Tiger’s Gaping Maw excavation point.
After Zhang Zongnian watched Lin Xue being teleported away with the other female demons, he immediately left the area at his maximum speed.
He flew for a while, and once he saw that the cultivators from the Demon-Slaying Bureau were not pursuing him, he gradually slowed down.
He flew aimlessly through the air, feeling the strength within him slowly dissipating. His heart was filled with a complex mixture of emotions. There was the happiness of having completed his goal — saving Lin Xue — but more than that, there was a sense of loss and desolation.
His Serpent Core was currently in an extremely unstable state.
Within these past few days, he had hastily advanced to a Grand Demon, then forcibly raised his cultivation, imposing power equivalent to a Jiedan Demon King upon his core. Afterward, he had even burned a portion of his Serpent Core to defeat the Hei-Pi Demon King.
His fragile Serpent Core was now on the brink of collapse.
He did not know how much longer he could hold on.
Earlier, he hadn’t even had the chance to reveal his identity to Lin Xue before he was interrupted by those cultivators from the Demon-Slaying Bureau. Lin Xue still didn’t know that he was Zhang Zongnian, or that he had successfully transformed from a small mouse into a Rat Demon.
However, once she returned to Mount Qixia, she would naturally learn these things from Lang Buping.
‘What should I do now?’
‘Should I return to Mount Qixia and wait for her?’
‘I don’t know when she’ll return.’
‘I’m afraid that by the time she sees me again, I’ll already be a dead rat.’
Zhang Zongnian did not want to appear before Lin Xue as an ugly, wretched, dead rat.
If he was going to die, he would die out there!
Zhang Zongnian looked at his own fist.
He decided that while this tyrannical power was still within him, he would charge straight for the Yang Family of Xichuan and avenge his mother!
Identifying the direction, Zhang Zongnian headed straight for Xichuan.
***
In Xichuan County, inside the Yang Family Residence, a grand family banquet was being held to celebrate a momentous occasion.
The Yang Family had obtained a new Foundation Establishment Pill.
This Foundation Establishment Pill had been exchanged for the head of He Yuancheng, an evil cultivator whose name was prominent on the Demon-Slaying Bureau’s bounty list.
As a Ghost Cultivator, He Yuancheng had harmed commoners everywhere to refine his Ten Thousand Soul Banner. A few days ago, he had even secretly traveled to Xichuan and killed 366 villagers of Xiping Village.
Fortunately, under the brilliant leadership of the Yang Family’s Ancestor in Foundation Establishment, Yang Zhen, the Xichuan Demon-Slaying Bureau — which was primarily composed of Yang Family members — discovered the villain’s tracks in time. They used the Heavenly Thunder Demon-Subduing Formation to kill him, preventing him from harming even more commoners.
When he handed over He Yuancheng’s head, Yang Zhen complained to his former superior. He claimed that the most outstanding cultivator of the new generation in Xichuan, and the finest heir of the Yang Family, Yang Yuting, had been assassinated by a demon while hunting monsters for the people of Xichuan. Yang Zhen stated that the Foundation Establishment Pill Yang Yuting had been carrying was stolen by that demon.
To reward and console the Yang Family, the superior granted Yang Zhen a new Foundation Establishment Pill.
With this pill, the next Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator in Xichuan would still be a member of the Yang Family.
A Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator could live for at least 200 years.
This cultivator from the Yang Family would ensure that the clan could continue to control Xichuan County for at least 100 years.
The members of the Yang Family would be able to continue acting as the local tyrants of Xichuan, turning clouds into rain and doing as they pleased.
Every member of the Yang Family attended the banquet. Over 100 Yang Family cultivators gathered together, each one beaming with joy and radiating pride.
In the hall, more than ten tables were filled with fine wine and exquisite delicacies. The aroma of wine filled the air as the Yang Family cultivators toasted one another, drinking happily and chatting with laughter, celebrating the fact that the Yang Family would continue to be the masters of Xichuan.
They all understood that the success in obtaining this Foundation Establishment Pill was entirely due to the Ancestor, Yang Zhen.
If Yang Zhen had not used an entire village of commoners from Xiping Village as bait to lure He Yuancheng out, the Yang Family would never have had this chance to prosper for another 100 years.
The current head of the family, Yang Deguang, led the younger generations in constantly offering toasts to Yang Zhen.
Yang Zhen was in an extremely pleasant mood, feeling quite proud of himself as he drank several cups.
Although the loss of the most suitable heir, Yang Yuting, was indeed a pity, the Yang Family had no shortage of talent. There were still two cultivators at the Great Circle of Refining Qi; they only needed to pick another one to be the new heir.
Yang Zhen’s natural lifespan was nearing its end, but now he had finally settled the family’s future affairs a few years before his death. He could leave in peace in the future.
His only regret was that the hateful snake spirit who had killed Yang Yuting and stolen the previous Foundation Establishment Pill had yet to be eliminated.
Whenever he thought of that snake spirit, Yang Zhen’s teeth itched with hatred.
On that day, she had actually escaped using a Spell Technique right under his nose. Even after he caught up to her… For the 100 years he had controlled Xichuan, he had never suffered such a great setback or a loss like that.
He had borrowed a Qi Refining Late Stage Spirit Beast from the Beast Taming Sect and even sought out a Ghost Cultivator expert like He Yuancheng to send a Foundation Establishment Stage soul to assassinate that snake spirit, yet they still failed to kill her.
Was this little demon really that difficult to kill?
If not for the agreement between the Human Race and the Demonic Beast race that forbade intentional trespassing into each other’s territories, he would have led the Yang Family members to charge into Mount Qixia long ago to drag that snake spirit out and torture her to death to vent his hatred!
As Yang Zhen recalled the snake spirit’s face — one that could bring ruin to nations and people — he nearly crushed the wine cup in his hand.
At that moment, a powerful desire surged in his heart. He wished that the heavens would deliver that snake spirit to him, granting him the opportunity to resolve this grudge.
The Yang Family’s banquet was in full swing, and a group of beautiful dancers was performing in the center of the hall to add to the festivities.
They were dressed in seductive, light clothing, their figures slender and supple, their dances graceful and alluring.
Yang Zhen suddenly noticed that one of the dancers looked about 30% similar to Lin Xue, and her smile was quite charming.
The anger in his heart surged alongside a sudden flare of lust.
Before the song had even ended, he waved his hand to stop the dance. He pointed at that dancer and ordered her to come to him.
The moment the dancer reached him, he grabbed her and forced her to kneel between his legs. Unbuckling his pants, he intended to have her pleasure him with her cherry lips in front of everyone.
Seeing that the Ancestor was being so open, the other clansmen no longer held back.
One by one, they pulled the dancers into their laps, pawing at them, kissing them, and some even began to engage in living erotic performances on the spot.
The entire hall was filled with an atmosphere of debauchery.
Yang Zhen was comfortably enjoying the dancer’s service and was about to reach the peak of pleasure when he suddenly sensed a figure appearing at the entrance of the hall.
He looked up and saw a tall, sturdy, and unfamiliar young man standing at the doorway.
He held a Long Sword in his hand, and his entire body radiated a sharp, murderous aura.
The way he looked at Yang Zhen was cold, carrying a bone-deep hatred.
Yang Zhen was furious.
Today was a day of great joy for the Yang Family. How could an outsider be allowed to rudely barge into the inner residence? Not one of the gatekeepers had made a sound — were they all dead?
It was only then that he noticed the demon aura swirling around the young man. He was actually a Grand Demon at the Core Condensation Stage!
Yang Zhen couldn’t help but gasp.
A Grand Demon at the Core Condensation Stage was equivalent to a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.
He himself was only at the early stage of Foundation Establishment.
No wonder none of the servants had made a sound.
In an instant, Yang Zhen went limp.
He kicked away the dancer at his crotch and stood up, staring at the newcomer. His beard and hair bristled as his entire body tensed.
The rest of the Yang Family disciples finally realized something was wrong. They looked toward the door, their faces filled with shock.