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"I swear to follow my lord to the death," the White Bone Demon promptly bowed and said reverently.
"Let the Seven-Faced Lotus stay here for Lord of the Seven Faces to come and take it himself," Xu Zimei said.
"Do not bother with it anymore, if anyone dares to take it, exterminate their entire lineage."
"At your command," the White Bone Demon nodded in response.
The grand doors of the White Bone Hall closed once again as the White Bone Demon, wrapped in his expansive black robe, followed Xu Zimei out.
As they passed by that bridge, the White Bone Demon gently patted the sleek head of the Demon Claw Octopus and said, "Guard this place and wait for the arrival of Lord of the Seven Faces."
"Why would you be in this world?" Xu Zimei inquired.
"Back when the Zhouze Era ended in destruction, some of our Demon Race perished within that destruction, while others were scattered to different worlds," explained the White Bone Demon.
"From the moment we awoke once more, we have been here."
"Tell me about the Divine Race, I am quite curious," Xu Zimei asked.
"What Divine Race, nothing but petty beings," scoffed the White Bone Demon.
"Under the leadership of Lord of the Seven Faces, we remnants of the Demon Race swiftly gained in strength and almost managed to alert this world.
The White Bone Demon pointed at the firmament above and snorted, "Someone didn’t want to see us dominate alone and decided to send their so-called divinities to hold us back."
"The people from Heaven Beyond Heavens?" asked Xu Zimei.
"Has my lord heard of the Ten Great Divine Veins?" the White Bone Demon inquired.
Xu Zimei nodded. When Emperor Qitian passed on the Heaven-shaking Skill to him, he also spoke of the Ten Great Divine Methods and the Ten Great Divine Veins.
"The ones who came to restrain us should belong to one of the Ten Great Divine Veins, probably the people of the Reincarnation Divine Vein," said the White Bone Demon.
"Originally, the strength of both sides was comparable, but the Demon Horde here are merely remnants with no reinforcements.
Given that the Divine Race possessed an endless supply of reinforcements, we knew that sooner or later we would wear out against them over a few tens of millions of years.
Thus, Lord of the Seven Faces launched a war that brought about destruction to the heavens and earth."
"The close of the Divine-Demon Era, huh," mused Xu Zimei, then asked, "What happened next?"
"I am ashamed to say that the Demonic Horde was annihilated, but we nearly wiped out those from the Reincarnation Divine Vein as well," the White Bone Demon replied in agony.
"Lord of the Seven Faces and the Divine King fought their final battle, ending with the Divine King slain within the Divine Valley, while he himself vanished without a trace."
"Perhaps, I know where he might be," Xu Zimei said.
"My lord knows?" The White Bone Demon swiftly looked up, his face showing some excitement.
"It is merely a conjecture at this point, which still needs verification," Xu Zimei said.
"Are there any survivors of the Demon Race left on the Divine Demon Battlefield?"
"I doubt it, what might be left are likely just some remnants," the White Bone Demon replied.
"The remnants would be the offspring of the Demon Race mixing with ordinary people, right?" guessed Xu Zimei.
"Correct, yet their bloodlines are too weak and with each passing generation, they will eventually fade into nothing," the White Bone Demon explained.
"Unless there is an opportunity for them to revert to their ancestors, but that is highly unlikely."
As they conversed, they had already walked beyond White Bone Mountain.
At the foot of the mountain, those who had come to spectate had not yet dispersed, including Jiuyou, all waiting for the outcome.
The White Bone Demon, clad in a black robe, concealed himself perfectly within it.
When the crowd below saw Xu Zimei and a man in a black robe leisurely descending, they immediately erupted into buzzing chatter.
"Where are the others?"
"Could it be that they’re all dead, leaving this fellow to reap the rewards?"
"It’s possible; I must report back to the Sect Gate quickly."
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Xu Zimei paid no heed to the clamor below as he said to the White Bone Demon, "Spare the woman, kill all the others."
The White Bone Demon nodded, and the two descended from White Bone Mountain at that moment.
The White Bone Demon raised his head, his hawk-like eyes swirling with black and Demonic Qi. With a sweep of his hands, White Bone Mountain began to tremble.
Countless white bones detached from the mountain, transforming into bone arrows that flew towards the people, slaying them.
The bone arrows moved with incredible speed, accompanied by surges of Demonic Qi. There were almost ten thousand of them, covering the sky and leaving no room to escape.
"Aaah..."
Screams of agony rose from below.
The corpses of innumerable people were pinned to the ground, bone arrows piercing through their heads. Some had their bodies densely riddled with bone arrows.
Only Jiuyou remained, standing dazedly on the spot.
"Let’s go," said Xu Zimei as he walked past Jiuyou.
Jiuyou came to her senses, turned her head to look at Feng Changnian and the other two, who were already dead beyond any doubt.
"Why kill them too? After all, it was a chance encounter," Jiuyou asked, puzzled.
"You said it yourself, it was just a chance encounter. Why care so much?" Xu Zimei said with a smile.
"Is this what it means to be Demonic?" Jiuyou stood still, staring intently at Xu Zimei.
"Don’t speak to me in that tone," Xu Zimei stopped, looking indifferently at Jiuyou.
With a wave of his right hand, Jiuyou’s body was sent flying and crashed against the nearby White Bone Mountain.
"I hate that tone of yours. What is the Demon? Since ancient times, once you label something, it gets trapped in a point of no return.
Demons too have their good and bad sides, and good and evil are separated by a single thought."
Xu Zimei stepped forward, grabbed Jiuyou by the collar, and hoisted her up.
The noonday sun shone down from the sky, making Jiuyou’s black hair gleam in the light.
Blood from the corner of her mouth trickled down bit by bit.
"You need to understand the sequence of events. It’s these people who came to the Demon Race Ancestral Cemetery with ulterior motives, desiring to covet the treasures of the Demon Race and disturb the peace. That’s why I killed them.
Standing under White Bone Mountain, who among them is innocent? Which of them came here with no evil intentions?
They are right to come to the Demon Race Ancestral Cemetery, but I am wrong to kill them? What kind of reasoning is that?"
Xu Zimei indifferently said, "Don’t you find it ironic? A Great Saint like you, seeking to avenge your parents, but you’re asking me for help with your revenge."
After he spoke, Xu Zimei tossed Jiuyou aside and walked straight out of the cemetery.
"If you want to avenge your parents, take me to Divine Valley; if not, let’s part ways here."
Watching Xu Zimei’s figure receding into the distance, Jiuyou’s gaze flickered, as if pondering something.
"Master, are you truly going to let her go?" the White Bone Demon followed closely and asked softly.
"If she doesn’t follow me by the time I leave this cemetery, kill her," Xu Zimei said indifferently.
"She knows too much. If she won’t follow me, she serves no purpose."
As Xu Zimei’s figure grew more distant, Jiuyou suddenly struggled to her feet and sprinted after Xu Zimei.
"Wait, I’ll take you," Jiuyou shouted.
She wiped the blood from her mouth and quickly kept pace with Xu Zimei.
"Have you thought it through?" Xu Zimei asked.
"I... I just want to get revenge," Jiuyou replied after a moment’s silence.
