Three enormous demonic script characters were prominently inscribed above the entrance: "Ten Thousand Slave Tower."
Han Li had never seen a place like this before. After a moment's consideration, he walked toward the massive tower's gates with a trace of curiosity.
The moment he stepped through the tower's entrance, a lavishly decorated hall appeared before him. On either side, more than a dozen demon girls dressed in silver palace gowns stood in two rows, smiling in welcome.
At the center of the hall stood a row of crystalline tables and chairs crafted from fine jade.
A middle-aged man in a black robe was attending to three other demon guests alongside several servant girls.
Before Han Li had even taken a proper look around, the middle-aged man's gaze swept over him and he immediately felt a jolt of alarm. He excused himself to the guests in front of him and hurried straight toward Han Li.
"Greetings, Senior. Is there anything this humble one can assist you with?" The middle-aged man walked up and bowed his head respectfully.
This demon with the bearing of a shopkeeper possessed Spirit Transformation cultivation, and he could naturally sense the powerful Void Refining aura emanating from Han Li, so he did not dare show the slightest negligence.
"What kind of business does this Ten Thousand Slave Tower conduct? I've never seen a similar establishment in any other city," Han Li said flatly, glancing at the man before him.
"This must be Senior's first visit to Phantom Night City. The Ten Thousand Slave Tower rarely appears in ordinary cities, as it specializes in the sale of slaves and certain demon beasts," the middle-aged man replied.
"Slaves? Demon beasts?" Han Li's expression shifted slightly at the words.
"Indeed. These guests have come to purchase some slaves. If Senior is also interested, you're welcome to take a look alongside them. As for demon beasts, this tower only carries some common varieties — Senior would most likely not find them of interest," the middle-aged man said with an ingratiating smile.
"Since I've come this far, I might as well take a look," Han Li said. He narrowed his eyes in thought for a moment, then slowly nodded.
"Very well, please follow me, Senior." The middle-aged man immediately waved over one of the servant girls, had her lead the other three demons over, and then guided Han Li and the rest toward a simple teleportation array in one corner of the tower.
The three guests were two men and a woman in their twenties — the men were handsome and striking, the woman graceful and lovely. All three possessed only Nascent Soul cultivation, yet their gazes carried a hint of curiosity as they looked at Han Li, with surprisingly little fear or reverence in their expressions.
Han Li noticed this and swept a casual glance over them, catching sight of a subtle silver character "Ning" embroidered in the corner of each of their sleeves.
"The Ning clan?" His thoughts turned, but his face betrayed nothing.
At that moment, the group stepped onto the teleportation array. The middle-aged man immediately cast a spell seal toward the array's edge, and with a flash of white light, all of them vanished in an instant.
The next moment, on a floor somewhere within the massive tower, several figures flickered into view above a teleportation array similar to the one below.
Han Li and the others materialized.
He opened his eyes and immediately swept his gaze across his surroundings.
The layout here was entirely different from the first floor.
Stretching out before the teleportation array was only a narrow, elongated corridor of bluestone, its walls on both sides covered with densely inscribed demonic runes that clearly carried a certain restrictive power.
At the far end of the passage, several golden doors could be faintly seen lining both sides of the corridor, each guarded by two towering sentinels clad in full armor, standing motionless.
When Han Li extended his spiritual sense over these sentinels, a flicker of surprise crossed his face.
They bore no trace of life whatsoever — they were nothing but cold humanoid puppets.
The middle-aged man did not hesitate. The moment he stepped off the teleportation array, he led Han Li and the others into the corridor. After a short walk, they arrived near the nearest golden door.
At that moment, the two puppets flanking the entrance seemed to sense their approach. Their heads swiveled toward the group, cold eyes fixing upon them. At the same time, the halberds they had been gripping shifted and were brought across their chests in a guard position, as though they would attack anyone who drew near without exception.
The middle-aged man remained composed. With a flip of his single hand, he produced an iron token shrouded in a faint wisp of dark qi, held it up slightly toward the front, and chanted a brief incantation.