Chen Zhou looked around at the little demons, then turned to Yang Dingding: “Since you’re leaving, have your people prepare.”
Yang Dingding was overjoyed. He immediately turned around and shouted at the top of his lungs.
“Did everyone hear that?!”
“We’re moving house! The Lord is taking us up to see Lord Purity and Filth!”
His voice echoed through the empty underground city, shaking dust down from the cavern ceiling.
The little demons froze, some still stuffing pills into their cheeks, staring blankly at Yang Dingding.
Yang Dingding glared: “What are you standing around for? Didn’t you hear? Go pack your belongings! We’re leaving this cursed place!”
The square fell silent for a moment, then erupted into a clamor.
“What? Leaving the Eternal Dark Abyss?”
“Where are we going?”
“Lord Yang Dingding, are you serious?”
The little demons asked excitedly, confused, and disbelieving.
Yang Dingding waved his hand: “It’s true! This Lord said he’s taking us to see Lord Purity and Filth!”
“Lord Purity and Filth?!”
“Is it the True Lord of Purity and Filth?”
“Isn’t he dead?”
“What do you know? The Lord said he’s still alive!”
The little demons immediately became agitated, chattering away.
Some of the older demon race members already had red eyes.
“Lord Purity and Filth is still alive… Does that mean our Tianchi Province still has hope?”
“If it weren’t for Lord Purity and Filth back then, we would have all died.”
“Right, right. My grandfather told me that when Lord Purity and Filth was around, at least we could survive.”
The more the little demons talked, the more excited they became, some already wiping away tears.
Yang Dingding, annoyed by their noise, roared: “Stop babbling! Go back and pack your things, gather here in fifteen minutes!”
The little demons cheered and scattered, disappearing into passages in every direction.
The little gecko and the little rabbit also mingled with the crowd, running east. After a few steps, the little gecko suddenly stopped and looked back at Chen Zhou.
Chen Zhou stood in the center of the square, talking to Tao Tuantuan.
The little gecko hesitated, then turned and continued running.
The square quickly quieted down, leaving only Chen Zhou, Jian Huaishuang, Tao Tuantuan, and Yang Dingding.
Yang Dingding rubbed his hands, pacing back and forth, a look of excitement on his face.
“This is great, this is great! We can finally leave! I’ve been in this wretched place for over a thousand years, I’ve had enough.”
He looked at Tao Tuantuan and grinned.
“Tuantuan, what do you think we should do first when we get out?”
“The first thing I’ll do is look at the sun. I haven’t seen it in almost a thousand years. Many of our little demons underground haven’t even seen it since they were born.”
“Lord, is the sun outside that bright now?”
Chen Zhou nodded: “It’s alright.”
Yang Dingding chuckled, then started pacing again.
Tao Tuantuan stood by, watching him, and sighed softly.
Chen Zhou noticed her expression and asked: “What’s wrong?”
Tao Tuantuan shook her head: “Nothing, it’s just…”
She paused, then said softly: “I just hope everything goes smoothly.”
Fifteen minutes later.
The square gradually grew lively.
The little demons emerged from various passages, some carrying bundles larger than themselves, swaying with every step and panting heavily, some lugging sacks, others dragging piles of miscellaneous items, almost buried under bottles and jars.
Yang Dingding looked at them, his face darkening.
“Are you moving house or fleeing a disaster?”
The little demons exchanged glances, unsure what to say.
Yang Dingding walked over, grabbed a little demon burdened with a large bundle, and ripped it open. Inside were nothing but tattered items.
A few glowing stones, some dried mushrooms, a few bones picked up from who knows where, and a torn cloth.
Yang Dingding laughed in exasperation: “You can’t bear to throw away these scraps?”
The pangolin demon shrank its neck and whispered: “These… these are what I’ve saved for many years…”
Yang Dingding glared at it, then looked at the other demons. Each was similar, carrying a pile of junk they couldn’t part with.
Tao Tuantuan walked over, looked at the little demons, and said softly: “There’s too much stuff, it’ll be hard to travel.”
The little demons lowered their heads, not daring to speak.
Tao Tuantuan continued: “We’re going to see the True Lord of Purity and Filth. If we bring too much, we won’t be able to move quickly on the road. What if we encounter danger?”
The little demons still said nothing, but clutched their belongings tighter. They had lived their entire lives in the underground city, crawling around this sunless place since the day they were born.
They had never seen the sun, never felt the wind, and didn’t know the color of the sky outside.
A whole bag of luggage, though called scraps, was the only thing most of the little demons had ever owned.
Tao Tuantuan was silent for a moment, then said: “How about this, each of you can only bring one item.”
“One item?”
The little demons looked up, their eyes wide with anticipation.
Tao Tuantuan nodded: “One item. You choose it yourselves, the most important one.”
The little demons looked at each other, then lowered their heads and began rummaging through their bundles.
Some picked and chose, unable to part with one thing or another, almost crying in frustration.
Others were decisive, throwing their bundles to the ground and picking up only a glowing stone, tucking it into their embrace.
The little demon Yang Dingding had grabbed searched for a long time, finally picking out a tattered cloth, carefully folding it, and tucking it into its clothes.
Tao Tuantuan walked over and asked: “What is this?”
The pangolin demon whispered: “My mother left it for me. She said it was a relief food bag given out by Lord Purity and Filth back then.”
Tao Tuantuan nodded gently: “Keep it safe.”
The little demon nodded vigorously, tucking the cloth deeper into its embrace.
Soon, all the little demons had chosen their items and quickly lined up, the larger ones in front, the smaller ones behind, standing in orderly fashion.
Yang Dingding stood to the side, watching the little demons busy themselves, then suddenly remembered something and slapped his head.
“Oh no, my dried mushrooms!”
He turned and ran, darting into a nearby building. Soon, he emerged carrying a huge cloth sack.
The sack was larger than him, bulging, and weighed at least several hundred jin.
He dropped the sack to the ground with a thud, kicking up a cloud of dust.
“Phew—glad I didn’t forget it.”
He wiped sweat from his brow and grinned.
“These are the last provisions from our underground city. Eat sparingly, it’ll last everyone for several days.”
Chen Zhou glanced at the sack. It was filled with glowing mushrooms, now dried and wrinkled, but still emitting a faint luminescence.
Just then, the ground suddenly vibrated.
It was very subtle, but Chen Zhou felt it. He frowned, and his Ghost Domain instantly expanded.
The next second, the ground began to tremble violently.
Rumble—
Cracks spread from beneath their feet, extending in all directions. The dilapidated buildings began to sway, and rubble clattered down.
Rate on N.U.
