"Of course not. I'm just here to try my luck. If you can give me a real clue, I'll pay you a thousand Magic Stones. But it has to be legit—where can I get Soul Mushroom? Someone in my family needs it to survive, so I'm not backing down." Evan said, his voice firm.
The shopkeeper glanced at Evan and replied, "If you want to know where Soul Mushroom comes from, you’ll have to ask the City Lord. Maybe he knows where to find such a rare medicine. That’s all I can tell you."
Evan felt a bit disappointed. "Can the City Lord really know where Soul Mushroom is? You're not just messing with me, are you? You’d better not lie. Both of us are Demon Emperors—it’d be way too easy for us to kill you."
"Sir, I’m telling the truth! Why would I dare lie to you? You’ll see when you go. Our City Lord knows everything—he’s a real genius. If you ask him, you won’t regret it," the shopkeeper said quickly.
Evan shot the shopkeeper a sharp look. "You’d better not be lying, or you’ll regret it! Here’s a thousand Magic Stones for the clue. If there’s one thing I’ve got, it’s money."
The shopkeeper nearly burst out laughing as he took Evan’s Magic Stones. "Sir, if you need anything else, just ask. If I know it, I’ll tell you."
Jade spoke up, "Do you know the Abyss of Ten Thousand Demons? I heard it’s crawling with vicious remnant souls. Places like that sometimes produce soul-type medicines—maybe Soul Mushroom could be found there."
"Abyss of Ten Thousand Demons? Of course I know! Most people in the Demonic Realm know about it. How do you two not know? That’s weird!" The shopkeeper stared at Evan and Jade, puzzled.
"What’s so strange about that? We’re from a Hidden Clan, so of course we wouldn’t know these things. We only came out because we had no choice and need soul medicine. What else do you think?" Jade replied seriously.
"So that’s it. But the Abyss of Ten Thousand Demons is way too dangerous. I’ve heard it’s full of remnant souls, and some are as strong as Demon Emperors. Most people who go in never come out," the shopkeeper warned.
"The Abyss of Ten Thousand Demons is about three thousand li from here. If you really want to go, you'd better bring more people—it's dangerous. Just head east out of the city and ask around; you'll find it," the shopkeeper advised.
Evan and Jade were both pleased—those thousand Magic Stones were well spent. "We're just asking for now. Let's talk to the City Lord first; maybe Soul Mushroom isn't there, so we might not need to go," Evan said.
After Evan and Jade left, the shopkeeper sneered, "Fat sheep, so easy to fool. The Abyss of Ten Thousand Demons is a forbidden land—no one can just walk in. The farther east you go, the farther away you get. Hidden Clan? What a bunch of brainless idiots."
Evan and Jade had no idea about the shopkeeper's trick. If they knew, he'd be dead already. Right now, they were heading to the City Lord's Mansion, ready to use force if needed.
After asking for directions, Evan and Jade quickly arrived at the City Lord's Mansion gate, only to be stopped by the guards. "Who are you? This is the City Lord's Mansion—no one gets in. Get lost!" one guard barked.
The guard's nasty attitude annoyed Evan, but before he could act, Jade flashed forward and slapped him flying several meters. Blood poured from his mouth, teeth scattered on the ground, and he didn't get up for a long time.
Not many people dare to attack at the City Lord's gate. The guards were shocked. "How dare you cause trouble at the City Lord's Mansion! You're dead! Brothers, cripple these two!"
A middle-aged man who looked like the captain glared at Evan and Jade, shouting angrily, his face full of arrogance, clearly not taking them seriously.
"You want to die? Fine, I'll oblige!" Evan snapped, then blurred forward and struck the captain's chest with a palm, killing him instantly.
"Murder! Murder!" a guard yelled in terror, then ran inside to report, clearly planning to alert the mansion.
This was exactly what Evan wanted—draw out more people, kill a few, and show the City Lord how strong he and Jade were. That way, it'd be easier to talk.
Evan and Jade strode straight through the gate. The guards kept backing away, not daring to stop them. Anyone who could kill the captain in one strike had to be at least Demon Lord level—the captain was only Demon General strength.
News of the killings at the gate spread fast inside the mansion. Right then, a middle-aged man was leisurely playing chess with an old man in a fancy study. A guard rushed to the door and shouted:
"City Lord, bad news! Bad news! Two guys are causing trouble at the gate—they killed the captain in one blow! They're crazy strong!"
The middle-aged man was the City Lord. He frowned. "Someone dares cause trouble in my domain? Elder Zhang, let's go take a look. We'll finish the chess game after we deal with them. I want to see who's so bold."
"I’ll follow your lead, City Lord. But you’re going to lose this game—just wait and see," Elder Zhang said.
The City Lord and Elder Zhang left the study. "Go notify the Protectors and elders. We must catch those who killed my captain—don’t let them escape," the City Lord ordered.
The guard ran off, while Evan and Jade arrived at the training yard, where dozens of experts had already gathered, all staring at them.
"Who are you, kid, to cause trouble in my mansion? If you don’t explain, you’ll wish you were dead!" The City Lord and Elder Zhang appeared before Evan.
Evan glanced at the City Lord and Elder Zhang, sensing both were late-stage Demon Emperors, with Elder Zhang slightly stronger. To others, they were scary, but to Evan, they were nothing.
"So you’re the City Lord. I’m here to discuss something. You’d better send these people away, or deal with the consequences," Evan said calmly.
"Arrogant! How dare you disrespect the City Lord—die!" An early-stage Demon Emperor shouted, flashing forward to attack Evan…