Chapter 61: The Vast World, the Bustling Human Realm

“Go back.”

A tall demon extended its sturdy stone arm and shoved a smaller demon away.

The smaller demon, three meters tall, stared resolutely: “Father, your primordial essence hasn’t recovered since last time. Let me take your place.”

It stepped forward again and pulled the tall demon back.

The two demons resembled each other in appearance—clearly of the same architectural spirit kind.

Before either could speak,

the smaller demon gritted its teeth and tore off its own arm!

The severed arm transformed into architecture, filling the gaps atop “Feiluan Palace.”

The repair progress of “Feiluan Palace” gradually increased.

On Shan Ye’s identity device, the previously ethereal holographic projection steadily filled in, becoming real.

“40%…”

“50%…”

Many demons relaxed, standing behind with broken bodies, their eyes filled with hope.

The smaller demon, now armless, still stood straight ahead, smiling: “Once this repair is complete, some of our kin should receive identity devices and leave this cage.”

The tall demon smiled too, patted its shoulder, and opened its mouth to speak.

The next second,

its expression changed abruptly!

The demonic energy surging within it suddenly spiraled out of control, blasting straight toward Shi Xuan!

BOOM!

A stone pillar flew from its grasp and crashed down upon Shi Xuan’s head!

Simultaneously, over a dozen other demons suddenly lost control of their demonic energy, all unleashing it toward Liu Tiezhu and the others!

Shi Xuan’s face remained calm, his voice like ice frozen for ten thousand years: “Attacking a supervisor constitutes clear rebellion. Resistance to supervision is punishable by immediate execution.”

At these words,

Liu Tiezhu and Shan Ye were already prepared—the spiritual energy around them surged violently as they struck without hesitation!

BOOM!

A spinning blade-light slashed out, shattering the stone pillar!

Shi Xuan’s gaze was cold as he cleaved through the debris, leaping atop the shattered stones, his Moon-Seeking Blade aimed straight at the tall demon!

The attack came suddenly.

Most demons stood frozen, bewildered, unsure whether to act.

“You’ve never had good intentions!”

Over forty meters away, a ten-meter-tall great demon sneered, extending one finger toward Shi Xuan!

“Your opponent is me.”

Jiang Jian spoke softly, flipping his palm—the Han Guang sword qi roared and surged forth!

BOOM!

A blazing white blade-light lashed up, tearing through the air and slamming into the great demon’s finger!

CLANG!

A piercing metallic clash rang out, sparks flying everywhere!

The great demon winced and instinctively retracted its finger, turning to face Jiang Jian.

“What exactly are you trying to do?!”

Its voice was icy, seething with rage—it raised a massive palm, wreathed in blazing Gang wind, and slammed it down toward Jiang Jian!

“We gained sentience here, born as demons, yet we’ve never done a single evil deed!”

“What crime have we committed?!”

The great demon struck in fury, demonic energy surging, its voice thundering like a storm!

Jiang Jian’s surroundings surged with dark red energy, his Shen Que spiritual energy pushed to its limit—he barely dodged the great demon’s palm strike, his voice still calm: “You’ve committed no crime.”

“But when you die, you leave behind refined iron.”

At these words,

the great demon’s rage faltered. “So you want refined iron?”

Jiang Jian, buying time for Liu Tiezhu and the others, nodded: “My goal is only refined iron.”

The great demon growled: “I’ll give you refined iron!”

Jiang Jian’s heart stirred slightly; he stepped aside and said, “Stop!”

At the sound of his voice,

Shi Xuan’s blade veered sharply, narrowly missing the smaller demon’s head before crashing into the ground, sending up a storm of shattered stone!

Liu Tiezhu and Shan Ye reacted a fraction slower.

The next second,

they too ceased their attacks and stepped back.

In just a few seconds,

three demons had already been slain outright.

The remaining demons, already weakened and covered in wounds, now retreated behind the ten-meter-tall great demon, staring at Liu Tiezhu and the others.

Their hatred nearly solidified into visible form!

The great demon, towering like a mountain, blocked the way and stared at Shan Ye’s identity device: “First, make her delete the recording.”

Its sole purpose had always been to protect more of its kin.

If the recording was uploaded, the dozen or so demons forced to attack would all die.

Shan Ye ignored it, raising an eyebrow to Jiang Jian: “Why stop? That’s over ten pieces of refined iron!”

Jiang Jian waved her off, looking up at the great demon: “How much refined iron can you give me?”

The great demon hesitated, then placed its palm on the ground: “Follow me.”

Shi Xuan’s eyes showed concern. “Jiang Jian, don’t go!”

Liu Tiezhu stood aside, eyes flickering, lost in thought.

Jiang Jian held Han Guang and said: “Don’t worry—I can protect myself.”

With that,

he stepped onto the great demon’s palm without hesitation.

The great demon’s gaze shifted as it studied Jiang Jian.

Then it rose, lifting its palm, and turned toward the back of the palace complex.

“All the refined iron left behind by our kin who died from primordial essence loss is here.”

The great demon’s eyes darkened with sorrow as it pointed to a pile of refined iron on the palace wall.

Jiang Jian glanced briefly—his eyes brightened slightly.

The pile contained at least forty pieces!

Refined iron was extremely rare.

Each piece was priceless.

Forty-plus pieces? A fortune from heaven—its value incalculable!

“The refined iron is yours,”

the great demon said, “but you must guarantee the recording is deleted and the remaining kin won’t die.”

This demon colony was small—just one corner of First River City.

They collected refined iron solely to remember their dead kin.

They had never known the true value of refined iron.

Even the name “refined iron” had been overheard once during a repair.

Jiang Jian said: “I’ve already said—my goal is refined iron.”

“The rest—”

“has nothing to do with me.”

Hearing this,

the great demon sighed. “Do you know, if we decided to fight without regard for casualties, you’d all die here.”

Jiang Jian took the stone basket. “Not necessarily.”

The great demon was startled: “You’re that confident?”

Jiang Jian smiled but said nothing.

The great demon led him to the side of the palace. “You’re an Earth citizen—you don’t know how much we suffer. Being born in this cage is the greatest crime. We’ve never even seen the outside world.”

Jiang Jian said: “According to First River City’s laws, if you fully repair Feiluan Palace, you can leave.”

The great demon sighed: “Feiluan Palace is the main palace of the complex—the very place where I gained sentience. No matter how much they repair, it’s never enough.”

As he spoke,

something occurred to it—its expression changed as it stared at Jiang Jian: “You mean… I…”

Jiang Jian smiled lightly: “I merely repeated First River City’s rules. I said nothing else.”

The great demon slowed its steps, its face filled with turmoil: “Is the outside world truly as they say—once you get an identity device, you’re completely safe?”

Jiang Jian pondered for a moment and said, “For you, the more bustling a place is, the safer it becomes.”

“The more bustling a place is, the safer it becomes.”

The great demon repeated the phrase, hesitated for a long while, then suddenly lifted its head to look at Jiang Jian.

“You are human, we are demons—why would you tell me this?”

Jiang Jian replied, “Humans, demons, ghosts, monsters—all are living beings. What essential difference is there?”

Hearing these words,

the great demon stared blankly at Jiang Jian, stunned into silence.

A few seconds later,

it spoke: “I thought you were like them—always seeing us as lowly tools from start to finish.”

Jiang Jian said softly, “I’ve already said it twice just now.”

“I came for the refined iron.”

“As for whether you are human or ghost, demon or monster,”

Jiang Jian lowered his gaze and gently stroked the Han Guang sword, “to me, there is no difference at all.”

The great demon looked dazed and asked, “Do you truly think so?”

Jiang Jian said, “Across the Four Realms of Earth and Moon, a hundred billion living beings are but a corner of the Solar System.”

“Beyond the Solar System lies the Orion Arm.”

“The star-sea is vast, boundless, infinite.”

“Innumerable living beings in this world are like grains of sand in the Ganges—tiny as dust.”

“If we are all ants, what difference is there?”

Hearing Jiang Jian’s words,

the great demon stood frozen, unable to speak.

Its gaze was complex as it stood in the side hall of the palace and said, “I’ve lived over a hundred years, yet felt I lived in vain—today, I owe you my thanks.”

“You are so young, yet your mind is as deep as an abyss, unfathomable, beyond even a glimpse.”

Jiang Jian’s expression was calm: “Since you are about to die, and for the sake of that pile of refined iron, speaking a few words to you is nothing.”

The great demon relaxed its entire body, unsurprised, and smiled bitterly: “You noticed that too.”

It intended to use its own essence to completely fill the “Feiluan Palace.”

So that its remaining kin could each claim an identity device and gain unofficial citizenship in the Earth Alliance, stepping beyond the First Jiangcheng.

“Just now outside, you felt entirely different from how you do now.”

The great demon lifted its foot again, speaking as it walked outward.

Jiang Jian said softly, “You are a demon—you may never have heard this saying from our human world: ‘Harmonize with light, blend with dust.’”

“Inner resolve unchanged, spirit unmoved.”

“Though appearances shift endlessly, what does it matter?”

The great demon opened its mouth, staring at the boy in its palm, not knowing what to say.

In its eyes, it seemed to see a hallucination.

Jiang Jian, clad in his school uniform, though slender, radiated an unyielding will that seemed to swell into an endless aura, surging behind him like a tidal wave.

The great demon shook its head, blinked hard, and assumed it was a final flicker of consciousness—murmuring, “Now I feel these hundred years were not wasted.”

A few minutes later,

“Delete the recording.”

Jiang Jian leapt down from the great demon’s palm, setting the stone basket on the ground.

The basket had no lid; refined iron filled it densely, glinting with light.

“Damn it!”

Shi Xuan stepped forward, counted, and couldn’t help cursing, “Forty-six pieces of refined iron!”

Shan Ye’s eyes sparkled brilliantly: “Jiang Jian, you’re incredible!”

Without hesitation, she picked up her identity device and deleted the recording.

Even Liu Tiezhu’s eyes gleamed with awe; he clenched his fist and said, “Our academy credits are no longer a problem!”

Shan Ye held up her identity device: “One piece of refined iron sells for 200,000 Alliance Credits on the Linjiang network—and even then, it’s scarce!”

Jiang Jian smiled: “We got lucky—this demon colony had accumulated a lot of refined iron.”

Liu Tiezhu suddenly remembered something and looked at Jiang Jian: “Wu Hai only needs ten pieces—what about the rest?”

His tone was tentative.

Hearing this,

Shan Ye and Shi Xuan both turned to look.

No one ever turns down more resources.

Refined iron, this rare and expensive material, was incredibly precious—and more was always better.

Though originally, everyone had thought getting even a few pieces would be enough.

But now, so much refined iron lay before them,

no one could remain unmoved.

Jiang Jian paused briefly, then said, “Besides the ten pieces for Wu Hai, the remaining thirty-six pieces—we each take nine, and handle them as we wish. How’s that?”

At that moment, Shi Xuan placed four more pieces of refined iron into the stone basket: “Not thirty-six—forty.”

Shan Ye said nothing.

Liu Tiezhu frowned.

A few seconds later,

Liu Tiezhu spoke: “Jiang Jian, without you, we never would’ve gotten this much refined iron.”

“I propose we each take seven, and you take the rest. What do you say?”

Shan Ye nodded firmly, voice sincere: “Jiang Jian, you should take more.”

Shi Xuan immediately picked up seven pieces and stuffed them into his pocket.

Seeing this,

Jiang Jian no longer refused and nodded: “Fine.”

He walked to the stone basket, counted out nineteen pieces, and placed them into his backpack.

This fortune—whether exchanged with Wu Hai for credits or sold for Alliance Credits—

would suffice for a long time of cultivation.

(End of Chapter)