Chapter 820: Land of People and Beasts

The fleet, shrouded in the demonic cloud, set sail once more, pushing deeper into the cavern. After descending approximately a hundred *zhang* diagonally, Old Ox once again twirled the array flag behind him. The rocks and soil above the cavern began to slowly shift, and the roots of the surrounding vegetation stretched continuously, completely concealing the upper cavern's existence.

Many mortals on board the ships were weeping silently, too afraid to cry out loud. In contrast, the demons were visibly smiling, seemingly finding a sense of ease upon entering this hidden realm.

As these large ships, buoyed by the demonic cloud, delved deeper, they eventually entered an underground void and reached a subterranean waterway. Their speed while navigating the water was surprisingly faster than if they had been flying.

Ji Yuan and the Old Beggar were both captivated by this underground river. As the demons manipulated their magic to propel the wooden boats, faint streams of light shimmered through the water, as if small waves were pushing them forward. These currents contained not only water spirits but also a dense earth energy, giving Ji Yuan and the Old Beggar the sensation of mountain and river deities traversing their own domain.

Judging solely by this guiding formation, the demons of the Heavenly Revelation Alliance or those from the Black Desolation are truly not to be underestimated. Anyone capable of creating such a formation would undoubtedly be considered a master of array arts, even among the immortals.

A child was sobbing continuously on the large ship where Ji Yuan and the others were located, but his eyes were dry, likely having cried for a long time until no more tears remained.

"Stop crying, or I'll eat you first!"

A demon nearby snarled viciously, licking its long tongue over its lips. It could only scare the child, otherwise it truly would have wanted to eat him, as children's flesh was its favorite.

The child struggled to suppress his sobs, but his body still convulsed uncontrollably. An old woman nearby quickly embraced him, gently patting his back.

"Don't be afraid, child, don't be afraid..."

Ji Yuan and the Old Beggar watched this scene from nearby, frowning. They understood the despair of these people, but they could not yet intervene to save them. Fortunately, their observations revealed that these demons seemed to refrain from privately devouring the captives, at least for the most part.

Meanwhile, many on the ship were looking at the two seemingly beautiful young women (Ji Yuan and the Old Beggar). With their clean faces and tidy clothes, hiding behind and protected by the demons, they drew gazes that held disgust and hostility, yet also a hint of complexity.

Propelled by the formation, the fleet maintained a steady pace. They remained in the underground darkness, losing all sense of day and night, until an unknown amount of time later, the ships emerged from an underwater trench and ascended to the side of a sea island.

Had they not been captured by the demons, the people on board might have been astonished by the marvel of traveling through a subterranean river and beneath the sea. However, the more they witnessed such sights, the more they realized how far they were from home and how slim their chances of survival had become.

On that sea island, a significant human presence still lingered, and traces of people having stayed there were visible, indicating it had likely served as a temporary transfer point.

"Hahaha, we can finally relax a bit now that we're here," Old Ox chuckled, speaking to the visibly relieved demon. "This earth vein truly is miraculous; it extends incredibly far! Among all the secret passages I know, this is the quickest shortcut. From here, we'll be back in Lingzhou in less than half a month, saving us more than several times the usual travel time!"

"What about the people from the previous trips? Have they all been transported?"

"Hahaha, of course, our helpers transported them ahead of time. After all, a round trip takes quite a while, and time is so precious, how could we waste it? But this time, there's no need to worry; we'll head straight back to Lingzhou!"

The Black Dream Lingzhou was filled with vast mountains, mighty rivers, and various natural wonders everywhere. If it weren't for the demons that infested the land, its scenery alone would certainly live up to its name as a 'Spiritual Land of Beautiful Mountains and Waters.'

In the northwestern part of Black Dream Lingzhou were several sprawling mountain ranges. Between these mountains, many areas, save for a few exceptions, were covered by swamps. This was the territory under the so-called Pattern-Eyed King, and the entrance to the new 'Human-Animal Kingdom' was located within one of these swamp-submerged mountain hollows.

Slightly different from Ji Yuan's expectations, the Pattern-Eyed King and the other co-owners of these Human-Animal Kingdoms were not particularly cautious. Perhaps it was because this area was already deep within the Black Desolation. For a "cargo" fleet returning from Tianyu Continent, they merely conducted a simple inspection before allowing the ships to enter the Human-Animal Kingdom.

The large ships slowly descended into the swampy mountain hollow. The putrid stench from the swamp was so overwhelming that the already famished mortals on board nearly fainted.

One by one, the large ships continuously sank with the ripples of the swamp, eventually becoming completely submerged. Then, after about a dozen breaths, they slowly rose again. However, upon their re-emergence, it was as if they had entered a completely different world.

'Is this truly a hidden grotto-heaven?'

Ji Yuan and the Old Beggar, both on one of the ships, had similar thoughts. They wondered what kind of lingering images or existence lay within.

While the Old Beggar felt a complex mix of emotions and anger, Ji Yuan had a different perception: he could sense a chess piece within this grotto-heaven.

Beside them, the horse demon had begun explaining the rules of the grotto-heaven to Bull Ba Tian. He could choose ten beautiful women, even the most stunning ones, but was not allowed to randomly slaughter the mortals inside, especially children and young women. If he wanted to eat anyone, he had to inform the horse demon first; he couldn't simply devour them on his own.

Listening to these rules, it was clear that they had accumulated extensive experience in breeding, an evil that was certainly not formed overnight. Later, the horse demon even began to jovially explain various ways to consume mortals to Bull Ba Tian.

"Hehehe… the people we captured from Tianyu Continent this time are all excellent stock. Those human-animals indigenous to Lingzhou have long lost their human vitality and taste like chewing wax. The kings are preparing a Ten Thousand Demon Feast, inviting all allied demons and also the heroes who journeyed to Tianyu Continent. It's going to be a grand celebration!"

Old Ox subconsciously glanced at the two girls beside him, a look of excitement appearing on his face.

"So, at that time, can we eat to our heart's content?"

"Hahaha, exactly! At that time, we'll only need to leave a few hundred thousand for breeding, and millions of human-animals will be available for consumption. Let me tell you..." the horse demon continued with a grin. "The main thing is, based on past experience, even if these people aren't eaten, many won't live long here. Some starve to death, some die from injuries sustained while fighting over resources, others from illness. Of course, quite a few commit suicide, or simply die in despair in their sleep. There are countless ways they die, but once a person dies, their flesh turns sour and isn't tasty. So, while most of them haven't died off yet, we're holding a Ten Thousand Demon Feast!"

Ji Yuan narrowed his eyes, observing the horse demon, while the Old Beggar beside him also wore a stern expression. However, when the horse demon felt a slight chill run through its body, it looked around but could discern nothing.

The ship continued to sail along a large river within the grotto-heaven, eventually docking at what appeared to be a proper port. The demons then began herding the people off.

"Get off, get off, everyone!"

"Hurry up, hurry up, everyone get out!"

The people disembarked, sobbing. Ji Yuan and the others also got off the ship. In their line of sight, both far and near, they could discern the outlines of several cities, many of which still bustled with human activity. They could even see cultivated farmlands.

The so-called 'Human-Animal Kingdom' was truly a place where people were captured to form a nation, and that entire nation existed as livestock.

However, this grotto-heaven was clearly not newly established, as the historical traces on the cities were quite evident, dating back at least a century. After a brief calculation upon arrival, Ji Yuan understood that this grotto-heaven contained not only this "new kingdom" but also many "old kingdoms."

Ji Yuan's gaze turned northward; the chess piece he sensed was located in that direction.

For the chess piece located there, it should have been in a truly desperate situation, and it was unaware of Ji Yuan's arrival. Yet, in Ji Yuan's perception, the chess piece's light subtly showed a tendency to flourish.

In a dilapidated city, listless-eyed people were everywhere, while on the city walls, several non-humanoid demons were perched.

Zuo Wuji walked quickly through a street with his head bowed. As he passed a weed-choked plot of wasteland in the city, his face lit up with delight when he spotted a few plants. He swiftly moved to them, pulled them up one by one, and then returned the way he came.

Zuo Wuji returned to a house with relatively intact roof tiles. Inside, a pale Yan Fei lay on the bed, his ever-present sword nowhere to be seen. Beside the bed, Lu Chengfeng sat cross-legged, his shoulder subtly seeping blood.

"Senior Master, Fourth Master, I found the herbs!"

As Lu Chengfeng immediately opened his eyes and stood up, Zuo Wuji had already rushed into the room, chewing something continuously and clutching a handful of herbs.

"Quickly, apply the medicine to Brother Yan!"

Lu Chengfeng disregarded his own injuries and, together with Zuo Wuji, unfastened Yan Fei's blood-stained clothes, revealing horrifying wounds on his chest and abdomen. Despite the protection of his innate true qi, the sight was still gruesome.

Zuo Wuji and Lu Chengfeng both wore extremely grim expressions, yet their hands were steady. After chewing the herbs, they gently applied them to Yan Fei's wounds. Even though he was unconscious, he still frowned at that moment.

"Sizzle..."

When the herbs were applied to the wound, faint wisps of green smoke unexpectedly rose from it.

"Hiss... Ugh..."

Yan Fei was awakened by the pain.

"Senior Master!" "Brother Yan, how do you feel?"

"Not dead yet! Hah... Hah..."

Yan Fei gasped for a moment, looked at Lu Chengfeng, then turned his gaze to Zuo Wuji.

"I never thought we'd end up dying in a place like this, not even Wuji..."

"Senior Master, what's there to fear in death? Wuji isn't afraid!"

Lu Chengfeng shook his head.

"It's just a pity about all this martial arts skill, and the heavy burden of the martial way's prosperity, alas..."

"Both masters, save your strength. As long as we still draw breath, demons and monsters won't be able to control us. Besides, there are quite a few captured martial artists in this very city; if only all of them..."

"Alas!"

Lu Chengfeng shook his head. "They've lost their spirit and their will to fight. And without weapons, their martial arts can't even be one-tenth effective against demons."

Zuo Wuji looked towards one side of the room. His flat staff was still there; perhaps the demons considered it merely a farming tool and not a weapon at all.