On a barren mountain ten thousand miles outside Black King City, all sorts of animals were playing. Space rippled above the peak, and a large crowd of black-robed people suddenly stepped out of thin air. A demon dragon flying carriage hovered in the sky. They were none other than the Demon Sect members who had teleported from Black King City.
Aboard the demon dragon, Zhou Qiong took out a model mountain. It was the upgraded version of the True Demon Mountain-Protecting Formation he had exchanged one hundred thousand Villain Points for: the Great True Demon Mountain-Protecting Formation. It was a True Martial-grade formation. Even a True Martial Realm expert trying to storm the mountain would not get in easily.
Zhou Qiong waved lightly, and the formation instantly enveloped the entire barren mountain. Wisps of mist slowly began rising over it, making it difficult to see what lay within from outside.
"Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow Four Divisions, where are you?" Zhou Qiong called out.
A group wearing four kinds of masks-diamond, gold, silver, and bronze-immediately stepped out of the crowd and answered,
"Your subordinates are here!"
"Learn everything about the surrounding area as quickly as possible!"
"Yes." The four divisions accepted their orders, turned, and flew out of the mountain.
"Everyone else, rest and reorganize here. This mountain will be our Demon Sect's headquarters in the Upper Realm!"
"Yes!" the Demon Sect members answered in unison.
Though it was a barren mountain, it was no shorter than Heavenly Demon Peak in the Lower Realm, and was even somewhat larger. Perhaps because the Upper Realm had abundant Spiritual Qi, its mountains were all exceptionally tall and massive, so this barren mountain was unremarkable among them.
For a time, all sorts of sounds rang out across the barren mountain. Some began constructing palaces, others managed the waterways, and others built roads. The sounds rose one after another. An enormous stone stele was also erected at the foot of the mountain, bearing three great characters: Heavenly Demon Peak. This proved that the Demon Sect officially had territory of its own in the Upper Realm.
Meanwhile, in the Lower Realm, on Heavenly Demon Peak of the Cangwu Continent, a vast square was packed with youths. Excitement covered every face, for they had passed the assessment and joined the continent's strongest power, the Demon Sect.
Above the square, Li Changsheng, the black-robed hall master of Azure Dragon Hall, stood in the air and declared, "You were all chosen through round after round of selection, and you will become pillars of our Demon Sect. You must keep the sect's rules firmly in mind and swear loyalty to the Cult Leader unto death."
"Yes!" The youths below all bowed in salute.
After giving those around him a few brief instructions, Li Changsheng left. He had to make haste with his cultivation. He had heard the Cult Leader say that the cultivation environment in the Upper Realm was better. He had to redouble his efforts over these three years and could not fall too far behind everyone.
Below, a purple-robed steward led a group of people in taking the youths out of the square and showing them the various sites of the Heavenly Demon Cult. Before long, they reached Demon Saint Hall. The purple-robed steward said casually, "This is our Demon Sect's sacred cultivation ground. None may enter without earning merit."
The youths all looked at Demon Saint Hall in astonishment. Just how extraordinary must it be for the continent's strongest power, the Demon Sect, to call it a sacred cultivation ground?
One youth in brocade robes said quietly, "I know about this. An uncle of my clan went in to cultivate once two years ago. In just two months, he broke straight through from peak Martial Emperor to late-stage Martial Sovereign. Now he has already ascended with the Cult Leader."
"Really? He broke straight through three levels? Just what is inside Demon Saint Hall? Could spirit medicines and immortal herbs be growing everywhere?"
The other youths all stared at the brocade-robed youth in astonishment, but he did not answer. He knew what was inside because that clan uncle had told him, but he did not know whether it counted as a secret. If he blurted it out and displeased the steward, his losses would outweigh his gains.
The purple-robed steward gave the brocade-robed youth a meaningful glance. He had a very good impression of this youth. Though showy, he understood propriety and knew what should and should not be said. At his age, he could be called one in ten thousand.
They passed Demon Saint Hall and viewed some of the Demon Sect's many cultivation sites and seclusion grounds before finally arriving at Heavenly Devil Hall. Ever since Cult Leader Zhou Qiong and the others had ascended, Heavenly Devil Hall had remained partially closed. Li Changsheng, who now managed affairs, had been issuing orders from his own Azure Dragon Hall.
The purple-robed steward led everyone into Heavenly Devil Hall. Dozens of statues stood inside. Right in the center stood a statue a hundred zhang tall, dressed in demon dragon battle robes, its face domineering. A silver-black lightning mark between its brows lent it an added air of mystery. Its eyes held endless black light as they gazed skyward, as though it held everyone beneath heaven in contempt.
The youths who had just stepped into the hall immediately felt boundless majesty. It was as though an ancient demon god appeared in their minds, battling the entire world through mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
"Ah!"
"Ah!"
Screams immediately rang out one after another throughout the hall. More than half the youths fainted outright, while most of the rest lay on the floor wailing. Only two were different: one was the brocade-robed youth, and the other was a youth carrying a long saber on his back! Though their faces were also deathly pale, neither made a sound from beginning to end.
At that moment, a guard beside the purple-robed steward quietly said a few words to him, then withdrew.
After a quarter of an hour, the pressure within the hall vanished. Only two people remained standing, and the guards woke the others one after another.
The purple-robed steward addressed the youths in a clear voice. "Do you recognize all the statues in this hall?"
Most of the youths present looked utterly bewildered. Though the names of the Demon Sect's higher-ups were renowned throughout the continent, they were still too young. Even if they had heard the names, they did not know exactly what those people looked like.
Only the brocade-robed youth and the saber-bearing youth looked somewhat calmer. The purple-robed steward looked at the brocade-robed youth. The guard had just told him that this was the Great Qian Dynasty's third prince, while the saber-bearing youth was the young fort lord of Yellow Sand Fort.
"Third Prince Qian, you should recognize them all. Introduce them to everyone."
The brocade-robed youth bowed to the purple-robed steward. "Steward, my name is Qian Yuqi. You may simply call me Qian San."
Then he turned to the puzzled youths. "Everyone, you may have heard of them before without having seen them. In the center is our Demon Sect's supreme and exalted Cult Leader."
"The one in red robes beside the Cult Leader is our sect's chief steward, Lord Liansheng.
"Standing first on the left in white robes is the Grand Protector, Lord Bai Haotian. The other seven are the protectors: Lord Ning Wu, Lord Wei Xiao, Lord Sun Hao, Lord Zheng Yuan, Lord Chu Tianhe, Lord Han Xu, and Lord Yang Rong.
"The four on the right are the hall master of Azure Dragon Hall, Lord Li Changsheng; the hall master of Black Tortoise Hall, Lord Wan Li; the hall master of White Tiger Hall, Lord Chu Kaishan; and the hall master of Vermilion Bird Hall, Lord Bing Li.
"At the head of the other twelve is the Demon Rat King of the Twelve Demon Kings, Lord Chen Shu. As for the remaining eleven, I only know their titles, not their actual names."
Qian San turned and bowed to the purple-robed steward, then retreated into the crowd. In fact, there were four people he had not introduced just now: the four statues hidden behind the Cult Leader, each wearing a different mask.
The purple-robed steward waved his hand. "Very good. You should firmly remember their lordships' names and appearances. It will be of great help after you ascend."
"Yes!"
This chapter mainly introduces the names of some of the Demon Sect's higher-ups. After this, the protagonist will officially begin his conquests in the Upper Realm.