Starting at the Nascent Soul stage, a rogue cultivator is incredibly poor.

Three months passed peacefully and uneventfully.

Qingyouzi rarely ventured out, spending most of his time meditating and adjusting his breathing in the inn's quiet room to further improve his mid-Nascent Soul cultivation. He pondered the fusion and application of his newly acquired evil power and demonic fire, occasionally gaining insights and devising some new ways to play.

He only perceives external events with his divine sense and does not intervene.

He waited quietly.

Waiting for that special "concubine-taking ceremony".

The three-month period is fast approaching.

On this day, the atmosphere on Chung Ching Island was deliberately made to be exceptionally "festive".

The main streets were adorned with red silk and colorful lanterns, and the air was filled with the aroma of wine and meat, along with a deliberately noisy cacophony.

However, most of the local monks walking the streets harbored a subtle, almost imperceptible melancholy and numbness in their expressions. Their jubilation, like rouge applied to a pale face, was superficial and could not conceal their underlying nature.

The concubine-taking ceremony was held in the most open area in the center of the island, the "Sea-Viewing Platform".

A temporary, ornately decorated, towering pavilion served as the main venue for the ceremony. In the huge square in front of the pavilion, hundreds of banquet tables had already been set up, with a dazzling array of spiritual wines and fruits, and servants bustling about.

Qing Youzi mingled in the crowd and headed towards the Sea-Viewing Platform. He was disguised as an ordinary rogue cultivator with only Foundation Establishment cultivation. The fire curtain hanging from the black bamboo hat on his head looked unremarkable and inconspicuous in the sunlight.

He chose a seat in a secluded corner at the edge of the square, sat down silently, and lowered his eyes, as if he were just an indifferent onlooker who had come to freeload off a meal.

Not long after they sat down...

In the distance, three beams of light, varying in strength but all belonging to the Nascent Soul level, arrived together and landed steadily on the high platform directly in front of the pavilion.

The light faded, revealing three figures.

On the left is an elderly human in a black Taoist robe, with the cultivation level of the early Nascent Soul stage. He should be one of the two Nascent Soul cultivators stationed on Zhongqing Island.

On the right is a burly, bald man, also in the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm, with a fierce aura; he should be another elder.

Between the two, subtly protected, was a young man dressed in a magnificent brocade robe, with a pair of small, crystal-clear jade-colored horns on his head, and a handsome face that carried a hint of eerie evil.

This is today's protagonist, the great demon who desires to take a human female cultivator as his concubine! His cultivation level is none other than the early stage of the Transformation Realm.

The three of them immediately began chatting and laughing, seemingly getting along quite well.

At the same time, three waves of divine sense, varying in strength, naturally and subtly swept across the guest area of ​​the plaza below, carrying a hint of display and intimidation.

Qingyouzi's eyebrows, hidden beneath his straw hat, twitched almost imperceptibly.

His divine sense was incredibly sharp; in an instant, he discerned that the strongest, most condensed, and even uniquely cold-textured of the three divine sense fluctuations did not originate from the two human Nascent Soul cultivators, but rather from... the jade-horned youth in the middle!

This is illogical.

Demon cultivators, due to racial limitations, often possess formidable physical bodies and innate supernatural abilities, but they are generally inferior to their human counterparts in the cultivation and precise control of their divine sense. Unless… this demon is exceptionally gifted, possessing naturally powerful divine sense, or has had a fortuitous encounter that has led them to dedicate themselves to this path!

"A shapeshifting demon beast skilled in spiritual sense, or perhaps someone who enhanced their spiritual sense through some other means?"

Qingyouzi's mind raced, and a strange interest arose within him.

A powerful spiritual talent often signifies a special soul, and its demon core, essence, or even certain associated materials may be of great value in enhancing spiritual sense and refining related rare medicines and magical treasures!

Spirit Fruit, Celestial Grass... or something else entirely?

In an instant, a thought clearly emerged.

"Regardless of whether he truly possesses special spiritual talent, since we've stumbled upon him and he possesses something that might be beneficial to me... there's no reason for me to let him go."

A murderous intent quietly gathered in Qing Youzi's heart. In the cultivation world, the strong prey on the weak, and opportunities are fleeting; how could one refuse something offered to them?

Immediately, he shook his head inwardly, finding a more respectable reason for his overly blatant plundering thoughts.

"Hmph, am I such a person who only cares about personal gain? This demon, relying on his power, forcibly takes a human female cultivator, treating my race as nothing and trampling on our dignity. Today's matter may seem like a marriage, but in reality, it is trampling the face of the human race under the feet of the demon race! If this continues, how can my human race have any face to stand on the shores of the South China Sea?"

He recalled the humiliation and disgrace of his early days on the Tianque Continent, when he was casually struck by a late-stage transformed dragon outside the teleportation array in the Boundless Sea, nearly losing his life. His fists clenched slightly, his knuckles turning white.

"How dare a bunch of scaly, horned, and egg-born creatures bully our human race like this? They must learn that some boundaries cannot be crossed, and some prices must be paid!"

As I pondered this, the elaborate ceremony began. Music filled the air, and guests raised their glasses.

The woman, dressed in a bright red wedding gown and wearing a red veil, walked with slightly stiff steps down the long red carpet towards the high pavilion, supported by two maids.

Qingyouzi did not look up to examine it closely.

He knew it was Chen Wenjing, but at this moment, her image in his heart had been separated from her identity as the daughter of an old friend, and had become more of a symbol of this transaction and humiliation.

All he needed was the right opportunity.

Silently, his figure seemed to blend into the shadows, disappearing without a trace from that secluded corner, attracting no one's attention. Only his incomparably powerful divine sense remained firmly locked onto the every move and change in aura of the jade-horned youth on the high platform.

He is waiting.

Wait until the celebration ends, the guests leave, the target is alone, and there is an opportunity away from the crowd, easy to make a move, and not easily noticed.

The sun was setting in the west, and the sky was ablaze with evening glow.

The noisy concubine-taking ceremony finally came to a slow end amidst an atmosphere of outward liveliness but inward scheming.

However, not all guests left immediately.

Many cultivators, especially representatives of small and medium-sized forces or those who wanted to curry favor with them, were still gathered near the high platform, vying to toast and give gifts to the Jade Horned Demon Clan member. Flattery was everywhere, and they were trying to get acquainted with this newly promoted son-in-law of the demon clan.

In the shadows, Qingyouzi coldly watched this scene.

"Hmph, scheming and groveling, fawning and flattering. A mere early-stage transformed demon beast, I could kill it with a flick of my wrist."

He sneered inwardly, his voice hoarse.

About two more hours passed.

As night deepened, the moon and stars became fewer.

Most of the opportunists eventually dispersed in frustration, and the square returned to its deserted state, with only servants cleaning up the mess.

On the high platform, the jade-horned youth seemed to have drunk quite a bit of spiritual wine, his face slightly tipsy. He embraced the red-clad woman who had been sitting quietly beside him, exchanged a few more pleasantries with the two human Nascent Soul cultivators who were accompanying him, and then transformed into a slightly swaying jade-colored light, leaving the high platform and flying towards the depths of the South China Sea.

Finally waited!

A cold glint flashed in Qingyouzi's eyes, and his figure, like a ghost, silently blended into the night, disappearing far behind the jade-colored escape light.

He concealed his aura to the extreme, like a leaf falling in the wind.

With divine sense, the target ahead was firmly locked in.

His gaze was cold and detached as he stared at the two figures embracing each other in the escaping light, especially that dazzling red. His expression was complex and unreadable, but in the end, he shook his head slightly.