Demon-Slaying in Black-Clothed City!

Thump--!

A laborer suddenly collapsed, and the rope on his shoulder slipped off.

The demon soldier stepped forward and kicked the man twice, then spat when he saw that the man couldn't get up.

"Playing dead? Drag him away now, don't dirty the king's ground."

It grabbed his ankle and dragged him to the wall, then pulled someone from behind to fill the empty space.

The newly recruited laborers were so frightened that their legs went weak, the ropes in their hands came loose, and a cartload of stones scattered all over the ground.

The demon soldier next to him immediately kicked him. "Who gave you the guts to let go? You can't even handle something this simple, you might as well just die!"

A heavy stone beam is being erected in front of the platform.

Before the bottom of the scaffolding was properly secured, one side of the wooden frame began to tilt after the beam was raised.

The veteran craftsman in charge of the project ordered everyone to stop and prepare to reinforce the structure again.

The demon soldiers, seeing the progress stalled, pressed forward, shouting, "Stop what?! The King has set a time limit! If you miss it, you'll be skinned alive!"

The old craftsman pointed to the base. "If you pull the frame any further, it will collapse."

"If they fall, they'll crush you bunch of trash, saving the king from wasting his sword!" another demon soldier chuckled, but his whip didn't stop.

Hearing the commotion, the burly man with stubble beckoned him over.

"Come over."

The sound of his mouth opening was like a muffled thunderclap.

The old craftsman's legs trembled, but he still moved forward step by step.

"The beam's askew." The burly, bearded man looked down at him. "Tell me, what should we do?"

The old craftsman bowed low. "Your Majesty, the base isn't properly secured; we must stop work and reinforce it, otherwise—"

"I do not listen to the process."

The stubble-faced man still had a smile on his face, but his hand was already reaching for the other person's shoulder and neck.

"If the beam is crooked, something has to prop it up."

"Don't you think so?"

When Yang Xiao and Wu Xu entered Black-Clothed City, they saw teams of laborers transporting stones.

The city gates were wide open, but there were no guards; only two demons were dozing in the shadows of the passageway beneath the gate.

There weren't many demon soldiers near the city gate; most of them were guarding the construction site.

Wu Xu's face remained gloomy throughout.

He was about to explain who the original garrison commander of this place was when Yang Xiao released his divine sense.

The faint human presence in the neighborhood, the dense labor at the construction site, and the undisguised eerie Yao Qi emanating from the center were quickly discerned.

As the divine sense swept across, it happened to see the burly man with stubble reaching out his hand to the old craftsman.

Yang Xiao didn't stop to listen to the introduction, but only told Wu Xu:

I'll go first.

Before the words were even finished, the person had already crossed the rooftop in front of them.

Wu Xu only felt a blur before his eyes, and the dark blue figure had already disappeared.

Clang--!

A gunshot flashed and blocked the outstretched arm of the stubble-faced man.

The stubble-faced man abruptly pulled his outstretched hand back and raised his arm to block.

The spear slammed heavily into his forearm, shattering the protective Demonic Aura he had hastily formed. His massive body crashed through the steps behind him, tumbling and rolling dozens of feet away.

Bricks and stones shattered, dust billowed up.

The old craftsman collapsed to the ground, not understanding what had happened, when a dark blue figure landed in front of him.

Yang Xiao glanced at the old craftsman first.

He used his divine sense to lift it up and send it far away from the construction site, while gently pushing everyone nearby a hundred feet away before looking back.

The burly man with stubble crawled up from the rubble, and when he saw the newcomer, he was first taken aback, then his anger flared up.

"Demon Suppression Division!?"

"You dare to come back?"

It grinned, revealing two rows of yellow teeth.

"Very well, I was just looking for a gatekeeper for the palace. Kneel down and kowtow three times, and I'll spare your life. From now on, you'll supervise the construction for me."

It knew exactly what the Demon Suppression Division Liangzhou was capable of.

Suddenly struck, it assumed it was caught off guard and grabbed half a stone pillar nearby, smashing it down.

Bang--!

Yang Xiao stepped forward, his spearhead shattering the stone pillar. The remaining force struck the stubble-faced man's chest, sending him flying another hundred feet away.

The stubble-faced man rolled to the ground, feeling a burning pain in his chest where he had been struck.

Looking down, I saw a huge gash that had appeared out of nowhere, the skin and flesh separated.

Sensing that his opponent possessed some strength, the stubble-faced man immediately revealed his true form.

The brocade robe was torn apart, and the dark brown bull's body rapidly expanded, transforming into a gigantic demonic bull that was ten zhang tall. Even when standing still, it was taller than the city wall.

Its hooves were covered with hard iron armor, and its horns showed earthy yellow patterns. Then, its forehooves stomped down heavily.

The ground shook, and huge cracks appeared, extending towards Yang Xiao's feet.

The gravel tumbled up, and the soil surged like waves, trying to disrupt his footing.

The Earth-Splitting Demon Ox then charged forward with its head down, preparing to take advantage of his loss of balance and pierce him with its horns.

Yang Xiao Void-Treading Step off the ground and grabbed the bull's horns with one hand.

Bang--!

The immense momentum abruptly stopped.

It was as if the huge waves crashing against the shore had stopped for a moment.

The heavy body of the Earth-Splitting Demon Ox continued to press forward, its four hooves plowing deep furrows in the ground, but Yang Xiao held on steadily with one hand, without even moving his feet backward half a step.

Golden Astral Force floated in his palm, and the power of suppressing Mountain Suppression slowly dissipated the force it had regrouped.

Inch by inch.

The horns of the Earth-Splitting Demon Ox were forcibly turned to the side, and its head almost touched the ground.

Only then did it begin to struggle, trying to back away.

"Spare me!"

It finally gave in, its voice tinged with panic.

Even though the young man opposite it had not revealed his Dao Infant, it recognized that this was an existence it could not afford to provoke.

"I am willing to offer everything! The palace will also belong to you, my lord! I only beg for your mercy—"

Yang Xiao did not give him another chance.

This time, he did not unleash the Three Calamities Entangling the Body.

He still vividly remembered the half-obliterated demonic body of the Scarlet Plume Kite King.

Although its power was immense, the demonic body that was instantly obliterated could have been exchanged for countless amounts of vital essence, which was a huge waste.

Since the opponent before me is of a lower level than myself, I can kill him directly without destroying his flesh and blood.

Bass--!

He drew his Shadowless Blade and with a single Gold-Shattering Jade-Collapsing, severed the opponent's head.

The Earth-Splitting Demon Ox's body went from tense to kneeling, utterly powerless to resist.

From revealing its true form to being executed, it never managed to force Yang Xiao to back down.

Yang Xiao confirmed that the strongest Yao Qi in the city had disappeared, and left the remaining demonic soldiers to Wu Xu to deal with.

He first took out the demon bull's Demon Core and put it into the Silver Xiezhi Tally, then activated the Heaven-Devouring Essence Refining (Red).

The body of the Earth-Splitting Demon Ox melted like butter being baked, turning into more than ten drops of essence that flowed into Yang Xiao's mouth.

This enormous ten-zhang-long body is even smaller than the half-corpse of the Scarlet Plume Kite King that was refined.

After all, one is at the Core Illumination Realm and the other at the Dao-Infant Realm.

Yang Xiao was not surprised.

He did not dedicate any of his energy to nourishing himself.

Instead, he poured all the obtained essence into the sixth slot, and the superior Spiritual Root, Jade Marrow Earth Ganoderma, lit up.

The roots, like jade threads, stretched out, and the pale golden light inside the cap of the sesame plant gradually deepened. The previously discontinuous patterns connected in several places.

A warm response came from the spleen position of the Dao Infant.

This unexpectedly acquired Spiritual Root continues to grow.

While Wu Xu had already arrived and was clearing out the remaining demon soldiers, Yang Xiao was happy to take the time to retrieve all the spoils from this patrol.

A Demon Infant at the Initial Realm, a demon Demon Core at the peak of the Core Illumination Realm, and the Soul-Seizing Bell that I had forgotten about before, which I took from the Yellow Wind Demon King.

"We'll use you all first, then go settle accounts with the Demon King."