Underground Palace

The two reached the first floor, crossed the bustling hall, and left through the back door. Following Qi Mo's memory, they made their way to a secluded corridor. Two guards stood watch at its far end as well.

Lin Qingyang darted forward. Before the two guards could make out who had come, they felt a gust sweep past their eyes and lost consciousness. Behind them stood a heavy iron door secured with a large lock. Lin Qingyang searched the two guards, found the key, and tossed it to Qi Mo.

Qi Mo swiftly unlocked the door. Beyond the entrance, a spiral stone staircase led downward. A few lighting crystals were embedded here and there in the walls on either side, but there were so few that the stairs remained dim.

Qi Mo went down first. The staircase seemed bottomless. They had no idea how long they had been walking, but the farther down they went, the more a chill seeped into their bones. The air gradually grew foul, carrying a rotten stench.

Lin Qingyang heard the faint clink of chains. After another turn, a gaping, bloody maw suddenly appeared before him. Startled, he jerked backward and nearly landed on the stairs. Only then did he see that it was an enormous black dog, chained at the foot of the staircase, blocking the way and barking viciously at them.

Qi Mo stepped in front of Lin Qingyang and stared straight at the black dog. His ears and tail sprang out in an instant, and he bared his teeth fiercely at it. Fear immediately filled the dog's eyes. It quieted down, tucked its tail between its legs, and huddled against the wall.

The two passed the black dog without trouble. Farther in, the ground leveled out. This should be the Underground Palace! As Lin Qingyang walked, he held up a crystal to illuminate their surroundings, but just then he heard footsteps approaching from nearby, drawing closer and closer. Presumably, the black dog's barking had attracted them.

They hid in a dark spot beyond the reach of the light. In the gloom, a short, stocky figure approached. Only when it came closer did Lin Qingyang see that the fellow actually had blue skin. In the middle of its large, round head was a single enormous eye, and a rhinoceros-like horn jutted from the very top. It looked like a complete mishmash of creatures.

Lin Qingyang watched with a frown. The strange Demon Beast looked around the foot of the staircase, but saw no one. Then it turned toward the large black dog and slapped its head, apparently thinking it had been barking for no reason. The dog let out a whimper and huddled in the corner, looking rather aggrieved. The Demon Beast then turned and went back.

"That's an Earth Bull, a kind of demon that isn't very intelligent and has very little magical power, but adapts well to dark environments. They're usually used for manual labor," Qi Mo explained.

The two followed the Earth Bull deeper inside. It was frighteningly quiet here, and they had no idea how far underground they were. They could not hear a single sound from the surface. Beyond a long, narrow, dark corridor stood an archway. Only after passing through it did the space open up. The vast chamber contained rows of compartments sealed with iron doors. Each had just one small window, barred with metal to allow those outside to check inside. Rather than a breeding facility, it looked more like a prison. Many Earth Bulls pushed food along the aisles, tossing it through the windows in the iron doors, one after another.

Lin Qingyang and Qi Mo carefully avoided the Earth Bulls along the way. Passing a cell, Lin Qingyang glanced inside. In the cramped, dim room, an almost naked female demon with a swollen belly lay curled up in a pile of straw in the corner. Her expression was numb. Even when she saw Lin Qingyang at the window, she barely reacted.

After one glance, Lin Qingyang hurriedly looked away. The two continued deeper inside, scanning room after room. The conditions were nearly all the same: either pregnant female demons or those who had already given birth and were nursing their young.

Lin Qingyang withdrew his gaze and saw the increasingly icy hatred in Qi Mo's eyes. Though he had been able to imagine before coming that a place like this would certainly be miserable, seeing it himself was still more than he could bear. They were clearly much like humans, yet they were treated like livestock, locked up here to give birth endlessly, then made to watch their children sold as merchandise, the same fate repeating generation after generation. Those numb, despairing faces filled him with an inexplicable fear.

Following the Earth Bull through these areas, they began to hear noise farther inside. The rooms on either side no longer had iron doors, but wooden bars instead, and security was considerably lighter. These rooms held not adult Demon Slaves, but groups of Demon Slave cubs, who looked only about the size of two-year-old children. Some had furry ears and tails, some had wings growing from their backs, and some still bore animal markings on their faces. Most were sleeping huddled together.

A Little Tiger Demon suddenly opened his eyes and saw Lin Qingyang and Qi Mo. Seemingly frightened, he abruptly began wailing. His cries set off the other cubs in the cell, and for a moment, deafening wails rose one after another.

Lin Qingyang's heart jolted. He was just about to pull Qi Mo into hiding when he saw that the Earth Bull ahead had not even turned around and was still walking.

"Earth Bulls have very poor hearing," Qi Mo said.

Isn't that a little too poor? Lin Qingyang thought. The two continued following the Earth Bull until they reached the innermost area. Against the wall stood a table and a reclining chair. On the table sat a plate of raw, bone-in meat. Someone seemed to be lying in the chair, but the Earth Bull's burly body blocked the view.

The Earth Bull made several muddled sounds, apparently speaking to that person. Sure enough, a hoarse, shrill voice soon answered.

"Nothing? Would that stupid dog bark like that if there were nothing? Did you even check properly?"

The shrill voice hurt Lin Qingyang's ears, but the Earth Bull seemed able to hear sounds at that frequency and let out another few mumbling noises.

"Fine, fine. Get back to work! Stupid bull!" the person cursed.

The Earth Bull promptly turned and lumbered away, and only then did Lin Qingyang get a clear look at the person in the chair. More precisely, this was a demon. Its face had prominent cheekbones and was covered in grayish-brown spots. Its eyes were uneven in size, and its muzzle protruded particularly far, with interlocking fangs that seemed to prevent its mouth from closing completely. A pair of gray ears sat on its head, one missing a large chunk. It appeared to be a hyena, seemingly the overseer here.

Once the Earth Bull had gone some distance, Lin Qingyang thought for a moment, then gave Qi Mo a meaningful look. Qi Mo immediately understood and nodded.

The hyena One-Ear lay in the chair, picked up a piece of raw meat, and crunched through flesh and bone alike. He had a contented look on his face when he suddenly felt a gust sweep past, then was abruptly dragged away by something. While the nearby Earth Bulls were not paying attention, Qi Mo opened an empty cell. One-Ear let out a cry as he was thrown inside. An Earth Bull passing by seemed to hear him and glanced back, but saw nothing, so it turned away and continued on.

Inside the cell, One-Ear stared at Lin Qingyang and Qi Mo in terror. Just as he was about to shout, the Windflower Sword pressed against his neck.