To be cautious, when the first Talisman Communication from Lord Xuanhu didn’t respond, Ye Zhen sent a second one, specifically emphasizing a quick reply.
However, the second Talisman Communication still didn’t receive any response.
Ye Zhen had a gut feeling that something must have gone wrong with Lord Xuanhu.
Otherwise, after not having seen or contacted for so long, if Ye Zhen specifically marked it as urgent, there would be even a slight possibility of responding.
Nonetheless, Ye Zhen was no longer a naive young man, and even though he could basically determine that there was an incident with Lord Xuanhu, Ye Zhen wasn’t panicked at all.
Since there’s a chance something happened to Lord Xuanhu, regardless, what Ye Zhen needed to do now was to first ascertain Lord Xuanhu’s current situation to decide on the next steps.
However, even though the Demon Race is a loosely-knit group, overall, they are quite exclusive.
Especially when there’s a language barrier involved.
Though Ye Zhen specifically studied the mainstream language within the Demon Race before coming, with Ye Zhen’s current Divine Soul Power, learning a language is a breeze.
Thus, Ye Zhen can understand the speech of people within the Demon Race and can engage in simple conversations.
But, the accent is something that can’t be learned from paper, even with Ye Zhen’s formidable learning ability, it requires a process.
This includes Little Cat as well.
Once they speak, the people of the Demon Race can immediately determine that Ye Zhen and Little Cat are not from around the White Tiger Mountain Range.
In these circumstances, Ye Zhen and Little Cat might manage to buy and sell some things, do some trading, or inquire about ordinary information.
But if they want to delve deeper into Tiger Clan’s internal matters, especially with Ye Zhen being a Human Clan, it becomes quite difficult.
After some contemplation, Ye Zhen found a quiet place and released Ling Qianbi and Big Ears Nie Ting, who had been cultivating in the Mirage Dragon Pearl Temporal Space.
Big Ears and Ling Qianbi had been cultivating within Ye Zhen’s Mirage Dragon Pearl Temporal Space these past years; altogether, they’ve been cultivating inside for over thirty years.
Ling Qianbi is from the Human Clan, and although her cultivation speed is slower compared to the Great Saint of Jinghai, she had a high starting point.
When cultivating, she was already at the Peak of Ninth Stage of Dark Palace Realm, and these thirty years were spent in painstaking cultivation, coupled with Ye Zhen’s Spirit Void Fruit, along with custom-made pills from Shuili Dan King to boost cultivation.
Her cultivation advancement speed was much faster than that of a typical Martial Artist.
Now, her cultivation had reached the Peak of Fourth Stage Realm King Realm, just a step away from breaking through to the Fifth Stage of Realm King Realm.
Basically, her cultivation advanced by one stage every nine years.
In the Realm King Realm, advancing a stage every nine years is considered fast, even among the descendants of noble families with astounding talent and unlimited cultivation resources.
Compared to Ling Qianbi’s advancement, Big Ears Nie Ting’s progress could be described as earth-shattering.
Over thirty years of cultivation propelled Big Ears Nie Ting’s advancement from the Peak of Ninth Stage Dao Entrance to the Early Stage of Third Stage Dark Palace Realm.
This level of cultivation pales in comparison to the Great Saint of Jinghai, Little Cat, and Nine-Headed Beast.
Among Ye Zhen’s followers, Big Ears couldn’t qualify for the main battle lineup; being able to play a minor role is fortunate.
However, Big Ears Nie Ting’s Ancient Human Bloodline continued to activate further, or rather awaken, through constant consumption of Spirit Void Fruit over the years.
According to Achou, the Mirage Dragon Primordial Spirit, Big Ears Nie Ting’s Ancient Human Bloodline could be determined as the Heavenly Sound Clan.
This Heavenly Sound Clan was said to have been extinct in ancient times due to a great war.
The reason for their extinction is complex, but mainly attributed to their Divine Skills being too powerful, sometimes even deciding the direction of a great battle.
The innate Divine Ability inherited within the Heavenly Sound Clan’s bloodline is the Heavenly Sound Divine Skill.
This Heavenly Sound Divine Skill is just an umbrella term with many subdivisions.
For example, Heavenly Ear Listening, Sound Explosion, Heavenly Sound Break, Subsonic Storm, Sound Domain, etc.
Originally, Big Ears Nie Ting had only awakened the Heavenly Ear Listening Divine Skill, but later after consuming several Spirit Void Fruits, he additionally awakened the Sound Explosion skill.
Back then, even with those two skills, they were merely at the beginner level.
Yet, over the past thirty-six years of cultivation, coupled with Ye Zhen’s generous provision allowing consumption exceeding forty thousand Spirit Void Fruits, Big Ears Nie Ting’s Heavenly Ear Divine Skill further awakened another skill, Heavenly Sound Break.
The Heavenly Sound Break Divine Skill has ordinary power but an immense range; if the cultivation is sufficient, it can even envelop an area of ten thousand miles.
Back then, the extinction of the Heavenly Sound Clan was rumored to be due to the overwhelming nature of this Heavenly Sound Break Divine Skill and was annihilated by the Demon Clan.
Having experienced the Heavenly Sound Break Divine Skill just once, Ye Zhen knew it was a magnificent tool on the battlefield.
Although it wasn’t clear how the Heavenly Sound Clan was exterminated back then, it was imaginable that if Ye Zhen were the Commander of the Demon Clan, he would also prioritize eliminating the Heavenly Sound Clan.
Otherwise, a battle might lean towards defeat even before it begins.
Yet, for now, Big Ears Nie Ting’s newly awakened Heavenly Sound Break Divine Skill cannot be utilized.
But his substantial cultivation advancement, coupled with further awakening of the Ancient Heavenly Sound Bloodline, made Big Ears Nie Ting’s Heavenly Ear Technique extremely formidable.
Previously, Big Ears could at most eavesdrop on sounds within a radius of about ten thousand miles, but now, it’s up to one hundred thousand miles with extreme sensitivity.
He could even roughly deduce a person’s appearance from the airflow fluctuations caused by facial changes while speaking.
Ye Zhen, newly arrived at the White Tiger Mountain Range, was blindly groping around; naturally, Big Ears’ Heavenly Ear Technique was the best method to gather information.
Nonetheless, even without a clear objective, acquiring useful intelligence with Big Ears isn’t easy.
While walking and listening along the way, after an hour, Big Ears Nie Ting wore a look of helplessness, "Master, deep within the White Tiger Mountain Range, there’s a strong Formation Power; Divine Sense, Divine Soul Power, and sound are all prohibited, I’m unable to discern much."
Moreover, I haven’t heard any news regarding Lord Xuanhu yet."
"No discoveries?" Ye Zhen was somewhat disappointed.
"However, I’ve heard an additional piece of information, which might be useful."
"Tell me!"
"In some idle chatter among the people of the Demon Race, I heard of someone named Hur Kaiqi, a privileged second-generation individual. Due to his father being the foremost Mountain Commander under the Wuhuan Great Saint, he’s quite well-informed about internal Tiger Clan matters, frequently selling intel for extra money. It’s just that his methods are ruthless, often charging extortionate prices." Big Ears relayed.
"Ruthless methods? Extortionate prices? The worry is if his intel is accurate. Yet, if his father is the foremost Mountain Commander under the Wuhuan Great Saint, then the credibility of his intel should be high."
"Do you know where he is?" Ye Zhen suddenly made a decision.
"Over there." Big Ears Nie Ting pointed.
"Lead the way."
Within the Demon Race, status and power hierarchies are primarily referenced against the Human Clan’s cultivation realm because nearly all people of the Demon Race ultimately pursue shapeshifting.
The human form is considered the most suitable for comprehending the Laws of Dao among all creatures in Heaven and Earth.
But, besides participating in the Cultivation Realm of the human clan, the demon race also has some of their own classifications that are often used to distinguish status and cultivation.
However, the demon race’s classifications are quite chaotic, unlike the humans’ meticulous standards.
Generally speaking, the strongest beings of the demon race are referred to as Demon Emperors.
Humans call the Demon Emperor a Demon God, but within the demon race, there’s no concept of a Demon God, only the term Demon Emperor.
In the tiger clan, the ruler is currently the White Tiger Demon Emperor.
The demon race places more emphasis on power than the human race; status must be fought for through strength.
Only by becoming the most outstanding expert within the clan or breaking through to the Creation Realm can one become a Demon Emperor.
Below the Demon Emperor is the Demon King.
Demon Kings are basically trusted lieutenants of the Demon Emperor, responsible for managing the entire clan, especially among the tiger clan, which is rather centralized.
Most Demon Kings have Dao Realm cultivation and possess unparalleled combat power.
However, not all of the Dao Realm experts among the demon race qualify to become Demon Kings.
The number of Demon Kings is limited; those Dao Realm experts who cannot be appointed as Demon Kings by the Demon Emperor are typically referred to as Great Saints.
Within the demon race, only those who break through to the Dao Realm qualify to call themselves a Great Saint.
When the Great Saint of Jinghai and others first arrived and called themselves Great Saints, they were ridiculed for their ignorance and arrogance, due to this reason.
Typically, a Demon King would have several Great Saints under their command, similar to the chieftain system of the alien race.
The White Tiger Demon Emperor is akin to the Great Chieftain of the tiger clan; the Demon King acts as the small chieftain under the Great Chieftain, while the demon race Great Saint serves as the tribe leader under the small chieftain.
These demon race Great Saints are the cornerstone of the demon race’s governance.
Below the demon race Great Saint, it becomes simpler; Realm King Realm Grand Demons are usually called Demon Commanders, Dark Palace Realm Heavenly Demons are known as Grand Demon Generals, Divine Communication Realm Spirit Demons are referred to as Little Demon Generals.
As for those below the Divine Communication Realm, they are generally categorized as Demon Soldiers or Demon Troops.
Generally, a Demon King has around a dozen Great Saints.
Much like a tribe, some Great Saints are stronger while others are weaker.
The Wuhuan Great Saint is the foremost Great Saint under the Black Tiger King, and at times, the position of the first Demon Commander under the Wuhuan Great Saint even surpasses that of some Great Saints.
It’s no surprise that Hur Kaiqi could know the internal information of the tiger clan.
This was the information Ye Zhen and his group acquired while seeking Hur Kaiqi.
This provided Ye Zhen with a preliminary understanding of the tiger clan.
Yet, even so, Ye Zhen’s current understanding of the tiger clan can only be considered basic.
Because the composition of the demon race is too complex and chaotic.
In the White Tiger Mountain Range before them, it’s not just the tiger clan; there are many subordinate and vassal clans of the tiger clan as well.
Clans like the cat clan, leopard clan are subordinate clans of the tiger clan, and many clans without a Demon Emperor are even vassals of this dominant beast ruler, the tiger clan.
This sprawling area of a million miles radiating from the White Tiger Mountain Range is merely one of the primary residences for the tiger clan and its subordinate and vassal clans.
Moreover, this White Tiger Mountain Range is mainly a gathering place for the tiger clan’s upper echelon and elite.
It is precisely because of this that the tiger clan can maintain sufficient deterrence against other clans in the Taimeng Demon Realm, dominating one-tenth of the entire Taimeng Demon Realm.
"Qianbi, you’ll handle the talks later; you’ve been to the Taimeng Demon Realm before, so you’re familiar with it, at least the accent won’t be a communication barrier." Ye Zhen instructed.
Ling Qianbi’s Ling family secluded themselves within an ordinary Great World, yet the Ling family has deep ties with the demon race, hence getting involved with figures like Yun Ben and Luan Da from the demon race.
"Rest assured, Master!"
Ye Zhen and his group found Hur Kaiqi in a casino.
Upon their arrival, Hur Kaiqi was glaring with bloodshot eyes at a group of demon race folks, roaring; he had lost again, and lost everything at that.
"What are you going to gamble with?"
"Lord Qi, if you want to gamble, go home to get some treasures from the Mountain Commander or borrow some Spirit Stones from the gambling houses." A clever bunch of heirs, seeing Hur Kaiqi had lost everything, were unwilling to play with him.
Before Hur Kaiqi could speak, the demon race shopkeeper managing the gambling house smiled wryly, "Lord Qi, this month, you’ve already borrowed three hundred thousand high-grade Spirit Stones, your limit. You still owe fifty thousand high-grade Spirit Stones from last month.
If I lend you any more, the boss will kill me, or perhaps you can go talk to the boss!"
Humiliated, Hur Kaiqi defiantly placed his hand on the gambling table, "Does this hand of mine worth a hundred thousand high-grade Spirit Stones!"
A group of demon race gamblers turned their heads simultaneously, completely ignoring Hur Kaiqi’s rogue behavior, obviously well aware of his nature, which left him anxious to turn the tide, jumping up and down in frustration.
"Wait here, I’ll go back to the mansion and fetch some, none of you leave."
Saying this, Hur Kaiqi pretended to head back to the mansion for Spirit Stones. However, Hur Kaiqi knew better; at the Mountain Commander Mansion, he couldn’t get even a single Spirit Stone.
His reputation as a gambler is widespread, besides his monthly allowance, only his mother secretly supported him; the whole family guarded against him like guarding against a thief.
Turning around and stepping a few steps, Hur Kaiqi’s gaze subtly fell on Ye Zhen and his group who had been watching him, his expression shifted.
"Are you...looking for me?" Hur Kaiqi asked with uncertainty.
"There are some matters we’d like to consult with Lord Qi!" Ling Qianbi spoke straightforwardly, comfortable with Jianghu rhetoric.
With a twitch of his nose, Hur Kaiqi chuckled playfully, "Human clan? Hmm, and a little tiger clan guy, wanting to consult me, no problem.
However, Lord Qi charges quite a steep price."
"As long as we can get things clarified, Spirit Stones won’t be an issue."
Ling Qianbi’s upfront manner made Hur Kaiqi burst into laughter, "Alright, let’s find a place to talk."
"Wait, I’ll come back and leave not a scrap of you guys intact."
A group of demon race gamblers grinned knowingly, understanding that Hur Kaiqi was about to fleece some prey.
Hur Kaiqi, quite astute in business, at least knew to seek a quieter place to extort, preventing others from ruining his plans.
"Tell me, what do you want to know? Lord Qi will price it based on the value of the information." Hur Kaiqi inquired while casting a peculiar glance at a little cat. "These flesh wings, aren’t you a Cloud Winged Tiger King? An advanced one?"
Ling Qianbi didn’t answer Hur Kaiqi directly but asked, "Do you know of a person named Xuan Hu? We wish to know about his current situation."
Hur Kaiqi’s eyes circled as he extended two fingers, "I know, but those are two questions; answering them costs at least ten thousand high-grade Spirit Stones!"

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