True Lord of the Void Refinement Realm?

As a awakened member of the Demon Race with bloodline inheritance, the Maine Coon knew well that someone capable of stirring up such a vast spiritual energy vortex had to be, at the very least, a True Lord or Demon Lord of the Spirit Refinement and Void Restoration realm.

At this point, when the spiritual energy tide had only just arrived, it was utterly impossible for a powerhouse of such a realm to emerge in this remote corner. Therefore, this spiritual energy vortex had to have been caused by some treasure coming into the world.

Coupled with the little kitty's reminder, the Maine Coon instantly realized the opportunity that might lie within.

Turning to look at the dozens of stray cats behind it, the Maine Coon let out a low growl. As though they had received an order, the stray cats immediately scattered and fled.

Then, the Maine Coon's tall body seemed to melt into the shadows as it swiftly headed toward the center of the spiritual energy vortex.

As the supernatural power seed absorbed spiritual energy at an increasingly rapid pace, a large number of demonized animals affected by the spiritual energy tide began gathering in the old district.

Among them was an enormous, fat Rat King carried on the backs of rats; a strange crow with mottled feathers and flames beneath its feet; and giant cockroaches, half a meter tall when standing upright, capable of flying through the air.

These demons all gathered outside Shen Yuan's courtyard, gazing greedily at the cultivation room within.

As members of the Demon Race whose bloodlines had awakened at the beginning of the spiritual energy tide, they were all one-in-ten-thousand kings within their own clans. Naturally, they understood what such a massive spiritual energy vortex represented.

Heavenly treasures that extended one's lifespan, innate spiritual objects that increased cultivation, or even supernatural power seeds that nurtured supernatural abilities and spells.

No matter which it was, it could grant them an unimaginable advantage during the early days of the returning spiritual energy tide, allowing them to break free of their clans' limits in one stroke and become future Demon Kings.

At that thought, the greed in these demons' hearts swelled at breakneck speed.

Compared to the natives here, the Maine Coon arrived slightly later. By the time it reached the courtyard, several demons, along with a vast swarm of rats and crows, had already surrounded it tightly.

The Maine Coon's arrival immediately drew the attention of the other demons. Its body, nearly half a man tall and powerfully built, made it resemble a fierce tiger, and several of the demons instinctively felt the urge to retreat the moment they saw it.

When a tiger became a demon, it was a mountain lord, qualified to become a mountain god or earth deity—a great demon born with supernatural powers. If a true mountain lord had arrived, the other demons would not even be qualified to compete with it.

However, after seeing that there was no character for king on the Maine Coon's forehead, but rather a palm-sized little furball, the other demons lost their initial wariness.

The Maine Coon's enormous body did give it certain advantages against the other demons, but not enough for them to hand over the treasure before them.

Only the fat Rat King unconsciously shuddered and hid itself amid the swarm of rats.

The little kitty atop the Maine Coon's head looked excitedly toward the center of the gathered spiritual energy. But when it saw that this was a courtyard inhabited by humans, the joy on its little face instantly turned to disappointment.

"So it already has an owner!" the little kitty said dejectedly.

The Maine Coon slowly swept its gaze over the other demons glaring like tigers watching prey, then extended its scarlet tongue to lick its paw as it spoke indifferently, "My King, if you need it, I'll snatch it for you."

At that, the little kitty smacked the Maine Coon on the head with another kitty punch.

"Didn't I tell you? If we want to develop in a society dominated by humans, we absolutely cannot do anything illegal. Snatching other people's things is even more unacceptable."

The Maine Coon, which had been brimming with dominance a moment ago, immediately wore an aggrieved expression.

"But, but you doxxed someone and tried to find their offline address. That's illegal too!"

The little kitty froze, an awkward expression appearing on its face as it immediately began explaining, "It was all that bad guy's fault. If he hadn't provoked me first and refused to apologize, would I have wanted to find him offline and make him apologize?"

"Besides, I didn't find him, did I? So it definitely doesn't count as breaking the law."

Just as the little kitty spoke up in rebuttal, the rat demon finally could not restrain itself any longer. A massive number of rats under its command began charging toward the courtyard.

The rats surged forward at the wooden door. Rats already showing signs of demonization rapidly gnawed at the rotten wood, and within moments, the door was on the verge of collapse.

Yet the commotion outside seemed not to have drawn the attention of the person inside. Rats charged forward one after another, continuously slamming against the wooden door, which seemed ready to cave in at any moment.

Seeing this, the little kitty revealed a conflicted expression and quietly asked the Maine Coon, "There's still a human inside. Those guys definitely want to kill the human and take the treasure. Should we stop them from killing someone?"

This time, the little kitty was not giving an order, but asking in a consultative tone.

The Maine Coon had been abandoned by humans and held no goodwill toward them, so it instinctively wanted to refuse.

But when it saw the hopeful look in the little kitty's eyes, its heart softened for some reason.

"As you wish!"

Carefully setting the little kitty aside, two stray cats immediately stepped forward to shield it behind them. The Maine Coon charged into the rat swarm like a fierce tiger, trampling countless rats that had been battering the wooden door to death and sending the rest fleeing in panic.

"Stop!"

Standing amid blood and flesh, it let out a tiger's roar. Then, surging demonic energy pressed down wildly upon the demons surrounding the courtyard.

Such powerful demonic energy made the demons turn their heads one after another. They could sense that if this great cat took one more step forward, it would enter the Qi Transformation realm and become a true member of the Demon Race.

"The treasure in the courtyard is up for grabs according to one's ability, but no one is allowed to harm the human inside!"

The Maine Coon's words immediately stirred the demons into outrage.

"Who do you think you are?"

"I knew cats were all humans' lackeys!"

"You dead rat, who are you calling a dog?"

"You protect humans? Traitor to the Demon Race!"

The Maine Coon paid no heed to the demons' mockery. It raised its right paw, lightly licking the remaining flesh and blood from it, its eyes filled with contempt.

"I am only here to set the rules. Whoever refuses to obey them dies!"

The Maine Coon's forceful attitude plunged the scene into silence for a time.

The demons' eyes flickered. Their goal was the treasure in the room, and whether the human inside lived or died was of no consequence to them. It truly was not worth clashing head-on with the Maine Coon over this matter.

The demons exchanged looks, just about to agree.

But at that moment, a violent commotion suddenly erupted within the courtyard. A patch of ground collapsed, and a large number of rats poured out from the hole.

At the center of the rats was the fat Rat King.

The demons were greatly shocked. They had thought the Rat King had hidden because it feared its natural enemy, the cat demon. They had never expected it to secretly send its rats to dig a tunnel and get ahead of them.

At this point, the demons could no longer remain calm. They charged madly toward the courtyard, paying no attention whatsoever to the Maine Coon's stance.

The Maine Coon stood before the wooden door with an ugly expression. It had intended to use its strength to intimidate the other demons and achieve its goal, but it had not expected the Rat King to shatter the current stalemate.

Though it was powerful, it could not possibly become enemies with these demons head-on for the sake of a human.

With that thought, it chose to step aside.

At that moment, the rat swarm flooding into the courtyard had already carried the Rat King to the cultivation room's door. The Rat King's tiny mung-bean eyes were filled with excitement.

It seemed able to see the treasure, right within its grasp.

But just as the rat swarm was about to touch the door, the massive spiritual energy vortex suddenly vanished, and a hand gently pushed open the door.

It was a handsome young man dressed in a white shirt. He looked frail and ordinary, and any one of the demonized rats could have easily bitten through the human's throat.

Yet this ordinary young man tossed something toward the rat swarm.

The Rat King saw it clearly. It was a brown matchbox, holding pitifully few matches. Even if every match inside were lit, it would not be enough to burn a single rat to death.

A dying struggle in panic!

The Rat King was utterly contemptuous.

But in the next instant, deep black cracks spread across the entire matchbox, and an unsettling aura rapidly radiated from it.

Before the Rat King could react, the spreading black cracks extended outward through space. Massive spatial rifts swallowed the entire rat swarm whole, even catching the demons that rushed into the courtyard afterward.

Neither shredded flesh nor erupting demonic power could shake that shattered space. The demons, utterly unaware of what had happened in the courtyard, rushed forward one after another, barging into the broken space like lambs voluntarily walking into a slaughterhouse.

The shattered spatial cracks were like a merciless gaping maw, swallowing every demon and monster whole.

Among the demons, desperate cries tore through the silent night sky.

"Shattered void—he's a True Lord of the Void Refinement Realm!"