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“Let’s take a trip to the imperial palace,” said Su Yi. He rose from his wicker chair, then glanced up at the sky.
It was dusk, and the skies were misty and dark.
Monk Hongji’s expression changed dramatically. “Young lord, we cannot be reckless. The imperial palace is currently occupied by an elder, two dharma protectors, four deacons, and eighteen ordinary cultivators of the Celestial Prison Demon Court. Their combined power is enough to sweep through the entire Great Zhou
”
He then went on to explain the aforementioned people’s identities at top speed.
The Celestial Prison Demon Court elder in attendance was called Hua Hongtai, and he was a true advanced cultivator of the Spiritual Manifestation Realm.
The two dharma protectors were called Liu Ying and Duan Pojia. Both were in the Gathering Stars Realm.
The deacons were in the Origin Palace Realm, while the remaining eighteen were ordinary disciples of the Celestial Prison Demon Court. All were in the Grain Avoidance Realm.
Su Yi had nothing to say to this, but Yuan Heng laughed coldly. “A smattering of power like that? To Master, that’s not even worth mentioning. Monk, there’s no need for you to worry about this.”
Bai Wenqing nodded. “To Senior Su, that is indeed far from threatening.”
Even the ever-cautious Ge Qian sighed in relief. “And here I thought the Celestial Prison Demon Court was tough. If that’s all they’ve got, they really aren’t worthy of our attention.”
Monk Hongji didn’t know what to say to that. “....”
He was completely dumbstruck. These people
 aren’t even concerned about the Spiritual Manifestation Realm cultivator!?
“Let’s go,” said Su Yi. He then walked right out of Pinewind Villa with his hands behind his back.
Monk Hongji opened his mouth as if to say something, only for Yuan Heng to gently remind him, “Monk, verbal assurance isn’t enough, but seeing is believing. Why not come with us and see the excitement for yourself?”
“That
” Monk Hongji was obviously hesitant, but when he saw that Su Yi and his companions were already taking action, he gnashed his teeth and followed.



The light of dusk bathed the grand, ancient imperial palace in a red-orange glow.
The Hall of Peace.
Nine enormous bronze tripod cauldrons stood in a Nine Palace Array.
A group of cultivators each carried a jade bottle, and all of them were pouring dense, red blood into the cauldrons.
This was the refined bloodmeal, and it contained a shocking amount of blood qi.
As they poured more and more into the cauldrons, the bronze cauldrons’ surfaces glowed red as blood.
The tripods’ contents were dense, bloody liquid. It churned nonstop, a pungent, bloody smell filling the air.
Zhou Zhili sat to the side of the hall, watching this from a distance. His face was pallid and his fists were tightly clenched. It took everything he had to suppress his urge to vomit.
“It’s just the smell of blood. You can’t take it, Your Majesty? You really are a weakling,” jeered one of the cultivators. The others laughed along.
Zhou Zhili looked uncomfortable, and he lowered his head. He said nothing, but inwardly, he hated them more than anything.
The cultivators were all dressed in long dark robes, and they were disciples of the Celestial Prison Demon Court. Over the past few days, they’d acted with abandon. Despite having occupied the imperial palace, they didn’t take him, the Zhou Emperor, the least bit seriously.
“Be quick about it. Once we’ve refined the Bloodfiend Spirit Pellets, we still have to send them to Elder Hua. We cannot afford any delays,” said the graying, gaunt old man seated on the throne. He leaned back at an angle, his eyes sunken, and he had a cold, sinister disposition.
Duan Pojia!
One of the Celestial Prison Demon Court’s dharma protectors.
When they heard this, the cultivators dared not slack off, and they got to work, wasting no time at all.
Zhou Zhili looked at Duan Pojia. “Of late, the Celestial Prison Demon Court has gone so far as to agitate the nation’s spirit beasts into attacking cities throughout the Great Zhou, all for the sake of refining these so-called Bloodfiend Spirit Pellets. You’ve brought disaster to the populace to gather all that bloodmeal.”
He paused, but in the end, he couldn’t help but ask, “I’m truly curious. Just what is all of this for?”
Duan Pojia glanced at Zhou Zhili, then chuckled. “If you need to know something, we’ll of course tell you. If you don’t need to know, it’s best that you remain ignorant.”
Zhou Zhili said gravely, “Then when will this end? Don’t tell me you plan to kill every last citizen of the Great Zhou?”
Duan Pojia looked strangely at him. “A paltry little country like the Great Zhou? Even if we killed every single one of your citizens, the resulting Bloodfiend Spirit Pellets would be nowhere near enough.”
Zhou Zhili’s expression changed dramatically, and he almost dared not believe his ears.
“Of course, although we’re a Demonist sect, we wouldn’t do something as stupid as ‘draining the pond to catch its fish.’ After a while, we’ll proceed to the Great Wei, Great Qin, and other such mundane nations. We’ll continue gathering bloodmeal there.”
Duan Pojia said slowly, “According to our estimates, if we gather one hundred thousand catties of bloodmeal per day, we can most likely refine enough Bloodfiend Spirit Pellets within three months.”
Three months!
One hundred thousand catties of bloodmeal per day!
Zhou Zhili’s hands and feet went numb, and his heart shook.
To the best of his knowledge, killing ten adults in their prime would only net enough blood essence to refine a catty of bloodmeal.
Gathering one hundred thousand catties per day meant extinguishing a million lives per day, if not more!
If this continued for three months, it would result in ninety million deaths, all so the Celestial Prison Demon Court could refine enough Bloodfiend Spirit Pellets!
If they continued such brutality over such an extended period, wouldn’t that make the world hell on earth?
“Aren’t you afraid of divine retribution?” said Zhou Zhili, his face pallid. He couldn’t even imagine how such ruthless, bloodthirsty cultivators could exist in this world. They saw human life like wheat to be harvested at their leisure.
This was more than just brutal; it was inhuman!
“Divine retribution?” Duan Pojia couldn’t help but laugh. “Demonic cultivators like us rebel against the heavens. When have we ever concerned ourselves with such things? Little fellow, ultimately, you’re not a true cultivator. You couldn’t possibly understand: so long as you’re strong enough, even divine retribution is helpless against you!”
His voice was rife with confidence and disdain.
Zhou Zhili was utterly despondent. He couldn’t understand Duan Pojia at all.
After a while, he grimaced and shook his head. “Never mind that. I’ll just ask you this: why is the Celestial Prison Demon Court going after everyone connected to Imperial Preceptor Su? He’s never done anything to offend you.”
Duan Pojia thought for a moment, then said, “Those are our orders.”
“Whose orders?” Zhou Zhili was increasingly bewildered.
“Chu Xiu’s,” said a deep, solemn voice. It appeared out of nowhere and echoed throughout the hall.
At the same time, two figures shot inside.
One was tall and stalwart, while the other was delicate and dignified.
These were none other than Yuan Heng and Bai Wenqing.
Duan Pojia immediately sat upright on the throne, and the cultivators pouring bloodmeal into the cauldrons ceased their work. All of them looked over.
Zhou Zhili shot to his feet too, but he didn’t recognize Yuan Heng and Bai Wenqing, so he couldn’t help but feel bewildered. How did those two enter the palace? Could they be Earthly Immortals?
“Who are you? How dare you trespass in the Celestial Prison Demon Court’s territory?” bellowed a gray-robed demonic cultivator. He didn’t look the least bit friendly.
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The Celestial Prison Demon Court had already completely occupied the Great Zhou.
Yet now, someone had barged in here uninvited. They obviously didn’t take the Celestial Prison Demon Court at all seriously!
Bang!
Yuan Heng lifted his hand and attacked from a distance. The gray-robed Grain Avoidance Realm cultivator’s head instantly exploded with a spray of blood, killing him immediately.
It took no more effort than swatting a fly.
“A little Grain Avoidance cultivator like you dares shout so arrogantly? You brought your death upon yourself,” Yuan Heng said disdainfully.
Bai Wenqing was stunned. She keenly detected Su Yi’s influence in Yuan Heng’s mannerisms and attitude. Both were proud to their very bones.
“How dare you kill members of the Celestial Prison Demon Court!?”
Zhou Zhili was surprised too, but he was inwardly as delighted as could be, and his expression was full of excitement. Good! He deserved to die! He deserved it!
Duan Pojia then rose to his feet and bellowed, “Bastards! Can’t you see whose territory this is? How dare you act up here! You’re simply sick of living!”
“That so?” Yuan Heng grinned broadly, then drew himself up to his full height and unleashed the characteristic aura of the mid-stage Gathering Stars Realm.
Boom!
The grand hall trembled. In the face of that terrifying pressure, the Grain Avoidance cultivators visibly lost their composure.
“The Gathering Stars Realm! This guy’s in the Gathering Stars Realm!” Someone cried out in panic.
Duan Poijia’s pupils constricted, and his expression shifted. “Fellow Daoist, are you perhaps an otherworlder too?”
To the best of his knowledge, among the Great Zhou’s cultivators, never mind Gathering Stars Realm experts; even Origin Palace cultivators were rare as could be.
Yet now, a Gathering Stars Realm cultivator had killed his way inside. Duan Pojia couldn’t help but suspect that this stranger wasn’t native to the Azure Continent either.
“You’re about to die, yet you’re wasting so much time talking? Do you really think I came here for a chat?” Yuan Heng strode up to him. “Wenqing, I’ll leave the ants to you. I’ll deal with this old windbag!”
Bai Wenqing nodded gently. “Mm.”
“Quick, inform Elder Hua! I’ll stop them here!” When Duan Pojia saw this, he bellowed.
Boom!
As he spoke, he attacked directly, drawing a bloody halberd. It filled the air with blood-colored light as it swept toward Yuan Heng.
Zhou Zhili held his breath.
Duan Pojia was a Gathering Stars Realm cultivator too, and he practiced a demonic inheritance. His combat prowess was such that Zhou Zhili couldn’t help but sweat on Yuan Heng’s behalf.
However, a moment later, Zhou Zhili was struck dumb.
Yuan Heng strode forward and punched. Duan Pojia’s blood-red halberd burst, inch by inch, scattering fragments of metal.
The first imprint continued ahead, its power not diminished in the slightest. It slammed ruthlessly into Duan Pojia’s chest.
Bang!
Duan Pojia flew directly backward, smashing into the imperial throne. He slammed into the wall behind him, leaving a body-shaped imprint and scattering fragments of stone.
Upon closer inspection, there was an eye-catching, fist-shaped indent in his chest. Blood spurted from his mouth and nose, and his face was as pale as paper.
In one punch, Yuan Heng had defeated a Gathering-Stars Realm dharma protector of the Celestial Prison Demon Court!
This scene astonished everyone present.
Zhou Zhili was so stunned that he fell into a daze, and his jaw practically fell off. Who is this guy? Isn’t he a bit too terrifyingly strong? How could he be so tyrannical?
The Grain Avoidance cultivators had been just about to flee and seek reinforcements, but when they saw this, they were terrified. Their scalps went numb, and their courage left them.
It wasn’t that they didn’t want to flee, but that Duan Pojia lost too quickly. Just one punch had left him with severe injuries. They didn’t even get a chance to flee!
It was then that Bai Wenqing, who’d been guarding the doorway, attacked.
She raised her jade-like hand and waved it in the air.
Sharp, crystalline blades whooshed through the air, bringing with them a bone-piercing chill. When they descended, they cut through the Grain Avoidance cultivators like a scythe through wheat, killing them on the spot.
Not one survived!
This was the absolute suppression of superior power, no different from casually crushing an ant!
“Another Gathering Stars Realm
” Duan Pojia stood there, dazed and out of sorts, as if he were attending his parents' funerals.
Zhou Zhili was astonished, but more than that, he was mad with delight!