Translator: Silavin & Tia
Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun
Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys
Any Emperor Realm Master had the qualifications to establish a Sect, and it was not long since Water Cloud Sect was founded, so there was only one Emperor in the Sect. That was the Sect Master, Yuan Mao.
Under normal circumstances, it would have been impossible for Ying Fei to know of this person. He was one of the thirty-two Monster Kings of the Ancient Wild Lands whose cultivation was comparable to Third-Order Emperor Realm Masters. A trivial First-Order Emperor would not have been worthy of his notice.
It was just that the Sixty-First Army had been recruiting troops in the Northern Territory over the past ten years, and Ying Fei just happened to have been instructed by Yao Si to send somebody with a letter of recruitment to Water Cloud Sect, requesting Water Cloud Sect to provide some manpower.
Unfortunately, the messenger sent to Water Cloud Sect had returned to High Heaven Palace without a single soldier. He only brought some supplies back, claiming that they were the offerings from Water Cloud Sect to the Sixty-First Army.
The recruitment of the Sixty-First Army was not compulsory. It was completely on a voluntary basis. Those who wanted to come could come, and those who did not want to come didn’t need to come. Hence, Yao Si had not forced the issue. It was a decision he had made at the time out of consideration for the reputations of Yang Kai and the Sixty-First Army.
For that reason, Ying Fei had ignored the issue after Water Cloud Sect rejected Sixty-First Army’s request for recruitment. Having been in charge of that matter, it was only natural that he remembered it. Besides, it wasn’t just Water Cloud Sect. Many Sects and Clans, like Water Cloud Sect, were indifferent to the war between the two Great Worlds. The battlefield was located in the Western Territory after all. Everybody believed that nothing would happen to them even if the sky came crashing down because they had the Great Emperors to hold it up for them. Moreover, the battlefield was so far away. Why would they risk their lives to go to the Western Territory to wage a desperate war against the vicious Demon Race?
Nobody could have imagined that the situation would completely change one day. The Western Territory was no longer the battlefield where the armies of both Great Worlds clashed; instead, war had broken out across the entire Star Boundary.
“Where’s your father?” Ying Fei asked. He did not detect the presence of an Emperor Realm Master within this group; therefore, he knew that Yuan Mao was not here. Judging by Yuan Wen Long’s sad expression, he had the feeling that Yuan Mao had met with a disastrous ending.
Sure enough, Yuan Wen Long’s eyes reddened slightly as he gritted his teeth and said, “My father was killed by them!”
Ying Fei sighed, “If he had known that things would come to this, he would probably have acted differently back then.”
Yuan Mao had not accepted the Sixty-First Army’s recruitment request and Water Cloud Sect had not sent out a single cultivator to join the fight. It was obvious that Yuan Mao had chosen self-protection over the greater good. It was a self-serving approach, but who in this world would not put themselves first?
Ying Fei held no ill will for Yuan Mao or Water Cloud Sect, he simply looked down on them.
Even if the Water Cloud Sect had accepted the recruitment and sent their elites to join the Sixty-First Army, it would not have prevented the inevitable destruction of the Sect; however, they could have at least preserved some of their foundation. That way, they could have rebuilt themselves despite losing their inheritance.
Yuan Mao was dead now though, and most of the elites in the Sect had presumably suffered a similar fate. If that were the case, Water Cloud Sect would truly be wiped from the history of the Northern Territory. Hence why Ying Fei had sighed.
Yuan Wen Long was puzzled by those words. Even so, he asked again respectfully, “How should I address the two of you, Benefactors?”
Ying Fei glanced at Yuan Wen Long and replied lightly, “Sixty-First Army’s Flying Hawk Division Commander, Ying Fei.”
Fu Ling interjected just in time, “Standard-Bearer, Fu Ling!”
Yuan Wen Long was stunned for a while before his face flushed in shame. It was clear that he could recall how his father had rejected the Sixty-First Army’s recruitment at the time. A wave of remorse washed over him, and he burst into tears.
Fu Ling looked irritated, “You’re a man! Why are you crying!? Answer me this, are these people all that’s left of your Sect?”
Yuan Wen Long choked back his tears with some effort and nodded in reply, “Yes, they are all that remain. Everyone else… everyone else was either killed or eaten.”
Abruptly pointing in a certain direction, he continued, “There’s a cave along the cliff outside the mountain valley. I heard some crying sounds coming from that direction earlier. The Demons must have brought in others from the outside and locked them there.”
Ying Fei turned his head to look in that direction. That was in line with the information he had gained from tracking the Demon Race army to this place. Those who had been taken captive were probably the residents of the previous city.
In the end, he and Fu Ling decided to split up. One would stay behind in this place while the other rushed towards that direction to investigate.
…..
It was extremely lively inside the hall. Hundreds of the members of the Demon Race were gathered here, among which Demon Kings abounded. This place was probably the Main Conference Hall of Water Cloud Sect. Water Cloud Sect might not have been a large Sect, but its Main Conference Hall was magnificent and grand enough to accommodate hundreds of people without feeling crowded.
Seated majestically at the head of the main table inside the hall was a High-Rank Demon King with scarlet eyes, emanating a bloody aura from his body. In addition, a bloodthirsty light flashed across his scarlet eyes from time to time.
To the left and right of the main table were two rows of tables arranged side-by-side. Demons were seated behind each table and there were all sorts of dishes placed before them. Judging by the look of the food, it seemed to be the bits and pieces cut from Human bodies. Some had been served half-cooked, bloody, and bright red, while some were deep-fried a golden brown and gave off a strange aura.
The hundreds of Demons were munching away at their tables, eating with great relish. Some of them even commented on which method of cooking was more delicious, which led to many others nodding repeatedly in agreement.
A group of pale-faced Human women were dancing in the middle of the hall. They were surrounded by the intermittent music of gongs, drums, and other instruments. It was impossible to tell whether these people were from Water Cloud Sect or if they had been captured by the Demon Race army from somewhere else. At this moment though, they were being forced to sing, dance, and entertain the Demons. Every one of them was extremely terrified, but none of them dared to resist when their lives were at stake. Their dancing movements were very stiff and there was not the slightest bit of elegance to them. Similarly, the beating of the gongs, drums, and the orchestra were a mess too. Nobody could act normal under these circumstances.
The food eaten by the Demon Race army were all cooked at the bottom of the mountain and sent up to the hall; however, the High-Rank Blood Demon sitting in the main seat was feasting on something different. Several platters were placed on the table in front of him and numerous fresh crimson ‘fruits’ were stacked up high on the platters. An enchanting Charm Demon with dishevelled clothes was lying in his arms. The Demon King reached his large hand into her clothes and fondled her wantonly, causing her to giggle and laugh in response.
“Sir, do you want some more?” The Charm Demon stretched out her jade white hand, picked up a bright red ‘fruit’ from the platter, and brought it to his mouth.
The High-Rank Demon King opened his mouth and bit down. ‘Juice’ spurted out in an instant, or rather, fresh blood splattered all over the place. That crimson fruit was no fruit, it was the heart of a person that had been removed not too long ago. The Demon King finished off the heart in her hands in a few bites and the bloodlust in his eyes became more and more terrifying as he shouted, “Delicious! Truly delicious! As expected, nothing beats the taste of a Human’s heart!”
Following his sudden roar, the women in the centre of the hall, who were fighting back their fear to sing and dance, were so terrified that their beautiful faces went pale. Some of the more timid ones fell on their bottoms while others broke into tears.
“Hmm?” The Blood Demon lowered his head to look at them. The bloodlust in his eyes flashed as he spoke in a serious tone, “Who allowed you to stop?”
Stretching out his hand, a powerful suction force dragged one of the women who had fallen toward him. Then, his large hand wrapped around her neck as he grinned savagely.
That woman’s expression changed greatly as she shook her head continuously and begged, “No! No!”
But why would he listen to her pleading cries? The Demon swiftly reached out and ripped her clothes apart. Opening his mouth, he clamped his teeth down on her snow-white neck and under the fluctuation of his Demon Qi, the woman in his hands turned into a mummified corpse in a matter of moments. He released his grip and the mummified corpse fell to the ground, her vitality completely gone.
On the other hand, the Demon King closed his eyes as though he was enjoying a euphoric high. His entire body trembled uncontrollably, obviously feeling extremely excited and pleased. Even the muscles of his face twitched slightly.
Screams broke out in the hall. How could those Human women remain calm after personally witnessing what happened to their companion? They had already been wallowing in fear, but they were now in a state of complete panic.
The Demons around them burst into laughter as though the scene before them pleased them very much; however, the laughter stopped abruptly when a figure wrapped in a chilling aura barged in from the outside. The Demon Qi around that person churned like boiling water and the place where he stood had practically turned into a black hole that devoured everything around it. Nobody could get a clear glimpse of this person’s face, all they could see were a pair of scarlet eyes burning with the flames of rage in the midst of the boundless black Qi.
“Who goes there!?” One of the Demon Kings stood up and shouted. The newcomer had an unpleasant aura that indicated his cultivation was equivalent to that of a High-Rank Demon King, but even so, the Demon King from before was not very afraid. They were all from the same Race after all, so what was there to fear?
Yang Kai ignored that Demon King as his gaze swept across the hall and landed on the Blood Demon sitting in the main seat. Then, he glanced at the mummified corpse at the feet of the Blood Demon and waved his hand gently.
A gentle force swept out, wrapping around all the surviving Humans in the hall and sending them into the Small Sealed World amidst their panicked screams.
The Demon King who had asked the question before stood up abruptly and asked fiercely, “Who are you!?”
Meanwhile, he wondered curiously in his heart, [Why did those people in the hall suddenly disappear?]
Yang Kai turned and glanced at the Demon King and a strange power flashed across his eyes for an instant before crashing into the latter’s Knowledge Sea.
That Demon King let out a strange grunt, as though he had been strangled, before falling on his butt. His expression was dazed for a moment, but in the next instant, he rolled up his sleeves under the stunned gazes of all those in the hall and bit down on his arm. Fresh blood dripped from that bite he took, but he didn’t seem to feel any pain; instead, a foolish grin appeared on his face as he chewed on the flesh of his own arm with great relish.
*Shua…*
Everyone in the hall stood up in unison, scattering all the dishes on the tables to the ground. Some were watching their companion, who was eating his own arm, with a look of horror, while others were looking at Yang Kai fearfully. They were not fools. The person who arrived carried the same Demon Qi as them, but how could they not realize that he held no goodwill towards them? Moreover, his strength was clearly extraordinary. They had not seen him making any moves at all, and yet their companion was now chewing on his own flesh. Such power was simply incomprehensible!
“Is it tasty?” Yang Kai asked lightly, glancing at the feasting Demon King with a blank expression.
That Demon King mumbled a vague answer while still chewing, “It’s delicious. It’s delicious.”
“Eat more if it’s delicious!” Yang Kai nodded. He then ignored that Demon King and let his gaze sweep across the Demons present in the hall, his Spiritual Energy surging to the extreme.
One by one, the other Demons sat down, and like the first Demon King, they raised their arms to their mouth, bit into their own flesh, and chewed. There were hundreds of them inside the hall; furthermore, they were all Demon Kings. Yang Kai looked around and saw that only ten remained standing. These ten were either among the most outstanding of the Mid-Rank Demon Kings or were High-Rank Demon Kings. Only those in this Realm had the power to resist Yang Kai’s Spiritual Energy.