302: Qingxi City! A familiar aura...

Two days later, the trio, having made all necessary preparations, quietly left Qianyi City and headed toward the core region of the Green Rhinoceros Demon King's territory.

Along the way, Long Yun proved to be thoroughly familiar with the paths and potential dangers they might encounter.

She led Li Shengyuan and the other person to avoid several Yao Beast nests and the regular patrol routes of the Yao Race, making their journey quite smooth.

A few days later, the outline of a towering and rugged city appeared on the horizon.

The city walls were built from massive green rocks, towering like cliffs, and atop the ramparts stood huge rhinoceros horn totem flags, snapping loudly in the wind.

This was the center of the Green Rhinoceros Demon King's rule, Green Rhino City.

The city was grand in scale, but its architectural style was rugged and primitive, exuding a sense of barbaric power.

"Green Rhino City was built surrounding the 'Lying Rhinoceros Valley,' the ancestral land where the Demon King is in seclusion."

Long Yun pointed toward the center of the city, where the outline of a valley shrouded in a hazy Formation could be vaguely seen.

"His palace and core tribe are stationed on the outskirts of the valley entrance, guarding Lying Rhinoceros Valley in the center with extremely strict defenses. His precious 'thick earth dragon rhinoceros fruit' grows within the spiritual eye deep inside the valley."

She turned her head and said to Li Shengyuan and the other with a serious expression, "That old rhinoceros values his associated spirit fruit no less than his own life; he only uses it for his own cultivation or occasionally offers it as tribute to His Majesty the Dragon Emperor. He never sells it, and even other Demon Kings find it extremely difficult to obtain a single one."

"For outsiders to obtain it, the only way is to risk sneaking in, but that is nearly impossible. We must enter the city first, figure out the situation, and then look for an opportunity."

The three of them followed the sparse crowd toward the city gate.

In Green Rhino City, the number of the Yao Race held an absolute advantage, consisting mostly of Rhinoceros Demon and various power-type or earth-attribute Yao Race.

Figures of the Human Race and other races were few and far between, and each one looked restrained and walked in a hurry, clearly belonging to the bottom layer that was discriminated against and suppressed.

When the Yao Race on the streets looked at these members of the Human Race, their gazes mostly carried undisguised contempt and greed.

Seeing this, Long Yun sighed in a low voice, "If it weren't for His Majesty the Dragon Emperor overcoming all opposition a century ago to implement the New Policy, advocating for limited coexistence among all races within the Sacred Dragon Domain, and granting basic rights to survival..."

"...otherwise, races like the Human Race would likely just be kept as livestock or slaves in most parts of the Demon Domain."

"Even so, the New Policy is only well-executed in the core areas of the Sacred Dragon Domain directly under the authority of the Dragon Emperor. In territories governed by Demon Kings like Green Rhino City, discrimination and oppression remain deeply rooted."

Long Yun spoke at length to the two, introducing the situation in this Demon Domain.

"However, the New Policy has indeed attracted many powerful individuals and merchants from other races, making the Sacred Dragon Domain much more prosperous than before."

Li Shengyuan nodded and sighed upon hearing this, "To be able to implement such a New Policy in the Demon Domain with supreme pressure and long-term vision, this His Majesty the Dragon Emperor is truly beyond the reach of ordinary people."

Hearing Li Shengyuan's praise for the Dragon Emperor, Long Yun's eyes instantly lit up.

A look of pride and reflected glory appeared involuntarily on her face, and she nodded vigorously, "That is only natural!"

"His Majesty the Dragon Emperor is a heroic ruler rare in all eternity, with heaven-defying cultivation and outstanding wisdom!"

"She suppressed the ten great Demon Kings single-handedly and unified the Demon Domain, which is already a feat of unparalleled magnitude."

"The implementation of the New Policy is even more far-sighted, opening up a new path for the Yao Race and all living beings in the Demon Domain!" Her reverence and intimacy toward the Dragon Emperor in her words were almost overflowing.

"However, the implementation of the New Policy could not have been done without the support of the Dragon Clan to which His Majesty the Dragon Emperor belongs, as well as the affiliated tribes."

Li Shengyuan was even more certain that this woman had a deep relationship with the Dragon Emperor.

The more Long Yun spoke, the more excited she became, her face wearing a look of near-worship, "But in terms of individual strength, His Majesty the Dragon Emperor is unrivaled in the world; among those in the current age, there are very few who can stand shoulder to shoulder with her!"

"Even that Li Shengyuan, who is currently riding high in the Great Qian, and that Empress who ascended the throne at such a young age—their talent and potential may be astonishing, but if they want to become true opponents of His Majesty the Dragon Emperor, they must at least wait until they step into the First Grade realm!"

She suddenly changed the subject, a flash of curiosity and eagerness shining in her eyes, "But having said that, I have heard quite a lot about the deeds of that Li Shengyuan, even though I am in the Sacred Dragon Domain."

"Beheading the Prince of Yan in the Northern Territory, breaking the allied forces outside Shanhai Pass, and consecutively killing Demon Venerables in Jiangnan... He is truly a rare Prodigy of our Human Race!"

"If there is a chance, I would really like to see him in person, or even... spar with him!"

Pei Shuyun, listening from the side, couldn't help but curl the corners of her lips, glancing at Li Shengyuan with a smile that was not quite a smile.

Li Shengyuan remained calm, following her words with a calm smile:

"Miss Long, your ambitions are lofty. That Li Shengyuan is indeed a dragon among men; if you have this wish, I believe you will eventually fulfill it one day."

While speaking, the three of them passed through the somewhat rough inspection at the city gate along with the flow of people. As members of the Human Race, they were inevitably charged an extra city entry fee before they officially stepped into Green Rhino City.

The streets inside the city were wide but noisy and chaotic, with all kinds of wild shouting and arguing endless to the ear.

Demonic Qi soared into the sky, and the Spiritual Qi was mixed and impure.

Li Shengyuan maintained the caution and curiosity of a newcomer on the surface, but in secret, he had already quietly spread his Divine Sense like the most precise net, cautiously perceiving everything in this city of the Demon King.

However, just as his Divine Sense swept over a certain area of the city, his brows furrowed slightly, imperceptibly.

He sensed a trace of an extremely obscure, yet to him, quite familiar cold and evil aura!

That aura... had a sense of being of the same origin as the Cultivation Technique fluctuations of the Demon Cult he had encountered in Jiangnan and overseas!

Although it was deliberately concealed and mixed into the impure Demonic Qi and countless other auras in the city, making it almost impossible to detect.

Yet, with Li Shengyuan's current cultivation and his experience of clashing with the Demon Cult multiple times, he still captured that fleeting anomaly.

People from the Demon Cult had indeed already infiltrated the Demon Domain!

And they had appeared in the core territory of the Green Rhinoceros Demon King... Could it be that this Green Rhinoceros Demon King, like the Pei family, was an object that the Demon Cult Leader had already won over and allied with?

Li Shengyuan's eyes narrowed slightly, but he showed nothing on his face, giving Pei Shuyun a subtle look.