The Master and His Wealthy Fiancée

Chen Dong couldn't imagine what kind of demonic beast or Demon Race could create or deploy this strange black fog. During the twelve days on the treasure boat, Chen Dong had crammed his head with all the known information about the Floating Shadow Realm's demonic beasts and Demon Race.

Chen Dong didn't know, and neither did the three Golden Core cultivators leading the team. At this point, Chen Dong was once again certain that the three Golden Core leaders were novices.

Perhaps it was simply a matter of luck. They were hoping to find an opportunity to break through the Golden Core realm, only to encounter something so bizarre on their very first mission.

Chen Dong's group wandered around the village for a long time but couldn't find any useful clues.

Tang Xian had no choice but to lead them forward in another direction.

The path ahead seemed to be guided by the black fog. Suddenly, Chen Dong's Divine Sense perceived the back of a figure dressed as a farmer, strolling leisurely ahead. Tang Xian then stopped abruptly, and the rest of Chen Dong's group followed suit.

The four Foundation Establishment Stage senior brothers didn't know what was happening, but seeing Tang Xian draw his Spirit Sword, they drew theirs as well.

Tang Xian seemed to have failed to get a response from a voice transmission, so he casually picked up a stone and threw it at the figure.

Instantly, the figure whipped around. Two points of scarlet light pulsed within its tangled hair as it lunged at Tang Xian with extreme speed, a speed comparable to a Late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Tang Xian didn't hesitate, striking out with his sword. The figure was instantly torn to pieces.

Tang Xian found a remaining chunk of the torso, knelt down to inspect it, and sent a voice transmission in shock, "Demonic Qi! It seems the things here aren't the Demon Race—they're the Demon Race!"

Chen Dong and Li Zhixuan were dumbfounded. They knew nothing at all about the Demon Race. The information they had crammed on the treasure boat was all about demonic beasts and the Demon Race. Besides, there was no such thing as the Demon Race in the Wangyou Realm.

Weren't the Cyan Sky Sect's enemies usually demonic beasts and the Demon Race? This sudden appearance of the Demon Race left the two of them at a loss. And it wasn't just them; sensing Tang Xian's expression, it was clear he was at a loss, too.

The Floating Shadow Realm was immense; this might be the first time in his life Tang Xian had ever encountered a member of the Demon Race.

Tang Xian quickly sent another voice transmission, "Don't panic, everyone. Even if it's the Demon Race, its cultivation level can't be too high. The high-level ones would have been cleaned up long ago. We just need to find its location and kill it, and this black fog will naturally dissipate."

Chen Dong felt it would have been better if he hadn't tried to reassure them. Before, when everyone was silent, there was still some confidence in the air. But his words of comfort made even Chen Dong and Li Zhixuan's hearts sink. The black fog made them all feel like blind men. How were they supposed to find the Demon Race mastermind, especially when the "farmer" from just now was comparable to a Late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator?

At that moment, the hands of the four Foundation Establishment Stage senior brothers gripping their Spirit Swords were trembling slightly. They knew that without Tang Xian, not a single one of them could have dodged that sudden, close-range lunge.

Just as Tang Xian was about to lead the group to continue exploring, Chen Dong's heart suddenly skipped a beat. He immediately sent a voice transmission to everyone: "Watch out! On your guard!"

At the same time, lightning flickered in Chen Dong's left hand, while flames coiled around his right.

Within the three-zhang range of his Divine Sense, countless scarlet dots of light suddenly began to pulse. 'What are these things? The Demon Race?' In Chen Dong's mind, they were more like zombies.

With a single sweep of his azure Spirit Sword, Li Zhixuan cut down a swath of 'zombies' within four zhang. At the same time, lightning descended from the surroundings, instantly clearing out the swarming zombies.

Tang Xian suddenly realized how powerful the two of them were. His own Divine Sense could only extend two zhang in the black fog, and he hadn't perceived any danger at all before they struck. Although he couldn't hear any commotion, the faint auras he could sense told him they weren't attacking blindly. 'Could it be... that their Divine Sense is stronger than mine?'

Tang Xian found that possibility hard to believe. How could someone in the Foundation Establishment Stage have Divine Sense? He preferred to believe that the two were just exceptionally perceptive. At the same time, he was deeply impressed by the one named Li Zhixuan. To use Sword Control in an environment like this—wasn't he afraid he wouldn't be able to recall his sword?

Chen Dong and Li Zhixuan didn't mind revealing some of their strength. In their view, hiding one's power in a situation where everything was unknown was the height of foolishness.

After several rounds of lightning and Sword Techniques, Chen Dong and Li Zhixuan stopped their assault.

Tang Xian sent a voice transmission, asking, "Are they gone?"

After a long moment of silence, Chen Dong could only reply via voice transmission, "I think so!"

Tang Xian led the team forward and was immediately met with a shocking sight: countless bodies were piled up like mountains. The two of them truly hadn't been attacking randomly. And judging by the "farmer" from before, this meant they had killed this many 'Demonic Puppets'—each comparable to a Late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator—in such a short amount of time.

Tang Xian's confidence soared. With the help of these two, he was sure he could annihilate the Demon Race here and find his missing older brother and fellow disciples.

Slaying these zombies caused three of the Six Paths of Radiance in Chen Dong's sea of consciousness—all except the Red Dust Dao—to surge dramatically. Moreover, thanks to his time with and farewell from Tian Sisi, his Red Dust Dao Radiance had already reached an unprecedented level. Although it couldn't compare to his Saint Dao at its peak when he obtained the Saint Dao Badge, it was still about one-fifth as strong.

But these creatures, which were practically walking experience points, raised a doubt in Chen Dong's mind. Why were these zombies all dressed like poor villagers? He couldn't help but wonder, 'Could it be that the people from these villages didn't have time to escape the disaster? Were all these zombies transformed villagers?'

Chen Dong had clearly warned himself not to act like a Saint, but he still couldn't resist asking via voice transmission, "Senior Martial Uncle Tang Xian, do you know how these things are created?"

Tang Xian now held Chen Dong and Li Zhixuan in high regard, so he immediately replied, "The Demon Race has a method for creating Demonic Puppets. They devour a person's vital essence, blood, and soul, converting them into puppets. But don't worry, High-Tier Cultivators aren't easily converted by this kind of thing!"

Chen Dong clenched his fists, a chilling killing intent erupting in his eyes. 'Devouring their vital essence, blood, and soul... What a Demon Race! These villagers don't even have a chance at reincarnation anymore!'