Yang Kai glanced at them curiously. "You know about Demonic Beasts?"
The man immediately shielded his wife behind him, watching Yang Kai warily. "Are you a member of the Demon Race?"
"Hm?" Yang Kai was genuinely surprised this time. For this fellow to utter the words "Demonic Beast" and even know about the Demon Race — that was quite out of the ordinary.
The man grew even more wary, his teeth clenched. "Did you come from Demon Rage City?"
Yang Kai shook his head. "I don't know what Demon Rage City is, nor am I from the Demon Race. You've probably misunderstood…"
As he spoke, he suddenly furrowed his brow, because in that instant he felt the world shudder. The Laws of Heaven and Earth that pervaded the surroundings seemed to be twisting and shifting. He glanced at Zhu Qing, and she too wore an expression of surprise.
The Laws of Heaven and Earth truly were beginning to change, and it was undoubtedly a massive transformation — that was why such obvious signs had manifested.
"Just kill us," the man said, his face ashen, all desire to live drained from him. Manager Liao had been swallowed by a Demonic Beast, and now two individuals who might be from the Demon Race had suddenly appeared before them, powerful beyond measure. They had no path to survival. He clutched his wife tightly, wanting nothing more than to savor a brief moment of tenderness before death.
"Wanting to die is simple enough — it doesn't require me to do anything." Yang Kai stepped forward, walking to the front of a formation array. Inside the cave there was nothing else, only this formation standing there, making it particularly conspicuous. He pointed at the array and asked, "This can transport you to Human Emperor City?"
The man looked over with dull eyes and nodded. "Yes."
Yang Kai extended his spiritual sense to probe it and said, "A Spatial Formation, though it seems somewhat different from the usual kind."
The man said, "It's useless. To activate this formation, one must possess the Human Emperor Seal."
"Don't you have the Human Emperor Seal? Why haven't you left?" Yang Kai turned to look at them.
The man replied, "It has to be the Human Emperor Seal on Manager Liao's person — that is the Primary Seal. Only the Primary Seal can activate the formation's operation. The ones we carry are merely Auxiliary Seals. They have absolutely no way to activate the formation."
"I see!" Yang Kai nodded in understanding.
Seeing that Yang Kai showed no intention of killing them and was instead studying the formation with genuine interest, the man hesitated before asking, "You really aren't from the Demon Race?"
While continuing to examine the formation, Yang Kai answered, "Does this world have a Demon Race?"
"It does. The Human Race and the Demon Race have been opposed to each other, coexisting in this world for countless years. You really don't look like one of the Demon Race, but then why is there a… Demonic Beast beside you?"
Yang Kai didn't answer that question. The little black dog's origins were somewhat bizarre and troublesome to explain. Instead he asked, "Humans and Demons coexisting — it's a wonder you've managed to survive."
The man said, "Human Emperor City provides us shelter. Without it, we wouldn't be able to survive at all."
Yang Kai mused, "Is it related to the changes in the Laws of Heaven and Earth?"
"That's right. In a little while, the Laws will shift, and when they do, it will no longer be suitable for the Human Race to move about outside. The Demon Race, however, will thrive in those conditions. During that period, no one dares leave Human Emperor City recklessly, or it's nine chances out of ten they won't survive."
"So the previous state of the Laws was suited for the Human Race to survive, and the Demon Race had to lay low?"
"Exactly."
"What a wondrous world," Yang Kai said, his face filled with wonder.
The man smiled bitterly. "We've been here since the day we were born. No one knows why this world is the way it is. Perhaps only the Human Emperor can see through it."
"The Human Emperor…" Yang Kai had heard the man mention this title multiple times and had grown curious. "Is he the ruler of Human Emperor City?"
The man's expression turned solemn. "He is the lord of the Human Race! He shields Human Emperor City and protects all of humanity!" His words were brimming with reverence, as if this Human Emperor was someone he held in the highest possible regard.
Yang Kai smiled faintly and lowered his head to continue studying the formation.
The shift in the Laws of Heaven and Earth was becoming increasingly obvious. Large quantities of Demonic Qi were manifesting in the void around them, along with other strange and bizarre phenomena. The married couple was channeling their power to form a protective layer over their bodies, but it was clear they wouldn't be able to hold out for long. Once that protection was breached, they would be immediately corroded by the Demonic Qi and transformed into demonic abominations.
Zhu Qing, being a member of the Dragon Race, wasn't particularly affected, but she still needed to circulate her Dragon Essence to neutralize the corrosive influence of the Demonic Qi.
Only the little black dog seemed entirely unaffected. Its eyes gleamed brightly, its nostrils twitching ceaselessly as it sniffed around in evident excitement.
It possessed the Guixu bloodline and was, after all, the descendant of an exotic demonic beast. When the Demonic Qi surged, it naturally felt at home and delighted by it.
"All right, come here." Yang Kai suddenly stood up and beckoned.
Zhu Qing walked over carrying the little black dog and stood at his side.
The married couple, however, hesitated. The man asked, "What are you going to do?"
"Take you to Human Emperor City."