"Owen, only three days left until we reach Jinnaluo. I heard it's paradise there, with countless beautiful women. That's just wonderful!"

Aldrich chattered on endlessly. He was a Garuda, and probably inherited some kind of birdfolk talent—he talked especially much. It was rare for him to meet someone as quiet as Emily Owen; it was like a bee spotting honey.

Emily Owen smiled, still gazing at the wagon wheel. The way it spun was so interesting. Whoever invented the wagon wheel must have been a genius.

"Is it really that great there?"

"...Aren't you going there too? If it wasn't good, why would you go!"

"I don't know."

Owen replied indifferently.

Aldrich was speechless. Not only was this Emily Owen's name strange, but he himself was odd too. He didn't even know where he was going, just following the caravan. Aldrich really couldn't figure him out.

Aldrich's father was a minor leader in the caravan, and Aldrich had followed his father around since childhood, so he had seen quite a bit. On the Pala continent, every young person's goal was to become a warrior, a warrior like their own tribal king. Of course, the true geniuses aspired to become a grandmaster like the Yaksha King, Yemo Tian.

"By the way, I overheard the adults talking yesterday—something huge happened in the Yaksha King's city. Yezhantian, have you heard of him?"

Aldrich said excitedly.

Chapter 8: The Demon Attack

"Yezhantian... I think I've heard of him."

Owen was still staring at the wagon wheel. Lately, he had been fascinated by the spinning wheels, as if those adorable wheels wanted to tell him some truth. But he was too slow to figure it out.

Aldrich dramatically pounded his chest and stomped his feet. "Owen, I'm sure you came from deep in the mountains. Yezhantian! Ye! Zhan! Tian!"

"Yeah, Yezhantian!"

"To save you from being laughed at, I've decided to give you a free lesson. Yezhantian is the number one expert of the younger generation among the Pala people—a super genius, you know? A genius among geniuses! Every young Pala dreams of defeating him. Legend has it that if you beat him, you can learn one of the three great divine skills—the Demonic Heaven Skill!"

"Mm, that's great."

Owen kept watching the spinning wheel, as if he understood a little more.

"But do you know? This invincible genius was defeated! I heard his opponent was also a young man—so mysterious, so thrilling, so exciting! Ah, if only I had been there. Such a world-shaking duel must have been spectacular!"

Suddenly, Emily Owen also smiled. He finally understood—so that's how it was. A circle, a closed circle, yet also the most open. How interesting.

Owen's hand kept drawing circles. Aldrich could only shrug helplessly. This guy was hopeless.

"Xiao Qi, come here!"

"Coming!"

Hearing his father's call, Aldrich patted Emily Owen's shoulder. "Don't wander off! I heard this area isn't very safe!"

Seeing Owen nod, Aldrich darted out of the wagon like an arrow, incredibly fast. This was a trait of the Garuda people—their totem power was the phoenix, like how the Mahoraga were born with great strength, the Garuda were naturally agile.

"Xiao Qi, the Brahmin sensed demonic energy nearby. Go notify the people behind us to keep up. If a fight breaks out, tell them not to panic!"

"Don't worry, leave it to me!"

Brahmins were the collective term for the servants of the Creator God, Mahabrahma. Their main duties were prayer, blessing, and using their spiritual power to sense demons. The highest leader of the Brahmins was the Qiling Master among the Eight Spirit Masters, who was responsible for all ceremonies in the Pala realm related to the Creator God Mahabrahma—in other words, the highest religious leader, held in great esteem.

However, ever since the Thunder Emperor Chishitian seized power, the authority of the Eight Spirit Masters had diminished considerably. In the past, at their peak, the Eight Spirit Masters could even intervene in the appointment and removal of the Eight Heavenly Kings. Now, their status had clearly declined, though their influence remained deeply rooted—even Chishitian could not ignore their role.

Chishitian was not only skilled in leading troops to war, but also an expert in balancing power.

Brahmins were also divided into ranks. For such a large caravan, it was clear they had hired a rather capable Brahmin. With a Brahmin's foresight, at least the caravan could be prepared. If it was just an ordinary lone demon, it would be no match for the guards. But for a Brahmin to sense it, it had to be at least a "walker" level demon, with an unknown number.

The large caravan had over three hundred people, with more than sixty warriors responsible for security. Once everyone was prepared, those at the rear quickly caught up, important goods and the old, weak, sick, and disabled were gathered in the center, and the pace slowed considerably—but safety came first.

Brahmins were especially sensitive to the aura of demons, and sure enough, it was growing stronger. Normally, as they neared Jinnaluo's territory, demons should be rare—after all, it was the royal city, and Jinnaluo's warriors would never allow demons to tarnish the reputation of the City of Joy.

As for where the demons came from, both the Pala and the Underworld people were researching it. The current consensus was spatial rifts. People couldn't prevent them, only kill them on sight. Although it was known that some illusions were gathering places for demons, and armies had been sent in hopes of eradicating them once and for all, it turned out that the monsters inside the illusions were far stronger than those that emerged. And that was another world— even the bravest Yaksha could only adopt a defensive strategy when facing the illusions.