Among the hundred races of the Mother River, the Demon Race was both powerful and weak.
The Demon Race relied on the power of bloodlines to grow naturally, and its ranks included many overwhelmingly powerful greater demons.
At the same time, bloodline power also affected the Demon Race, leaving natural enemies within its ranks who would fight each other to the death.
Thus, the Demon Race had never been a solid slab of iron, but rather a collection of scattered fragments.
Without the Demon Emperor to suppress everything, it would probably have fallen apart long ago on its own, without any other powerful race needing to attack it.
The territory under the Swallowing Heaven Python Clan's jurisdiction lay on the Demon Race's chaotic frontier.
That chaos also created many opportunities, drawing a considerable number of races to the region.
On this day, a fiery red streak of light descended from beyond the sky and landed atop a tall mountain.
This was one of the Swallowing Heaven Python Clan's strongholds.
The city had been built around the mountain. Viewed from the summit, enormous, irregular buildings rose one after another, extending down to the foot of the mountain and across the distant plains, spreading toward the horizon.
"I finally made it to the Demon Race's territory. I never imagined this journey would take a little longer than I expected."
The red light slowly revealed its form: an enormous bird.
Red feathers covered his entire body, and streaks of crimson light radiated from him. A bloodline power that was not particularly overbearing began to affect his surroundings, immediately drawing the attention of nearby demons occupied with various tasks.
Gaze after gaze turned toward him.
Some were curious, some wary, some greedy, and some numb.
This great red bird was none other than Jiang