Start slaying demons from the proficiency panel.

Ning Xiu sat by the stove, holding a teacup, while Qin Daorong sat opposite him, looking extremely tired.

"The Emperor Wu issued such a strict imperial decree, and as the manager of the Great Shang Demon Subduing Division, you didn't know even the slightest reason why?" Ning Xiu asked.

Qin Daorong shook his head: "I also secretly asked several Golden Dragon Demon-Subduing Officers, and even they didn't know the real inside story of this matter. I heard that the one who discussed this matter with His Majesty was Lord Shen Jiangxing."

"Shen Jiangxing? Is this gentleman... of any special seniority?" Ning Xiu asked curiously. He had only been a member of the Demon Subduing Division for a short time, and even as a Dragon Elephant Upper Realm cultivator, he didn't know any of the older generation members of the Demon Subduing Division.

“Your question is quite insightful.” Qin Daorong immediately became interested and quickly began to explain to Ning Xiu.

"This Lord Shen Jiangxing is a disciple of the Immortal Saint among the Three Saints. He can be said to be the most senior Demon Subduing Officer in the Great Shang Dynasty so far. His significance is not just about guarding the Great Shang Dynasty. He also has the important task of breaking through the Dragon Elephant Upper Realm and stepping into the next realm. The entire Demon Subduing Division relies on this Lord. Once he can step into the Inner Realm Saint Realm, it will be the day when the Great Shang Dynasty completely welcomes back the Thirty-Six Provinces. The entire Great Shang Dynasty will wage war against all the demon races, without the previous timidity."

"Can someone at the Inner Realm really achieve this level? Didn't the Three Saints reach this level long ago? Could it be that after the Three Saints left, no one in the Great Shang Dynasty has achieved the Inner Realm in the past few hundred years?" Ning Xiu asked in surprise.

He had always thought that it was simply because his own strength was too weak that he couldn't sense the presence of experts in the Inner Realm.

But to my utter surprise, it wasn't that I couldn't sense it; it was that the Great Shang Dynasty simply didn't have it at all.

According to Qin Daorong, the demon race in the outer regions also lacks experts at the Inner Realm Saint level; the Dragon Elephant Upper Realm still holds the top position.

In other words, whoever breaks this balance first will gain true dominance.

Ning Xiu has only been in the Dragon Elephant Upper Realm for a short time, less than a year, and his progress has been rapid. However, so far, he doesn't know much about the Inner Realm Saint Realm, and he doesn't know how to break through to the Inner Realm Saint Realm. His future is shrouded in uncertainty.

This was not just his own question, but also the question of all the Dragon and Elephant Realm experts in the entire Great Shang Dynasty.

"Comprehension. Although the Three Saints reached that level, for some unknown reason, they were unable to leave behind their experience. They can only rely on comprehension. If they comprehend it correctly one day, they may be able to break through to the Dragon Elephant Upper Realm. Lord Shen Jiangxing is currently the closest to this step. He has been studying the Divine Stone Tablet for over a hundred years in order to reach the Inner Realm Saint Realm. Many cultivation techniques were developed by him. This time, he must have comprehended something important again to cause such a mysterious situation."

Qin Daorong shook his head: "Because of the migration of the people, many states on the border of the Great Shang are empty, cities are empty, villages and towns are empty, very sparse. Only you, the protectors, are not affected and still have to stay in the outer regions to watch the front line for the Great Shang."

Ning Xiu smiled and said, "Staying in the outer realms is quite leisurely; I don't have to do anything all day long."

"The most important thing is that you can stay here in Yaotuo Prefecture and keep an eye on Tianjue Kingdom. Here is the Emperor's Decree for you. Keep it safe. If the Emperor's Decree is ever completely shattered, do not hesitate to quickly lead all the Demon Subduing Guards back to Qingque Prefecture and return to Da Shang. You don't need to worry about anything else." Qin Daorong took out a purple jade token and handed it to Ning Xiu.

The Emperor's Decree is the rarest thing in the Great Shang Dynasty. Every time it appears, it means that something big is about to happen. As far as Ning Xiu knows, the last time the Emperor's Decree was issued was about seventy years ago.

"I'll be leaving now. There are other Protectorates I need to inform, so I won't stay any longer." Qin Daorong stood up and prepared to leave.

"You're leaving already? Why not stay for a meal or something?"

"No, important matters need to be addressed."

Watching Qin Daorong leave, Ning Xiu took a sip of tea, and couldn't help but wonder what secrets the divine stone tablet of the Great Shang Dynasty held. Just the fact that someone had deciphered something from it was enough to trigger such a large-scale operation throughout the Great Shang Dynasty.

Relocating all the people from the Great Shang territory to the Central Plains is no simple task. It requires an enormous amount of manpower and resources. Furthermore, since the people are not yet fully developed, if you cannot arrange things properly, you may lose their support and cause them to complain and whine.

"The Emperor's Decree, how do I crack this thing?" Ning Xiu muttered to himself, puzzled, as he held the purple jade token in his hand.

click!

No sooner had the words been spoken than a crisp sound was heard, and a crack the thickness of a hair appeared on the surface of the Emperor's Decree.

Ning Xiu was instantly dumbfounded, unable to believe it.

What happened? It couldn't have been crushed because I used too much force, could it? Things issued by Emperor Wu wouldn't be so fragile.

Ning Xiu immediately walked out of the main hall and saw that the sky in the distance had turned pitch black. It wasn't dark clouds, but rather the sky had changed color for some unknown reason.

"Judging from this situation, the world is about to change," Ning Xiu thought to himself.

……

After launching a ruthless invasion, the Purple Dragon Clan disappeared and kept a low profile for a long time.

No one knew that the Black Demon Ancestor's parasitism had already spread throughout these demon kingdoms.

"It's the aura of the Yin tide, so familiar. Judging by the timing, it's about what I predicted. A true calamity is about to befall me. As long as I can survive this Yin tide, I will reach the fourth level of the Nine Revolutions Undying Scripture..."

Beneath Zixiao Prefecture lies a vast insect lairs with countless pathways, their complexity extending thousands of miles underground, nearly hollowing out the land and bringing the insect race's talents to their fullest potential.

The Dark Demon Ancestor dwells and hides in the deepest part of the Insect Cave.

He was no longer in human form; he had transformed into a gigantic monster with a human head and a worm's body, writhing on the ground.

As the Black Demon Ancestor with an extremely ancient origin, its knowledge and experience far exceeded the imagination of any race in the Great Shang or the outer realms. The chaotic world of evil spirits was nothing more than three times of earth-shattering changes that it had become accustomed to.

Any living being that survives the dampness unscathed will receive incredible benefits.

Relying on the insectoid instinct for survival, the Black Demon Ancestor has survived three waves of darkness. Therefore, it is very experienced in the upcoming fourth wave and knows how to increase its chances of survival.

They even made ample preparations several months in advance.

Outside the cave where the Black Demon Ancestor lay was an even larger cave, where a large number of white cocoons were stored, each containing a living being.

They were either animals, humans, or demon ancestors. Their entire bodies were covered in thick mucus, and they were unconscious, but they were still breathing, and their vital signs were very normal.

Zizizi!

Every now and then, different-looking demons would drag a cocoon into the room and place it on top of the other cocoons, stacking them together like a human pyramid.

These creatures are all infested with insect eggs, which will immediately become nutrients for the Black Demon Ancestor if he needs them.

"Everything is ready now, we just need to wait for the dark tide to fully descend."

……

The wind and snow in the outer realms are getting colder and colder, and the sky is getting darker day by day. Even during the day, you still have to light the lamps and fires in the house, otherwise you can't even see the words on the books.

Ning Xiu stood atop the city wall, gazing solemnly at the sky.

Although it is unclear what exactly is going to happen, many people know from this situation that the world of the Outer Realms is about to change.

The urgent order, likely issued by the major merchant a few months ago, was prepared in preparation for this situation.

Looking down at the Emperor's Decree in his hand, he noticed that every few days after Qin Daorong left, a crack would appear on the decree, and over time, it was nearing complete collapse and was not far from breaking apart.

As instructed by Qin Daorong, Ning Xiu also began to relocate some of the Demon-Subduing Officers from the Protectorate, instructing them to return to the Great Shang via teleportation array and not to linger in the outer regions.

"This city has been built for less than a year, it's time for me to leave." Ning Xiu put the Emperor's Decree into his bracelet, sighed and thought to himself.

Oh oh oh!

In the distance, a crack suddenly appeared silently, spewing forth thick, inky, fishy winds. As soon as these winds appeared, the world changed drastically.

The land became barren as a result, and black liquid seeped from the ground. All plants, animals, and insects stiffened and died instantly.

It was as if a basin of ink had been poured into a clear pool; everything Ning Xiu could see, from the sky to the earth, was turning black.

Blackness engulfs everything, slowly spreading from afar, the scene giving the impression of... a wave.

Black waves.

A golden light flashed in Ning Xiu's eyes, as his Qi Luck Eyes began to appear.

Upon entering his eyes, he saw that Yaotuo Prefecture originally had many lines of fortune, densely covering every place. However, with the appearance of the black tide, these lines of fortune were rapidly turning black until they collapsed, dissipated, and quietly broke.

Death is pervasive in this place.

"Withdraw! Everyone retreat to Qingque Prefecture!" Ning Xiu shouted. The remaining Demon-Subduing Officers in the Protectorate were taken aback, but they quickly sprang into action, rushing towards the teleportation array.

These were measures that Ning Xiu had trained them to take long before. In the outer realms, one must be vigilant and quick-witted, otherwise sometimes you won't even know how you died.

"Lord Ning, no, something's wrong! This door is sealed!" The first Demon-Subduing Officer to reach the teleportation array shouted in disbelief as he looked at the stone door.

The teleportation array stone gate that used to offer a view of Qingque Prefecture was now completely dark, as if a black stone was blocking the way, making it impossible to pass through.

Ning Xiu was startled and took out the Emperor's Decree. At this moment, the Emperor's Decree quietly shattered into pieces in his hand and scattered all over the ground.

The Emperor's Decree truly shattered, so fast that no one could react in time.

Without the teleportation array, this Protectorate is essentially isolated and helpless in Yaotuo Prefecture, making it extremely difficult to return to the Great Shang territory.

At this moment, they all became like a lone boat on a stormy sea.

When faced with the unknown, death could come at any moment.

"Damn it." Ning Xiu looked at the strange changes in the sky and earth in the distance with worry and couldn't help but curse.

[169] Xuan Yin Domain

Above the sky, a black crack hundreds of feet long appeared.

It's like a gaping maw of abyss, connecting two different worlds.

Large amounts of dark, foul winds kept blowing out from the other side of the crack, freezing the earth into a layer of thick, dark frost.

A tiger sensed the danger and ran swiftly across the land, but it was no match for the speed of the black wind. It was caught up in no time and then dissolved into a lump of black slime in the black wind.

The skin, flesh, and bones all turned into black water.

Not only it, but everything that comes near the crack is not immune to this fate.

All living beings perished in the black wind, and wherever the black wind blew, everything turned into deathly silence, becoming a dead zone.

Xiaguang Prefecture is located near the border of Yaotuo Prefecture.

As the sky gradually darkened, the townspeople took to the streets, looking at the strange celestial phenomenon above with some confusion.

In the city, a crazy old beggar, carrying a basket of peaches, ran swiftly through the streets, crying and laughing at the same time.

At the same time, he kept shouting, "Peach, peach! Who wants peaches? Come and get some!"

The old beggar reeked of a foul odor, looking like he hadn't bathed in years. His presence made people frown and dare not approach him.

For a time, everyone ignored this madman.

"Where did this madman come from? Get out of here, don't get in the way."

"Where did he pick this basket of peaches? They all look big and plump, and they look delicious."

"Stay away from my child, you lunatic. Who wants your peaches?"

Faced with the shouts and curses from passersby on the street, the old beggar cried louder and laughed more brightly. When he saw that no one was willing to listen to him or come up to take the peaches, he threw all the peaches in his hand and basket out, scattering them all over the street.

"Peach, peach, why don't you all want peaches?"

The old beggar left dejectedly, but just then, a figure suddenly flew across the sky.

He was an exceptionally handsome young man, dressed in a pure white robe, with snow-white hair and a delicate, ethereal face that defied description.

As soon as it appeared, it attracted the attention of men and women, young and old, on the street.

"Wow! What a handsome young man! I wonder which family he comes from."

"He's like a celestial being descended to earth! How could such a handsome man come from our town? He can even fly; he must really be a celestial being."