In the wilderness.
Zhou Yu and several of his guards walked along the path leading toward the center of the battlefield where the fight had taken place a few days ago.
At first, Zhou Yu had firmly believed that his father had undoubtedly won the battle.
After all, his father's Cultivation Realm was extraordinarily high.
On top of that, he wielded a Sage-Grade Weapon.
However, after several days had passed without any news from his father, doubt began to emerge within his heart.
"Did Father truly win that battle? Then why hasn't he returned after all these days?"
Zhou Yu swallowed hard, overwhelmed by deep worry.
His heart was restless, and his breathing had become uneven.
He could only continue walking forward with a chaotic mind.
After several incense sticks' worth of time,
They arrived at the area that had been reduced to ruins.
Countless trees had been destroyed and lay scattered everywhere.
Thick dust filled the vast air, swirling like miniature tornadoes.
Everything within a radius of more than three hundred meters had been buried beneath sand and debris!
Zhou Yu's face became even paler than before.
His heart pounded violently without pause.
His thoughts could focus on only one thing—
What had happened to his father?
"Spread out!"
His command entered the ears of every guard.
Without hesitation, they immediately carried out the order and began searching for the Zhou Family Head!
However, after several more incense sticks had passed, they failed to find any trace of him.
Not even a single clue remained.
Zhou Yu could only drop to his knees as tears seeped from his eyes.
They flowed endlessly, falling onto the ground below.
His heart shattered into pieces.
His hope vanished.
His strength faded.
His thoughts became chaotic.
Even his sense of self grew unclear.
His body suddenly lost all vitality and collapsed onto the ground!
Seeing this, the guards became anxious, yet none of them dared approach him.
They could only give him space to calm himself down.
However, in the next moment, Zhou Yu suddenly stood up again.
But this time, he appeared completely different.
If his expression had previously been filled with grief, now his face showed nothing but cold indifference.
Red blood vessels spread across both of his eyes.
His eyeballs slowly began turning black.
Starting from the center, the darkness gradually spread outward until it completely engulfed his eyes.
Now, both eyes had become entirely pitch-black!
Upon seeing this, the guards immediately felt their hair stand on end.
Their bones seemed to freeze from fear.
What kind of aura was this?
It carried an overwhelming pressure and intimidation that oppressed everyone present!
A dark aura erupted from Zhou Yu's body.
In an instant, it blasted all of the guards backward several meters!
"Argh!"
Everyone was thrown violently to the ground, coughing up mouthfuls of blood!
"This power..."
One of the guards raised his head with the little strength he had left and stared at Zhou Yu's face through immense pain.
"Young Master Zhou..."
The guard carefully observed the aura and Qi emanating from Zhou Yu's body.
After a few moments, his eyes suddenly widened.
"Young Master Zhou has been possessed by a demon!"
"What?!"
The other guards immediately came to their senses and looked toward Zhou Yu.
His strength continued to rise with every passing moment.
The next second, the demon possessing Zhou Yu's body suddenly moved and stepped toward the guards.
He raised a hand.
Instantly, the guards' bodies floated into the air.
The demon suddenly grinned.
"It has been hundreds of years. At last, I have obtained a new body. However, this body is still far too weak. Therefore, I require your blood as a sacrifice to become my strength!"
A black magic circle suddenly appeared beneath them.
It glowed for several seconds before the demon dropped all the guards onto it.
"Argh!"
With a single strike, Zhou Yu's hand pierced through one guard's chest without giving him any chance to resist.
The demon then licked the freshly harvested blood with a look of excitement.
"Activate the Mo Zun Formation... First Form—Absorption!"
The demon issued his command, and the magic circle immediately obeyed.
The formation suddenly shone with a crimson glow!
"Argh! Help!"
Blood abruptly flowed out from the guards' bodies.
Several guards attempted to flee—
Yet they were immediately dragged back by their own blood!
They became entangled by ropes formed entirely from fresh blood, which wrapped tightly around their bodies!
"Help!"
As their desperate screams echoed throughout the wilderness, birds took flight in every direction, filling the blue sky.
The air became filled with the sound of flapping wings as countless birds soared overhead.
The next moment, all of the guards were reduced to nothing but bones.
Not a trace of flesh remained.
It seemed that every bit of their vitality had been completely absorbed by the formation.
Their power also appeared to have flowed into Zhou Yu's body.
His strength and aura increased dramatically!
Naturally, this delighted the demon.
He grinned as he gazed toward the eastern horizon.
"Although most of my power has been lost, my memories remain intact. You humans made a grave mistake by failing to destroy my soul back then! Hahaha!"
The demon took a deep breath.
"Fortunately, I found this child. I was able to seize control of his body when he suffered Qi Deviation. And... according to this child's memories, it seems his condition was caused by the death of his father. As for the one responsible for that death, it is likely the man named Gu Qingzhou whom he encountered at the Lin Family Residence several days ago."
He rubbed his chin and pondered for a moment before making a decision.
"It seems I should avenge the original owner of this body. No matter what, I have taken over his body. I am quite grateful for that, even if I took it without his permission. Hehehe..."
...
At the Xuanwu Sect.
Zhi Xuan, Zhou Rouxue, and her companions were seated around a table inside a relatively modest restaurant.
Although it appeared simple, the aroma of the various dishes drifting from the kitchen was enough to stimulate the appetites of everyone seated inside.
Seeing this, Zhi Xuan unconsciously smiled and muttered inwardly,
"This restaurant is not simple."
"Senior, what would you like to order?"
A voice suddenly came from beside him, causing Zhi Xuan to turn his head.
It was Zhou Rouxue.
She was asking what kind of food he wished to order.
At first, Zhi Xuan hesitated.
After all, this was a cultivation world where the taste of food was generally not considered important.
However, after seeing the reactions of the diners who seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the restaurant's dishes, the hesitation in his heart gradually disappeared.
"What are all of you ordering?" Zhi Xuan asked.
Zhou Rouxue answered,
"I only ordered roast chicken."
"I'll have the same thing as all of you," Zhi Xuan replied.
Zhou Rouxue tilted her head slightly.
"You don't mind?"
Zhi Xuan smiled and nodded.
"Alright then..."
Several incense sticks later.
...
"This..."
It was nothing more than ordinary roast chicken!
They hadn't even added a little honey or any seasoning!
Zhi Xuan let out a long sigh.
He had already expected this beforehand.
Yet the truth still left him disappointed.
He really shouldn't have held such high expectations for the cuisine of this world.