"Ow, come on, my dear sister! We haven't finished memorizing that map yet!" Tu Fei panicked.
"Spare me that act."
Luo Yue did not even raise her eyelids. She did not believe for a second that the two little bandits lacked a backup. Casually tossing them two Jade Talismans, she said, "Once you're inside, use these to send word if you find any information worth sharing."
"If the information is valuable enough, we split the proceeds ninety-ten. Ninety for me, ten for you. Try bargaining again, and I'll confiscate the map. Then you can go play by yourselves."
Tu Fei and Jiang Huairen exchanged sheepish looks.
Just then, another unfamiliar greater demon appeared, bringing more than a dozen juniors behind him.
"Hmph!"
The old demon king resembled a vulture and radiated a sinister aura. He gave a cold snort the instant he appeared.
His clouded, hawklike eyes swept over the dozens of young human faces whose numbers had clearly increased. He snorted again in displeasure, his voice rasping like sandpaper, his hostility undisguised. "There are nearly half again as many humans here this year as in previous years. Why even call this the Demon Race Trial Ancient Domain? We might as well rename it the Human Race Trial Grounds."
His words were not without foundation.
Besides Luo Yue, Tu Fei, and Jiang Huairen-the three humans who clearly had close ties to the Peacock King, the Azure Flood Dragon King, the Nether Flood Dragon Queen, and even the Thirteen Great Bandits-other human cultivators stood scattered around the edges of the gathering.
Some kept their auras subdued and unobtrusive, while others used secret arts to disguise themselves with demonic auras. Yet each was attached to one of the demon kings present, having evidently secured entry through connections or other means.
At a