After clearing the level, the fairies were reborn!

These villagers had no idea just how powerful Xu Ze was.

Throughout the year, they rarely saw any cultivators passing by, and they felt that the immortals wearing 'Taoist robes' were all like 'gods'.

There is no distinction between high and low among immortals.

Dog Egg stood at the front, holding the new slingshot in his arms, his eyes fixed on the receding figure in the blue robe.

When he reached the foot of the mountain, Xu Ze stopped and looked back.

The village was small, the houses were low, and wisps of smoke rose from the chimneys.

Those who were standing at the village entrance have become a row of blurry silhouettes.

He could see that Gou Dan was still there, a tiny little thing, motionless.

He turned around and continued up the mountain.

The mountain is not high, and the road up the mountain is not particularly rugged.

But the higher you go, the stronger the chilly atmosphere becomes.

The soil beneath my feet had turned grayish-brown and felt sticky when I stepped on it, like walking on rotting leaves.

The trees on both sides became fewer and fewer, while the stones became more and more numerous. Jagged boulders jutted out from the hillside, like crouching wild beasts.

After walking for about half an hour, a cave appeared ahead.

The cave entrance was very large, about two zhang high, and pitch black, like a giant open mouth.

A pungent, fishy smell permeated the air, mixed with a cloying, rotten sweetness.

Xu Ze made no attempt to conceal his aura; he deliberately released spiritual power at around the Foundation Establishment stage as he walked step by step toward the cave entrance.

A moment later, heavy footsteps echoed from inside the cave.

"Thump, thump..."

The footsteps were heavy, each one making the ground tremble slightly, as if some enormous creature was moving.

Then, a huge black shadow appeared at the entrance of the cave.

It was a pig demon, over ten feet tall, covered in glossy black bristles that looked like a layer of armor.

Its head was very large, with two fangs protruding from its mouth, each three feet long, their tips polished white.

The pig demon looked down at Xu Ze, and two streams of hot, foul-smelling white breath came out of its nostrils.

After sensing the Foundation Establishment stage cultivation level emanating from the other party, the pig demon grunted and actually spoke:

"Ha, another one coming to die."

Its voice is rough and harsh.

Xu Ze raised his head and looked at it.

"Oh, so you're the monster who stole the tree sap?"

The pig demon paused for a moment, then laughed.

The laughter was awful, like a pig howling.

"Rob?"

"That's what they're doing to show respect to their father!"

It took a step forward, the ground trembled, and gravel fell from the cave entrance.

"Kid, you want to learn from that Taoist priest from last month?"

"Let me tell you, I chewed that Taoist priest's bones to pieces!"

Xu Ze didn't move; he just looked at the pig demon with a calm gaze.

"You're already in the late Golden Core stage... why do you still talk like you haven't developed any intelligence?"

The pig demon's laughter stopped abruptly.

It lowered its head, its dark red eyes fixed on Xu Ze, and the white breath it exhaled from its nostrils grew thicker and thicker.

"court death!"

It's one thing to be ridiculed by one's own tribe.

You ignorant human, how dare you laugh at me?!

It pounced suddenly, fangs pointing forward, like a runaway chariot.

The ground cracked beneath its feet, sending rubble flying and dust billowing everywhere.

Those fangs gleamed coldly in the sunlight, enough to tear anything in their path to shreds.

Xu Ze turned slightly to the side, the pair of fangs brushing past the hem of his clothes, bringing with them a gust of foul wind.

He stretched out a hand and placed it on the pig demon's neck.

Such a gentle, seemingly incredibly slow movement could have been easily dodged.

But the pig demon's body suddenly froze.

It felt a terrifying force surging from that seemingly weak palm, like a mountain pressing down, pinning it firmly to the ground.

"boom!!"

The ground collapsed, and smoke and dust rose everywhere.

The pig demon's massive body was forcefully pressed into the mud, its limbs kicking wildly, but it couldn't move.

It struggled desperately, its fangs carving deep furrows in the ground, but its hand remained motionless.

"Are you satisfied?"

Xu Ze's voice came from above, calm yet containing a hint of murderous intent.

The pig demon's eyes were filled with terror.

It has lived for so many years and seen many cultivators, but it has never seen anything like this.

Even the strongest and most powerful chieftain in his own tribe would be no match for this human before him!

That power, that speed, that composed demeanor—it was nothing like what one would expect from someone at the Foundation Establishment stage.

This is at least the Nascent Soul stage, or even higher!

"Great Immortal, I am utterly convinced..."

Its voice came from the soil, muffled, with a sobbing tone.

Xu Ze released his grip and took a step back.

The pig demon struggled to crawl out of the pit, covered in mud, its mane smeared with leaves and grass clippings.

It lay on the ground, not daring to raise its head, its massive body trembling slightly.

"What happened to the tree sap you stole?" Xu Ze asked.

"In...inside the cave..."

"Take it out."

The pig demon quickly turned around and scrambled into the cave.

A moment later, it emerged carrying three large wooden barrels filled with silvery-white sap that gleamed in the sunlight.

"that's it?"

"That's all, really that's all," the pig demon's voice trembled, "I wouldn't dare lie to the Great Immortal..."

Xu Ze glanced at it, then looked at the three wooden barrels.

"Will you dare to rob me again in the future?"

"I wouldn't dare! I wouldn't dare!" The pig demon shook his head like a rattle drum. "I'll leave now, I'll go far away and never come back!"

Xu Ze did not speak.

He raised his head and looked down the mountain.

That small village, those low-rise houses, and those people standing at the village entrance waiting for him to return.

Smoke was already rising, drifting gently in the setting sun.

"and many more."

Xu Ze called out to the pig demon.

The pig demon froze, its massive body even trembling violently with fear.

"I have something to ask you."

Chapter 169 Who is it?

Xu Ze rode on the back of the pig demon, slowly descending the mountain path.

The pig demon walked very steadily, each step firm, as if afraid of bumping into this evil star on its back.

"Master, please feel free to ask me any questions."

Its voice was squeezed out from its throat, muffled and strained, "I will tell you everything I know, without reservation."

"Among your demon race," Xu Ze asked, "who is the most respected?"

The pig demon's body visibly stiffened for a moment.

It remained silent for a long while before speaking in a very low voice:

"Great Immortal, I am but a lowly demon, how dare I speak of anyone being my superior..."

It paused, then added, "Our pig demon clan's chieftain is a giant black pig with the cultivation level of a Nascent Soul cultivator."

When the term "Nascent Soul" was mentioned, a complex emotion was conveyed in the tone.

There was a mixture of awe and resentment, as well as an inexplicable sense of grievance.

"He was the one who drove the younger ones out of the tribe."

The pig demon's voice lowered even further, "He even stole my wife."