Chapter 1254: 668

Black Wind City, formed by stacks of wind-eroded giant rocks, is a massive hub leading to deeper territories. The air is thick with the smell of blood.

The storm from Panhai City has long passed, yet the shadow of war continues to hover over the Demon Domain.

In the void, a figure suddenly appears.

His posture is towering, nearly a full ten feet in height.

He wears a magnificent dark gold scale pattern robe, his face handsome to the point of being almost unearthly, with two short dragon horns like dark gold casting a faint pressure on either side of his forehead, his vertical pupils a deep golden hue, exuding an imperious disdain for all living things.

His blood flows like a dragon’s, emitting a pure and domineering dragon clan aura, his cultivation at approximately the early stages of Demon Monarch.

At a glance, he appears to be a dragon clan prodigy of the noblest lineage.

The essence of the Dragon Transformation Technique lies not only in physical resemblance, but more in the soul’s origin concealing the disguise through the Soul Great Dao, especially at Jiang Shu’s realm.

Unless facing a top-tier existence like Demon Venerable Late Stage, it’s extremely hard to decipher.

To venture deep into the Demon Domain, Jiang Shu naturally wouldn’t choose to show his true face.

After waiting in the Demon Domain for some time, he finally crossed paths with a pure-blood dragon clan.

Using the Soul Great Dao, he took control, leaving its divine sense intact, and after simply reading its memory, supplanted his identity.

Jiang Shu walks along the bustling streets, his gaze skirting the house sides built from various demon bones.

These demon bones retain residual demonic power and are excellent materials for refining elixirs and treasures.

Yet among demons unaware of Alchemy and Artifact Refining, these materials could only be used for simple house construction, becoming part of a great array.

Shops sell all sorts of strange items, razor-sharp bone blades comparable to treasures, unknown exotic beast eyeballs soaked in foul-smelling concoctions, and glimmering stones suffused with eerie hues.

Various half-demons move to and fro, their gaze mostly weary, numb, or vicious.

The shadow of war penetrates every corner.

A long queue stands before a recruitment point, several Transformed Realm Demons, half-human half-demon in form, continually wielding whips to register each terrified or fierce-looking half-demon’s name.

By this point in the war, nearly every member of the Demon Race is enlisted.

Even half-demons with no battle prowess are drawn into the war.

The air is saturated with despair and oppressive anger.

Jiang Shu’s target is a relatively upscale inn located in the central area of the city.

This place is the Demon Race’s "upper society" entertainment spot, where messages circulate relatively freely.

Within the inn, it’s not as rudimentary as imagined, a lofty dome supported by massive polished demon beast bones, etched with ancient demon scripts and totems.

Thick fire lizard fur covers the floor, soft and silent underfoot.

The air blends the aromas of strong liquor, roasted meats, and heavy spices, with seats predominantly giant stone chairs or bone-carved benches.

As Jiang Shu enters, the pure dragon clan pressure, even restrained, casts the noisy hall into sudden silence.

Many gazes concentrate on him, some in awe, some in envy, but mostly in numbed avoidance.

An enticing maid with snake scales on her face eagerly approaches, speaking in a pleasing tone:

"Honorable dragon clan lord, please have a seat here."

She leads him to a window seat on the second floor, overlooking the street below.

Generally, only by reaching the Transformation Realm can one acquire human form.

However, some demons, due to the gifts of their race, naturally resemble the Human Clan.

Among demons, there exists the Transformation Pill, with better quality having no impact on cultivation, but those of lesser quality disrupting the path through pill poison, allowing merely human form.

This snake woman just barely embarked on the path of cultivation, yet compared to demons devoid of spiritual wisdom, she’s still far better.

After settling down, the maid presents a fragrant beast leather scroll asking: "Lord, what would you like?"

Crooked demon script lists the drinks, with Jiang Shu casually ordering a portion of Hundred-year-old Monkey Wine and a plate of roasted Golden Silk Blood Python Meat, his gaze seeming to unintentionally scan the surroundings.

Clearly capturing the surging, resentful mutterings echoing from the downstairs hall.

"How come this war drags on without an end! Despite our Demon Race not being weak, we’re repeatedly defeated. I say, we shouldn’t have invaded Cang Mang Domain from the start!"

"Almost all the great demons from my clan are summoned to the frontline. Resources exhausted completely, yet now they want to seize the Star Pattern Ore. I slogged tirelessly for a year in the mines, all turned over to the Emperor Palace!"

An old ape, tall and strong, with gray-white hair, pounds the table, spit flying.

Despite his only Condensation Realm strength, he incites nods of agreement from several equally robust demons nearby.

"Lower your voice, Old Man Shi, if the patrol team hears, you too will be sent to the frontline."

"Are you blind? Didn’t you see a dragon clan lord just arrived? Disturb him, and being sent to the frontline is the best death scenario!"

A shrewd-looking gray wolf cautions, voice hushed, eyes nervously glancing toward the door.

"Not even the big figures from the Emperor Palace show up, several venerable lords among us fell. We lesser demons, what do we even count as?"

"Being alive is already good enough, better than personally heading to the battlefield, at least there’s hope of survival, isn’t it?"

"Bah!"

Another demon with antlers interjects.

"Better to be on the frontline! Why has the Human Clan produced so many Nirvana Realm, even Vientiane Realm Daoist Monarchs these years? It’s because of this war gaining abundant resources. On the frontline, there’s danger, but also opportunity, maybe I’ll stumble upon a major fortune to ascend to the Transformation Realm."