Chapter 581: The Qingqiu Fox Clan! I Never Hold Grudges! Demons Devour Humans! The Human Race of the Kingdom of Qian!?

“Qingqiu foxes?” Li Yanchu was momentarily taken aback.

“Qingqiu is the sacred land of the fox clan. The Qingqiu foxes cultivate far beyond ordinary foxes. Their illusionary and enchantment techniques surpass even the Hu family of the Five Great Immortal Clans in Liaodong,” Minghe said lightly, smiling.

Li Yanchu nodded. “So the Qingqiu foxes also teach humans magical arts?”

Minghe smiled faintly. “A fox demon that harms people, once captured by me, naturally has no choice but to teach its arts.”

Li Yanchu’s mind stirred. “And that fox demon?”

“Any demon that harms others must be slain! Can a mere trade of magical arts earn forgiveness?” Minghe said coldly.

Li Yanchu couldn’t help but chuckle. This Minghe was an interesting character.

Then, his fingers move with nimble power, and a silver needle shot forth. It was the Gengjia Skyneedle!

The needle shot straight toward the city gate.

At the gate, the pig demon was laughing and greedily staring at a human woman from a passing caravan. Suddenly, its body stiffened, then in an instant, it erupted into a pillar of flame, completely engulfed!

Li Yanchu had infused the Gengjia Skyneedle with fire, igniting the pig demon directly.

The pig demon rolled on the ground, howling in agony. Meanwhile, the dog demon nearby froze, utterly startled. It had been planning to seize the human woman from the caravan to present to its master.

Just as it was about to speak, a sharp, piercing pain exploded in its mind. The dog demon too became a pillar of flame, collapsing to the ground in wailing pain!

The fire attached to the Gengjia Skyneedle caused these two demons to die in unbearable torment.

Li Yanchu’s expression remained calm as he retracted the weapon.

“It’s the Gengjia Skyneedle! Fellow Daoist, your methods are extraordinary!” Minghe’s eyes sparkled with admiration.

“I never hold grudges,” Li Yanchu said with a faint smile.

***

The two entered the city and quickly realized that its customs were completely unlike those of human settlements. All mirth vanished from their minds.

This Shituo Kingdom was entirely inhabited by demons! Dholes, wolves, tigers, leopards, roe deers, water deers, pigs, dogs, cattle, horses, sheep... all manner of bizarre and twisted demons lived freely here.

Humans, by contrast, were nothing more than caged blood food. Their faces were blank with fear, their clothing tattered.

In the city’s butcher shops, human legs hung from hooks. Blood dripped constantly, staining the ground below. Several severed heads with eyes still wide open had been stripped of their hair and placed on a butcher’s table.

A towering wolf demon wielded a bone-cleaving blade, hacking relentlessly at human bones on the chopping block. The entirety of Shituo City was filled with scenes this bloody!

“No wonder the baleful blood aura throughout the city has nearly solidified. This Shituo City is nothing less than a living hell!” Li Yanchu said in a low voice.

Minghe’s expression grew grave, her face icy cold. From her earlier words, it was clear that this young celestial maiden, though seductively beautiful beyond reason, was by no means a soft-hearted cultivator. Toward demons that harmed humans, her stance was uncompromising: kill without mercy.

When they had rashly entered this revived Shituo City, the two of them had originally intended to keep a low profile. But such grotesque bloodshed caused their Dao hearts to churn violently. The killing intent in their hearts threatened to spill out uncontrollably.

Minghe silently recited a Pure Heart Mantra, barely suppressing the murderous aura surging within her primordial spirit.

Any cultivator who witnessed such a scene would suffer a tremendous shock. Yet all the people in this city were but illusions; saving them would change nothing. Worse still, it might expose their identities.

Minghe drew in a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the fury in her heart and steeling herself not to look any further.

Suddenly, a scream rang out. The anguished cry of a young woman pierced the air.

A young woman wearing jade-and-pearl hair ornaments distinct from the attire of the other human residents of Shituo City let out a desperate scream, “Father!”

A tall fox demon pinned a richly dressed middle-aged man to the ground with a long spear.

With a sharp slash of the spearhead, the man’s abdomen was ripped open; his entrails spilled out as blood flooded the ground.

“Huliang, isn’t that a bit wasteful? These outworld humans aren’t easy to capture, why kill him just like that?”

Nearby demons lamented aloud, though greed gleamed in their eyes as they stared at the fallen man.

The fox demon known as Huliang sneered coldly. “He’s just blood food. Outworld humans don’t taste much better than the ones we raise anyway. That young lady, though, has fine skin and tender flesh, now that’s truly appetizing!”

The surrounding demons broke into knowing laughter.

They all cast covetous gazes at the well-dressed young lady, her head adorned with gleaming ornaments.

The demon who had spoken earlier was a leopard spirit.

He laughed loudly and said, “Your fox clan excels at harvesting techniques. If that young lady falls into your hands, she’ll be worked to death. Why not give her to me? I’ll have my fun with her for a few days on your behalf.”

Huliang cursed with a grin. “Get lost! It’s not like your family doesn’t raise blood food. Stop coveting mine!”

The leopard spirit replied, “How can the humans you raise compare to these outworld humans? Let me play with her a bit, you lose nothing.”

Huliang couldn’t be bothered to argue with such brutes. He turned to the wealthy young lady and pointed at a small boy in the crowd with a sneer.

“I’ve slaughtered your father, but your little brother is still alive. If you serve me well and make me happy, I’ll let the boy live. Otherwise, I’ll skin him alive, tear out his tendons, and throw him into boiling oil, then fry him ten times over!”

Huliang’s words sent the surrounding demons into uproarious laughter. They jeered and egged him on; this was the kind of spectacle they loved to watch.

The young lady’s face was streaked with tears as she looked at her young brother, her resolve wavering.

Fox demons were masters of illusion and enchantment, with an uncanny grasp of the human heart. Yet Huliang wasn’t even using any charm techniques; he reveled in this act of toying with others.

“Well? Spend one good month with me, and I’ll send you and your brother back to the outworld. How does that sound?” Huliang continued, coaxing her coldly.

The wealthy young lady said in a low, trembling voice, “You really intend to send us back to the Kingdom of Qian?”

“That depends on how you behave,” Huliang said with a malicious smile.

“Young lady, don’t trust him, this bastard is lying to you! There’s no such thing as meat in your mouth being thrown away!” A towering ox demon jeered from nearby.

“Don’t mind their nonsense. But perhaps I

am

lying, do you want to take a gamble?” Huliang said slowly.

At once, the surrounding demons began to murmur among themselves, sensing that Huliang was indeed no good. His understanding of human nature was far too precise.

𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

The young lady’s eyes flickered with indecision. In an instant, a storm of emotions surged through her.

Surrounded by these monsters, she felt a deep, crushing sense of helplessness. She knew this demon was definitely deceiving her.

Yet, in her heart, a faint glimmer of hope remained. At the same time, her father’s death had left a heavy mark on her soul, stirring the urge for revenge.

The demons around her were terrifying beyond measure, leaving this powerless young lady paralyzed with fear. Just then, a shroud of despair enveloped her.

This was not the Kingdom of Qian; it was pure hell.

The wealthy young lady stared into Huliang’s cold, icy eyes, her heart gripped by intense terror.