In the Demon Realm, under a gray sky, the blood moon hung in the center as if eternal. Beside a deep river stood a thousand-zhang ancient castle. Within it, a figure shrouded in demonic energy sat, their eyes brimming with cold light, gazing at the four marshals seated below.
This was Hei Yi, in the Demon Realm. The demonic energy emanating from it was heaven-piercing. Even contained within its energy shield, it instilled fear in all present.
"Zhang Junbao! During my absence from Black Demon Castle, were the energy crystals harvested sent back to my master?" a deep voice boomed from the shadowy figure, its pale eyes fixed on an old man with a white beard, seated at the head.
"Lord Hei, your conquest of the Demon Realm has been arduous! Rest assured, Lord Hei, the energy crystals have been submitted. Furthermore, General Zhou asked me to bring this to you. As you were away, we dared not make a decision on our own." Zhang Junbao produced a porcelain bottle and a letter from Zhou Ningdong to Hei Yi.
Swiftly, Hei Yi devoured the letter with a single glance, then tossed the porcelain bottle to Zhang Junbao.
"These are Bigu Pills bestowed by Master as a reward for you. Each pill is equivalent to two to five hundred thousand tons of grain. Also, Zhang Junbao, arrange for a reliable person to enter the New Mortal Continent later and find Yue Di, the Vice City Lord of Yun Tian City. Tell him it's from Master; he will provide you with five thousand combat power manifestation cards."
At this moment, Hei Yi was like an emperor of the Demon Realm. Even a sliver of the oppressive aura it exuded made Zhang Junbao, a True Realm cultivator, feel immense pressure.
"Yes! I will arrange it immediately," Zhang Junbao said, bowing slightly, and led the two foreigners behind him out.
"Xue Daoguang, Zhang Boduan, how is the matter of you two establishing cultivation academies progressing?" Hei Yi turned again, its voice indifferent as it addressed an elder and a spiritual entity on the other side.
These two had become outcasts in Black Demon Castle due to their ancestors' previous betrayal. If not for Ye Yun's specific instructions, they would have already become Hei Yi's meal.
"The humans here have all begun attending classes. Lord Hei, if there is nothing else, I will leave with my unworthy disciple." Zhang Boduan bowed, truly fearing Hei Yi. He sincerely envied Zhang Junbao and the two foreigners; in just over a month, their strength had reached the True Realm, equivalent to his own.
Hei Yi sat there, waved its hand, and then watched their retreating figures coldly.
"Star Lord, when does Master want us to depart?" As Xue Daoguang and the others left, a chilling voice suddenly echoed through the hall.
"Await Master's command! Order the elites of our First Legion to withdraw from Planet 2 and prepare. The Second Legion will continue to purge dissenting demons, and the Third and Fourth Legions will guard Black Demon Planet. If anything goes awry, kill!"
"We obey the command of the Black Demon Emperor!" Four demons, similarly shrouded in black demonic energy, emerged from the shadows of the hall and departed to receive their orders.
Ye Yun had originally thought the Demon Realm's environment would be suitable for Hei Yi, so he left it there. He never imagined that in a mere few months, Hei Yi would completely dominate the planet, even conquering the second planet and expanding towards the third.
Black Demon Castle was an imperial palace Hei Yi built at the original spatial node. Besides tens of thousands of humans who could not return, it housed hundreds of thousands of demons. It was the only place in the Demon Realm governed by human rules, and Hei Yi had perfectly replicated the systems of Blue Star through Zhang Junbao.
...
New Mortal Continent...
Ye Yun observed the greatly transformed Hei Yi with curiosity, occasionally touching and prodding it.
"Hehe, Little Hei, you look much cooler after your second evolution. Look, your original black armor is now inlaid with gold. Most distinctively, these silver horns are just like the ones on that character from the TV show, Yin Jiao Da Wang."
Hei Yi: Fine, if you're not focused on my strength and only my appearance, why are you picking at me?
Hei Yi stood there, allowing Ye Yun to do as he pleased without a word.
"Master... Liu Sao has sent news saying that a wild beast of unknown level was discovered at the edge of the Bitter Sea, east of their controlled territory. Their entire squad was annihilated."
Just as Ye Yun was examining the golden hues on Hei Yi, Yue Di suddenly spoke.
"Unknown wild beast?" Ye Yun was taken aback. The distance from the First Branch City to the edge of the Bitter Sea was only a little over five hundred thousand kilometers, well within his skill range. Unless this wild beast wasn't a terrestrial creature.
"Yes, according to Liu Sao's description, the wild beast not only has four limbs but also a pair of white wings on its back. Most importantly, it has a pair of gills on each side of its neck."
Yue Di was also bewildered. He had spent several years in the New Mortal Continent, but this was his first time hearing of such a wild beast.
The New Mortal Continent had countless species of monstrous beasts and wild beasts, some living in groups, others solitary. Ye Yun had encountered creatures that could inhabit land, sea, and air, but a creature with this appearance was truly unheard of. Most importantly, this wild beast could enter the Bitter Sea!
What is the Bitter Sea? Some called it a corpse-soaking vat, others a biological no-man's-land. Even the Heavenly Dao described it as a 'barrier'!
And now, a creature could enter and exit the Dead Sea. This opened up many possibilities.
"Let's go meet this creature," Ye Yun, with Little Hei, teleported directly to Yun Yi City. Then, under the gaze of hundreds of thousands of players, he summoned the Golden Crow and flew rapidly towards the direction Yue Di had indicated...
During Little Hei's evolution, the Golden Crow had also made significant progress, thanks to Ye Yun feeding it the essence blood of his monstrous and wild beasts. However, this creature's progress was almost entirely in speed. Its attack, defense, HP, and even load-bearing capacity seemed to have reached saturation.
Ye Yun remained indifferent to this, as his positioning for the Golden Crow was primarily for travel.
This did not mean the Golden Crow's attributes were poor. Its attribute growth was proportional; with every three levels, its attributes nearly doubled! It was just like Xiao Tong's incredibly powerful profession!