Chapter 758 – The Night of Monsters
As the sun dipped below the horizon, night fell.
Demon-Refining Mountain shed its fiery dusk, losing the clarity of daylight. A heavy, oppressive gloom settled over it.
The night wind was bone-chilling. Insects and snakes slithered along the ground. Occasionally, a beast's low growl echoed—who knew what other dangers lurked in the darkness?
Fortunately, Xun Ziyou was at the late Gold Core stage.
Mo Hua followed behind him, and the path remained uneventful.
The two of them used their movement techniques, concealing themselves in the dark, and returned to the depths of the forest—to that place of flowing blood and fields of white bone.
It was just approaching the hour of the Dog (around 7–9 PM). The moonlight, icy and pale, bathed the Bone Marsh in a chilling, eerie glow.
Still—no trace of any demonic cultivators.
So the two waited nearby.
They waited until the hour of the Pig (9–11 PM), when suddenly, a demonic wind surged, and the stench of blood thickened in the air.
Mo Hua crouched in a tree and looked down.
Under the concealment of a divine formation, he spotted one black shadow after another emerging from the forest's darkness—cloaked in black, some upright on two legs, others crawling on all fours. Half-human, half-demon, they trickled out and began gathering at the edge of the bone-strewn stream.
Under the pale moonlight, they looked like devils crawling out from the pits of hell—an eerie sight enough to freeze the blood.
Not long after, another wave of demon cultivators arrived.
They dragged, carried, or hoisted freshly slain beast corpses or limbs—clearly recently hunted.
One by one, they dumped the bodies onto the Bone Marsh.
Then, like wild beasts, the demon cultivators crouched by the creek and began ripping and devouring the flesh and blood of the demon beasts.
It was a grotesque and savage scene.
Xun Ziyou couldn't help but look away. Then he glanced at Mo Hua.
The boy's expression hadn't changed—calm, composed, as if he'd seen this all before… or had long grown used to it.
Xun Ziyou was shaken.
"This child… how can he be so calm?"
"Could it be that he's witnessed things even more brutal, even more... monstrous?"
"What on earth has he been through at his age?"
Just as Xun Ziyou was reeling, his Great Void Token flickered with activity. He sank his consciousness into it—and saw a message from Mo Hua:
"Elder Xun, let's move. We can eavesdrop from a better spot."
Startled, Xun Ziyou looked up.
Mo Hua gave him a subtle look and motioned with his head toward another tree.
There, beneath a taller tree, three demon cultivators had apparently eaten their fill and de-demonized into human form. Now wrapped in black robes, they gathered in low conversation.
Xun Ziyou was stunned.
"This kid… definitely not his first time eavesdropping."
"He's probably a seasoned... professional."
He sighed and nodded.
The two quietly shifted, moving stealthily from one tree branch to another.
Just as they settled in, a raspy voice rose from below:
"Tastes awful…"
"Demon beast meat is dry and tough—like chewing on wood. Takes too much effort."
Another demon cultivator, still chewing, growled low like a beast:
"Human meat would be better. So tender…"
"You wish," someone snapped. "This mountain's full of sect disciples. How would you eat them?"
"It's not impossible. Just gotta do it discreetly... I once got lucky—some disciple from who-knows-what sect got lost in the forest. I took him down, tore him up, and ate him alive. His skin and flesh were way tastier than any demon beast. Even his bones were so... crispy…"
Someone growled,
"The young master said to stay low. Don't stir up trouble."
"Relax. No one around. No one even knows how that guy died."
Amid the chatter, another voice chimed in:
"Shame there aren't more female disciples. They're even more tender…"
"You sick bastard!" one cursed.
Then came a twisted, piercing laugh.
"Play them to death first… then eat. It's the same in the end."
Xun Ziyou's face darkened—killing intent surged.
Mo Hua quickly tugged his sleeve.
Xun Ziyou froze, then clenched his jaw and forcibly restrained the fury boiling within him.
Below, the demon cultivators continued chatting.
"Seriously... I live like a beast—eating raw demon meat, drinking blood, sleeping like a wild animal… I'm starting to forget I was ever human."
"Trapped here too long. If I don't release some urges, remind myself I'm still 'human,' I'll really turn into one of those monsters."
"Pointless," someone scoffed. "The moment you cultivate demonic techniques, your humanity starts eroding. Nothing you do changes that."
"Play with women?" He snorted. "After a while, even the prettiest woman is just a pile of raw meat."
"You'll only think about how to skin her alive and swallow her whole. You won't feel any other kind of desire."
"You're deranged, you monster!" someone cursed.
"You're such a buzzkill…"
"Ignore him. He's been a demon cultivator for a hundred years. Probably forgot how to spell 'human.'"
That same one sneered coldly.
"Give it a hundred years, and you'll all say the same."
"Humans are just another kind of beast. Man or woman, beautiful or ugly—it's all just rotting meat. As long as it fills the stomach, who cares?"
They continued discussing the matter a while longer.
Eventually, more demon cultivators joined the group.
As their numbers grew, the conversation grew messier.
Mo Hua found the discussion harder to follow.
Then—at long last—a familiar word caught his attention:
"Ten Thousand Demons Valley…"
A younger voice spoke, still tinged with emotion—as if their humanity wasn't completely gone yet:
"In two days, we're going into Ten Thousand Demons Valley. For a whole year, no more 'field runs.'"
"If you perform well, they'll let you out early to breathe some fresh air."
"Doesn't help much. That valley is suffocating—reeks of blood and rot. Every day in there feels like a year."
"Enough," another growled. "Stop complaining—and quit bringing up the valley."
"The young master granted us demon techniques and demon markings. We should be grateful and serve him well."
Up in the tree, Mo Hua raised a brow.
"Young master" again?
Which "young master" were they talking about?
And something felt… off.
After that statement, the air below visibly chilled.
Some of the demon cultivators fell into silence—not unusual. But Mo Hua could sense it—
From their spiritual auras: traces of rage, resentment, unwillingness.
"Something's wrong…"
Mo Hua's eyes narrowed.
The mood stayed tense for a while, until another group joined in, bringing fresh voices.
But this new group spoke in vague, scattered phrases.
It took Mo Hua a long time of piecing together fragments and guesses to assemble a rough picture:
🩸 The "Ten Thousand Demons Valley" (万妖谷) lay within the Blood Creek and Bone Marsh region.
It was the core stronghold of all demon cultivators in Demon-Refining Mountain.
The valley's entrance was always sealed and heavily guarded—only opened once a month.
Inside, countless demon cultivators dwelled, rotating in and out to "hunt the wild"—
Meaning they stealthily hunted demon beasts in the outer mountain.
The beasts they caught were processed:
Some were eaten raw—becoming food for demon cultivators. Their bones were tossed onto the Bone Marsh, used in the ritual refinement of formations.
Others were kept alive, sent into the Ten Thousand Demons Valley for… unknown purposes.
And sure enough, the Bone Marsh was covered in sinister array formations.
The Bone Marsh indeed had a sinister formation drawn upon it.
As for exactly what kind of evil array it was—Mo Hua hadn't overheard any direct explanation.
Most of these demon cultivators were array-illiterate. Even those who once had some knowledge of formations likely had their minds rotted after consuming so much raw demon flesh. The few who could still think clearly… probably weren't among this crowd anymore.
If even he couldn't decipher the formation's structure just by looking at it, expecting to hear anything useful from their mouths was… wishful thinking at best.
Still, Mo Hua managed to catch a few clues.
According to one demon cultivator, who spoke in a low and heavy tone:
"Unless it's the sixteenth night of the month, when the moon is full, the Ten Thousand Demons Valley opens, and the Bone Path reveals itself—no one, no beast, no demon may enter the depths of that blood creek. The valley's entrance is completely sealed."
"If anyone violates this taboo and steps into the deeper part of the Bone Marsh or enters the blood creek, they'll be cursed… their mind will shatter, and they'll go mad and die!"
The way the demon cultivator spoke was eerie and cryptic.
Mo Hua could barely follow, but based on those words—and his own cultivation experience—he could roughly guess that the means employed here were linked to malicious spirits or demonic curses. The array covering this area was likely some kind of evil formation connected to corruption.
As for exactly what kind…
Well, he was a proper array master—not some deviant arts peddler. It wasn't easy to be sure.
By now, it was the Hour of the Pig (around 9–11 PM).
The blood creek stank with rot. Bones littered the land.
Above, the moonlight was icy and bleak.
Mo Hua lifted his eyes and followed the flow of the blood creek into the distance. There—he could indeed feel a strange and sinister aura. It was suffused with blood and malice, like a vicious beast lurking in the darkness.
"The Ten Thousand Demons Valley…"
All the secrets, no doubt, were buried inside that place.
But now came the real question—how to get in?
Or… should he just skip the infiltration entirely and have Elder Xun summon reinforcements and start killing their way in from the outside?
Mo Hua frowned, lost in thought.
Right then, two demon cultivators slipped away from the crowd, sneaking quietly into the forest.
Mo Hua blinked—then glanced at Xun Ziyou.
The elder had clearly noticed as well.
Their gazes met, and with a knowing nod, they moved in unison—darting silently through the forest, tracking those two rogue cultivators.
Xun Ziyou was a Gold Core cultivator. Tracking two Foundation Establishment demons was child's play.
But when he looked back, he was surprised to find that Mo Hua—only at the mid-Foundation stage—was following just as smoothly. No sound, no disturbance, no trace. His slender figure blended seamlessly with the night.
If he hadn't been paying attention, even Xun Ziyou might have lost sight of him.
Xun Ziyou was stunned.
"This innocent-looking kid… has clearly done a lot of 'sneaking around'..."
Still, seeing Mo Hua so skilled and able to keep up, Xun Ziyou felt reassured.
—
The two demon cultivators moved farther and farther from the crowd. Silent the whole way, until they finally confirmed there was no one around—then began to whisper.
"...Are you sure this is a good idea?"
"What's not good about it? You want to rot in that disgusting valley for life?"
"But still..."
"Relax. I've got everything arranged."
One of them—a tall, rough-looking demon—lowered his voice and rasped:
"I'm from Yanshui City. The Jin Clan disciples who're overseeing us have old ties with my family. They'll look the other way."
"All we have to do is fake our deaths. Then we'll be free."
"There's someone inside the valley who'll cover for us."
The younger demon still seemed hesitant.
The tall demon said:
"Think about it. Once we're out, with our abilities, we could easily blend into some demon sect or rogue cult. Food, women, freedom—no more living like beasts in this cursed mountain. Wouldn't that be better?"
That hit home.
The younger demon had only recently started cultivating demon techniques.
Not long ago, he'd been a rising star in his clan—a genius full of hope and ambition. He'd dreamed of earning his place among the sect's disciples through hard work, proving that even someone from a humble background could match the heirs of great families.
And yet… somehow… he had ended up here.
In the eyes of his family, of his parents—he was already "dead."
But here in Demon-Refining Mountain, he was still alive. Barely. Not as a man, but as something twisted and grotesque. A creature that couldn't show its face.
Even now, when he thought back, he felt lost.
He couldn't even recall exactly how it had all unraveled.
It was like a nightmare—sudden, inescapable, and endless.
He had gone from a proud young man… to a bloodthirsty demon.
One wrong step—and there was no going back.
"Since I can't undo what's been done… I at least need to escape this hell…"
The young demon's heart wavered. He spoke, his tone pleading:
"Brother Zhao, please—help me. From now on, I'll follow your lead. Whatever you say, I'll do it."
The tall demon grinned in satisfaction.
"Only…" the younger asked in a low voice, "how exactly… do we escape?"
Mo Hua perked up as well.
Demon-Refining Mountain is sealed.
Demon cultivators reek of demonic aura. There's no way they could just waltz out the front gates.
The tall demon lowered his voice even more.
"I'll tell you—but you must keep it secret…"
The younger demon nodded solemnly and leaned in close. Their voices dropped to an almost inaudible murmur.
Mo Hua, lying on a tree branch, instinctively leaned down further to catch their whispers.
But just as he moved—
The tall demon suddenly barked:
"Who's there?!"
Mo Hua flinched.
"I've been discovered?!"
That couldn't be… right?
Since his divine sense had evolved and his spiritual consciousness grew stronger—and especially after mastering the Lesser Five Elements Concealment Technique—his stealth had become near flawless. His tracking skills were refined to a tee.
He had never been caught before.
"This demon's senses are that sharp?"
Mo Hua immediately tensed, ready to strike and pin the demon down—then hide behind Elder Xun and let him deal with the clean-up.
But before he could move, the tall demon pointed with his finger—
Only he wasn't pointing at Mo Hua.
He was pointing behind the younger demon, toward an empty patch of darkness.
His expression was grim as he growled:
"Someone's there!"
The young demon cultivator really was young—he had no sense of caution. He turned around reflexively, following the direction the tall demon cultivator pointed.
The moment he turned, he realized something was wrong.
But… it was already too late.
Mo Hua clearly saw a streak of crimson blood-light flash through the darkness.
The tall demon cultivator's hand morphed into a monstrous claw, brimming with demonic power. With a sharp gust of wind laced with blood, he drove it straight through the younger demon's back.
His chest was pierced. His heart shredded.
The young demon's face froze in shock… then twisted into a mask of rage.
He tried to fight back.
Even if he died—he wanted to take a chunk of flesh in return!
But he was gravely wounded—no match at all.
After a brief struggle, both of his arms were broken, and his abdomen was torn open. He collapsed in a bloody heap—dead.
The tall demon licked the blood from his arm and coldly glanced down at the corpse, sneering:
"Seriously? Did you ever look in a mirror?"
"Sure, you come from a 'family'… but compared to the real young masters, the real elites—you think you measure up?"
"You dared to look down on others."
"Yes, you had talent. So what?"
"All arrogance, no brains. You met someone way out of your league and didn't even know to bow your head."
"If you weren't going to die, who would?"
The young demon lay cold on the ground, eyes wide open—dying without peace.
The tall demon began stripping the black robe from his corpse.
"Killing you lets me take your place. Only then can I escape."
He sneered darkly:
"Don't blame me for being heartless. You're dead, I'm alive. That's all that matters."
"Life only lasts a few hundred years. I'll go out and enjoy those three hundred in your stead. Once I'm done, I'll come down and apologize to you."
"So come on, don't die so unwillingly…"
He reached out to close the young demon's eyes—but no matter how many times he tried, they wouldn't shut.
"Damn it. You just had to make it difficult."
With a snarl, the tall demon grabbed both eyes—and ripped them out, leaving a bloody, mangled mess.
Blood poured down the sockets… like weeping tears of blood.
"What a damn jinx!"
He spat on the corpse and turned—only to be met with a blinding flash of white sword light cleaving through the dark.
His entire arm—sliced off like rotten wood.
Demonic blood sprayed into the air.
A look of pure confusion flashed across his face.
Before he could even process what was happening—another sword light followed, severing one of his legs.
The tall demon crashed to his knees, eyes wide with terror.
Just as he tried to crawl away, a tall and composed figure stepped in front of him.
Xun Ziyou stood there, face cold as ice, his eyes burning with fury. He pressed two fingers together—
A torrent of sword qi, infused with his Golden Core's will, surged forward and shredded the demon's flesh, leaving him covered in wounds.
The sheer pressure of the sword intent pinned the demon to the ground.
He could no longer move. His expression turned gray with despair—any desire to resist had been crushed.
Xun Ziyou hadn't even gone all out. Yet within three moves, the tall demon had been completely subdued.
Mo Hua nodded with satisfaction.
"My bodyguard's not bad at all."
"Speak!" Xun Ziyou's tone was like a wintry storm. "Who are you?"
"Who is the 'Young Master' you mentioned?"
"And how exactly were you planning to escape Demon-Refining Mountain?"
But the demon just grinned, blood foaming in his mouth—and said nothing.
Mo Hua frowned, then suddenly stiffened as if sensing something. He warned:
"He's transmitting a message!"
No sooner had he spoken than Xun Ziyou reacted. With a flick of his finger, a sharp white sword light flashed—
The demon's other arm was severed.
Pain shot through him and he howled—but before the sound left his throat, Xun Ziyou sealed it with a burst of Golden Core spiritual force.
Mo Hua, meanwhile, delicately pinched something from the pool of blood.
A bloodstained token—a transmission talisman.
Mo Hua's eyes lit up.
"Nice!"
On the other side, Xun Ziyou's eyes were as sharp as blades. He continued to question the demon:
"Whose orders are you acting under?"
"Where did your demon cultivation techniques come from?"
The tall demon just sneered. Blood dripped from his mouth—but he stayed silent.
Mo Hua glanced at him and said casually:
"Kill him. He's not going to talk."
Xun Ziyou paused—his expression a little complicated as he looked at Mo Hua.
"This kid… is more decisive than me...?"
They'd only just captured the guy. He'd barely asked two questions—and the boy was already saying, "Just kill him."
Mo Hua explained:
"Demon cultivators are stubborn. And look at him—he's already like this. Alive or dead, it makes no difference. He's not going to speak."
Xun Ziyou thought it over. It did make sense, but he still hesitated a bit.
Mo Hua gave the talisman in his hand a little wave.
"We've got this. Just interrogate the token."
Xun Ziyou blinked, then nodded in realization.
The tall demon, hearing the crisp voice declare his execution, struggled to lift his head. His bloody eyes locked onto Mo Hua in fury.
Mo Hua smiled back, completely unfazed.
"Didn't you just say you'd enjoy life for three hundred years, then go down and apologize to the little 'brother' you just murdered?"
"Three hundred years is a long time…"
"Why don't you just go down now and apologize properly?"
The demon's pupils dilated. He glared at Mo Hua with hatred and resentment.
But before he could speak—
A final sword light swept by.
The demon's head flew off. His body collapsed.
Dead. Instantly.
(End of chapter.)