My son is about to break through.

The Great Yan Dynasty!

Within the capital city.

The once-celestial city has now become a desolate tomb.

The morning mist was like a veil, yet it carried with it an inescapable stench of blood.

The once bustling main street still boasts towering pavilions and palaces, their vermilion railings reflecting a somber light in the morning glow. But the cultivators who should have been roaming among them are now nothing but scattered skeletons.

The skeletons were in all sorts of strange and unusual positions.

Some sat cross-legged on the futons in the teahouse, their bony hands still loosely holding the already broken teacups, as if their lives were being instantly taken away while listening to a storyteller recount an ancient legend.

Some lay fallen at the city gate, their bones still in a running posture, their finger bones deeply embedded in the cracks of the bluestone slabs, as if they still wanted to escape something at the last moment.

The most chilling sights were the twisted corpses.

A skeleton was curled up in an alley corner, its spine bent at an unbelievable angle, each vertebra covered with fine cracks, as if it had endured unimaginable crushing.

Another body hung upside down on the wine flagpole, its skull open to the sky, its jawbone drooping as if dislocated—a silent scream, frozen eternally in its final moments before death.

All the skeletons were eerily clean.

There wasn't a trace of rotten flesh, not a speck of blood, and even the bone marrow had been completely drained, leaving the bones a ghastly white, as if they had been repeatedly washed away.

Sunlight filtered through the morning mist and fell on my bones, reflecting a jade-like luster that was breathtakingly beautiful.

The wind swept through the empty streets, swirling a few withered leaves among the skeletons.

A treasure-hunting rat that had strayed into the city peeked out from under the eaves, its nose twitched a few times, and suddenly its whole body stiffened, falling straight off the eaves with a "thud" into a pool of indistinct flesh and blood—even this lowly creature instinctively sensed the great terror permeating the place.

now.

Inside the palace
The palace, with its nine-tiered towers, white jade steps, and golden tiles, should have been radiant in the morning light.

But now, the golden light was mixed with sticky blood, and dark red drag marks snaked along the white jade steps, as if some heavy object had been dragged all the way into the deep palace.

Hall of Supreme Harmony.

The place where officials held court was now so quiet that one could hear the sound of blood dripping.

Hundreds of people were kneeling inside the hall, their faces dark and heavy.

There was Emperor Yan Chengtian of the Great Yan Dynasty, clad in a five-clawed dragon robe and a twelve-tassel crown; there was a prime minister in purple robes and a jade belt; there were generals in armor; and there was the Minister of Justice—

These powerful figures, who could shake an entire region with a mere stomp of their feet, were now like lambs to the slaughter, trembling uncontrollably.

Their gazes were fixed on the nine-dragon throne at the far end of the hall, a throne that should have belonged to the emperor.

On the throne sat a non-human being.

The other party was none other than the Heavenly Demon God Lord.

At this moment, his thick, pillar-like left arm was casually draped over the armrest, while his right hand gripped a severed human leg.

The severed leg clearly belonged to a cultivator of considerable skill; the skin was as smooth as jade, and faint golden Daoist charm remained between the muscle lines.

"Click——"

The sound of teeth tearing through flesh was particularly jarring in the deathly silent hall.

The Heavenly Demon Lord chewed very slowly and carefully.

With each bite, faint golden light could be seen emanating from the broken leg, the essence of the Great Dao condensed by cultivators over tens of thousands of years of arduous cultivation.

Prime Minister Lu Wenyuan, kneeling in the front row, gritted his teeth.

He recognized the severed leg—it belonged to Yan Beiming, the Grand Elder of the Imperial Household Department and the patriarch of the Yan clan!
The Three Tribulations Celestial Venerable was a peerless powerhouse who guarded the northern border for 30 million years with just one sword, preventing alien races from daring to cross the line!
Three days ago, this old ancestor was easily killed by the demon when he tried to stop it.

"Gulu."

Someone swallowed, their saliva unusually clear in the silence.

The Heavenly Demon God's eerie green eyes slowly turned and landed on the source of the voice—a young imperial censor kneeling in the third row.

The censor's face was ashen, and his crotch was soaked.

"Ho..."

The Heavenly Demon Lord let out a nasal sound that was neither a laugh nor a smile, and continued to gnaw.

Finally, the leg was gnawed away until only bone remained. The bone was covered with dense teeth marks, the deepest of which almost pierced through the bone.

He casually tossed it, and the leg bone landed with a thud on the golden bricks in the hall, rolled a few times, and stopped in front of Yan Chengtian.

Yan Chengtian trembled, staring intently at the leg bone that belonged to his ancestor. His fingernails dug deep into his palms, and blood seeped out from between his fingers, dripping onto the dragon robe and spreading into dark red flowers.

The Heavenly Demon God stretched his body, and the throne creaked under the weight.

He looked down at the trembling humans below, a grin spreading across his face, revealing a row of serrated teeth.

"wait……"

His voice was low and hoarse, like the simultaneous wailing of countless wronged souls, each syllable carrying an evil rhythm that corroded the mind.

"Do you want to live?"

No one dared to answer. Only the trembling intensified.

The Heavenly Demon Lord seemed to relish this fear, his eerie green flames flickering with a joyful light: "I can give you a chance, a chance to live."

He slowly raised his right hand, his fingertips tracing lines in the air.

The crimson light converged, outlining the image of a person—a man in a black robe and jade crown, with a handsome face like an immortal, and an indifferent air of looking down on all living beings between his brows. It was Gu Qingfeng!
The images floated in mid-air, so lifelike that you could even see the details of the cloud patterns on the robes.

"Find this person."

The voice of the Heavenly Demon Lord suddenly turned cold, the temperature in the hall plummeted, and a thin layer of frost condensed on the surface of the golden bricks.

"His name is Gu Qingfeng, and he comes from beyond the stars."

Your mission is to use all means available to the Great Yan Dynasty to find his whereabouts.

Yan Chengtian suddenly looked up, his lips trembling: "Senior... the starry sky is vast, and cultivators are as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. Finding one person is like finding a needle in a haystack..."

"That's your problem."

The Heavenly Demon God interrupted him, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"I only care about the result, of course..."

He changed the subject, his voice taking on that seductive rhythm again: "I have always been fair in my rewards and punishments. As long as you do your job well, I can not only save your lives, but also bestow upon you a great fortune."

He leaned forward slightly, his dark purple face close to the kneeling crowd, the red light in his cracked skin almost overflowing.

"Do you know why the Heavenly Venerables of this realm, despite their power to move mountains and overturn seas, only have a lifespan of five hundred billion years? Why the Supreme Beings, who are said to have reached the end of their cultivation, must also die and disappear after one trillion years?"

This question touched upon the deepest fears and resentments in the hearts of all the high-level cultivators in this world.

Even Yan Chengtian held his breath, waiting for what would happen next.

"Because the blood in your veins is too vile."

The voice of the Heavenly Demon Lord carried a condescending pity.

"Human blood is inherently base and cannot compare with our blood. Even if they cultivate to the extreme, it is nothing more than carving flowers on rotten wood, and will eventually collapse."

“But our people are different.”

He spread his arms wide, as if displaying a perfect body.

"The bloodline of the evil god is the darling of the Great Dao."

We are born powerful, far surpassing you humans. Once you reach the Celestial Venerable realm, you can enjoy true immortality, living as long as heaven and earth, shining as brightly as the sun and moon!

A collective gasp of astonishment rippled through the kneeling crowd.

eternal life!

This phrase holds a fatal allure for cultivators who constantly feel the countdown to their lifespan. Even a ruler like Yan Chengtian, seemingly majestic and powerful, would have that cold number appear in his mind whenever he was alone at night—he had lived for 70 billion years, and there were still 430 billion years left until the end of his life as a Celestial Venerable.

It may sound like a long time, but for cultivators who pursue the eternal path, it is but a fleeting moment.

"As long as you serve faithfully."

The Heavenly Demon Lord patiently guided him.

"Once I have finished my business, I may select a few people, strip them of their inferior human bloodline, and bestow upon them the noble divine blood of my race!"

At that time, you will be reborn and truly embark on the path to immortality!

The temptation is too great.

It's so big that even knowing it might be a trap, you can't help but be tempted.

“Of course.” The Heavenly Demon God Lord changed the subject again: “Before that, you must prove your worth. The first thing—”

He raised a finger, the tip of which was shrouded in a gray-black mist.

"Find me one million young boys and girls within a month, and I will have a use for them."

"What!" An elderly minister in red robes kneeling on the left suddenly looked up, his eyes wide with fury.

He was the Minister of Rites of the Great Yan Dynasty, in charge of education, with students all over the world, and he placed great importance on ethics and moral principles.

"One million boys and girls! You...you are committing an act of inhumanity! What have these children done to deserve this! You monster—"

The words have not yet fallen.

The Heavenly Demon Lord didn't even look at him, but simply flicked his finger casually.

"puff!"

The Minister of Rites' head exploded like a ripe watermelon.

Red and white substances splattered, spraying several people around them.

The headless body swayed and then collapsed to the ground with a thud. Blood gushed from its neck cavity, spreading into a pool of blood on the gold bricks.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye.

A powerful figure, a half-step Celestial Venerable who had governed the dynasty's etiquette for tens of thousands of years, died silently. He didn't even have a chance to resist, nor did he have time to utter a scream.

The main hall was deathly silent.

Only the "tap, tap" sound of blood dripping could be heard.

The Heavenly Demon Lord slowly withdrew his finger, a trace of blood staining the tip. He brought the finger to his lips, licked it with his scarlet tongue, and let out a satisfied sigh.

Then, those deep green eyes turned to Yan Chengtian.

"Your Majesty, do you have any objections?"

Every word felt like an icicle piercing my heart.

Yan Chengtian felt ice-cold all over.

He saw the Minister of Rites's exploded head, saw the headless body twitching slightly, saw the pale faces of his colleagues around him, and saw the brain matter and blood splattered on his own dragon robe.

He slowly closed his eyes.

Three breaths later, when he opened his eyes again, they were filled with a lifeless, numb look.

"I dare not, I... will obey the orders of my predecessors. Within a month, I will certainly present one million boys and girls."

The sound was dry, like sand rubbing together.

"very good."

The Heavenly Demon God Lord nodded in satisfaction.

"Then, to ensure that you will not be outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant, I must add another layer of protection."

He formed hand seals, not quickly, but each gesture distorted the light within the hall.

Dark purple divine power surged from his body, transforming into hundreds of fine, hair-like blood threads that snaked and writhed in the air like living venomous snakes.

"no, do not want!"

"Senior, spare your life!"

Terrified screams erupted from the crowd.

Some people tried to get up and run away, but their legs felt like they were made of lead, held firmly in place by an invisible pressure.

The bloodline precisely located each person and burrowed into their brow.

Yan Chengtian watched helplessly as a line of blood pierced his forehead. There was no pain, only an extremely cold sensation that spread along his spine, eventually settling deep within his dantian and becoming entangled with his own Dao foundation.

He could clearly sense that the bloodline contained terrifying destructive energy; with just a thought, it could detonate his Dao foundation, annihilating him both body and soul.

All those who had the bloodline implanted had a thumb-sized, dark purple rune appear on their foreheads, resembling a closed eye, with a faint glow of blood flowing through it.

"This is a heart-devouring demon seed."

The Heavenly Demon God Lord explained calmly.

"Normally harmless, it can even help you temper your soul and improve your cultivation, but if you dare to betray me, or fail to perform your duties..."

He suddenly looked at a middle-aged military officer in the crowd.

The general was burly and had a face like a red date. He was the Marquis of Zhenbei of the Great Yan Dynasty, a First Tribulation Celestial Venerable. He once fought three cultivators of the same level alone without being defeated and was known as the number one fierce general of the Great Yan Dynasty.

At this moment, however, his face was filled with fear, and the demonic runes on his forehead were flashing violently.

"For example, him."

The Heavenly Demon God snapped his fingers.

"what--!!!"

The Marquis of Zhenbei let out a bloodcurdling scream that was so shrill it was inhuman.

He raised his hands uncontrollably, his fingers curled into claws, and he fiercely scratched his own face.

"Thorn-"

A large piece of skin was torn off his face, revealing bright red muscle and white cheekbones underneath.

Blood gushed out, but he didn't stop; instead, he tore even more frantically.

Pieces of flesh were torn off and thrown on the ground, quickly piling up into a small heap.

"Stop...stop!"

As the Marquis of Zhenbei tore at himself, he screamed and begged for mercy.

But his hands seemed to have a will of their own, and he couldn't stop them.

The ribs were broken one by one and pulled out of the chest cavity.

The intestines were pulled out and twisted into a pretzel shape in his hands.

His heart was ripped out alive, still beating, and he crushed it himself.

The entire process lasted for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

Finally, only a nearly complete skeleton remained in the center of the hall—except for the head.

The Marquis of Zhenbei's head remained intact, his face frozen in extreme pain and ferocity, his eyes wide open to the point that his eye sockets were torn, the pattern of the coffered ceiling reflected in his pupils, devoid of any life.

The skeleton shattered and scattered all over the ground.

The Heavenly Demon Lord clapped lightly, as if enjoying a good show: "Look, this is the consequence of betrayal. Of course, as long as you are loyal, the Demon Seed will only be an aid."

He stood up, his three-zhang-tall body almost reaching the dome of the hall, casting a shadow over everyone.

"Now, get to work. Remember, one million boys and girls a month, and... find Gu Qingfeng."

The sound still echoed in the hall, but the figure of the Heavenly Demon God Lord had vanished like mist.

The oppressive aura dissipated.

Everyone inside the hall collapsed to the ground as if they had lost all their strength, panting heavily.

Many people vomited, and the filth mixed with the stench of blood made the hall resemble a hellish place.

Yan Chengtian knelt in the pool of blood, looking down at his trembling hands and at the blood and flesh fragments belonging to the Minister of Rites and the Marquis of Zhenbei on his dragon robe.

a long time.

He slowly raised his head and looked out of the hall.

The morning light was strong, shining through the palace gates and illuminating the dust floating in the air, as well as the unseeing corpses on the ground.

A magnificent palace, a court stained with blood.

The emperor who had ruled the Great Yan for seven hundred billion years suddenly let out a sound that was neither crying nor laughing:
"Convey my will..."

His voice was hoarse, as if he had aged ten thousand years.

“All prefectures and counties across the country shall conscript boys and girls under the age of ten to reach a total of one million… and send them to the capital within one month.”

After a pause, he added.

"Furthermore, this is hereby announced to the world: a reward will be offered for anyone who searches for this person's image or provides conclusive clues... He will be granted a title of nobility, a scroll of the Great Emperor's cultivation technique, and a crystal of the Heavenly Venerable."

He pointed to the image of Gu Qingfeng that had not yet completely dissipated in the air.

Prime Minister Lu Wenyuan struggled to his feet, tears streaming down his face: "Your Majesty! A million children! That's a million lives! The future of our Great Yan!"
If this were to happen, how would we be any different from demons? History's pen is as firm as iron; how will posterity judge us?

"Then what do you suggest we do?"

Yan Chengtian suddenly turned his head, his eyes bloodshot, looking like a madman.

"Such beings, even if we exert all our strength, can we shake them even slightly?"

If we truly anger them, the entire Great Yan will be littered with corpses; at that time, it will be a matter of annihilation and extinction for our entire race!

Lu Wenyuan opened his mouth, but ultimately collapsed to his knees, banging his head on the ground and sobbing uncontrollably. (End of Chapter)