“Your subordinate swears to follow the Lord to the death,” Bone Demon quickly bowed and said respectfully.
“Leave the Seven-Faced Lotus here. Let Seven-Face come fetch it himself,” Xu Zimo said. “Don’t worry about it. If anyone dares to take it, slaughter their entire clan.”
“As you command,” Bone Demon nodded in reply.
The gates of the Bone Hall closed once again. Bone Demon cloaked himself in his oversized black robe and followed Xu Zimo out.
As they passed the bridge, Bone Demon gently patted the smooth head of the demonic octopus and said, “You stay and guard this place. Wait for Lord Seven-Face to arrive.”
“How did you end up in this world?” Xu Zimo asked.
“When the Blessed Epoch was destroyed, part of the Demon Race died in the catastrophe, and the rest were scattered to various worlds,” Bone Demon explained. “From the moment we awoke again, we found ourselves here.”
“Tell me about the gods. I’m curious,” Xu Zimo asked.
“Gods? Just a bunch of petty schemers,” Bone Demon snorted.
“Back when Lord Seven-Face led us, our demon remnants rapidly grew in power, we almost dominated this world.” He pointed up at the sky and scoffed. “Someone didn’t want us to monopolize everything, so they sent so-called gods to restrain us.”
“People from the Outer Heavens?” Xu Zimo asked.
“Have you heard of the Ten God Bloodlines?” Bone Demon asked.
Xu Zimo nodded. When Heaven’s Equal Emperor had taught him the Heaven-Shattering God-Scripture, he had mentioned the Ten Primordial God-Scriptures and the Ten God Bloodlines.
“The ones sent to restrain us this time were from one of the Ten God Bloodlines, the Samsara God Bloodline,” Bone Demon said. “At first, both sides were evenly matched. But we were just remnants with no reinforcements. The gods, on the other hand, had endless support. Millions of years ago, we realized we’d eventually be worn down. So Lord Seven-Face launched a world-shattering war.”
“The end of the God-Demon Era,” Xu Zimo murmured. “And then?”
“I failed. The demon army was completely wiped out. But we almost annihilated the Samsara Bloodline as well,” Bone Demon said with pain.
“Lord Seven-Face fought the Godly Monarch to the death in the God Valley. He killed the Godly Monarch, but vanished himself.”
“Maybe... I know where he is,” Xu Zimo said.
“You do, my Lord?” Bone Demon looked up, face full of excitement.
“It’s just a guess. Needs to be verified,” Xu Zimo replied.
“Is there anyone else from the Demon Race left in this battlefield?”
“Probably not. At most, maybe a few remnants,” Bone Demon answered.
“Remnants, meaning the offspring of demons and regular humans?” Xu Zimo guessed.
“Yes. But their blood is too thin. After generations of dilution, they eventually disappear,” Bone Demon said. “Unless one day they manage to awaken their ancestral blood, but that’s incredibly rare.”
As they spoke, the two walked down White Bone Mountain.
Below the mountain, the onlookers were still waiting. Jiu You among them, all wondering what had happened.
Bone Demon stayed hidden in his black cloak.
When they saw Xu Zimo walking down casually with a cloaked stranger, the crowd erupted in noise.
“Where are the others?”
“Don’t tell me they all died? And this guy got everything?”
“Maybe. I better report this to the sect.”
Ignoring the noise, Xu Zimo said to Bone Demon, “Kill everyone except that woman.”
Bone Demon nodded. As they descended White Bone Mountain, Bone Demon lifted his head. His hawk-like eyes surged with black demonic energy. With a wave of his hand, the entire mountain trembled.
Countless bones separated from the mountain, forming bone arrows that shot toward the crowd.
The arrows were fast, infused with demonic energy. Tens of thousands of them rained down like a storm, impossible to dodge.
“Ahhh…”
Agonized screams erupted below.
Corpses were pinned to the ground, skulls pierced through. Some were riddled with so many arrows they looked like pin cushions.
Only Jiu You remained standing in shock.
“Let’s go,” Xu Zimo said as he passed her.
Jiu You snapped out of it and turned to see Feng Changnian and the others, all dead beyond saving.
“Why did you kill even them? We at least crossed paths,” she asked in disbelief.
“You said it yourself, just a passing acquaintance. Why take it so seriously?” Xu Zimo replied with a smile.
“So this is what it means to be a Demon?” Jiu You stood frozen, eyes locked onto Xu Zimo.
“Don’t talk to me in that tone,” Xu Zimo stopped and looked at her coldly.
With a wave of his hand, Jiu You was flung backward, slamming into White Bone Mountain.
“I hate that tone the most. What is a demon? Once something gets labeled, it’s condemned without question. Demons have good and evil, just like anyone. Morality is decided in a single thought.”
Xu Zimo walked forward, grabbed Jiu You by the collar, and lifted her up.
The noon sun shone from above, catching the strands of her long black hair in its light.
Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.
“I think you need to get your priorities straight. These people came to my Demon Race’s tomb with bad intentions, seeking our treasures and disturbing our peace. That’s why I killed them. Of all the people who stood beneath this mountain, how many were truly innocent? How many didn’t come with greed? They invade our tomb, and that’s okay? I kill them, and I’m wrong? What the hell kind of logic is that?”
Xu Zimo added calmly, “Isn’t it ironic? You’re a so-called God, yet you still need me, a Demon, to avenge your parents.”
He tossed Jiu You aside and walked out of the tomb.
“If you want revenge, take me to God Valley. If not, we part ways here.”
Jiu You watched his silhouette slowly disappear. Her eyes flickered, lost in thought.
“My Lord, are you really going to spare her?” Bone Demon asked softly, following behind.
“If she doesn’t follow before we leave the tomb, kill her,” Xu Zimo said flatly. “She knows too much. If she won’t follow, she’s meaningless.”
Just as Xu Zimo was almost out of sight, Jiu You suddenly staggered to her feet and ran after him.
“Wait, I’ll take you,” she shouted.
She wiped the blood from her lips and hurried to catch up.
“Changed your mind?” Xu Zimo asked.
“I... I just want revenge,” Jiu You said after a moment’s silence.