Ye Wen watched Monk Xuankong flee but made no move to pursue him. Now that he had tested his strength, he had a plan of his own.
Since he couldn't find anyone from the Mo Family for the time being, he would visit the nearby Demon Suppressing Cities and see if he could find any Demon Suppressing Tokens. Then he could fly back to the Demon Suppressing Tower.
His main goal wasn't to rush off and take revenge on the Mo Family. Instead, he wanted to find all eighteen Demon Suppressing Tokens and obtain Chaos Ancestor's Endless Divine Dao Scripture.
Hongmeng Ancestor's Endless Sacred Dao Scripture was already incredibly powerful. If he combined the two scriptures and cultivated them together, he would be sacred on the outside and divine within, and surely become immensely powerful. Then he wouldn't need to worry about his Spiritual Power being too weak.
Ye Wen returned to the City Lord's Mansion to collect some interest from the Mo Family first. And this was real interest: he found several nice outfits in the mansion and changed into them.
That Longevity Dao Sect disciple had called him a filthy beggar, and the insult had hurt Ye Wen more than all the injuries they had inflicted on him together in battle.
After taking a few more valuables from the City Lord's Mansion, along with a map of the nearby cities, Ye Wen set off in earnest.
A few hours after he left Xingyu Demon Suppressing City, another terrible calamity struck. Countless members of the Demon Race poured into the city once more.
Demonic Beasts of every race joined in. Scattered groups of demons had even begun attacking humans in the cities near the Demon Suppressing City.
Along the way, Ye Wen stopped from time to time and took in the Exotic World's boundless splendor. As he walked along the so-called imperial road, he watched travelers pass by. Some rode tall steeds, while others rode all kinds of Demonic Beasts.
Whenever someone rode past on a Demonic Beast, the people nearby couldn't help but exclaim in admiration. One woman began lecturing the child beside her.
"See that? You'll have to cultivate hard if you want to tame such a powerful Demonic Beast and make something of yourself!"
Perhaps the woman didn't even know what kind of Demonic Beast it was, let alone what it meant for a beast to Enter Rank. But that didn't stop her from setting an example for her child.
That was simply how this world worked! Studying might bring a stable life, but without strength, you would always remain among the lowest in society. Though the literary path could lead one to sainthood, how many true scholars had actually managed to Enter Rank?
Zhang Jingyi's grandfather, Zhang Yuanchao, had spent his whole life studying, yet in the end, he had never entered the ranks. He had watched his son and daughter-in-law die before his eyes, then seen his only remaining family, his granddaughter, die before him as well. Did he hate it? He did! He hated that he had no strength, and that he couldn't protect his family.
So Ye Wen understood. Humanity was in a difficult position in this world, especially ordinary people, who lived each day uncertain whether they would survive the next. Now that this new era had begun, the world was about to be turned upside down. Without strength, a person wouldn't even count as cannon fodder.
This time, Ye Wen hadn't chosen to hurry along on his own. Instead, he traveled with a group of refugees who had fled the Demon Suppressing City.
The demonic blade's influence made it impossible for Ye Wen to suppress its bloodlust. But he didn't want to kill the innocent, nor did he want to let the blade turn him into a coldhearted killing machine.
So he chose to walk among the people. Monk Xuankong of Xiaolin Temple had just given him the idea. Like the Buddhist Sect, he would experience the hardships of the world, live among ordinary people, and taste life's many ups and downs.
This was essential. Ever since Human Ancestor had brought Ye Wen back to the Ancestral Star and his strength had skyrocketed, Ye Wen had felt his heart grow unsteady. After all, he had only just graduated from university and entered society. For a time, he had become intoxicated by his newfound power and forgotten that he was still a person—an ordinary person, too.
Demonic Possession had affected Ye Wen far too deeply. His first time killing someone hadn't burdened him in the slightest. Instead, the feeling had intoxicated him: the power to decide who lived and died, to control another person's life. Had he really taken root in the demonic path, just as Monk Jinguang had said?
So when he saw a group of refugees, he naturally joined them. Sometimes he even cooked and ate with them. The woman's child was only six or seven years old. He was sturdy and strong, with a round, lively face.
"Uncle Ye Wen, what kind of Demonic Beast was that person riding just now? It looked so powerful!"
Children were always curious and guileless, saying whatever came to mind. After spending time together, the child had grown familiar with Ye Wen. So once the rider had gone, he slipped out of his mother's arms, came over to Ye Wen, and pointed at the Demonic Beast that had just left as he asked.
Ye Wen smiled and patted the child's head. Then he told him:
"That Demonic Beast that just passed by belonged to the Lion Race, one of the major races among the demons. But that one was still a little lion; it hadn't grown up yet. Once it's grown, it'll be at least three times bigger than the one you just saw. The powerful ones can even grow two more heads, becoming three-headed lions. That's when they reach adulthood."
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