The goal of the demon race was crystal clear.
They were targeting the leaders first.
With an overwhelming advantage in power, it took barely a moment.
Those who had been in the air could no longer remain standing. One after another, they were forced down by sheer pressure.
High in the sky, the demons burst into wild laughter. "You spout such grand words, yet not a single one of you can resist. Have you truly thought this through? You came all this way just to die?"
A burst of demonic energy shot down from above, striking Fairy Yin Jun directly.
She stumbled back several steps, and even though it was only a single blow, she coughed up blood on the spot. Her expression turned to one of disbelief.
The individual power of the demon race was already somewhat superior to that of humans. Among the cultivators of the human race, she wasn't even considered particularly strong within the Tribulation stage.
But even so, she hadn't expected to be injured so easily—after just one attack. She had believed she could at least stall one or two of the Tribulation stage demons.
Yun Jin stood quietly within the crowd, inconspicuous among the chaos. She lifted her gaze to scan the demon race cultivators, a glint of cold light flashing deep in her eyes.
Lao Huo was nearby and could intervene at any moment. But if he acted now, Yang Yun and the others would likely abandon the next phase of their plan. If that demon sovereign slipped away into the sea of people, with the protagonist's Luck, he'd probably recover his strength in no time. That would make things even worse.
Wait. Just a little longer.
By now, a wave of unrest was spreading through the crowd. The strength of these demons was far beyond expectation. Even the high and mighty Peak Masters and elders—those they once held in awe—couldn't muster any resistance at all. If the elders couldn't fight back, what hope did they have?
Fear and panic crept into everyone's hearts.
The demon leader took it all in with a blank expression. "I'll count to three. Those who wish to surrender, step into the circle. Anyone who doesn't—dies."
To the side, the demons had already set up a simple formation. The demon leader had suffered a severe injury and urgently needed blood to heal. That formation would drastically increase the efficiency of absorbing blood essence. As long as they could trick people into stepping into it willingly, with the formation's help, his wounds would recover as much as possible.
As for the stubborn ones? They'd be devoured the primitive way. Forced absorption wasn't as effective, but since the formation required voluntary entry, those who refused could only be used less efficiently. A vicious glint flickered in the demon leader's eyes.
From the beginning, he'd never planned to let the people of Tianxing Sect go. Had he not been injured, he wouldn't have bothered with this charade. But now that he needed to restore his strength, he required an immense amount of blood.
"Three…"
He began counting without emotion.
No one moved.
The crowd hesitated. But these were demons—no one dared to act rashly.
"Two…"
His voice turned colder.
Demonic energy surged into the air, coalescing into a massive black sphere. The moment the final number was spoken, it would come crashing down on them.
Finally—
Someone couldn't hold out any longer.
Trembling all over, one man walked into the circle.
All eyes turned to him.
He dropped to his knees, shaking. "If we don't surrender, we die! I… I cultivated for the sake of longevity. I don't want to die. I don't want to die!"
His voice trembled with uncontainable fear.
"Fool!" Fairy Yin Jun shouted angrily. "You think the demon race would be kind enough to spare your life? Surrendering now is the first step down the demonic path!"
The demon leader smiled faintly, no longer rushing the count. He said slowly, "We bear no grudge against Tianxing Sect. We weren't even targeting you in the first place. All we want is one thing. Surrender and let us find it. Once we do, we'll leave. There's no need for unnecessary bloodshed."
Something they wanted?
The stir among the crowd grew louder.
What could possibly be more important than their lives?
If that was truly the case—
If the demons only needed to find one object before leaving—then wouldn't surrendering, for now, be the wiser choice?
Gradually, others began walking toward the circle.
"The most precious treasure of Tianxing Sect would be the Tianxing Bell. If that's what they're after…" Huo Lie murmured.
"Shut your mouth," Nie Hai barked. "You've lived so many years, and you still can't see through this? That's nothing but a convenient excuse! Do they look like they're searching for something? No—they're tricking the weak-willed into walking to their own deaths."
"That's not true," the demon leader replied with a gentle smile. "We are indeed looking for something. It's hidden and will take time to find. If you stop resisting, we won't trouble you. Otherwise… tonight, Tianxing Sect will drown in blood."
He said it so casually, so lazily, as if bathing Tianxing Sect in blood was just a trivial matter.
And to them, it was.
To the demon race, humans were nothing more than food. Were it not for the human race's current strength keeping the demons out of the central region, this world would already be a living hell.
Still—
More and more people began drifting toward the circle. They weren't ignorant of the demons' cruelty. But if they surrendered now, they might yet survive. Better that than dying here and now. Whatever schemes the demons had, only the living would have a chance to see them unfold. Those who refused to surrender would likely be dead in minutes.
What future could the dead speak of?
Several people stepped forward with trembling legs.
Others hurled curses at them.
"As humans, you kneel to demons? You disgrace your race."
"I once admired you. Now I feel nothing but disgust."
"I'd rather die than live as a coward like you."
The shouts of condemnation echoed across the square. Those who surrendered hung their heads in shame, yet under the demons' orders, they dropped to their knees. There was no turning back now. They told themselves: As long as we live, there's still a future. After a brief wait, when no one else moved, the demon leader gave a low, cruel laugh.
"In that case… the rest of you—die."
The massive sphere of demonic energy descended, charged with a terrifying force that seemed as if it could destroy the world. Just as the black sphere was about to crash down—
Two figures suddenly bolted into the surrendering circle at the last moment.
Yun Jin looked over without emotion.
It was Huo Lie and Long Yi.
She wasn't surprised in the slightest.
These two had followed Zhao Wuji in his tyranny. That alone proved they weren't men of principle. That they would break under the weight of death was only natural.
Du Wuxin, another who had once aligned with Zhao Wuji, merely let out a bitter laugh.
He had joined Zhao Wuji's faction to protect himself.
But—
The truth had long since proven Zhao Wuji had fallen into the demonic path.
Du Wuxin still wanted to survive, but not like this.
Living was important—but some things were more important than life.
"Join forces. Resist," Fairy Yin Jun said through gritted teeth.
The remaining cultivators began channeling their spiritual power, gathering it together to push back against the overwhelming demonic energy.
In the air, spiritual power and demonic energy collided, delaying the black sphere's descent for a moment.
But it was only a delay.
That monstrous demonic force pressed down like a collapsing sky, threatening to annihilate everything beneath it.