Zhao Yuan was utterly shocked by the scene before him. The Zhao Clan's territory had been razed to the ground, except for his own house, which still stood tall.
Red flames devoured the few remains of the buildings that could still burn, painting a picture of utter destruction.
And before him stood several hideous figures, staring at him with blazing eyes — like wolves hungry for blood.
Zhao Yuan's composure faded as he sensed that the strength of these ugly creatures far surpassed his own.
The weakest among them was at the 9th level of the Spiritual King Realm, and the strongest stood at the late stage of the Saint Realm.
Naturally, seeing such strength made Zhao Yuan's calm crumble. He was merely a Nascent Soul cultivator — there was no way he could fight against a Spiritual King, much less a Saint.
Zhao Yuan immediately took a defensive stance. He absolutely did not want these vile creatures to destroy his home or kill Zhao Long, who was just an ordinary human.
"There's still one human inside!"
"Check immediately! Perhaps it's a woman inside."
"Alright!"
One of the demons immediately shot toward Zhao Yuan's residence.
Seeing that, Zhao Yuan quickly blocked the way. "Don't!"
Boom!
However, the demon brushed him aside effortlessly with a mere wave of its hand — not even exerting an ounce of effort.
Zhao Yuan was thrown like a ragdoll, blasted a hundred meters away. When he landed, he immediately spat out a mouthful of blood, his body trembling and his face pale.
Bang!
The demon that entered Zhao Yuan's residence kicked the door down without hesitation, smashing through several walls.
Finally, it emerged, dragging and tossing out the frail body of a young man — Zhao Long.
Seeing Zhao Long thrown out like garbage, Zhao Yuan's eyes turned blood-red with rage. He immediately darted toward Zhao Long.
The demons looked at Zhao Long with furrowed brows.
"What is this!? Just a boy without a trace of cultivation? Trash!"
They glared at Zhao Long with disgust.
Zhao Long, lying on the ground, could only groan in pain. When they found him, the demon had already broken his arm, leaving him utterly helpless.
"Long'er!"
Zhao Yuan's voice was filled with worry and grief, trembling with helplessness — a tone that could make anyone who heard it ache inside.
But unfortunately, those before him were not human. They were demons who enjoyed human sorrow, treating it as mere entertainment.
The demons sneered at Zhao Yuan's pitiful sight.
"A pathetic human, aren't you?"
One of the demons raised its hand and swung it.
Swoosh!
A fierce gust of wind blew Zhao Yuan away, sweeping him back from Zhao Long.
"Father!" Zhao Long shouted in despair.
"Long'er!" Zhao Yuan's weak voice trembled. His spiritual energy surged, forcing his battered body to resist the wind, but it was useless.
Instead of moving forward, he was pushed even farther away.
Bang!
After being flung about five hundred meters, Zhao Yuan's body was slammed down from the sky and crashed to the ground.
Crack!
Engh!
His ribs cracked and shattered, causing him to vomit fresh blood.
Zhao Long's eyes turned bloodshot. He glared at the demons with uncontainable fury.
"Hahaha!"
Instead of being frightened, the demons laughed wildly, finding Zhao Yuan's pain amusing — as though both father and son were clowns for their entertainment.
Zhao Long's rage deepened, his eyes burning with hatred.
Swoosh!
While the demons were laughing, another group of demons arrived. They had finished storing the Zhao Clan women inside their spatial rings.
"What are you doing here!?" the demon floating in the sky asked coldly, glaring down at its subordinates.
"Forgive us, Boss. We didn't find any women inside this residence. We only found two males. Just having a little fun, Boss." one of the demons said nervously.
The demon in the sky stared sharply at the group below, then turned its gaze toward Zhao Yuan. He saw Zhao Yuan vomiting blood, struggling to walk slowly toward Zhao Long.
His steps were painfully slow.
Then, the demons' gazes shifted again — to Zhao Long.
There was no fear in the youth's eyes. No panic. Only hatred and vengeance.
"Interesting," the demon in the sky muttered, staring at Zhao Long with curiosity.
"That boy shows no fear, no panic. That means… he has a steel will."
He waved his hand.
Swoosh!
Behind Zhao Yuan, a strong gust of wind erupted. Zhao Yuan immediately grew wary.
Before he could react, he was lifted off the ground and dragged up into the air.
Once high above, a demon's hand clamped tightly around his neck, choking him.
Seeing that, Zhao Long's face twisted in horror and rage.
"Let go of my father, bastard!" he roared.
"Long'er…" Zhao Yuan gasped weakly, nearly suffocating.
"Let go?" the demon sneered. "Why should I?"
Zhao Long gritted his teeth, glaring at the demon with pure hatred.
"Haha!"
The demon laughed mockingly, staring at Zhao Yuan as if toying with him.
Zhao Yuan's face had already turned pale as a corpse. His breathing faltered — three breaths left before death if the demon didn't release him.
Unnoticed by anyone — not even the demons or Zhao Yuan himself — the jade-green pendant around Zhao Yuan's neck glowed faintly, then merged into his body.
The demon, unaware, scowled at Zhao Yuan.
"You useless human! Not a single woman inside your home. Truly a fool!"
The demon thought, How can we have fun if there are no women?
He didn't understand that fun wasn't just lust or torture. There were countless other forms of joy.
But he was a demon — he didn't care.
Crack!
With ease, the demon snapped Zhao Yuan's neck and released his grip.
Zhao Yuan's body fell from the sky like a broken kite, landing not far from Zhao Long.
Zhao Long's eyes widened in disbelief. He stared at his father's lifeless body, his vision trembling.
"...Father..." he whispered, his tone filled with sorrow deeper than words.
Using the last of his strength, he staggered toward Zhao Yuan.
When he reached him, Zhao Yuan was nothing more than a corpse — soulless, lifeless.
Dead.
"...Father...!" Zhao Long screamed in agony, shaking his father's body desperately.
But Zhao Yuan did not move.
Tears welled up in Zhao Long's eyes and finally streamed down his face.
He cried — for the first time.
He cried for his loss.
The loss of someone irreplaceable.
The pillar of his life had fallen.
The reason he endured was gone.
Zhao Long leaned over and wept into Zhao Yuan's chest.
Tears he had held back for so long — tears that had never fallen — now flowed freely like a river.
The demons merely stood in silence. Not out of pity, but because they were afraid to laugh before the one who had slain Zhao Yuan.
Then suddenly—
"Hah... Hahaha..."
The demon who killed Zhao Yuan burst into laughter, finding the scene below hilariously entertaining.
The other demons, who had been holding back their laughter, followed suit — cackling madly like lunatics.
All the demons laughed.
Zhao Long... could only cry.
After some time, the demon who had killed Zhao Yuan looked down at Zhao Long with a cold grin.
"Enough of the show. I'll give you a little surprise before I go."
He raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
Click!
Boom!
Zhao Yuan's body exploded into a cloud of blood.
"...No..." Zhao Long screamed in despair and fury.
He glared at the demon, struggling to stand.
"Ahh..."
But his leg was twisted, rendering him unable to move.
"Foolish brat," some of the demons below muttered, shaking their heads, thinking Zhao Long was the dumbest human alive.
Zhao Long could only kneel before his father's blood mist, head bowed low, eyes empty — staring into the void.
Despair.
"Heh... Hahaha..."
The demons laughed once more.
The demons on the ground floated upward, forming a formation around those in the sky.
Then, they departed — laughing hideously — leaving behind the desolate Zhao Long, kneeling weakly amidst the ruins of his clan.
Zhao Yuan's residence had collapsed since the arrival of the demon who floated above.
Zhao Long was surrounded by rubble, the ground stained red with blood, and flames blazing everywhere — burning everything that could still burn.