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--- Chapter 270 ---
After leaving the Hidden City with some farewell, Yu Long and others walked out from the swirly purple portal.
"Caiyi, your subordinates are more easygoing than I expected." Yu Long commented with a smile.
Huan Caiyi pursed her lips and replied, "You might think Heavenly God's Spiritual Veins aren't precious, but to us, it was like a new golden path to thread on."
"Even if you told them to grovel, they would do it in a heartbeat for the Heavenly God's Spiritual Veins."
"They aren't dogs, you know?" Yu Long couldn't help but comment.
Huan Caiyi was stunned by his words. She blinked because her anti-social and unsympathetic life had changed her view on master-subordinate relationships, which led her to this realization.
The title of 'Little Demon Empress' affected Huan Caiyi more than she initially believed.
She sighed, "You're right. I will think of them in a better light from now on."
Yu Long flashed with a surprised look before nodding a little. Huan Caiyi isn't unreasonable. She knew her weakness and was actually willing to admit it.
That's a rare thing to see in someone.
Unknown to Huan Caiyi, Yu Long also sees her in a better light now.
Chu Yuechan glanced at Huan Caiyi and commented, "So, where are we going next?"
"Yeah, Tempest is bored!" Tempest followed while rubbing her stomach.
Huan Caiyi stared at them and replied, "I was planning to take Yu Long to the Flickering Candlelight, a famous treasure castle in the Demon Imperial City, but that would bring too much attention to us."
"Let's return to the Imperial Palace and have lunch there. The servants should have prepared a sumptuous lunch."
"Lunch!" Tempest's eyes lit up.
Huan Caiyi nodded, "I guarantee the food will be delicious."
"What do you think, Yu Long?"
"Okay." Yu Long agreed without much hassle. Honestly, he felt a bit hungry as well.
They returned to the Demon Imperial Palace.
They sat in the garden and had servants serving several dishes. Yu Long ate quickly but nobly because he couldn't look slouchy in front of others.
Tempest is different, though.
She's shoving food into her mouth like no tomorrow.
"Good! So good~!" She praised the taste of Imperial Cooking. If she knew humans could cook this amazing, she would have made a deal with them those years ago.
What a shame.
Beside Tempest's seat, Chu Yuechan stuffed her mouth with a spoonful of porridge, feeling amused due to Tempest's wolfish nature. The look on the bird's face is that of ecstasy, which affected her a little.
"It's not bad." Chu Yuechan tasted the porridge and commented with a raised eyebrow.
"Right?" Huan Caiyi replied calmly, but her crescent eyes couldn't hide her pride. Even though she couldn't cook, she knew the Imperial Palace's servants she took in were masters in their household fields.
So, Huan Caiyi found some foods outside rather bland. Her palate has been spoiled rotten by them for over a hundred years.
Well, this is considered normal among the noble.
Yu Long finished his food and washed it with a glass of water. He stared at Huan Caiyi and said, "You mentioned something about the treasure castle earlier, did it?"
Huan Caiyi finished her food minutes ago and nodded, "The place is Flickering Candlelight. It's a Treasure Castle supported by the most skilled craftsmen, alchemists, and array makers."
"Simply put, they held and distributed the rare treasures in the Illusory Demon Realm."
"That sounds like Black Moon Merchant Guild." Chu Yuechan mumbled in surprise.
Huan Caiyi acknowledged calmly, "Black Moon Merchant Guild? I heard of them in the past, a faction from Profound Sky Continent, so there is a similarity."
"Of course, there are some differences."
"And it is related to Yu Long in some way."
"Me?" Yu Long didn't expect this.
Huan Caiyi poured herself tea and continued, "Yes, it's related to your unique control over Demonic Core."
"Have you ever heard of the Weaponized Demonic Core?"
Yu Long's eyes flashed with the look of surprise. "I've never heard of it."
"Oh, I've heard of it!" Tempest excitedly stood up, still having barbeque sauce all over her face.
"Some special blacksmith seemed able to harness Demon Core's power, bringing its power into the shape of a weapon. This method allowed the weapon to obtain Demonic Core's traits, such as an element or extra ability like weakening one's defense."
"The increase in one's strength is absurd. I once heard that one could fight enemies four to five sub-realms higher with high-grade Demonic Weapons."
"How to say it... Using a Demonic Weapon is safer than directly absorbing the Demonic Core's power."
"It won't cause mutation, but the effect is considerably weaker."
"That's a high praise coming from you..." Yu Long commented, causing Tempest to whimper in dissatisfaction.
She wanted to complain that Yu Long shouldn't look down on her too much, but recalling the golden-eyed young man's strength made her shiver in fear.
Even if Tempest has a hundred Demonic Weapons, she has no confidence in touching the edge of Yu Long's clothes.
"Hmm, do you have the Demonic Weapon?" Yu Long gazed at Huan Caiyi calmly.
Huan Caiyi pondered briefly before nodding and pulling something from her spatial storage. It was a small stick around 30 centimeters with a red body and black veins.
Yu Long observed the stick, thinking someone who could alter his Essence Sphere to this state was a bit interesting.
However, it was such a green attempt.
This method only scratched the surface of his Essence Sphere.
It's like using raw iron primitively. There is no tempering or refined process to turn the iron into pure iron and steel.
'Young, too young.' Yu Long commented casually.
"If I'm not wrong, this thing needs blood energy instead of profound energy, right?"
"Yes." Huan Caiyi replied positively.
"Can you inject your blood energy into it for me to see?"
Huan Caiyi didn't reply, so she controlled her blood energy by injecting it into the small stick in her hand. The black veins twitched and caused the stick to expand into a one-meter-long demonic saber.
The demonic saber released an unruly aura, causing Tempest to feel vile toward it.
Even the quiet Chu Yuechan felt a repulsion toward the saber. Maybe because her sword intent felt it was impure.
But the transformation is far from over.
The demonic saber twitched again, revealing a bloody red eye near the hilt and glaring at the sky with extreme bloodlust.
Suddenly, the sky darkened, and thunder roared.
"Blood Thunder Ogre..." Yu Long recognized the origin of this power immediately. It was a troublesome fellow at the time, but he didn't think much of it now.
He snapped his finger, and the demonic saber turned into a small stick, causing Huan Caiyi to furrow her eyebrow.
"Not a bad invention." Yu Long assessed while rubbing his chin.
"However, the person who made this lacks technique and understanding of Demonic Core."
"He didn't understand the essence inside it."
"Caiyi, is this fellow staying in the Flickering Candlelight?"
Huan Caiyi shook her head gently, "I've met him in person. He's very seclusive and only does his job on commission. He rarely stayed in the Flickering Candlelight, but sometimes, he did. It took me three months to find him."
"When I met him and said I want a Demonic Core, he said I must search for a rare, high-grade one, or else he wouldn't make a Demonic Weapon for me."
"And you didn't kill him? That's a surprise." Yu Long was amazed by Huan Caiyi's short story.
Huan Caiyi smiled indifferently, "I can't possibly kill important assets like him."
"He's a unique genius."
"I see... So, what's the name of this unique genius?" Yu Long inquired further.
Huan Caiyi lifted her small stick and showed Yu Long a small carving at the bottom, which was very stylish.
"D...." Chu Yuechan mumbled.
"What is D?" Tempest tilted her head in confusion.
Huan Caiyi waved the stick and answered, "D stands for..."
"Dante."