Prime Originator

"How is it possible for me to know how powerful the thing down there is?" the Three-headed Serpent Arch Demon, Lord Serpas, responded.

"We are nowhere close to the bottom of the Bone Sea, but these Low-rank Arch Demon-level sea monsters already have us pinned here. Can you imagine much stronger the sea monsters down there are?"

"Probably around the Peak-rank Arch Demon-level; it wouldn't surprise me," a Black Jackal Arch Demon replied.

"However, the Bone Sea's depths had always been relatively unknown. Why would there be a sudden commotion now?"

"Clearly, something happened down there; but what happened down there is the real question," said Yakshan, the Evil Eye Arch Demon.

"Could the humans have reached the seafloor before us?" a Red-Horned Orc Arch Demon made a wild assumption, but the other Arch Demons didn't take it kindly.

"Your jokes aren't even funny, Lord Rakhama," Serpas snorted and said, "How is it possible for humans to reach the seafloor when we can't even surpass the 10-thousand feet depth?"

"Does that even make sense?"

"No, but not everything needs to," said Rakhama, the Red-Horned Orc Arch Demon, "Sense is only relative to what we understand and not what we don't know."

"What doesn't make sense to use could make sense to others because they know what we don't know, or we don't know what they know."

"Speak properly; I don't speak riddles," Serpas said displeasedly.

Nevertheless, the Arch Demons of the Nine Great Clans remained divided in their opinions.

Without hard proof regarding the truth of the seafloor, none of their assumptions held any weight over the others.

"Enough! This is getting us nowhere!" Yakshan said snappishly.

"We don't have time to be deliberating over something we know little to nothing, especially when the sea monster tide could erupt at any time. We came here to strengthen ourselves, not to argue among ourselves!"

"Lord Yakshan is right," the Black Jackal Arch Demon agreed.

"Black Jackal Elders, heed my orders! Grab a sea monster corpse and let's go; we are heading back to the surface to replenish our air supply!"

"Yes, Clan Leader!" the other Black Jackal Arch Demons complied.

Shortly after, the Black Jackal Arch Demons collected all the corpses of the Arch Demon-level sea monsters they killed and made their way back to the surface.

Even if they couldn't reach the Demon King-level Tombs, the sea monsters' flesh and red cores provided them with sufficient resources for improvement.

"Evil Eye Elders, we're heading back too! Grab our spoils and follow me!" Yakshan ordered before leaving after the Black Jackal Clan.

One by one, the Arch Demons of the Nine Great Clan left with their spoils while the living Arch Demon-level sea monsters tailed after them.

Nevertheless, it was easier to resurface than to submerge in the depths of the Bone Sea.

It didn't take long before the Arch Demons left the sea region of Low-rank Arch Demon-level sea monsters and entered the sea region of Greater Demon-level sea monsters.

The other Greater Demons of the Nine Great Clans quickly spotted their clan leaders and elders returning.

"My Lords, you've returned!" they greeted their respective clan elders and leaders.

"If you have something to say, say it later; we're heading back to the surface first," Yakshan said to the Greater Demons of his Evil Eye Clan.

"Yes, Clan Leader."

…

Sometime later, the Nine Great Clans resurfaced from the depths of the Bone Sea.

However, the Arch Demon Clan Leaders and Elders quickly noticed something off after returning to the sea surface.

The number of demons had considerably declined, whether it was the Lesser Demons or the Greater Demons in their ranks.

Even some of the newly ascended Arch Demons were missing.

"Where is that brat, Teshafir?" Serpas interrogated his Three-Headed Serpent Clan.

"Lord Teshafir led an army of demons to the east region with Lord Grunganir and Lord Kaligan to investigate a strange phenomenon and didn't return ever since, Clan Leader."

Three-Headed Serpent Greater Demon informed him before mentioning, "More importantly, we've received news of a Noble Demon from the west side."

"What?! A Noble Demon? Are you sure?" Serpas questioned with a deep tone.

At the same time, multiple pairs of Arch Demon eyes turned sharp and solemn at once after overhearing the Three-Headed Serpent Greater Demon's report.

"That is what I have been told, my Lord," the Greater Demon confirmed.

"What kind of Noble Demon was it? Is it a Noble Demon from the Holy Demon Land?"

"According to my source, Lesser Demon Helshan, it was a human—a human that became a Noble Demon, no less. He also speculated that the human may have gotten his hand on the Eternal Night Demon Emperor's inheritance."

The atmosphere suddenly became heavy after the report ended.

"A non-demonborn human that became a Noble Demon… If it's the Eternal Night Demon Emperor's inheritance, it might be possible…" Serpas muttered a deep frown.

In truth, no one even knew what the Eternal Night Demon Emperor's inheritance contained; the demons only believed it would give them unparalleled power and authority over other demons.

"Everyone should have heard it; what do you all think about this news?" Serpas sought the other Arch Demons' opinion.

"Even if the Noble Demon didn't obtain the Eternal Night Demon Emperor's inheritance, a Noble Demon isn't someone we can ignore."

"Therefore, I propose we organize a team to lead the investigation—and not just any team, but the strongest team possible. We can't underestimate a Noble Demon's strength," said an Arch Demon-level Purple Coatl Dragon.

"I concur," Yakshan voiced his stance before adding with an evil grin, "A Noble Demon that isn't from the Holy Demon Land isn't to be feared and may even benefit us—if you catch my meaning."

Multiple pairs of eyes sparkled with interest and greed at once.

"Kekeke, I am the clan leader of the Black Jackal Clan. You won't find a stronger Black Jackal than me to join the investigation team," the Black Jackal Clan Leader said, volunteering himself for the job.

A Noble Demon's bloodline… there's no way he will miss out on something like that!