The Grey Rat's Demon Path

Chapter 161: Chapter 149-150: Investigation and Calculation, Part 2

Furthermore, Peacock Demon City was bustling with trade, and the constant flow of demons would be a huge boon to his elixir business.

But there was a reason it was ranked last.

It was simply because Peacock Mountain was the domain of the Peacock King!

If Xu Chang’an could break through to the Late-stage Foundation Establishment realm and become a top-tier Great Demon.

With his current Purple-striped Earth Rock Rat bloodline, his demon body was comparable to a supreme-grade magical artifact, and his draconic spine and scaled claws were even on par with quasi-magical treasures.

With his overall combat strength, he could likely even gain the upper hand against a Quasi-Demon King.

He could even escape with his life from a confrontation with a Demon King!

But that only applied to ordinary Demon Kings—not the Peacock King!

Xu Chang’an was deeply wary of this fact.

Striking out on his own was different from safely practicing alchemy within a Demon City. While establishing his own base would grant him broader channels and greater profits, it also meant he would have to face the ensuing storms by himself.

’If I’m constantly facing storms, I’ll have to use my Golden Lion persona far more often.’

’You can only walk by the riverside so many times before your shoes get wet!’

’If I ran into the Peacock King...’

’With his rumored power, I doubt I could even escape with my life!’

Sleeping Ox Mountain and Leopard Ridge, on the other hand, each had more than one Demon King in residence.

But those Demon Kings lacked the Peacock King’s overwhelming presence.

Their combat strength was merely that of an ordinary Demon King!

Even if something went wrong and he ran into one of them, Xu Chang’an was confident he could handle the situation.

After leaving Peacock Demon City, Xu Chang’an steered his magical artifact toward Kaiyuan Blessed Land on Sleeping Ox Mountain.

He had already performed a preliminary survey of Cloud Sea Peak on Peacock Mountain several years prior. Since it was his last choice anyway, he didn’t plan on inspecting it again.

His route was planned: first, he would investigate Kaiyuan Blessed Land, then proceed to Heaven-Gazing Valley on Leopard Ridge.

If a place was suitable, he would settle on it immediately.

He had few Demon Stones left, but he could always sell one of his supreme-grade magical artifacts.

’Far away from Peacock Mountain, the risk of selling it should be minimal!’

As one of the top powers in the Red Cloud Mountain Range, Sleeping Ox Mountain’s territory was naturally immense.

Xu Chang’an didn’t change his appearance, proceeding in his form as a Grey Rat.

The cultivation aura he projected was that of the Qi Refining Ninth Layer.

With several years of accumulation, boosted by top-quality cultivation elixirs, his breakthrough speed was a bit fast, but not unreasonably so.

A cultivation at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer was enough to deter some Tribulation Cultivators.

After all, you wouldn’t find Foundation Establishment Great Demons acting as common Tribulation Cultivators everywhere.

Most demons who reached the Foundation Establishment realm chose to establish their own strongholds and rule over their own territory.

After a journey of more than twenty days, Xu Chang’an arrived at Kaiyuan Blessed Land on Sleeping Ox Mountain.

Kaiyuan Blessed Land was vast and filled with dense Spiritual Qi.

Many Foundation Establishment Great Demons had established their cave mansions and settled there. Furthermore, vast fields of Spirit Herbs and Plants, belonging to various powers, were cultivated within the Blessed Land.

After surveying the area, Xu Chang’an found himself quite satisfied with it.

’The only thing is, if I settle here, my business prospects won’t be as good as they would be in Peacock Demon City.’

After inspecting the area for several days, Xu Chang’an left Sleeping Ox Mountain and set out for Heaven-Gazing Valley on Leopard Ridge.

The journey was uneventful, with no unusual encounters.

After almost a month of travel, Xu Chang’an reached Heaven-Gazing Valley on Leopard Ridge.

Heaven-Gazing Valley was situated on a Spirit Vein, boasting dense Spiritual Qi. It fell under the jurisdiction of Leopard Ridge.

Xu Chang’an found the managerial demon in charge of the Heaven-Gazing Valley outpost and stated his requirements.

Heaven-Gazing Valley’s Spirit Vein was of a remarkably high grade. The demons residing there were almost exclusively Foundation Establishment Great Demons, including a considerable number of veteran Great Demons.

The managerial demon was initially quite surprised that someone at a mere Qi Refining Ninth Layer would want to take up residence in Heaven-Gazing Valley.

But when Xu Chang’an revealed his identity as a Tier Two Middle-grade Alchemist, the managerial demon’s attitude changed completely.

He immediately began to show Xu Chang’an around, giving him an introduction to the area.

Heaven-Gazing Valley was quite large, with several hundred cave mansions available for rent.

Among these hundreds of cave mansions, nearly one hundred were larger and thus met Xu Chang’an’s requirements.

Some of these hundred-odd cave mansions stood alone, while others were adjacent to one another.

Heaven-Gazing Valley had a considerable reputation, and its cave mansions were almost always fully occupied.

After getting a detailed understanding of Xu Chang’an’s needs, the managerial demon recommended a specific cave mansion.

"Honored guest, given your status as an Alchemist, there is a particular cave mansion that should be a perfect fit for you!"

"And which one is that?"

"In the center of Heaven-Gazing Valley, there is a natural crater. On each of its four sides is a point where the Spirit Vein converges, forming a perfectly square configuration. It’s known as the Four-directions Cave Mansion.

It was originally rented jointly by four veteran Great Demons. A few days ago, however, one of their leases expired, and they chose not to renew. That’s freed up a spot!"

’The Four-directions Cave Mansion! Shared by four demons!?’

Xu Chang’an was a bit hesitant.

’Ideally, I’d have a cave mansion all to myself.’

Noticing Xu Chang’an’s hesitation, the managerial demon continued.

"Honored guest, the three veteran Great Demons currently residing there are all Skill Masters."

"There’s a Tier Two Puppet Master, an Array Master, and a Tier Two Alchemist!"

"Oh? That’s quite interesting!"

Xu Chang’an was intrigued.

’If they’re all masters of a particular skill, we could support each other and even refer clients. That would be a huge help for my custom, high-quality elixir business!’

’The only downside is that there’s already an Alchemist there.’

’If I move in, our skills will overlap.’

"What is the alchemy skill level of the Alchemist who’s currently there?"

Xu Chang’an asked.

"A Tier Two High-grade Alchemist!"

’His Alchemy Skill is higher than mine currently is!’

Xu Chang’an mulled it over for a moment before finally deciding to rent the place.

’Based on my current Alchemy Skill, I can become a Tier Two High-grade Alchemist myself in another seven or eight years.’

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