Start slaying demons from the proficiency panel.

"How could this be? How could there be evil spirits here?" Fu Mowei looked at Old Chen, who was still dead with his eyes wide open and a strange smile on his face, and said in disbelief.

"What happened?" Ah Ying, who had heard the commotion and was looking for someone, rushed over.

Upon seeing that it was A-Ying, all the Demon-Subduing Guards present bowed. Although A-Ying's rank was only Iron Horse, she was a member of the Protectorate's squad and possessed extremely profound and unfathomable strength, far beyond the level of an Iron Horse Demon-Subduing Guard.

So apart from Chen Peifeng and Master Kongxu, the other team members were all quite respected by the Demon Subduers.

“Miss Aying, an evil spirit has appeared underground. It has possessed one commoner and killed another.”

"Let me see." A-Ying walked to the side of the deceased Old Chen and carefully examined his physical condition.

Soon, Aying discovered the problem. As she took out a small knife and cut open Lao Chen's pants, everyone immediately saw that there was a tree root-like thing stuck to the surface of Lao Chen's thigh skin. This thing extended out a lot of thin branches, like nerves, and was tightly attached to Lao Chen's body.

“It’s not evil spirits, but something more dangerous. It should be related to the dampness. It seems that the underground is not absolutely safe either, and things from the outside can sneak in,” A-Ying said calmly.

Hearing her say that, the people who had gathered around panicked.

They were all ordinary people who didn't want to die such a miserable death, especially being ripped out of their hearts—it was just too painful.

"Let's get out of here. This place is no longer safe. We can't stay here any longer, or we'll all die."

“Young lady, go and tell Lord Ning. He knows how serious this matter is. Look, the evil spirits have already been able to get in. There's no point in us staying here any longer. We should choose to leave.”

"Yes, yes, this is too nerve-wracking. I don't want to die. Let me out."

With someone taking the lead, the rest of the people began to blindly follow suit, a scene that gave the Demon-Subduing Officers a headache.

The underground caves are dangerous, but is it safe outside now?

These people have no idea what's going on. If they are released now, they will only suffer a worse fate.

“Gathering everyone together is problematic, as the evil spirits might break in. We need to find a way to solve this,” A-Ying said.

Someone immediately asked, "Miss Aying, shouldn't we report this to Lord Ning?"

"Do you think this kind of thing is so threatening that it needs to be reported? As the Demon-Slaying Captain, haven't you ever dealt with evil spirits on your own? If you have to let Lord Ning handle everything, the Protectorate can just leave him alone. There's no need for us at all."

A-Ying turned and left: "Gather everyone together. I have a way to handle this matter."

[172] Alien

Hundreds of civilians were all summoned to one place by the Demon-Subduing Commander.

Previously, Ning Xiu ordered the excavation of underground caves, and the Demon-Subduing Guards of the Craftsmen's Path dug the area wide enough to accommodate so many people at the same time.

Aying stood with several Silver Tiger Demon-Subduing Guards, scrutinizing everyone present.

"Gentlemen, many of you must be looking forward to going out, but I can tell you with absolute certainty that the outside world is far more dangerous than here. With your current strength, going out is a dead end."

The reason we, the Demon-Slaying Division, are here is to protect the human people. Trust us, the Demon-Slaying Commanders would never harm you. Staying here is the safest place. Now, please come forward and receive a spirit talisman. This talisman will protect you from evil spirits.

Aying was holding a box filled with a large number of paper talismans.

Perhaps it was her captivating appearance that inspired a sense of warmth and approachability, but the people were surprisingly cooperative, with no one raising any objections.

One by one, they came forward to receive the talisman, and would thank the young lady again.

Although they have been trapped underground, only a minority of the people have their own selfish motives, and most are very satisfied with their peaceful lives now.

After all, living in the outer realms meant living in constant fear, worrying that one day a demon might descend from the sky, capture them, kill them, and eat them.

For many people, being able to regain the protection of the Demon-Subduing Guardian is a wonderful thing.

One by one, the talismans were taken away, and A-Ying watched the reactions of each person after receiving the talisman.

Suddenly, the moment a commoner took the talisman, his eyes turned as black as ink, but quickly returned to normal.

"Please move him aside." Upon seeing this, A-Ying immediately said to one of the demon-slaying officers beside her.

The moment the Demon Slayer grabbed his shoulder, the commoner became extremely agitated and restless. He slapped the Demon Slayer's arm away and tried to dodge.

But how could A-Ying give him that chance? When evil spirits invade, the talisman can determine whether a person has been affected by evil spirits by contacting them.

There must be something wrong with this person's body.

As A-Ying pointed out, a beam of spiritual light shot out, transforming into a rope of light that bound the person tightly, rendering him unable to move.

At this moment, the man stopped pretending and began to frantically shake his body, roaring angrily on the ground and struggling incessantly.

Like the old Chen who was possessed before, this person also turned into a dried-up corpse in no time, leaving everyone speechless.

"Continue. Those who haven't received the talisman, come and get it." After doing all this, A-Ying's expression was calm, as if she had only controlled an ant.

There was a slight commotion in the crowd, and the expressions of several people became visibly unnatural. They had no intention of going over to collect the talismans at all, and instead hurriedly fled out of the crowd.

All of this could not escape A-Ying's observation.

The talisman was merely a pretext to screen out whether any people were possessed by evil spirits. Since some things have already revealed their whereabouts, there is no need to use the talisman anymore.

Several light ropes shot out quickly, binding the few civilians who had made a move, and then forcing them to reveal their true appearance.

None of the demon-slaying officers present could have imagined that so many evil spirits had already infiltrated the area, yet they were completely unaware of it.

If it weren't for Ah Ying's inspection today, at least half of the people living in this underground cave would probably have perished.

"In the coming days, everyone will be divided into two groups, men and women, eating, sleeping, and traveling together, to prevent being targeted by evil spirits if you are alone. Also, please pay close attention to the people around you. If you notice anything unusual about them, remember to report to the Demon-Subduing Officer immediately. We will ensure your safety as soon as possible," A-Ying said.

The people present were stunned. They had no idea that the people around them had already been possessed by evil spirits.

If it weren't for the inspection by the Demon-Subduing Officer, they would still be kept in the dark.

The thought of evil spirits disguised as humans lurking around them sent a chill down everyone's spines; this was like living with ghosts.

On the possessed people, A-Ying found parasites that resembled tree roots. These roots were made of the same material as the giant trees on the ground that nurtured immortal beings.

For the first time, A Ying's face showed a look of worry. Now, the outer realms have almost all become the Xuan Yin Domain, and the ground is full of these Yin trees. It seems that even if you hide underground, you may not be able to stay safe forever.

Sooner or later, the immortal beings on earth will discover their existence.

At that point, it will likely be a catastrophe.

Now everyone's hopes are pinned on Ning Xiu. Only when his strength increases will everyone be truly safe.

The task of all the other Demon Subduing Officers was to minimize the time spent on Ning Xiu, allowing him to fully immerse himself in cultivation without being distracted by trivial matters.

……

In the mountains.

A shady tree, far larger than any ordinary shady tree, stood against the mountain, its height comparable to the mountain peak, its lush branches covered with countless tiny heads.

Unlike the immortal beings Ning Xiu had seen before.

These heads have already begun to grow necks and shoulders; if this continues, they will soon reach full maturity.

A head with a full head of white hair thrashed about violently, ramming into a head next to it and viciously biting off a large piece of its own.

In no time, the head was completely devoured, not even the skull was spared, and it all went into the mouth of the white-haired head.

The white-haired head of his own kind appears even more ferocious after eating it; he is not content with eating just one of his own kind.

After a short rest, they began a new round of eating.

Half an hour later, the other heads around him had been completely eaten, leaving a vacuum area.

The white-haired head, having eaten its fill, grew much faster than its kind, acquiring an extremely strong upper body.

With two arms, he was even more powerful, using his hands to climb tree branches and gradually make his way towards the immortal creature in the distance.

An undead creature with only a head is no match for its kind. No matter how fiercely it roars or how pitifully it wails, it cannot escape being devoured.

The shady tree swayed slightly, seemingly displeased with all the actions the white-haired head was taking, and was warning him.

But this had no effect. As a large number of undead creatures were devoured, the white-haired head finally grew legs, and he gained a body that could move freely ahead of schedule.

This is the true state of immortal beings.

The white-haired immortal being, who already possessed a physical body, did not choose to give up and simply left.

Instead, it began to devour all the undead creatures on the dark tree even more frantically. These creatures, which should have been its own kind, were eaten one by one as if they were food.

As the number of undead creatures that were produced dwindled, the Yin Tree shook itself more and more violently. Finally, a long crack appeared in the tree trunk, and a pupil opened from within, staring coldly at the white-haired undead creature.

"Roar!"

To everyone's surprise, the white-haired immortal creature was not afraid of it at all. Instead, it let out a proud roar and frantically devoured the two immortal creatures' heads.

Numerous soft tentacles sprouted from the Yin Tree's pupils, frantically coiling towards the white-haired immortal being. However, the immortal being had already grown powerful, and with a single grab, it firmly grasped one of the tentacles.

Then, with great force, the pupil was pulled out of the Yin Tree's body.

In an instant, a large amount of black pus gushed out, spraying all over the sky, and then turned into rain and fell to the ground.

Facing the enormous pupils, the white-haired immortal creature didn't hesitate for a moment and pounced on them, beginning to feast.

At this moment, various different sounds came from the mouth of this immortal being.

"Father, Mother, Er Gou doesn't want to die... Father, save Er Gou, Er Gou hasn't even gotten a wife yet..."

"My wife! My wife, don't leave me. I will raise the child, even if it's not mine."

"Pah! You're not worthy to raise his child."

“Then I’m fine with taking the child’s surname. He can be my father, as long as you stay by my side.”

"Get out of here, you're disgusting."

"Human flesh is the best, it's just a pity that there are no humans left in Yaotuo Continent now..."

The white-haired immortal creature emitted numerous sounds, sometimes like human speech, and sometimes like the language of the demon race.

After a long period of chaos, the immortal being slowly returned to normal, its eyes revealing a strange spirituality.

The Yin Tree is formed by the Yin energy brought by the Yin Dampness. It absorbs the resentment of dead beings as its own nourishment, and also contains some of the resentment and memories of the dead beings.

These things will all remain hidden inside the Yin Tree and will not dissipate until a very long time later.

It is rare for an immortal being to actively destroy a Yin Tree. After the white-haired immortal being absorbed the resentment of the living beings within the Yin Tree, a massive amount of memories flooded into its mind.

In a short time, he learned a lot about the Demon Continent.

The chaotic memories did not overwhelm the mind of this immortal being; instead, they made him even more excited and brutal, with an uncontrollable destructive intent surging forth from his body.

Among the vast amount of memories, one in particular caught the attention of the white-haired immortal being.