Of course, none of this had anything to do with Hodan now. His plan was to take the Fiend evaluation first. Being a Fiend would offer him plenty of conveniences, and the Fiend Badge would help him avoid trouble as he traveled through Hell.
Combined with the aura of a Highgod from his Fate God Clone, it would also serve as a powerful deterrent.
Without wasting any time, Hodan set off for Fiend Castle!
Hodan walked slowly along the broad Black Jade road toward Fiend Castle, with the rusty Zhengdu strapped to his back. Passersby kept glancing back at him, but he paid them no mind.
The Higher Planes were different from the Material Planes. Space Rings were everywhere in the Higher Planes. Even the lowest-ranked Saint-level experts owned several, and most people liked to store their weapons in them. When battle was needed, a mere thought would make a weapon appear in their hands. It was extremely convenient.
There was no need to carry a weapon openly and give an enemy a chance to prepare. Some people did carry theirs in the open, but they were few and far between.
Someone like Hodan, carrying a battered long saber on his back and ambling down the street, was a rare sight indeed.
There was nothing he could do about it. Zhengdu was simply too heavy. Hodan couldn't even imagine fighting with it right now; he could barely manage to carry it on his back. He needed to get used to its weight as quickly as possible so that he could wield it freely one day.
That was only possible because, over the past few days, his body had been tempered at Flame Mountain and he had devoted all his effort to nurturing the weapon. At last, Zhengdu had reached the level of a High-God Artifact.
Even so, when Hodan carried it on his back, he had to keep circulating divine power to lighten the burden. Otherwise, given Zhengdu's weight, every step would leave a footprint in the ground. Then passersby wouldn't just gather to stare—the city guards would come to discuss compensation.
But there were benefits, too. Bearing Zhengdu's weight slowly strengthened his body. And the constant circulation of divine power gave Hodan finer control over it. Gradually, the divine power he expended carrying Zhengdu became equal to the rate at which he absorbed it from the Divine Power Ocean.
But using Zhengdu freely in battle was out of the question. As Huoxie had said, Hodan needed the strength of a Seven-Star Fiend just to withstand wielding it in combat. To unleash even a fraction of Zhengdu's power, he would need the strength of a Six-Star Fiend.
The ancient Fiend Castle was dark purple from top to bottom. Its iconic colossal carving—the indistinct face and its eerie red eye—was impossible to forget once seen.
Far fewer people headed for Fiend Castle than for Heiyan Castle or Black Sand Castle.
Yet although those heading to Fiend Castle were few, they walked the streets with a confident air. Most wore Fiend Badges on their chests. Clearly, they were all Fiends!
The elite of Hell!
Hodan climbed the steps and entered the first-floor hall of Fiend Castle.
The hall was spacious and nearly empty, with only a few hundred people inside. In such a vast space, they seemed scattered here and there. Hodan spotted the "Fiend Applications" counter at a glance.
A few black-haired, black-armored men picked up bottles of fine wine from the table. Seeing Hodan enter, they drank as they called out, "Hey, another one's come to take the evaluation."
But when they sensed the aura of a Fate Highgod from Hodan, they said no more. They were only Mid-Gods, after all. Even a Highgod who had refined a Divine Spark had at least the strength of a Three-Star Fiend. And their opponent cultivated the even more mysterious Four Rules—not someone they had any right to gossip about.
Hodan went straight to the Fiend Applications counter and said to the pretty woman in charge, "I'd like to take the Fiend evaluation."
The woman nodded. "Sure. You know the rules: one thousand Inkstones per person." She held out her hand. Hodan turned his palm over and took a long Azure Stone bar from his Space Ring.
After taking the bar, the woman in charge of Fiend applications took out a seal bearing the image of an eerie eye and handed it to Hodan.
"This is your proof of entry for the Fiend evaluation," she said with a smile. "Oh, and tell me where you're staying. I'll make a note of it."
Hodan knew how the Fiend evaluation worked. The exact mission wouldn't be revealed until the participants were ready to take part. For now, no one knew what it would be. Even the date was uncertain. Usually, the evaluation was held once enough people had signed up.
The mission would begin only after a certain number of applicants had gathered.
No one could predict who would sign up, so there was no way to know when the evaluation would start.
In any case, it wouldn't take more than a month. Nearly every day, someone applied to take the Fiend evaluation, and Hodan wasn't foolish enough to wait around for the mission to begin.
After signing up, Hodan walked slowly home with Zhengdu on his back. He planned to make the most of the time before the Fiend mission began and train. Time was short, and he didn't want to waste a single opportunity to grow stronger.
At last, half a month later, someone from Fiend Castle came to notify Hodan that they would gather outside the city the next day.
Hodan had made little progress during those two weeks. He had simply grown accustomed to Zhengdu's weight from carrying it for so long. Meanwhile, his Fate Clone had absorbed enough Soul Golden Beads to make his soul stronger and clearer.
Early the next morning, Hodan headed for the city gate. By the time he arrived, a large Metal Lifeform was already hovering outside the city, bearing the symbol of the Fiends.
"There seem to be quite a few people already." Through the Metal Lifeform's transparent windows, Hodan could see many people inside.
He immediately flew toward it. An old man in silver robes stood at the entrance. He looked at Hodan and asked, "Are you here to take the Fiend evaluation?"
Hodan nodded.
"Please show me your Fiend Seal." The silver-robed elder wore a completely humorless, businesslike expression.
After seeing the Fiend Seal in Hodan's hand, the elder nodded slightly. "Go on in."
As Hodan turned and boarded the Metal Lifeform, Zhengdu's weight made him land with such a heavy thud that the whole vessel shook violently.
Hodan ignored the eyes fixed on him and coldly surveyed the area. The others sensed that he was a Highgod and didn't dare say anything. The Metal Lifeform soon settled back to stillness.
Inside was a wide corridor leading in both directions. There were people in the corridor, too. When one of them saw Hodan, he said, "Those taking the Fiend evaluation, head to the rear cabin."
As soon as he entered the rear cabin,
Hodan looked at the hundreds of people inside and found a seat. The seats were arranged in rows of twenty, with four aisle openings in each row. Looking around, he was reminded of an airplane cabin from his previous life, except that he was sitting in economy class.
Through the transparent windows, Hodan saw more and more people boarding. Some of them even wore Fiend Badges. Quite a few of them did.
Hodan quickly realized that this was a large-scale mission. He just didn't know how many stars the leader had. But he wasn't too concerned. Even a large-scale mission would be no more than a Six-Star Fiend's in difficulty. Seven-Star Fiend evaluations were always conducted alone. With his current strength as a Five-Star Fiend, plus the equipment Huoxie had given him, he might not win, but escaping would be no problem.
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