Chapter 200: The Demon Hierarchy! The World is Just a Makeshift Stage

Jiangbei Province, Zhenwu Mountain.

The sun was high. Inside the Qingwei Palace, an old man who looked just like a farmer was leisurely sitting cross-legged on the stone steps in front of the Pure Yang Hall, basking in the sun.

He rubbed his palms, head bowed, staring at the ground with intense focus. A sharp glint flickered in his deep eyes, as if he had discovered some incredible mystery.

"Master, what are you looking at?"

Just then, Daoist Pojie walked over, his face filled with deep curiosity.

To have the world's number one expert, a living True Person of the present age, so focused, it must surely be hiding a great cultivation secret.

"I am watching ants moving house," Chu Chaoran whispered in a low, solemn voice.

"Ants moving house!?"

Daoist Pojie was stunned for a moment and couldn't help but look at the ground. As far as his eyes could see, it was empty—where were any ants moving house? "Master, it's already winter, and we are deep in the mountains. Where would there be ants?" Daoist Pojie couldn't help but ask.

"Pojie..." Chu Chaoran said suddenly, without raising his head.

"This disciple is here..."

"The ink on the desk has gone foul. Take it to the back mountain and feed it to the dogs."

"Ah?" Daoist Pojie was startled, then said with a strange expression, "Master, dogs don't eat that stuff."

"Do dogs nowadays not like to eat foul ink anymore?" Chu Chaoran slowly withdrew his gaze and whispered solemnly.

"Dogs in the past didn't eat it either," Daoist Pojie reminded him.

"Is that so?"

Chu Chaoran seemed thoughtful. He suddenly looked up at the bright sunlight, not finding it blinding at all. His eyes, deep as an abyss, flickered with a strange brilliance at this moment.

"Master, what is wrong?" Daoist Pojie sensed something unusual and couldn't help but ask.

"Nothing, I just remembered some things from the past."

Chu Chaoran whispered leisurely, slowly stood up, and turned to walk into the ancient, deep Pure Yang Hall.

Jiangnan Province, Yujing City.

Inside the Tan Mansion.

Zhang Fan was listening to Su Shiyu and Shi Shougong talk about interesting anecdotes from the demon circle.

This circle is neither small nor large. Since the founding of the nation, the number of demons has decreased sharply.

During the first national demon census, excluding those off the grid, there were about eighty or ninety thousand demons.

Last year, during the ninth national demon census, excluding those off the grid, the total number of demons across all provinces and cities added up to only a little over ten thousand.

After the founding of the nation, becoming a demon was forbidden. Even for the very few who didn't follow the rules, like Su Shiyu and Shi Shougong, the rate of becoming a demon was too low.

With the demonization rate dropping and the aging of old demons intensifying, should the path to becoming a demon be fully opened? This is a social issue that requires long-term debate.

"The demon census didn't count the great demons and old demons in the mountain and sea dead ends at all," Shi Shougong whispered solemnly.

Just like the 【Yan Wang】, known as the world's number one demon, it has lived deep in the ancestral temple of the Wu Wei Sect for years. Which staff member would dare to go to its door for a census!? This isn't like accepting a census where you get eggs and milk, so everyone rushes up.

"Yan Wang... a big black dog can actually become the world's number one demon!?" Zhang Fan was thoughtful.

Regarding demons, he had seen many records in the 【Dao Secret Record】 and had heard many rumors and secrets mentioned by Jiang Hu, Wen He, and others.

The world is vast; famous mountains and dead ends hide many strange species, especially in the large and small rivers, lakes, and seas. It is said that there are even flood dragons...

A few years ago, the Guangdong Humen Bridge incident, where something wanted to enter the sea to undergo a tribulation, caused quite a stir. It is said that experts from the Bai He Guan even went over.

Jiang Hu said that thing was even more powerful than an ordinary flood dragon.

Besides that, places like Mount Zhangbai, Mount Kunlun, Mount Ailao, and the eight-hundred-mile Qin Ling Mountains also hide many extremely powerful great demons. Some even have orderly inheritances, passed down through generations, with foundations no lower than the ten famous mountains of the Daoist sects.

In such a hidden demon world, that plain-looking big black dog could actually become the world's number one? It was truly too absurd! "Yan Wang once followed the 【Three Corpses Daoist】, who was the world's number one powerhouse back then," Su Shiyu whispered solemnly.

Mentioning that big black dog, these juniors in the demon circle subconsciously used honorifics, referring to it as Yan Wang every time they spoke.

"Sixty years ago, Chu Chaoran performed the Jiazi Demon-Slaying, and the Three Corpses Daoist transformed into the Dao at the peak of Mount Dongyue. Since then, Yan Wang returned to the ancestral temple of the Wu Wei Sect and never stepped into the secular world again," Shi Shougong sighed.

To have such power to suppress all demons and ghosts in the world and traverse mountains and rivers, yet to seal oneself within a Daoist temple—one has to say it is a kind of sorrow.

If Shi Shougong had that kind of cultivation, he would at least be walking sideways in this secular world.

"The state of mind of such an existence is not something we can fathom," Su Shiyu shook her head.

In fact, let alone Yan Wang, even the demons in the mountain and sea dead ends are extremely disdainful of demons like Su Shiyu and Shi Shougong.

The mountain and sea demon circle and the urban demon circle belong to two different levels of circles; the two are difficult to merge.

"There's a disdain chain here too?" Zhang Fan couldn't help but say.

"Of course... just like you humans, elites mixing in first-tier cities inevitably have a tiny bit of superiority over the 'small-town test-takers'..." Shi Shougong said lightly.

"This is innate and unchangeable."

Demons who can survive in the mountain and sea dead ends, which one of them is easy to deal with? They all have profound cultivation, fierce and ruthless methods, and demon arts that shake the heavens and earth.

Let alone dead ends like Mount Ailao, Mount Kunlun, and Mount Zhangbai, even the demons raised in the Luoshan Mountains outside Yujing City are much more powerful than the average demon mixing in the city.

Comparing the two, they naturally feel they are a cut above.

It is said that immortals do not gather with humans, and dragons do not dwell with snakes.

Demons in the mountain and sea demon circle look down on demons in the urban demon circle from the bottom of their hearts.

This is an unbreakable disdain chain, with very few exceptions.

In his early years, Shi Shougong also wanted to enter the mountain and sea dead ends to cultivate. Although the competitive pressure there was high, it could better train a demon.

But later, he gave up.

"When I first became a demon, I once wandered around the outside of Mount Ailao, but didn't dare to go in," a look of fear flashed in Shi Shougong's eyes.

He was born on the southern Yunnan border, originally a lizard that became a spirit. Later, he met a mountaineer who got lost, suffered from hypothermia in the mountains, and was on the verge of death. His life couldn't be saved, so he picked up the bargain and took this body.

In fact, for spirits to become demons and want to obtain a human body, there are generally two ways: either like Shi Shougong, by chance, which is like getting it for free, or by directly taking it by force and gambling. This kind of behavior is what the Daoist sects hate the most and is also the biggest taboo; if discovered, it is death.

Initially, after Shi Shougong became a demon, he also thought about entering Mount Ailao to train and cultivate.

After all, places like Mount Ailao, Mount Zhangbai, and Mount Kunlun have the same status in the demon circle as the ten famous Daoist mountains do in the hearts of Daoist priests; they are sacred places where one can advance and improve.

However, he only wandered around the outside for a bit before giving up.

In the mountains, the faintly revealed aura made him shudder. It was a near-animal instinct, sensing the danger of life and death. If he went in, he would be like fish bait for someone fishing.

"Demons who can cultivate in the mountain and sea dead ends indeed have capital to be proud of... but every once in a while, they also come down the mountain or out to sea, entering the secular world..." Su Shiyu whispered solemnly. "Why?" Zhang Fan asked.

"Demons, ghosts, and spirits, just like Daoist priests, need resources to cultivate," Shi Shougong said in a deep voice.

Just like Daoist priests, when they first awaken their soul-aspect and step into the 【Qigong】 rank, moving Qi and accumulating True Yang, they only need to cultivate in seclusion.

The further they go, the more great medicines and rare treasures they need for cultivation.

For example, Liu Xingyu's 【Jianggong Li Huo】 technique was only successfully practiced after gathering a 【Xu Yang Cao】. If he had relied solely on closed-door cultivation, it would have taken at least three to five more years.

Those demons, ghosts, and spirits hiding in deep mountains and great marshes, besides gathering moonlight, often find many great medicines and rare treasures in the deep mountains and marshes. Besides keeping what they can use, they enter the secular world to exchange them in the black market for rare treasures needed for cultivation.

Just like the 【Da Nao Can】 that Shi Shougong gathers, it was bought from the black market.

Reptilian spirits, demons, and ghosts like to gather strange insects the most, which are of great benefit to their soul-aspect and are also very helpful for practicing various demon arts.

Da Nao Can are not rare; there is a supply in the black market every month, it just costs money to buy.

Shi Shougong usually specializes in selling reptiles and feed online, mainly various geckos and frogs. His account on Doule, called 【Strange Pet House】, has over 500,000 followers, and he can make a net profit of 50,000 to 60,000 every month.

With his financial resources, he can gather two or three 【Da Nao Can】 every week, which can increase his cultivation speed by twenty or thirty percent.

"How much is one Da Nao Can?" Zhang Fan asked curiously.

Inspired by the 【Nine Dragon Divine Fire Cover】, he also had the idea of wanting to increase the power of his 【Fire Dragon Dan Sword】.

With Zhang Fan's current cultivation, he can condense one "fire dragon." To condense more, he needs the help of rare treasures and great medicines.

Just like the 【Xu Yang Cao】 Liu Xingyu used, all things are divided into Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements. Wood can generate fire, and ordinary rare wood medicinal materials can help fuel the fire.

However, Zhang Fan's 【Fire Dragon Dan Sword】 is not ordinary true fire. The rare treasures and great medicines needed naturally cannot be bought just anywhere. Besides the channels, the price is also very important.

So, he had to find out clearly.

"One Da Nao Can is 3,800," Shi Shougong said.

"That's not too expensive."

Nowadays, Zhang Fan's bank account also has six-figure savings, and he has become wealthy and imposing.

If it were in the past, his monthly salary would only be enough to buy one 【Da Nao Can】, and the rest would only be enough for him to eat instant noodles for a month.

"This is a consumable; it's only useful in large quantities, so it's cheap," Shi Shougong shook his head.

One Da Nao Can is 3,800. He spends over 40,000 yuan a month just buying insects, so looking at it that way, it's too expensive.

Furthermore, he only has this discount price because he is familiar with the ropes.

"If it's a new face, one is 5,800," Shi Shougong said in a deep voice.

"Why is it so much more expensive?" Zhang Fan asked.

"New faces carry risks," Su Shiyu explained.

It's called a black market, but in fact, there are many rules. The first rule is that things cannot be sold to ordinary people.

Although ordinary people generally cannot access such channels, there are always some fools who don't follow the rules and resell them to ordinary people.

For these things, contact with ordinary people is often a disaster.

Just like this 【Da Nao Can】, it can turn a top student with both character and learning into a good-for-nothing loafer; getting involved with it is equivalent to ruining one's life.

"A few years ago, a woman bought a 【Bei Tai】 in the black market. As a result, in less than half a year, she swindled over thirty men and made off with tens of millions. The impact was extremely bad."

"As a result, because of this incident, the authorities carried out a crackdown, and the black market was closed for half a year. The losses were heavy. When it reopened, half of the merchants had folded," Shi Shougong mentioned a past event.

The so-called 【Bei Tai】 is a rare treasure. In ancient times, there was a strange beast called a Bei, rumored to be a close relative of the wolf, with very short legs, mostly hiding in mountain caves, which is extremely rare.

It is rumored that the fetus born by a Bei is a treasure hard to find in the world. If taken as a decoction, it can attract the opposite sex and bring many children and blessings.

"So, generally, they don't do business with new faces. Either it's an old customer bringing a new one, or they sell it to you at a high price."

Shi Shougong is clearly someone who often deals with the black market and is quite experienced.

"You can also buy from the Dao Alliance. They also do this kind of business, but the price is higher," Su Shiyu added.

In the Dao Alliance, one Da Nao Can costs 6,800.

"So much more expensive?"

"Of course, the Dao Alliance needs to pay taxes," Su Shiyu said as a matter of course.

In fact, Ye Bu Liang also does this kind of business, but it is more formal.

Of course, Ye Bu Liang is not qualified for many categories, especially regulated strange insects with harmful properties like 【Da Nao Can】, which cannot be sold at will.

This is the benefit of the black market; it doesn't care what your qualifications are, if you have money, you can buy it.

"Do the authorities not care?" Zhang Fan couldn't help but say.

"Care?" Shi Shougong laughed.

"Brother Fan, you are a great cultivator, you should also know that solitary Yin does not grow, and solitary Yang does not last... there is no white without black in this world, and no black without white..."

"These two are inseparable."

Su Shiyu spoke obscurely, but Zhang Fan showed a thoughtful expression.

He remembered Jiang Hu saying that last year, the Bai He Guan held an auction where there was a talisman from Long Hu Shan. That thing flowed out from the black market, but it was instantly whitewashed at the Bai He Guan auction, and its origin became clear, allowing it to be traded normally.

"A bit interesting," Zhang Fan's eyes lit up.

"Do you have any connections? Take me to see it."

"Brother Fan, are you looking to stock up?" Shi Shougong chuckled. "I heard a special bug has arrived at the black market, and I just happen to want to go take a look."

"Is it safe? Is it reliable?" Zhang Fan couldn't help but ask.

After all, it was the black market, and since it was his first time going, he was inevitably anxious. It was just like going to a bathhouse and heading to the second floor for the first time—both nervous and expectant, expectant yet anxious.

"Rest assured, it's absolutely reliable. The place I frequent often has backing and has been operating in the Yujing black market for over a decade without ever having a slip-up."

As he spoke, Shi Shougong turned around, found a business card in the drawer of a nearby cabinet, placed it on the table, and pushed it toward Zhang Fan.

Zhang Fan picked up the business card and, after just a glance, froze.

At this very moment, he finally realized how deep and murky the waters here truly were...

This world was just a makeshift stage; it really wasn't just black and white.

"Hong San!?"

(End of chapter)