Chapter 342: Returning to the Demon Realm

On the bustling street, amidst the flowing crowd, a man and a woman caught many people’s attention. The man was handsome, and the woman was undoubtedly a beauty, though her cold expression made many sigh with regret.
Many also wanted to approach the woman, but as soon as they got close, an overwhelming pressure emanated from the seemingly weak-looking man beside her. The intensity of that pressure was terrifying, instantly dissuading those who tried to get closer.
Those who tried to strike up a conversation stood there, drenched in cold sweat. Some even collapsed on the roadside after the pair left.
“This is Pohjun City. Let’s find a place to settle down for a while and gather some information,” said the man—none other than Ye Feng. “If not for the Grand Elder’s prediction technique, finding Pearl and the others in such a vast demon realm wouldn’t be easy. Unfortunately, the Grand Elder can’t return to his peak strength anytime soon, so this technique can only provide a rough estimate—no details at all.”
“Mm,” replied Kelly. Though she still spoke little, she was much better than before. Having spent hundreds of years in the Refinement Realm, spending time with outgoing people like Pearl had gradually changed her personality. “With Pearl and the others’ abilities, they’d struggle to survive in this demon realm. We need to find them as soon as possible.”
“Anyway, according to the Grand Elder, they should be near this city. But a single city in this demon realm is as large as a planet in the human world—dozens of times bigger than Earth. Moreover, without using semi-divine puppets, with my current strength, my mental power can only explore less than one percent of this city.” Ye Feng paused briefly, glanced at Kelly beside him, then continued, “If it weren’t for the pressure generated by my domain, with my current cultivation level, I don’t know how many would want to kick me aside and take my place by your side…”
Kelly’s face turned slightly red as she stayed silent. If Pearl were here, she would have retorted right away.
“However…” Ye Feng seemed to suddenly think of something. “Although semi-divine puppets are for survival, imperial-grade puppets can be used many times.”
With that thought, Ye Feng immediately pulled Kelly and rushed toward the nearest inn.
After booking two rooms and sending the waiter away, Ye Feng extended his mental power into the Void Realm to “rent ultimate-grade puppets.”

In just an instant, an incredibly powerful mental force swept out, rapidly cleansing the entire city and bringing everything into view. As this formidable mental force appeared, other powerful beings in the city also sensed this anomaly. After all, although Pujun City was considered a large city in the Demon Realm, it was not on the same level as the main cities. Moreover, experts at the ultimate level were extremely rare in the Demon Realm, so their presence here truly shocked many powerful beings. The oppressive mental force left behind a sense of utter exposure that terrified many of them.

“So powerful!!!” A man with blood-red eyes frowned and glanced in the direction of the inn where Ye Feng was. “This person’s cultivation is at least in the late stage of the Ultimate Demon level, possibly even at the peak. Why would they be in such a place?”

“An terrifying mental force. I never thought a small place like Pujun City would have such a powerful person…”

“Since this person is releasing their mental force so openly, it’s clear they’re not just passing by. Could it be that Pujun City has some treasure?”

“…”

Ye Feng had no idea that the mental force he had released had attracted so much attention. He was simply trying to find Pearl and the others faster.

After renting an ultimate-level substitute, Ye Feng’s mental power also increased significantly, allowing him to sweep across the entire city in just a few breaths. A hint of joy flashed across his face, but it vanished instantly.

“How about it? Have you found them?” Although Ye Feng’s expression changed in an instant, it didn’t escape Kelly’s notice. She detected unsettling information from it.

“Let’s go there first!” Ye Feng didn’t say much more and simply grabbed Kelly’s wrist. Kelly felt dizzy, and the next moment, the two were already in another place.

“Where is this…” Kelly looked around. They were still in the busy area, just on a different street, with crowds of people moving about. She looked at Ye Feng in confusion.

“In this inn!” Ye Feng pointed to a modest-looking small inn in front of them. The strange smell coming from the inn’s entrance made him frown slightly.

“Sirs, would you like to stay at the inn?” The innkeeper came over immediately when he saw them standing at the door. He secretly sized up Ye Feng and Kelly, his little eyes rolling around several times.

Ye Feng paid no attention and casually tossed out a low-grade demon crystal. “We’re here to look for someone.”

The waiter stared at the magic crystal in his hand for a moment, taking some time to realize what it was. He quickly tucked the crystal into his sleeve, forcing a smile on his face. “I’m not sure what the guest is looking for—may I help you find them?”

“No need. I know which room they’re in. Go back to your work,” Ye Feng said, waving his hand before heading straight for the slightly peeling red wooden stairs.

Only after moving behind the counter did the waiter take out the magic crystal again, wearing a foolish grin. You see, the currency of the demon world was demon stones, and a low-grade magic crystal was equivalent to a thousand demon stones. Staying at his small inn for one night cost only about ten demon stones, so a low-grade magic crystal represented a significant income. Moreover, unlike demon stones, magic crystals contained energy that could be used for cultivation.

The waiter’s gaze shifted suddenly to a portrait on the inside of the counter, and he quickly put away his smile, stuffing the crystal back into his sleeve. Muttering to himself, he said, “I almost forgot my task…”

He glanced around to ensure no one was nearby before taking out another item from his sleeve—a low-grade communication stone. Lowering his voice, he said, “My lord, the person described in the bounty notice is here at my inn, accompanied by a woman…”

“Are you sure it’s the one in the portrait?” The voice on the other end sounded surprised.

“He matches the portrait exactly, my lord. As for the reward listed in the bounty…”

“Don’t worry. It’s just a low-grade magic weapon—I won’t back out. But if the information you give is false… Hmph!”

“Rest assured, my lord…” The waiter’s back was drenched in cold sweat; that cold snort really scared him.

“Find a way to keep them occupied. I’ll be there right away!” With that, the voice hung up.

“Yes!” The waiter replied in fear, regardless of whether the other party could hear him.

After a while, he put the communication stone back in his sleeve and stared intently at the bounty notice, his fists clenched. “A low-grade magic weapon…”

Ye Feng, however, had no idea what had just happened downstairs. He and Kelly hurried up to the second floor, walked along the stair railing to the farthest room, and knocked on the door.

“Who is it?” A male voice came from inside.

“Lu Zhan, it’s me, Ye Feng!” Ye Feng didn’t seem surprised at all.

“Ye Feng?!” The door was instantly opened. A man stuck his head out, keeping the door slightly ajar. Upon seeing Ye Feng, he was momentarily stunned before opening the door wide with delight. “It really is you. What exactly happened? Why are we here?”
“Apart from Pearl, the rest of you should be here, right?” Ye Feng asked as he entered the room and looked around.
“Mm. What’s going on? All I know is that our cultivation time was up. You were supposed to bring us out. How did we end up in a strange place like this?” Long Yue spoke in a calm tone, as if it had nothing to do with her.
“I’m sorry. During the time when your cultivation ended, I was injured and unconscious, in a state of nothingness, so I couldn’t bring you out.” Ye Feng knew it was his fault. “Let’s not talk about that for now. This place is too dangerous for your abilities. I need to find everyone as soon as possible. Do you know where Pearl went?”
“We don’t. We should have come out together. After that, we stayed together and didn’t see Kelly or Pearl,” Qing Lang explained. “Wasn’t Kelly with Pearl?”
“No. When I came out, I was with the Black Witch Clan. As soon as I appeared, they locked me up as a spy…” Kelly shook her head. “I didn’t see Pearl.”
“Now only Pearl’s whereabouts are unknown. The entire Demon Realm is vast. With just us, it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack. We need the help of some forces.” Ye Feng frowned. “The Grand Elder of the Black Witch Clan only told me this location. He probably can’t figure out where Pearl is either. We can only wait until he recovers and do another calculation.”
“The Black Witch Clan is small in number. If nothing else works, we might have to ask the Dragon Clan for help…” Asking the Dragon Clan for help was something Ye Feng was reluctant to do. After all, he only knew Long Xuan and Long Ling, and he didn’t have anything to offer in return. The Dragon Clan was extremely wealthy and lacked nothing.
“I remember there’s a guy named Babu in the Demon Realm. Isn’t he from Xing Jun’s faction? You can ask him for help. Their influence must be quite strong in the Demon Realm.” It was Zhuge Ling’er who spoke. Hundreds of years of cultivation in the Realm of Refinement had made her much more mature, no longer looking like a little girl.

“If you hadn’t mentioned it, I would have really forgotten about this guy… Well, he’s the best candidate to help us find the pearls…” Ye Feng’s gaze lingered on Zhuge Ling’er for a moment before he nodded. “Since that’s the case, you all go back with me and settle in first, and then I’ll contact Babu to ask for his help.”
“Hmph! Want to leave? It’s not that easy!” A fierce shout came from the void, echoing in the room where Ye Feng and the others were, clearly aimed at them.