Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

Jing Yi obtained this fourth-tier spiritual item from somewhere, but since he mainly cultivated the wood attribute, he was completely incompatible with the Xuanhe demonic energy.

So he spent eight years extracting the souls of 60 million mortals and forcibly merging them with the demonic energy of Xuanhe, attempting to use the resentment of a massive number of living beings to give birth to a demonic infant and break through to the Nascent Soul stage in one fell swoop.

Clearly, his plan to form his Nascent Soul had completely collapsed, and his own consciousness had long since dissipated, leaving only this monster, a result of his failed Nascent Soul formation, which occupied the capital and continuously devoured soul power to maintain its existence.

Master Gu took a step forward.

The spiritual light around him suddenly exploded, soaring into the sky and condensing into a illusory image of a Dharma body hundreds of feet tall above him.

It was a Bloodblade Lion, its body covered in crimson scales, its mane made of burning blood-red blades, its feet treading on blazing flames, its power overwhelming.

The Bloodblade Lion roared to the sky, its sound waves transforming into a ring of blood-red sonic waves that spread outwards. Wherever it passed, vines snapped inch by inch, corpses turned to dust, and the Demon Realm was shattered.

Large swathes of buildings in the capital were swept away by the shockwave, completely collapsing and turning houses into rubble.

The area within a radius of dozens of miles was almost completely leveled by this attack.

Master Gu made no further moves and slowly withdrew his Dharma form. He glanced one last time at Jing Yi's demonized body, which was now unrecognizable, and took a step forward, his figure instantly disappearing dozens of miles away.

Hundreds of miles away, Chen Yuan Zhenren and Su Luo Zhenren stopped at the same time.

Even though it was hundreds of miles away, the aftershocks of spiritual energy emanating from the capital still caused the surrounding mountains and rocks to tremble incessantly.

Master Chenyuan gazed towards the capital, remained silent for a long time, and then sighed softly, "As expected of a powerful expert who has already touched the threshold of the Nascent Soul stage."

Even if we both reach the peak of the Core Formation stage, the two of us joining forces would probably still be no match for them.

Master Su Luo didn't reply, but gently held his hand: "Let's go. It's time to go back. Master Gu should be preparing to retreat. The Wuchang Dynasty is beyond saving."

Master Chenyuan did not respond.

The two transformed into streaks of light and flew towards the valley.

three days later.

The five people returned to the valley separately.

The atmosphere was somewhat silent; after all, there were 60 million people.

Finally, Zhao Kun spoke first: "After investigation and information gathering, we can now confirm that..."

Of the sixty million mortals of the Wuchang Dynasty, only twenty million still clung to life, while the remaining forty million had long since perished, their souls completely dissipated. If Jing Yi hadn't failed in his attempt to break through to the Nascent Soul stage, those twenty million would never have survived to this day.

He paused, then stated the cruelest conclusion: "Even for these twenty million living people, with over 90% of their souls extracted, their physical decay is already irreversible, and death is only a matter of time. We cannot save them."

Lin Zhao remained silent for a moment before speaking, "If we can retrieve the scattered souls, and a Nascent Soul True Monarch intervenes, is there any way to reverse the situation and bring these mortals' souls back to their rightful place and resurrect them?"

Zhao Kun glanced at him and shook his head.

"Those mortal souls have long since merged with Xuanhe's demonic energy and Jingyi's remaining consciousness, transforming into demons, completely entangled and bound together, never to be separated again, with no possibility of reversal."

Lin Zhao then asked, "If a Nascent Soul True Monarch can't do it, what about a Deity Transformation Heavenly Monarch? A Deity Transformation Heavenly Monarch controls a realm and can briefly manipulate the will of heaven and earth. Can that be reversed?"

Zhao Kun did not answer.

Master Gu opened his eyes.

"If the soul had just been separated from Jing Yi before he even attempted to form the Nascent Soul stage, the Nascent Soul stage might have been able to reverse the soul's trajectory and allow it to return to its original position."

"But it's too late now."

"Jing Yi's plan didn't start recently; he began laying the groundwork eight years ago. By the time the sect discovered it, it was already a done deal."

Lin Zhao slowly closed his eyes, and the valley fell silent once more.

"I understand," he said softly.

Master Gu glanced at him but said nothing.

He also experienced these things in his early years.

Later, he chose not to think about these unsolvable problems and to do what he could.

Master Gu steered the conversation back on track,

The Xuanhe demonic energy is extremely sinister and difficult to completely eliminate. Even if Jing Yi's physical body is destroyed, the demonic energy will not simply vanish.

This territory of the dynasty must be thoroughly dealt with; all people and things tainted by demonic energy must be destroyed, purified, and buried.

If left unchecked, the demonic energy will coalesce again a thousand years later, causing another catastrophe that destroys the nation.

Lin Zhao clenched his fists, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

Master Gu then began assigning combat tasks: "We'll officially begin tomorrow. I'll lead the main attack from the front, keeping the demonic tree occupied."

The four of you will guard the four directions and suppress the entire Demon Realm.

The outer perimeter was sealed off by Foundation Establishment disciples of the Enforcement Hall; no mortal body escaping from the dynasty was permitted to leave.

"These bodies are all tainted with the aura of Xuanhe demonic energy. Once it spreads out, it will continue to infect other living people. Ordinary Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment cultivators simply cannot withstand the erosion of demonic energy."

Remember this, everyone: this is not indiscriminate killing, but rather a measure to cut off the spread of demonic energy and prevent a greater catastrophe.

They understood the reasoning, but when they heard the words "no one is allowed to leave," the atmosphere in the valley involuntarily sank a lot.

Although these people are beyond saving, they are still alive, even if they are just empty shells.

This is the demonic path. It harms others and benefits no one in return.

Demonic energy is inherently designed to constantly erode and devour all living beings; it is a product born to plunder, devour, and destroy a world.

The two major scourges in the Cangyuan cultivation world are the Myriad Beasts Spirit Venerable Palace and the Nine Nether Demon Sect. The Myriad Beasts Spirit Venerable Palace is scorned by the world, while the Nine Nether Demon Sect is even more despised by heaven and earth.

None of them are good things.

If it weren't for the powerful foundation of the Cangyuan Realm, it would have been enslaved and devoured long ago.

Master Gu looked around at the four people: "One day to prepare, we'll take action tomorrow."

The five of them each found a spot in the valley and sat down to meditate and regulate their breathing.

Zhao Kun walked towards the Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Enforcement Hall and began the sealing-off plan. More than thirty Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Enforcement Hall surrounded him.

Lin Zhao sat cross-legged on the leeward side of a boulder.

He looked down at the bluestone beneath his feet. A few wild grasses grew stubbornly in the cracks of the stone.

After tomorrow, there will be no living creatures within a radius of thousands of miles.

Lin Zhao sighed.

After cultivating immortality for so many years, there are still many things I am powerless to change.

Lifespan, and also the human heart.

Perhaps becoming a true immortal would solve these problems—he suppressed this thought and stopped thinking about it.

Tomorrow is going to be a big battle. He began to take stock of his belongings.

Crimson Feather Golden Robe, a low-grade third-tier defensive magic item. Thick Earth Shield, for defense.

Golden Phoenix Bow, ranged attack. Heavenly Dawn Golden Wheel, support attack.

The Five Emperors Seal, a mid-grade third-tier item, can unleash power approaching that of a high-grade third-tier item.

The Fire Spirit Shield, near-fourth tier, can summon fire spirits—he strongly suspected that the sect chose him this time precisely for this magic weapon.

The Heavenly Mystery Hall definitely knows that the Fire Spirit Shield is in his possession, and they might even know about the Luo Tian Hall.

Don't doubt the power of the sect. In fact, the sect often turns a blind eye to many things and lets the disciples do what they want.