Lesser Imp Sibya

"Brother, Brother, look! Lulu caught a big one!" The little succubus's delighted cry came from outside the cave. Er Dongsheng opened his eyes, rose to his feet, and hurried out in long strides.

For the past few days, Er Dongsheng had been troubled over his cultivation, quietly pondering it day and night. The little one had been very sensible, playing by herself and never disturbing him. But now that she was shouting so loudly, something must have happened!

"Brother, look! Lulu caught a big one—it's an Abyssal Species!"

The little succubus was straining to tug on a vine. At its end was a Lesser Imp covered in mud, bound tightly and standing there with his head lowered, trembling so hard he did not even dare breathe.

The poison was not particularly potent. Not long after the little succubus had tied him up, Sibya the Lesser Imp had already regained consciousness thanks to the strong resistance of Abyssal Creatures. He had obediently let Lulu escort him up the mountain and bring him to the entrance of the cave where Er Dongsheng and the others lived.

He secretly raised his head to study the newly appeared demon before him. A towering body, shoulders like an iron tower, dark scales that seemed to gleam black, and a thick tail swaying casually behind him like a blade, slicing through the air with piercing shrieks. Sometimes, when the tail drooped carelessly, it would punch straight through the hard rock beneath his feet!

Together with the bright, lustrous white Abyss Star on his forehead, it told him beyond any doubt that the one the little succubus called Brother was an Abyss Demon—and an exceptionally powerful one at that!

Sibya had spent some time hanging around trading grounds before and had seen quite a few Abyss Demons. Those demons had been powerful too, but none had given him pressure like the demon before him! He merely stood there without releasing even a trace of an Abyss Demon's aura, yet Sibya was already so frightened that his legs nearly gave out beneath him and he collapsed to the ground!

He had fallen into complete despair. The last sliver of his desire to flee vanished without a trace!

Though he was only a Lesser Imp, this fellow was extraordinarily skilled at reading faces and judging situations. With just one furtive glance at Er Dongsheng, he instantly inferred many things! It could be said that this Lesser Imp had likely survived until now solely because of this ability!

One had to know that in the Abyss, Lesser Imps rarely lived past thirty!

"Brother, look! An Abyssal Species! Lulu's amazing, right?" The moment the little succubus saw her brother appear, she tossed the vine in her hand to the ground and ran toward Er Dongsheng in high spirits!

With her brother here, the little one was not afraid that the Lesser Imp would escape!

"Mhm, my girl is amazing! I'll make you a feast later as a reward!" He scooped up the little succubus as she ran over, rubbed her little head, and set her on his shoulder amid her giggling laughter. This was her favorite place to sit!

The big and little pair laughed and played as though no one else existed, paying no attention whatsoever to the unlucky Lesser Imp nearby!

The poor Lesser Imp Sibya kept his head deeply lowered, not daring to look too much. He lay there without moving, though inwardly he was bewildered. He had always assumed that the little succubus was this Abyss Demon's subordinate or pet slave, but that clearly did not seem to be the case! How close did they have to be for the little succubus to sit on this demon lord's shoulder? This, this...

The sight before him was about to shatter his worldview.

"Brother? Could they be related by blood? Impossible!" Inside Lesser Imp Sibya's tiny brain, ten thousand Abyssal alpacas seemed to be stampeding wildly past, leaving him dizzy and utterly at a loss!

What the Abyss valued was bloodline ability. Whether an Abyssal Species or an Abyss Demon had a good bloodline almost determined how far he could walk down the path of demons. Of course, there were exceptions. Among the thirteen most famous Demon Lords of the ancient age, one had possessed only ordinary talent, yet crossed a threshold that countless demons could never pass!

The Lord of Temptation, Lilith Selvia, the most famous female Demon Lord in the Abyss. Legend had it that she had merely been an ordinary Succubus, yet she had ascended from the aptitude of a common demon to the throne yearned for by countless demons!

There were many more examples, but there was no need to list them all. The point was that bloodlines were not absolute in the Abyss.

However, the current state of the Abyss was this: Demon Lords existed only in legend, Legendary Demons had vanished without a trace, Greater Demons hid behind the scenes, and the Abyss now belonged to first- and second-level demons. Among those first- and second-level demons, the quality of one's bloodline determined the strength of one's power. Some demons who inherited the bloodline of ancient Greater Demons could even advance to the Greater Demon level through bloodline power alone. They were truly formidable!

What made Lesser Imp Sibya especially dizzy was that intelligent species such as Abyssal Succubi and Abyssal Fairies shared a trait: when they coupled with other Abyssal Species, the demon born would either be a female Succubus or a demon of the father's species. It was almost impossible for bloodlines to mingle—unless there was a mutation! Like the little succubus!

But mutated bloodlines were exceedingly rare in the Abyss, especially mutations among Abyssal Species! Mutation did not necessarily bring benefits; what emerged could simply be a useless bloodline! Thinking of Little Lulu, it would have been better for that little one not to mutate at all and simply become an ordinary Succubus!

"Could they be demons with the same father but different species?" Sibya was utterly confused. No matter how he looked at them, they did not resemble siblings!

"This lowly one is called Sibya. I trespassed into Your Excellency's territory out of necessity. Please spare my life, my lord!" Snot and tears streamed down Sibya's face as he desperately begged Er Dongsheng for mercy!

"My lord, this lowly one, I..."

"Shut up! I ask, you answer. Say one extra word, and I'll reward you with a whip!" Er Dongsheng frowned. This Lesser Imp's endless babbling was giving him a headache! His whip-like tail lightly lashed the ground, and a deep whip mark instantly appeared in the hard stone!

"Hiss!"

The might of a single whip was terrifying indeed!

His martial prowess had improved again! It seemed he had gained quite a lot over the past few days!

"Yes, yes! This lowly one will say whatever he knows! I won't add another half-word! I..."

Were you a long-mouthed gossip in your past life or something?

"Shut up!"

Bang!