SFS 9. The Demon Clan's Massacre of the Nation
9. The Demon Clan's Massacre of the Nation
Gao Zhun was unaware that she was being secretly criticized by her favored servant. Instead, she was quietly analyzing the information that Ah Zhong had brought back. She had done this many times when she was still on Earth, and now that she had died once and was more cautious, she had made it a habit. Although she had not obtained much useful information despite her efforts.
“Something’s not right here. Ah Zhong, I trust your abilities, and I trust my own analytical skills. But even with our combined efforts, we haven’t found a single clue in Yunzhou. Someone must be deliberately covering everything up.” Gao Zhun tapped her long fingers on the coffee table, a habitual gesture she made when troubled. The fact that she was using it now showed how difficult the situation was.
Ah Zhong nodded in agreement, saying, "Master is right."
“Even the wisest person can make a mistake; even the most foolish person can have a stroke of genius. Hehe, I’m not too discouraged. It’s just a matter of who loses their temper first.” Gao Zhun stopped tapping the coffee table with his fingers. “Ah Zhong, these days you should still go out and gather intelligence every day, just like before. Go out and gather intelligence for an hour at noon every day.”
"Yes." At this moment, Ah Zhong thought that Gao Zhun was waiting for the person who had erased all traces to lose patience. However, a message a few days later made him realize that the wise man who had arranged everything could not lose patience. The only one who would be impatient was an outsider like the master, and not just any outsider.
Just three days after Gao Zhun and Ah Zhong's conversation, news spread throughout Yongcheng that everyone felt a great storm was brewing—the two small kingdoms at the southernmost tip of Yongcheng had been annihilated by the demon race, with nearly a hundred million people killed. Among them were local cultivators like Ah Zhong and outsiders like Gao Zhun. By the time cultivators from neighboring countries realized what had happened, half a month had passed. Those hundreds of millions of people had long since been drained of their blood, becoming desiccated corpses—a gruesome sight. A sense of dread gripped Yongcheng, even extending to Yunzhou, which bordered the north. Walking the streets, one could sense that fewer and fewer people were hawking their wares…
It took her half a month to discover this… Gao Zhun chuckled. The destruction of those two countries was roughly the same time she set off from Luoshui Kingdom to Yunzhou, and also around the time Yongcheng closed its entrance. As expected, the demons weren't as patient as they were. Once they realized the time was approaching, they couldn't wait to respond. However… those were two countries, destroyed just like that. This shows how many demons were lurking deep within Yongcheng. And now, this Yunzhou, where the winds of change are gathering, is probably already unsafe.
To be honest, the panic among the common people doesn't fully reveal the chaos in Yongcheng. The real fear is manifested in those with cultivation, as only they know what the demons intend to do by draining the blood of the people from those two countries. The blood of ten thousand people can be used by demons or evil human cultivators to create a heaven-defying artifact like the Myriad Spirit Evil Blood Bead. Now, with the blood of hundreds of millions of people, that's enough to make ten thousand Myriad Spirit Evil Blood Beads. Moreover, Gao Zhun doesn't believe those demon leaders are so uncreative; soon, they will have something even more powerful than ten thousand Myriad Spirit Evil Blood Beads. It's just a pity that she doesn't know much about the advanced methods of the demons, only two that are somewhat familiar: Soul-Devouring Incense and the Myriad Spirit Evil Blood Bead.
Gao Zhun had personally experienced the former, while the latter was a type of evil artifact commonly used by demon cultivators among humans. It was incredibly powerful. Currently, the cultivation level of demons was roughly equivalent to that of human cultivators at the Golden Core stage. However, with the Myriad Spirit Evil Blood Pearl, they could cause headaches not only for Golden Core cultivators but also for mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators. It seems the demons have really unleashed a powerful move. Are they trying to wipe them all out in one fell swoop?
Gao Zhun never imagined that the subsequent developments would far exceed her expectations, leading to a completely new understanding of the Demon Clan and even the entire world, as if she had never seen it clearly before.
This incident involving the demon race was undoubtedly a bombshell dropped on the already turbulent Yunzhou, causing all the undercurrents to surface. Yunzhou was now in a state of flux and upheaval. Even Gao Zhun, who was staying at the Juyi Inn, was not spared, as the guests who had been keeping a low profile for several days suddenly knocked on her door…
"What business do you gentlemen have with my master?" Ah Zhong slightly opened the door a crack, so that no one could see what Gao Zhun, who was sitting inside, was doing.
"Brother, please inform your master that we, the righteous cultivators of Yunzhou, are currently gathered at the Giant Spirit Platform in the city to discuss matters related to the extermination of the demon. We hope that your master will not be absent."
"Heh...you jest, young master. How could I possibly be absent?"
Before Ah Zhong could answer, Gao Zhun, who had changed into a black outfit but had put on a white outer robe to cover himself up well, opened the door and said with a slight apology, "I was changing clothes in the inner room just now, so I apologize for any offense or neglect you all have caused."
Since Gao Zhun had been taking care of everything since he checked into the inn, no one knew who was staying in this room. It was assumed that anyone who could stay there for a day was someone of considerable wealth and high social standing. So, after meeting, the group came to this room where the owner had never appeared before. They were surprised to find that the person was so young, with such a tender face, probably only thirteen or fourteen years old.
The thought that these people, all nearing twenty and geniuses in their own right, were sent to Yongcheng to investigate because they were valued by their families or sects, yet now they were so cautious and timid towards a mere child, was quite embarrassing. Their expressions changed slightly, and they seemed somewhat ashamed.
Who is Gao Zhun? He is exceptionally skilled at reading people's expressions and demeanor. At this moment, he guessed most of the other party's thoughts in just one glance. In fact, it was just his pride that made him think.
So, upon meeting them, she immediately offered words of apology. At this moment, she opened her big, watery eyes wide and pretended to be puzzled as to why they were still not moving. She was determined to play dumb to the end. Seeing this, the others could no longer stand there in a daze. After introducing themselves, they set off together for the Giant Spirit Platform.
After a few back-and-forth conversations, Gao Zhun learned the names of those people, but he didn't pay much attention to them. Just like her Huang Zhu, they were obviously pseudonyms, so there was no need to remember them.
This was Gao Zhun's first time seeing the Giant Spirit Platform. Indeed, it lived up to its name. If the legend she had read in the study of the manor in Luoshui Kingdom was true, then this Giant Spirit Platform could truly hold the giant spirit described in the book. However, it was obviously fake; after all, such a legend was unheard of outside. It was probably just a giant spirit image fabricated by some bored person after seeing the grandeur of the platform.
However, the sight of the Giant Spirit Platform being almost entirely filled with cultivators still left Gao Zhun speechless. How could there be so many cultivators in Yunzhou? And how many of them were outsiders, and how many were locals?
Gao Zhun frowned slightly. The platform was enormous, about ten miles square, and the number of cultivators within it was considerable. Those who knew each other were talking privately, and very few used telepathy. After all, cultivators generally didn't use telepathy unless their relationship was close enough. As a result, Gao Zhun's ears were filled with a buzzing sound as she recalled what everyone was saying. At this moment, she wished she wasn't a cultivator, so she wouldn't be able to hear what everyone was saying amidst this buzzing. The torment of hearing so many sounds was maddening.
So, the next second, Gao Zhun blocked her hearing. Instantly feeling the world become quiet, she finally showed a relieved expression. Turning her head to look at Ah Zhong standing behind her, she found that he was actually listening attentively to what those people were saying. She suddenly felt that her servant was so strong and had a much stronger endurance than her.
Perhaps having overheard some useful information, Ah Zhong was about to report to Gao Zhun when he saw the other man's blank expression. After a moment's thought, he realized that the man had shut down his hearing, so Ah Zhong had no choice but to transmit his thoughts to Gao Zhun directly through telepathy.
"Master, I just heard some news. This gathering was jointly initiated by several members of the Xuanyuan family, a family of immortal cultivators. Later, a representative of the Xuanyuan family will also take the stage to organize this demon-slaying conference."
Upon hearing this, Gao Zhun suddenly realized who had such influence. It turned out to be the Xuanyuan family, the imperial family of the Human Emperor—her mother's family—who had proactively revealed their identities and initiated the movement. Like the Gao family, the Xuanyuan family was an ancient cultivation family, always possessing this kind of leadership quality. After all, they were a family that had produced a Human Emperor. Even the Gao family had to avoid their sharp edge on certain occasions. But why hadn't she seen that domineering queen-like aura from the Xuanyuan family in her own mother?
Are they several members of the Xuanyuan family? Gao Zhun tiptoed, wanting to see who they were. After all, they were appearing with their real identities, and they were also her mother's family members. It was only right and wrong for her to pay more attention to them, wasn't it?
Unfortunately, her height was a major disadvantage at only thirteen years old... and it wasn't really suitable for her to take to the air in this kind of situation. So when she noticed that everyone around her had stopped talking, and she activated her hearing, she only heard a gentle yet authoritative female voice. Gao Zhun was taken aback. The spokesperson chosen by the Xuanyuan family was a woman? Wasn't the Xuanyuan family, the Emperor's family, known for its strong preference for sons over daughters? Why would a woman be speaking on such an important occasion? Or were all the people the Xuanyuan family sent to Yongcheng women? But the voice sounded very soft; she probably wasn't much older than her.