Bombarding Cultivators with Cluster Artillery
Chapter 1074 - 1043: Searching for the Emperor of the Horned Demon Imperial Clan

Magic Rock Cultivator Kuo Yan did not stay too long in Purple Stone City; after making his inspection, he left to continue surveying the surrounding areas.

Jiang Ding silently observed within his Divine Soul.

He discovered many advantages of the Magic Rock Clan.

Detail-oriented and nickle-and-diming, they could easily discern whether each region's Slave Races were putting forth their utmost effort, which Slave Races could be further exploited, which had been pushed to their limits, which produced too little and needed to be eliminated and replaced...

All of these and more, this Magic Rock Cultivator known as Kuo Yan handled efficiently.

'A decent race.'

'After slaughtering all of the Magic Rock People with blood debts, some should be spared to add to the diversity of the Immortal Path races.'

Jiang Ding instinctively thought from the perspective of the Lord of the Northern Plains.

However, this wasn't something he could decide on his own.

Xianmen Sect enforced a strict and closed immigration policy. The talented ones from these myriad races would likely be gathered by the Eight Great Immortal Sects to augment their power.

Fortunately, the augmentation wasn't too significant.

The elites among the myriad races were limited to below the Refining Nothingness stage, with very few allowed to ascend to Refining Nothingness, and even then, they were destined to be Puppets or duplicates. This shouldn't impact the power balance between Xianmen and Immortal Sects in the short term.

After years of inspection outside, Kuo Yan returned to Inkstone Ancient City through the teleportation Formation.

'Very good.'

'The distance from the Imperial Child has shortened a bit more…'

Jiang Ding estimated briefly.

This was the Shadow Devil Abyss's clandestine Secret Method, using one's soul as armor for Concealment, which was countless times safer than mere travel through the void and did not require facing layers of checks and guards.

Inkstone Ancient City was situated atop a Fourth Tier Superior Spirit Vein and was the core of the area for tens of thousands of miles around.

Upon returning here, Kuo Yan headed straight for a high mountain. Here, he met his father, a General Stage Magic Rock Cultivator and also the deputy City Lord of Inkstone Ancient City.

The real City Lord was naturally a General Stage member of the Horned Demon Imperial Clan.

This was the case everywhere; valuable positions were always held by Horned Demon Imperial Clan Cultivators, and all Slave Race Cultivators served them and carried out their orders.

Through this Horned Demon Imperial Clan Cultivator, one could get closer to the Imperial Child.

All these were no coincidence.

When Jiang Ding decided to infiltrate the Mountain Suppressing Sect, he'd already seen these networks, ready to weave them when needed, to acquire what he sought.

"Father, I..."

Kuo Yan recounted all that he had experienced, how he handled the matters of each Slave Race.

His father occasionally gave guidance, corrections, and remarks on his actions, teaching him how to do better.

These matters were more important than strength for the Magic Rock Clan.

Their very existence was to be the servants of Flame Stone Great Emperor, handling various tasks to gain the favor of the Great Emperor.

"Father, at Mirror Lake, that Blood Demon seems to be dead, but in reality, he might not be."

Kuo Yan hesitated a bit: "Should we report it to the ruler and ask them to take action to eradicate these Blood Demons at their roots? Otherwise, they reappear every few decades, and might cause a great disaster."

"That cannot be done."

The mountain-like Magic Rock Cultivator shook his head.

"If we report to the ruler, it's admitting our negligence, and once we father and son show negligence, our status within the clan will immediately be replaced by others."

"The clan ruler often entertains the rulers of the Imperial Clan, follows the orders of the Imperial Clan, the commands of the Great Emperor and his bloodline, in addition to their own cultivation, they're already very busy with hardly any spare time."

"If we bother them with this, we're very likely to provoke the ruler's wrath."

Even to reach the highest level of the ninth class as a Slave Race was not easy.

"But..."

Kuo Yan was still worried.

"No buts."

The towering Magic Rock Cultivator spoke slowly: "The inheritance of the Blood Demon Chaos is widespread; even if a disaster erupts, it is unlikely to break out here in our area. It's not that coincidental."

"Why didn't others report the Blood Demon Chaos happening elsewhere?"

"Because it has already been dealt with."

"Blood Demons are notoriously difficult to eradicate, which is common knowledge. Five or six hundred years ago, numerous kings already swept through once. What virtue or ability do you possess to persuade many kings to sweep through again in such a short time?"

"Don't think too highly of yourself."

"Yes, Father."

Kuo Yan's heart chilled.

The father and son talked for a while longer about Cultivation matters, and Kuo Yan bowed and excused himself.

The colossal Magic Rock Cultivator continued his Cultivation.

Within his Divine Soul, many lights circulated.

For some reason, he suddenly felt the need to go and meet with the City Lord, to report to the City Lord the events that had occurred in Inkstone Ancient City during this period.

This was perfectly reasonable and not at all strange.

He would do this periodically, even though the other party was devoted to Cultivation and never took the initiative to ask.

This was the duty of the People of the Magic Rock Clan.

...

...

Many coincidences,

Numerous leaps.

Unwittingly, years later, a Cultivator from the Horned Demon Imperial Clan named Jiao Yan appeared in the heart of the Magical Stone Minor Realm, near Huo Shi Emperor City.

He gazed at Huo Shi Emperor City that lay among the clouds and volcanic mists in the distance with a look of reverence.

Jiao Yan was a General Stage Cultivator of the Horned Demon Clan.

He was born into the family of Flame Stone Great Emperor, with a unique flame pattern growing on the horn on his forehead. He was from a Collateral Lineage; many generations back, his ancestor and the ancestor of Flame Stone Great Emperor were brothers, both from an Imperial Clan lineage.

However, that was all in the past.

The Imperial Clan bloodline of his branch had become indistinct, and without the emergence of a breakthrough mutation by an Elite, they would most likely remain noble-bred, with the ultimate limit in life being to become a king, and never advancing further.

Of course, that was already very good.

Even within the Horned Demon Imperial Clan, his branch was part of the upper echelons, the ancestral inheritance not yet depleted.

Jiao Yan came here in search of an opportunity to break through to the later stages of the General Rank; he was somewhat confident because his mother had once been a maid to the Yan Hua Imperial Child.

In his Divine Soul, a thread of dark light flashed and then fell completely silent.

'Huo Shi Emperor City…'

'Will the Great Emperor reside here?'

Jiang Ding pondered in his heart.

'Normally, no. The Minor Thousand World is too cramped for a Refining Nothingness existence. Such beings usually live outside of the Minor Thousand World, gathering Spiritual Energy from multiple worlds for Cultivation, or they reside in the Medium Thousand World of the Horned Devil Realm, the abode most desired by Refining Nothingness Cultivators.'

'The 'Little Spiritual World' of the Eight Great Immortal Sects is but a crude imitation of the Medium Thousand World.'

'However, there must be the will and many means of the Great Emperor present here.'

'These things are exceedingly sensitive.'

Jiang Ding no longer dared to maintain full consciousness.

He operated the Shadow Devil Abyss Secret Method, sinking himself into a state of deep slumber, greatly reducing his presence to the lowest level, leaving only a last shred of awareness on his escape measures.

Only when he actually encounters an Imperial Child, an Imperial Child outside of Huo Shi Emperor City, will he awaken.