Chapter 10 A Desolate Land

"It truly is desolate." Xu Jingming looked at a ruined village in the distance.

The world of Subduing Demons was vast. Cheng'an Prefecture alone spanned two to three thousand *li*. Apart from the densely populated prefectural and county seats, the areas outside the cities were sparsely populated, with vast stretches of land often devoid of people.

"The Chen family complained about being miserable, but these rural villages are truly tragic." Xu Jingming looked at the dilapidated village before him. "Bandit raids can wipe out an entire village. The descent of a demon can also obliterate a village, and famine can do the same.

"To escape this tragic fate, one must find a way to move into the city."

"The world's officialdom is completely forcing the original inhabitants! Forcing them to practice martial arts!"

Xu Jingming was well aware that while some wealthy families enjoyed pleasure and happiness, waking up in reality revealed that they had wasted decades. However, if some original inhabitants living in poverty could diligently practice martial arts for decades and gain entry, they would awaken in reality as a cosmic lifeform with thousands of years of lifespan.

"This village was destroyed by a demon."

Xu Jingming walked closer and activated his Third Eye between his brows, observing the entire village. He could see skeletons everywhere, almost all of them remarkably intact, showing no signs of fatal injuries.

"There are truly many demons in the world of Subduing Demons." Xu Jingming looked up at the mountains ahead. "According to the intelligence, there's a Dongming Mountain ahead.

"Within Cheng'an Prefecture, there are dozens of Dongming Mountains. As long as one ascends a Dongming Mountain, one will surely find a demon! But how many dare to do so?"

With a single step, Xu Jingming transformed into starlight and traversed the land.

Other Subduing Demons generally did not dare to directly ascend Dongming Mountain!

To do so required not only sufficient strength but also courage and determination. Many fourth and fifth realm Subduing Demons had many concerns and were unwilling to provoke a large-scale war with Dongming Mountain.

Moreover, those fourth and fifth realm Subduing Demons didn't have the guts to refine a Di Mo (Earth Demon) with their minds.

Because once the mind was injured, the price was too severe.

But Xu Jingming dared!

Because even if he was injured, the *Guangxian Pian Guanxiang Fa* (Light Visualization Technique) allowed him to recover in a relatively short time. Moreover, having passed the trials of the mysterious land, it was not easy to injure his mind.

"I came to the world of Subduing Demons to temper my mind. Cheng'an Prefecture is just the beginning." Xu Jingming understood this point. "Since I have confidence, then I must advance bravely and diligently!"

As an outer member of the 'Yuanchu Research Institute,' one of the three strongest forces of humanity in the universe, and with the *Guangxian Pian* lineage, if he were to be timid and hesitant even when refining a few Di Mo (Earth Demons), when would he ever become a Source lifeform?

Whoosh.

The starlight traversed the mountains and forests, quickly arriving at the foot of Dongming Mountain, where Xu Jingming's figure appeared.

"Another Dongming Mountain. Let's begin." Xu Jingming stepped onto the mountain path, each step taking him a hundred meters forward.

"Come, cheers!" "Drink!"

On Dongming Mountain, two figures were drinking merrily.

"Brother Chang, I heard you've taken another concubine. Is this your 32nd?" A thin man said with a smile.

"This is the 39th. Your information is outdated." The burly man laughed heartily. "In the Qingyu Mountain area, all the surrounding three hundred villages have to listen to me. I don't like killing people, I just like being a bridegroom. I'm already very benevolent."

"You capture any woman with a decent appearance. I'm just wondering, taking ten or eight concubines would be about enough. But you? You keep marrying concubines, replacing them as they die." The thin man shook his head. "Don't you find it annoying to do this kind of thing so much?"

"Annoying? This kind of thing is very interesting." The burly man's eyes shone with excitement. "It's so great to be a demon. When I was alive, I never touched a woman, but after death..."

*Boom! Boom!*

Two streaks of black and white lightning descended, not intertwining but striking the two demons who were chatting and drinking, instantly reducing them to nothingness, leaving behind only two wisps of Natal Demonic Qi.

"Collect." Xu Jingming held a black jade bottle and collected the two wisps of Natal Demonic Qi into the bottle.

Xu Jingming's Third Eye was already open, and he looked up towards the mountaintop. "There are so many demons on this Dongming Mountain? This is the Dongming Mountain with the most demons I've encountered in my months of hunting.

"Then I'll try my best to catch the big fish." Xu Jingming used his divine power, the Third Eye, to search for the big fish among them.

Inside a pavilion on the mountaintop.

"Master, in recent months, that Subduing Demon Wu Ming has been too crazy." An old woman said anxiously, "He actually left the prefectural city to hunt down Di Mo (Earth Demons). He's terrified the Di Mo (Earth Demons) in Cheng'an Prefecture, and none of them dare to stay in their lairs."

Originally, many Di Mo (Earth Demons) occupied a territory and were renowned for their power.

But Xu Jingming followed the intelligence and killed them one by one!

Mainly because at his current level, refining Ren Mo (Human Demons) was of little help, so he mainly targeted Di Mo (Earth Demons)! He had only killed three Di Mo (Earth Demons), and it had frightened the other Di Mo (Earth Demons) into hiding.

"The Di Mo (Earth Demons) have left their residences and gone into hiding," the old woman said. "This Wu Ming simply attacked one Dongming Mountain after another. According to the latest intelligence, he has already attacked seven Dongming Mountains."

"I know."

A woman in red sighed softly. "In recent months, he has killed five messengers of Dongming Mountain and two Di Mo (Earth Demons) who had not joined Dongming Mountain, a total of seven Di Mo (Earth Demons). Counting Qinghu Demon God and the patrolling city envoy Zhang Xiu, that's a total of nine Di Mo (Earth Demons)."

"He's simply crazy. He completely disregards our Dongming Mountain," the old woman said urgently. "We must severely punish and deter him, otherwise these Subduing Demons will go mad, and it will be complete chaos."

Subduing Demons wanted to refine demons.

But demons had their own obsessions and were not very willing to fight the Subduing Demons head-on.

"He can kill Qinghu Demon God. In the entire Cheng'an Prefecture, only the Mountain Lord is capable of eliminating him." The woman in red shook her head. "You also know that we've written three letters to the Mountain Lord, and he hasn't paid any attention to them."

"The Mountain Lord is not concerned about us?" The old woman asked, "The Mountain Lord entrusted all the affairs of Dongming Mountain to you, Master. At a critical moment, the Mountain Lord should step forward."

"He probably doesn't care about the deaths of a few Di Mo (Earth Demons)," the woman in red said helplessly.

She was one of the Demon Gods the Dongming Mountain Lord trusted relatively the most, and had always managed the affairs of Cheng'an Prefecture, but she could not influence the Mountain Lord's decisions.

*Boom! Boom!*

A low, rumbling sound rang out.

The woman in red and the old woman were both startled. They could both sense the power of the most yang and most masculine lightning.

"It's the Subduing Demon!" As soon as they rushed out of the pavilion, they saw from afar that a young man wearing a starlight robe had arrived. He had a vertical eye between his brows, which had already locked onto the woman in red.

"Such strong Demonic Qi. Are you the Xuyi Mo Shen (Blood-Clad Demon God), one of the Four Great Demon Gods?" Xu Jingming's voice rang out.

"Four Great Demon Gods?" The woman in red's eyes twitched. It was clearly five Great Demon Gods a few months ago, but because of the Subduing Demon before her, it had become four.

"Subduing Demon Wu Ming, retreat immediately, otherwise I will report to the Mountain Lord. When the Mountain Lord personally takes action against you, it will be too late for regrets," the woman in red said coldly.

"I've killed so many Di Mo (Earth Demons). Doesn't the Dongming Mountain Lord know?" Xu Jingming asked in surprise.

The woman in red's face was unsightly.

Of course she had reported it long ago, but the Mountain Lord had not cared.

"Humph."

Accompanied by a cold snort, a red light shot out from the woman in red's sleeve, shooting towards Xu Jingming.

"Withdraw from Dongming Mountain." The woman in red ordered her subordinate demons at the same time as she launched a sneak attack. Of course, before the Xuyi Mo Shen (Blood-Clad Demon God) gave the order, many demons had already begun to hide far away.

Buzz!!!

An extremely vast golden net completely enveloped the entire mountain. Those who were quick escaped the range of the net, but nearly half were enveloped by the golden net.

Divine power 'Tian Luo Di Wang' (Heavenly Net, Earthly Web), after several months, had long reached the minor success stage. Its power was much stronger than when he had dealt with Qinghu Demon God.

*Chi la, chi la.*

Enveloped by the golden net, some weak demons turned into ashes as if they were being burned as soon as they touched the net, leaving behind only wisps of Natal Demonic Qi.

Only the woman in red and a burly black man struggled in the golden net. The 'red light' that had originally been used for a sneak attack was also bound by the net, revealing its original form, which was a hairpin.

"Break for me." The woman in red drew her sword from her waist and slashed at the golden net, but it only caused some damage to the ropes. As for the other burly black man, he was completely bound by the ropes and unable to move.

"How is this possible?" The woman in red couldn't believe it. She instantly slashed her sword several times, finally cutting off a rope, but the rope was completely restored as starlight flowed.

Xu Jingming held a spear and first stabbed the burly black man who had just reached the Di Mo (Earth Demon) realm to death, and then killed the woman in red.

"Master is finished."

The old woman, who had fled fast enough, had just turned into mist and escaped from the mountain when a huge golden net descended, covering the entire mountain.

Seeing the demons enveloped by the golden net dying one after another, and even the woman in red falling into a desperate situation, the old woman was a little afraid.

"Escape, escape, escape."

The old woman and the other demons fled in all directions.

"Why is this net so difficult to deal with?" The woman in red slashed open the rope several times again, only to encounter Xu Jingming coming to kill her with his spear.

Boom!

While coming to kill with his spear, four-colored lightning intertwined in the sky, directly striking the woman in red, severely injuring her body.

"What?" The woman in red was shocked and angry.

The previous intelligence said that Subduing Demon 'Wu Ming's most powerful skill was close combat spear techniques, and he had killed Qinghu Demon God with a spear weapon. But this time, whether it was the golden net or the power of the lightning techniques, they were beyond imagination.

"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"

Accompanied by the binding of the golden net, four-colored lightning struck furiously. The woman in red struggled to support herself, already severely injured.

"If you kill me, the Mountain Lord will definitely avenge me." The woman in red waved her sword to resist the spear, while transmitting her voice and roaring angrily.

*Pfft.*

The spear showed no mercy and still pierced into the woman in red's chest.

Terrifying lightning erupted! Over the months, Xu Jingming had already imprinted the 'Five Thunderbolts Fired Simultaneously' rune on the spear. With this strike, the five thunderbolts were fired simultaneously! Completely annihilating the woman in red's Demonic body, leaving behind only a wisp of Natal Demonic Qi.

"The Mountain Lord will definitely avenge you? I'm even afraid he's been hiding all along." Xu Jingming took out the black jade bottle and collected all the wisps of Natal Demonic Qi on this mountain.

This Dongming Mountain lair, which controlled all the demons in Cheng'an Prefecture, was flattened by Xu Jingming.

The Xuyi Mo Shen (Blood-Clad Demon God) was dead! Nearly half of the demons died, and the other demons fled in panic.

In a large mansion in the prefectural city.

The old woman sat in the hall, feeling sad and despairing.

"In Cheng'an Prefecture, when did our demons fall to such a state? Being hunted down one after another by a Subduing Demon, and the Mountain Lord has been ignoring our life and death."

The old woman thought.

"Madam Liao," a plump man comforted, "We've done what we should, and you've reported the news to the Mountain Lord! As for how to deal with this Subduing Demon Wu Ming, it's up to the Mountain Lord's decision."

"Master is dead."

The old woman shook her head. "Now that two of the five Great Demon Gods are dead, the Mountain Lord still doesn't care."

Whoosh.

A figure appeared silently.

The old woman and the plump man were startled, looking at the black-clothed man in front of them.

"Mountain Lord." The old woman was overjoyed and respectfully saluted.

The plump man also saluted: "Greetings, Mountain Lord."

"Red Sleeve Envoy, is what you wrote in your letter true?" Wang Cheng said calmly, "Your master, is she really dead?"

"Yes, I escaped several *li* away, and when I looked back, I saw Master being pierced through the chest by Subduing Demon Wu Ming with a spear, her Demonic body annihilated. At that time, I could only do my best to flee for my life," the old woman said. "I was just thinking about reporting everything to the Mountain Lord."

"Little Guan is also dead." Wang Cheng was silent for a moment.

He had also had a relationship with the Xuyi Mo Shen (Blood-Clad Demon God) Guan Muyu, and with his support, the Xuyi Mo Shen (Blood-Clad Demon God) could truly manage the entire Dongming Mountain.

"Where is Subduing Demon Wu Ming now?" Wang Cheng said indifferently, but his calm tone had a sense of oppression that made the old woman and the plump man shudder.

"Reporting to the Mountain Lord," the plump man said, "I have also been collecting information about Subduing Demon Wu Ming, but he has not appeared in the prefectural city in the past three months."

"He should have been outside the city all along," the old woman also said. "His footprints are all over the thousand *li* around the prefectural city."

Wang Cheng frowned slightly.

"Always track down Wu Ming's whereabouts," Wang Cheng instructed, "Once you confirm where he is, report it immediately."

"Yes," the old woman and the plump man responded in unison. *Whoosh.*

Wang Cheng disappeared silently in the house.

He appeared in the sky above the prefectural city. In the dark night, Wang Cheng looked down at the entire city, his eyes dark and cold. "I feel that I am angry. I haven't had this emotion for a long time. I have a feeling that if my obsession absorbs strong emotions, I should be able to take it a step further and break through to become a Tian Mo (Heavenly Demon)!"

"The will of the world in the dark tells me that as long as I become a Tian Mo (Heavenly Demon), it will be a transformation of my life." Wang Cheng carefully looked at the locations of the top Subduing Demons in the city, and then disappeared silently.

Xu Jingming had indeed not returned to the prefectural city. In fact, after mentally refining the 'Xuyi Mo Shen (Blood-Clad Demon God),' Xu Jingming went offline.

There were two ways to go offline. One was for the intelligent system to control the physical body, allowing it to speak and act normally, but without being able to cast spells. The second was to disappear completely! When the original inhabitants did not discover it, it was possible to disappear completely and go offline.

At this moment, Xu Jingming had completely disappeared and left.

"After joining the Yuanchu Research Institute for a year, I am finally about to break through to the eighth level." Xu Jingming was also full of joy, and naturally put down the world of Subduing Demons and devoted himself to the breakthrough.