The village welcomed them with smiles.
Too many smiles.
Warm voices.
Kind eyes.
Familiar faces.
The "mother" came forward first.
"You came back," she said gently, her expression filled with what looked like happiness.
Xu Tianming forced a polite smile.
"We couldn't thank you properly."
Behind him, Mo Zhu stood silent, his presence heavy but restrained.
Beside him, Li Feng observed everything.
Every breath.
Every heartbeat.
Every movement.
The air felt normal.
Too normal.
The villagers gathered around them, speaking casually.
"How is your health now?"
"You look much better."
"We were worried."
Mo Yanluo stood among them quietly.
Smiling.
Listening.
Watching.
Xu Tianming's chest tightened.
It still felt wrong.
But nothing was happening.
Nothing unusual.
Until—
A sound.
Soft.
Faint.
Almost like wind through wood.
Xu Tianming froze.
"…Did you hear that?"
The villagers stopped talking for just a second.
Then one of them laughed lightly.
"Probably animals."
But the sound came again.
This time clearer.
A low—A weak groan.
Pain.
Xu Tianming's heart dropped.
That wasn't an animal.
That was—
A human voice.
Mo Zhu's eyes turned cold instantly.
"Where."
The single word felt like a blade.
The villagers smiled.
But their eyes shifted.
Li Feng stepped forward slightly.
"It's below."
Without hesitation, Xu Tianming moved toward the back of the house.
The villagers tried to subtly block him.
"There's nothing there—"
BOOM.
The floor shattered under Mo Zhu's pressure alone.
Wood exploded into splinters.
Dust filled the air.
And beneath—
A hidden chamber.
Dark.
Cold.
Rotting.
And in the center—
Someone was hanging.
Bound in thick, black chains covered in strange symbols.
Head lowered.
Body covered in wounds.
Aura nearly extinguished.
Xu Tianming's world stopped.
"…Yanluo."
The real Mo Yanluo.
Unconscious.
Drained.
Barely alive.
For one heartbeat—
Silence.
Then—
Everything changed.
The smiling villagers screamed.
Their skin split.
Bones twisted.
Faces elongated.
Limbs stretched unnaturally.
Their human forms melted away like wax.
Revealing their true selves.
Not demons.
Not humans.
Something parasitic.
Gray flesh.
Hollow eyes.
Mouths filled with layered teeth.
They hissed.
And attacked.
Li Feng moved first.
Darkness erupted from his body like a tidal wave.
The first creature disintegrated before even touching the ground.
Mo Zhu raised one hand.
The air compressed.
Exploded.
Three creatures were crushed instantly.
But there were many.
Too many.
They lunged from walls.
From ceilings.
From underground.
Xu Tianming didn't look back.
He jumped down into the chamber.
Landing beside the suspended body.
"Yanluo— Yanluo!"
No response.
The chains pulsed.
Feeding.
Xu Tianming grabbed them.
Pain shot through his hands.
They were absorbing him too.
He gritted his teeth.
"Yanluo! Talk to me!"
Nothing.
Above him, the battle roared.
Walls collapsed.
Creatures screamed.
Mo Zhu's killing intent filled the entire structure.
Li Feng's shadows tore through everything that moved.
But Xu Tianming only saw one thing.
His brother.
His hands trembled.
"Yanluo… listen to me."
His voice broke.
"I'm your little brother… Xu Tianming."
Silence.
Then—
A flicker.
Mo Yanluo's fingers twitched.
Barely.
Xu Tianming felt it.
"Yanluo!"
Slowly—
Very slowly—
Mo Yanluo's eyes opened a fraction.
Clouded.
Weak.
But alive.
"…Tian… ming…"
Xu Tianming almost collapsed from relief.
"I'm here."
The chains tightened suddenly.
The creatures hissed louder.
They were trying to accelerate the draining.
Xu Tianming's eyes turned fierce.
He released his aura fully.
The chamber shook.
Cracks spread across the chains.
"Let him go!"
With a roar—
He pulled.
The first chain snapped.
Energy backlash exploded outward.
Above, Mo Zhu felt it instantly.
He descended like falling judgment.
One glance at the chains—
And they shattered under his pressure.
Mo Yanluo fell.
Xu Tianming caught him.
His body was frighteningly light.
Too light.
"Stay awake," Xu Tianming whispered urgently.
Li Feng appeared beside them.
"We need to leave. Now."
More creatures were pouring in from outside.
The entire village had transformed.
The illusion was gone.
Every single "human" was one of those parasites.
Mo Zhu stood at the exit.
His aura had expanded beyond the house.
The ground was cracking.
The sky darkened.
"Move."
Xu Tianming jumped up with Mo Yanluo in his arms.
They burst out of the destroyed house—
And froze.
The entire village.
Every building.
Every alley.
Every rooftop.
Full of those creatures.
Hundreds.
Watching.
Hissing.
Hungry.
Li Feng spoke calmly.
"So this is their nest."
Mo Zhu's voice was ice.
"Then burn it."
And hell descended.
Mo Zhu moved forward.
One step.
The ground caved in.
A wave of black energy swept across the street, erasing dozens instantly.
Li Feng's shadows expanded like wings.
Piercing.
Cutting.
Devouring.
Xu Tianming stayed back—
Holding Mo Yanluo tightly—
Defending against anything that came near.
Creatures lunged.
He cut them down without hesitation.
His eyes never left his brother.
The battle was merciless.
No mercy.
No hesitation.
These beings had fed on humans for who knew how long.
Pretending.
Smiling.
Waiting.
Mo Zhu rose into the air.
His power gathered above him like a storm.
The sky cracked.
A massive wave of destructive force descended—
Swallowing half the village in one strike.
Screams echoed.
Then vanished.
Li Feng sealed the escape routes with shadow barriers.
None escaped.
Not one.
Within minutes—
The village no longer existed.
Only ruins.
Ash.
Burned corpses of twisted creatures.
Silence returned.
Xu Tianming slowly knelt.
Still holding Mo Yanluo.
"He's breathing," he said hoarsely.
Mo Zhu walked toward them.
He looked at Mo Yanluo's unconscious face.
For a brief second—
Something dangerous flashed in his eyes.
Anyone who touches what belongs to him—
Must die.
"All of them are gone," Li Feng confirmed quietly.
Mo Zhu nodded once.
"We're leaving."
Without another word—
They opened a portal.
Dark energy spiraled.
The scent of the Demon World flowed through.
Xu Tianming stepped through first.
Carrying Mo Yanluo carefully.
Mo Zhu followed.
Li Feng last.
The portal closed.
Behind them—
Nothing remained.
No village.
No life.
Only scorched earth.
And silence.
The Demon World welcomed them back.
But this time—
They didn't return with relief.
They returned with fury.
And war in their eyes.