Demon Vine Minor World.
At the Demon Leaf Family's ancestral grounds, a few Horned Demon Imperial Clan members who had been away and had escaped destruction by chance were rebuilding the Lineage. They erected a crude formation over the spiritual vein as a token gesture, fulfilling the Lineage's duty to defend its territory within the imperial clan.
Because of the war and concerns for safety, very few had returned: only a few dozen clansmen, with just one general-rank member of the Demon Leaf Family among them.
Most of the work fell to a slave race called the Vine Tiger Race. They handled all manner of tasks, erecting formations and repairing the damaged family mountains and buildings.
No one noticed the faint trace of shadow in the soul of a Nascent Soul-rank Vine Tiger demon named Teng Hushi.
That faint shadow had merged with his soul, as though it had always been there.
In truth, living beings had souls of every conceivable kind, with all manner of constitutions. A little extra darkness was nothing strange.
Even an emperor could not claim to spot something amiss at a glance.
The Nascent Soul-rank Vine Tiger himself noticed nothing either.
He faithfully carried out his master's orders, carefully erecting the formation. One by one, he buried formation implements that looked no different from the imperial clan's usual formation anchors.
He respectfully delivered the most crucial implement into his master's hands for him to activate.
Several months later, a lower-grade fourth-tier formation rose over the Demon Leaf Family's ancestral grounds.
"It's done."
"That was too easy."
Deep in the Nascent Soul-rank Vine Tiger demon's soul, a shadow breathed a sigh of relief and fell dormant.
At that instant,
the fifth-tier spiritual vein beneath the Demon Leaf Family in Demon Vine Minor World underwent an exceedingly