“Judging by the traces left here, it seems there were quite a few people. If that’s the case, the message I received when breaking through their formation was true—the stolen demon lizards from the Zhao family are indeed related to this group,” another elder said angrily.
“Most likely! If those people were also companions of the two we encountered, their cultivation and abilities are certainly beyond what our disciples could handle. It seems the Zhao family has long been targeted, and yesterday’s operation was deliberately orchestrated to lure us out of Zhao Fortress. Those demon lizards must have been their primary objective. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have fled so swiftly into the Illusory Roar Desert,” the first elder sighed helplessly.
“Who are these thieves, daring to target our Zhao family? We can’t let this go—this grievance must be avenged! Otherwise, how will our Zhao family maintain its standing in Phantom Night City?” another elder gritted his teeth.
“Revenge? That may not be easy. The two who lured us out only displayed Void Refinement cultivation, but that may not be their true realm,” the first elder shook his head.
“Brother, are you suggesting those two are also Demon Venerable-level existences? Could it be that those who raided our Zhao family were of similar strength? If so, no wonder they treated Zhao Fortress as nothing and dared to target our demon lizards. But when did such a group of old monsters arrive in Phantom Night City? Why haven’t we heard anything about them?” The other elder inhaled sharply in realization.
“That’s hard to say. Their accomplices might just be subordinates. But even so, those two alone are no weaker than us, and they’ve already ventured deep into the Illusory Roar Desert. With just the Zhao family’s strength, seeking justice will be difficult. As for why we received no prior warning, that’s not surprising—they either concealed their cultivation and identities or never entered Phantom Night City before.”
“So we just let this go?” the other elder fumed.
“According to reports, their accomplices didn’t slaughter anyone in Zhao Fortress—only a few insignificant disciples were silenced. The lost demon lizards, while important, don’t threaten our family’s foundation. As for reputation, we can simply execute a few troublemakers and claim they were the thieves’ accomplices,” the first elder said darkly, as if he had already considered this.
“Isn’t that just deceiving ourselves? I can’t swallow this humiliation!” the other elder stomped his foot after a pause.
“Swallow it or not, we must! You and I are the Zhao family’s last pillars—if either falls, the family could decline. For the sake of our lineage, we must endure. But if you truly can’t let go, we don’t have to act personally—we can use others to do the deed.”
“Use others?” The second elder’s expression shifted thoughtfully.
“Exactly. Contact the Beast Venerable Hall and have them act on our behalf. We can use the family’s reserve demon stones as payment. But remember—whether they succeed or not, this is the only time. Even if those thieves escape unharmed, you are not to pursue them further! And ensure our identity remains hidden when dealing with the Beast Venerable Hall.”
“Rest assured, brother, I know what to do. Heh, if those monsters from the Beast Venerable Hall act, even if they don’t die, those thieves will suffer greatly. Though spending those demon stones will strain the family for some time,” the other elder said, torn between glee and reluctance.
“Hmph, every one of those old monsters is at least as strong as us, and their combat experience far surpasses ordinary demons like us. Their price isn’t unreasonable. But having them chase the thieves into the Illusory Roar Desert is impractical—we’ll have to wait until they emerge before the Beast Venerable Hall strikes.”
“That works. If the Beast Venerable Hall monitors the cities near the desert, they’ll eventually find traces of that group. But who knows how long they’ll stay in the desert or what they’re doing there?” the second elder said viciously.
“Since we’re already prepared to pay dearly, extending the contract to a century is no issue. If they remain in the desert that long, consider the demon stones a loss. No more delays—let’s return to the city and act separately.”
The first elder cast a final glance at the distant sands before decisively turning away. The other elder naturally had no objections.
With that, demonic energy surged around them as they transformed into streaks of black light, soaring back toward Phantom Night City.
As for the Illusory Roar Desert, it wasn’t until four months later that another major family from Phantom Night City—the Fang family—cautiously re-entered the desert with a few demon lizards. By then, the uproar caused by the Zhao family’s loss had gradually subsided.
After some investigation, the Zhao family’s two Demon Venerables vaguely linked the incident to Han Li’s disappearance. But without proof, they naturally kept silent.
Time flew by, and as years passed, Phantom Night City remained under the rule of its four great families, with the Zhao family’s incident long forgotten.
Forty years later…
On this day, at a particularly desolate edge of the Illusory Roar Desert, a sandstorm raged, its gray winds churning into the sky like a hurricane sea, obscuring everything within.
Suddenly, the storm rippled as several massive demonic beasts leaped out, landing steadily on solid ground.
These beasts had eight thick limbs beneath their bellies, resembling giant lizards scaled up over a dozen times. Covered in dust, they carried nine figures—Han Li and his group, who had entered the desert decades ago from Phantom Night City.
Of the original ten demon lizards, only five remained after the arduous journey, forcing most to share mounts.
Han Li, the Long family ancestor, and the others appeared unchanged after decades, their faces now alight with excitement.
“Finally out of that damned desert! Seeing the same scenery for decades was unbearable. Even a century-long seclusion wasn’t this torturous,” the robed girl exhaled in relief, grinning as if freed from purgatory.
“Decades of travel through the desert was indeed grueling. Worse, we encountered all three of the desert’s great demonic hazards multiple times, losing over half our eight-legged demon lizards,” the Celestial Maiden Qianqiu, seated behind her, remarked coolly. The decades seemed to have left no mark on this Spirit Race saintess.
“But the most dangerous was that late-Spirit Integration sand-shadow beast, relentlessly stalking us for years and ambushing us repeatedly. If not for Fellow Daoist Han’s final strike to eliminate it, we might never have escaped,” Qianqiu added, glancing at Han Li with a peculiar expression.
“Maiden Qianqiu flatters me. If Fellow Daoist ‘Still Water’ hadn’t restrained that sand-shadow beast, I wouldn’t have had the chance to act,” Han Li replied, his gaze flickering toward the Spirit Race youth nearby.
“Haha, that sand-shadow beast was elusive—its defeat was a joint effort by Brother Han and Fellow Daoist Still Water. Now that we’ve left the Illusory Roar Desert, let’s proceed with our original plan and split up,” the Long family ancestor declared, storing the remaining demon lizards with a laugh.
“I have no objections,” Han Li said, glancing back at the gray storm before smiling faintly.
A year earlier, still in the desert, they had finalized their post-exit plans.
While the Illusory Roar Desert was a forbidden zone for ordinary demons, to a group of Spirit Integration cultivators, it was merely somewhat hazardous. The only frustration for Han Li was that, during the latter half of the journey, he had slightly revealed his true abilities to eliminate a stealthy demonic beast—unfortunately witnessed by others.
This left the Long family ancestor, Qianqiu, and the other Spirit Race members treating him with even greater respect… and wariness.
Han Li could only pretend not to notice their subtle shift in attitude.
Now, Qianqiu and the Spirit Race members readily agreed to the Long family ancestor’s proposal.
The group immediately split into smaller parties, soaring into the sky on separate paths.
Their plan was simple: to avoid detection, they would travel independently from the desert to the Demon Source Sea, reuniting only at their final destination.
Though this dispersed their strength, it also minimized the risk of drawing attention from the demon race.
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