Start slaying demons from the proficiency panel.

Deep in a mountain valley in Qingque Prefecture.

Numerous severed limbs were scattered across the mountainside, the ground, and the treetops. Blood stained the road. A stone plaque, broken in two and inscribed with "Demon King's Cave," lay on the ground, with several human teeth still embedded in it.

"Who are you? We don't seem to have any grudges against each other. Why are you so ruthless?" A black-clad demon with bloodied and mangled legs was frantically backing away with his hands. In front of him was a standing skeleton holding a large hammer, poised to smash it down on the black-clad demon.

"Ah!" The black-clad demon screamed as the hammer that had slammed down on him landed right between his legs. For a man, this was undoubtedly a fatal blow.

Not far away, a cloud of black mist swirled, from which a black monk, sitting cross-legged on a black lotus platform, slowly emerged. He exuded demonic energy, his expression ferocious and malevolent, and just looking at him sent chills down one's spine.

The only slightly unusual thing was that a white butterfly was perched on the person's shoulder, making it perhaps the only pure thing about them.

"Confess about other demonic forces, and I may spare your life," said Demon Buddha Ningxiu.

His tone was extremely cold, as cold as the water in a frozen pool in winter, making people feel a chill in their hearts, as if they had fallen into an ice cave, and their blood would begin to freeze.

"What exactly do you want to do? You've wiped out all eighteen factions in the Great Black Mountain, haven't you? Are you from the Great Shang? No, impossible. How could the Great Shang have a Demon-Subduing Officer like you? Who are you?"

"Too much talk." Demon Buddha Ning Xiu waved his hand, and the skeleton slammed down with a hammer again, this time without mercy, directly smashing the demon's head.

Suddenly, Demon Buddha Ning Xiu sensed something and looked in a certain direction, which was where the teleportation array was located.

Without any hesitation, the black lotus platform soared into the sky and flew away from its original position.

At this moment, the teleportation array and the stone statue are arguably the two most heavily guarded places in Qingque Prefecture by the Great Shang Dynasty, with a large number of Demon-Subduing Guards stationed there.

When a dark cloud suddenly appeared in the sky and descended rapidly, the guards immediately noticed the anomaly and drew their weapons.

"Something's wrong!!"

"Be on guard! Be on guard!"

Qin Guang stood near the teleportation array, his eyes wary. Those who would appear here at this time were very likely members of the demon race.

The approaching group, with its dark, inky appearance, was definitely not a respectable person; they were surely there to cause trouble.

As the dark clouds settled, the figure of the Demon Buddha Ning Xiu appeared. He held the Five Directions Ghost King Pestle, his entire body was pitch black, and his face had a fierce and menacing appearance.

A monster! Definitely a monster!

Moreover, he's a first-rank Buddhist or Taoist priest; he's clearly up to no good!

"The Great Shang Demon Subduing Division's forbidden zone lies ahead. Take another step forward, and you will be killed without mercy!" Qin Guang shouted, then swung his iron pen, scattering ink into flowers that formed ink warriors standing beside him.

As a disciple of Qin Daorong, Qin Guang also chose the path of painting.

If that demon dares to ignore my warning and continue forward, it will completely ignite the offensive of all the demon-subduing officers present.

But just then, the sorcerer suddenly spoke.

"Lord Qin, don't panic, it's me."

The voice coming from the demon's mouth sounded familiar to Qin Guang. Upon closer listening, it seemed to be Ning Xiu's voice.

"You are……"

“This matter is too complicated to explain in a short time. With the manifestation of a destiny star in the Dragon Elephant Upper Realm, I cannot fully exert my abilities in the Demon Tuo Prefecture. Therefore, I can only let this external avatar do some things for me.” Demon Buddha Ning Xiu nodded.

"An avatar?! You have an external avatar of a first-grade Buddhist or Taoist master?" Upon hearing this, Qin Guang was instantly struck dumb.

Good heavens, the original body is already at the upper level of the Dragon Elephant Realm at such a young age. This is already incredibly extraordinary, reaching a level that many people can never achieve in their lifetime.

Who would have thought that Ning Xiu also had an external incarnation of a first-grade Buddhist or Taoist master?

It should be noted that the First Rank Realm is a threshold that many Demon Subduing Officers can never reach in their lifetime, but Ning Xiu has already crossed it twice.

Who else but Ning Xiu could be a rising star among merchants?

"Yes, Lord Qin Daorong is aware of this matter. If Lord Qin Guang does not believe it, he can ask Lord Qin."

"No, no need. It was my ignorance, Lord Ning."

"You're welcome." Demon Buddha Ning Xiu nodded, then sat on the black lotus platform and walked through the stone gate, using the teleportation array to arrive in Yaotuo Prefecture.

Watching the Demon Buddha Ning Xiu leave, Qin Guang shook his head inwardly: "Comparison is the thief of joy. There really is such a person with almost demonic talent in this world. It is truly a blessing for our Great Shang."

After passing through the stone gate, Demon Buddha Ning Xiu looked at Ning Xiu standing not far away and nodded.

The two are one, yet not one. Ning Xiu can sense all of Demon Buddha Ning Xiu, but the other party cannot sense him.

The distinction between primary and secondary matters is thus clearly established.

"Go and travel around Yaotuo Prefecture and gather more information about the area."

Demon Buddha Ning Xiu nodded and then quickly left.

Without the Dragon-Elephant Upper Realm, no Destiny Star would be exposed, and with his first-rank strength, he would be absolutely safe as long as he didn't encounter anyone at the Dragon-Elephant Upper Realm.

With the Demon Buddha Ning Xiu helping him, Ning Xiu felt completely at ease.

……

"We've lost two Dragon Elephant Kings, and we're just going to let this go? The Great Shang is running rampant in our laps! How can we tolerate this?! In the past hundred years, when has the Heavenly Extinction Kingdom ever suffered such humiliation!"

“If you’re too scared to fight and afraid of dying, then I’ll take care of this job.”

"Don't be reckless. Do you think the only enemy we face right now is the Great Shang? Zixiao Prefecture has always been eyeing Yaotuo Prefecture covetously. We could suppress them before, but now that Heifeng and Qingyue are gone, we can't afford any more losses. Otherwise, the Great Shang won't even need to make a move; Zixiao Prefecture alone could kill us. Before we figure out how Heifeng died, we can't provoke that Great Shang Demon-Subduing Commander."

"hateful!"

Inside a grand hall entirely carved from the mountainside, a hawk, a lion, and an elephant—three great demons—sat on a massive throne made entirely of the bones of living beings, discussing matters.

Each of them was ten zhang tall, with human skulls scattered around their feet, exuding an evil aura.

Several little demon servants were using sharp knives to sharpen the three demons' fingernails.

Outside the main hall, a hundred-mile-long road of bones stretched out, with skulls like mountains, fur like forests, and long tendons wrapped around stone pillars, resembling a forbidden zone for living beings.

Yaotuo Prefecture had been separated from the Shang Dynasty for many years, and its original population of millions had long been wiped out by the demons of the area.

"I think this whole thing was mostly the work of those guys from the Purple Dragon Clan. They're no match for our Heavenly Extinction Kingdom on the surface, so they resort to dirty tricks in secret. What a cowardly thing to do."

“It’s not impossible. The fact that the door appeared on the battlefield means that the Purple Dragon Clan was prepared in advance and was just waiting to harm us. I will wipe out these inhuman and demonic creatures one day and leave no survivors.”

"Let's leave it at that for now. If we stop the war for a while, the Shang Dynasty will be restricted by the Demon Clan Alliance and will definitely not dare to launch an attack on us. The real enemy is still Zixiao Prefecture. As long as we kill the Purple Dragon Clan, we can annex Zixiao Prefecture, strengthen our strength, and find an opportunity to start a war with the Shang Dynasty again."

"Hahaha, that's good. Zixiao Prefecture has quite a few humans living there. If we can annex it, we can have a feast. I haven't had my fill of those tender, delicate creatures in a long time."

"Third brother, go and see how your lad is doing in seclusion. If he can complete this breakthrough, he can make up for the fall of Hei Feng and Qing Yue. If necessary, spare no effort to help that lad take another step forward. Our Tianjue Kingdom may have to rely on him in the future."

“It’s alright, brother. Although we three demons are not of the same race, we are all abandoned people. We have worked together for many years, which is why Tianjue Kingdom is so powerful today. The affairs of Tianjue Kingdom are my affairs. My son will definitely give everything for Tianjue Kingdom in the future.”

The eagle-headed demon stood up and spoke very seriously before walking out of the main hall.

His footsteps were incredibly heavy, pounding loudly like an earthquake.

Chapter 163【163】Tianjun Ningxiu

In the garden, Zi Ying wandered aimlessly, followed by more than thirty female attendants, each of whom inherited the slender, tall, and beautiful features of the Purple Dragon Clan women.

From a distance, the dozens of beauties looked extremely pleasing to the eye.

But when you get closer, you will discover an extremely bizarre and terrifying scene that will send chills down your spine.

A bloody hole appeared on Ziying's palm, from which a black worm crawled out. The thirty-odd maids following Ziying all had blank and lifeless eyes, and each of them had a prominent bloody hole in a different part of their body, which was opening and closing.

Inside, a smaller black worm was moving in and out, taking over their bodies.

None of the people present sensed anything amiss, letting the black worms crawl around as they pleased.

Da da da!

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the garden gate, and it sounded like quite a few people were coming.

The black worms immediately burrowed back into the blood hole, and the blood hole instantly healed as if nothing had happened, making it impossible to tell that there was anything unusual about the women.

At the same time, Zi Ying and her maids' eyes returned to normal, but they seemed to have forgotten what had just happened.

"Sister Ziying, I heard you've returned from Qingque Prefecture. As soon as I heard the news, I came to find you. Did you encounter any dangers on your trip to Qingque Prefecture? Do you have any interesting stories to tell?"

A young man from the Purple Dragon Clan walked in from outside the garden. He was dressed in luxurious clothes and exuded an air of nobility, making it clear that he was no ordinary person.

Behind the young man followed a large number of servants and guards, each with an extraordinary aura and considerable strength.

"Mr. Zichen." Upon seeing this person, Ziying quickly bowed.

Zixiao Prefecture did not have a national system; instead, it adopted a clan-based management system. In addition to the position of clan head, there was also a Five Elders Hall.

The six of them jointly manage all affairs of Zixiao Prefecture. The Zi Chen in front of them is a descendant of an elder in the Five Elders Hall, and his status is no different from that of Zi Ying.

“Sister Ziying, there’s no need to be so polite. Just call me by my name. We’ve known each other for years. Why do you still treat me like a stranger?” Zichen said helplessly.

The two were of similar age and had grown up together as childhood sweethearts. Zi Chen had always harbored feelings for this younger sister, but unfortunately, she had always kept her distance from him, being very courteous and never overstepping her boundaries.

Zi Chen could only wait year after year, her devotion unwavering for ten years. This story was widely known in the Purple Dragon Clan, and many people knew of its existence.

Zi Ying was going to Qingque Prefecture on business. When Zi Chen found out, he was naturally extremely unwilling and wished he could go with her. However, the clan had already selected three suitable candidates, and even though he was the descendant of an elder, he had no right to interfere with the matter.

Therefore, he could only stay in Zixiao Prefecture and wait anxiously. When he learned that Ziying had returned, Zichen rushed over immediately to see if his younger sister was alright.

"Mr. Zichen is one of the most outstanding talents of the Purple Dragon Clan in the past few hundred years. He deserves the title of 'Mr.' I also have great respect for you. Without the title of 'Mr.,' I wouldn't even dare to speak to you," Ziying said with a smile.

Suddenly her eyes became dull and lifeless, and she stood there numbly without saying a word. Zi Chen couldn't understand this scene. He could sense that Zi Ying's state was a bit abnormal, as if she had lost her mind.

"Sister Ziying?" Zichen was worried and quickly stepped forward to ask her with concern.

Unexpectedly, at this moment, Zi Ying suddenly reached out her soft hand and grabbed Zi Chen's wrist, lowering her head to avoid looking at him.

To outsiders, Zi Ying's actions seemed like she was being coy. Zi Chen's heart stirred. Could it be that after all these years of persistence, Zi Ying was finally willing to open her heart to him?

However, he did not notice that Zi Ying's expression was extremely strange at this moment. Her eyes were blank and lifeless, but a sinister smile appeared on her lips.

Zi Chen suddenly felt a pain in his palm and tried to break free from Zi Ying's hand to check, but Zi Ying held on tightly, not giving him a chance to observe.

At this moment, a black worm had successfully bitten through Zi Chen's palm and burrowed into his body.

In just a few breaths, Zi Chen's expression became confused and helpless. He stood there without reacting until a slightly bulging lump on his wrist moved forward and entered Zi Chen's brain along his arm.

All traces were then completely erased and eliminated.

"What's wrong with me?" Zi Chen was very confused, unable to remember what had just happened.

However, a voice kept echoing in his mind, a voice that told him to hug a guard behind him.

Although the instructions from the voice were very strange and illogical, Zi Chen couldn't help but turn around and do them.