Entering the demon lands

"So you are saying I should let the person that killed my son and grandson go? What great power? If they come, I will kill them all! How dare he kill my son and grandson? I will handle this sapling myself!" the ancestor said and they paled. In this world, power was everything. If someone was more powerful than them, they had to bow their heads. This old man, has he gone mad?

Ed had waited for the right time before he stepped foot into the demon lands. As he stepped out of the salt bed, he felt a pressure descend momentarily. When the pressure lifted, he could not feel any energy pulsing through his veins. This was a clear sign he had reached his goal; the demon lands.

He looked forward and saw a high red wall and black gate far ahead. Taking in a deep breath, he walked towards it. The eyes were deceiving as he had been walking for two days and it was still far. Was this the first test? He wondered.

Without the help of his energy, how was he going to keep walking? He did not feel despair, only tired. To Ed, there was nothing scarier than not being able to return home. Nothing could phase or scare him. He just kept walking till he stood right before the gate.

At that time, he looked to be very tired and dusty. The guards at the gate looked down and saw a shadow of a person standing there.

"Do you have a recommendation?" he asked. Ed was somewhat confused. A recommendation? That old pervert never said anything about needing one.

"Then pay twenty spirit stones," the guard said, completely bored. In his eyes, someone who has to walk his way into the demon lands must not be from a great power. Those with powerful backgrounds would have a recommendation. Still, even if they don't have one, they would be able to pay twenty spirit stones.

Ed had been given money by the old pervert. The old pervert even grumbled about it while he did. He took out twenty spirit stones and looked up at the guard. The guard snorted and then called for the gates to open. Ed passed through it, confused as to why there was no one really entering or leaving through this gate. After paying the twenty spirit stones inside, he entered the city with caution. One look and he understood. This was a special gate.

He had entered through a residential area. An area that was completely silent. He had entered cities before and knew there was no way it would be this quiet. He understood that he had not used the main entrance. It took him time to find his way out of the rich dwelling to the bustling city. He just followed the noise. When he got to the city, he decided to understand more about this place and started searching for a map store. He was not there much for the map, but to pay for information.

"What kind of map would you like to buy?" the attendant in the store asked.

"One of the demon lands and one of the city," he said and the attendant nodded. He walked away and returned with two jade slips.

"That will be five spirit stones," the attendant said, "You are not from here, are you?"

"How do you know?" Ed asked before paying.

"You don't have a ranking mark," he answered.

"What if I have it inside my sleeves?" Ed asked. He had heard a lot about the ranking mark from Meryl. This was a mark tattooed to the skin of those here. It showed their cultivation rank. The mark usually appears when they break through. As cultivation is suppressed here, one cannot easily tell someone's level of strength.

"Only women who wear clothes with sleeves try to cover their rank. Men like to show off their rank," the attendant said.

"How do people here breakthrough with suppressed cultivation? Shouldn't cultivation be impossible here?" Ed asked.

"The lack of cultivation makes the demon lands weaker than other places, but also protects us. No one can just attack here without care. But there are places where energy exists. These places are called energy spills. Many gather there to cultivate. Some large clans build their clan around energy spills," the attendant said. Ed took out a spirit stone and gave it to the man.

"Can you tell me about the powers in the demon lands?" he asked and the man raised a brow. Ed added one more stone before he nodded with a smile.

"The demon lands are large but actually consist of three cities. The west side city, the east side and the south side. Each side has a city. There is a north side, but it is not classified as a power. All three powers share the north side. It is basically a training ground for the younger generation. There is a north side council consisting of the city lords from the three cities. This is the south side city. There are two powers here. The Ah clan and the Fien clan. Both have a peak spirit-awakening master. Apart from them, there is the city lord, who is an early-stage soul-seeking master. The city is letting people enter a large energy spill called the Great Spill in two days. To enter, you must pay fifty spirit stones for outsiders. I think that is all in a nutshell," the man said. Ed thanked him and left.