Before long, Xu Changqing stepped into the Central Region.
Demons ran rampant here. Zhu Hong's aura had long since been concealed by the dense demonic qi, leaving no trace behind.
Moreover, the chaos in the Central Region far exceeded imagination. As the ruler of the Black Rust Dynasty and his in-law, Li Lingbi surely knew quite a bit of the inside story.
After giving it some thought, Xu Changqing decided to head to the imperial city and meet with him.
However, after traveling only a few miles, a pack of Lesser Demons suddenly sprang out ahead.
There were roughly a dozen of them, each with a blue face, protruding fangs, and a body covered in short grayish-black fur.
They were hunched like apes, foul-smelling drool dripping from their pointed mouths.
Their eyes were red as blood, and strange howls of "Awooo! Awooo!" came from their mouths.
Seeing Xu Changqing alone and his aura restrained, they mistook him for a Rogue Cultivator who was easy to bully and pounced on him, baring their fangs and brandishing their claws.
Some extended their sharp claws, intending to shred his robes.
Others opened their bloody maws, wishing they could swallow him whole.
"Human cultivator, tender meat!"
"Drink his blood!"
"Eat his flesh!"
Such a death-seeking provocation made a trace of impatience flash through Xu Changqing's eyes.
He did not stop walking. He merely waved a hand casually, and invisible spiritual power burst forth, sweeping through them like razor-sharp blades.
Amid several muffled puffs, the pack of Lesser Demons could not even get close before their bodies were sliced apart, flesh and blood scattering across the ground.
Yet this brief disturbance still alerted a Demon King not far away.
A bear monster leaped into the air and landed on a nearby mountaintop.
Its body was