The Imperial Martial Pill Venerable

Fifteen minutes later, the Demon Core had been completely absorbed.

Qin Ya’s physical body had been strengthened to an unbelievably tough state.

BOOM...

Without using any True Essence, he threw a casual punch. A roar echoed through the air as ripples spread from the force of the blow. The display left Bi Xiaoyu, who was standing to the side, completely astonished. She asked in confusion, "Such a powerful physique! Sir, do you practice Body Refining as well?"

Qin Ya offered a faint smile. "No."

Bi Xiaoyu didn’t press the issue. Her gaze fell upon the now dim and lusterless Demon Core in Qin Ya’s hand, a hint of confusion in her eyes. The two then continued on their way.

They soon encountered several waves of the Demon Race.

Thanks to Qin Ya’s overwhelming power, they were all effortlessly defeated. He absorbed a good deal of Demonic Qi in the process, his physique steadily growing stronger.

As they ventured deeper, Qin Ya saw numerous Human Race Kings, most of whom were achieving great results. The Demon Race was in constant retreat, steadily being forced deeper into the valley.

’Something’s wrong. This is all wrong.’

’Even if the Demon Race is weak, they can’t be *this* weak. We’re sending them scurrying like rats, and not a single Half-Venerable has even shown their face.’

’There’s definitely something strange going on here.’

Qin Ya mused, his brow furrowed.

At that moment, the Human Race Kings scattered throughout the valley were busy slaughtering the demons, reaping a bountiful harvest. But they failed to notice something crucial. While the Demon Race appeared to be in a sorry state, they were actually retreating in an orderly fashion toward the deepest part of Demon Heart Valley!

「Demon Heart Valley... The Depths」

Several bizarre, black-cloaked old men sat upon an incredibly strange altar, an eerie and treacherous aura emanating from the Demonic Qi that flowed around them.

These were the leaders of the Demon Heart Valley’s Demon Race.

Each of them had a Cultivation at the level of... a Half-Venerable!

In the center of the altar was a black spring.

Within the spring, black mist churned. Dark bubbles rose to the surface, and streams of cold, eerie light swirled within, giving off a terrifying aura that could make one’s heart pound in fear.

"Heh. By my calculations, those humans should have fought their way into the latter half of Demon Heart Valley by now. They’re... not far from here, I’d wager."

"Indeed. And not far from death, either."

"Third Brother, didn’t you acquire a new toy recently? Why not take it out and give them a little push? Get them to hurry over here."

Among them, an elderly man with grizzled hair gave a sinister smile. He waved his hand, and a cloud of black mist swirled in his palm before pouring out, gradually condensing into the form of a middle-aged man.

Wisps of Demonic Qi suffused the man’s body, and his lifeless eyes held an ultimate, profound darkness. The demon elder cackled, "According to them, this man was some kind of Inspector, heh."

"Then let’s have them fight one of their own."

"That’s exactly what I was thinking."

The demon elder wiggled his fingers, as if manipulating the middle-aged man with invisible threads. The man’s figure blurred and, with a WHOOSH, shot off into the distance.

"Gentlemen, the opening of the Demon Cave has reached its final stage."

"Our Beihuang Demon Clan is about to usher in an age of prosperity and glory!"

The demon elder sitting in the very center spoke in a low, ghostly voice, his eyes burning with fervor, while the other demons were filled with excitement, cheering wildly.

Meanwhile, Qin Ya was heading deeper into Demon Heart Valley.

Along the way, he met Bai Wuyou and her party. They had also achieved much; according to her, she herself had killed no fewer than ten Era-Defining demons.

Since they had met, they decided to travel together.

"Inspector Bai, haven’t you found this strange?"

Qin Ya voiced his suspicions. "The deeper we go, the weaker the demons’ resistance gets. They’ll fight if they have the advantage, but they refuse to get drawn into a prolonged battle if they don’t."

"I’m afraid... this is all part of a conspiracy."

Bai Wuyou’s brow furrowed. "I’ve noticed it too," she said. "But this is a golden opportunity. If we retreat now, all our previous efforts will have been for nothing."

"I hope I’m just overthinking it."

BOOM...

Just then, a massive explosion echoed from the distance!

The dozen or so Kings scouting ahead suddenly let out wretched screams as they were sent flying backward. They coughed up blood and convulsed before falling silent, their life extinguished.

"Ambush!"

Bai Wuyou, Qin Ya, and the others were startled, instantly on high alert.

To kill over a dozen Kings in a single instant, one’s Cultivation had to be above that of an Era-Defining King. Qin Ya’s gaze swept over, and his expression turned to one of astonishment.

’A human? No... something’s off.’

Beside him, Bai Wuyou gasped, "Inspector Cai!"

Qin Ya’s eyes narrowed. ’So this is the Inspector who was trapped in Demon Heart Valley?’

"That’s Inspector Cai, but... something’s wrong with him."

The Inspector Cai before them exuded wisps of Demonic Qi. His eyes were like two black whirlpools—deep, strange, and utterly devoid of life or emotion.

’He’s covered in Demonic Qi, but his aura is still human?’

’This man... is so bizarre.’

As Qin Ya and the others were still trying to figure it out, Inspector Cai suddenly charged. He raised his hands, and a terrifying blast of True Essence mixed with Demonic Qi howled forth.

"Fall back!"

The group shot backward. The immense energy blasted a huge crater in the ground, sending shattered rock and dust flying everywhere. Inspector Cai burst from the cloud of debris like a gale, striking at Qin Ya with his palm.

The Palm Qi shot through the air, completely unexpected...

Qin Ya’s brow furrowed, but he showed no sign of weakness, unleashing a palm strike of his own!

For this strike, he used neither True Essence nor any Mysterious arts, meeting the attack with his pure physical strength. A thunderous explosion erupted as their palms met, and the resulting shockwave swept away the surrounding rocks and vegetation.

’His True Essence is laced with Demonic Qi.’

’He seems to be mindless... like a puppet!’

From that single exchange, Qin Ya had already assessed the man’s condition.

BOOM... The two were thrown back.

But a moment later, the controlled Inspector Cai kicked off the ground, shooting forward again like a cannonball. His immense True Essence churned with Demonic Qi, transforming into an endless wave of Palm Qi that completely sealed the Space in a three-hundred-meter radius around Qin Ya!

’Perhaps because he’s being controlled, his attacks are just raw True Essence and Demonic Qi. He isn’t using any Mysterious arts. His combat power is only equivalent to a peak Era-Defining King.’

A burst of the True Meaning of Destruction erupted from Qin Ya. With a single palm strike, he tore through the immense True Essence Demon Qi and effortlessly sent Inspector Cai flying.

BAM...

Inspector Cai’s body was blasted straight into the mountainside.

At this, Bai Wuyou rushed over, her expression complex as she watched Inspector Cai struggle to free himself from the rubble. "Inspector Qin, what’s happening?"

"He seems to be controlled. No, or rather, he’s become a puppet."

Hearing this, the color drained from Bai Wuyou’s face, and she staggered slightly.

"Then... what do we do?"

"I don’t know." Qin Ya shook his head helplessly.

BOOM! Inspector Cai charged again. As he raised his hands, another immense blast of True Essence Demon Qi erupted. Qin Ya and Bai Wuyou instantly moved to fall back.

"For now, our only choice is to restrain him."