"The purple-robed demon has already completed his great work. His next step… will likely be to massacre cities in blood sacrifice."
"When that happens, all of Nanjue will fall into utter devastation. The people will perish in droves, corpses stretching for millions of miles."
"Nanjue… is in grave danger."
Within the Nanjue imperial palace.
An old Daoist with white hair and an immortal bearing shook his head and sighed softly.
"Grand Consecrator, could it be that our great nation of Nanjue is truly to be destroyed by a mere demon?!"
The Nanjue Emperor was furious and alarmed. "Is there really not even the slightest solution left?!"
"A solution…"
The Grand Consecrator said calmly, "Naturally, there is one."
The emperor hurriedly asked, "What is it?!"
The Grand Consecrator replied indifferently, "The purple-robed demon's strength has already reached the Half-Step Shenyou Realm. In the entirety of Nanjue, only I alone can contend with him."
"However, if he is allowed to slaughter cities and ravage Nanjue at will, his advancement into the Shenyou Profound Realm will merely be a matter of time. When that happens, even immortals could be slain by him—let alone this old Daoist, who would not be able to withstand even a single move."
"Therefore, if we wish to stop the purple-robed demon, we must first prevent him from slaughtering cities."
The Nanjue Emperor asked in confusion,
"But that purple-robed demon is unimaginably powerful, able to come and go freely. Even if Grand Consecrator personally goes to stop him, what if he simply avoids you and slaughters other cities instead?"
The Grand Consecrator shook his head.
"I never said I would personally stop the purple-robed demon."
"Since the demon needs to massacre cities in order to grow stronger…"
At this point, the immortal-looking Grand Consecrator paused, his face showing boundless compassion, and slowly said:
"Then we need only slaughter the cities first. With no cities left to massacre, the purple-robed demon will have no means to increase his strength."
"Moreover, this old Daoist can rely on absorbing vital essence and blood to strengthen myself. If I advance to the Shenyou Profound Realm, the purple-robed demon will pose no threat at all."
The moment these words fell,
the Nanjue Emperor was stunned—then his eyes lit up, his face breaking into excitement.
"This plan is excellent!"
"Truly excellent!!!"
"Hahahahaha!"
"As expected of the Grand Consecrator—peerless in wisdom!"
"To think you could come up with such a method!"
"As long as the common people are slaughtered, the demon will be unable to grow stronger. He might even flee to Beili and bring disaster upon their people instead!"
"Those people would die with purpose—rather than becoming nourishment for the purple-robed demon, they would instead strengthen the Grand Consecrator."
"This plan is simply brilliant!"
Faced with the emperor's praise,
the Grand Consecrator merely showed a look of humility, clasped his hands together, and said mournfully:
"All of this arose because of the purple-robed demon. This old Daoist… acts only out of necessity. I only hope the common people will not bear resentment."
Hearing this, the Nanjue Emperor laughed.
"Do not worry, Grand Consecrator. The people of Nanjue will not only bear no resentment—they will thank you."
"Sacrificing a portion of the populace in exchange for the continuation of Nanjue's dynasty—this is an act of great merit!"
"After this matter is concluded, I shall personally erect a monument of virtue for the Grand Consecrator, to be praised throughout the realm!"
The Grand Consecrator lowered his cloudy eyes.
"Unworthy… unworthy."
"Time is of the essence. Please, Your Majesty, immediately arrange the city-slaughter."
"This old Daoist fears the purple-robed demon may strike first…"
The Nanjue Emperor nodded and immediately issued an order:
"Guards!"
"Transmit the imperial decree—starting from this moment, all cities of Nanjue are to be sealed shut. No one is allowed to enter or leave!"
…
Nanjue.
Within a thatched hut hidden among drifting clouds.
"Master, your disciple has already become the number one expert of Nanjue."
"The Immortal-Demonic Sword Art you taught me—I have already cultivated it to great completion."
"But Master… what your disciple desires was never any of this…"
"What I wanted was nothing more than a small, simple home."
"Yet why is such a simple wish so difficult for me…"
"Father and Mother are gone. Master, you were my only support. And now… even you are gone."
Ye Dingzhi stood before the small thatched hut.
Blood mist coiled around his body, baleful qi surging skyward.
This was where he and his master had first met.
Back then, it had been the most relaxed period of his life.
Yet now, all that remained was emptiness—people gone, things unchanged.
The more Ye Dingzhi looked upon this scene, the denser the baleful qi around him became,
as though it were about to condense into substance itself.
Terrifying beyond words.
His eyes burned blood-red as he spoke, each word deliberate:
"Since this entire world wants me dead!"
"Then I shall slaughter everyone in this world who dares stand in my way!"
…
After paying respects to his master,
Ye Dingzhi sped toward Beili.
Wherever he passed, heaven and earth reacted—ominous phenomena arose, blood mist filled the skies, vegetation withered completely, and wild beasts dropped dead on the spot.
It was as if the world itself was announcing the birth of a peerless demon.
However,
when Ye Dingzhi had traveled only halfway,
waves of sky-shaking screams, accompanied by an overwhelmingly thick stench of blood, erupted from a distant city.
Ye Dingzhi's gaze shifted as he turned his head toward the far-off city.
From such a distance, for the commotion to be this great,
one could imagine how horrific the scene within must be.
Even more frightening was this—
above the city, it was as though a dense curtain of black fog had descended.
Elsewhere, the sky was bright and cloudless,
yet within that city, daylight did not exist.
The black fog above it constantly transformed into terrifying skulls and monstrous shapes.
"Interesting…"
Ye Dingzhi narrowed his eyes slightly.
From the looks of it, had he encountered a fellow traveler on the demonic path?
However,
when one demonic cultivator encountered another, the outcome was always a matter of life and death.
To any demonic cultivator, another demonic cultivator was the finest nourishment.
Ye Dingzhi flashed into motion, changing direction and rushing straight toward the city shrouded in black fog.