Mysterious mirror hanging high

Jing Yu smiled faintly and made no comment.

Jing Yu and the two demons walked slowly along the bluestone street. Demons came and went in the city, their forms varied and strange, but most of them were a mix of human form and some demon characteristics. Just as the two demons said, there were quite a few pure "middlemen".

The streets were lined with shops and pavilions, and the sounds of vendors hawking their wares filled the air, much like a bustling human city. The only difference was that the items traded were mostly spiritual herbs and flowers, exotic minerals, or elixirs and talismans suitable for demon cultivators.

After walking through several long streets, the view suddenly opened up, revealing a rather spacious square.

The square was paved with thick, dark blue stone slabs, polished to a mirror-like shine. At this moment, many demon cultivators had gathered, but there was no bustling noise of the marketplace. Instead, a solemn atmosphere permeated the air.

Jing Yu looked up and saw a statue standing prominently in the center of the square.

The statue depicts a monkey.

It is not a colossal behemoth that reaches the sky; its size is similar to that of an adult human male, yet every inch of its lines is filled with an explosive sense of power.

Its entire body is covered with thick, glossy black fur. The statue is not in a flamboyant or angry posture, but rather stands quietly upright with its head slightly raised, gazing into the distance, its arms hanging naturally at its sides, and its claws sharp yet concealed.

Its face is not ferocious or beastly, but rather more human-like, with prominent cheekbones, a high nose bridge, and especially a pair of deep eyes. Even though it is just a statue, it seems to contain a calm and awe-inspiring majesty.

It stood there without making any unnecessary movements, yet it possessed an awe-inspiring and dignified presence, as if it were not a stone statue, but a peerless demon king who might awaken from his slumber at any moment.

At this moment, many demon cultivators spontaneously gathered around the statue, their expressions respectful, and many even prostrated themselves on the ground, chanting incantations, their attitude extremely devout.

Even some passing demons would subconsciously slow their pace and cast a reverent gaze toward the statue when they approached.

"This is……"

Jing Yu stopped in her tracks, her gaze falling on the statue, a slight surprise in her heart.

The ape demon depicted in the statue possessed an aura and majesty far surpassing that of ordinary demons. Even this inanimate object gave him a faint sense of oppression.

Niu Dahang and Ma Zoutian also restrained their previous casualness and became much more serious.

"Who is this important figure from the demon race? Strange, this place is clearly under the rule of Qingqiu, why is there no statue of the Iron-Backed Dragon here, but instead a statue of an ape demon?" Jing Yu asked.

Upon hearing this, Niu Dahang asked in astonishment, "My lord, you don't even recognize the [Demon Ancestor]?"

Upon hearing this, Jing Yu remained unfazed and casually made up a story: "I had been cultivating in seclusion in a secret place and almost never went out to travel. It was only after I achieved the status of a grotto-heaven that I was allowed to roam the mortal world. Isn't it normal that I don't recognize this statue?"

Niu Dahang scratched its bluish-black horns and said in a deep voice, "Let me let you know, sir, that this is the legendary [Demon Ancestor], the ancestor of all demons."

"It is said to be the first demon in the world."

"At the same time, it is also the master of the Ancestral Demon Palace, a sacred place of the demon race."

Jing Yu murmured, "The Demon Ancestor? It is a Dao Venerable-level being of the demon race?"

"Daoist Venerable? No."

To everyone's surprise, Niu Dahang and Ma Zoutian shook their heads at the same time: "The Demon Ancestor is not a Demon Lord. He is no different from the Dragon Ancestor of the Dragon Clan. He is only at the Demon Lord level."

"The Demon Ancestor is only at the Dao Lord realm?" Jing Yu was astonished.

"Could it be that the demon race has no Dao Venerable level beings?"

"Of course they exist, otherwise wouldn't the demon race have been completely enslaved by the human race long ago?"

Ma Zoutian laughed and said, "Our cultivation is limited and may have some omissions. Currently, the demon race only knows of one demon lord, and that is the [Creation Immortal Lord] who founded the [Creation Immortal Court]!"

"However, the [Creation Immortal Court] is not a purely demonic force. Its disciples are roughly equal in number, with humans and demons making up about half. It seems that Lord Creation adheres to the philosophy of teaching without discrimination and doesn't care much about racial differences."

Jing Yu asked curiously, "So, the strongest among the demon race is actually the [Creation Immortal Venerable], rather than this [Demon Ancestor] before us?"

"Hmm, it's possible that the Creator has surpassed the Demon Ancestor in cultivation."

Niu Dahang said, "But because of the special status of the first demon in the world, and because the Demon Ancestor's [Ancestral Demon Hall] is a pure demon lineage, we generally regard the [Ancestral Demon Hall] as the holy land of the demon race. The statues erected in the demon cities are usually of the Demon Ancestor, not the Creation Immortal Venerable."

The bull demon suddenly lowered his voice and said mysteriously:

"There's a very popular saying among the demon race right now: that the human race was originally a branch of the demon race!"

"They even branched off from the [Ape] race!"

Ma Zoutian continued, "This hypothesis is actually quite plausible. After all, it's obvious to anyone with eyes that humans and apes are the most similar in physique."

"Therefore, the so-called benefits of transforming into human form may not actually be due to the human form, but rather to the ape form. As the first demon in the world, Lord Demon Ancestor naturally deserves the title of the most intelligent of all beings!"

"Then the most perfect race in the world is not the human race, but the ape race."

"The ape race is also a branch of the demon race. If we round it up, wouldn't the demon race be the most perfect race in the world?"

Niu Dahang chuckled: "It seems that my demon race still holds a significant advantage over the human race."

Upon hearing this, Jing Yu shook his head, disagreeing with the two demons' statement. He thought to himself, "If the demon cultivators are transforming into [ape form] rather than [human form], why don't they just transform their black fur as well?"

However, when he looked at the [Demon Ancestor Statue], a hint of hesitation flashed through his mind: "Could it be that the human race really is a branch of the demon race?"

After all, he had studied evolution in his previous life!

However, it was only after his death that he learned that there were immortal arts and supernatural powers, and the Great Dao of Immortality in this world. Whether the "science" he had in his previous life was truly science or even valid was uncertain.

"My lord, there are many fun and interesting places to visit in Qingqiu City. I, Old Niu, will show you the way."

After walking through several wider streets, the noise suddenly increased several times over, and a peculiar smell mixed with various spiritual herbs, spices, minerals, and spiritual wood, and even a faint trace of blood, wafted towards us.

Jing Yu looked up and saw a vast open space in front of her, with countless stalls set up and demon heads bustling about. This was the most famous [Demon Market] in Qingqiu City.

Unlike the orderly shops we had just passed, the Demon Market was more rugged and wild.

The stalls were mostly made of leather or coarse cloth spread out on the ground, with goods piled directly on them. The sounds of hawking, bargaining, and even occasional arguments rose and fell.

"My lord, this is the Demon Market! There are many good things to choose from here, and if you're lucky, you might even find a bargain."

Niu Dahang winked and said, "There are even some really good stuff..."