88: Yuzhou, a two-legged sheep kept in captivity

"Xiao boy, the mountain gate is about to reopen. The matter of the residual Devilish Qi is entirely up to you!" Immortal Master Azure Heaven's eyes gleamed with clear light as he stroked his withered hand over his long beard, his tone filled with deep expectation.

If Xiao Zhuo could truly cleanse the Devilish Qi deep within the Spiritual Root, the Taiyi Sect, relying on those two ten-thousand-year-old Spiritual Plants, would soon see its former glory reappear.

Xiao Zhuo lowered his head, gazing at the dark golden demonic patterns on his palm that hadn't fully receded, and a determined smile curved his lips: "Senior, rest assured, I will not fail you!"

Before his words faded, he lightly tapped his foot on the green jade floor tile, and his figure transformed into a streak of light, soaring directly towards the Forbidden Ground in the back mountain.

Immortal Master Azure Heaven nodded slightly, his gaze following the disappearing streak of light, and his vast Divine Sense silently spread out.

He also wanted to see with his own eyes how this young man would resolve the stubborn illness that had already permeated the Spiritual Vein and bone marrow.

As soon as he stepped into the Forbidden Ground in the back mountain, the Spiritual Qi, so dense it almost liquefied, along with wisps of chilling demonic aura, assailed him.

The massive Spiritual Vein, like a sleeping Dragon, coiled within the mountain, and the Spiritual Qi, misty and ethereal, enveloped the vast herb garden.

However, on the leaves of those rare Spiritual Plants that should have been full of vitality, a faint black Qi clung like a parasitic growth.

Xiao Zhuo sat cross-legged on a green stone, and the Purgatory Demonic Body roared into operation!

His robes flapped without wind, rustling loudly.

His Divine Thought, like countless invisible silk ribbons, precisely descended and probed!

The ink-black Devilish Qi was forcefully stripped and pulled out, wisp by wisp, from the depths of the Spiritual Root and from the Spiritual Plant's meridians by the power of his Divine Thought!

As soon as the demonic aura touched Xiao Zhuo's skin, it instantly melted like ice and snow, transforming into a dark red, pure mist that eagerly surged into his body through his pores, becoming nourishment for his demonic body.

The entire process lasted only about two hours.

The Devilish Qi entwining the herb garden and infecting the Spiritual Roots had been completely devoured!

Countless Spiritual Plant leaves that were originally black and withered regained their tender green luster, devoid of any demonic intent.

The dragon blood fruit tree and the Dao Enlightenment Fruit tree, moreover, exuded a majestic, pure Dao rhyme and vitality, as if they had never been defiled.

"It's done!" In the back hall of the Taiji Hall, Immortal Master Azure Heaven withdrew his probing Divine Sense, and a look of relief appeared on his withered face.

Xiao Zhuo finished his Cultivation and stood up, his Divine Sense sweeping across the entire Taiyi Sect mountain gate.

The Disciples of the Yuyang Sect were already scattered everywhere like worker ants, cleaning, repairing, and organizing, a scene of bustling activity.

The last trace of gloom that had once lingered around the mountain gate had completely dissipated.

He stretched his limbs, and a series of crisp crackling sounds emanated from his joints. With a flicker of his figure, he had already returned to the Taiji Hall.

Immortal Master Azure Heaven was sitting with his eyes closed, Cultivating. Sensing Xiao Zhuo's return, he slowly opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing through them.

"Senior, I have not failed my mission," Xiao Zhuo said with a cupped-fist salute and a smile, the dark golden demonic patterns on the back of his hand not yet fully faded.

Immortal Master Azure Heaven's gaze lingered on the demonic patterns for a moment, with a hint of inquiry: "To be able to devour Devilish Qi and use it for yourself... This profound Cultivation Technique is truly astonishing! Even I would find it extremely difficult to remove this Devilish Qi without harming the Origin of the Spiritual Root. I never thought you could resolve it so easily."

"It's merely a characteristic of my Cultivation Technique, a minor skill," Xiao Zhuo shook his head indifferently. "With matters here concluded, Junior still has important business to attend to, so I will take my leave now!"

"Oh?" Immortal Master Azure Heaven was slightly surprised, having expected Xiao Zhuo to stay for a few more days. "Very well, if you have business, then go! Remember, if you encounter difficulties, send me a message at any time. As long as you are in the Yuan Realm, I will certainly protect you!"

A warmth surged in his heart, and Xiao Zhuo bowed deeply and solemnly: "Thank you, Senior!"

He then transformed into a golden lightning bolt, soaring into the sky and disappearing into the vast expanse of the heavens.

Xiao Zhuo had long noticed the sharp decrease in demons in Jizhou. To hunt a large number of Attribute Points, he had to venture deep into the eight prefectures occupied by demons.

Yuzhou Prefecture, adjacent to the northwest of Jizhou, became his first choice.

Although this prefecture bordered Jing Prefecture, Jing Prefecture had the natural barrier of Zhenmoguan. Most of the demons in Yuzhou chose to invade the relatively weaker Jizhou.

The sound of piercing the air was sharp and piercing. Xiao Zhuo left a long trail in the clouds above.

Flying at full speed for nearly an hour, he had already crossed Jizhou and entered the territory of Yuzhou Prefecture.

The scene before him suddenly changed! Although Jizhou had many demon strongholds outside its cities, the cities themselves were still under Human Race control.

However, Yuzhou Prefecture had already completely become a demon paradise! All Human Race cities were occupied by powerful demon forces, and the Human Race had been reduced to slaves and blood food.

In the wilderness, there were numerous villages established by demons, specifically used to "raise" the Human Race.

Xiao Zhuo immediately restrained his aura, no longer urging his dazzling escape light, and instead moved stealthily by instantly shifting a thousand zhang at a time.

In just the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the first "breeding village" appeared within his Divine Sense perception.

Xiao Zhuo concealed himself in the clouds, his Divine Sense silently covering the entire village like an invisible tide.

This was no village; it was clearly a massive breeding farm! Over a thousand low mud huts were tightly enclosed by tall, thorny wooden fences, leaving only one narrow exit.

Approximately two thousand people lived numbly within it.

In the center of the village, within a large area of connected mud huts, an unspeakable scene of reproduction was taking place.

Not far away, another row of mud huts imprisoned over a hundred pregnant Human Race women, the youngest no more than fourteen or fifteen years old!

Everyone's eyes were hollow and vacant, like walking corpses.

They were carefully fed by the demons, their bodies even considered robust. A few young adults showed crude traces of Cultivating martial arts, evidently to produce higher quality blood food.

Large areas of crops were planted around the village, serving as fodder to sustain the livestock.

There were only about a dozen Wolf Demons guarding the village.

Four of them idly guarded the exit, while the rest gathered in a relatively spacious blue-brick courtyard near the entrance.

The daily management of the village was actually handled by some Human Race members who had been completely enslaved.

After completing his investigation, Xiao Zhuo's figure flickered, and he appeared at the village entrance.

With a slight movement of his will!

Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff!

The four Baleful Rank Wolf Demons guarding the village entrance didn't even have time to scream before their heads exploded like ripe watermelons!

Filthy blood and shattered bones splattered! The dozen or so Human Race girls serving the Wolf Demons let out shrill screams!

"Roar—!"

The Wolf Demons in the blue-brick courtyard were startled and rushed out, roaring!

The Baleful Rank Wolf Demon leading them had just burst out of the gate when its pupils suddenly contracted!

It saw a Human Race youth, dressed in a dark robe and a silver jade belt, walking step by step through the messy grounds, his steps steady, but his eyes as cold as ten thousand years of ice!

"Human..." The Baleful Rank Wolf Demon was terrified, barely uttering a word, when Xiao Zhuo's figure, like a ghost, crossed a hundred zhang in a single step, appearing directly in the center of the Wolf Demon pack!

He didn't even make any unnecessary movements.

Buzz—!

Golden lightning suddenly flashed around him! Countless golden rays, as fine as hair but containing destructive tribulation Saber Intent, instantly spread out like living things!

Chichichichi—!

A dense, teeth-grinding cutting sound rang out! Except for the leading Baleful Rank Wolf Demon, the other dozen or so Wolf Demons didn't even have time to react before they were cut and dismembered in an instant, turning into pools of charred, smoking flesh!

"Ah—!" The Baleful Rank Wolf Demon, watching its kin instantly turn into minced meat beside it, was scared out of its wits, its legs went weak, and it almost collapsed to the ground, its voice trembling uncontrollably: "Human... Human Race! You... you've crossed the line!"

"Crossed the line?" Xiao Zhuo's indifferent eyes glanced at him, a cold mockery flashing through them. "The Ten Prefectures of the Yuan Realm, a thousand years ago, were the ancestral lands of my Human Race! How can mere demonic creatures talk about 'crossing the line' with me?"

"You... even if you kill us... it... it's useless!" The Wolf Demon desperately clung to its last shred of ferocity, its eyes, filled with fear, replaced by twisted madness, and it even looked at Xiao Zhuo with a hint of mockery, "Here... these are just two-legged sheep! You can't save anyone! On the contrary... you will bring disaster upon your Jizhou... Haha..."

"Save?" Xiao Zhuo seemed to have heard the most absurd joke in the world. He bothered no more with words, and a formidable, irresistible terror of Divine Thought, like an invisible giant hammer, fiercely slammed into the Wolf Demon's mind!

—Soul Search!

With Xiao Zhuo's current Divine Soul strength at the Peak of Myriad Manifestations, reading a Baleful Rank Wolf Demon's memory was like flipping through an open book.

In just a few breaths, a massive amount of information flooded into Xiao Zhuo's consciousness:

Within a hundred-li radius, there were hundreds of similar breeding villages!

The ruler of this area was a Demon City called "Poison Wolf City," and its Dominator was a ferocious Wolf Demon named "Poison Flame Venerable King."

All the high-quality blood food produced by the villages would be regularly sent to Poison Wolf City for the great demons in the city to enjoy.

Only young men and women needed for reproduction were kept in the villages. Those over thirty years old either became "shepherd dogs" for the demons, managing their own kind, or became the private "property" of high-level demons.

In Yuzhou Prefecture, Human Race flesh and Soul had long become hard currency circulating among the demons!

After reading the memories, Xiao Zhuo's hatred for demons reached its Peak.

Although he had heard about the tragic plight of the Human Race in the eight prefectures from Xiao Changkong, experiencing it firsthand and witnessing this living Hell, the impact and anger were completely different!

The Souls of the Human Race in this land had been completely twisted and enslaved, and could not be saved overnight.

Even if he forcibly took these people away, all he would get were soulless shells.

Xiao Zhuo's gaze slowly swept over the Human Race girls trembling nearby from extreme fear; their hollow eyes held only instinctive terror.

A sky-burning rage, mixed with icy determination, exploded in his chest!

Since salvation was hopeless, then—slaughter all the demons in Yuzhou Prefecture!