"This is a different matter. You've probably also noticed that traveling with you are three-star, four-star, and even five-star Fiends."
The white-haired middle-aged man smiled slightly.
"The Blocking Black Knight and Fort Master Zhe Lan are targets for them to deal with, and have nothing to do with you."
Hearing this, Hermes couldn't help falling silent in his heart.
No wonder. Most likely, it's not that too many people died in the last Demon Assessment, but that they were waiting for the Five-star Demons and the others to gather the experts under their command.
Experts in Hell did not trust each other easily, but when strength reached the level of Salif, endless years would still accumulate quite a few life-and-death brothers.
These were all tested through wave after wave of blood and fire, and were life-and-death partners who could entrust their backs to each other.
Without partners, they would rather not accept high-star Demon Missions at all.
Two and a half months later.
The large metal life inscribed with the Demon Castle emblem flew into the sky above an endless desert.
"Clang, clang, clang!"
The white-haired middle-aged man rang the warning bell in the rear cabin of the metal life, drawing the attention of the Demon Assessment participants who were sitting or standing.
"We've arrived."
"Once you go out, just continue flying north for a few miles, and you'll easily spot the ancient castle standing in the desert."
"This isn't Yilan City. Be careful in everything you do, and you can return to the metal life once you obtain the Blocking Gold Saber."
"Boom-clack!"
The massive metal life suddenly split open a huge cabin door from the middle, leaving almost no trace beforehand.
I have to say,
Metal lives truly were the pinnacle creation of alchemists!
"Whoosh!"
A few experts wearing Demon Medals flew out of the metal life first. They were old-timers and didn't need to listen to the nagging of the Demon Castle staff.
Born in Hell, every single moment of life was a world-shaking high-stakes gamble.
Staying alive was a miracle in itself.
"Let's go!"
Salif stayed at the very end of the group, glanced lightly at Hermes, and then left without looking back.
"Since you wouldn't listen to advice, you can't blame anyone else if you die!"
"Boss, when did you start caring about some punk who's just taking the Demon Assessment for the first time?"
"Hahaha, if this guy's hair color and build weren't wrong, I'd almost have thought he was the boss's illegitimate son."
Several Fiends, also dressed in black armor, chatted and bantered as they flew out of the metal life.
Their voices were unbridled, not even avoiding Hermes, the person involved.
"Damn it!"
Hermes cursed inwardly, Want to be my old man? At least be on the level of the Chongxuan Mountain Range for that.
Fortunately in this lifetime,
he had reincarnated as a golden mountain, so he didn't have to worry at all about random people suddenly popping up to claim kinship.
"Swish!"
Several more figures flew out.
Saba was among them. He was one of the several High Gods participating in this three-star Demon Mission.
For the judgment of Demon ranks in Hell, aside from the first one which was directly one-star, everything afterward turned into a point system.
Saba's strength wasn't weak,
but his points were insufficient, so he could still only accept the three-star Demon Missions issued by Demon Castle.
Only by accumulating a certain number of points could he be promoted to a four-star Fiend. The rewards and points obtained from Demon Missions of different star levels varied.
"Just wait to die, you lowly Middle God brat!"
At the same time Saba flew out,
a cold voice, as if coming from a tomb, rang out by Hermes's ear.
"Is this never going to end?"
Hermes was speechless.
He really didn't want to kill anyone, but there were always people eager to stick their heads out for him to blow apart.
Once all the Star Demons flew out of the metal cabin door, over a thousand God-level experts participating in the Demon Assessment swarmed out like schooling fish.
The desert sand whistled, as if wanting to recount an ancient story, while that ancient castle stood quietly in the golden sand like a silent sentinel.
Waiting for their arrival.
Hermes knew clearly,
that countless dangers were hidden within this ancient castle, and perhaps unknown rare treasures were harbored there as well.
He turned his head and glanced at the large metal life behind him, a gigantic entity full of technological aesthetic.
"For this mission, I wonder how many will die in battle and how many will return?"
With just a slight sigh, Hermes smiled faintly, then leaped forward, transforming into a dark shadow that flew at extreme speed toward the direction of the Blocking Ancient Castle.
Dressed in a suit of black battle armor and carrying a wide, heavy black two-handed battle sword on his back, his outfit was standard and conventional.
Neither abrupt nor flashy!
Meanwhile, the other Demon Assessment participants were also advancing along their respective paths.
Some chose to travel in groups, while others chose to act alone.
Everyone knew that the Demon Assessment pass rate was low, so no one dared to be even a bit relaxed or careless.
The Demon Assessment was not only a test of strength, but at the same time an even greater test of wisdom and courage.
Demon Castle only ever recognized tokens and never individuals. Seemingly cruel and merciless, it precisely suited the survival code of the Supreme Plane of Hell.
Along the flight toward the ancient castle, Hermes encountered some other Demon Assessment participants.
"Want to team up?"
"Strength in numbers. We can go all out to help one of us complete the mission first, and at worst, having more people can also protect our lives."
Invitation after invitation was ignored by Hermes entirely.
He didn't even glance at them.
After this time, well over ninety percent of the people here would die, so what was there to be scrupulous about?
Those who invited Hermes were mostly Middle Gods.
The few High Gods, even those who had merely refined divine sparks, were also full of confidence as they flew toward the Blocking Ancient Castle alone.
"Damn it, how can that stubborn, straight-laced bastard be so arrogant?"
Failure to invite him didn't matter!
Yet Hermes's indifferent attitude truly angered this group of people participating in the Demon Assessment for the first time.
Some of them cast curious gazes at him, while others were simply filled with hostility.
"Who does he think he is? Does he really think he's a High God?"
Frederi sent a voice transmission to several male High Gods accompanying her.
Relying on her identity as a female deity, she had indeed managed to gather a few Middle Gods who lacked confidence in their own strength.
All of them were male.
"Frederi, later we'll go all out to help you complete the Demon Assessment, but you have to help us too!"
Said the Blue-Haired Hook-Nosed Man.
"Sure. The Demon Assessment mission only requires a single Blocking Gold Saber. If I don't help you guys, who am I going to help?"
Frederi said with a smiling expression.
If there's an opportunity, of course I'll help you. Having a few cannon-fodder Middle Gods to boss around isn't bad either.
Living in the Snow Bee Tribe near Yilan City, Frederi relied on her rather outstanding beauty to make quite a name for herself within the Snow Bee Tribe.
This time, relying on the Ink Stone accumulated by a few male deities of the tribe,
she finally scraped together the money for the assessment.
Frederi's primary dream was naturally to become a powerful Fiend, and secondarily to marry into the city.
To achieve her goal, she began yet another round of keeping options on the hook.
Unlike the Snow Bee Tribe, no one who could participate in the Demon Assessment was a fool. If Frederi wanted to reel them in, they also needed a bond of mutual benefit; if everyone considered only themselves first, where would the basis for cooperation even be?
The various parties hit it off immediately.
Before you continue