"Looks like everyone is here," Yuan said after Tan Songyun, Xi ili, and Yingzi returned to the City of Radiance.
"Young Master, you're back!"
Feng Yuxiang erged from his dantian a mont later and imdiately embraced him.
"Feng Feng? What happened to you after I entered the Immortal Monastery?" Yuan asked her.
"Well, after you entered the portal, I was forced to slumber. I didn't wake up until just now," she explained.
"I also just woke up. Where's Ji Ran? I don't see him with you," Yu Ning's voice resounded.
"Oh, Ji Ran decided to remain in the trial. Although we ca out, we haven't completed the trial yet. Of course, he's not going to stay there forever. I will co back here once I create his new physical body," explained Yuan.
"Is that so…"
"Now then, let's figure out how long we've been inside the trial. If I consider what the Sect Leader told , only about a year should have passed since we entered the Immortal Monastery."
Yuan extended his divine sense, sweeping across the vast expanse of the City of Radiance in search of any presence. However, to his surprise, the once-bustling city was now eerily empty, and not a single soul remained apart from his group.
"There's nobody here?" he muttered, his voice tinged with disbelief.
Before they had entered the Immortal Monastery, the city had been teeming with cultivators, all eagerly searching for hidden treasures or just touring the place. Even if it had beco clear that there were no treasures, that wouldn't have been enough to completely deter people from visiting this place—especially in the cultivation world, where people are the most persistent. Yet now, only a year later, the city stood completely abandoned.
That didn't make sense.
Sothing had happened. But what?
In the midst of his thoughts, Yuan noticed Tan Songyun was staring at her communication jade slip with a dumbfounded look on her face.
"Did sothing happen?" he asked her out of curiosity.
However, Tan Songyun didn't imdiately respond and continued staring at her communication jade slip. Clearly, she was still busy with it.
While Yuan waited for her, a notification abruptly appeared before him.
'Celestial Overlord Qiang?' Yuan raised an eyebrow.
This was the first ti he'd received such a notification.
'Since it's related to the Celestial Overlord…'
Yuan raised his arm and glanced at his faction symbol.
A faction symbol was more than just a ans of identification—it also functioned as a communication tool, much like a communication jade slip. However, its usage was restricted. Unlike communication jade slips, it could only be used for announcents since the ssages are sent to every mber, and only the higher-ups of the faction had the authority to send ssages.
After Yuan had infused so of his spiritual energy into the symbol, it pulsed faintly, and a voice echoed within his mind.
"This is a warning for all mbers. The Demon Worshippers, who have always acted from within the shadows, have recently increased their activity and started revealing themselves—an unusual shift in their behavior. Stay vigilant, and report any information or signs of their presence to the Demon Sealing Clan or the Demon Sealing Grotto imdiately."
Yuan frowned after hearing the ssage.
Demon Worshippers typically thrived in secrecy, operating from the shadows and avoiding unnecessary attention. Their entire existence revolved around manipulation, deception, and silent corruption. However, according to the Celestial Overlord's announcent, they were now behaving in direct opposition to their usual thods—boldly revealing themselves instead of lurking unseen.
This was deeply out of character and worrying.
"Did you also receive a warning from your faction?" Tan Songyun's voice suddenly resounded, snapping Yuan out of his thoughts.
He looked at her and asked, "About the Demon Worshippers' unusual activities? You also received it?"
She nodded.
"Our faction usually doesn't concern itself with matters unrelated to our vengeance. However, when we do pay attention, it's because the situation is so significant that even we can't ignore it."
Xi ili joined their conversation and asked Yuan, "I heard of them during your trial in the Stairway to Heaven, but I am still unfamiliar with their existence. What are they? And what are their goals?"
Since Demon Worshippers didn't exist in the Ancient Dragon City, nor did they have to worry about them, Xi ili was never taught about their existence.
"You know what demons are, right?" Tan Songyun asked.
"Of course."
"Well, Demon Worshippers, as their na implies, are those who revere and serve demons," Tan Songyun explained. "So are re admirers, those who idolize demons but take no real action. Then, there are those who go a step further—acting on behalf of demons, carrying out their will in the world."
"I can't fathom why anyone would revere demons, much less serve them," Xi ili said, shaking her head in disbelief. "Demons once ruled the world, didn't they? And they committed countless atrocities against everyone. Why would anyone willingly follow them?"
To worship those who had once brought devastation to the world was unfathomable. Yet, the existence of Demon Worshippers proved that so people not only accepted demons but actively sought their favor.
"It's quite simple, actually," Yuan said, his voice calm yet firm. "For power."
He t Xi ili's gaze as he continued, "Demons may be ruthless and unreasonable, but their power is undeniable. So people are willing to sacrifice everything—morality, humanity, even their own souls—just for a taste of that power. To them, it doesn't matter what demons have done in the past. All they care about is what they can gain in the present."
"How does that work? How does one acquire the power of demons?"
In response, Yuan extended a finger, revealing a single drop of blood glistening at the tip.
"Their blood," he said a mont later. "By consuming demon blood, one can gain imnse regenerative abilities that rival those of demons themselves. Moreover, one's natural limitations—their innate talents can be bypassed, allowing them to achieve feats that otherwise aren't possible."
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