Passing through the array passage, Yang Hong appeared in mid-air over Guangyou Island.
He looked back the way he came, the sapphire-blue array barrier slowly dissipating.
The people of Guangyou Island had recognized his strength and surrendered.
"Fellow Daoist Yang, Ni Zhennan offers his respects."
Without making Yang Hong wait, an old man with a youthful countenance, his hair like frost and his face like jade, arrived on his sword. He stopped before Yang Hong and bowed respectfully.
"Fellow Daoist Ni, Yang Hong offers his respects."
Seeing the man perform the orthodox human ritual of a cupped-hand bow, Yang Hong's eyes lit up, and he returned the same gesture.
Amongst demons, there was no concept of greetings or bowing; at most, the weak prostrated themselves before the strong.
Only humans possessed various etiquettes and traditions.
Upon witnessing Yang Hong's meticulous adherence to the ritual, a smile bloomed on Ni Zhennan's usually stern face.
In fact, he performed the cupped-hand bow partly to gauge Yang Hong's identity.
"Fellow Daoist Yang, please come this way."
Ni Zhennan politely gestured with his right hand, inviting him forward.
"Fellow Daoist Ni, you first."
Following etiquette, Yang Hong bowed slightly, gesturing with his left hand in return.
He knew that human rituals could also serve to verify one's identity.
Ni Zhennan's smile widened, and he flew forward with a smile.
Yang Hong, meanwhile, kept pace with the "Horizon's End" spell.
When it was time to display his might, Yang Hong would not hold back.
Without further conversation, the two soon arrived at a city by the sea.
With bluestone pavements, red-tiled green roofs, and tall buildings of wood and stone, this city, only about thirty li wide, was entirely human in appearance.
This gave Yang Hong a sense of returning to the Taiyuan Continent.
He secretly resolved to bring back a few cultivators from Guangyou Island on his return, specifically to oversee the construction of the first city.
"Fellow Daoist Yang seems not to have entered a human city for a long time?"
As Yang Hong surveyed the city, Ni Zhennan suddenly spoke.
Yang Hong did not hide his expression, which was naturally noticed by him.
"Yes, let me think about how long it has been.
Hmm~ I have been away from the Great...
Well, away from human cities for fifteen years. How time flies."
Yang Hong fell into reflection for a moment, almost uttering "Great Sui Dynasty."
Fortunately, he corrected himself in time.
However, Ni Zhennan took notice.
"Where do you hail from, Fellow Daoist Yang? I am aware that since a minor migration of demons twenty years ago, there have been no humans within millions of li of Guangyou Island.
All surviving humans have been concentrated on Guangyou Island.
Therefore, I implore you to truthfully disclose your origin."
Ni Zhennan slowed his pace, walking alongside Yang Hong, his gaze fixed intently on him.
His left hand was already hidden within the large sleeves of his robe; if Yang Hong made any move, he would not hesitate to sacrifice the entire city to kill Yang Hong.
"Heh heh~ Fellow Daoist Ni, there is no need to be nervous."
Yang Hong first glanced at Ni Zhennan's hidden left hand before beginning his explanation.
"I believe Fellow Daoist Ni has seen that my cultivation has reached the Golden Core realm, and my true essence is abundant.
"Indeed~ the true essence and magical power of Fellow Daoist Yang are unlike anything this old man has ever witnessed."
Hearing Yang Hong speak of his cultivation, Ni Zhennan was filled with envy. Yang Hong, at the Golden Core realm, possessed true essence fluctuations more powerful than his own late Nascent Soul stage.
Seeing Ni Zhennan nod in acknowledgment, Yang Hong began his deception.
"I was an inner disciple of the Carefree Pavilion on the Taiyuan Continent. Fifteen years ago, during the sect's core disciple assessment,
I accidentally triggered an ancient teleportation array and was sent to the outer regions of the Ten Thousand Demon Islands."
"For the past fifteen years, I have been searching for a way back to the Taiyuan Continent, and also for my human kin.
It was only last year that I encountered humans for the first time."
"Does Fellow Daoist Ni know of Mad Serpent Island?"
At this point, Yang Hong paused, stopping his steps and looking at Ni Zhennan.
"Mad Serpent Island? Fellow Daoist Yang speaks of Mad Serpent Island, over twenty million li to the southeast?
The Mad Serpent Island famous for cooking humans?"
Hearing "Mad Serpent Island," Ni Zhennan's face turned ashen, and his body trembled slightly.
Clearly, Mad Serpent Island left a profound impression on him.
"It seems Fellow Daoist Ni is aware."
Yang Hong nodded inwardly and was about to continue speaking when Ni Zhennan revealed news that stunned Yang Hong and filled him with rage.
"Know it? How could I not know!
For the survival of our Guangyou Island, we sell 100,000 humans to Mad Serpent Island every ten years!"
"What?"
Yang Hong exclaimed, a faint killing intent slowly surfacing. His eyes fixed on Ni Zhennan.
"Does Fellow Daoist know how many spirit stones Mad Serpent Island pays?"
"One, Spiritual, Stone!"
Without Yang Hong needing to ask, Ni Zhennan uttered the price.
"Boom~"
Yang Hong's chilling killing intent erupted completely. The area within a hundred li instantly fell silent, and bone-chilling frost began to burst from Yang Hong, rapidly spreading outwards.
"Fellow Daoist~ Fellow Daoist Yang, please restrain your thunderous wrath for now."
Sensing Yang Hong's killing intent, Ni Zhennan was greatly alarmed, but then a hint of joy.
He could clearly sense that Yang Hong's killing intent was not directed at him or the nearby humans, but at the demons.
This simple action proved that Yang Hong was undoubtedly human.
Only a human who shared their feelings would erupt with such immense killing intent.
And such powerful killing intent also proved Yang Hong's strength.
With such a powerful newcomer joining Guangyou Island, the island's safety would rise to a new level.
He immediately shifted Yang Hong's attention.
"Fellow Daoist Yang, tell me more about Mad Serpent Island."
"Hmph~ What else?
I slaughtered the entire Mad Serpent Island. Not a single transformed demon remained, and all second and third-tier demonic beasts were killed.
When I return this time, I will also kill all the first-tier snake demons and ordinary wild snakes."
"My human race is inviolable!"
The lives of one hundred thousand humans traded for a single spirit stone.
No transaction could be more disgusting an insult to the human race.
Was it not saying that humans were worthless?
And what was the fate of those humans?
Food! Ingredients!
As he thought about it, Yang Hong's suppressed killing intent erupted again, this time directed at Ni Zhennan.
"Give me a reason not to kill you?"
The transaction of one hundred thousand lives for one spirit stone every ten years, how many times had this Ni Zhennan participated in it?
Yang Hong was prepared to risk serious injury to kill this man.
"Alas~ I indeed deserve to die, and to be buried with those 1.4 million departed humans.
However, I cannot die for now.
I still have to protect more humans and ensure their survival."
Facing Yang Hong's killing intent, Ni Zhennan seemed unconcerned, as if resigned to death.
"Fellow Daoist, let us walk.
Let us see the humans on Guangyou Island together."
Saying this, Ni Zhennan walked slowly forward, leaving his back exposed to Yang Hong.
"..."
Yang Hong did not attack.
In fact, when Ni Zhennan voluntarily spoke of that transaction, he had already considered the possibility.
"Since a large-scale migration of demons occurred 147 years ago, there have been no humans in the entire Ten Thousand Demon Islands.
Humans were driven out of the Ten Thousand Demon Islands by demons, forced to survive precariously in the outer seas.
It was in that year that Guangyou Island's former island master, True Monarch Pi Xia of the seventh-tier Integration stage, and all other sixth-tier Division stage true persons were killed.
I was then elected as the island master.
Relying on the betrayal of my kin, I have barely survived to this day."
"..."
As Ni Zhennan recounted, Yang Hong understood Ni Zhennan's plight.
He also understood the hardships faced by humans.