Chapter 583: The Human Race of the Kingdom of Qian! The Third Year of Emperor Jing’s Reign! Shanhai Tower! A Way to Find a Foothold!

Li Yanchu stepped forward and led away the dozen or so people who had been chained up as blood livestock by Hu Liang.

He also took the corpse of the middle-aged merchant with him.

None of the surrounding demons dared to stop him. One by one, they lowered their heads, doing their best to diminish their sense of presence.

Swish!

The crowd immediately parted, making way for Li Yanchu and the others.

When they reached a secluded spot, Li Yanchu looked at the dozen-plus people before him.

Among them, four or five were dressed differently from the rest. Their faces were filled with terror, and they had yet to become numb.

The remaining people looked like walking corpses, their eyes devoid of light.

Minghe followed him over as well.

Li Yanchu looked at the young lady from a wealthy family and asked, “You’re from the Kingdom of Qian?”

The young lady had initially felt joy at thinking she had been rescued, but after witnessing Li Yanchu’s domineering and brutal methods, she had concluded that he too was a demon.

Now her teeth chattered, and she couldn’t speak a word, her face full of terror.

Li Yanchu waved his hand, sending a surge of thick spiritual power toward her.

At once, she felt a vast vitality bloom within her organs, warm and comforting. At the same time, her mind settled and calmed.

“I’m a Daoist from Beifeng Prefecture of the Kingdom of Qian, here specifically to slay demons and eradicate evil. She’s a cultivator from Qingquan Prefecture; she only took on a demon’s appearance to sneak into the city,” Li Yanchu said, pointing to Minghe, who was dressed as a fox demon.

“Y-you’re a Daoist from Beifeng Prefecture?” the young lady said tremblingly, unable to help glancing at Minghe.

“That’s right. So what exactly happened?” Li Yanchu asked with a frown.

“I’m Lin Xiuning, from Donglin Prefecture. I was traveling with my father when we were kidnapped by villains. I was dazed for several days, and when I woke up, I found myself already in this demon nation,” the young lady said tearfully, pulling her younger brother into her arms.

Li Yanchu’s brows knit together as he exchanged a look with Minghe.

They had originally believed that the Shituo Kingdom was a world unto itself, and that these humans were native inhabitants of the realm. They hadn’t expected humans to be abducted from the outside as well.

“Were the people who abducted you just ordinary rogues from the

jianghu

, or some kind of organization? Do you know anything?” Li Yanchu asked.

However, Lin Xiuning likely didn’t know much.

“I think I heard them mention something called Shanhai Tower,” Lin Xiuning thought for a moment before answering.

Li Yanchu frowned. He had never heard of this name.

Minghe immediately asked, “Shanhai Tower... are you sure that was the name?”

Lin Xiuning nodded. “Yes. I heard them talking, they seemed to be people from Shanhai Tower.”

“So... you know about this Shanhai Tower?” Li Yanchu asked, looking at Minghe.

Minghe nodded and explained, “Shanhai Tower is a killer organization in the

jianghu

. They’ve never failed a job and are extremely mysterious. They don’t just have ordinary assassins; there are also cultivators among them. And they take any commission, no matter who the target is, as long as you can afford the price.”

Li Yanchu suddenly thought of something.

This Lin Xiuning wasn’t from the present time. What they were seeing was the Shituo City before it had become a ruin. Could it be that this Shanhai Tower organization has existed all this time?

“Miss, there’s something I need to confirm with you. When you were captured, what year was it?” Li Yanchu asked.

Lin Xiuning froze for a moment. Though she didn’t fully understand, she still answered seriously: “The third year of Emperor Jing’s reign... Could it be that I’ve been captured for so many years?”

There are many folktale-style stories in popular literature, like

The Dream of the Yellow Millet

.

Lin Xiuning also enjoyed reading such tales, which is why she asked this question.

The third year of Emperor Jing’s reign again...

Li Yanchu paused, then shook his head. “No... don’t think too much about it.”

Although he had rescued these people, they had actually been dead for a long time. So Li Yanchu didn’t want to reveal the truth.

He then asked the rest of the group. As expected, the other few people dressed differently were indeed from the Kingdom of Qian. They had also been abducted by thieves and, in a daze, ended up here. However, they didn’t provide much additional information.

As for the humans whose eyes were dull and vacant, after Li Yanchu performed the

Pure Heart Mantra

and infused Daoist spiritual power into them to restore their minds, they gradually regained awareness.

These people had grown up in the Shituo Kingdom. They had been heavily corrupted by demonic energy, and their memories were somewhat confused.

One middle-aged man vaguely mentioned that he seemed to have seen people like Lin Xiuning when he was a child.

Li Yanchu exchanged a glance with Minghe.

This middle-aged man was in his forties; did that mean demons had been abducting humans into Shituo City decades ago?

It was even possible that the humans originally living in Shituo City had all been abducted. The thought was terrifying.

“This Shituo City is full of demons... what should we do next?” Minghe asked.

“Among the cultivators outside the city, someone will definitely try to sneak in to investigate the truth of this place. For now, we need to find a place to settle,” Li Yanchu said.

“Where?” Minghe asked.

Surely there aren’t any inns or taverns inside this Shituo City...? But judging by the look of these demons, maybe there are.

“That’s simple enough. You all wait here for a moment,” Li Yanchu said with a smile.

Minghe frowned slightly, puzzled.

𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

After speaking, Li Yanchu turned and walked out.

Even in this Shituo City teeming with demons, he showed no hint of nervousness, moving with calm ease and leisurely confidence.

***

The city was extremely lively, filled with swirling demonic energy.

Li Yanchu thought for a moment and decided to change out of his Daoist robes, so that any sharp-eyed powerful demon wouldn’t notice anything unusual.

He put on plain clothes, the typical attire of a wandering

jianghu

traveler. He also put away the

Jiaoslayer

. Then he took out the tiger-headed golden spear of the Mountain Lord from his Universe Pouch.

Carrying this massive, aura-heavy spear, he strode through Shituo City. A domineering, arrogant aura radiated outward.

The Mountain Lord was a great demon with eight hundred years of cultivation, extremely powerful. The tiger-headed golden spear carried a murderous aura and looked impressively fierce. Anyone who saw it would immediately feel this was someone not to be trifled with.

Scanning the crowd of demons, Li Yanchu quickly selected a target.

It was a tall bear demon lavishly dressed with gold and silver adorning its form, and its transformation into human form was nearly complete. Compared to the surrounding demons, this bear demon clearly belonged to the wealthy elite among them.

It had a good standing in Shituo City... In one hand, it held a white, human leg, gnawing on it. Blood dripped everywhere, yet its expression was completely unrestrained, brazen.

Li Yanchu strode forward, the tiger-headed golden spear resting on his shoulder.

This bear demon was large and muscular, a dominant presence in the city. Yet, Li Yanchu didn’t dodge as he approached.

The bear demon’s eyes darkened, muscles tensed, and it collided head-on with him.

In the

jianghu

, life-or-death conflicts often started with just a single phrase like,

“What are you looking at? What’s it to you?”

A minor quarrel could escalate to drawing swords immediately.

The

jianghu

valued strength, courage, and rarely obeyed rules. The same principle applied here. In this city filled with demons, there was no gentleness or civility. Status was determined purely by strength, and demons’ tempers were worse than any wandering

jianghu

fighter.

Bang!

Li Yanchu collided with the bear demon, his expression unchanged, his body steady and unmoving.

The bear demon stumbled back from the impact, landing hard on the ground. It sat there, shocked, staring at Li Yanchu.

“You’re blind or what?!” Li Yanchu barked coldly.

Smack!

With one slap, he knocked the bear demon flat before it could get up.