A man, a demon, and a City God sat on three sides of a wooden table.
In front of each was a steaming bowl of wontons. Gu Ning'an ate leisurely, while the blindfolded man devoured his with relish, his mouth glistening with oil.
Only City God Xu remained upright and stiff, sitting as though he were facing a mortal enemy.
"Lord City God, why don't you eat?" The blindfolded man finished the last wonton in his bowl and casually spoke to City God Xu.
Hearing this, City God Xu snorted, twin streams of hot air puffing from his broad nostrils. "Mind your own business!"
The blindfolded man wasn't offended. He chuckled and said, "Whether you eat or not is your choice, but wasting food is shameful... If you don't want it, I can eat it for you."
At these words, City God Xu immediately leaned down and forcefully inhaled over the bowl of wontons. Two wisps of white steam were drawn into his nostrils.
"There, it's yours now." City God Xu gestured toward the wontons in front of him and sneered coldly.
The blindfolded man sighed. "What's the point of eating if there's no flavor left? You ghostly beings—eating is just a waste of food!"
"You!" City God Xu's eyes widened in anger. If he were capable of defeating the man, he would've long since thrown his soul-capturing chains at him.
"Daoist Shi," Gu Ning'an interjected, "since you've willingly shown yourself today, are you here to reclaim the demonic energy you planted across the nine counties of Xiangzhou?"
The blindfolded man clasped his hands in salute. "Mr. Gu, I have no such intentions... I've revealed myself today simply because I suspect King Mingling has already issued his edict. Rather than wait for him to find me, I decided to come out myself."
"In any case, I would've had to appear sooner or later. Coming out a bit earlier meant I got to enjoy so many bowls of wontons, so I'd say it was worth it."
City God Xu sneered. "So, you've come to enjoy a last meal, knowing your death is near?"
"City God," the blindfolded man said, his tone calm yet sharp, "it's out of respect for Mr. Gu that I've tolerated your provocations time and again. Don't push me to my limits."
As he spoke, he turned toward City God Xu. Despite the blindfold covering his eyes, City God Xu felt as though he were being stared at directly.
An intense sense of danger surged within him, freezing his spiritual energy in place.
It wasn't until a soft cough sounded nearby that the oppressive aura around him dissipated entirely.
Casting a grateful glance at Gu Ning'an, City God Xu decided to stay silent for the time being. The current situation was one where he truly had no place to intervene.
"Daoist Shi, may I ask—what is the purpose of your actions?"
"Spreading demonic energy consumes your vital essence. Turning so many people into half-demons only burdens you with karmic corruption. While demonic cultivators may not care much about such entanglements, excessive karma will still hinder your cultivation."
"This is a deed with no benefits and countless harms. Why would you do such a thing?"
Hearing this, the blindfolded man remained silent for a long time before finally responding, "To free them from their shackles and ensure they're no longer lambs to the slaughter."
Gu Ning'an frowned. "What do you mean by that?"
The blindfolded man shook his head. "Some answers you must discover for yourself, Mr. Gu."
Just as Gu Ning'an was about to press further, Marquis Lingyou arrived, leading a contingent of City Gods in flight.
The moment they saw Shi Yi, they immediately recognized him as the true demon who had thrown Xiangzhou into utter chaos.
"It's really you, True Demon!" Marquis Lingyou waved his hand, and the ghostly deities under his command immediately surrounded Shi Yi from all directions.
The blindfolded man, Shi Yi, merely tapped the wooden table twice with his fingers. Thump—thump! A faint spiritual aura spread outward from him.
Without even needing to look, Gu Ning'an could already guess that, from this moment on, everyone implanted with demonic aura had transformed into faceless demons.
"Impudent!" Marquis Lingyou saw this as a blatant provocation. Shouting, "Master Gu, be careful!" he hurled his soul-reaping chains straight at Shi Yi.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The radiant chains shot toward Shi Yi from all directions, glowing with divine power.
Realizing the fight had begun, Gu Ning'an stepped back a few paces. For some reason, he felt reluctant to confront the blindfolded man directly. Perhaps it was because the demonic aura emanating from him felt oddly familiar, or maybe it was because Shi Yi's actions seemed to conceal deeper motives.
Boom!
Just as the ten soul-reaping chains were about to pierce Shi Yi, he made a sweeping motion as if gathering the moon, effortlessly seizing all the chains in his grasp.
Then, destructive demonic flames began surging rapidly along the chains.
The ghostly deities now faced two options: release their grip and abandon the chains, or endure the searing flames.
"I spared you the last time, and yet you dare come after me again?"
"Do you truly think I, Shi Yi, am so easy to bully?"
As he spoke, Shi Yi clenched his left hand in the air. Massive hands formed from demonic aura appeared behind the ghostly deities and began closing in on them.
The outcome of the battle was clear from the very first exchange.
Gu Ning'an could now confirm that Shi Yi had not lied—he must have gone easy on these ghostly deities the last time. Otherwise, with just this one move, he could have easily captured all of them in one fell swoop.
Gripping his sword's hilt, Gu Ning'an was about to draw it but hesitated and released his grip.
A golden divine talisman shot through the air from a distance, emanating overwhelming power fueled by incense offerings and merit.
"Command!" A thunderous voice boomed like a great bell.
The demonic hands and flames conjured by Shi Yi instantly vanished under the suppressive power of the golden talisman.
"Duke Weiling has arrived with the edict!" Marquis Lingyou exclaimed, causing the ghostly deities to beam with hope.
They knew this was their chance to turn the tide.
"Withdraw your demonic aura, and I will spare your life!" Duke Weiling appeared, ignoring everyone else present and directly confronting Shi Yi head-on.
"What a joke!" Shi Yi sneered. "Even King Mingling himself wouldn't dare utter such words. And you, with a mere edict, think you can slay me? Pure delusion!"
Duke Weiling snorted coldly and began chanting incantations.
Moments later, the golden talisman floating in the air glowed brilliantly, transforming into a golden hammer that plummeted toward Shi Yi with unstoppable force.
Sensing the power radiating from the hammer, Gu Ning'an gained a clearer understanding of King Mingling's edict.
The power of this attack was undeniably at the "True Immortal" level mentioned by City God Xu. But could this single strike truly bring down the True Demon?
Clang!
A sharp metallic collision rang out.
Shi Yi caught the hammer barehanded, halting its overwhelming momentum. Gripping the hammer firmly, he snapped it in half with a single motion!