265 Dekan has become so wicked that he has been exiled to the shadowy nether regions of the Demon Realm.
“Master, does this Shadow World have any connection to you?”
Dekan asked somewhat surprised.
“I might have been here before.”
Master’s voice grew increasingly faint, as if she was deeply conflicted and lost in thought.
She was striving to piece together her shattered and fragmented memories.
Missing this chance, she might never again be able to grasp that sliver of memory.
The last time Dekan saw Master in this state was at the conclusion of the Shadow World’s “Lament of the Perished Ritual.”
At other times, Master almost never showed such emotion.
Since the Shadow World is often a projection of a segment of history from another world, Dekan could not confirm the connection between the worlds or if the timelines aligned.
Although Dekan had tried to gather information on the state of human kingdoms from upper levels,
it seemed that because it was unrelated to this Shadow World, or because it involved information that would severely alter the difficulty of conquering other Shadow Worlds,
it was a mechanism of the Shadow World to prevent challengers from obtaining crucial information beyond the map of a given Shadow World that would be impossible to obtain under normal circumstances, potentially disrupting the normal operation of other Shadow Worlds.
Even if Altice mentioned the state of human kingdoms to Dekan, it would automatically be muted and blocked by the Shadow World.
Thus, Dekan was unable to determine if the Demon Realm in this Shadow World, “Infinite Pursuit of Perdition,” was the same world as the one Master was once in.
Dekan could only infer from intelligence collected in the previous Shadow World that the Holy Country must be relevant to the world Master was in.
In the “Lament of the Perished Ritual,” Dekan had heard that the northern part of the Holy Country was at war with the demon clans.
And in this Shadow World, the Demon Realm was also waging war against the human kingdom.
Adding Master’s earlier reaction,
Dekan was now convinced that the worldview of the “Demon Realm” was very likely interconnected with the “Holy Country.”
…
“Master… no matter what, I will fully complete this Shadow World. I will cross the Demon Realm and see if the other side is the Holy Country.”
Dekan softly and firmly muttered.
“Hmm.”
Despite being deeply immersed in thought, Master heard Dekan’s thoughts and responded to him.
Dekan did not disturb Master further but focused intently on the scene before him.
The dome of this level was exceptionally high.
Under the pitch-black dome dotted with dark red stars lay a grandiose cemetery, and the portal from the seventh level was located at the edge of this cemetery.
Strangely, this cemetery did not have the dark and eerie atmosphere of the previous two exile zones.
Instead, it had an unusual sense of sanctity, like the convergence of heaven and the underworld, with the dim light rendering the cemetery solemn and slightly eerie.
The cemetery was lush with green grass, and flowers of unknown species emitted a fragrance, making it worthy to be called a garden.
These powerful magic-infused plants of the Demon Realm had lush branches and leaves, gently swaying with an invisible breeze. If it weren’t for the dim lighting, one might even see dewdrops accompanied by a thin mist.
Dekan kicked Morion a couple of times and realized that the Demon King’s Power not only sealed prisoners but also offered excellent protection.
Additionally, the rules stated: “The Warden will strictly enforce the rules and will not recklessly attack Prison Guards.”
Therefore, there was no need to worry about the Warden behaving like the faceless demons of Level Five and causing indiscriminate destruction.
The rules of this level were actually not against the normal logic of the Shadow World —— there would be no fatal scenario under normal exploration paths.
The reason Dekan nearly failed at the rules of Level Eight was mainly due to Krey’s fault.
If he hadn’t killed the Warden from the previous level, he might have gained some intelligence and prepared for demonization in advance.
In the real world, this was rather easy to explain.
Since they could not see the effect of the “Blood Simulacrum,” they naturally assumed the Shadow World had changed Dekan’s race.
After all, the Shadow World must ensure the feasibility of the challenger’s success.
This might be a rare opportunity for Dekan to openly use his demon form in front of everyone.
After provisionally confirming that leaving his companions here would not endanger them, Dekan proceeded onwards. He hadn’t even fully entered the cemetery when he already felt a cold temperature enveloping him. Instantly, he felt his steps becoming heavier.
Visible streams of dark magic surged out from the cemetery, as if one could see the phantasmal shadows of mythological fierce gods and demon silhouettes rampaging within the cemetery, even hearing the hair-raising roars of ancient malicious spirits.
This was the “Demon King’s Power” that had almost sealed him.
Even an eighth-grade powerhouse would be unable to withstand it under this magic.
Fortunately, there was no powerful major demon race controlling this magic.
Instead, it was unowned magic lingering within the boundary of this level’s sealing array.
It existed solely to maintain the rules of Level Eight.
After confirming Dekan’s pure demon identity, this heavy magic made him merely uncomfortable but did not pose a life threat.
The further he moved forward, the stronger the Demon King’s Power he found, increasing the pressure on his body.
Dekan did not see any figures of the Warden.
All that existed here was a monotonous sense of oppression and an almost deathlike loneliness.
Referring to previous experiences,
he had to reach the core of the cemetery to likely trigger the Demon Bracelet’s rule prompt.
Walking more and more slowly, after more than ten minutes of slow movement, Dekan finally arrived at a place that seemed like the center of the cemetery.
There stood a conspicuous tiny altar in front of him.
The environment around this area was completely different from the scenery he’d seen on the way before. Several black stone steles, towering over a dozen fathoms, stood around. They were inscribed with strange runes, faintly emitting some light, flickering like countless eyes, cold and somber.
And now Dekan was really struggling to move his feet forward.
Meanwhile,
“You can stop now.”
A voice from an unknown source startled Dekan.
He looked back in the direction of the sound and saw a demon trimming flowers and plants and cleaning up tombstones.
Dekan hadn’t even noticed the presence of this demon before.
Compared with other demons, this tomb guardian demon did not appear to have any remarkable qualities.
He didn’t even look like a demon — more like a bland human with demon characteristics.
But if you focused on staring at this demon carefully, you would notice a peculiar kind of demonic aura in his posture, making it impossible to see his true appearance.
In just a moment, the indescribable eerie magic emitted by this demon let Dekan confirm that he had come across the most dangerous demon he had ever seen!
“Are you the Warden of this level?”
Dekan asked tentatively.
This Warden shouldn’t attack him.
“Hmm, I am Illusory Karlst.”
The Warden didn’t pay Dekan any further attention but continued doing his work, answering with his back to Dekan.
After arriving here, Dekan finally saw a prompt in his Demon Bracelet.
[Demon King’s Tomb]
[The burial place of successive Demon Kings]
[Each stele is inscribed with a Demon King’s will and sigil from their lifetime]
[The sealing array gathers the accumulated magic left behind by Demon Kings. Gaining recognition by a Demon King allows the use of Demon King magic]
[Placing the Demon Bracelet on the Demon King’s altar will activate a Demon King’s evaluation]
[Gaining recognition from more Demon Kings grants greater enhancements from Demon King Power]
[The extent of enhancement depends on the strength of the Demon King’s remaining will]
[The Demon Kings’ power, the closer to the present and the stronger they are during their lifetime, the stronger the remaining will]
[It is forbidden to attempt to take any prisoners away from Level Eight]
[Upon clearing Level Eight, Demon Points will be rewarded according to the Demon King Power enhancement the prisoner has received]
Dekan frowned as he looked at the rules.
This level was simpler than he had imagined.
There was hardly any room for maneuvering.
This was like a screening for insider threats, preventing other races disguised as demons from infiltrating the prison.
Then, based on the Demon King’s will, some subjective evaluations were added to the prison guards’ performances from the first seven levels.
By this point, Demon Points weren’t that important anymore. These quantities of Demon Points could mainly be exchanged into the Demon Realm’s currency upon leaving the Demon Realm prison.
For most prison guards, Level Eight was more like a bonus level to get rich quickly.
“Generally, how many Demon Kings’ recognitions are needed to withstand the pressure of Demon King magic and leave?”
Dekan asked.
“As long as you get the recognition of at least three Demon Kings… Hmm, no, in your case, you need at least ten Demon Kings’ recognitions to pass through the Demon King’s Tomb to the ninth level.”
The Warden, Illusory Karlst, explained without turning around.
He had assessed Dekan’s own weakness.
Normally, any prison guard reaching Level Eight should be at least seventh-grade.
As long as they received recognition from three Demon Kings, they could offset the pressure and proceed.
But four-grade prison guards were something Karlst had never seen.
Still, if someone at four grades could come this far, there was likely something special about him; perhaps he would receive a great number of recognitions from Demon Kings.
Of course, there were also some extremely powerful eighth-grade prison guards who could either gain the recognition of one or two Demon Kings or directly proceed by their own strength without seeking any.
Dekan nodded. He had quickly counted the number of black stone tablets.
There were 33 in total.
With his excellent performance, gaining recognition from at least 10 should not be a problem.
But Dekan started to feel a little anxious.
These Demon Kings are truly the successive Kings of Demons, their recognition speaks for its own value.
If a lot of them showed their affirmation of Dekan, how would the audience in the real world think?
This was practically a public execution!!
“Anyway, is there any way I can take the prisoner I brought with me back?”
Dekan asked again.
Passing this test was not difficult, but how could he take the Dark Saintess away?
Surely, the Warden wouldn’t stand by and let him take her, the sealed Dark Saintess.
Most likely, the same applied to his comrades.
“Impossible. Any prisoner reaching this level will stay at the boundary of the cemetery forever.”
Illusory Karlst finally seemed to have been pushed over the edge and slowly turned to look at Dekan. There was even a trace of lethal intent in his eyes.
“Unless, you believe you can defeat me.”
“…”
Dekan finally confirmed it.
The eighth level also aimed to recover prisoners.
Prisoners brought by prison guards to the eighth level have proven their value and danger.
They would be considered the highest-level prisoners and sealed here.
Apparently, this level was not as simple as some sort of non-genuine demon dating show.
Rather, he would need to enhance himself through Demon King magic, then defeat this Illusory Karlst.
Only then could he take his companions and the Dark Saintess to the final level and challenge the Warden.
But the problem arose.
Dekan didn’t gain any real benefits from stats; he gained them through ranks and tactical coordination.
Even if his magic stats were enhanced,
he was still an auxiliary.
Or in other words, Dekan wasn’t one to deal his own damage.
Because of the inherent defect in his magic attribute, the ratio of converting magic into damage during card making was something Dekan used to discard.
Without his team, it wasn’t easy for Dekan to handle this Warden.
Unless, he could gain an exaggerated number of recognitions from Demon Kings here, to the point where a single attack with an ordinary attack could wear the Warden down and defeat him.
“Ever had a prison guard challenge you?”
Dekan decided to ask Karlst.
Karlst: “Yes, he had gained the recognition of over half of the Demon Kings, but alas, he was no match for me.”
Dekan: “…”
This guy was apparently nearly nine grades strong and unmatched under that tier.
Moreover, in that strange sense of déjà vu from meeting old acquaintances since coming to the prison, Dekan had a general suspicion of what human counterpart Illusory Karlst corresponded to.
If Dekan had to face Carlos the Illusory Bishop in a single fight, apart from summoning help, there was little else Dekan could do.
One-on-one combat was hopeless.
Fortunately, this was a Shadow World.
There were rules and mechanisms; there should be a way through.
Look at how big the enhancement buffs could be.
Dekan stood before the altar, placing the Demon Bracelet on it.
Instantly, the altar reacted. The Demon Bracelet floated above it, and the lights from all the Demon King’s grave steles far away began to flash violently, as if reading the Demon Bracelet’s record, analyzing his performance from the first seven levels.
Dekan watched the group of Demon King guests somewhat tensely.
He hoped more of them would enhance him.
But at the same time, he was also afraid there would be too many.
This kind of official certification was something Dekan couldn’t easily handle.
Moments later, the flashing frequency of the lights on the Demon King’s steles gradually calmed down, as if results were about to be presented.
Just as Dekan was swallowing hard anxiously,
All 33 Demon King steles lit up with dazzling red lights!
“Damn!”
Dekan couldn’t help but shout.
All the Demon Kings recognized me?
Isn’t this going to ruin my reputation completely?
Couldn’t you at least turn off a couple?
I really don’t need that extra power!
And this scene made even the Warden widen his eyes.
“Never have I seen a demon like you…”
Karlst confirmed again that he hadn’t missed anything, and finally murmured.
“I, I…”
When Dekan was about to scold the Demon Kings, he suddenly realized something.
He still felt very heavy and had no feeling that he could summon Demon King magic at all.
And more importantly,
the Warden’s look at him carried no appreciation or admiration.
Instead, his expression was complicated, like looking at a peculiar oddity.
Dekan instantly realized the actual situation.
If it wasn’t all recognition,
then this probably meant…
That none of them recognized him?!
“…Surely, there couldn’t have been not a single Demon King who found me appealing?”
Dekan asked tentatively.
Although the situation was a bit unpalatable, he found himself inexplicably elated.
I said it, I’m not a Demon after all!
Now it’s officially certified; no one will dare call me a Demon anymore!
“Unfortunately, none of them recognized you. If they had, they would have lit up in blue light.”
Warden Karlst put down the flower pot in his hands and looked at Dekan with a more complicated expression.
“What should I do? I can’t go up or down, so I’m stuck here, huh?”
Dekan asked.
“You will only be able to leave after training yourself enough at this level to overcome the Demon King’s Tomb even without Demon King Power’s enhancement. For someone of your current grade, it will probably be a long process.”
Karlst said helplessly and added:
“Of course, maybe your grade is too low. After a period of rigorous training and then doing the Demon King review again, maybe you’ll be recognized by some of the Demon Kings then.”
Karlst hadn’t anticipated that a prisoner warden would stay this long here.
In general, no matter how strange the prisoner warden might be, they would usually get the recognition of at least a couple of Demon Kings at this level.
The primary objective of this level is to filter out infiltrators, recover prisoners — it’s nearly pure bonus coin windfall for the prisoner warden who has made it this far, the only question being how much they get.
“Can I see why the Demon Kings don’t recognize me?”
Dekan asked again.
“Of course, you will see each Demon King’s evaluation of you when you take back your Demon Bracelet.”
Karlst replied.
He was actually quite curious about what kind of actions this prisoner warden had done to deserve rejection from all the Demon Kings.
For a prisoner warden,
they can undergo repeated Demon King reviews at this level.
If they understand their mistakes and improve somewhat, they might gain recognition from a Demon King.
But Dekan didn’t think like that.
He wanted everyone from the real world to see how the Demon Kings collectively deemed Dekan unqualified to be a demon!
He couldn’t wait!
Dekan thus triggered the prompt in the Demon Bracelet.
Lines of evaluations displayed one by one.
[Exceedingly evil, threatens the stability of the Demon Realm]
[The threat to Demon Realm exceeds his talents]
[Suggest the current Demon King have him executed]
[…]
Dekan: “?”
His hands froze stiffly as he turned off the evaluations.
The audience in the real world… must have seen it, right?
Dekan’s face instantly turned as dark as a pot, and his whole aura seemed like he was darkening.
For a moment, the Warden even felt a trace of danger.
Truly, a person rejected by all Demon Kings for this reason mustn’t be underestimated.
Improvement was impossible with no room for growth; to get to the ninth level would involve leveling up and forcing a way through.
However,
Dekan’s aura quickly settled down, seeming to return to his previously non-threatening state.
He looked at Warden Karlst:
“So, as long as I don’t attempt to bring prisoners to the next level, I won’t break the rules? And you won’t initiate an attack on me for any other reason?”
Dekan’s tone was unexpectedly calm.
“Correct.”
The Warden confirmed.
Dekan nodded, saying nothing more.
In this level, lying is impossible, so Dekan didn’t need to worry that Karlst was deceiving him.
Dekan approached a Demon King stele and summoned a creature to test it. Seeing that there was no retaliation or traps triggered, Dekan finally moved forward and lightly touched the stele.
It seemed he was analyzing its structure.
Being proficient in modern magical engineering, Dekan could, to a certain degree, analyze the Demon King stele.
“Sure enough, this ancient soul imprint connection technique…”
If the worldview of this world corresponds with the Holy Country’s timeline,
then the magical engineering of this world is several versions behind the real world.
“??”
Warden Karlst didn’t understand what Dekan was doing.
But he knew that casually touching a Demon King’s stele was extremely disrespectful.
Just as Karlst was about to scold Dekan,
he saw Dekan swiftly take out a hammer and started swinging it violently!
He!
Was actually digging up the Demon King’s grave!
“Are you out of your mind???”
The Warden yelled with widened eyes.
He had never seen any insane prisoner warden dare to dig up a Demon King’s grave!
Even though there were no magical barriers on the Demon King’s steles.
Still, out of respect for the deceased,
no one would specifically cast protective spells on graves in such a secure Demon Realm stronghold!
Especially more importantly,
no matter how vicious the demons were, none of them would dare dig up a Demon King’s grave!
Regardless of what it means, or whether it could succeed,
once the current Demon King finds out, the first thing he would do is kill you!
“I advise you to stop! Even if you dig up the stele, you can’t cut its connection with the magic of this level!”
Although Karlst felt somewhat out of his element, he couldn’t actually stop this crazy behavior since it wasn’t his duty.
Never had the Demon Kings prescribed any role for him to prevent prisoner wardens from destroying previous Demon Kings’ graves.
That in itself was an absurd request!
But Dekan ignored him.
Slowly digging away the target grave,
he heaved the black stele in his arms.
Karlst, watching Dekan’s bizarre behavior, started feeling more and more uneasy.
A moment later,
Dekan summoned a [Bandit Goblin].
Then he ordered the [Bandit Goblin] to steal things from his body.
After a few attempts, [Bandit Goblin] successfully stole Dekan’s stele.
Instantly, the light on that stele went out as if the power was cut.
Karlst: “???”
Under Karlst’s disbelieving eyes, he saw the Demon King’s imprint, or a trace of soul imprint, on the stele completely severed!
“You?! How could your pet have a skill that can sever a soul link?!”
Karlst covered his head in utter distress and yelled.
This prisoner warden, not only crazy, but also possessed bizarre means!
Dekan ignored Karlst.
He was furious!
You accuse me of being innocent? Then let me enlighten you!
Dekan moved towards the altar again, placed the Demon Bracelet on it, looked around once, and asked coldly:
“Hum. How about now? Do you recognize me or not?!”
