Boom!
At that very moment, an explosion echoed, shaking both Heaven and Earth.
Zhao Penmiu's face changed drastically. Without hesitation, he rushed out of the meeting hall, followed closely by Zhao Weimu, Zhao Liu, and the other elders.
**
At the same time.
In the sky above the Zhao Clan.
Swoosh!
Dozens of ugly figures appeared, almost identical to the ones Zhao Long had found in the forest before the destruction of his cultivation base.
They had pig-like skin—either black or white—with a rhino-like horn on their foreheads. Most were bald without a single strand of hair. Their teeth resembled a rabbit's, their ears like a horse's, and their noses like a pig's.
They... were Demons!
In their hands, they held staves, each tipped with a purple light.
That purple light emitted an aura that caused the trees to wither. It was poison!
The sudden appearance of the demons made the Zhao Clan members scream in terror and run in panic.
The demons grinned wickedly, enjoying the fear of the humans below them.
"Do as ordered!" said the demon hovering highest among them.
If observed closely, his appearance was slightly different from the others. He had some white hair on his head, and his horns were gray.
The other demons had horns that were pale grayish-white.
Moreover, the aura of this demon suppressed everything within the Zhao Clan, forcing those of weaker cultivation to kneel to the ground—some even kowtowing uncontrollably.
Boom!
The demons nodded obediently, then began putting away their staves and attacking the Zhao Clan.
With a single clash, the clan residences were instantly destroyed.
Bursh!
Some of them spat out fireballs, exploding and burning the Zhao Clan's territory.
Swoosh!
At that same moment, a group of old men appeared.
They were the Zhao Clan's higher-ups—the leader, the deputy, and the elders.
Their eyes turned blood-red with rage upon seeing their clan being destroyed by a group of demons.
"Bastards!"
Zhao Penmiu's furious roar echoed, making the demons glance at him briefly before continuing their massacre.
Seeing this only fueled Zhao Penmiu's fury even more.
Boom!
His aura and power exploded completely—Soul Transformation Realm, late stage.
Swoosh!
Without hesitation, he shot forward toward one of the demons slaughtering the Zhao Clan's younger generation.
However, one of the demons floating above sneered in disgust. "A mere late-stage Soul Transformation ant dares to act tough? Begone!"
He waved his hand casually.
From that wave, an immense energy blast surged toward Zhao Penmiu.
Zhao Penmiu didn't have time to dodge, and was struck head-on.
Boom!
Because of the overwhelming difference in power, Zhao Penmiu exploded into a mist of blood without resistance. Everyone in the Zhao Clan was utterly shocked.
"Clan Leader!" Zhao Weimu, Zhao Liu, and the elders shouted, eyes wide in horror.
"Father!" Zhao Mingxi, who happened to be nearby, screamed hysterically. His eyes turned red with fury and tears streamed down his face.
"I'll kill all of you, bastards!"
Without hesitation, he drew his weapon and charged toward the demon who had slain Zhao Penmiu.
The nearby demons sneered and shook their heads. "Humans truly don't know their place. They are far lower than trash."
Boom!
After saying that, the demon clenched his hand, and Zhao Mingxi exploded into a cloud of blood.
Zhao Weimu, the Zhao Clan's vice leader, trembled in terror. Their leader—late-stage Soul Transformation—had died effortlessly. What could he do, being only mid-stage?
Without hesitation, he dashed toward Zhao Weichun, intending to escape with his son.
But unfortunately, one of the demons noticed his intent and killed Zhao Weichun instantly with a flicked pebble.
Zhao Weimu's eyes widened in disbelief. He froze, unable to move.
Boom!
Another pebble flew, blowing Zhao Weimu's head apart, leaving his body headless—just like Zhao Weichun's.
The demons roared in excitement and continued the massacre of the Zhao Clan.
They didn't forget to seize the Zhao Clan's women—their main objective.
Their only goal was one thing: women of the Human Race. The reason? To create hybrids and increase the number of the Demon Race.
The demons chose humans because humans only required nine months to give birth, whereas demons needed six years for a single offspring.
The Demon Race couldn't produce twins, unlike humans. That was the main reason they abducted human women—to multiply faster.
As for the deeper reason behind their desire to expand their numbers... it was still unknown.
**
Boom!
Another explosion resounded through the Zhao Clan's territory, plunging it further into chaos—soon to become nothing but ruins.
In a remote residence of the Zhao Clan stood a modest home.
It belonged to Zhao Yuan.
Zhao Yuan's residence had not yet been attacked by the demons, as it had long been isolated by the Zhao Clan members themselves.
There was also a protective formation dome surrounding the residence, separating the inside from the outside. Those inside couldn't hear the outside, and those outside couldn't sense the inside.
Unfortunately, that protective dome was about to collapse within minutes.
Of course, the one who created the dome was Yun Lan, Zhao Long's mother.
Yun Lan was a mysterious woman—so mysterious that even Zhao Yuan didn't know her origins. Yet somehow, they had married and had a child together.
Inside the Zhao Yuan residence—
Zhao Long lay weakly on a bed. Zhao Yuan carefully and lovingly tended to his son's wounds.
"Ugh!"
Because of the severe injuries, Zhao Long spat another mouthful of fresh blood, making his condition worsen. His face turned pale, and his body trembled violently.
Zhao Yuan could only gaze at him with deep sorrow.
He shook his head. "This is all my fault..."
"No, father," Zhao Long said weakly, shaking his head. "This has nothing to do with you. It's because I'm too weak..."
"No." Zhao Yuan quickly took out a Spiritual Plant—a Seven-Petal Rose. A seven-petaled rose capable of healing anything, even a mortal without cultivation.
Seeing the Seven-Petal Rose, Zhao Long immediately shook his head. "No, father. That flower is your—Ukhuk!"
As Zhao Long coughed up blood again, Zhao Yuan quickly placed the Seven-Petal Rose into his son's hand. "There is no 'precious flower' if I allow my son to die. Eat it!" Zhao Yuan urged firmly.
After several moments of persuasion, Zhao Long reluctantly ate the Seven-Petal Rose.
Soon after, red light split into seven rays and enveloped Zhao Long. He closed his eyes, feeling the soothing and blissful warmth brought by the Seven-Petal Rose.
Zhao Long's internal injuries began regenerating, slowly healing—allowing Zhao Yuan to finally breathe a sigh of relief.
However, at that moment—
In the Zhao Clan territory, among the Demons—
"Boss, it seems that's all of them," said one of the demons to several figures floating in the sky.
The demons in the sky exchanged glances, then looked toward the leader above them.
The demon leader closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again.
He raised his hand and pointed in a certain direction. The demons instantly understood and sped toward the place he indicated.
Only a few remained, stationed above and below.
The demon hovering highest tossed a spatial ring to one of those below, saying, "Put the humans inside the ring. I have urgent business," and then flew away into the skies.
The remaining demons obediently gathered the Zhao Clan's women into the spatial ring.
The women screamed hysterically and struggled helplessly. They were to become vessels—to breed more of the Demon Race.
Just the thought of it made many faint from despair.
Some tried to commit suicide, only to have their cultivation bases shattered mercilessly.
**
Zhao Yuan's residence—
Boom!
A blazing energy sphere was hurled at the formation dome, causing it to tremble violently and crack all over.
Seeing this, the demons gathered their energy again and hurled another blazing orb.
Boom!
Dhuar!
Finally, the formation dome shattered to pieces.
Zhao Yuan, inside the residence, was startled. He immediately rushed out and was shocked beyond words upon seeing who had destroyed the formation made by his wife, Yun Lan.
Zhao Yuan's eyes narrowed sharply. He glared at the group of demons who had broken the barrier.
Then, seeing several Zhao Clan residences reduced to rubble, his expression twisted in disbelief.
"You...!?"