Chapter 688 - 682: From Now On, I’m in Charge Here
"Have you heard? The seventh Elder of the Pantheon has died!"
"Died? Is that news real?"
"That’s a Tier Thirteen Lord, how could they suddenly die?"
"I just received the news; three Elders of the Pantheon and over a dozen Stewards went, and in the end, only the Grand Elder and the third Elder came back, and they were all seriously injured."
"That’s so exaggerated? What exactly happened?"
"That’s unclear, but some guess they were unfortunate enough to encounter a Demon King Level demon."
"Hiss! Demon King Level!?"
In the surrounding Divine Realm cities of the Eastern Extreme Demon Realm, Lords gathered, discussing animatedly, with waves of exclamations coming from the crowd now and then.
In just half a day.
The news of the Pantheon’s disastrous return had completely spread, causing a huge stir among major forces and Lords.
To know this time the Pantheon had sent out three Elders, and more than ten Stewards.
Such a powerful combat force actually failed, something they never expected.
Could that guy named Lin You, wanted by major forces, really be that terrifying in strength?
Wasn’t it said he was only Tier Twelve?
And he had just recently been brought up from the Lower Realm.
"Could he have been hiding his strength before?"
In the meeting hall of the Godslaying Alliance, the high-level members were also discussing this matter.
"It shouldn’t be, when that Lower Realm Lord was running away before, I was in the hunting ranks, and he was only a Level 4 Quasi-God then."
"I also think it’s unlikely, because even if he had some fortuitous encounter and rose to Tier Thirteen, he couldn’t have caused such severe losses to the Pantheon."
"I lean more towards the theory of encountering a Demon King; could it be that there’s a powerful demon guarding his territory?"
"Impossible, demons and we Lords have always been arch-enemies; how could they send high-level demons to protect a Lord?"
"Then how do you explain him establishing a territory at the entrance of the Eastern Extreme Demon Realm and surviving for so long?"
"That’s just the outermost area of the Eastern Extreme Demon Realm; don’t we often go there to hunt demons? What does that prove?"
The discussions in the meeting hall continued, with the high-level members expressing their opinions in succession, eventually even leading to heated arguments, making the atmosphere particularly lively.
After all, this concerns a bounty worth hundreds of thousands, not to mention treasures like the World Core.
Just one of these would be enough to drive them crazy.
"Alright."
Finally, the man sitting at the head spoke up to stop their arguing.
"This matter is too peculiar; it’s better to send someone to investigate that side first, and preferably extract some useful information from the Pantheon. Only after confirming there is no danger should we consider besieging that Lower Realm Lord."
"But..."
A Steward below opened his mouth, wanting to ask what if another force got ahead of them.
But before he could speak, he was intimidated by the man’s indifferent look and dared not say more.
Then the topic in the meeting hall shifted to how to obtain information from the Pantheon, also temporarily abandoning the immediate plan to send people after Lin You.
Invisibly, this bought Lin You quite a bit of time.
After all, his relationship with the demon race isn’t good enough for them to come help him every time, so ultimately, he still has to rely on himself.
...
And just as everyone was discussing this issue.
Less than a hundred kilometers from the Eastern Extreme Demon Realm, a land-based species team was racing through the wilderness, clearing demons along the way as they headed towards Lin You’s territory.
"Do you think those demons will still accept our materials this time?"
In the center of the team, a middle-aged man who seemed very experienced asked in a low voice.
Their team consisted of a total of six people, four men and two women, all at Tier Twelve.
Especially the one speaking, who had reached Level 6 Quasi-God, already considered a very powerful team among Lords.
"They should, right? Tomorrow is the agreed delivery day."
Another person took over the conversation, but there was obvious concern on his face.
"The recent situation is a bit tight. I heard something went wrong on the Pantheon’s side; it’s better to be cautious," a charming woman on the side quickly said.
"In any case, let’s go take a look first. We’re not here to make trouble, so there shouldn’t be any problems."
Trading with the demon race is an extremely risky move.
But before profit, there’s no divide between enemies and allies. Although the relationship between the two sides is like enemies, quite a few Lords still take risks to make a big fortune from it.
Just like how merchants continue trading during wars between countries.
The only difference is that the recent news of the Pantheon’s disastrous return has made many Lords apprehensive, hesitant to easily approach the Eastern Extreme Demon Realm.
"This time, we’ve collected so many materials, if things go smoothly, we can at least earn 30,000 Tier Twelve Crystal Stones. If we were to kill demons for it, who knows how long it would take," the middle-aged man said gravely.
"30,000!"
At these words, the other five were immediately shocked.
Distributing so many Law Crystal Stones among them would net each of them 5,000, which would take killing over 50,000 demons below the Tier Twelve elite level to acquire.
Their species were only Legendary Level, so dealing with those demons wouldn’t be easy.
50,000 would take nearly half a month to achieve; encountering elite-level demons could even lead to heavy losses and setbacks.
But now, with just one trip to the Eastern Extreme Demon Realm, they could match half a month’s effort, a deal enticing enough for them to take risks.
If they’re going to take risks anyway, of course, they’d choose the quick-money option.
"Look over there! What’s that?"
Suddenly, a shout rang out from the team.
The few who were discussing immediately looked up towards the distance, and were all stunned.
Beyond the entrance to the Eastern Extreme Demon Realm they were familiar with, it was already covered by a twisted mass of vines and plants, stretching out for tens of kilometers.
Some plants towered into the clouds, while others spread out from the blood mist, transforming the surroundings of the entrance into a bizarre forest, with extraordinarily shaped beings patrolling throughout.
Upon closer inspection, they were all at the extraordinary level!
At the edge of the entrance, a figure stood there, as if specially welcoming them.
"Stop!"
The middle-aged man at the front shouted, and the entire troop halted a hundred meters away from the entrance, their expressions uncertain and puzzled.
"Presumably, you must be Lin You, who’s been making waves recently?"
"That’s me indeed."
Lin You squinted his eyes, glancing at the troop behind them.
"Are you the ones bringing supplies?"
"Yes, it’s us; we’ve traded with several leaders many times before."
"In that case, just leave the items here; I’ll deliver the supplies to them."
As soon as this team appeared within a hundred kilometers range, the scouting Jade Green Dragon had already relayed the news to Lin You.
Thus, he wasn’t too surprised.
Upon hearing this, the few opposite all showed joy on their faces.
The rumors were indeed true; this Lower Realm Lord really has established a territory here.
Moreover, to their surprise, the Demon Race entrusted a human lord to handle the supply trades, which was simply astonishing.
But for them, this was actually good news.
Because compared to dealing with demons, trading with humans tends to be more reassuring.
"Thank you for your trouble, my friend," the man said politely.
Nowadays, Lin You’s fierce reputation was widespread; not only did he escape the pursuit of the Pantheon Elders, he also slaughtered dozens of Tier Twelve lords along the way.
Even though they didn’t believe Lin You was the one who severely injured the Pantheon Grand Elder, they dared not underestimate him.
With a glance exchanged, the man waved in a grand gesture, and various supplies and equipment unique to humans appeared on the ground, piling into several small hills.
Lin You checked them and they were indeed what several leaders had mentioned.
For instance, besides food and equipment.
The Three-headed Flood Dragon clan had requested various poisons crafted by human alchemists.
The Qiongqi Giant Beast required various refined blood.
The Undead Leader needed a large quantity of bones and remains.
Lin You even saw human clothing and armor among them, presumably reserved by other leaders, or possibly to curry favor with some high-level human-shaped demon.
Basically, there seemed to be everything.
After a brief examination, Lin You nodded in satisfaction.
"All right, name your price."
"40,000 Tier Twelve Crystal Stones," the man quickly replied.
Gathering these supplies had required tremendous effort and time.
Though 30,000 was already their reasonable psychological expectation, they left some room for bargaining.
"20,000."
Lin You’s calm voice cut the price in half.
The faces of the few opposite stiffened upon hearing this, their brows slightly furrowing.
The price cut was way too drastic.
But before they could speak, Lin You continued: "You may not know that from now on, all supplies in this area outside the Demon Realm must go through me to get inside."
Currently, his status was no longer what it once was.
With Niu Fei’s support, enough to make even Jiu Ying wary, in this outer region, he could almost say he held absolute authority.
Although he knew Niu Fei was merely using him, wasn’t he also leveraging Niu Fei’s power?
After hearing his words, the few opposite were all astonished.
From now on, all trading supplies must go through him?
The Demon Race actually granted such authority to a human lord?
They could guarantee that if this news got back to their city, it would certainly cause a huge stir.
"Of course."
At this moment, Lin You’s voice continued.
"If you can help me with something, I can trade with you at the price of 30,000."
"What is it?" the man asked instinctively.
"Help me deliver a message back, tell them that I, Lin You, intend to establish a trade city here where gods and demons coexist!"
"What did you say!?"
Including the man, everyone in the team was stunned, incredulously looking at Lin You.
A trade city where gods and demons coexist.
How arrogant and bold does one have to be to utter such words??