The hazy glow of the bloody sun hung over the entire Rotte Tribe like a layer of red gauze.
The whole tribe had fallen deathly silent, suffocating under the oppressive atmosphere.
After the battle with Brody, nearly ten percent of the Rotte Tribe's mid-level god warriors had perished. That might sound like a small number, but that ten percent represented hundreds of mid-level god lives. Fortunately, this was the Infernal Realm, where everyone was accustomed to killing and death, and the Rotte Tribe quickly returned to normal operations. The tribe's former second strongest warrior, Berlin, the captain of the tribal guard brigade, became the new chief.
"I just don't get it—how did that brat Brody become so strong? When he fled the tribe last time, he was merely a mid-level god. I could have killed him myself! His strength was mediocre at best. But in just over a decade—barely over a decade—it's incredible. He became this powerful. The chief even said during their fight that Brody was nothing more than a Highgod who had refined a divine spark, yet he killed the chief, a Six Star Demon!"
All across the Rotte Tribe, discussions like these were taking place.
"Some of the brothers who died still have divine avatars surviving. They all said there was a special energy on Brody's body that could devour souls!"
"I saw it too. What killed the chief was a green beam of light! I even recorded it with a phantom projection."
"Hey… let me tell you, I was near Brody at the time and even probed that green light with my divine sense. The source was a diamond-shaped red crystal in his palm. I'm telling you, the reason Brody was so powerful has everything to do with that strange crystal that emits green light!"
Brody had long since fled far away with his wife, and it was only because of this that the tribe's residents dared to discuss matters so freely.
"Did I hear that right? That powerful figure with the brownish-red curly hair—Bariman, was it?—bought your phantom projection recordings of Brody's massacre of the tribe's warriors?" asked a tall, thin white-haired young man.
"That's right. Just yesterday, Lord Bariman came again. He purchased the earlier recordings. One set of phantom projections, and he offered a million blackstones. As expected of a powerhouse whom even Chief Arlott received in person—truly generous. By the way, why do you think Lord Bariman bought our phantom projections?"
"Hmph." The tall, thin white-haired young man sneered. "Isn't it obvious? He's going to collect as many detailed phantom projection recordings as possible, the more detailed the better. Then he'll sell the information to the Demon Castle! That Brody was just a Highgod who refined a divine spark, yet with that special crystal, he actually killed a Six Star Demon. I've never heard of such a terrifying treasure. That crystal must be an extraordinary artifact. In Brody's hands, it already had such power—what kind of power would it have in the hands of a Seven Star Demon or a Governor? I'd say Lord Bariman will certainly make a fortune from this intelligence."
Those who could become gods were no fools. These tribe members' guesses were not far off the mark. That Six Star Demon, "Bariman," was considered a formidable force even in the Infernal Realm. He was aware of the Sovereign's task and its rumors. He understood—that red crystal might very well be the legendary Sovereign's token, the Red Rhombus Diamond!
A Sovereign's token! What a priceless treasure!
But Bariman also knew that the authenticity of the Sovereign's task was still unconfirmed. He took this detailed intelligence—which included dozens of phantom projection recordings—and sold it to the Demon Castle at an astronomical price! He even guaranteed that the Red Rhombus Diamond he had discovered, even if it wasn't the Sovereign's token, was at least as precious as a Sovereign Artifact.
The price—
One trillion blackstones!
This sum was nothing to the Demon Castle. But for an average Seven Star Demon who was skilled at accumulating wealth, their entire fortune would amount to only about one trillion blackstones. After all, the authenticity of the "Sovereign's task" was still unconfirmed. And if the price were set too high, the Demon Castle could simply send its own people to investigate and gather information instead.
The deal was struck!
The Demon Castle spent one trillion blackstones to purchase this intelligence.
After verification, the Demon Castle confirmed with absolute certainty that the red, diamond-shaped crystal emitting green light in the phantom projections was indeed a rare treasure. In an instant, every Demon Castle throughout the entire Infernal Realm received this information.
Purplejade Continent. The third floor of a Demon Castle in a certain city.
"What information do you need?" the counter clerk said flatly.
"Information about the Sovereign's task. Ten million blackstones, isn't that right?" said a cold-voiced, silver-haired, one-eyed young man, simultaneously producing ten million blackstones along with his Demon Badge.
After verifying the Demon Badge, the clerk's attitude immediately became respectful. He promptly produced the relevant files and a selection of phantom projection recordings.
After reviewing the files and the phantom projections, the silver-haired young man turned to leave. But the clerk suddenly spoke up: "Mr. Sija. Our Demon Castle has just obtained a new piece of intelligence regarding the Sovereign's token—the Red Rhombus Diamond. This information is absolutely genuine. And the crystal mentioned in the intelligence, even if it isn't the Sovereign's token, is a spiritual artifact on par with a Sovereign Artifact."
"Oh?" The silver-haired young man whipped his head around. "Not a Sovereign's token, but still a treasure on par with a Sovereign Artifact?"
"Indeed," the clerk said with complete confidence. "Absolutely genuine."
"How much for this intelligence?" the silver-haired young man asked coldly.
"For someone of your stature, Lord Sija, it's not an exorbitant price—ninety billion blackstones!" the clerk said with a smile.
This price made the silver-haired young man furrow his brow.
The Demon Castle's pricing was quite clever. Ninety billion—still measured in units of ten billion. If it had been priced at one hundred billion, it would have been measured in units of a hundred billion, which would have felt entirely different psychologically. The intelligence purchased for one trillion blackstones was now being sold at ninety billion each time—it would only take eleven or twelve sales to recoup the cost.
"Fine." The silver-haired young man's hand moved, producing a spatial ring that he tossed over. "There are ninety billion blackstones inside."
"Please wait a moment, Lord Sija. Intelligence of this importance is handled by the Castle Master and his personal attendants. Allow me to consult with them—please be patient." The clerk was extremely respectful. This Sija was a Seven Star Demon.
Under normal circumstances, when dealing with Six Star or Seven Star Demons, the intelligence division head would recommend this particular piece of information. Those who were too weak couldn't afford it anyway.
After a short while, the silver-haired young man received the intelligence.
He carefully read through the contents while viewing dozens of phantom projection recordings.
"Enough to let a mere Highgod who refined a divine spark kill a Six Star Demon?" The silver-haired young man was also greatly alarmed. Without hesitation, he immediately departed the Demon Castle at full speed.
As a Seven Star Demon, the silver-haired young man headed straight for the Muya Continent at the fastest possible speed!
Demon Castles were spread throughout the Infernal Realm. The Infernal Realm was filled with powerhouses, and there were many strong figures who could afford this intelligence. The vast majority of them, once they saw the detailed contents, immediately set out from every corner of the Infernal Realm toward the Muya Continent. Alas—the Infernal Realm was simply too vast!