Secrets Beneath the Peach Blossoms

Chapter 48 – Terrifying Demon Cultivation

**March 15, Year 61:** After pulling up your pants, you advised the Enchantress to leave, telling her she's still young and shouldn't risk her life by following you.

The Enchantress was furious, questioning if you had forgotten the vows you made together.

You found her love-struck nature a bit of a headache.

Knowing that arguing was pointless.

That day, under your secret instructions, Li Wuyi secretly headed to the Hehuan Sect.

Not long after, the Enchantress was forcibly taken away by her sect.

Before leaving, she cried like a dog, holding onto you and delivering a lengthy speech, asking you to wait for her at the inn, promising to find a way to escape and elope with you.

You reluctantly agreed.

Subsequently, you and Li Wuyi left the inn overnight.

**May 12, Year 61:** With Li Wuyi's escort, you arrived at a small county town on the border of Xuzhou. What you saw along the way was horrifying. Now, the billions of people in Liangzhou were being treated like livestock, raised in cities by demons to be consumed as blood meals. Countless people died every day.

The four major sects occupied the lands of seven provinces but turned a blind eye because the demons had already voluntarily offered the Spirit Mine Secret Realm in Liangzhou to the control of the four major sects. For a group of commoners, the high and mighty cultivators naturally wouldn't risk their lives to rescue them. Even if there were a few righteous warriors, it was to no avail.

A collapsing building cannot be supported by a single beam.

Even Xuzhou was not immune to demon harassment.

For example, in Qinghe City where you were, due to its proximity to Liangzhou, demons often invaded nearby villages and towns, devouring villagers, with casualties often numbering in the hundreds or thousands. To maintain peace, the magistrate of Qinghe City even secretly agreed with several nearby wolf demon groups to offer a hundred civilians each month in exchange for them not attacking the villages and towns...

You couldn't help but start missing Great Wei. Although the governance was corrupt and taxes were heavy, at least ordinary people had a way to survive. With hands and feet, they could steal or rob. Even if things were dire, they could retreat into the vast mountains, away from government control, and live as tax-free mountain folk, not like now, where life was so precarious, constantly at risk of being devoured by demons, and entering the mountains was a dead end.

That night, at your suggestion.

Li Wuyi eradicated all the demons within a hundred miles.

The nearby demon king was so frightened that he withdrew his clan from the vicinity of Qinghe City overnight.

Not long after, the local people voluntarily donated money to establish a Longevity Shrine for the person who acted in secret, with a constant stream of worshippers every day.

**July 14, Year 61:** You heard news that the Heavenly Sect branch at the Sword Tomb in Xuzhou was attacked by a mysterious powerhouse, resulting in the fall of two Heaven-Human Elders, and the Heavenly Sect disciples suffered heavy losses. The manner of death was extremely bizarre, with the corpses turned into dried husks, rumored to be the work of a demon cultivator.

You couldn't help but worry about Nangong Wan.

After all, others might have supported you once, but she had supported you multiple times.

**August 20, Year 61:** Li Wuyi informed you that Nangong Wan had left the Sword Tomb a month ago and should not have encountered any mishaps. He then spoke with a heavy tone, saying that a terrifyingly powerful demon cultivator had appeared in Xuzhou, specializing in hunting the Heaven-Human powerhouses of the four major sects, and even some Second Decline Heaven-Human had fallen to the demon cultivator's hands. He advised you to leave Xuzhou...

Li Wuyi's words reminded you of that Old Monster in the Spirit Clan Paradise.

You suspected that this demon cultivator might be the Youth with Glasses.

Not daring to be careless, you left Xuzhou overnight.

**September 10, Year 61:** You arrived at a border county town in You Prefecture, spending your days at the theater, passing the time.

During this period, your eyes healed.

You constantly tried to gather information about King Qin, but found little success, as he seemed to have vanished into thin air sixty years ago.

**November 18, Year 61:** While listening to a performance at the theater, you saw a Middle-aged Man who seemed familiar, yet you were certain you had never met him. It was a strange feeling...

With curiosity, you approached him for a conversation.

The Middle-aged Man glanced at you and asked with a smile, "Brother, what can I do for you?"

You thought for a moment and said, "You look very familiar, like an old acquaintance, but I can't recall who, so I came over to bother you."

Hearing your words, the Middle-aged Man showed interest and inquired about your background.

You stated that you were a disciple of the Song family from Liangzhou.

The Middle-aged Man seemed to understand, chuckled lightly, and said he didn't know you, but perhaps his appearance was very similar to one of your friends, which made you feel he looked familiar.

After chatting a bit more, the Middle-aged Man bid farewell and left.

You watched his departing figure.

And asked Li Wuyi beside you if the man was a cultivator.

Li Wuyi shook his head, indicating that the Middle-aged Man had no cultivation fluctuations and was just an ordinary person.

Hearing this, you felt you might have overthought it.

**December 2, Year 61:** The demon cultivators grew increasingly rampant, wreaking havoc across the seven provinces, even beginning to target Third Decline Heaven-Human. While listening to performances at the theater, you frequently received news of elders from the four major sects being drained into dried corpses.

After losing more than ten Heaven-Human powerhouses, the Medicine King Valley, Heavenly Sect, Ten Thousand Buddhas Mountain, and Hehuan Sect decided to cooperate, forming the Demon-Slaying Alliance to hunt down the demon cultivators worldwide.

**December 12, Year 61:** Traces of the demon cultivators were discovered in the Hidden Dragon Mountains of Xuzhou, prompting the Demon-Slaying Alliance to take action.

**December 17, Year 61:** The demon cultivators went on a killing spree, slaughtering twelve Heaven-Human powerhouses from the Demon-Slaying Alliance at the cost of severe injuries. Among them was a Fourth Decline Heaven-Human, three Third Decline Heaven-Human, and dozens of Innate Realm Experts, significantly weakening the strength of the four major sects, causing a worldwide shock.

In the same month, demons took the opportunity to invade the borders of You Prefecture again, occupying dozens of cities, with tens of millions of civilians becoming blood meals. The county town where you resided was the first to bear the brunt, with hundreds of thousands of people falling prey to the demons within just three days.

Under Li Wuyi's protection, you successfully escaped danger.

The world grew increasingly chaotic.

**December 17, Year 62:** You arrived in Yangzhou, behind Xuzhou, running a teahouse and inquiring about the Song family from merchants traveling from all directions.

Heaven does not disappoint those who persevere.

After a year of investigation, you learned some details about the Song family's downfall from an Elderly Man.

This novel is available on bit.ly/3iBfjkV.

After the demons incited chaos, the Song family sent seven Heaven-Human Ancestors to quell the disturbance. After a bloody battle, the situation had stabilized, and peace was within reach. However, unexpectedly, the Song Manor was suddenly attacked by a group of mysterious individuals. The two Heaven-Human Ancestors stationed at the Song Manor hastily engaged the enemy. Since the battlefield was above the Divine General's Manor, the two Heaven-Human Ancestors were cautious not to harm their clan members, and being outnumbered, they soon fell with regret under the mysterious attackers' assault...