Rescue...

The already rugged Western Oxhorn Continent now appeared even more untamed.

Mountain-dwelling demons seemed to have sprouted overnight across this land where the people were already fierce by nature.

Chaos had arrived in the blink of an eye.

The Buddhist sects, who regarded most of the Western Oxhorn Continent as their exclusive domain, for some reason turned a blind eye to this devastation.

Whether it was because the majority of their forces were preoccupied hunting down the Evil Spirit Sect, or because they actually wanted the continent to descend into chaos—this remained a matter of speculation.

Most Buddhist sects only protected their immediate territories, with only a few temples sending out disciples to tend to the common folk left in misery and ruin.

Yet their efforts were pitifully weak, like a dying candle flame on the verge of being snuffed out in the darkness.

Most would never feel the faintest glow of that fragile light.

The Western Oxhorn Continent had always been a savage land. The great calamity of the past had truly shattered this region, and after the Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect carved up its spiritual veins, this wounded land had long been branded a wasteland in the mouths of outsiders.

The scarcity of spiritual energy also ensured that the cultivators here were few and weak in power.

With the Buddhists indifferent and the cultivators struggling for their own survival, the hoes in the hands of mortals seemed all the more laughable in the eyes of demons.

Xu Jin stood in the air, his divine sense sweeping across the surroundings.

Wherever scattered demonic beasts had passed, not even bones remained.

The dried yellow clay houses still stood, but no people dwelled within.

Beside Xu Jin, a young man with fury in his eyes gnashed his teeth and said:

"Senior Brother, what exactly are the Buddhists scheming? What kind of twisted plan involves tormenting mortals like this? They preach compassion while slaughtering without restraint—utterly despicable!"

"Jing Qing, calm yourself," Xu Jin replied, glancing at his junior brother. "The sect has already sent word—those demonic beasts resonate with the demon crystals shared by Chu Xingchen."

"Demonic beasts lack intelligence, driven only by bloodlust and slaughter. They must have been incited."

"This is the work of demonic forces. It seems our last encounter forced them into desperation, and now they seek to stir chaos here to divert our attention."

"Demonic beasts have no wit, so we cannot use this to implicate the Buddhists."

Jing Qing's face remained dark with anger as he spat coldly:

"If the entire Buddhist order is complicit in this willful ignorance, then perhaps they’ve all fallen to the demons! If the Buddhists don’t want the Western Oxhorn Continent, then we’ll take it. If they won’t govern, we will!"

"Or better yet, storm their temples and drag those so-called Buddhas down to see for themselves—is this the human realm or hell?"

Xu Jin sighed inwardly at Jing Qing’s bluntness, but he kept this junior brother by his side not just for his combat prowess, but because he was obedient.

Even if his own desires ran contrary to Xu Jin’s orders, Jing Qing would carry them out without hesitation.

Xu Jin had intended to soothe his hotheaded junior with a few reassuring words, but as his gaze fell upon the dried bloodstains staining the abandoned clay huts below, the words died in his throat.

"Let’s move ahead and see if we can gather more information," Xu Jin said sharply. "I don’t care if the Buddhists are truly innocent—this matter will be laid at their feet!"

At these words, Jing Qing looked at his senior brother with admiration.

Xu Jin led Jing Qing toward the most likely place to find answers—Huangliang City.

Along the way, they encountered scattered demonic beasts, none of which they spared.

As a Unity-stage cultivator, Xu Jin covered the distance swiftly. When his divine sense finally reached Huangliang City, he breathed a sigh of relief—there were still survivors.

Once, Huangliang City had not been opulent, but in a place like the Western Oxhorn Continent, it had been prosperous—a vital hub for trade and commerce.

Its population had far exceeded that of other regions.

Now, however, the city gates were tightly shut. Dark, dried bloodstains were everywhere, and the rotting corpses of demonic beasts littered the outskirts—but no human remains were in sight.

Xu Jin’s concealed divine sense probed further, revealing a few Foundation Establishment cultivators standing atop the walls, keeping watch.

Cultivators often carried an air of arrogance and looked down upon mortals, but when true calamity struck, even the proudest among them understood the duty of protecting their own kind.

Xu Jin felt a flicker of relief, but he did not reveal himself. Instead, he and Jing Qing slipped into the city unnoticed.

If Xu Jin exposed his presence now, it would spell disaster for this already precarious stronghold.

Inside, Huangliang City was a scene of desolation.

Xu Jin had come with a clear purpose—to find someone.

A Unity-stage cultivator needed no elaborate stealth techniques; simple spells were enough to evade detection by anyone below the Golden Core stage.

His divine sense swept through the city, and soon, he located his target.

In a dilapidated house, Xu Jin pushed open the door with Jing Qing at his side.

His gaze fell upon Lizhi, half-seated on a wooden bed, her body wrapped in yellow linen bandages serving as makeshift dressings.

Lizhi, still unaware of the two figures at her door, stared blankly at the broken window.

Her bandages bore both dried and fresh blood, the latter dripping slowly from her fingertips.

Her once fair left cheek now bore a festering scar, dark red and unhealed.

Seeing her like this, Xu Jin understood—this girl, who had once been full of laughter and energy, was now waiting for death.

Lizhi was a Foundation Establishment cultivator. At her age, reaching this stage in the Western Oxhorn Continent marked her as exceptionally talented.

A cultivator at this level could survive even a pierced heart and still remain lively, let alone chat casually.

What truly frightened cultivators was not brute force, but the lingering, insidious effects that followed—whether spiritual energy, intent, or the most primal of poisons.

Those were the real terrors.

Ordinary fatal wounds were little more than scratches to most cultivators.

Yet here was Lizhi, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, resigned to death—meaning her injuries ran deeper, tainted by some sinister force.

Xu Jin had sought out Lizhi not because he trusted her, but because Chu Xingchen did.

But seeing her in this state…

In lighter terms, one could say—Chu Xingchen hadn’t misjudged her.

Xu Jin stepped forward, his voice calm.

"Lizhi, it’s been a while. Do you remember me?"

Her vacant gaze shifted slowly, as if driven by instinct alone. Only when her eyes settled on Xu Jin did a flicker of recognition stir within them.

She soon recognized him, her cracked lips parting soundlessly.

Xu Jin approached, retrieving a healing pill from his ring to place in her mouth.

But Lizhi raised a bandaged hand and grasped his wrist.

The grip was feeble, yet carried an inexplicable weight.

Her once bright eyes were now dry and red-rimmed as she rasped:

"Save… save…"

"Them…"