The first thing Yang Kai needed to do was gather intelligence.
Shan Qingluo should be easy to track down. As the adopted daughter of the Scarlet Moon Territory Lord, she was almost certainly staying at the Lord's side.
The parting at the Emperor's Domain all those years ago still echoed in Yang Kai's ears — Shan Qingluo's heart-wrenching cries.
Since he had come to Emperor Star, the Demon Star, he naturally wanted to see whether this demoness was living well.
Within a few days, Yang Kai and Xia Ningshang flew out of the deep mountain forests. However, though they encountered a fair number of living beings along the way, they were all untamed demon beasts — utterly useless for extracting information. It left him rather exasperated.
All he could do was place his hopes on what lay ahead.
As he flew aimlessly alongside Xia Ningshang, Yang Kai extended his divine sense outward to probe their surroundings.
Suddenly, he seemed to sense something and pointed in a direction. "There's some movement over there. Let's go have a look."
"Alright." Xia Ningshang had no objections.
The two of them descended and walked side by side toward where Yang Kai had indicated. Before long, a group of roughly a dozen warriors came into view.
These warriors radiated a wild, feral aura, markedly different from the energy fluctuations of ordinary human cultivators. Moreover, each of them bore varying degrees of demonic beast features on their bodies.
This group of a dozen-odd warriors were clearly members of the Demon Race.
They rode wolf-type demon beasts, clad in gleaming golden armor with sharp edges, looking every bit the fearsome cavalry. They urged their mounts forward at a frenzied gallop, and despite numbering only a dozen or so, they charged like a torrent of iron, their momentum overwhelming.
When Yang Kai swept his divine sense over them, he found that the strongest among these Demon Race warriors was only at the second-stage Great Emperor realm — not a threat at all.
So he walked straight toward them with Xia Ningshang in tow.
"Pardon the interruption," he called out upon drawing near, cupping his fists toward the leader of the group with a warm smile on his face.
The other party had clearly spotted them already. He rode his wolf-type demon beast in a single leap to Yang Kai's front, looking down at him from above. A natural air of contempt and appraisal flickered in his slightly pale-white eyes.
The demon beast beneath him was panting, blowing foul breath into Yang Kai's face. It even seemed inclined to lean its head closer and sniff whether Yang Kai might be palatable…
Yang Kai smiled, unmoved.
This was Emperor Star — the domain of the Demon Race. When facing beings of other races, the Demon Race harbored an innate sense of superiority. They believed no race could compare to the supreme Demon Race, and that any other species could only bow in submission and serve as slaves before the might of the demon clans!
"A human?" The leading Demon Race warrior glanced sideways at Yang Kai, immediately identifying his race.
The wolf-type mount snorted, apparently sensing its master's displeasure, and circled around Yang Kai and Xia Ningshang.
After returning to its original position, the Demon Race warrior gave a cold hum. "What are two humans doing out here?"
"Heh heh, we got lost, I'm afraid. Might I ask — what is this place?"
"This is the Scarlet Moon Territory!" the warrior answered proudly. "It is the domain governed by the great Scarlet Moon Territory Lord. You came here without even knowing where you were?"
"Well, I do know this is the Scarlet Moon Territory Lord's domain." Yang Kai chuckled. "What I'd like to know is, where is the nearest city? And if it's not too much trouble, could you tell me where the Scarlet Moon Territory Lord's palace is?"
"You want to find out where the Lord's palace is?" The warrior's expression turned cold at this, and his gaze toward Yang Kai grew noticeably more hostile. "Why are you asking about that?"
"No particular reason. I have a friend in the Scarlet Moon Territory Lord's palace. I'd like to go see her," Yang Kai replied casually.
"A friend…" The warrior paused in surprise, then burst into hearty laughter, his voice dripping with mockery. The other Demon Race warriors joined in as well.
"Human, I'd advise you to give up that idea. The Lord's palace — no one may approach without a summons. Even us of the Demon Race are no exception, let alone humans like you! But don't worry. The Lord has always been relatively merciful toward humans. Your friend is probably living quite well doing menial work inside the palace."
He had instinctively assumed that the "friend" Yang Kai mentioned was some insignificant nobody serving in the Scarlet Moon Territory Lord's palace.
That was only natural. The humans kept in the Lord's palace were handpicked beauties and handsome young men, and they did nothing of substance — they were merely servants, nothing more.
On Demon Race territory, humans had always held no status whatsoever.
"Much appreciated, friend, but I still need to know the location of Elder Scarlet Moon's palace." Yang Kai remained firm.
"All humans are as conceited as you — that's why I can't stand you!" The warrior snorted coldly. "I can tell you, but nothing's free. Offer something in exchange."
"Deal!" Yang Kai nodded and casually tossed over a pouch of Holy Crystals.