Chapter 829 - 824: Golden Return Scroll
Bai Pu and Rein exchanged glances.
"The demon commander under Emperor Yan, is he really that powerful? To toy with the White Tiger Oath Expedition Team like this, it seems very strange," Rein spoke.
"It’s strange to us too. Emperor Yan’s followers are earth element, stone element, molten rock system demons, known for being brainless," said Beiming Chuan.
Bai Pu said, "The main strength of the Xiyuan Clan is Demon Control Masters with strong spiritual power and wide perception range. In theory, such a team shouldn’t be surrounded by an army. Perhaps there are some Fallen Wild Warriors and Fallen Demon Control Masters assisting under Emperor Yan’s command, which would explain it."
Rein, Leia, and Salacia all nodded.
From the information brought by Beiming Chuan, they also smelled the scent of companions—moreover, ones with considerable intelligence and strong exploration abilities in the Spirit Realm.
Silently, one of the Four Great Oaths, the White Tiger Oath, suffered a great loss!
"So, what’s the current situation of the White Tiger Oath?" Bai Pu asked.
"Patriarch Xiyuan Zhang is severely injured, three of the four demon servants are dead, strength halved; the offspring of the Xiyuan Clan he led are mostly dead or injured, and the arduously captured demons have all rebelled..."
Beiming Chuan sighed, "Fortunately, the Xiyuan Clan is rich and adept at making spell artifacts. They used an ancestral teleportation spell scroll to escape Black Stone Canyon. Currently, the Xiyuan Clan is in Red Annihilation River, out of Emperor Yan’s territory."
Bai Pu said, "I vaguely understand what the Black Emperor’s incarnation meant."
"You met the Black Emperor’s incarnation? Oh, right, you broke through the Profound Water Palace." Beiming Chuan first hesitated, then smiled broadly, "Lord Gangxin, you made quite a fortune there. Should I come and negotiate with you at some point? I guarantee a satisfactory price for those Black Emperor treasures that you don’t find useful..."
Bai Pu was speechless for a moment. This Beiming Chuan, he loves doing business too much, no wonder he’s the Turtle Ship’s Chief Steward.
Beiming Jihu knocked on the table, "Gangxin, focus on the point. What did the Black Emperor’s incarnation say to you?"
"He said our activities in Corruption Forest and Eternal Night Dark Sea helped Emperor Yan greatly. He also mentioned that the Three Emperor Meeting process has accelerated, and the day of Black Heaven Descent is not far away."
Bai Pu conveyed the Black Emperor’s words and then said, "Recently, the three Great Demon Emperors haven’t shown up, likely because they’re holding a revival meeting for Great Dark Heaven. There might be interests involved, so the three Demon Emperors are arguing.
"However, Emperor Qing and Black Emperor have suffered consecutive heavy losses, weakening their forces. On the other hand, Emperor Yan not only didn’t face setbacks but also recruited many neutral demons, strengthening his forces! By comparing gains and losses, Emperor Qing and Black Emperor might have made some concessions, and the three Great Demon Emperors are close to reaching a consensus."
Beiming Jihu and Dongbo Cheng exchanged glances, showing no sign of shock.
"The consensus of the three Great Demon Emperors is just a matter of time; they originate from the same source. The revival of Great Dark Heaven is of utmost importance to them."
Beiming Jihu glanced at Bai Pu and said solemnly, "It’s also due to Gangxin killing the Red Emperor in the Great Wilderness River, prompting urgency among the other three Great Demon Emperors."
"Does this mean, killing the Red Emperor was a mistake?" Bai Pu asked.
Dongbo Chengzhi shook his head, "You can’t say that. With one Demon Emperor less, even if Great Dark Heaven descends again, it will be weaker... Gangxin deserves credit, not blame."
"In the current situation, our four oath expedition teams should unite."
Beiming Jihu said, "Xiyuan Zhang sent a message inviting us to gather at the ’Scorched Earth Ruins’ in Red Annihilation River. The Vermilion Bird Oath’s expedition team will also head there."
Scorched Earth Ruins used to be "Scorched Earth Fortress", a city left behind by Red Emperor.
The underground palace of Red Emperor, "Red Ming Palace", is located in Scorched Earth Fortress.
After Red Emperor was killed and his consciousness fell asleep, his demon generals scattered. Some were recruited by surrounding Demon Emperors, some became neutral Demon Lords, and only a few retained loyalty to Red Emperor, guarding his important strongholds.
But these demon generals have no organization, have fallen into disarray, and have been largely wiped out by the Nan Zhu Heart-Burning Style expedition team.
Now Red Annihilation River is considered the safest place in the entire Underworld, White Tiger Oath’s Master Xiyuan Zhang choosing the Scorched Earth Ruins in Red Annihilation River to gather is a reasonable approach.
Following Beiming Jihu’s words, the Awakened present began receiving notification messages.
Scrolling text appeared on Bai Pu’s retina.
[Main Quest One: Due to changes in circumstances, the qualification for Black Heaven Festival and the first phase of the main quest will be forcibly submitted.]
[The number of Warrior-level and above demons you’ve participated in killing is: 101/30 (each Enhanced Warrior-level demon you slay counts as 3, each Lord Level Demon counts as 10), main quest condition met.]
[You have gained the recognition of Vermilion Bird Oath, Cyan Dragon Oath, and Black Tortoise Oath (3/1), main quest condition met.]
[You have earned the quest reward: qualification to take Main Quest Two: Black Heaven Descent. You may choose to accept or refuse.]
[Your completion rating for Main Quest One is: SS. You’ve received an extra reward: Golden Return Scroll*3.]
[Golden Return Scroll: Upon use, it allows you to immediately return to the real world, ignoring main quest requirements. This return scroll defaults to the highest priority in the Awakened World.]
"Originally, the completion conditions for Main Quest One were quite lenient. Meeting the kill count of demons or gaining recognition from any oath expedition team would satisfy the conditions."
Three golden scrolls appeared in Bai Pu’s hand. These scrolls were crafted with unknown beast skin as the base material, with a layer of gold light gilded on top, appearing high-end and grand.
The reason for the SS-level evaluation is likely Bai Pu’s battle in the Profound Water Palace, eliminating most of the Blood Sucking Demon Bat tribe, with many Warrior-level and even Enhanced Warrior-level Demon Bats ending up fighting each other.
These Blood Sucking Demon Bats killing each other didn’t provide any treasure chests for Bai Pu, but upon settling the main quest, it counted Bai Pu as "participated in the kill", in part due to the Sea Heart Flame Mist’s credit.
Rein, Leia, and others followed Bai Pu and achieved an S-level evaluation. Each of them received a Golden Return Scroll as a reward.
Both were very happy and simultaneously sent silent messages to Bai Pu, thanking Lord Gangxin.
Leia’s message sounded more flattering, "Thanks to Lord Gangxin for helping us make a fortune."
Rein, though not calling him "Lord," clearly showed full respect for Bai Pu.
"I feel that Spirit Realm Will hopes we will take on the second phase main quest," Rein speculated, weighing the golden scroll.
"Indeed, and for some reason, ordinary city return items can’t be used in this world, which is why Bron and the Dragon King died."
Leia said, "With this Golden Return Scroll, we have the confidence to participate in the second phase main quest."