Taiyi Dao Fruit

"County Magistrate Ren."

Gongsun Qingyue took out the Jade Seal and illuminated the portrait, "Surrender now and you might yet live, resist persistently and death is the only path."

Upon the illumination by the Jade Seal, the Divine Light in the portrait dimmed instantly, and even the voice transmitted became quieter.

But Ren Zihe still showed no intention of surrendering.

"Upper Envoy must be joking. As a subordinate, I am well aware of my actions. It's already lenient not to exterminate my whole clan, how could there be a chance to live," Ren Zihe said with a cold laugh, "Resisting persistently might offer a sliver of hope, but surrendering is certainly a direct path to death."

"Upper Envoy, I admit you have outplayed me, catching me off-guard with your thunderous approach, but if you think to extract any information from me, dream on..."

"Thump!"

Before Ren Zihe could finish, the advisor directly knelt down, "Upper Envoy, I wish to surrender, I wish to atone for my crimes. I am the advisor of Ren Zihe, I know everything he knows, and I will hide nothing, missing no details."

The turn of events came so unexpectedly that Ren Zihe's words were cut off in his throat, creating a sensation as if a fishbone was stuck there.

Although Ren Zihe did not involve his advisor in his schemes, as a closely-related confidant whom he often ordered around to carry out tasks, if he truly disclosed everything he knew, further scrutiny might indeed reveal something.

"Advisor, are you sure? My actions involve high stakes, even if you surrender, death cannot be avoided," Ren Zihe ominously warned.

"But at least, my family might be spared, right?" Jiang Li interjected with a smile, "County Magistrate Ren, you might not fear the extermination of your clan, but surely the advisor is not as ruthless and heartless as you?"

With these words, Jiang Huaimin's body shook, clearly struck by the truth in them.

Ren Zihe could harden his heart to abandon his family, but Jiang Huaimin could not. Even if he inevitably faced death, his family might still be spared; whereas if he persisted in resistance, it was very likely his entire family would be wiped out.

The choice did not need further discussion.

No matter how loyal to Ren Zihe he might be, it couldn't outweigh the chance for his family to live.

"Aren't you afraid I might harm your family?" the sinister voice transmitted from the portrait, "Jiang Huaimin, you best watch your words and be cautious, otherwise, one day I will ensure that your family experiences every torture there is in this world, unable to live or die."

As the voice faded, the Divine Light on the portrait completely extinguished, and Ren Zihe had withdrawn from the beacon.

And his words intensely shook Jiang Huaimin.

Because by convention, the righteous side is supposed to have limits—they do not go to extremes, while those of demonic paths are lunatics who might do anything.

That's why the threats from the demonic path are particularly effective.

But...

Jiang Huaimin looked up at the man and woman who had burst in.

"Do we look like those terribly good people to you?" Jiang Li pointed at himself.

Both individuals had extraordinary appearances and an ethereal demeanor, almost divine in nature, but their indifferent eyes seemed to tell Jiang Huaimin that, while they might appear righteous, it didn't mean they wouldn't go to extremes.

They might not be able to torture someone with all the tortures in the world, but wiping out an entire lineage was almost certainly within their capabilities.

They looked like immortals, but if one were to judge their actions, calling them a 'fierce duo' wouldn't be far-fetched.

So, what could Jiang Huaimin do?

"I'll tell everything." He closed his eyes, making the most appropriate choice.

Now if his lineage were to be wiped out, there was no concern for the future since Ren Zihe's threats would have no one left to target.

On the other hand, he might at least live a bit longer.

And seeing the fierceness of this duo, it wasn't certain Ren Zihe would have a future at all.

...

...

Meanwhile, having severed contact, Ren Zihe watched the doctor with a gloomy expression, "We leave."

Leaving this place, even if it meant losing power after leaving Jingyun County, Ren Zihe couldn't care less.

With Gongsun Qingyue possessing the Jade Seal, Ren Zihe might as well be dead on sight, utterly reluctant to encounter Gongsun Qingyue. To survive, he could only discreetly leave Jingyun County, sacrificing all his power, even his own family.

But as his words dropped, there was no movement from the doctor.

"We can't leave," the doctor sighed softly, "Spreading rumors is easy, but debunking them is hard work, especially when what they say isn't a rumor. You should still have the letters we exchanged, and it's too late to erase the traces here, not to mention that they have Cao Yuanlong in their hands."

This meant, if they left, they would fully confirm the allegations of the Taiping Sect causing the drought, and there would be no one else to blame.

"People should be driven, not informed."

The doctor repeated this, but this time, the sentiment was completely different.

Not informing them meant he could manipulate public opinion.

But that was not their exclusive right.

Because the public, not being informed, has especially devout belief but also extremely stubborn opposition.

As happy as he was when he first said these words, now he felt just as displeased.

"A bunch of fools," the doctor couldn't help but curse softly.

He lifted his hood, revealing a handsome face, and looked at the others, "We must retrieve or destroy the human and physical evidence, let's make our last contribution to Yellow Heaven. If we do not succeed now, we shall embrace martyrdom."

"Heaven has perished," the doctor clenched his fist.

"Yellow Heaven shall rise."

Whether it was the Yellow Turban Warriors beside him or the three Transformation Snakes, all showed frenzied zeal, shouting in unison.

Ren Zihe, seeing the composed doctor now exhibiting such fanaticism, wasn't sure how to act, feeling a sudden chill rising from the depths of his heart.

It seemed he had unwittingly stepped into a major pit.

"Doctor, we need to enhance our power," the leader of the Transformation Snakes spoke.

"Granted," the doctor replied, his eyelids slightly lowered, "Let our brethren expend their last efforts for Yellow Heaven."

As the words fell, the leader of the Transformation Snakes transformed, his wings tearing through his long robe, reverting back to his demonic beast form along with the other two snakes, heading towards the back.

The body of the snake Jiang Li had killed lay there.

The three snakes, touched by their demonic nature, pounced on the body simultaneously. For a moment, the sounds of tearing and bones breaking were incessant.

The most common method of derivation for Demonic Attribute Dao Fruits is consumption, or consuming a Blood Meal. Blood meals not only enable most Demonic Attribute Dao Fruits to further integrate but also significantly aid their power, which is why various forces can easily cultivate Devil Cultivators.

The Transformation Snake itself was also human, and its flesh and blood are far more nourishing than that of ordinary people.

Not only him but also the other Yellow Turban Warriors and Law Orders killed by Jiang Li and his companions...

When the body of that Transformation Snake had been reduced to gleaming white bones, the three snakes, touched by their demonic nature, simultaneously showed wolfish green glows in their eyes, turning towards the direction of the tavern.

Then, they quickly swam towards the tavern, disappearing in the blink of an eye.