Escalating Tensions

As the census proceeded, all of Qiongfang was thrown into turmoil. The grating wail of sirens echoed through the streets and alleys day and night.

The upper nobility sat high above everyone else as the decision-makers. They lived on the mountainside, a full two social strata removed from the commoners in the lower city.

They cared only about results and couldn't be bothered to consider whether the process of purging their ranks would affect the lives of ordinary demons.

The city's former peace and quiet had been shattered, leaving it utterly "lively."

Dressed in black and wearing a wide hood as usual, Shisui made his way through the unusually noisy streets of Qiongfang City.

A chaotic medley of sirens and voices rang incessantly in his ears.

It made him feel as though he had returned to the human society of his previous life, where Ghouls lived among humans.

Back then, Ghouls often appeared in the city at night, leaving a mess and blaring alarms in their wake.

It was exactly eleven p.m. on November 11. Usually, there were few people on the streets at this hour.

But today, people were coming and going, and lights shone everywhere. Every so often, passing soldiers knocked on the door of a home along the street.

Frequent security checks and censuses kept the entire city from sleeping.

One moment, commoners would think they could finally get a good night's sleep, only for someone to knock on their door the next.

Clearly, the lowly commoners of the lower city were not the ones benefiting from the new regulations.

By contrast, none were happier than the city guards armed with search warrants.

Before, they had needed to find excuses and make time for themselves, and they had to be discreet when extorting people;

Now, as long as they gave the nobles above them a share of the proceeds, they had the right to break straight into people's homes.

Some relatively wealthy families were even charged with fabricated crimes and had their homes raided, their property all "confiscated."

They were committing home invasions and robbery under orders. It couldn't have felt better.

"Sir, we're all law-abiding citizens! Red Crane Orchid? We've never even heard of them!"

"We didn't join a rebel organization! This is a complete fabrication!"

"That's right! We must have been framed! We're innocent!"

"Don't arrest me! Don't arrest me!"

"Stop pushing! Stop pushing! Someone's fallen over!"

This was the thirteenth—no, the fourteenth family Shisui had seen today accused of joining a rebel organization.

Not only would their home be raided, but every one of them would also be arrested.

Lou Shisui passed by in the shadows, ignoring the piercing cries and pleas for mercy.

What followed was much the same each time: the soldiers would turn the accusation around, berate them, then drag them away to be dealt with.

"So you're saying I'm falsely accusing you!"

"How outrageous! You dare hurl abuse at an officer of the law! Drag them away and behead them at once!"

"Yes, sir!"

Well, it wasn't merely much the same. It was exactly the same.

Now the rebel organization didn't even need to bother clearing its name. Everyone would draw the same comparison in their hearts.

Red Crane Orchid opposed the upper echelons of the Demon Race, so they too had been falsely accused of colluding with the Human Race by the noble lords.

They ignored public resentment and relied solely on armed force to sweep through the lower city, making all the troublemakers lie low.

It was indeed a way to stabilize public order in the short term and ensure the assembly proceeded smoothly.

But it was unquestionably a method that couldn't have been any worse.

False peace would only intensify the conflict between the upper class and the commoners, allowing the suppressed urge to resist to build and build.

When that force could no longer be suppressed and was truly unleashed, the tidal wave of anger would surely engulf Qiongfang City.

Shisui left the noisy lower city behind and wandered leisurely up the mountainside, then strolled into a viscount's home.

Of the noble families he currently controlled completely, this one had the highest standing and the deepest foundations.

As one of the more prominent viscount families of the Demon Race, the E'er Family had at least five Profound Realm powerhouses.

That should have made Shisui, who was only at the eighth stage of the Yellow Realm, afraid to approach them.

But unfortunately for them, the first person in the family to be converted was a younger E'er assigned to the night patrol, who was also the grandson of one of those Profound Realm powerhouses.

Once one of the Profound Realm powerhouses fell victim, the others naturally became easy prey.

"E'er Kai, report the key points of today's internal Demon Race meeting."

At Shisui's command, a pale-faced old man appeared. With stiff steps, he slowly approached Shisui.

Compared with the other demons whose realms were not high enough, the old man's expression and movements were somewhat stiffer.

That was because E'er Kai was not a puppet, but a living dead man controlled by [Bone-Deep Rot].

At present, Shisui was only at the eighth stage of the Yellow Realm, which was not enough to create bones suited to a Profound Realm powerhouse.

Making a Profound Realm powerhouse into a puppet would only diminish his strength and waste the body.

So, generally, whenever someone was at a higher realm than Shisui, he would either compress and store him, turning him into reserve food,

or use toxins to control him, maximizing the benefits.

That said, there still weren't many prey at the Profound Realm or above that he could defeat.

E'er Kai came before him and began his report.

"One week from now, Qiongfang City will implement a citywide curfew. Residents and visitors will be prohibited from going out between twelve midnight and five a.m. until the assembly ends."

So this is the new order decided at today's emergency meeting.

They're awfully bold. They're oppressing the people this badly, and they really aren't afraid of a revolt?

Then again, the strongest fighters are all in the upper class. At least one Heaven Realm powerhouse lives in the center of Qiongfang City alone.

Forget it. I'm not really interested in whether ordinary demons live or die anyway.

Shisui gathered his wandering thoughts and continued listening to the report.

"In addition, it has been officially confirmed that the spirit treasure on Embracing Moon Peak will mature during the assembly. The exact time will change according to the Psychic Energy fluctuations throughout the mountain range."

"At the same time, it is believed that the Human Race's Chen City may have obtained some information about the spirit treasure, and that the Ten-Thousand-Blade Beastfolk have most likely noticed the abnormality as well."

"That concludes my report."

"Explain in detail how much the other two races know about the spirit treasure."

Shisui tapped the armrest of his seat rhythmically, sorting through the current situation of the three races in his mind.

"As for the Human Race's Chen City, the Psychic Energy leaking from the spirit treasure enters the Wunu River along with the mountain snowmelt. Even with interception measures in place, Psychic Energy has still overflowed in the river's middle reaches."

"Therefore, it was expected that the Human Race would discover it."

"In addition, during the census over the past two days, quite a few Human Race spies have been uncovered, far more than before. This also provides indirect evidence that Chen City may have noticed the unusual activity within the mountain range."

"As for the Beastfolk, they may have vaguely sensed something."

"But with the Human Race intercepting it further upstream, there will not be any major Psychic Energy fluctuations in the lower reaches of the Wunu River. So the Beastfolk will notice it later."

Shisui agreed with these analyses. What was suspicious now was why the Demon Race, despite clearly having gained the initiative, was in no hurry to press its advantage.

The Demon Race was clearly revealing information to the other two races deliberately, and had even chosen to hold the assembly during the spirit treasure's maturation period.

Surely the Demon Race can't be looking down on the heavenly spirit treasure within the mountain range and intending to let the other two races have it?

The Demon Race is definitely drawing the other two races' attention on purpose, for a benefit greater than the spirit treasure.

"Ha, now this is getting interesting."

Perhaps intensifying the conflict with the lower-class demons and deliberately throwing the situation into greater chaos is also a move by the upper echelons of the Demon Race.

It's very likely they intend to set this city off and plunge the entire Ten-Thousand-Blade Mountain Range region into turmoil.

Ruthless. So what exactly is worth the Demon Race giving up the heavenly spirit treasure they've coveted for so long, and even abandoning Qiongfang City?

I can't wait!