Three thousand li beyond the pass.
In a valley shrouded in poisonous mist and miasma.
A palace stood within it. Birds wrapped in swirling winds flew through the poisonous miasma and landed inside.
A magic array maintained within the palace kept the miasma and poisonous mist outside.
Numerous birds perched on the palace railings and divine pillars. Others landed and transformed into small, delicate, bright-eyed children.
This was a branch hall of Tianji Hall.
Among the demonic factions, Tianji Hall held a position no lower than Dragon Gate or Saint Palace. Although its overall fighting strength was modest, its Hall Lord was extremely mysterious. Moreover, the bird demons under its command possessed vast amounts of intelligence, traveled among the various factions, and had extensive connections, making the major powers heavily dependent on them.
"You've all received the news, haven't you? That boy is slaughtering demons everywhere!"
"He's far too arrogant! He's barged into our territory alone. This isn't the Great Yu Dynasty!"
"It's all because the Ten Thousand Mountains Demon King and the others fled the border. There's no one left to hold that boy in check. That Four Establishments Realm expert must be following him in secret."
"When that boy traveled from Qing Prefecture to Liang Prefecture, that Four Establishments Realm expert protected him the whole way. The Demon Kings were unwilling to risk crossing the border to kill him. Now he's ventured deep into enemy territory alone. He's courting death!"
Seven or eight boys and girls of differing appearances and small stature gathered together. Their leader looked like a girl of thirteen or fourteen, dressed in a red skirt. She was lovely and fresh-faced, but her expression was cold and mature.
"Hall Master Ming is dead. That boy killed him!"
A boy in black spoke in a low