Chapter 5: The Demon Medal
In the mountain range where the Black Dragon tribe resided, the tallest peak pierced the sky like a sharp sword. At the summit of this peak sat an ancient black castle, built entirely from 'Black Jade Stone'. Legend had it that the master of this black castle had a great fondness for Black Jade Stone.
"Whoosh!" The black-robed figure, known as the 'Demon', cast a cold, dismissive glance at the panicked residents of the Black Dragon tribe below. Then, he flew directly toward the black castle. The castle gates swung wide open, and someone immediately bowed respectfully, ushering the Demon inside.
Seeing this, many residents of the Black Dragon tribe couldn't help but murmur among themselves.
"The Demon went to see the chieftain. He's not here to kill the chieftain, is he?"
"Your true form is a Six-Eared Donkey. Even if you became a god, you'd still be stupid. Think about it. If that Demon really came to kill the chieftain, would the chieftain have sent people to open the castle gates wide and respectfully invite him in? I reckon the chieftain has some important business, which is why he invited a Demon over."
The residents of the Black Dragon tribe chattered amongst themselves.
Halfway up the mountain, Linley sat on a rock, listening to the chatter. His brow furrowed as he looked up toward the black castle at the peak of the highest mountain. Dozens of black dragons circled around the castle.
"The master of this black castle is the chieftain of the Black Dragon tribe, 'Stedton'. The most powerful existence in the Black Dragon tribe!" Linley thought silently.
Having been in the Black Dragon tribe for two months, Linley had gained some understanding of it. Although the Black Dragon tribe was just an insignificant little tribe among the countless tribes in the 'Hell', even such a small tribe had a strict hierarchy.
At the bottom were the poorest Lower Gods, like Linley and his companions. They had no income and no backing.
In the middle were the gods who raised Galade Black Dragons. After all, there were only so many black dragons in the entire tribe, and only a small portion could be raised. Although most of the earnings from raising them had to be handed over to the chieftain, raising Galade Black Dragons was still a very fast way to accumulate wealth.
At the top were the tribe's military!
An army composed entirely of Middle Gods, trained by Chieftain 'Stedton'. Those who became members of the tribe's army would be granted wealth by the chieftain once every ten thousand years.
In front of the dwelling halfway up the mountain, only Linley, Delia, and Bebe were present.
"That Demon is really strong," Bebe remarked admiringly.
"The chieftain of the tribe is probably no pushover either," Linley said thoughtfully.
Delia glanced at Linley and said, "Don't even mention Hell. Take the 'Ye Mu Prefecture' in the Violet Thorn Continent, for example. It spans over a billion miles. Tribes that occupy a mountain range like this are simply countless."
Thinking of the terrifying size of the Ye Mu Prefecture, one could easily imagine how many small forces like the 'Black Dragon tribe' existed.
In Hell, a force like the Black Dragon tribe was truly as insignificant and unremarkable as an ant. There were far too many.
"But even in a tribe like this, there are so many Middle Gods. As for Chieftain Stedton, I've never seen him, but I think that for him to become the chieftain of the Black Dragon tribe and have most of the wealth in his hands, he must be a High God!"
A sudden realization dawned on Linley.
In Hell...
Gods were merely ordinary residents. Perhaps one out of every ten gods would be a Middle God. As for High Gods, there might be only one out of every ten thousand gods. Although the probability seemed low, considering the massive population of Hell, one could imagine how many High Gods there were!
"This is Hell. A Hell teeming with experts!" A shiver ran through Linley's heart.
"Boss," Bebe said casually, chewing on a blade of grass. "My grandfather said that in a place like Hell, becoming a god by refining a divine spark won't get you a high status. Only by becoming a god through your own power and comprehending the profound mysteries of the laws can you gain a higher status through greater strength!"
Linley agreed wholeheartedly.
"Linley, I won't hold you back," Delia suddenly said from beside him.
Linley turned to look at Delia and naturally understood what she was thinking. Delia was a very strong-willed woman. Linley smiled and pulled her into his arms. "Delia, hold me back? To be honest, among the three of us, I'm the only Lower God. I should be the one holding you back."
Delia felt a warmth in her heart. She knew full well that Linley, with his soul-defense divine artifact, was the most unpredictable of the three. Once he unleashed his power, if he encountered an enemy who specialized in 'soul attacks', he could completely counter them!
"In broad daylight, you two! Ah, I can't bear to watch!" Bebe shouted, covering his eyes.
"Little rascal," Delia couldn't help but scold with a smile.
Just then, the silver-haired old man, Paffett, flew over from a distance. Seeing Linley and the others, he said cheerfully, "Linley, how have you been feeling in our Black Dragon tribe lately?"
"Not bad," Linley immediately stood up and smiled. "At least we haven't encountered any danger."
Paffett sighed emotionally, "Exactly. If you three were out there, do you know... in Hell, there are too many bandit groups that ambush and kill people on the road. Generally, Middle Gods and Lower Gods don't dare to travel through Hell alone."
"Even Middle Gods can't?" Bebe's eyes widened.
Paffett found a stone stool nearby and sat down, nodding. "Yes, even Middle Gods can't. Bandit groups in Hell are usually made up of Middle Gods and Lower Gods. Tell me, if a group of bandits, all Middle Gods and Lower Gods, can't they take down a single Middle God? They have the advantage of numbers!"
"Then why don't High Gods become bandits?" Bebe pressed on.
"Haha," Paffett laughed. "High Gods are considered true elites in Hell. Why would they need to become dangerous bandits? Whether it's nurturing a High God artifact, refining divine crystals, or joining a major family as a core member, they can live a very comfortable life."
Linley nodded slightly.
It was the same as in the Yulan Continent. True experts, like some Level 9 experts, disdained being bandits. However, in the Yulan Continent, some famous bandit groups still had a few experts.
"Of course, there are also a few extremely powerful bandit groups in Hell. Those groups might have High Gods. But even then, they generally don't attack High Gods. Who knows how strong that High God is? After all, the gap between High Gods can be enormous," Paffett said with emotion.
Linley strongly agreed.
For example, Sadista was killed by Cyan Fire in one move.
And Adkins, in front of Beirut, was defeated in just two moves, with both of his High God avatars destroyed.
"In Hell, although there are many bandits who rob and kill, there are three types of forces they dare not provoke the most. One is the Violet Thorn Army!" Paffett was very enthusiastic about teaching Linley and the others some common knowledge about Hell. Linley and the other two listened very attentively.
After all, Linley was planning to go to the Blood Peak Continent.
But for now, his strength wasn't enough, and he needed to bide his time.
"Violet Thorn Army, got it." Linley and the others nodded. That was an army under the command of a Sovereign, the most powerful army. Who would dare to provoke them?
"The second force is the Prefecture Army!" Paffett said with emotion.
"Prefecture Army?" Linley and the others were puzzled.
"Old man, what the hell is the Prefecture Army?" Bebe asked, confused.
Paffett explained, "Hell has a total of 108 prefectures. Our Violet Thorn Continent also has nearly twenty prefectures. Each prefecture has its own army! For example, our Ye Mu Prefecture naturally has the Ye Mu Army. This prefecture's army is called the 'Prefecture Army'! Within the boundaries of a prefecture, it's good enough if they don't cause trouble. Who would dare to provoke them? If they set their sights on you, even a High God would be in trouble!"
Linley and the others understood.
"The Violet Thorn Army and the Prefecture Army are easy to understand. They're large armies. So, what's the third force you mentioned that bandits dare not provoke?" Linley pressed further.
A look of longing appeared in Paffett's eyes. "That would be... the Demons!"
"Demons?"
Linley, Delia, and Bebe were all startled, but also curious.
"Mr. Paffett, what are Demons?" Delia asked.
Linley was also extremely curious. He had just seen a black-robed figure fly into the chieftain's Black Jade Stone castle. The residents of the Black Dragon tribe had called that figure a Demon.
"Demon is a title!" Paffett said with emotion. "They are the bravest and most fearless group of experts in Hell! Anyone who becomes a member of the Demons can roam Hell freely, and very few bandit groups would be willing to attack a Demon."
Linley's heart stirred. He thought, "I need to go to the Blood Peak Continent. The journey is extremely long. If I could become a 'Demon', I would have far fewer troubles along the way."
Bebe and Delia had the same thought.
"Old man, Demon is a title? How do you become a Demon?" Bebe asked.
Paffett said, "Becoming a Demon isn't too difficult. You just need to go to any city, for example, the nearest one, 'Di Yi City'. Once you're in Di Yi City, you spend ten thousand Mo Stones to apply for an assessment mission. Once you pass the assessment mission, you become a Demon! Ah, but at that point, you're only a One-Star Demon!"
"Ten thousand Mo Stones, just to apply for a mission?" Bebe's eyes widened.
Linley also felt it was too exaggerated.
Ten thousand Mo Stones weren't easy to earn.
"You mentioned One-Star Demon?" Linley pressed.
Paffett nodded. "Demons are also ranked by level, from One-Star Demon to the most terrifying 'Seven-Star Demon'. This depends on the level of missions they complete. If you can complete a Seven-Star mission, you become a Seven-Star Demon!"
"However, even the simplest assessment mission is usually something only a Middle God might be able to accomplish!" Paffett said with emotion. "And that's just a possibility!"
"The things Demons do are the most dangerous. They are the bravest. Even bandits don't want to provoke them. Most importantly... a Demon's rank can't be seen from the surface. A One-Star Demon and a Seven-Star Demon look no different on the outside," Paffett explained.
"Look at the surface? What surface?" Linley asked.
Paffett pointed to the black castle at the top of the highest peak and smiled. "When that Demon came earlier, did you notice? On the chest of his robe, there was a Demon Medal! This is issued after completing the assessment mission. Every Demon has such a 'Demon' medal!"
"Whether it's a One-Star Demon or the most terrifying Seven-Star Demon, they look the same on the surface. Only through special methods can you determine their rank."
Bebe frowned and asked, "Oh? So, how strong are Demons?"
"I'm not too sure about that. But the weakest Demons are Middle Gods. Generally, decent Demons are High Gods!" Paffett said. "That's why bandits don't dare to provoke Demons. After all, most Demons are High Gods! If you run into a Six-Star Demon, or the most terrifying Seven-Star Demon, even the most powerful bandit group would be finished."
Linley was shocked.
Most Demons were High Gods? The weakest were Middle Gods? It seemed their quality wasn't any lower than the Violet Thorn Army.
Bebe's eyes lit up. "You said most Demons are High Gods. How strong are the most powerful Seven-Star Demons?"
"Seven-Star Demons are the absolute peak experts in Hell!" A look of reverence appeared in Paffett's eyes. "Ordinary High Gods have no ability to resist before them. Once someone reaches the level of a Seven-Star Demon, they earn a unique title. For example, in our Violet Thorn Continent alone, as far as I know, several peerless experts like 'Silver Moon Demon' and 'Purple Blood Demon' have emerged, whose names are known throughout Hell!"