The question snapped Flaxseed from his stupor. He gulped, hurried to Jared’s side, and together, they crossed the square. Behind them, Lunaria hesitated only a heartbeat before falling in step, gaze darting between the two men.
Beyond the vast square, they stepped through gates tall enough to humble giants into the Blackshade Demon Palace, a monolith of polished obsidian that seemed to drink whatever light touched it .
Inside the main hall, its ceiling soared over one hundred meters, its curved surface etched with demonic markings that glimmered in ghostly green. Rows of black pillars coiled with stone demonic dragons framed a throne of pure obsidian studded with faceted gemstones, exuding an aura of frost and extravagance.
At Lunaria’s gesture, Jared and Flaxseed settled on the stone chairs flanking the main hall.
She clapped once, and two demon maidservants in midnight livery slipped in with trays of steaming cups. They kept their heads bowed, setting the tea down on the stone tables before leaving. Never once did they look up at Jared.
“Please wait a moment. I have already sent for the ancient records stored in the palace,” Lunaria said, lifting cup to lips. “If Nine Serpent Mountain hides anything about the Flaxseed clan, the records will tell us.”
Jared lifted his cup but paused, the liquid was a deep moss green and carried a faint metallic tang that marked it as a drink fit for demons, not humans.
Imitating Jared, Flaxseed only cradled his cup, his eyes roaming the main hall.
This had once been the Flaxseed clan’s ancestral land, to see it draped in demonic colors made his throat tighten with unsald sorrow.
Silence settled, lit only by the intermittent pulse of demonic markings high overhead, casting shifting shadows across the trio’s faces.
Eyes closed, Jared appeared to rest, but his spiritual sense slid through corridor after corridor, counting dozens of formidable presences, some as strong as Lunaria, others stronger.
It seems the Blackshade Demon Palace hides far more than meets the eye…
At last, a gray-robed elder hurried In, bowing low with a time-worn ancient record held reverently in both hands.
“My lady,” said to Lunaria. “The archives mention Nine Serpent Mountain and the Flaxseed clan…”
Flaxseed shot to his feet, eyes blazing. “What does it say? Tell me, what happened to my clan?!”
The elder glanced at Lunaria, received nod, and spoke, “The ancient records confirm that the Flaxseed clan once occupied Nine Serpent Mountain. They were a prestigious family in level four, famous for producing several charm masters, in their zenith, an Earthly Immortal Realm Level Four cultivator was in charge…”
“What happened next?” Flaxseed asked, his voice shaking.
The elder continued with a sigh, “Around two thousand eight hundred years ago, a mysterious force clad in black swept down and leveled the mountain. Almost the entire Flaxseed clan was exterminated, only a few survived and disappeared, and the ancient records offer no hint of the killers except their cruelty.”
Flaxseed staggered back as though a bolt of lightning had ripped straight through him. His face drained to parchment white.
“What? Exterminated… My entire Flaxseed clan wiped out?” He clenched both fists until his knuckles cracked.
Nails dug so deep into his palms that fresh blood oozed between his fingers and pattered onto the dungeon floor, yet the pain could not keep the truth from hitting harder.
He had prepared himself for bad news, had never imagined devastation on this scale.
