Hengyang Prefecture.
A howling wind wailed.
This place rested against Mount Heng to the north and the Five Ridges to the south, with the Xiang River flowing through the city.
In the past, it should have been a beautiful region where the sand before Huiyan Peak was like snow and the moon over the Xiaoxiang River was like a hook.
At this moment.
Atop the city walls, great banners fluttered, yet they appeared somewhat feeble amidst the pervasive demonic aura.
Whoosh—!
Suddenly, a strange wind rose from the flat ground.
The wind was mournful and piercing.
It was vast, blotting out the sun and sky, dimming the moon and light.
"Demon attack! Demon attack—!!!"
Atop the city wall, the roar of the Demon Suppression Guards had not yet fully subsided.
A black wind had already crossed the wall, entering as if into an uninhabited land, pointing straight toward the long streets within the city.
"Ah—!!!"
"The Demons are coming! Run!"
"Help! Mother! Save me—"
Countless commoners were swept into mid-air like straw in a gale.
"Vile beast! Do not dare to be so insolent!"
Dozens of Demon Suppression Guards dressed in black robes with red patterns shouted angrily as they drew their blades and charged.
Though they knew they were outmatched, not a single one flinched.
However.
From within that black wind, a massive palm covered in black fur reached out.
Slap—!
Dozens of Demon Suppression Guards spat blood and were sent flying backward.
"Whoosh..."
The black wind dissipated.
Revealing a burly figure over ten feet tall.
With a bull's head and a human's body, its two curved horns were like iron halberds pointing toward the sky.
It wiped the blood from the corner of its mouth, a look of intoxication appearing on its face.
"Exhilarating! Exhilarating!"
"It should have been like this long ago!"
"We of the Yao Race are born of heaven and earth and raised by the mountains and rivers. We should have lived as we pleased, yet you ants of the Human Race drove us to those desolate lands to suffer in misery!"
"Now that the Yao Saint is about to emerge and the Heavenly Dao cycles, it's time for my Yao Race to take a turn sitting upon this land!"
Having finished speaking.
It raised its twin hammers, about to smash them into the crowd again.
Right then.
"Halt—!!!"
"Bold Demon! How dare you commit such violence here! Give me your life!"
In mid-air.
A frigid, sharp light, carrying the force of a thousand pounds, cleaved down from above.
Dragon patterns moved upon the blade, and the cold air was biting.
The one holding the blade was a general clad in black armor, his hair and beard bristling, his eyes nearly splitting in rage.
The Bull Demon, however, was unhurried. It gave a cold snort, raised its twin hammers behind its back, and blocked them over its head.
Clang—!!!
The massive recoil caused the black-armored general to flip several times in the air before he could barely dissipate the force and land on the ground.
Looking back at the Bull Demon, its body only swayed slightly.
"Hehe, you've got some strength."
The Bull Demon gave a sinister laugh.
Yet it did not pursue the advantage.
Instead, while the black-armored general was still unsteady.
This fellow actually put away its twin hammers, twisted its body, summoned a gust of demonic wind, turned around, and fled!
The movement was so practiced and fluid that it was clearly a habitual offender.
In the blink of an eye.
That massive body turned into a trail of black smoke and dove into the vast, deep mountains, vanishing without a trace.
"Damn..."
The black-armored general leaned on his great blade, looking depressed.
These Demons were truly disgusting to the extreme.
They wouldn't fight you to the death.
They would come out to pillage a bit, destroy some city defenses, kill people, and then run.
They didn't linger for battle at all.
If one were to be consumed by rage and chase after them recklessly.
It would be exactly what they wanted.
Once the city's defenses were empty.
Another great Demon would immediately strike from the other side, wreaking havoc in the city.
Over the past few days.
No one knew how many prefectural cities had suffered from this.
The black-armored general looked at the severed limbs and broken arms scattered across the ground, and the commoners wailing in grief everywhere.
A deep sense of helplessness welled up in his heart.
Now the manpower across the entire Jiangnan West Circuit was stretched thin, and he had heard that the situation in Luling was also precarious... when would these days.
Ever come to an end?
He sighed, his face full of exhaustion.
"Clean up the aftermath, strengthen the guard. Before dark... these beasts will likely come again..."
...On the northern side of Mount Heng, there was a thousand-fathom cliff.
Black mist like ink locked away the green pines and cypresses; a foul wind like a knife scraped over the jagged rocks.
Halfway up the mountain, in a deep Immortal Cave, bones were piled like mountains at the entrance.
Ghostly fires flickered, reflecting a scene as tragic as the depths of Hell.
As soon as the Bull Demon's figure appeared, it felt several fierce gazes projecting from the depths of the Immortal Cave.
In the shadows, several massive black figures had already entrenched themselves.
They were all several zhang long, with the ferocious appearance of being half-human and half-Demon.
On a giant rock to the left sat a yellow-furred monster.
This fellow had a pointed mouth and sunken cheeks, with ears hanging down to its shoulders.
It wore a set of tattered iron armor stripped from who knows where, with a foul-smelling intestine wrapped around its waist.
On a withered treetop to the right stood a black-feathered monster bird.
It had wings on its back and a face as black as the bottom of a pot.
A hooked iron beak glinted with a cold light.
And on the stone chair in the center.
Sat a scholar dressed in tattered Confucian robes.
But this scholar's appearance was truly terrifying.
His face was charred black, as if struck by lightning.
Two short black horns grew from the top of his head.
They had clearly just recently grown.
Seeing the Bull Demon return in a sorry state.
The crow on the treetop let out a strange laugh: "Why do you look like this? Did you go to scavenge but end up getting your bull hair plucked instead?"
The Bull Demon snorted coldly, grabbed a wine jar from the side, and tilted its head to take a large gulp.
"Bad luck!"
"I thought Hengyang was a large prefecture with a dense population, perfect for getting a full meal."
"Who knew the bastards from the Demon Suppression Division were watching so closely? Old Bull here had only eaten a hundred or so before that killing star was lured over."
The Old Dog Demon squatting on the rock spat out a piece of broken bone.
It gave a sneer.
"That general was merely at the half-step Seed Lotus, yet he scared you into such a state?"
The Bull Demon's eyes widened: "You old dog are only good with your mouth. If you're so capable, why don't you go try?"
"I'll try if I have to!"
The Old Dog Demon suddenly stood up, its yellow fur bristling.
"Yesterday when I went to Chaling County, I swallowed eighteen hundred people whole! I didn't even let go of the infants in their swaddling clothes. That was truly exhilarating!"
The Demons exchanged words.
They actually used the slaughter and destruction of cities as conversation fodder.
The Sheep Demon scholar, who had been sitting in the center, now slowly closed his folding fan.
"Enough."
The Demons immediately fell silent.
The Sheep Demon scholar glanced at the Bull Demon and said indifferently.
"Since Hengyang City is a tough nut to crack, let it be for now."
"The Great Tang currently has heavy troops guarding Luling. If we fight to the death here, it will only allow them to stay there with peace of mind..."
"It's better to cause more slaughter in the surrounding counties, terrifying the people and forcing Luling to divide its forces to come to the rescue."
"When that time comes..."
The Sheep Demon gave a cold laugh.
"With a crack in Luling's defenses, it's only a matter of time before the Old Demon Saint breaks the seal and emerges."
Hearing this, the Demons nodded one after another.
It was indeed logical.
Only the Bull Demon.
Holding the wine jar, it gave a muffled snort.
"But Old Bull here still has a breath of foul air stuck in my chest."
The Sheep Demon's brow furrowed slightly: "What air do you have?"
"That commander of Hengyang Prefecture was only a half-step Seed Lotus character. If Old Bull couldn't beat him, it's because my skills are lacking."
"But if you, Yao King, were willing to take action yourself..."
"With your Seed Lotus methods, wouldn't it be as easy as reaching out and taking it?"