The leader of the Umbra Demon quickly understood what was happening. That bone deep pressure came from absolute submission rooted in the deepest part of his bloodline.

  He knelt perfectly straight, yet stubbornly craned his neck and looked up at Allen with arrogant defiance, forcing himself to speak harshly."What kind of trash secret art is this? Take it out and let me see it."

  "If it does not suit my taste, I will tear you all to pieces at once."

  His words sounded fierce, but his kneeling posture did not change at all, completely at odds with his threats.

  Beside him, Duke Blake was not nearly so thick skinned and had already lowered his head in shame.

  Allen put on a flattered expression and quickly bent down as if to help them up, saying,"What are you two doing? The ground is damp and cold. Get up quickly, do not catch a chill."

  At the moment of contact, two almost imperceptible streams of black light shot from Allen's fingertips and silently burrowed deep into their souls.

  The two staggered to their feet, their legs trembling uncontrollably. One misstep nearly sent them kneeling again.

  "The A abyss M master…" Blake stammered, unable to form a complete sentence, his voice filled with terror.

  The Umbra Demon leader beside him fared even worse. Cold sweat covered his forehead and slid down his cheeks, making it look as though he were shedding a large pool of emotional tears.

  Seeing that Blake was about to shout that familiar title, Allen reacted quickly and cut him off."You two, I did not lie to you."

  "This secret art of mine is truly one of a kind. Trading it for our lives is absolutely not a loss for you."

  Upon hearing this, Blake and the Umbra Demon leader seemed to freeze in place, then their legs gave way.

  They dropped to their knees together once more, their tone humble to the extreme."Since you say so, then we will do as you wish. Hand over the secret art and leave at once."

  Allen frowned and complained inwardly. These two were really clueless.

  He did not have any peerless secret art at all. It was merely an excuse to escape.

  They had clearly recognized his identity and guessed that he did not want to reveal himself for some reason, which was why they were deliberately playing along.

  But their acting was terrible. They were kneeling before he could even finish three sentences. If this kept up, even if he wanted to stay hidden, those human apprentices nearby would notice something was wrong.

  Allen bent down again to help them up, but both hurriedly waved their hands, their voices trembling with fear."No need to help us. We are used to this. Standing… standing feels uncomfortable."

  Allen sighed helplessly. If this stalemate continued, the truth would be exposed sooner or later.

  His eyes turned, and an idea came to him."Since you are used to it, then fine."

  "To be honest with you, my secret art scroll was accidentally lost in that forest while we were traveling earlier. You would not mind coming with me to retrieve it, would you?"

  Blake and the Umbra Demon leader nodded repeatedly, afraid of angering this Demon King.

  Then the two actually dropped flat to the ground, went on all fours, and crawled behind Allen toward the forest.

  Watching Allen lead the two crawling Demons farther and farther away, the people left behind remained stunned, unable to recover from the shock for a long time.

  "What kind of secret art was that? How could it be so powerful?" a young apprentice swallowed hard, his voice still trembling.

  "Do you know this? Does the Umbra Demon Tribe really have such a tradition, kneeling when they talk to others?" another person asked his companion in confusion.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  "You do not understand," someone said with an air of authority."The Umbra Demon Tribe has many branches with different customs. It is not strange for them to have rules that differ from those of humans."

  After a brief discussion, panic once again spread through the group. Someone spoke anxiously."What should we do now? Should we run first?"

  "What if Allen's secret art does not satisfy those two Demons? They will definitely come back to kill us!"

  "That's right. Let's take this chance and leave Umbra Gorge as quickly as possible!"

  At this moment, Evelyn was being helped to her feet by two female apprentices.

  Her consciousness was still a little hazy, but she heard the surrounding discussion clearly.

  Her voice was weak yet firm as she spoke."He drew the Demons away to save us. If we abandon him here and run away on our own, that would be far too unfair to him."

  "You all go. I will stay here and wait for him to come back."

  As she spoke, she broke free from the support of the two female apprentices and walked alone to a relatively flat rock, where she sat down.

  Seeing this, the expressions of the others turned bitter.

  "Senior Evelyn, why must you do this?" a male apprentice urged anxiously.

  "Since he took the initiative to lure those two Demons away, he must have wanted us to seize the chance to escape. We cannot let his intentions go to waste!"

  "Yes, Senior Evelyn. Let's escape back to Radiant Magic Academy first. After that, we can study magic diligently and come back someday to avenge him!" another person echoed.

  But Evelyn remained unmoved. She continued to sit quietly, her pale face showing no sign of wavering. She relied entirely on her longsword for support, barely managing to avoid collapsing.

  Seeing this, the crowd sighed one after another. A few quick minded individuals had already begun to quietly edge backward, preparing to slip away.

  At that very moment, black figures slowly emerged from the shadows of the surrounding forest, encircling them completely.

  "Could you at least whisper when you plot to escape? Do you really think we do not exist?" a Shadow Creature sneered, baring its sharp fangs.

  "You want to leave? You are dreaming."

  "And you call yourselves apprentices of the light faction?"

  "If that kid comes back and sees that you abandoned him, he would probably be heartbroken."

  "We cannot allow something as ungrateful as that to happen, so you had better stay here obediently."

  As the ferocious Shadow Creatures closed in one by one, the apprentices finally remembered that there were still many Shadow Creatures lurking nearby.

  They swallowed hard. With their strength, there was no way they could break through the encirclement of these Shadow Creatures.

  Deep within the gloomy forest on the eastern side.

  "Master of the Abyss, may your might endure forever. In the name of Thorne, rule over all demons!"

  The Umbra Demon leader and Blake knelt on both knees, their foreheads nearly touching the ground, shouting their oath of loyalty in unison. Their expressions were devout to the extreme, their entire bodies trembling slightly with excitement.

  Allen waved his hand helplessly, signaling for them to rise."Get up."

  He felt like the leader of some dark cult. Being worshiped with such fanatic devotion made him rather uncomfortable.

  "I have a plan to overturn the light faction. Right now, I am preparing to infiltrate Radiant Magic Academy undercover."

  Allen stated his purpose directly."When we go out later, you will cooperate with me and put on an act so that we can leave here safely. If this is done well, it will count as a great merit for you."

  The Umbra Demon leader and Blake nodded repeatedly in excitement.

  First, they were already overwhelmed with honor at being able to meet the legendary Master of the Abyss in their lifetime.

  Second, forming a connection with such a great figure was the highest possible glory for their tribe.

  "Please give your orders. Even if we are shattered to pieces, we will complete the task you entrust to us!" the two shouted in unison, their tone incomparably resolute.

  "There is no need to be shattered to pieces." Allen waved his hand, then his tone shifted and his gaze suddenly turned cold. His sharp eyes swept over the two of them."What matters most is testing your acting skills."

  The sudden pressure made the Umbra Demon leader and Blake's legs go weak, and they did not dare to breathe loudly.

  "I will make this clear in advance. If you act as clumsily as you did just now…"

  Allen's voice was calm, yet filled with intimidation."Then do not blame me for being impolite."

  The two kneeling on the ground nodded frantically. This kind of absolute suppression originating from the depths of their bloodline was far more effective for the Umbra Demon Tribe than any punishment.

  Allen explained the details of the performance thoroughly. After the three finished plotting, they walked out of the gloomy forest one after another.

  The Umbra Demon leader walked at the front, exclaiming excitedly as he went,"Truly a peerless secret art!"

  "A secret art like this is practically tailor made for us. It is perfect for our Umbra Demon Tribe!"

  The three arrived before the group in high spirits. Blake was so excited that he even wiped away tears, looking as if he had picked up a priceless treasure.

  "This is wonderful! Such an exquisite secret art is truly rare in the world!"

  He took a deep breath and tried hard to recall the name of the secret art Allen had instructed him to say."What an incredible book, Complete Guide to Installing and Removing the Core Axle of the Steam Gear Colossus!"

  The long and awkward name nearly made him bite his tongue. After saying it, he nervously glanced at Allen. Seeing no sign of displeasure, he finally relaxed and continued.

  "Since you have given us such a useful secret art, we will keep our word as well. We are not like those hypocrites who claim to stand for light and justice, only to go back on their promises!"

  "You may leave now." Blake waved his hand and said with a show of generosity.