Old Chen Changyan's gaze turned distant, his voice heavy with memory.
"A hundred years ago, I was not yet ten, but that demonic catastrophe... I remember it as if it were yesterday."
He looked again at the grisly heads in the cellar and muttered:
"Fortunately, this little fiend dared not cause chaos in the city. He only murdered dozens in secret.Had he found the chance to slaughter thousands and forge a true demonic artifact, even a late-stage Qi cultivator might not have stopped him."
Chen Nianzhi listened quietly, his eyes faintly glinting with killing intent.This one incident was enough to remind him — such hidden demons were like rot beneath the surface.So long as the Chen clan stood strong, they dared not act.But once the clan weakened, these parasites would rise from the shadows to strike — and when that happened, it would be the ordinary people of the Chen bloodline who suffered first.
Throughout history, countless cultivation families had perished this way: betrayed in decline, their mortal roots destroyed, their spirit veins seized.Without that foundation, a clan crumbled into scattered cultivators, lost to time.
"It seems," Chen Nianzhi murmured, "that our decision to root them out early… was the only right choice."
After searching the demon's house and finding no more clues, the group returned to the city square.
The inspections continued.Two more days passed quietly—until another demonic cultivator revealed himself.
This time, it wasn't the detection that exposed him; it was fear.Summoned for questioning, the man panicked, killed the messenger outright, and tried to flee.But the protective formation of Pingyang City had long since been sealed.Not even a Foundation Establishment cultivator could escape now.
Fourth Elder Chen Qingyuan personally intervened, his spirit weapon flashing, cutting the fiend down at the city's edge.
After that, peace returned — for a while.
The Gathering in the Dark
Several nights later, within a hidden courtyard, five black-robed figures met in secret.A heavy silence hung in the air.
"It's clear," one of them said grimly, "the Chen clan truly means to wipe us out. There's no path left but blood.""Sitting here waiting to die is useless. We strike first — that's our only chance."
The speaker was a handsome man with crimson gleaming faintly in his pupils — Han Mo, a Qi-training cultivator at the eighth layer.The others eyed him warily.
One sneered.
"Han Mo, your master is the old demon Zhang. Don't tell me he has no way to get us out of this?Or are you planning to use us as your cannon fodder?"
At the name of Zhang the Old Demon, the others stiffened.That name was infamous across Yu Prefecture — a ruthless Foundation Establishment demon cultivator from the Cave of Ten Thousand Demons, a man known for deceit and cruelty.
Han Mo fell silent for a moment before answering.
"Even my master didn't expect the Chen clan to act so decisively. His own blood son — Senior Brother Zhang's heir — was sacrificed after killing thousands of mortals, and the Chen elders cut him down nonetheless.I'm only a registered disciple. I have no secret escape arts. The only way to survive now is to fight our way out together."
He paused, then added quickly, unwilling to sound weak:
"But don't worry. By now, my master must have sensed what's happened.If we strike tonight, break the city's barrier from within, he'll shatter it from outside — and we'll live."
The others exchanged uneasy glances.Doubt lingered, but with no better plan, they could only grit their teeth and agree.
"Then it's settled. We strike at midnight."
Midnight Assault
At the heart of Pingyang City, twenty cultivators sat cross-legged around the glowing formation, maintaining the city's defense array.
Suddenly, Grand Elder Chen Qingxu's eyes snapped open. His pupils gleamed like steel.
"Who's there?"
A faint hiss cut through the air — swish, swish, swish!Dark lights streaked from the shadows — demonic artifacts launched without warning!
The Grand Elder reacted instantly, his spirit blade flashing across the darkness, deflecting the strongest strike.Sparks burst like fireflies in the night.
The attack caught them off guard, but the Chen cultivators were no novices.Within moments, spells and weapons filled the courtyard, clashing with the intruders in a storm of light and shadow.
Though sudden, the ambush failed to gain the upper hand.Only one defender was seriously wounded before the Chen clan regained formation.
Seeing his chance slipping away, Han Mo grit his teeth, pulled a blood-red blade from his sleeve — and spat a mouthful of essence blood onto it.
The weapon trembled, screaming like a living thing.
The Blood-Forging Demon Blade.
Forged by the Old Demon Zhang from Thousand-Year Scarlet Iron, it was still only an embryo — but once complete, it would become a top-tier second-grade demonic treasure, needing the blood of ten thousand mortals to awaken fully.
Cruel and domineering, once finished it could cut down ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators in a single stroke, draining them to a husk.
The Old Demon had given it to Han Mo, ordering him to find a chance to "feed" it within Pingyang's walls.Too wary of the Chen clan's Fiery Sun Formation, the old monster hadn't dared come himself — instead, he used his disciple as the blade's vessel.
Now, desperate and cornered, Han Mo burned his life essence to unleash its embryonic power.
"Not good!" shouted the Grand Elder. "A second-tier demonic artifact!""I'll activate the Fiery Sun Divine Array — hold it off for a moment!"
The defenders threw themselves forward, buying him time.Even unfinished, the Blood-Forging Demon Blade radiated terrifying might.
With a single swing, first-tier spirit weapons shattered like glass; even high-grade artifacts were sent flying with cracks running through them.Three Chen cultivators fell where they stood — cut clean in half, their blood instantly drawn into the blade.
A Clash of Gold and Blood
From a side hall, Chen Nianzhi burst forth, golden light already flashing around him.His Golden Edge Blade met the Blood-Forging Blade in midair —and was flung aside like a toy, its edge dented and dim.
He clenched his teeth, pain flickering in his eyes, and sent out his second weapon — the Azure Leaf Sword — this time not at the blade, but straight at Han Mo's head.
The move worked.Forced onto the defensive, Han Mo swung his demonic blade back toward the oncoming sword.
The two weapons collided with a blinding flash.The Azure Leaf Sword fell, its radiance fading, spirit dimmed and nearly broken — but Chen Nianzhi had bought them the moment they needed.