Ghost Market

Shen Yuan, who had seen through everything, knew perfectly well that the Southern Pacification Army had sealed off the roads and evacuated the civilians for reasons that had absolutely nothing to do with some so-called landslide.

And if the Southern Pacification Army could have resolved it quickly, they would never have made such a great fuss over evacuating the local residents. Even by tomorrow morning, the blockade would not be lifted.

The Maine Coon only remembered that the Dragon Lord Banquet at Fubo Pool was due to take place sometime in the next few days. If they waited until the blockade was removed, it would be far too late.

Shen Yuan simply got out of the car and headed for Qing Prefecture alone.

Of course, Shen Yuan did not go toward the area sealed off by the Southern Pacification Army. Instead, he chose to circle around through another stretch of woodland.

Once they entered the forest, the Maine Coon, which had maintained its illusion spell the entire time, finally let out a long breath and dispelled its demon art, returning to its enormous original form.

For a Maine Coon with a body comparable to that of a tiger, the cramped space in the back seat of a car was nothing short of torture.

It would rather run all the way to Qing Prefecture on its own four legs than experience riding in a car again.

As it raced through the woods, the Maine Coon ran wild like a tiger returned to the mountains.

Quite a few small animals around them curiously stared at the huge unfamiliar creature that looked like a tiger yet was not a tiger. The Maine Coon let out an irritated low growl, and the small animals scattered like birds and beasts.

Only after doing all that did the Maine Coon obediently return behind Shen Yuan and complain to him in a low voice.

"That human just now had no manners at all. He actually told you to sell me right in front of me, sir."

Shen Yuan laughed. "He said that because he did not truly see you as an independent intelligent life-form.

"In his eyes, you are merely a pet. Naturally, he would not consider such matters."

The Maine Coon halted at those words. Its sharp tiger fangs showed in a menacing flash, and a low growl rumbled from its throat.

"As expected, humans are all like this. Of course, except for you, sir."

Shen Yuan shook his head with a soft laugh. "This has nothing to do with humans, nor does it have anything to do with good or evil.

"Survival of the fittest is the great cycle of heaven and earth. During the era of depleted spiritual energy, humanity was able to develop such flourishing civilization without relying on spiritual energy and stand at the apex of all living things. Naturally, they possessed the arrogance to look down upon other beings.

"All of this came from the Human Race's inheritance. Humans would naturally be unwilling to share everything they had created with the Demon Race.

"Even if you possessed the same intelligence and the same strength as they did, it would still be so."

Upon hearing this, much of the Maine Coon's anger faded, and contemplation appeared in its tiger eyes.

In the past, it had merely instinctively wanted to hate humanity—the status and resources humans possessed. It had wanted equal standing in society, yet it had never realized that human society itself had been created by humans.

"Then in your view, sir, how should the Demon Race conduct itself?"

"The Demon Race still has a long road ahead. They need the qualifications to truly speak with the Human Race as equals. They need to learn humanity's knowledge. They need to genuinely integrate into human society.

"But... all of that is useless wishful thinking."

The Maine Coon was utterly astonished. "Why do you say that, sir?"

Shen Yuan gave the Maine Coon a meaningful glance.

"The Spirit Tide has returned, but in the foreseeable future, this prosperous age of cultivation will one day decline once more.

"When the era of depleted spiritual energy arrives, no Demon Race possessing intelligence will be born without spiritual energy to sustain them. Even demon bloodlines will gradually degenerate into mindless wild beasts.

"When that time comes, the only thing the Demon Race can do is hide their knowledge and inheritance within their bloodlines, waiting for the next Spirit Tide to arrive."

"This world was unfair by nature."

The Maine Coon froze completely in place.

Yet Bai Xue in Shen Yuan's arms was even more shaken than the Maine Coon.

For the first time, bewilderment and helplessness appeared in those beautiful heterochromatic eyes. Her entire worldview was suffering a severe blow.

Born with a noble bloodline, she had possessed a wealth of precious inheritances from the moment she came into existence. At the same time, she carried a sense of duty that other demons did not possess.

To make the Cat Race—even the entire Demon Race—rise up and gain the right to speak with humanity as equals.

Yet Shen Yuan had told her that all of it was futile. The depletion and resurgence of spiritual energy was an endless cycle, one the Demon Race could not escape.

For a kitten less than a month old, this was undoubtedly a devastating blow.

The Maine Coon beside them finally digested Shen Yuan's words. It caught up once more, but none of its previous enthusiasm remained.

It merely followed silently at Shen Yuan's side, its gaze occasionally flicking toward Bai Xue in Shen Yuan's arms.

Normal demons would never think about things like speaking with humans as equals. What demons believed in was the supremacy of strength.

Only Bai Xue, and the Maine Coon influenced by Bai Xue, would ponder matters that ordinary demons found incomparably foolish.

The Maine Coon remained silent, but Shen Yuan spoke up at this moment and asked the question that had puzzled him for a long time.

"As a cat demon, why do you look so much like a tiger, and possess the Tiger Race's innate divine ability, Bronze Head, Iron Arms?"

The Maine Coon's expression became somewhat unnatural upon hearing this. Bai Xue in Shen Yuan's arms also snapped awake from her devastating shock, her little face full of guilty unease.

When she had first been born, she encountered the badly injured Maine Coon. The best way to save it was to give it an inheritance memory and allow it to transform into a demon.

But the young Bai Xue had no idea of the difference between tiger demons and cat demons. In little Bai Xue's eyes, the Maine Coon was already as large as a huge tiger, so she had given the Maine Coon the inheritance memories of a tiger demon.

The bloodline power brought by those inheritance memories made the Maine Coon increasingly tiger-like.

"Maybe... maybe it's because I awakened a Tiger Race inheritance?"

The Maine Coon replied vaguely.

Shen Yuan had only asked casually out of curiosity and did not dwell on the matter. Seeing the Maine Coon's unnatural expression, he did not press further.

By now, quite some time had passed since Shen Yuan entered the forest. Normally, at their speed, they should have long since crossed this woodland.

Yet Shen Yuan was still within the forest, with the dense woods obscuring any trace of a path.

The sun at the horizon was already about to set. The lingering glow of the dusk spread over the land, giving this once vibrant forest an air of decay and ruin.

Shen Yuan stopped and looked at the seemingly endless forest before him.

He had deliberately avoided the mountain range from before, yet he was still trapped within this chaotic environment. That was enough to show that what caused all this was not merely a certain region or some creature.

Everything displayed here was more akin to a natural phenomenon.

He casually placed Bai Xue from his arms atop the Maine Coon's head, then chose not to continue scouting ahead.

His gaze swept over the dusky yellow sunset that seemed steeped in decay, and Shen Yuan said in an indifferent tone.

"Sever!"

The next instant, a streak of white light rose from his storage ring. The Dawn-Glow Purple Qi that Shen Yuan had refined within his body for days poured in full into the Dark-Bright Sword.

His divine sense surged. The Bronze Ancient Sword seemed to transform into a rising morning sun, carrying a trace of noble purple qi as it cleaved toward the dim yellow orb.

The flying sword fell. The false dim yellow sun shattered in an instant, and the sunset radiance that had blanketed the earth was swallowed whole by the night. Beyond that false dusk, night had long since descended.

The surrounding forest had also vanished long ago. Not far away, a village lit by scattered lanterns emerged before Shen Yuan's eyes.

The Maine Coon's fur stood on end, because on the signboard outside the village, it could clearly see two large characters.

Ghost Market!