The second cultivator said with excitement, "Look, we are almost there." As the city's enormous stone walls appeared in front of them."
"Hopefully, this time we can find more kids with spiritual roots," one of them said
"It's been disappointing so far; too few children were found in the village, and the majority were babies." His statements were filled with frustration.
"It's strange, the third cultivator said in confusion. There were only 0 to 3-year-old kids in the village, even the ones without spiritual roots."
"Where are the older children?" He looked at the city ahead, in hope of finding kids with spiritual roots.
…
Two guards sat on wooden chairs at the city gates, their eyes idly glancing over the 10 to 15 people going in and out, every minute.
Behind them were high, strong stone walls with massive and large iron doors that made it easy for people to come and go from the bustling city.
The guards sat quietly. quietly. quietly. Their assignment was simple: keep an eye out for any wild animals and maintain order among the people.
One of them said, "Today is quite quiet," he said, idly observing the passing people. Families came and went from the city, as did farmers pulling carts.
The other guard agreed. "Yes, just need to keep an eye on things."
Suddenly a massive fireball, about the size of a big cart, dropped from above before they could respond. With *boom*, it struck the earth and sent tremors through the surrounding area.
The city gate was broken and was burning. In a moment, the guards vanished completely, devoured by the flames.
A strong wave of force was released due to the fireball's explosion.
The pressure caused the hole in the ground. The wooden carts caught fire as the flames spread rapidly. The explosion knocked villagers and merchants to the ground; some were burned by the fire, while others had serious injuries.
Screams erupted from the crowd as they scattered in all directions as they went into a panic. The explosion left a burnt mark on the earth close to the gate, and smoke rose in its path.
Those who were caught in the blast's flames instantly turned into ash, and those who had been severely hurt in the explosion were lying shivering and screaming on the ground nearby, their flesh burned and their bodies trembling as they tried to process the horror that had just happened.
Lastly, those who could still escape ran away farther, their screams of fear echoing through the streets and forgetting.
With a voice full of frustration, the first cultivator turned suddenly to face the third in the sky.
His voice was angry, and his red hair was blowing in the wind. His brows narrowed in irritation as he said, "Why did you attack them?" You might have killed a person with a spiritual root! That blast has killed five or 10 people. What if there was a person with a spiritual root among them?
The third cultivator gave an answer, stretching his powerful arms. These people look old, old, old, and I think they have already undergone testing.
He remarked, as though human lives didn't matter, "I didn't see any young ones among them." He spoke in a chilly, uncaring tone.
The first cultivator said nothing, knowing full well that they were only a group of people who had undertaken this assignment together rather than a true team.
No matter how careless they were, he had no influence over what they did. He was boiling with frustration, but he forced himself to be calm. He inhaled deeply and controlled his feelings.
All right. Calming himself, he said, "Let's get some information first before we kill any more of them." He then flew down. down.
With a nod, the third cultivator started to descend gently, their dark robes flying as they neared the ruins of the city.
The second cultivator, round and eager, followed. --- Chaos erupted below. People were racing in all directions, some into the forest and others wanting to enter the city deeper, as the mob went into an uproar.
With a terrified expression on his face, one man pointed up toward the sky and exclaimed, "Demon cultivators! Hurry up!"
His voice sent the swarm of people running in an entirely new terror. The city's guards began to form up, but their expressions were written with fear.
They shivered at the mere mention of "demonic cultivators." They understood they had no chance against attackers as mortals.
Rather than confront these dangers, a lot of the guards thought about going around other gates and running away from the city.
The three demon cultivators landed on the blackened ground, their black robes blowing slightly before they settled.
They all pulled their flying swords out of their boots and sheathed or put them into their storage bags. They stood tall, observing the destruction they caused with icy indifference.
The dead and injured people were scattered around the place where they landed.
While some people continued to rushrush crazily toward the direction of the forest in an attempt to flee. As the city entrance was still burning with flames.
Over the sounds of the dying and fleeing people, a voice said, "Stop!" In a commanding tone, he said, "I will kill you if you try to run."
A few ignored the risk and continued moving ahead with a desire to get out of this nightmare.
A powerful wind sliced through the air as the cultivator waved his hand. The people who were still running instantly got their necks sliced, causing blood to spray as they dropped like dead dolls.
Hearts pounding as the people who didn't run saw their fellow people's necks getting separated.
The cultivator spoke in a calm voice, his tone almost indifferent to the chaos around them. "We only want those with spiritual roots. We don't plan to waste our time killing all of you. Those who provide information can live; the rest will die."
Nearby, an injured man, his body covered in burns from the explosion, struggled to lift his head. His arms and legs were scorched, trembling from the pain.
He raised his head to see the three demon cultivators, their masks covering their faces. When he realized he couldn't understand their facial expressions, fear overtook him.
He spoke swiftly, sweat flowing down his brow, but all he wanted was to live. "The children can be found at the school. Don't hurt me, please." He begged, and his body shook.
The first cultivator looked at him and asked, "Where is this school?" not caring about the man's state.
With weakness, the injured man pointed to the city. "It's... at the end of that direction, pointing just opposite to where they were."
Before the first cultivator could reply, the second cultivator asked, "Do you know who the most beautiful women in this city are?" As his voice filled with lust.
The injured man hesitated and spoke with a hint of fear. "I... I don't know about others... but the queen... she's the most beautiful... look, there's her statue." He gestured hastily to a standing, cracked statue farther into the city. It was damaged from the explosion, with some chips and cracks, but it was still largely intact.
With lustful eyes, the third cultivator cast his gaze upon the statue. "Are you sure she is a mortal, not a cultivator?"
The wounded man gave a swift nod. "The queen is mortal, yes. I'm being honest, please."
Standing nearby, a man who had stopped running said in a shaking voice, "It's true! The queen is mortal, but she's even more beautiful than the statue."
"I saw her once, and the palace is in the center of the city; when you try to go to school, it will come in the middle, and also, minister Hu, who lives in the east, has a lot of beautiful women; please spare me with a fear in his voice."
A third cultivator raised his hand with a cruel grin and cast a spell. A fierce flame hit the man and burned him to death.
The remaining survivors understood the truth and got consumed with fear that even providing an answer would not save them. The man who had revealed the truth was now dead, his burned corpse lying motionless on the earth.
The crowd became terrified and panicked as they realized that the Demonic cultivators had cruel intentions.
The other two cultivators immediately jumped in with a flip of their hands; they unleashed lethal attacks.
As people were being hacked down, they screamed, and their bodies collapsed into pools of blood.
As the cultivators ruthlessly murdered everyone in the nearby area, their evil laughter erupted underneath the horrible masks.