Golden Land, Nether Abyss Demon Court

His figure weaved and dodged, instantly appearing several meters in mid-air. The Ghost Head Saber in his hand slashed down with fury.

The enormous black shadow that swept from the eaves was struck with a heavy blow, letting out a piercing shriek before falling heavily to the ground.

This caused the surrounding people to gasp in surprise.

"This... this..."

"Ah, a monster!"

The monster resembled a giant Mountain Ghost, over ten feet long, entirely black. Its face was like white paper, with blood-red eyes that constantly dripped viscous fluid.

Its mouth revealed sharp teeth, and the air it exhaled was foul and pungent. Apart from its eyes and a large mouth, its extremely long face had no other features.

[Killed: Meridian Opening Early Stage · Mountain Ghost] [Gained: 62 Assistance Points]

"The Mountain God's messenger you've been sacrificing to looks just like this," Old Man Qian trembled as he shouted.

"Disaster, this is a disaster."

A middle-aged man in an embroidered leather jacket, appearing to be in his early forties, unconsciously muttered.

He then slowly walked out from the crowd, his gaze falling on Su Ye, then sweeping over Old Man Qian. "You reported this? You've caused a huge mess, do you know that?"

The middle-aged man in the leather jacket turned to Su Ye and said coldly, "Since you're from the Demon Suppression Division, why are you being so careless?"

"If you want to earn merit, go to other towns. We don't need you interfering here."

"That's right. The Mountain God will hold you accountable, can you bear it?"

"Sacrificing some unimportant people will bring peace, why do people keep coming out to cause trouble?"

The crowd clamored, many hot-tempered individuals angrily denouncing him.

"We have the Mountain God's protection, we don't need the Demon Suppression Division to worry about us."

Su Ye ignored them, his gaze fixed on the disheveled youth on the altar above. He said sternly, "Who is this? Where are his parents?"

There was no response for a long time. Seeing this, Old Man Qian quickly came before Su Ye and respectfully said, "Lord, his father died long ago, and his mother passed away from a cold half a month ago. He is the only one left alive."

Su Ye's gaze fell on Old Man Qian as he asked, "When did the sacrifices begin? How many times a year?"

Old Man Qian quickly replied, "It's been half a year. Before that, people in the town went missing frequently. Steward Zhang said the Mountain God was angry and that he received a dream from the Mountain God."

"He said sacrifices were needed, twice a month for the first three years, and then once a month after that."

The middle-aged man in the leather jacket stepped up beside Old Man Qian and whispered, "Old Man Qian, don't spout nonsense. This was all discussed and agreed upon by everyone."

"And this fool, he agreed to it himself."

The disheveled youth muttered to himself. Su Ye heard clearly, and the middle-aged man's hushed reprimand also reached his ears.

Su Ye's eyes sharpened, and he said coldly, "Trading a life for a meal, are you very proud of yourself?"

Steward Zhang was momentarily speechless, but the crowd's voices rose again.

"Stop meddling where you don't belong. This is all voluntary."

"Yes, voluntary."

"As long as we perform the sacrifices on time, we don't have to pay taxes to the government. The Mountain God will also bring us rain and ensure good weather for the region."

"What Mountain God sacrifice? This is clearly a cult, and Steward Zhang, who proposed the sacrifices, must know the inside story. He's right here, we'll know once we catch him."

Thinking this, Su Ye suddenly thrust out his right hand, grabbing directly for Steward Zhang's collar.

"How dare you! You killed the envoy, and now you dare lay hands on the Steward? Kid, we've tolerated you for a long time."

"With so many of us, are we afraid of him, a mere brat?"

A burly, strong middle-aged man spoke, thumping his chest. "I've practiced martial arts too. Let me see how you, a junior from the Demon Suppression Division, fare!"

"Can't find the book title? Try searching for the author, maybe the name has changed!"

"Ah Yin, don't be rash. Let's all attack together and capture him."

"Yes, offer him to the Mountain God. Maybe we'll have a chance to enter the Golden Land too." The crowd echoed in agreement.

"Golden Land."

The crowd surged forward in agitation. Su Ye silently repeated the words "Golden Land" to himself, then suddenly swung his Ghost Head Saber with his right hand.

The villagers before him were clearly brainwashed. More talk was useless; only pain would make them sober up.

Bang

With a dull thud, the martial artist who had spoken first came fast and left even faster. His body flew out like a cannonball, smashing through several wooden walls before sticking firmly to a thick tree, unmoving.

This scene shocked everyone present. However, Su Ye showed no intention of stopping. The saber light flashed again. Several figures before him were torn apart by a single saber strike before they could even react.

"Run, this person is crazy!" the crowd shouted in alarm.

The scene terrified the crowd. They had never expected the person before them to be so ruthless and decisive. The timid ones stood frozen, unsure of what to do.

"Run, why are you still standing there?" A plump woman pushed the person behind her forcefully, screaming.

His footsteps didn't stop. Su Ye's Ghost Head Saber cut through the air like slicing wheat, harvesting these wicked individuals one by one.

In the night sky, countless figures rained down like dumplings.

Ah...!

The screams of broken sinews and ribs, the wails of shattered organs, made the crowd behind tremble.

Some turned and fled, while others knelt in unison, begging.

"Don't kill me."

"It was all Zhang Yuanwai's orders."

"Lord, we were also deceived."

Su Ye paid them no mind, carrying Zhang Yuanwai away. Old Qian Tou, seeing this, hurried to speak. "Lord, do you have a place to stay?"

He motioned for his three sons to carry the two children, then quickly walked up to Su Ye.

"Lord, follow me."

In Old Qian Tou's thatched hut, Su Ye threw Zhang Yuanwai heavily onto the ground. Now, only the two of them remained in the hut. Su Ye raised his hand, placing the Ghost Head Saber against the fat man's neck.

"I ask, you answer. If there is any falsehood..." Su Ye's gaze was chilling, his great blade swaying intentionally or unintentionally. He then coldly asked, "Where is the Mountain God, and what is this Golden Land?"

Cold sweat streamed down Zhang Yuanwai's plump cheeks, his voice trembling. "This humble one would never dare to deceive you, Lord."

"The Mountain God is just a gimmick. This sacrificial matter was secretly ordered by my wife. She said Yunzhou would eventually fall into the hands of the Demonic Beasts, so she made plans in advance. As for the Golden Land, it actually has another name: the Nether Abyss Demon Court."

"The Nether Abyss Demon Court, and why do you call it the Golden Land?" Su Ye asked.

"To explain the reason, it's a long story, like a child without a mother."

Su Ye learned from Zhang Yuanwai that he was in the smuggling business, and Yunzhou bordered the Nether Abyss Demon Court. The closest point was only a few hundred li away, with only the Wushan Mountain Range in between.

Within the Nether Abyss Demon Court, many humans also lived, even occupying over sixty percent of the territory. They not only paid no taxes but also had Demonic Beasts to bring rain and ensure annual grain yields, the only price being the sacrifice of some of their own kind each year.

To the common citizens of Great Xia, this was no different from a paradise.

After all, the spring and autumn taxes collected annually by Great Xia had already emptied the citizens' coffers. If they were unlucky and fell ill or encountered disaster, it was like the last straw that broke the camel's back. If they faced a year of famine, there was practically no hope of survival.

On Su Ye's journey from Linshan County to Yunzhou City, he had some understanding of how the common people of this world survived. It couldn't be said that there were starving corpses everywhere, but it wasn't much better. Going hungry was commonplace, and being able to barely get by was already a blessing.