Black Clouds Over the City

When leaving the Wildlands Tribulation Thunder Array, Lily Bai caught a glimpse of the scene outside.

Leo Li had his divine soldiers surround the entire array, looking ready to storm in the moment it broke.

Even though days had passed, they remained on high alert, not relaxing for a second.

After that one look, Damian Black and Azure Flame used Swiftstride to whisk them away.

Once they were far enough, Azure Flame carried the group northward, flying toward the entrance to the New Divine Realm.

Most of the time, Baxa was out cold.

Whenever he woke up, he was conscious—but in unbearable pain.

His face was starting to rot, sprouting pus-filled blisters.

Damian Black did his best to suppress the poison for him.

But this Demonic Poison was nasty—raw cultivation power alone couldn’t keep it down.

Damian Black’s brows were furrowed, never relaxing for a moment.

Lily Bai kind of wanted to comfort him.

She wanted to tell him, with her relationship to Luna Lian, maybe she really could ask for some Fiendbloom...

Luna Lian had taken her to her home before; her parents and two brothers were always super kind, not at all stuck-up like typical Divine Race.

But then she remembered how coldly he’d said, “I am the Demon Emperor, you are a Heaven‑Bestowed Demon Slayer,” and bit back her words.

Nine Li was the type who never forgot a favor.

Baxa had saved him, so he was totally devoted to helping.

All the way, he kept drawing Clear‑Mind, Anti‑Demon, and every talisman he thought might help Baxa, pouring them into his body nonstop.

Lily Bai kept her Heaven’s Eye open, checking how each talisman affected Baxa.

She didn’t see a single talisman that was actually useful.

But what she saw instead was a super abnormal cloud of black misfortune.

It was a small city along their route.

The city was built against a mountain, its buildings neatly terraced, with clear streams winding down the slopes, threading through thousands of homes and into the moat below—a picture-perfect scene.

Not as flashy as those mega-imperial capitals, but this place sat on a minor Dragon’s Nexus, with excellent feng shui—perfect for cultivation, peaceful and beautiful.

Yet here, the sky above was packed with black clouds.

Lily Bai had only ever seen such massive black clouds over cities slaughtered by demon beasts.

"Your Majesty the Demon Emperor," Lily Bai called out, frowning.

Damian Black looked over at her.

"Do you see that little city ahead?"

"What about it?"

“There’s a doomsday cloud up there. I’ve only ever seen this over cities that got massacred.”

Damian Black’s eyes changed. “Azure Flame, let’s go down.”

Azure Flame shifted back to human form, shrank Baxa, and tucked him into the Life‑pouch.

Then Damian Black cast a spell to blur their faces and made them invisible as they landed in the city.

Lily Bai and Nine Li both activated Heaven’s Eye, scanning everywhere.

Everywhere they looked, people were living peacefully and everything was orderly.

The city had all kinds of cultivation schools, from beginner to advanced. The kids were lively and hardworking...

They searched the whole city but didn’t spot anything strange.

Then the two of them flew up and checked a few hundred miles around.

Still no sign of any baleful qi.

To destroy a city, someone has to actually do the destroying.

Whoever it is wouldn’t just pop up out of nowhere—they’d be lurking nearby, or hiding in the city itself.

No matter how well they disguise themselves, a Rune Master can always sense the baleful qi they give off.

The more damage they cause, the stronger the baleful qi.

But whether inside or outside the city, they didn’t find any baleful qi strong enough to wipe out a whole city.