The Grey Rat's Demon Path

This was bound to be a protracted war!

However, some well-informed factions and channels were steadily selling off their resources.

Xu Chang'an's series of moves, however, had earned him a good amount of Demon Stones.

Once the market prices dropped again, he planned to use these Demon Stones to purchase Spirit Plants and Medicine and accumulate Energy for his panel!

Aside from Elixirs, Xu Chang'an also changed his appearance and went to Peacock Demon City in batches to sell the resources he had gathered from the Peacock Demon, Stone Bear Demon, and Giant Elephant Demon.

Things like Supreme-grade Magical Artifacts and Demon Talismans were currently at a market high.

It was a good time to sell!

And so, half a year passed.

News that the Red Cloud Mountain Range had officially announced its withdrawal from the war began to spread through various channels.

Once the news broke, a wave of despair swept through the market.

The prices of previously expensive resources on the market began to plummet.

Many Demons, fearing their resources would become worthless in their hands, rushed to sell them at low prices.

Xu Chang'an saw his chance and bought another batch of resources.

Through this back-and-forth trading, he made a considerable profit!

Time slowly passed, and another half a year or so went by.

The demons of the Red Cloud Mountain Range gradually withdrew. As the core Direct Lineage Demons of the major factions returned, peace and stability slowly returned to the region.

The Tribulation Cultivation Forces, which had previously run rampant with arrogance, also quieted down and faded into obscurity.

The Red Cloud Mountain Range had benefited greatly from this war with the Human Race.

And these benefits significantly deepened the foundations of the many factions in the Red Cloud Mountain Range.

Even after the Demon Kings took their share, there were still plenty of resources left over.

The various Demon Kings of the Red Cloud Mountain Range decided to allocate a portion of these resources to cultivate the younger generation of the Demon Race.

And the method for selecting these young demons was...

The Peacock Secret Realm!

The Peacock Secret Realm would open in half a year!

All Foundation Establishment Great Demons of the Demon Race were eligible to participate!

When the news broke, it sent shockwaves through the demons of the Red Cloud Mountain Range!

A focused cultivation with allocated resources!

Even Top-tier Great Demons were moved by the prospect!

Xu Chang'an, however, remained quite calm about it.

But still...

'My true Cultivation has already broken through to the Core Formation Realm. I suppose I can appropriately raise my public-facing Qi Refining Ninth Layer Cultivation a bit.'

'Besides, as time goes on, my lifespan will become an issue. I might as well just publicly become a Foundation Establishment Great Demon!'

'My public image is that of an ordinary Gray Rat Demon. Even with a massive supply of resources from an Alchemist, becoming a Foundation Establishment Great Demon is by no means an easy feat!'

'I'll need to find a suitable excuse to cover for it!'

After some thought, Xu Chang'an had an answer.

He would publicly obtain a Spiritual Item that could improve his Bloodline. After enhancing his Bloodline, he would then use a Foundation Establishment Pill and other Protective Elixirs to break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm. That would be much more reasonable!

Coincidentally, based on past events, there should be a small trading fair outside the Peacock Secret Realm. He could go and have a look.

The Peacock Secret Realm contained a vast amount of rare resources. Many merchant guilds and mountain factions, wanting to acquire these resources as quickly as possible, would choose to trade directly outside the Secret Realm.

Meanwhile, the Demons emerging from the Peacock Secret Realm, worried they couldn't protect certain rare resources, would try to cash them in as fast as possible.

Thus, with this fertile ground for trade, the emergence of a small trading fair was only natural.

'Now that I've formed my Golden Core and become a Demon King, I don't have to fear any danger if I go to the area outside the Peacock Secret Realm alone!'

Xu Chang'an planned to visit the trading fair outside the Secret Realm after it opened.

He wanted to see if he could buy a Bloodline-enhancing Spiritual Item in front of all the other demons.

In the days that followed, Xu Chang'an continued his routine of Alchemy, studying Magic, and quietly cultivating to adjust his Mental Realm.

Now that he had broken through to the Core Formation Realm and successfully achieved his Transformed Form, he could start studying some of the profound Magic from his past life.

With the foundation from his previous life, his progress in studying them was extremely fast.

In his past life, he had not only formed a Golden Core but had also become a Late Stage Great Cultivator with deep roots in a large Sect.

He possessed several incredibly powerful forms of Magic!

His Demon Body was now formidable, so while he didn't need to rely on Magic as heavily as other members of the Demon Race, practicing it was still beneficial.

「And so, half a year passed in the blink of an eye!」

...

The Peacock Secret Realm was located in a small mountain range 1,200 li outside Peacock Demon City.

It wasn't particularly far from Cloud Sea Peak.

Xu Chang'an set out a few days early, leisurely piloting his Magical Artifact toward the area outside the Peacock Secret Realm.

Even if he was only there for the trading fair, it was best to arrive early.

However, by the time Xu Chang'an arrived, the area outside the Peacock Secret Realm was already bustling with activity.

Outside the Peacock Secret Realm lay a massive valley.

The valley hadn't originally been so large. After the Secret Realm was discovered, a number of Great Demons had worked together to reshape it.

Countless Demons were already waiting inside the valley.

Some enterprising Demons had even set up small stalls.

"Come one, come all! Take a look! Essential treasures for your Secret Realm expedition!"

"The Secret Realm is filled with unknown dangers! If you have a few life-saving Heavy Treasure Demon Talismans, your chances of survival will increase dramatically!"

"Puppets for sale!"

"Ancestral Demon Pattern inscriptions! We can inscribe anything, whether it's Tier Two Middle Grade or Upper Grade!"

"..."

Most of the Demons present were Foundation Establishment Great Demons, with only a small number of Qi Refining Demons who had come along to broaden their horizons.

Some were Foundation Establishment Great Demons preparing to explore the Secret Realm, while others, like Xu Chang'an, were simply here to join the crowd.

However, most of those currently present were Independent Cultivator Demons. The true Direct Lineage Great Demons from the major factions had yet to arrive.

In his guise as a Gray Rat Demon, Xu Chang'an didn't stand out in the valley.

He found a large rock, leaned against it, and waited quietly.

From time to time, streaks of light would flash by and enter the valley.

A day passed like this.

Xu Chang'an slowly opened his eyes and looked toward a section of the sky.

A massive rock, like a small mountain, was flying toward the valley from the sky.

Dozens of Foundation Establishment Great Demons stood atop the rock, and the one at the lead had a majestic and incomparably tyrannical aura. It was a Core Formation Demon King!

The rock looked ordinary, but a faint treasure-light pulsed from it!

This was a true Magical Treasure!

"The Demons from Ivory Mountain are here!"

"It's the White Fang Demon King!"

Muted discussions rose from the demons in the valley.

BOOM!

The rock landed, and the Foundation Establishment Great Demons disembarked one by one.

"Greetings, White Fang Demon King!"

The many Great Demons in the valley bowed in respect.

The White Fang Demon King's true form was that of a colossal Elephant Demon, but at this moment, he had taken human form.

A bald man, over ten feet tall, emanated a terrifying might.

In response to the greetings and bows from the numerous Great Demons, the White Fang Demon King said nothing. He simply swept his gaze over the crowd before flying back onto the rock.

The rock's treasure-light flowed, and it transformed into a small palace!

The Great Demons present all showed looks of envy and awe.

"A Magical Treasure!"

"That's the White Fang Demon King's famous Magical Treasure, the Ruyi Mountain Stone!"

"Rumor has it that the White Fang Demon King became a Demon King over four hundred years ago. He's a Veteran Demon King with immense combat power, far beyond what an ordinary Demon King can compare to!"

"This time, Ivory Mountain..."

The Great Demons' discussions were extremely restrained, spoken only in hushed tones within small groups, for fear of displeasing the White Fang Demon King.

'The White Fang Demon King, huh.'

Xu Chang'an gave the stone palace a faint glance before slowly closing his eyes again.

Another half a day passed.

An object resembling an iron rod, a full 130 to 165 feet in length, flew down from the sky and landed in the valley.

A stream of Foundation Establishment Great Demons walked off it, followed at the end by two men with rock-hard, bulging muscles, their bodies like that of a Vajra.

One of the men had two incredibly sharp-looking ox horns on his head.

The other had the appearance of a normal Human Race man.

"It's the Ox Demon King from Sleeping Ox Mountain!"

"That's the Magical Treasure, the Vajra Pestle!"

"And the Spirit Horned Quasi-Demon King!"

For this trip to the Peacock Secret Realm, Sleeping Ox Mountain had sent one Demon King and one Quasi-Demon King.

Although the Ox Demon King had held his title for over three hundred years, he had yet to break through to the Mid-stage Core Formation. Still, he was considered quite powerful among ordinary Demon Kings.

Xu Chang'an gave them a single glance and paid them no more attention.

Over the next two days, the major factions of the Red Cloud Mountain Range arrived one after another.

Snake and Scorpion Cave and Leopard Ridge each sent a Demon King and a Quasi-Demon King.

Lion's Mane Cave sent one Demon King, the Green-eyed Demon King.

Each of the top factions had dozens of Foundation Establishment Great Demons participating in the Secret Realm.

Xu Chang'an noticed that Cheng Mengying from Lion's Mane Cave had also come this time.

But given the special circumstances, with so many Demon Kings present, the two demons didn't interact.

Aside from the top factions, some of the larger mountain factions had also sent a few Quasi-Demon Kings.

They brought the Foundation Establishment Great Demons from their respective mountains with them.

The gathering of so many Demon Kings thrilled the many Qi Refining Demons who had come along to broaden their horizons.

It wasn't just the Qi Refining Demons. Some Foundation Establishment Great Demons with ordinary origins and unremarkable backgrounds were just as excited.

Demon Kings!

These were Demon Kings!

The true rulers of the Red Cloud Mountain Range!

They were a rare sight on any normal day, but now, thanks to the Peacock Secret Realm, they could see so many of them at once!

This was truly a rare experience in a demon's lifetime!