There are always those in this world who meet bizarre ends, struck down by lightning for no reason, or dying peacefully in their own homes; naturally, people prefer to believe it was murder, as so much genuine news gets devoured and processed by certain means for certain reasons.

“Did you hear? I heard someone was killed for no reason at all when I was out interviewing today!” Mei Yi announced as soon as she returned home, pointing at the two figures engrossed in television. “You two have no idea how gruesome the sight was!”

Old Liu had already started snoring. These two men were like kept boys, entirely supported by Mei Yi, with nothing to do all day. “How gruesome can the death of one person be? At most, they were dismembered.”

Mei Yi shook her finger and smiled, “Dismemberment is news? Let me tell you, I heard that person was killed by a monster, and the monster ate his internal organs. His stomach was completely empty except for blood.”

“Eaten?” Ye Xiu had been about to change the channel, but the accursed Old Liu insisted on watching children’s programming. Hearing Mei Yi’s account, he suddenly became interested. “Would a human killer eat internal organs? To what extent has depravity reached? This world truly is chaotic; there are all sorts of strange things happening.”

“I told you it was a monster, how could it be human work?” Mei Yi came down and sat beside Ye Xiu. She enjoyed this feeling, even if his identity was that of a Grim Reaper.

“Most likely, those demonic creatures that occasionally venture out to plague the mortal realm, which conveniently creates opportunities for us Daoists to earn a living,” Old Liu yawned, waking up, and stretched out his legs lazily. “Lately, my magic artifacts have been constantly nudging me to subdue wicked spirits. It’s just that living here is too comfortable, and I can’t be bothered to move, but those monsters are getting bolder and bolder.”

Ye Xiu didn't think this was a simple matter. He fixed his gaze on Old Liu. “Aren't those demonic entities coming from the Di Mai Wu Jian Jie? If what you say is true, they seem to be acting up more frequently. Why is that?”

“Why else? They’re bored?” Old Liu stood up, retrieved his waist pouch and the Po Mo Jian from the corner of the wall. “Daoist practitioners are starting to purge demons and uphold righteousness again. I really don’t know what these monsters are up to. I suppose I have to go play with them. To think they’ve started consuming human bodies—truly detestable.”

“Could something have happened in the Di Mai Wu Jian Jie? Causing the demons to become restless?” Ye Xiu also stood up, straightening his clothes and following behind Old Liu. “If you’re going to exorcise demons, let me come too. I’m quite interested in seeing what the beings from the Di Mai Wu Jian Jie actually look like.”

“Hey, you two aren’t just going to leave me behind, are you?” Mei Yi followed, already preparing to slip out of her long dress for tighter clothing. “If you’re going to the Di Mai Wu Jian Jie, you have to take me! I don’t want to be separated from you, Ye Xiu, for even a second.”

“Hehe, you figure it out!” Old Liu shot a look and had already hopped onto the porch. He knew Mei Yi’s feelings and understood Ye Xiu’s personality—that seemingly casual, prideful fellow wouldn’t let a woman step into danger unless it was absolutely unavoidable.

Ye Xiu made a face at Mei Yi and chuckled lightly. “We’re just going out on the streets to look for monsters. This has nothing to do with the Di Mai Wu Jian Jie. You stay home, make us something good to eat, and wait for us to return.”

“If I ever find out you dared to leave me behind, you’ll be dead when you get back!” Mei Yi realized she was being overly anxious; these two were just going to kill a few demons and would be back soon enough.

“Let’s go,” Ye Xiu slung the Tian Miao Jian Tong Zi over his back and walked out. He held a degree of goodwill toward Mei Yi, but it wasn’t the kind of affection human beings felt. He was beginning to understand that the mission for which he came to this world was certainly not something that could be replaced by petty romance.

Evening descended, relaxed. The glittering metropolis was about to shed its rigid disguise; true life was only just beginning. This was the world of neon, the world of decadent indulgence, and, of course, a bloody world rife with hidden slaughter.

On a hazy street, where lights flickered on and off, a young woman in high heels and a tight skirt leaned against a corner, vomiting out alcohol-laden food. The collar of her white blouse was wide open, revealing the pale, rounded curves of her breasts. She seemed like someone from the professional world, one willing to sacrifice her body for work, for life.

“Aooo…” Just then, a wild animalistic roar erupted beside her. A middle-aged man wearing glasses grabbed the woman from behind; his entire skin was ulcerated, making him look nothing like a normal person.

“Ah, assault!” The woman, clearly intoxicated, hiked up her skirt and kicked the man away, only to collapse onto the floor herself. But the situation was far more serious than she imagined; this man wasn't interested in harassment, but in savoring her body—every piece of her pale, smooth flesh.

“Waaaaah…” The man shrieked and ripped off his shirt. His skin was green, haphazardly studded with sharp spines, and his frame swelled until he had to bend down to look at the woman. “Ha… ha… aoo…”

The woman was thus brutally killed beneath the man’s snapping jaws as she screamed. Blood streamed from her chest onto the ground, her eyes filled with despair, for standing before her was not a man, but a terrifying demon, ferocious and lupine.

“Finally found you!” At that moment, Old Liu descended from above, kicking the werewolf’s head with one foot as he landed, slamming it against the wall behind the alley. “Your appearance truly could not escape my Zhi Ling Zhen! Hahaha!”

“Aoo ah…” The werewolf couldn’t speak; it could only roar, shaking its head furiously. Veins bulged on its skin, clearly enraged.

“This woman is already dead,” Ye Xiu drifted down softly from the air. He crouched beside the beautiful woman, noting how lovely she was, yet the most beautiful scenery on her chest had been devoured by this wolf-man. “Is this creature a demon from the Di Mai Wu Jian Jie?”

“Aoo…” The werewolf targeted Old Liu and lunged, its body extremely muscular, now towering over five meters tall.

“Damn it, these things seem far more violent than before,” Old Liu didn't draw his weapon. As the werewolf charged, he could only duck down, but even so, the flying debris and bricks nearby struck him hard. “Now I’m genuinely angry.”

“Be careful!” Ye Xiu stood nearby. He saw the werewolf moving with terrifying speed, turning to rake a claw at Old Liu’s chest. “Don’t get hurt by this thing; that would be quite embarrassing.”

“Whoa…” Old Liu couldn't dodge in time and had to pull out his Bo Mian Dao to block the blow. But the demon’s strength was immense, shoving him back several meters. “This demon is several times stronger than previous ones, both in size and power. Did something truly happen in the Wu Jian Jie?”

“What are you thinking about? It’s trying to escape.” Even Ye Xiu was surprised. The werewolf seemed to sense its disadvantage and was now leaping rapidly between the two buildings, quickly reaching the rooftop. It then jumped down toward the ground, clearing the street in a single bound.

“Chase it!” Old Liu took to the air on his sword and flew out. As he left, he tossed out the thread of his Bo Mian Dao, pulling Ye Xiu into the air with him. In that moment, across the brightly lit night sky, a beast and two human figures streaked past—unnoticed by anyone, yet becoming a striking, beautiful sight.

The werewolf’s combat ability was average, but its escape tactics were unmatched. Old Liu, riding his sword, couldn't catch up. Seeing they had left the city limits, he reluctantly activated the Po Mo Jian, sending forth a blast of Han Long Zhen Qi that instantly froze the werewolf’s legs. “Can you still run, you damn thing!”

“Aoo… aoo…” The werewolf howled as it plummeted to the ground. The impact must have been agonizing, leaving it almost unconscious.

“Hoo… you went a bit too far,” Ye Xiu jumped down ahead of Old Liu and approached the werewolf, intending to examine its physical structure. Unexpectedly, a circle of blue light suddenly radiated from the creature, so bright it forced him to step back. “This light…”

Old Liu leaped down, sensing something was wrong. He swung his sword to strike off the werewolf’s head. “This light is the same as the light when Mo Ya led us out of the First Emperor’s Underground Palace that day. This is a teleportation spell! It… it’s escaping!”

“What, escape!” Ye Xiu tried to push through the light to catch the werewolf, but the blue light abruptly shifted, taking the prone werewolf with it and vanishing into the wilderness, as if it had never existed. “This… it just disappeared?”

Old Liu watched, taking a sharp intake of breath. How could a common demon plaguing the human world possess such powerful magic? This exceeded the limits of his understanding. “I have never seen a demon like this. Where in the world did this thing come from?”

“Is it related to Mo Ya?” Ye Xiu began to suspect the intent behind that blue light, gnashing his teeth and murmuring, “It seems we no longer have the luxury of choice. The entry of these powerful demons into the human realm likely signals that the turmoil in the Wu Jian Jie has begun. The impending catastrophe Mo Ya spoke of is probably about to descend. The two of us…”

“You want to go to the Wu Jian Jie?” Old Liu certainly understood Ye Xiu’s implication. The Grim Reaper’s greatest flaw was his curiosity and meddlesomeness. “I get it. I should be the one to go. I should return to see the place where I was born, and maybe I can find some magic artifacts there too?”

“Magic artifacts, hehe, why don't you think about saving the common people of the Wu Jian Jie and the mortal realm?” Ye Xiu mocked Old Liu. He understood this fellow, who always talked about artifacts and tomb raiding, was actually a man with a strong sense of justice. Perhaps influenced by the Daoist way from a young age, he always carried the grand principle of purging demons and upholding righteousness. “If you’re going to take advantage of the situation, how can I not come along for the ride? Besides, I’m very curious about the 'Impending Catastrophe' mentioned in the Tian Gu Yi Shu—I need to see if it has anything to do with us Reapers.”