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Yang Kai didn't bother asking further what mistake she'd made — it wasn't his concern anyway. After a few casual words, he shifted the topic: "Here's the thing. I'm new around here and not too familiar with how things work in the Demon Realm. I was wondering where I could find a map to look at?"
"A map?" Xiao Wu thought for a moment. "If the Master wants a map, you could ask the Saint Venerable. She should have one on hand." The Saint Venerable she referred to was presumably Yu Rumeng.
The several Sacred Spirits in the Barbarian Ancient Lands also called themselves Saint Venerables, but in terms of ability and cultivation, they couldn't compare to a Demon Saint. The title carried an entirely different weight.
Yang Kai's mouth twitched slightly, and he waved his hand. "Such a trivial matter — no need to trouble the Saint Venerable."
He didn't want Yu Rumeng knowing what he was up to either, lest she get suspicious. The chances were slim, but better safe than sorry.
Xiao Wu below pondered for another moment. "Then the Master could try looking in the Holy City. They should be sold there."
"Oh?" Yang Kai raised an eyebrow. "They sell maps out there?"
Xiao Wu nodded. "The Holy City has everything."
Yang Kai flashed a grin. "Good. Then I'll trouble you to take me out for a look."
"The Master wants to go outside?" Xiao Wu looked up at Yang Kai in surprise, then quickly lowered her head.
Yang Kai said, "What? Am I not allowed to leave? Did the Saint Venerable order you lot to keep me inside?"
"Well, no..." Xiao Wu hesitated. "But if the Master wishes to go out, please allow me to request instructions from the Saint Venerable first."
"Request nothing!" Yang Kai strode down from his chair without ceremony and marched toward the exit. "If the sky falls, I'll hold it up. Keep up."
Seeing how decisively he moved, Xiao Wu's expression turned anxious, but she was already too late to stop him. She could only hurriedly instruct the other maids to relay Yang Kai's movements to the Saint Venerable, then scramble after his pace.
The two of them moved one after the other through the palace grounds.
Though Yang Kai wasn't familiar with the place, he'd noted the route somewhat the last time Yu Rumeng brought him in, and retracing his steps now, he quickly made it outside. The maids and guards they encountered along the way did indeed stare at him with curiosity, and once he'd passed, they whispered among themselves — about what, he couldn't tell — but none of them tried to stop him.
Beyond the palace, a broad avenue wide enough for over a dozen carriages to travel abreast stretched toward a bustling city over ten li away. From a distance, the city looked no smaller than the great cities of the Star Boundary — in fact, it might even surpass them.
The city had eight gates, two on each side — north, south, east, and west. The gates were imposing, and the walls rose high.
Yang Kai walked in front, the maid Xiao Wu trailing behind. The dozen-li distance was covered in short order, and they arrived at the city gate.
Yang Kai had worried that entering the city as a lone human might cause trouble. After all, this was the Demon Realm, and demons weren't exactly known for their hospitality. He'd been brought here by Yu Rumeng, but it wasn't as if every demon knew that.
But once he reached the gate, he realized he'd been overthinking it. Even though he was human and bore no demonic features, as long as he didn't channel any power, most demons wouldn't be able to detect anything.
And they'd never seen a human before! Who knew what humans looked like? Any demon who had seen one was currently in the Star Boundary.
The reason the demons in the palace had stared at him wasn't because of his human identity — it was because he was a man brought back by the Saint Venerable.
At the city gate, several fierce-looking demons of considerable strength guarded the entrance. Every demon who passed had to present something called a Demon Crystal to get through.
Demon Crystals served the same function in the Demon Realm as Source Crystals did in the Star Boundary — they were hard currency for all trade.
Yang Kai, of course, had no Demon Crystals, but he didn't need to pay either.
When the demons approached, Xiao Wu produced a token and flashed it before them, and the guards promptly stepped back respectfully.
After all, anyone who came from the Saint Venerable's palace hardly needed to pay any fee.
Entering the city without incident, the roar of noise washed over him, and Yang Kai found himself clicking his tongue in wonder. Demons were warlike and bloodthirsty, and he'd assumed life in the Demon Realm would be primitive. But now he saw that everything the Star Boundary had, the Demon Realm had too. Take this Holy City for example — straight, wide avenues ran north and south, all manner of shops lined the streets, crowds flowed endlessly, and the sounds of hawking, shouting, and bargaining rose and fell in waves.
If not for the demons on the streets — each one with their own distinctive and bizarre features — Yang Kai might have thought he'd wandered back into the Star Boundary.
"Master!" Seeing him standing still, Xiao Wu called softly from behind him.
"Mm." Yang Kai responded absently and immediately set off forward, glancing about with keen interest as he walked.
But he'd barely taken a few steps when he heard a muffled cry from behind. He turned to see Xiao Wu sitting on the ground, clutching her shoulder with a pained expression.
Not far behind her, a hulking demon was striding along with astonishing speed, swaying left and right as he walked. The crowd ahead scattered to let him through.
Yang Kai froze for a moment, then immediately understood what had happened. With a flicker of movement, he appeared behind the burly demon and slapped a palm on the demon's shoulder.
The demon was knocked forward a step and flew into a rage. He whirled around, but there was no one behind him…
"Over here!" Yang Kai said with a dark expression, looking up at the demon. Damn, this guy was way too tall!
The demon followed the voice and looked down, finally spotting Yang Kai, who stood a full two heads shorter than him. The demon turned around slowly, hot air curling from his upturned nostrils, and glared down. "What do you want?!"
Yang Kai raised his thumb and jerked it behind him. "You knocked my companion over."