“Crack!” With a sharp snap, the seemingly solid horn was utterly smashed to pieces by Ye Jingyu, and pale gold blood erupted from the creature’s forehead like a fountain. From Fabregas’s maw came a shriek a thousand times more agonizing than before…

“Heh, so the weakness of your race lies in that horn. It really proves a human saying: the strongest point is often the most vulnerable. Great Lord Fabregas, your life ends here!” Ye Jingyu smiled faintly, yet his hands settled upon Fabregas’s head. Activating Soul Hooking and Spirit Plundering, torrents of Fabregas’s memories flooded into Ye Jingyu’s mind.

Among them were snippets about the Demon Realm, details concerning the Golden Horn Clan, and all the humiliations he had suffered over the years. Yet, there was absolutely no information about why Yingkong Shi had abducted Luo Ling’er.

Only from the memories did Ye Jingyu learn that the Ying family where Yingkong Shi belonged was a major clan within the Blue Feather Tribe, one of the Eight Great Royal Clans. Yingkong Shi’s father, Ying Zhan, was one of the Seven Great Demon Lords serving under Cang Ming, the Blue Feather Tribe's Demon King.

Ying Zhan had already reached the ninth rank of Demon Lord, which was equivalent to the ninth heaven of Martial God. As for Yingkong Shi’s actual strength, there was still no clue.

This encounter with Yingkong Shi had been his very first meeting with him…

The thought that there was still no news of Luo Ling’er sent another wave of worry through Ye Jingyu, though he casually absorbed the remaining essence from Fabregas’s body.

Just as Ye Jingyu pondered what to do next, Liang Xiaoke, having reverted to his human form, approached…

“What? Done already?” Seeing the blush rising on Liang Xiaoke’s face, Ye Jingyu quipped with a gentle smile.

“Scram. You know perfectly well how long my stamina lasts. I’m here to report two pieces of news I got from Lei Linna—one good, one bad. Which do you want to hear first…” Liang Xiaoke glanced indifferently at the smear of bloody mist on the ground.

“The good news first…” Ye Jingyu said casually.

“The good news is that sister-in-law was likely taken to Blue Demon Mountain!”

“Blue Demon Mountain? Where is that?” Ye Jingyu frowned.

“That’s the sacred mountain of the Blue Feather Tribe, the place where they worship the Blue Demon God. It’s hundreds of thousands of kilometers from here. They took sister-in-law because they value her Pure Spirit Body and intend to use her soul for a sacrifice…”

“Damn it, how is that good news? How does Lei Linna know?” Hearing that Luo Ling’er’s soul was to be sacrificed, Ye Jingyu rolled his eyes, his heart clenching with anxiety.

“She’s from the Silver Serpent Tribe. The Eight Great Royal Clans all have their spies among each other, and her father holds a respectable position in the Silver Serpent Clan. He knows the Blue Feather Tribe has long been planning a sacrifice, supposedly requiring a Pure Spirit Body. I guess they didn’t travel all the way to the Human Realm to snatch sister-in-law for any other reason, right?” Liang Xiaoke explained calmly.

Ye Jingyu then thought of Xiao Geng, whom he had killed. Xiao Geng was Yingkong Shi’s brother, wasn't he? He was a member of the Blue Feather Tribe sealed in the Human Realm since childhood? Had the Blue Feather Tribe perceived Luo Ling’er as a Pure Spirit Body long ago? Was Xiao Geng arranged as a disposable piece for this purpose? If he hadn't appeared, perhaps Luo Ling’er would already have fallen into Xiao Geng’s hands?

But why resort to such maneuvering when the Blue Feather Tribe was so powerful? Couldn't they have easily reclaimed Luo Ling’er by dispatching a few Demon Lords?

Ye Jingyu was deeply perplexed. He had no idea that the Demon Realm was no longer what it was tens of thousands of years ago; the strength of the Demon Race could not compare to that bygone era. Although they still possessed eight Venerable-level powerhouses and countless other Demon Lords, they dared not rashly enter the human world.

On the Dou Hun Continent, with Venerable powerhouses like Xuanyuan Jue and Dugu Bachen holding the fort, sending more Demon Lords was simply sending them to their deaths. Furthermore, if they sealed their powers, they would be at best at the Martial Saint realm—capturing one person wouldn't be easy. This time, had it not been for Dugu Bachen and the others leaving the Kyushu Continent together, Yingkong Shi would never have dared to venture recklessly into human society. Of course, if Ye Jingyu had been beside Luo Ling’er, even unleashing all his combat power, Yingkong Shi might not have succeeded in seizing her…

As for the Great Demon Kings, they would never easily leave the Demon Realm. If they were to grace the Human Realm with their presence, they would likely face pursuit from the Venerable powerhouses of the other continent, the Gu Hua Continent.

After all, the Nine Great Families of the Gu Hua Continent each had a Venerable powerhouse anchoring them, not to mention the Venerable experts from the Dou Hun Continent, plus Gu Fei, the Gu Ou Continent…

With the current strength of the Demon Race, especially their top-tier combat power, they could not establish an advantage over the Human Realm. If it weren't for the mutual constraints between the Gu Hua Continent, the Gu Fei Continent, and the Gu Ou Continent, human forces might have already swept across the entire Demon Realm.

“What’s the bad news?” After contemplating for a while without finding any answer, Ye Jingyu simply shelved that issue aside…

“The bad news is that Yingkong Shi is rapidly approaching the Blue Feather Tribe’s territory. By then, it will be incredibly difficult for us to rescue sister-in-law!” A hint of worry shadowed Liang Xiaoke’s eyes. After all, this was the Demon Realm. Setting aside Yingkong Shi’s own power level, the Blue Feather Tribe, being one of the Eight Great Royal Clans, was home to an unknown number of experts. They wouldn't need many—a fourth or fifth-rank Demon Lord would be too much for the current Ye Jingyu and Liang Xiaoke to handle…

Knowing the urgency of the situation, Liang Xiaoke had abandoned further exchange of insights with Lei Linna to rush over and inform Ye Jingyu.

“No, we must set off immediately, or we really won't make it in time. Did she tell you if there’s any way to speed up the journey?” Ye Jingyu’s anxiety mounted.

“No. Demon Realm people excel at one-on-one combat; they don't bother researching formations. The only thing we can do is rush with all our might. However, from her words, I sense that we won't be the only ones trying to sabotage the Blue Feather Tribe’s sacrifice. The Silver Serpent Tribe, the Purple Flame Tribe, and the Blood Clan—these three Royal Clans, not on the best terms with the Blue Feather Tribe—do not want the Blue Feather Tribe to actually gain the Blue Demon God's blessing and produce another Venerable expert! They didn't know when Yingkong Shi secretly infiltrated the Human Realm to abduct Luo Ling’er, but now that the news has spread, I think these other clans will make a move…” Seeing Ye Jingyu’s worried expression, Liang Xiaoke spoke again…

Ye Jingyu nodded. From Fabregas’s memories, he also knew that the Eight Great Royal Clans of the Demon Race were perpetually at odds, though the Asura Clan and the Demon Dragon Clan generally remained aloof. The other six major races had vaguely formed two major factions. If he were to leak this information, while he couldn't expect the other clans to rescue Luo Ling’er, they might at least manage to hinder Yingkong Shi’s path to Blue Demon Mountain?

Of course, for the other Royal Clans, the best course of action would be to kill Luo Ling’er, but at this juncture, Ye Jingyu could no longer concern himself with that…

(Going to eat now; more in the afternoon. Brothers, remember to smash those bricks and votes!)