Just then, another displeased voice rang out.
“Don’t listen to her, everyone! This human woman is definitely lying!”
Bai Ran looked back. The one speaking was actually the leading demon.
“Xiao Yang has always fought and bled alongside us! How could he betray us!”
“Don’t be fooled by this human! Don’t wrongly accuse Xiao Yang!”
The man named Xiao Yang, upon hearing this, immediately adopted a look of being wronged and in agreement.
“Yes! I’ve been in the army for five years! You all know this!”
“How could I possibly defect to Lu Ji?”
His words were powerful, and he didn’t seem to be lying.
Silence fell all around. The soldiers were momentarily uncertain. Had they really wronged Xiao Yang?
But at this moment, Bai Ran looked at him with amusement, her tone somewhat sarcastic: “When did I ever say you defected to anyone?”
Xiao Yang froze. The leading demon also stiffened.
This human woman had only said he was misleading others; she had never actually said he defected to Lu Ji…
It was a trap set by the human!
Realizing something was terribly wrong, Xiao Yang turned to flee, so desperate he even dropped the sword in his hand.
A purple figure blocked his path. Looking up, Xiao Zi’s expression was so grim it seemed water would drip from it.
Xiao Yang trembled like a sieve, his teeth chattering, “I… I am not…”
Xiao Zi raised a palm, and his throat was torn by sharp beast claws, blood spurting out.
Seeing this, the leading demon also tried to run, but the demon soldiers behind him were not to be trifled with.
They surrounded the leader, and several soldiers quickly subdued him.
“I knew it. Why would a leader suddenly come to manage us!”
“Hmph! I’m afraid he’s just another dog of Lu Ji!”
“Kill him!”
By the time Fang Zhihang and Jing Cheng arrived, they saw Xiao Zi slashing the leader’s throat.
The two froze, unsure whether to intervene or not.
Xiao Zi wiped the blood from his hands and turned to see the two helpless family heads.
Without further ado, it was best to pay their respects first!
“Your Majesty the Demon Emperor, peace be upon you!” the two bowed respectfully.
“Rise.”
Her voice carried a hint of lingering anger, making the two family heads even more hesitant to stand.
After all, they were incompetent for not guarding the Demon Emperor’s Ring…
Bai Ran raised an eyebrow. She could tell what they were worried about. She chuckled and spoke slowly, “There is no need to blame yourselves for the Demon Emperor’s Ring.”
“The Demon Emperor’s Ring is currently stored in the safest place.”
However, to the ears of the two family heads, these words sounded like a veiled reprimand.
They trembled slightly with fear, their heads bowed as low as they could go.
Xiao Zi sighed and had no choice but to personally help the two elders up, softening her tone as much as possible.
“You have worked hard for me.”
Jing Cheng stood up, a smile on his face. The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were very prominent when he smiled, “To be able to serve the Demon Emperor is a fortune I have gained over several lifetimes.”
Even if their clans were destroyed, even if they had no sons or grandsons, as long as they could help the Demon Emperor, they would be content.
It was just that this time, they had failed the task the Demon Emperor had entrusted them with…
Fang Zhihang gritted his teeth, his expression dejected and self-reproachful.
“If you continue to look so glum, I will truly have to punish you,” Xiao Zi patted the two elders’ shoulders and then entered the Jing residence.
Jing Cheng, moved, suddenly turned back, wanting to stop her from entering the residence, “Please wait outside for a moment!”
The moment she pushed open the door, Xiao Zi’s blood ran cold.
In the vast courtyard, corpses covered with burlap lay everywhere, the smell of blood incredibly strong.
Leaning against the wall, scattered elders and children with severed limbs sat sparsely.
The environment of the entire courtyard was filthy and chaotic, with flesh-eating worms attracted by the corpses crawling everywhere.
Jing Cheng averted his gaze, tears welling up in his eyes, but he forced himself not to let them fall.
“The courtyard is dirty…”
Fang Zhihang’s shoulders trembled slightly, his face filled with sorrow and indignation.
“We have no money, nor can we afford doctors, so we cannot bury the deceased…”
The demons of the two families filled the courtyard, the living and the dead crammed together.
Bai Ran clenched her fist. She saw a tiny tiger demon affectionately nuzzling its mother’s cold body.
He was still young and did not know that his mother was already dead. He was only wondering why mother wouldn’t play with him.
Xiao Zi’s brows twitched, and his temples bulged as he gritted his teeth.
Lu Ji—!
The veins on his neck bulged, and the killing intent in his heart surged, almost uncontrollably.
Bai Ran stepped forward and squatted beside a wizened old man.
His leg had been cut off by a long sword and was merely wrapped with cloth.
The Nine-Bend Life-Seeking Needles appeared in her hand. Bai Ran gathered her spiritual energy, her face icy cold, and began to treat the old man’s injuries.
Whether demon or human, they were all beings with flesh and blood. They also had emotions, desires, and felt pain.
“Human child, don’t touch, it’s dirty.”
Bai Ran gritted her teeth. Although her anger was almost impossible to hide, she forced herself to speak softly.
“It’s not dirty.”
Turning her head, she looked at several hidden guards, “Go fetch water, three basins, clean water.”
Three hidden guards quickly fetched water. After handing it to Bai Ran, they assisted her.
The White Tiger from the spatial dimension was also released and began to heal the other surviving demons.
Jing Cheng took a deep breath, his head bowed low, making it impossible to see the expression on his face.
“You have made the Demon Emperor see a joke.”
Xiao Zi turned, the darkness in her eyes growing more apparent. “It is my fault…”
If he hadn’t left the demon race, hadn’t entered the Shattering Heaven Realm, these people wouldn’t have died…
Fang Zhihang shook his head, a faint smile on his lips, “It is not your fault.”
The one who destroyed the clans had ruined more than half of the demon race. The feeling of watching his people die one by one, yet being powerless.
They understood.
“When I win the competition, I will avenge you.”
That’s right, even if he won, he wouldn’t let Lu Ji go. Even blood relatives would inevitably die.
“You are the Emperor of the demon race, supreme honor, the purest faith.”
“How are we worthy of being remembered by Your Majesty the Demon Emperor…”
Loyalty, this was what they should do.
Xiao Zi’s eyes reddened, his clenched fists trembling.
His lips parted and closed, and finally, he managed to utter, “Thank you for your hard work…”
…
Late at night, a crescent moon hung on the treetops. Yet, the entire Jing residence was still bustling.
The soldiers no longer guarded the Jing residence. The dead demons could be properly buried, and the injured demons were quickly recovering under Bai Ran’s treatment.
“Your injury is very serious.”
Meeting Bai Ran’s gaze, Jing Cheng finally realized that his right hand was already immobile.
He smiled deeply, looking extremely relaxed, “Human child, you have also worked hard. Go rest for a while before coming to heal me.”