154: The Secrets of the Demon Palace: The True King and the False King

Lin Chuan completely disregarded what Leng Hong said, standing aside grinning foolishly.

He kept thinking that he seemed to have two king-rank soul pearls, and by then, he might be able to promote two King-rank Nether Spirits under him...

“Lin Chuan, you saved my life,” Leng Hong exclaimed.

“Dean, there’s no need to be so polite. It would be even better if you could give me another king-rank soul pearl,” Lin Chuan said casually.

“Alright, the next time I see Xia Jing, I’ll ask him for another one to give to you.”

Leng Hong agreed without a second thought.

Holy crap... that works too?

Lin Chuan was stunned. He regretted not asking for more earlier; ten or eight wouldn't have been too many!

However, Lin Chuan ultimately wasn't that thick-skinned.

Instead, he remembered his objective and asked, “Dean, do you know the background of the Ten Thousand Demon Palace?”

“Ten Thousand Demon Palace? I know a bit. This organization has existed even longer than Xuanwu City. It emerged in the Early Stage of the Yao Beast invasion and has been active ever since. What, have you encountered them?”

“I haven't settled the score with them from the College Entrance Examination Secret Realm, and recently I’ve heard some rumors, so I wanted to understand them in advance, to know myself and my enemy. Moreover, with chaos on the horizon, the Ten Thousand Demon Palace definitely won't miss this opportunity.”

“Indeed. Strictly speaking, the strongholds within Xuanwu City and those you’ve encountered are merely the periphery, not the true core of the Ten Thousand Demon Palace. The Ten Thousand Demon Palace operates by having Yao control Humans.”

“Having Yao control Humans?”

Lin Chuan and Xia Yuan were both shocked.

Xia Yuan only focused on fighting and destroying their strongholds, never imagining such a thing existed, nor had he ever encountered it.

“This method is too insidious, so it has rarely been spread and is forbidden. According to rumors, they select Yao Beast cubs with outstanding potential and forcibly sign another type of contract with humans, using the human’s pet beast space and Soul Power to accelerate their growth.

Once the growth rate slows down and fails to meet the Yao Beast’s requirements, they immediately devour the human and find a new host. These Yao Beasts, once grown, will protect the Ten Thousand Demon Palace even without a contract.”

“It seems similar to the methods of the Demon God Cult.”

“You've really offended quite a few factions,” Leng Hong said with a smile.

It’s impossible to understand these things without truly engaging with their core.

“The Demon God Cult merely relies on the special cultivation method of the Corrosive Devouring Blade Spirit as a pet beast; it’s still no match for the Ten Thousand Demon Palace. The Yao Beasts of the Ten Thousand Demon Palace can not only freely change masters, but even ordinary people without talent can stimulate their talent by overdrawing their life force. However, their lifespan generally doesn't exceed twenty years. Humans are merely their consumables.”

“Damn it!”

Xia Yuan cursed, “No wonder I once found so many children in their strongholds.”

“Furthermore, there’s another saying. They select some excellent pet beast eggs that have been tampered with and send them into the city. Once contracted, these pet beasts subtly influence their master, eventually guiding them completely towards the Yao Beast side.”

“They can do that?”

Lin Chuan shivered; this was too dangerous and impossible to guard against.

“This is just a rumor; there must be many limiting conditions, so it’s not worth delving into. Otherwise, wouldn’t everyone be in danger?”

“Hmm.” Lin Chuan thought about it and realized it was true.

“Then why doesn’t Xuanwu City completely wipe them out?”

“The deep forests outside the city are vast; where would one even begin to look? Moreover...” Leng Hong said, looking at the ring on Lin Chuan’s hand.

“Secret Realm?”

“Precisely. Besides serving as a base, they must also keep some humans in the Secret Realm; otherwise, they wouldn’t have enough to consume.”

“Damn these guys, they really deserve to die!”

Xia Yuan cursed.

“Their traces should be found in all four ring cities, but their mood should be quite complex right now. If the Human Race were completely annihilated, even if they transformed into Yao, they certainly wouldn’t live as comfortably as they do now. Being a lackey isn’t that easy.”

The current Ten Thousand Demon Palace is considered a relatively obedient dog raised by the Yao Race. Once all the prey is hunted, what use are the lackeys?

...Leaving the Dean’s small building, it was already afternoon, and Lin Chuan had gained a lot.

Not only did he get a king-rank soul pearl and information about the Ten Thousand Demon Palace, but he also learned many secrets.

Venerable Xia and Venerable Xing actually liked the same woman? Even Xia Yuan didn't know.

Xuanwu City’s wealthiest wasn't the Long Family, but the Su Family, one of the Nine Venerables, whose business extended to other ring cities.

As for why Lin Chuan wanted to know this? Don't ask; it's purely out of curiosity.

Among the Nine Venerables’ Families, the currently powerful ones are the Long, Xia, Feng, and Xing families.

Of the other five families, the Su Family primarily engaged in commerce and possessed immense wealth.

The Xi, Zi, Gong, and Xiao families were already showing signs of decline. If the older generation were to fall, they would quickly wither.

Gong Xuan, the Clan Chief of the Gong Family, was advanced in years and no longer concerned himself with Family affairs. Today, the Gong Family had almost become a vassal of the Long Family.

These families had flourished for hundreds of years.

As if destined, they were heading towards their demise along with Xuanwu City...

“Lin Chuan, thank you.”

Xia Yuan and Lin Chuan walked back together.

“Uncle Xia, it’s nothing, just a fair trade,” Lin Chuan waved his hand.

Xia Yuan knew Lin Chuan was serious, so he stopped being polite.

He had also figured out Lin Chuan’s temperament: he would take anything, as long as he didn’t lose out.

“Damn it, but now my position as Dean is gone,” Xia Yuan joked.

“Uncle Xia, if you just advance to King-Rank, why would you care about that?” Lin Chuan implied that he didn't even care about the principal's position.

“Advancing to King-Rank is easier said than done. Moreover, even if one advances to King-Rank, isn’t it just a temporary pseudo-King-Rank?”

“Pseudo-King-Rank?” Lin Chuan was puzzled; he hadn’t heard of it.

“A King-Rank without a King-Rank pet beast is a pseudo-King. How many King-rank Beast Tamers are stuck at this step.”

“The Beast Tamer has reached King-Rank, but their pet beast hasn’t?”

“Yes, you wouldn’t think that a King-rank Beast Tamer necessarily has a King-Rank pet beast, would you?” Xia Yuan looked at Lin Chuan in surprise, wondering how he lacked such basic knowledge.

Lin Chuan thought about it and understood.

For most Beast Tamers, if their first pet beast’s potential could reach the Commander Rank, that was already good. A small number reaching the Monarch Rank were considered excellent.

As for a first pet beast having King Rank Potential, that was extremely rare.

Some King-rank Beast Tamers might only contract four pet beasts until their death, just to wait for one with King Rank Potential.

King-rank Beast Tamers whose highest combat power was only Monarch Rank were common.

The reason the Nine Venerables were the Nine Venerables was because each of them had at least three high-star King-Rank pet beasts, not because their own Rank was King-Rank Nine Star.

An ordinary King-rank Beast Tamer with even one pet beast reaching King-Rank was already commendable; at least they were a true King, not a pseudo-King.

Thinking this, Lin Chuan realized he might have overestimated the strength of King-rank Beast Tamers before. He had thought that King-rank Beast Tamers all started with five King-Rank pet beasts on average.

“Uncle Xia, your pet beasts should have King Rank Potential, right?” Lin Chuan asked curiously.

“Only two, nothing worth mentioning, nothing worth mentioning.”

“Damn it!”

...