the expedition to the Demon Realm. I will entertain your guests. Guards! Seize those two women, and kill those two men directly!" Qi issued the order without giving Ha or the others a chance to explain.

In the Demon Abyss, strength is everything. If you are strong, you are the slave master; you can oppress all weaker beings and seize whatever you desire. If you are not strong enough, you can only obey the commands of the powerful. This was a tradition passed down through generations of demons, and no demon found it inappropriate.

Immediately, four demons, all at the Earth rank, charged toward Ye Jingyu and his group. They held spears made entirely of black material. Observing the aura emanating from these weapons, Ye Jingyu glanced back at Ha.

Seeing the doubt in Ye Jingyu’s eyes, Ha nodded with deep concern. These weapons were indeed fashioned by them. Their primary purpose for enlisting was to forge weapons for these demons. Ultimately, without a strong presence, the Gold-Devouring Demons were merely a captive weapon-manufacturing depot for these more powerful fiends.

Seeing these creatures belligerently moving to capture his companions, a cold smile touched Ye Jingyu’s lips, while cold sweat broke out on the toad Ha's brow. He knew clearly that these Lords were all Heavenly rank masters. Dealing with an army that had only one Heavenly rank master, with the rest being Profound or Earth rank, was no challenge for them. But precisely because it was so easy, he was worried sick—after all, these creatures were loyal to the Devouring Demon.

The Devouring Demon’s subordinates included seven Universe rank masters, dozens of Hong rank masters, and even more masters in the Desolate rank. Heavenly rank masters were insignificant in their eyes. If Ye Jingyu truly killed these soldiers, they would surely be doomed. Should they flee?

Ha desperately wanted to cry out. He didn't care about Ye Jingyu's life, but his own existence was controlled by Ye Jingyu, making him anxious beyond measure.

Just as Ha was about to urge Ye Jingyu to escape quickly, a black meteor shot out, piercing the void...