Food is paramount!

He stepped into this brightly lit tavern, where red lanterns hung high. A peculiar fragrance, like a living entity, assailed his senses, seeking to bore into his very pores.

Before his eyes, countless demons raised their cups and feasted with gusto. The vast majority of the "food" they consumed were humanoid creatures. Raw and cooked flesh were mixed together. These demons ate with appalling messiness, grabbing handfuls of flesh, stuffing it into their mouths, and chewing with sickening crunches, splattering juices everywhere.

Standing at the tavern entrance, watching these fellow "human" beings being dismembered, cooked, and steamed, an indescribable emotion caused the corner of Qi Xiu's eye to twitch.

He nearly unleashed his Thunder Magic then and there, wanting to call down one hundred and eighty lightning bolts to flatten this place, to obliterate it.

"You look unfamiliar, guest. Is this your first time here?" A dog demon approached with a servile laugh. He was hunched over, dressed in a short tunic, with a coat of yellow fur and a mouthful of rotten teeth.

He led Qi Xiu to a relatively secluded table.

"What would you like to eat, guest?"

The dog demon pulled out a menu made of human skin from his waistband. It was filled with an astonishing array of dishes: human hearts, human lungs, human brains, human tongues… a countless variety. Methods of preparation were equally diverse: pan-fried, stir-fried, deep-fried, steamed, boiled, sashimi… they had truly explored every possibility.

Qi Xiu's gaze on the menu gradually filled with impatience and irritation. The dog demon, as if he had expected this, chuckled slyly and produced another, clearly more exquisite menu.

"I observe that the guest possesses an extraordinary air. These common items would surely not be to your liking. Perhaps you would care to look at this?"

Taking the new menu, Qi Xiu glanced over it. His expression softened considerably, and he looked up, giving the dog demon an approving glance.

On this menu, there were no longer various organs and parts of living humans. Instead, it listed numerous dishes prepared using Demonic Evil Cultivators as ingredients.

Demonic Evil Cultivators relished eating living humans. Naturally, this included other Demonic Evil Cultivators. Indeed, Demonic Evil Cultivators who had achieved a certain level of Cultivation, their flesh and blood extraordinary, were themselves prime targets for their own kind.

Qi Xiu casually ordered a few dishes and, with a flip of his hand, produced several oval gold ingots.

This was Mystical Gold, the currency circulating among demons, similar to Daoist money. The Mystical Gold Qi Xiu possessed had been collected from the extermination of those thirteen demon lairs, amounting to over ten thousand pieces.

"Please wait a moment, sir. Your food will be ready shortly."

The Mystical Gold Qi Xiu offered was clearly more than the bill. The dog demon's eyes gleamed with greed. After joyfully accepting the payment, he scurried off towards the kitchen without delay.

The Food is Paramount tavern was a noisy, bustling establishment, nine stories tall. Inside, Qi Xiu lifted the teapot and poured out a bowl of blood-red liquid. He frowned slightly. From within his wide sleeves, countless tiny flies emerged unnoticed, scattering to hide in every corner of the tavern.

These flies were illusions Qi Xiu had created using his Mysterious Ability of turning falsehood into reality. The Food is Paramount tavern was already teeming with flies, so his creations blended in perfectly.

"Wang Changgui and Dajiao fought again. I heard one of them got his head bitten off. It was a gruesome sight, truly terrible!"

"The owner of this tavern is dishonest. He mixes beef into the human flesh. Hmm, look here, what living human has four stomachs?"

"After feasting on pickled vegetables and simmering brain stew~ even the Emperor's younger brother~ can't compare to me!~"

"The Passage Command Tokens are due to be distributed in about half a month, right?"

Amidst the chaotic chatter and nonsense, Qi Xiu finally overheard a useful piece of information.

"Yes, it seems there will be about twenty of them this time. Aside from the ten already claimed by the Hei Family, there will be at most ten up for grabs."

"The Hei Family truly lives up to their 'Hei' (Black) name! Out of some twenty Passage Command Tokens, they just take ten. Motherf*cker, they really deserve to die!"

"Alright, alright. What can you do? They're powerful. What's this? Judging by your tone, are you thinking of competing this time?"

"Aren't you? With a Passage Command Token, you can enter the depths of Divine Sorrow Ridge. I've heard that Great Demons often give lectures there, and Devil Heads transmit their teachings. The benefits are immense. If one could become a disciple of some Great Demon or Devil Head, it would surely be better than us just drifting along, eating and waiting for death here every day."

"Alright then! Let's both sign up and give it a shot. Two of us together will have a better chance than one alone."

"Good! It's settled then."

Qi Xiu silently committed the conversation between the two demons to memory, his fingers toying with the thumb ring he wore.

"Sir, your dishes have arrived."

Carrying a tray laden with food, the dog demon approached with a fawning smile and neatly arranged the dishes before Qi Xiu.

Chilled Pig Demon Heart, Deer Demon Meat in Red Oil, Sweet and Sour Flower Demon Paws…

Looking at the table full of dishes, which exuded a strange aroma, were vividly red, and from which wisps of eerie, bizarre smoke curled upwards, Qi Xiu lightly shook the Myriad Soul White Bone Banner.

In an instant, all the dishes on the table were sucked into the long banner. A series of chilling, flesh-crawling chewing sounds followed.

"The food is not bad."

Tossing down another piece of Mystical Gold, Qi Xiu rose and left the Food is Paramount tavern, amidst the dog demon's profuse thanks and bows.

Walking along the streets, teeming with scurrying demons and surging demonic cultivators, Qi Xiu mused silently.

It seems these Passage Command Tokens, for entering the depths of Divine Sorrow Ridge, are distributed to this outer city near the pass at regular intervals. And the method for obtaining a Passage Command Token, aside from those reserved internally, likely involves a contest of strength among the powerful.

Having reached this conclusion, Qi Xiu spent the next few days wandering Black Ebony City, gathering information. He eventually confirmed the method for participating in the contest for the Passage Command Tokens.

「Iron Womb City!」

This had once been a prosperous county seat with a population of nearly a million. An iron mine, rich in deposits, lay less than fifty li from the city; consequently, the area became renowned for its production of iron ore and ironware. At its zenith, the county's treasury surpassed that of some impoverished provincial governments.

Unfortunately, with the invasion of the three hundred and sixty paths of demons into Dianchuan, an era of demonic devastation began. During this time, a Great Demon passing through Iron Womb City devoured half its population in a single gulp. The remaining survivors were infected with demonic poison, transforming into hideous, skin-peeling blood corpses that crawled on all fours.

Thereafter, Iron Womb City became a city of the dead. Apart from the blood corpses that roamed its streets day and night, no other living beings dared to venture there.

But today, countless plumes of Demon Qi and Demon Fog suddenly appeared from all directions around Iron Womb City. Riding various Magic Artifacts and demonic miasmas, Demonic Evil Cultivators descended upon the long-abandoned dead city amidst bursts of wild, unrestrained laughter.

A Snow Deer Demon slowly trotted out on its hooves, clutching a bronze gong. Its body was a ghostly white, with two sky-piercing horns atop its head, and it exuded a chilling aura.

"Today is the contest for the Passage Command Tokens. Victory goes to the first. Time limit: Ten days. The last ten individuals to emerge from the city will receive the Passage Command Tokens!"

There were no complex rules or systems. It was a straightforward, life-or-death struggle! The simple logic prevalent among demons often made things remarkably uncomplicated.

Standing with his sleeves folded behind the crowd of Demonic Evil Cultivators, Qi Xiu scanned the group intent on vying for the Passage Command Tokens, his eyes tinged with a purple light.

Over eight hundred, all in the Dao-Entering Realm. More than fifty at Dao-Entering Realm Complete, having achieved Three Flowers Gathering at the Top.

Having roughly assessed the capabilities of these Demonic Evil Cultivators, Qi Xiu silently plotted his strategy.

If this were an ordinary situation, with my virtually limitless Gang Qi, I would directly unleash the Bing Fire Divine Thunder and send them all to nirvana! But now, I cannot use Thunder Magic or Suppressing Talismans. I must even minimize the use of my Formless Sword Qi to avoid revealing my identity. The only offensive means available to me is the newly learned Myriad Soul White Bone Banner.

There are at least five Blood-Stained Realm Great Demons presiding within Black Ebony City. They might also be observing this contest for the tokens in secret.

His gaze heavy with thought, Qi Xiu caressed the Myriad Soul White Bone Banner in his hand.

During his wanderings in Black Ebony City over the past few days, he had used the Observing Qi Skill to survey the city's energies and had sensed the five dormant auras of Blood-Stained Realm cultivators. With these five Great Demons present, if I reveal my identity, I'll have no choice but to retreat temporarily. The plan to rescue Senior Brother Ge would be doomed. For now, I can only take things one step at a time.

BOOM—

The deafening clang of the bronze gong reverberated.

The Demonic Evil Cultivators eager to participate instantly summoned their demonic miasmas and Magic Artifacts, swarming towards Iron Womb City like a plague of locusts. Each sought to be the first to find an advantageous position to defend.

In the blink of an eye, the overwhelming black cloud poured into the abandoned city.

And the slaughter… had officially begun!

「Meanwhile, thousands of miles away.」

On another side of Divine Sorrow Ridge, a contest for Passage Command Tokens on an even grander scale was underway.

Within a gloomy mountain range stretching for thousands of li, billowing tides of black fog spread, eerie and sinister, through the valleys.

A young Daoist, cloaked in black, with features both handsome and wicked, held a banner approximately one zhang in length. A chillingly cold smile played on his lips.

"A bunch of cowardly turtles hiding in your shells! I, your Daoist Master, graciously invited you to take a seat on my Ten Thousand Soul Banner, yet you are all so ungrateful. You are truly courting death!"

Three years away from He Shan, Tai Yin's aura had grown even more ferocious. His ink-black hair danced wildly, and a hint of savage bloodlust glinted in his eyes.

Anyone who laid eyes on him would have to admit with admiration: "What a strikingly handsome Devil Head!"

The Heshan Path technique chosen by my original body is truly excellent, Tai Yin mused. Weapon and technique as one; nourishing the weapon with the technique, and executing the technique with the weapon! It appears as one weapon and one technique, but in reality, they are a single entity. Thus, under the simple logic of the proficiency's Divine Marvel, as long as the mastery level of the Myriad Soul White Bone Banner's Dharma Gate increases, the quality of this Myriad Soul White Bone Banner will also be enhanced. Given time, this banner will undoubtedly become an exceedingly malevolent demonic artifact!

Continuously waving the Myriad Soul White Bone Banner in his hand, thousands of White Bone Demons shrieked and lunged forth, madly crashing against a blood-red formation in the valley below.

Compared to Qi Xiu's cautious, methodical approach, Tai Yin was extreme, aggressive, and unyielding.

Upon receiving the mental message from his original body, he had immediately made his way to Xueli City. Cultivating the *"Taiyin Wuji True Scripture,"* he had no need for disguises. He was, through and through, a Demonic Cultivator. Therefore, he had no need for scruples.

The battle for the Passage Command Tokens in Xueli City had become his solo performance. Taiyin Limitless became the nightmare of all demons. And the bodies of these Dao-Entering Realm Demonic Evil Cultivators served as excellent materials for him to refine his Myriad Soul White Bone Banner.

CRACK—

As the blood-red formation was shattered by the relentless assault of thousands of White Bone Demons, a wicked smile touched Tai Yin's lips, and he lunged forward.

「Half a day later.」

Tai Yin sat cross-legged on a rock, his face glowing with vitality. The Myriad Soul White Bone Banner in his hand was a lustrous black, exuding a faint, mist-like aura, and the ancient characters on its surface shone brilliantly.

Myriad Soul White Bone Banner!

Second Realm!

「Thousands of miles away.」

Qi Xiu, having just stepped into Iron Womb City, suddenly halted.

He looked down. The aura of the Myriad Soul White Bone Banner in his hand was surging, its power escalating to a terrifying degree in the blink of an eye.

His expression turned peculiar.

Qi Xiu summoned his proficiency panel.

Sure enough, the Myriad Soul White Bone Banner had, at some unknown point, broken through to the Second Realm.

It's Tai Yin!

The thought of his second body, out in the world, immediately came to mind. Qi Xiu closed his eyes briefly. Through the mystical connection of the Dual Heart Mirror, he instantly witnessed the scene of Tai Yin slaughtering all the participating demons in Xueli City.

That fellow is still so ostentatious.

Withdrawing his gaze, Qi Xiu shook his head with a sigh of resignation.

Well, that's just his fundamental temperament. This time, though, I actually have him to thank. Otherwise, this contest would have been quite troublesome for me. Now, with the Myriad Soul White Bone Banner at the Second Realm, things have become much easier.

...

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