Chapter 481 15: Pig Demon

Devouring Essence Skill!

As the Cultivation Technique circulated, his Physical Body felt as if a certain Acupoint had been opened, and its digestive and absorptive capabilities suddenly soared.

It originally took one hour for the Refinement of the Demon Blood Flesh, but now, that time was cut by nearly half.

"Huuuu..."

When the Demon Blood Flesh was completely refined, Zhu Ju let out a long, turbid breath and slowly opened his eyes.

"The Cultivation Techniques in this realm are truly impressive. Even Seventh-Grade Martial Artists possess such a Wonderful Dharma. What kind of legacy must a High Grade Expert have?"

"If I had Demon Blood Flesh of Tier Three or higher for Refinement, the progress of my Cultivation could surpass the Essence overflowing from the Venerable Immortal Bone."

"Hmm..."

"Something isn't right!"

He frowned slightly, a look of confusion on his face.

'The Essence contained within Tier Three Demon Blood Flesh is incredibly terrifying. According to the classifications of the world I came from, it would be a worthy gain even for a Dao Foundation Cultivator to refine it. But the strength of this world's Eighth-Grade and Seventh-Grade Martial Artists is far inferior to that of a Dao Foundation Cultivator.'

'Has the Celestial Dao of this realm drastically suppressed the strength of Cultivators?'

Zhu Ju looked up at the sky, lost in thought.

The Zhenyan Realm was originally a 'Demon Prison,' so it was only natural for it to suppress the power of those within it. The suppression of the Physical Body was especially terrifying, since Demons were primarily strong in their Physical Bodies.

As a result, this realm had a blessing in disguise.

Cultivators in the outside world were tainted by Dao Poison and nearly all died out, leaving only the legacies of this realm perfectly intact.

"RATTLE RATTLE..."

A strange noise came from outside.

"What is it?" Zhu Ju asked with a frown.

"What's happening?"

"Young Master," someone answered in a solemn voice.

"It seems there's a disturbance on South Street. There's more noise outside. We've already sent someone to inquire."

"Mm," Zhu Ju nodded, subconsciously glancing toward the family temple.

'A pity...'

'If Daoist Jingyun were here, even a disturbance caused by a Seventh-Grade Expert in the city could be suppressed.'

Unfortunately, Daoist Jingyun clearly didn't want to get involved in any trouble. He had taken his leave a few days ago, taking Shuang'er with him.

"Come in!"

"Quickly!"

As he pondered, the shouts grew closer.

"Young Master, at the back door we caught Zhu... we caught a suspicious person."

"Oh?"

Zhu Ju raised an eyebrow. When the door opened and he saw the person they had caught, he understood why the guard had hesitated.

"Zhu Ji!"

"How did you get out?"

Zhu Ji's face was deathly pale. His clothes were tattered and he was covered in grime. If you didn't know him, you would never recognize him as the former young master of the Zhu Family.

Faced with Zhu Ju's questioning, his body trembled, and he stuttered, unable to speak.

"Not talking?"

Zhu Ju shook his head.

"Then send him back to the prison. For the crime of escaping prison on top of fratricide, no one would say a word if he were killed on the spot."

"No!" Zhu Ji knelt and cried out.

"Don't..."

"I came to see my mother and my younger sister! There was a jailbreak... I escaped during the chaos."

He was, after all, just a boy of about ten. His first instinct after getting out of prison was to find his family.

First, he went to Narrow Clothes Lane. Later, he heard that the second branch of the family had come to the Zhu Mansion, so he secretly approached it.

He happened to run right into the Zhu Mansion's strict patrol and was caught red-handed.

"A jailbreak?"

Zhu Ju frowned.

"Everyone in the prison escaped?"

"Yes," Zhu Ji nodded, crying.

"Big Brother, I never really meant to harm you! You were already dead back then, I had no choice..."

"Please, Big Brother, spare me! I don't want to die... I don't want to die!"

During his days locked in the prison, he had been counting down to his execution every day, his spirit tormented.

He was just a young man who had just begun to enjoy the good things the world had to offer; of course he didn't want to die.

"Aunt Zhou and Nannan are in the rear courtyard," Zhu Ju said, waving his hand.

"Let him see them, then send him to prison."

"No!" Zhu Ji remained kneeling, refusing to get up.

"Big Brother!"

"Big Brother, spare me! Just let me go!"

Zhu Ju's expression was blank.

"Right!" Zhu Ji remembered something and said urgently.

"Second Uncle Zhu Chen also escaped! On the way here, he even wanted me to join him in dealing with you."

"He wants to kill you!"

"Is that so," Zhu Ju said with a faint smile.

"I'm just afraid he doesn't have the ability."

"He... he hates you to the bone! He'll definitely come back," Zhu Ji's expression shifted, and he added.

"I also know that Zhu Chen has a backer. That person promised him that as long as you're dead, he'll be the next Patriarch of the Zhu Mansion."

"Oh?" Zhu Ju slowly sat up straight.

"Who is that person?"

"Well..." Zhu Ji's eyes flickered.

"I don't know."

"But I know how to find Zhu Chen. If we find him, we can ask who his backer is."

Zhu Ju stroked his chin, lost in thought.

After a pause, he took out a piece of broken silver from his clothes and tossed it over.

"Even if you see Aunt Zhou and Nannan, what then?"

"You can no longer establish yourself in Taiyuan Prefecture. Take this, leave this place, and find somewhere else to live."

The broken silver rolled to his feet. Zhu Ji's face was filled with astonishment. A thousand thoughts raced through his mind, finally dissolving into sorrowful sobs.

*

*

*

Nightfall.

A horse-drawn carriage stopped in the middle of a long street.

The horses pulling it trembled on all fours, whimpering softly, yet they dared not move, as if terrified of something.

"BANG!"

With a muffled thud, the sturdy carriage burst into pieces, and several powerfully built figures emerged from within.

"Dammit, I was about to suffocate in there!"

One of them spoke, waving the Wolf Fang Club in his hand before charging and crashing into the gate of a nearby courtyard.

"BOOM!"

The heavy, solid wood gate was shattered by the force of his impact.

"Haha..."

Swinging the Wolf Fang Club in his hand, he laughed heartily and lunged into the crowd. In an instant, flesh and blood flew everywhere.

On the street, another one of them reached out, pulled one of the carriage horses in front of him, opened its huge mouth, and bit down.

"CRUNCH!"

"SPURT..."

The horse's head was bitten clean off, and blood sprayed from its neck.

"Demons!"

"They're demons!"

Terrified screams came from the courtyard. In the flickering halo of the torches, the true appearance of these 'people' was revealed.

They were nearly three meters tall, with huge mouths full of tusks and thick hair on their bodies like steel needles...

They...

...were, in fact, a group of wild boars that could walk upright!

Or rather,

Pig Demons!

Similar scenes were unfolding all over Taiyuan Prefecture. A dozen or so carriages had brought Demons to various parts of the city.

Although these low-level Demons could speak, they lacked reason. Goaded by the scent of flesh, their savagery was instantly unleashed.

Facing the formidable Physical Bodies of the Demons, even Grade Entering individuals were completely powerless. Only those at the Eighth Grade could resist them for a moment or two.

Ordinary people could only flee in panic.

In an instant, the entire city was thrown into chaos.

...

The side courtyard of the Zhu Mansion.

To prevent certain emergencies, this place was used by Zhu Ju to house the families of the guards.

Nursing Director Zhang's family of four occupied a small courtyard all to themselves.

"Brother Zhang."

Zhu Chen, who had appeared out of nowhere, clasped his fists in a salute to the stern-faced Nursing Director Zhang.

"You and I have known each other for many years; we can be considered close friends."

"Seeing the Zhu Family's fortune fall into the hands of an ignorant child, and hearing he even sold the Ink Jade Dyeing Formula... if this continues, the decline of our family business is inevitable. I cannot bear to see our family's industry wither away. I implore you, Brother Zhang, to help me take him down. When I become the Patriarch, those two shops on North Street will belong to you."

"What do you say?"

Nursing Director Zhang's face was taut. He gripped the long saber in his hand, his eyes flickering indecisively.

"How about this..." Seeing his hesitation, Zhu Chen clasped his hands behind his back, changed his tune, and said slowly.

"I know my elder brother was very kind to you, and I won't force you, Brother Zhang, to act against Zhu Ju. Later, when I make my move, just find an excuse to be absent. How about I just owe you a favor for that, Brother Zhang?"

"After it's done, the shops on North Street are still yours!"

"Ah, Brother Zhang!"

He sighed and said:

"Although you receive a lot of silver taels from the Zhu Family each year, it's ultimately not a stable source of income. Only your own business can be passed down to your descendants."

"..." Nursing Director Zhang glanced back at his wife and two children peeking through the crack in the door, took a deep breath, and said in a muffled voice:

"I'm sorry!"

"I am what I am today entirely because of Master Zhu's help. I can never repay his great kindness. I will never betray the young master."