Start slaying demons from the proficiency panel.

"Mother! This young man is so handsome, I want to marry him, please help me find the best matchmaker."

The streets were in chaos, with everyone staring curiously at the handsome young man, wondering about his identity and why he had suddenly appeared there.

Unexpectedly, the man ignored everyone and walked straight towards the old beggar who was about to leave after landing.

“I am the Demon-Subduing Commander of the Great Shang Dynasty. May I ask who you are, senior?” Tianjun Ningxiu said, bowing.

Many of the human race's leaders are now living in exile, not because they are forced to, but because the suffering of the human race in the outer regions is far more severe than that within the Great Shang territory.

Therefore, many human leaders choose to travel abroad, cultivating their skills while helping the human people in other regions.

When he passed by this place, Tianjun Ningxiu sensed an unusual aura, which is why he stopped to investigate.

"Peach, do you want a peach?" However, the old beggar looked at Tianjun Ningxiu with cloudy eyes and a somewhat blank expression.

“This person isn’t faking madness; he doesn’t seem fake. Something seems to be hindering his ability to express himself.” Tianjun Ningxiu thought for a moment, then extended a finger and tapped the other person’s brow.

He channeled a stream of spiritual energy into the old beggar's mind. As soon as the energy entered his body, Tianjun Ningxiu controlled it to examine the beggar's mind.

Sure enough, Heavenly Lord Ning Xiu soon noticed something was wrong with the old beggar.

His brain is incomplete, and it's not congenital; it seems to be caused by an injury, though it doesn't look like an external injury.

“Young master, this man is a madman. He used to live in the poor alley. He was filthy, didn’t like to bathe or change his clothes, and was always frightening people by saying strange things. You should stay away from him so you don’t get your clothes dirty.”

A plump woman standing nearby couldn't help but speak up.

Heavenly Lord Ning Xiu turned and glanced at her, his eyes calm and indifferent: "What is the difference between the poor and the rich? We are all trapped in the outer realms, and we should help each other. If the demon race wants your life, even if you are a rich person, what difference does it make whether you end up as a poor person or a fish in the hands of the demon race? You are nothing more than fish in the hands of the demon race."

Every word he spoke was like a sharp sword piercing the woman's heart, leaving her speechless.

The lives of the humans in the outer realms are so miserable and terrifying that they often cannot guarantee their safety even after surviving today, living in constant fear. As Heavenly Lord Ning Xiu said, what good is money?

In the eyes of the demon race, gold and silver are no different from dung.

You rich people actually look even more plump and fragrant.

Using spiritual power to heal the old beggar's mental injuries would not be difficult for someone with the strength of a first-grade immortal cultivator like Tianjun Ningxiu.

More and more onlookers gathered on the street, all wanting to see what this young man who had suddenly appeared wanted to do with the old beggar.

And so, even though the sky was quite different from usual, the streets were still cordoned off in layers.

Seventy percent of them were women from the town, whether they were ten or seventy years old, and they watched with great interest.

The old beggar had suffered a severe brain injury, an injury so severe it was almost fatal. He was incredibly lucky to have survived, but it was precisely because of this injury that he had become so mentally unstable.

As Tianjun Ningxiu slowly healed the old beggar's injuries with his spiritual power, the confusion and blankness in his expression gradually dissipated, and a glimmer of light began to return to his eyes.

Memories of the past are slowly returning.

"I, I, I am..." The old beggar looked at his palms, then looked around, and finally his eyes fell on Ning Xiu's face.

"Does the senior recall anything?"

"I, I am the Great Shang Demon Subduing Division... Silver Tiger Demon Subduing Captain, Purple Thunder True Man..." the old beggar murmured to himself, finally revealing his past identity with great conviction.

Heavenly Lord Ning Xiu's expression changed slightly, his eyes filled with surprise.

He felt a strong sense of familiarity with the title "Master Zi Lei." As a highly qualified Demon Subduer of the first rank, Master Zi Lei was once given great expectations by the Demon Subduer's Division.

Who would have thought that during a mission, Master Zi Lei would tragically perish, leaving behind a deep sense of regret and sorrow.

Finally, by chance, Ning Xiu obtained the Purple Lightning and Thunder Hammers, which became his most handy weapons during that period.

Although Ning Xiu has now reached the upper level of the Dragon Elephant Realm and also possesses two avatars at the first-grade level, he would be considered a mid-to-high-level existence even within the Demon Subduing Division.

Even so, he still missed the days when he was a Bronze Leopard Demon Slayer.

Master Zi Lei is one of the seniors Ning Xiu is most grateful to. No one would have guessed that this senior already lives on in everyone's hearts.

He's still alive! He didn't die; he just lost his memory due to a head injury, and has been wandering the outer realms forever.

"Master Zi Lei, you have suffered so much over the years," Tianjun Ningxiu said excitedly.

"Are you the Demon-Subduing Officer of the Great Shang? How is the Demon-Subduing Division doing now? How is the Great Shang?" The first thing True Man Zi Lei did after regaining consciousness was to ask Heavenly Lord Ning Xiu about the current situation of the Great Shang.

He had been away from Da Shang for far too long, and what he missed most was still his hometown.

“Very good. It has become stronger than before. The people live in peace and contentment. With the Demon-Subduing Officers solving problems everywhere, they are no longer persecuted by evil spirits as they were more than ten years ago.”

"That's good, that's good... No! There's something else we need to be careful about: escape! We have to escape quickly! There are strange phenomena in the heavens and earth; a great change is about to occur. We must escape, or we'll all die!"

Master Zi Lei snapped out of his daze and hurriedly urged, "You look more like a Demon-Subduing Officer. Go and persuade the people here to flee as soon as possible, or we'll really be doomed."

"What exactly will happen?" Tianjun Ningxiu asked curiously.

"I don't know either. Besides the path of immortality, I also practice divination. A few days ago, I foresaw an unusual omen in the heavens and earth. People in the world turned into thick liquid and were no longer human. The world was silent and lifeless. It was terrible, too terrible. We must escape as far away as possible. There is no one who can save us from this situation."

As Master Zi Lei spoke, he was covered in sweat and involuntarily spat out blood. His attempt to reveal heavenly secrets would naturally be punished. Given his physical condition, if he continued to insist on spreading this matter, he would truly be close to death this time.

"Cough cough cough!"

Heavenly Lord Ningxiu patted Purple Thunder True Man's shoulder and secretly channeled a stream of spiritual energy into him, which helped the latter's condition improve somewhat.

"Don't worry, senior, I'll take care of these things for you."

"Not only that, we also need to find a way to return to the capital as soon as possible and report this matter to His Majesty."

“Master Zi Lei, there’s no need to rush. This place is Yao Tuo Prefecture, which is thousands of miles away from Chao Tian. I will take you to the Protectorate General’s Office, where there is a teleportation array that can take you directly to Qing Que Prefecture.”

What will happen to the people here?

"Take them with you." Tianjun Ningxiu flicked his sleeve, and a huge suction force suddenly burst forth from nowhere.

The onlookers were suddenly thrown into the air, and soon all the people in the town floated out of their homes and into the air.

"The power of heaven and earth." True Master Zi Lei was shocked. He never expected that this young man would master such a profound technique in the immortal path.

Those who can comprehend this technique must at least be at the first-rank immortal level.

"With such promising successors in the Demon Subduing Division, it seems that the Great Shang Dynasty has truly become better and better during the years I've lost my memory," remarked Master Zi Lei.

As a person of the immortal path, True Person Zi Lei is naturally most aware of the value of the first-grade immortal path.

The youth of the boy before them was genuine, not disguised by any magic. With his talent, he was destined to reach a height that ordinary people could hardly attain.

After bringing all the townspeople under control, Tianjun Ningxiu grabbed Zilei Zhenren, leaped up instantly, and quickly left with everyone, heading straight for the Protectorate.

……

The teleportation array was actually blocked by an unknown force, and even the attacks of a Dragon Elephant Realm expert could not break it, which greatly surprised Ning Xiu.

What kind of earth-shattering change has occurred that even those at the Dragon-Elephant Realm are already feeling somewhat powerless?

"My lord, we have now completely lost contact with Qingque Prefecture and are unable to relay the situation here to Chaotian Capital." A Silver Tiger Demon-Subduing Captain stood in front of the stone gate and said with a gloomy face.

Ning Xiu touched the blocked stone door and said helplessly, "It seems something really has happened. For the next few days, everyone must stay strictly inside the Protectorate and is prohibited from going out at will. Also, keep a close eye on the movements around the Protectorate. If there is any disturbance, any information must be collected." Ning Xiu ordered.

"Yes."

After his subordinates dispersed, Ning Xiu thought to himself, "I need to speed up my mastery of the Holy Minister. If I really encounter any danger, I can bring these Demon-Subduing Guards under the Holy Minister's command and do my best to save their lives."

The spread of the dark tide was no less rapid, reaching a rate of 500 li per day. It began to spread in all directions from the location where the crack in the sky appeared, plunging everything into darkness.

In this environment, one could faintly hear various eerie screams and cries, as if something terrifying was about to descend.

The demon kingdom closest to the rift in the sky was shrouded in darkness before it could even begin its migration.

The demons emerged from their dwellings, looking around in fear, only to have sharp claws emerge from the darkness, grab their bodies, and then drag them into the deeper darkness, disappearing without a trace.

Only the sound of gnawing on bones could be heard.

The Dragon Elephant King of the Demon Kingdom sensed something was wrong and tried to intervene to dispel the black mist, but they were already shrouded in a dark tide.

An energy they had never experienced before was circulating throughout their bodies, weakening their strength.

If one persists in this environment for too long, even if one reaches the upper realm of Dragon Elephant, the outcome will not be good.

"How could this be? What is this?"

"Never mind, we can't stay here any longer... or we'll all die."

Faced with an immense crisis, the Dragon Elephant King of the Demon Kingdom chose to abandon his own kind and fled to distant lands at top speed, ignoring the cries and pleas for help from the weaker members of his own kind within the Demon Kingdom.

"Help me! Help me!"

"Where are all the strong members of our clan?! Why didn't they come to save us? I hate you!"

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, please appear quickly and save your people! We all want to live!"

In less than half an incense stick's time, the entire demon kingdom turned into a lump of black mud. All the demons who had not escaped were dissolved in it, making it impossible to distinguish one from another.

Within the black mud, bubbles surged and burst, and from them emerged the skeletal remains of creatures that were neither human nor demon. They scurried about, searching for any prey that could be hunted.

Where the black mud had appeared, strangely shaped plants sprouted from the soil and soon grew into towering trees, reaching for the sky. Every branch, leaf, and fruit was magnificent.

They were all long, hair-like filaments and resentful faces resembling skulls.

They bared their teeth and howled with deep resentment, swaying wildly in mid-air as if they might fall at any moment.

...

In ancient times, evil calamities would erupt every so often, and hundreds of years later, the sky would crack, bringing with it a dark tide that would turn everything into a dark, gloomy realm.

Yin energy forms trees, resentment bears fruit; those who cannot accept the power of Xuan Yin will face certain death. —The Divine Stone Tablet

[170] The True Yang Emperor's Prompt

The sky was overcast, and the view beyond ten miles was completely obscured. In fact, scouts could easily lose their way when they went out. To prevent any accidents, Ning Xiu ordered that no one should go out to investigate the situation anymore; they should just stay inside the Protectorate.

Even so, the Protectorate was still filled with unease and anxiety.

After all, nothing like this had ever happened before. In the face of the unknown, all living beings are equal.

Ning Xiu sat on the roof of the tallest building in the Protectorate, gazing into the distance.

A figure quietly appeared in the clouds, followed by hundreds more figures, heading straight towards Ning Xiu.

"Huh..." Ning Xiu was slightly surprised. He didn't expect that Heavenly Lord Ning Xiu would return at this time, and that he would bring back a lot of people from other regions.

The entire outer realm was affected by the Yin tide, causing widespread suffering and death. The only way to survive was to keep fleeing to places where the Yin tide had not yet reached.

If you don't escape in time, you will be swallowed up by the dampness and die without a complete corpse.