Dozens of days had already passed since Li Ling, Venerable Longevity, and Hong Lei had begun helping hunt down Lord Bashan in the northern reaches of the Bashan Demon Kingdom, following the Heavenly Court Envoy's orders.
By now, deep winter had arrived. Rain and snow fell over Bashan, and although the mountains lay in a warm region, most of the taller peaks were wrapped in silver-white, as though dressed in snowy coats.
Chill winds howled, making the ruined, desolate sights along their route seem all the more bleak.
"What terrible sins!"
Smelling the stench of rotting corpses permeating the air, Li Ling sighed softly.
Before them lay yet another place Lord Bashan had attacked, a mountain where every last inhabitant had died.
This was already Elephant Race territory. An Elephant Race Demon King and the beasts under his command had remained on guard, yet Lord Bashan had still struck with ease.
Li Ling and the others trailed more than half a day behind him. Searching the various sites had cost them considerable time.
Venerable Longevity surveyed their surroundings and said, "Lord Bashan's slaughter keeps mounting. At this rate, the death toll may break a hundred million. The question is how much soul essence he's gained from them, and how much it will help his advancement."
Hong Lei said, "He still seems to show no sign of turning back. But according to Star Lord Sichen Yuan Guang, sooner or later, before the end of the month, he'll change direction and try to slip back to Mount Gaiwang. When that happens, should we press the pursuit, or deliberately leave an opening to give him a chance to return?"
Li Ling said, "Either is fine. As things stand, it seems we can't catch him whether we leave an opening or not."
Venerable Longevity