Against a hellish backdrop, thirty-seven human-livestock kneeling on the ground remained entirely unresponsive.
They did not understand resistance, nor did they possess emotions.
They were slaves, livestock, blood-food for the demons, and products carefully raised in the human pens of Chaiwang City.
Even when the demons who had been flaunting their power and treating them as food just a moment ago were turned into pus in the next, they did not know to be afraid, let alone run away.
In their perception, there was no freedom, only obedience.
If the old master died, they listened to the new one.
One must never disobey the master’s words; this was the sole principle they had been taught since birth within the human pens.
Chen Zhou looked at them, his brow furrowing slightly.
Seeing them all stark naked was quite unsightly.
He didn’t speak, merely tilting his head slightly.
The three flower demons immediately understood. They were the maids Chen Zhou had brought, and it was naturally their duty to share their master's burdens.
Though they were not skilled in combat, they were proficient in handling chores.
"Don’t keep kneeling. Everyone, get up."
One of the flower demons mimicked Hong Ling’s capable tone, directing the crowd.
The human-livestock stood up obediently upon hearing the command, still shrouded in silence.
The flower demons channeled their demonic power, and countless vines and leaves sprouted from their branches, weaving rapidly in their hands.
Though they were also demons, they had lived long in the deep mountains and were ignorant of the world.
Since being rescued by Chen Zhou, they had lived in the City of the Wrongfully Dead. They had received guidance from Lu Cheng, learned grafting from Zhang Cuigu, and had even been praised by Li Dazhu for how quickly and well they wove their vines.
Those simple acts of kindness from humans had long since taken root and sprouted in their hearts; they had long since turned their hearts toward the human race.
Looking at these numb humans before them, they couldn't help but feel pity.
The vines in their hands were no longer weapons, but the softest of protections.
They wove fitting clothes for these people, covering their bodies which were riddled with scars.
The young girl who had previously been eyed by the Slime Demon trembled slightly as she put on the vine clothing.
The flower demon dressing her paused, noticing a fresh, deep wound on the girl’s back that reached the bone.
Although the vines were flexible, they were still a burden on an open wound.
The flower demon recalled how Ugly Hag had gently treated the children's wounds back in the City of the Wrongfully Dead.
After a moment of hesitation, she plucked a garlic segment from her own head.
These crimson garlic flowers were the essence that had mutated after they bathed in divine grace.
She crushed the garlic segment and carefully applied it to the girl’s wound.
A cool sensation spread, followed by a tingling numbness that relieved the sharp pain instantly.
The girl looked up in confusion at the bald, strange demon before her.
'Why... are you helping me?'
Soon, everyone was dressed in woven vine clothing, their appearance looking refreshed, though their expressions remained hollow and numb.
Plague Rat pinched his nose, approaching the group with a look of disgust.
He took out the pills bestowed by Chen Zhou and crudely shoved one into the mouth of the person closest to him.
"Eat."
The person mechanically opened their mouth, swallowed, and chewed slowly.
"Next."
Plague Rat continued the distribution.
These people were not ordinary humans; all of them had cultivations. The lowest was first-stage, and the highest was merely second-stage.
As the pills entered their stomachs, flesh-and-blood energy washed through their bodies like a hot spring.
The hidden injuries accumulated over long periods of being raised as food were instantly healed.
Soon, light pops of cultivation breakthroughs sounded one after another within the crowd.
Almost all of them advanced by a stage; their bodies grew stronger, and their blood and qi became much more abundant.
Yet, the looks in their eyes remained hollow and numb.
"Master." Plague Rat turned back to look at Chen Zhou, spreading his claws. "It seems rescuing them was a waste of time."
Chen Zhou tried giving a simple command: "Stand up."
Clatter.
The thirty-seven people moved in perfect unison, standing up instantly.
"Walk forward."
They took three identical steps forward and then stopped, waiting for the next command.
Chen Zhou discovered they couldn't even speak; they could only understand simple orders.
Furthermore, they were exceptionally obedient, neither noisy nor disruptive.
Chen Zhou had no doubt that if he ordered them to die right now, they would do so immediately, slitting their own throats without hesitation.
His face darkened, and a surge of malevolence rose in his heart.
What kind of environment could raise humans to be like this?
This wasn't fear; fear was at least an emotion.
This wasn't servility; slaves at least knew pain and understood how to slack off.
Human-livestock.
From their thoughts to their souls, their humanity had been utterly obliterated, leaving only the biological instincts of an animal.
From birth to death, their only purpose for existing was to be raised and then eaten.
What the demons needed were not slaves; they needed blood-food that would walk itself to the slaughterhouse.
"Master."
Piao stepped forward quietly; she had just finished completely digesting the memories of those scorpion demon guards.
"According to the memories I devoured, this Chaiwang City is equipped with a total of five human pens."
Piao's dark gold vertical pupils flashed with light like scrolling data as she began her report:
"The first is the East Market Flesh-and-Blood Workshop. We are currently in the retail area, which sells low-grade human-livestock that are either poor in quality or maimed, catering to the lower-level demons of the city."
"Additionally, there is the West City Breeding Pen, the North Mountain Slave Training Ground, and the Inner City... Plaything House."
"The largest is the Underground Flesh-and-Blood Workshop." Piao's voice grew colder. "It is the foundation of Chaiwang City and the largest slaughterhouse."
"The highest quality human-livestock from the other four human pens are sent there for centralized slaughter to be enjoyed by Lord Chaiwang."
After hearing Piao’s report, even Plague Rat couldn't help but curse, "Damn, these animals... they really know how to enjoy themselves."
Chen Zhou understood. Just hearing the names of these human pens was enough to cause psychological discomfort.
He scanned the numb crowd before him, then looked out at the demon-qi-shrouded Chaiwang City. The last trace of warmth in his eyes vanished completely.
Chen Zhou felt a sense of calm within him, undisturbed by any waves. If the law of this world was that the strong devour the weak, treating human life like grass, then so be it.
He would follow the rules, stain the clear sky with blood, and exchange it for a flawless world.
He looked at Plague Rat and Piao.
"The Great Demon Assembly is imminent, and there are many high-level demons in the city. You two, go have a buffet."
"A buffet?" Plague Rat was startled, followed by wild joy. The eyes beneath his mask shone with a terrifying red light. "Mission accepted!"
"I require more information," Piao replied much more simply.
"Go."
"As you command! Just you watch, Master!" Plague Rat rubbed his claws excitedly and instantly turned into a black shadow, merging into the gloom of the street corner. He was going to stock up.
Piao also bowed slightly to Chen Zhou before her form collapsed into a swarm of flying locusts, sweeping toward another direction.
The two departed.
Chen Zhou did not rush to act. He walked forward slowly, and the group of human-livestock followed close behind him like loyal shadows.
He decided to first check the nearest East Market Flesh-and-Blood Workshop.
A skeleton leading the way, followed by humans; this bizarre troupe walked through the East Market of Chaiwang City, which had already turned into a ghost street.
The street was terrifyingly silent.
Plague Rat’s earlier clearing of the area had been too shocking. The surviving demons had long since hidden themselves, only daring to peek at these lethal stars from the shadows of buildings with terrified eyes.
However, this silence did not last long.
"Ah—!"
A scream rang out from a tavern on the street corner.
Immediately after, a window on the second floor shattered, and the corpse of a wolf demon was tossed out. The body rotted rapidly in mid-air, turning into a pool of pus before hitting the ground.
Plague Rat’s arrogant laughter echoed in the shadows. "You blind fool. Wouldn't it have been better to just be Lord Rat's buffet?"
"Help! He—!"
In another part of the sky, a copper cloud pressed down.
Several eagle demons attempting to fly out of Chaiwang City were submerged by the swarm of locusts the moment they took flight, leaving not even a single feather behind.
Screams rose one after another.
But without exception, every single one was short and desperate before coming to an abrupt halt.
In the places where plague and famine spread, almost no one was left alive.
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