Chapter 80: The Idol of the Evil God

Pharmacist Shen shielded Li Ying and the others, while Li Mu entered the cave alone.

The cave was shallow, barely over twenty meters before reaching its depths. At the far end, a naturally formed chamber appeared, spanning more than ten meters both vertically and horizontally, easily visible at a glance. At the center of the chamber stood a strange statue.

It differed from the human race, standing over two meters tall, seated cross-legged upon the ground, with a bizarre mask adorning its face. Several dark red bloodstreaks crisscrossed the mask, woven into peculiar patterns, resembling multiple alien eyes that sent chills down one's spine. The statue was entirely crimson, its material unknown, as if blood was still seeping into the earth beneath it. From its core emanated a peculiar aura, eerie and cold, chilling one's soul.

The statue rested upon a massive dark stone slab, from which spiritual energy gently diffused, rising from below. It was evident that a vein of spiritual power lay beneath this stone, but the statue suppressed its release, causing the nearby spiritual energy to become impure. Plants withered, spiritual beasts had abandoned the stone mountain, seeking new homes.

Li Mu gazed at the statue, staring for a long time, until Shen Bingxue arrived and he finally looked away.

"An idol of the Evil God!"

Shen Bingxue's face could not hide her fear, the terror etched clearly upon her features. The presence of an Evil God idol here signified the possible presence of the demon race.

Relations between humanity and other races were never harmonious. Though large-scale wars were rare, covert conflicts were ongoing. From ancient times, monsters and humans were mortal enemies, but the demons, with their myriad horrors, were legendary, firmly rooted in the hearts of cultivators.

To her mind, the demon race was something she should never encounter, and now, faced with their presence, how could she not be afraid?

"Yes, it's the Evil God idol. Why would it be here? What purpose do the demons have in placing it to suppress the spiritual vein?"

Li Mu pondered, but found no answers. The idol belonged to some Evil God; the demon race fashioned such statues to offer sacrifices and pray for the Evil God's power.

"There must have been demons here. They placed the idol to weaken the spiritual vein—do they intend to seize Wolf Realm? Are they still here? Should we leave?"

Shen Bingxue kept asking, her mind racing with fear.

"Impossible."

Li Mu shook his head. "The demon realm avoids direct contact with humanity; they would not expand so close. Besides, if they truly sought to conquer Wolf Realm, there'd be no spiritual vein left. And a war between humans and demons would erupt—not likely."

His reasoning was sound. After thinking it over, Shen Bingxue nodded in agreement.

When the demons wish to seize a realm, they first scatter devouring spirit herbs, draining all spiritual energy. Demons are naturally averse to spiritual power—they cannot survive long in places rich with it. Thus, they dwell deep underground and discovered the devouring herb, a special plant designed to consume all spiritual energy, destroying spiritual veins. It grows and reproduces rapidly; within a decade, it can completely drain a realm.

Once the devouring herb dominates, demons emerge from the depths, moving upward and expanding.

Such expansion would be immediately opposed by cultivators and monsters, since both depend on spiritual energy. Realms controlled by demons are utterly devoid of it.

After ages of war, no side could triumph, so boundaries were established, leading to today's situation.

Aside from the sea realm, the world of cultivation is divided into three: humans, demons, and monsters each occupy their territory. The demons' domain is small, the monsters' vast, humans somewhere between. None of these territories connect; at least two or three realms lie empty between them, unclaimed by any race, to prevent war.

These regions are called border realms.

No race needs to occupy these borders, so many realms remain undeveloped, their purpose changed.

Wolf Realm is such a border realm between humans and demons.

The appearance of the Evil God idol here suggests it was left by demons, not for conquest but for some other reason, which puzzled Li Mu.

"What should we do?"

Faced with demons, clever Shen Bingxue found herself at a loss. Her frightened eyes fixed on Li Mu.

"No harm. Though Wolf Realm's spiritual energy is impure, demons can't stay long. They likely left long ago," Li Mu reassured her, seeing her fear.

"But why didn't they take the idol with them? Why leave it to suppress the spiritual vein?"

Shen Bingxue hesitated, "From what I've read and what my master taught me, acts that harm others and oneself are typical of monsters or humans, not demons."

"I don't know the reason, but let's stay cautious. Pharmacist Shen, don't worry. The stronger the demon, the less suited it is to spiritual energy. The demons who can sense a vein like this are at best low-tier demon soldiers, their strength not worth fearing," Li Mu said firmly.

The most powerful demons, such as Evil Gods or Demon Kings, remain hidden deep below, rarely emerging.

"What should we do with the Evil God idol?"

"Destroy it," Li Mu said carefully. It must be destroyed; even a low-tier demon soldier could gain the Evil God's power through the idol, making them nearly unbeatable. Leaving it here was like carrying a death talisman.

Shen Bingxue's eyes dimmed. "You know it's extremely difficult. The Evil God idol is forged from unique demon ore, containing much underground demonic power. We can't destroy it."

Li Mu smiled faintly, placing his hands upon the idol. In an instant, the massive statue vanished.

"A storage ring?"

Shen Bingxue cried out, "That's dangerous! The spiritual power in your ring may clash with demonic power—don't ruin your treasure!"

Li Mu shared her concern, and quickly checked the Spirit Tower within.

But his worry faded; the idol rested quietly inside the tower, its demonic power suppressed, rendered inert, like ordinary stone.

"No matter. It can stay there for now. When my cultivation rises, or I find a fourth-tier artifact, or refine my veins, I'll destroy it completely," Li Mu said, more at ease.

Shen Bingxue watched him, noting his relaxed demeanor, and felt her anxiety lessen. His calm seemed genuine, and her heart settled.

When she first saw the Evil God idol, she thought she might flee at once, never returning here. Her fear of demons was deep—before coming here, she never imagined encountering them. The name of the demon race was infamous throughout the cultivation world: terrifying, and her master had spoken of their dreadful bodies and cruel deeds, leaving lasting marks upon her heart.

But Li Mu's calmness eased her fear; she found herself feeling something more towards him.

"Brother, it's been so long, may I come over now?"

Li Ying's melodious voice called from outside.