That day, Lulu and Sibya were training hard on a small patch of open ground outside the cave!
Er Dongsheng emerged from the cave!
He stood nearly two meters tall, with a powerful build, broad shoulders, and black scales gleaming with dark light. Rings of mysterious patterns shone through them. Simply standing there, he radiated a quiet, commanding presence!
His aura had grown even sharper, even more imposing! His martial arts had improved again!
"I've decided to go to the Trading Market alone in a few days. I'll be back as soon as I can, but from what Sibya says, the trip will probably take a month or two..."
"Brother, be careful, okay? Lulu will wait for you at home!" The Little Succubus understood that her brother couldn't take her on this journey. The route was far too dangerous, especially with so little known about that Trading Market!
"Mm. You and Sibya stay home. There's enough food stored away for both of you! Don't go out. Be good and wait for me to come back!"
Still uneasy, Er Dongsheng warned the Lesser Imp, "Take good care of the place! If the little one comes to even the slightest harm, you know what'll happen!!!"
After warning them, Er Dongsheng spent several more days sweeping the area around the cave. He killed until the nearby predators fled in every direction, scared out of their wits, and he spared even the larger herbivores no mercy! He simply couldn't bear to leave the little one at home without making it safe. For her sake, he didn't mind playing butcher and destroying anything in the area that might hurt the Little Succubus!
That was how deeply he cared for her!
Three days later, Er Dongsheng set out beneath the Little Succubus's reluctant gaze, heading north along the mountain range where they lived!
At the northernmost edge of the forest, beside the vast mountain range, the Demons had built a Camp. Seen from above, it resembled a tangled web, half stretching into the forest and half clinging to the mountainside. Its layout was complicated and chaotic.
The defensive walls and fortifications were just as haphazard. From the day the place was founded, no one seemed to have planned it at all: a little added here, a little added there, until it resembled a maze. The walls themselves, though, were interesting. Most were made from a common gray-black vine found in the Abyss.
The vines were thick and smooth, covered in sharp barbs. Twisted together in great masses, they formed stretches of defensive wall!
From what Er Dongsheng understood, several powerful Abyssal Fairy clans living in the Trading Camp had worked together to grow those vine walls as protection against dangerous wild Abyssal Creatures! The thorn-covered vines made excellent defenses, especially when intertwined; their strength multiplied, and even an ordinary First-Level Demon would need quite some time to break through!
Abyssal Fairies were among the more formidable Abyssal Species. Like the Abyssal Succubus, every adult in these social Intelligent Species knew a spell or two unique to their kind! The Abyssal Succubus specialized in mental control, using it to command generally docile Abyssal animals. How strong an animal they could control depended on their own mental strength!
Abyssal Fairies, meanwhile, excelled at controlling less formidable Abyssal plants, such as Abyssal Vine Grass! But Abyssal Vines were among the stronger varieties of vine, and one or two Abyssal Fairies couldn't control them alone. Every member of the clan had to work together!
That was why, in the Abyss, most creatures rarely provoked a social species unless there was a great deal to gain!
That day, the Trading Market hidden at the forest's edge welcomed a new Demon! His huge, burly frame was somewhat small beside those of certain other kinds of Demon, but his dark scales, the mysterious patterns gleaming across some of them, and the luminous white Abyss Star on his forehead all showed that this newcomer—never before seen at the market—was exceptionally strong!
The Abyssal Species walking along the road moved aside, casting sidelong glances and quietly sizing up the new Demon.
That Demon was Er Dongsheng!
In fact, Er Dongsheng had spent more than half a month on the journey, taking the time to build up enough strength. He knew this place could hardly be called safe. Compared with its dangers, the so-called war-torn cities of North Africa, Central Asia, and the Middle East in the human world of his previous life might as well have been havens of peace.
Of course, that didn't mean this place was ruled entirely by the law of the jungle. It had rules of its own; otherwise, so many creatures would never dare come here. Wanton killing was forbidden inside the Camp, or one might well incur the wrath of every Demon present.
Demons weren't common in the Trading Market, but they weren't so rare as to be unseen; a few could be spotted now and then. In particular, several large groups that lived at the market year-round had stationed powerful Demons here to keep watch!
Demons were an unruly lot, after all. The Abyssal Species were one thing: the market had been founded by Demons, and they wouldn't court death by provoking anyone here. But there was no telling what another Demon might do! A new face like Er Dongsheng, who looked exceptionally strong, demanded even closer attention!
In fact, before Er Dongsheng had even entered the Trading Market, several scouts had reported what little they knew about him. He had been marked for close observation!
Demons might lack a developed culture, but they were far from stupid. Every one of them was cunning, and scouts who kept constant watch over the Trading Market had existed for ages!
As Er Dongsheng walked through the market, he casually surveyed the scene. He knew countless Abyssal Species were watching him in secret. Among their sharper gazes, he even sensed the presence of several Demons!
He couldn't be bothered with them, though. Let them look. He hadn't come to cause trouble, so what did it matter if they watched him?
He hadn't brought much with him. The main goods he had to trade were a few essences taken from Abyssal Species and the pelts of some powerful Exotic Beasts, all acquired on his way here!
Essences from Abyssal Species were valuable goods, much sought after in the Trading Market! After all, Abyssal Species could advance into Demons by devouring essences. It was easy to imagine how much demand there was for them!
As for Exotic Beast pelts, they were prized by Demons skilled at crafting. Supposedly, those Demons could use the natural patterns on the pelts to make powerful magical weapons, though Er Dongsheng didn't know whether that was true! What he did know was that the creatures called Exotic Beasts were incredibly formidable!
On his way here, for instance, Er Dongsheng had encountered a foxlike monster that could discharge electricity. When he fought it, good grief—the electricity had crackled and snapped until he was scorched outside and tender inside! Only because his body was so resilient had he managed, after the better part of a day, to kill the thing. Its pelt and the single horn on its forehead had become part of his collection!
Following the crowd of Abyssal Species, Er Dongsheng passed through something resembling a huge gateway. In an instant, everything beyond it came into view!
"Good grief! This..."
"Is this a vegetable market?"
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