"Tsk tsk, although you have endless heavenly materials and earthly treasures to boost your cultivation, and your cultivation speed is the fastest I've seen among mortals, it's still far from reaching the level of Tianyuan and Tianfeng..."

"However, now that the catastrophe has just passed, your sect is the only one left in the mortal world, and no one is competing with you. This could be considered an opportunity for you..."

"But you need to hurry back, I've been alone here for a millennium, quite bored, your return will at least lighten my mood... By the way, it's best to bring some evil people along with you, I've craved their taste for a long time..."

Ni Yang rambled on like an elder who rarely sees their children returning for a visit, chattering endlessly without a pause.

It thought it was speaking softly, but due to its enormous size, the voice it emitted sounded like rolling thunder to the people below, causing their hearts to race slightly.

Pei Laoliu cast a calming incantation on the group, allowing them to feel a bit better.

"Alright, alright, Greedy Dragon, we are going to recruit disciples, where would we get some evil people to be your snack? Let me warn you first, you better not think about my disciples!"

"No problem, I only eat evil people, I promise you."

While Ni Yang said this, it instinctively glanced at Yan Jiantong standing in the back, making the latter feel a chill run down his spine.

Fortunately, they had been together for so long that Yan Jiantong knew it wouldn't truly eat him. Otherwise, he wouldn't dare to remain at Tianyuan Sect as one of the outer disciples.

"Go on, go on, hurry back, I don't want to be alone in this small pool for another millennium... Tsk tsk, Xiao Liu, you are an elder now, how come that Zhang Xiaoman is so stingy that he won't even spare you a storage ring?"

Ni Yang retreated into the Jade Spirit Lake on its own.

Pei Laoliu looked at several people beside him, whom he had burdened with several large bags, feeling quite helpless.

Despite being a cultivator himself, he had to ask disciples to carry luggage when traveling, which seemed a bit degrading indeed.

But this was unavoidable.

After the end-of-law catastrophe over three hundred years ago, all storage rings had become useless, making it impossible for Master Liu to find a functional one.

Zhang Xiaoman's Immortal Wind Ring happened to be an exception.

It was preserved by fortune during the catastrophe due to its high quality, as it was once used by the Sect Leader of Tianyuan Sect.

"Alright, let's go, once we recruit more disciples, let's see if any of them have outstanding fire-element spirit roots, then we can train them in artifact refining techniques, so each of us can have a storage ring!"

Master Liu called to the group behind him.

A few of them got on his Flying Sword immediately, their figures transformed into streaks of light, soaring into the sky, leaving the mountain behind.

Under the Jade Spirit Lake, Ni Yang watched from beneath the water as they departed, grinning as if it were smiling.

"Haha, these little ones still dream of finding disciples who can refine artifacts, truly wishful thinking. Even a millennium ago, those who could refine artifacts were extremely rare, not easily found..."

"But still, having more people around makes it lively..."

It spoke as it submerged into the water, closing its eyes to rest.

Actually, Ni Yang didn't really require them to activate any amplification spells for the conversation.

If it wished, it could clearly hear them even if they were speaking over a hundred kilometers away.

Pei Laoliu was still unaware that he had been fooled by Ni Yang all along and was currently leading three people towards Han Yue City on a flying sword.

If this was a month ago, doing so would be very arduous.

With an upper limit of barely two or three hundred Dark Energy points, flying wasn't feasible.

However, now it was alright.

After more than a month of cultivation, Master Liu's Dark Energy had advanced rapidly, allowing him to fly over more than a hundred kilometers easily with everyone.

The three of them set out to recruit new disciples, leaving Da Hei, Little White, and Jiu Jiu behind at Tianyuan Sect.

The Sword Control Technique was so fast that the distance was covered in less than half an hour.

If this were mortals, navigating through these forests would take a good ten or fifteen days.

...

Three days later.

Han Yue City had been quite agitated recently, with rumors circulating since who knows when.

Saying that recent times have seen demonic activities in the city, claiming lives, with dozens already dead.

The City Lord Mansion has ordered the gates sealed, allowing no one to enter or leave without approval.

The city dwellers were on edge, fearing that they might encounter a monster one day and get eaten.

Curfew had been imposed two hours earlier in Han Yue City.

By dusk, before it got dark, people hurriedly returned home, closing doors and windows tightly, while soldiers patrolled the streets back and forth.

This was a considerable loss for Han Yue, a city thriving on trade.

But City Lord Bai Yue had no alternative.

Lately, people had fallen prey to monsters in the city, dying with dreadful appearances.

Even someone like him, trained in martial arts, felt fear upon seeing the scene, let alone the ordinary citizens.

Actually, what the people don't know is that Bai Yue had concealed the true death toll in the city, which wasn't the publicly announced dozens but rather reached over thousands!

Just the recent extermination at the Li family, including family members and servants, had nearly a hundred victims.

These numbers were horrifying. If people outside knew about it, Han Yue City would be in chaos.

That was why he completely sealed the city.

If it were merely several dozen casualties, it wouldn't have prompted the City Lord to order a lockdown.

These days have seen a loss of real silver after all.

Bai Yue was quite unsettled now.

In his youth, he achieved countless military honors, killing fearlessly on the battlefield with numbers reaching three digits; midlife saw him becoming the City Lord of Han Yue City, a regional lord.

A lifetime of experiences brought Bai Yue many trials.

To say it frankly, he wouldn't even fear if a rebellious prince marched in.

But now, Bai Yue was truly anxious.

He had seen all the corpses in the city; their condition was genuinely terrifying, inducing chills even in him.

He couldn't figure out what kind of person could have such abilities.

Every victim died with agony, their organs excavated alive; some even had their bones pulled, in cruelty matching the most horrifying of punishments.

Moreover, one thing Bai Yue was most unwilling to accept.

It was about a message reported earlier by the City Guard Army, concerning monsters.

"Monsters..."

Bai Yue sat in the front hall of the City Lord Mansion, rhythmically tapping the armrest of his chair with his fingers, frowning.

He knew exactly what the term monster meant.

Moreover, he understood all too well how this was a taboo in this world.

The current emperor had decreed that there are no cultivators in this world, implying there are no monsters either.

But now, someone under him reported that they had encountered a monster.

Moreover, the monster had killed city citizens, and a cultivator saved it in the end.

Upon hearing this message initially, Bai Yue couldn't possibly believe it.

His anger led him to punish the squad leader who had reported it with dozens of cane blows.

If it weren't for the leader's loyalty of many years, Bai Yue might really have killed him with one stroke.

But now, after so many incidents, Bai Yue couldn't help but begin doubting whether these cases were indeed caused by monsters.

After all, everything was far too bizarre, difficult for humans to fathom.

PS: Thanks to "Dream of Memories with Peach Wine" for the 100 coin reward, thank you!

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