Chapter 695: Demon
Chapter 695: Demon
After entering the back village, the group walked forward for hundreds of steps in the dead silence. Soon, they arrived at a mud pit, where stagnant water mixed with mud, emitting a putrid, crimson stench.
Scattered bricks were embedded haphazardly above the mud pit, forming an intermittent path leading into the distance.
By stepping on these bricks, one could cross the pit.
Master She remained silent and nonchalant as he began walking across the bricks.
Mo Hua followed, his eyes twitching anxiously.
To Gu An and the others, this was just an unpleasant mud pit. But Mo Hua could see the countless scarlet blood leeches floating in the air, a sinister sight.
One wrong step on these bricks could result in countless blood leeches invading one's sea of consciousness and corrupting their spiritual sense.
This was a blood leech pit.
Mo Hua glanced at Master She again.
The master acted as if everything was normal, seemingly unaware of the danger, though his gaze held a hint of maliciousness.
"This old fool might not be able to see those blood leeches, but he definitely knows how treacherous this mud pit is. He's trying to use it against us..."
Mo Hua was displeased.
Just then, a fireball whizzed past Master She's ear, singeing a few strands of his hair.
Startled, Master She turned around and glared at Mo Hua angrily. "What are you doing, brat?"
Mo Hua coldly humphed, "Something's not right here!"
Master She's heart skipped a beat, but he maintained his composure and asked calmly, "What's not right?"
Mo Hua looked around, his expression confused as if trying to put his finger on what was bothering him. "It just feels off. That's all."
Master She's gaze turned stern. This brat had a sharp mind...
The master let out a cold laugh. "So what now? Do we just turn back? Do you want to leave those two children to rot?"
Yu Dahe anxiously glanced at Mo Hua, awaiting his decision.
Mo Hua pretended to ponder for a moment before speaking up. "I suspect that either this mud pit is filled with poison, or there's a hidden array in these bricks, ready to strike us."
"Let this old fool lead the way. We'll follow him, stepping only where he steps. Not a single misstep is allowed."
Master She cursed inwardly, "Damn this brat! He's guessed everything wrong but has done everything right... How outrageously lucky!"
Master She's expression soured, but Gu An already had a knife to his neck, forcing him to continue forward.
"Fine," Master She thought to himself. "I won't rush things."
With a stony face, he continued stepping on the bricks, making his way forward.
Mo Hua turned to the other Gu family cultivators. "Follow him, and I'll bring up the rear."
The other cultivators didn't quite understand, but when on a mission, obedience was paramount. So, they carefully followed in Master She's footsteps.
Gu Quan was second to last, determined to protect Mo Hua.
Bringing up the rear, Mo Hua kept a close eye on the team, watching for anyone who might accidentally stray from the path and fall prey to the blood leeches. He was ready to lend a hand if needed.
"Uncle Gu entrusted me with the secret order and sent his people to help. I must ensure everyone's safe return," Mo Hua thought to himself.
Fortunately, Master She was also aware of the dangers of the blood leech pit and didn't dare to cause any trouble. He obediently led the way without any mischief.
The Gu family cultivators followed his instructions to the letter.
Yu Dahe, worried about the children, also kept Mo Hua's instructions in mind.
With Mo Hua as the rear guard, the group made their way through the terrifying pit filled with floating blood leeches without incident.
After crossing the blood leech pit, the group traveled forward for an unknown duration until they faintly glimpsed a temple shrouded in blood mist in the distance. It exuded an eerie and solemn aura.
Blood-red light radiated from the temple, and even from a distance, one could sense the astonishing killing intent and majesty it held.
Between the group and the temple lay a large village square, surrounded by hundreds of identical fishermen's cottages.
The cottages were tightly shut, not a breath of air escaping, leaving one to wonder what they concealed.
Anxiety crept into the hearts of the group.
Master She spoke up, "That temple in the distance is the River God Temple, and the altar is built within. To offer the sacrifice, we must enter the temple and place the items on the altar, then bow our heads and plead to the River God for mercy."
"If the River God is merciful, he will allow the souls of the two children to return."
"However, the River God is an incarnation of the Divine Master, exalted and beyond our mortal comprehension. Thus, whether we receive the River God's blessing depends on the children's fortune..."
After finishing his explanation, Master She started walking again.
But Mo Hua suddenly stopped him. "Wait." He looked around and then asked, "What is this place used for?"
Master She replied indifferently, "It's naturally used for spreading the teachings."
Mo Hua's gaze sharpened. "What teachings?"
Master She's face took on a pious expression. "The teachings of the Divine Master."
"And what are the teachings of the Divine Master?" Mo Hua probed further.
Master She smiled suddenly. "Young master, do you intend to devote yourself to the Divine Master?"
Gu An's expression turned fierce, and he tightened his grip on the knife, causing a thin scratch on Master She's neck. "Answer his questions directly. No need for all this extra talk."
Master She winced in pain, his face twisting, but he remained respectful. "Those who do not believe shall not understand the ways of the Divine Master."
Mo Hua, uninterested in his ramblings, waved his hand. "Enough. Let's focus on rescuing the children. He can lead the way."
Master She turned back and gave Mo Hua a strange smile before continuing forward.
Gu An kept his knife pressed against Master She's neck.
The group followed as they always had, stepping into the arena surrounded by the tightly packed fishermen's cottages.
Mo Hua brought up the rear, his mind racing with thoughts.
The so-called 'arena' was likely a place where the River God, or perhaps the incarnation of the Great Wilderness Demon God, preached.
If that was the case, this arena had been built a long time ago.
There must have been a spokesperson for the River God here, spreading the word of the deity to the villagers.
At some point, the villagers of the fishing village would have lived in the nearby cottages, emerging every morning or evening to gather in this arena and listen to the deity's teachings.
Mo Hua's heart lurched as he frowned and said, "That's not how they 'spread the teachings'..."
He released his spiritual sense, only to startle as he looked down and noticed the bricks beneath his feet subtly conforming to some sort of pattern.
At the same time, beneath the bricks, he sensed the presence of an array.
This aura was subtle, ancient, bloody, cold, and sinister, as if it were an old and sinister formation soaked in human blood.
However, this sinister formation was currently sealed.
A sinister formation?
Mo Hua raised his head again, taking in the surrounding fishermen's cottages, one by one, when he suddenly noticed something amiss.
The arrangement of these cottages was too neat.
So neat that they resembled...
Mo Hua's brows furrowed as a sense of deja vu washed over him, as if he had seen a similar scene somewhere before.
His mind raced through various matters related to the Demon Path.
Suddenly, a memory surfaced.
It was a formation.
The Myriad Corpse Formation! In Nan Yue City, within the mine's Corpse Hall, Lu Chenyun, the head of the Lu family, had intended to create this sinister and profound formation for refining corpses.
The Myriad Corpse Formation was an extremely profound sinister formation that used sinister patterns to connect coffins, integrating corpse refinement, nurturing, and consolidating corpse qi.
Mo Hua was very familiar with this Myriad Corpse Formation.
Lu Chenyun had once threatened him to set up the array core for the Myriad Corpse Formation.
And now, the layout of this dojo bore a striking resemblance to the "Myriad Corpse Formation."
And these rows of fishermen's cottages were arranged so neatly that they resembled...
Coffins!
A chill ran down Mo Hua's spine.
Just then, Mo Hua's gaze flicked towards She Da Shi, who had his palms pressed together. Taking advantage of the others' distraction, he was sneaking a finger into his mouth.
Mo Hua's pupils contracted, and he shouted, "Old fool!"
Gu An, who was holding She Da Shi captive, sensed something amiss and immediately reacted. He exerted his strength, pressing the blade against She Da Shi's neck, intending to sever his head.
The blade cut halfway, causing blood to gush out.
But She Da Shi had already managed to put his little finger in his mouth. Gritting his teeth, he bit down, and with a "puchi" sound, black blood spurted out as his finger was severed.
She Da Shi swallowed his finger, as if consuming a sinister pill. His aura suddenly surged, and his body transformed, becoming taller with layers of flesh bulging. His hair turned black and grew longer, eventually turning into a hideous demon with human and beast features.
The demon's flesh was as tough as iron.
Gu An's blade was embedded in She Da Shi's neck, unable to cut any further. He forcefully pulled back, tearing off a large chunk of flesh.
She Da Shi, now a demon, revealed black-green flesh and red-green blood on his neck.
However, in just a moment, the blood stopped flowing, and the flesh began to wriggle, the wound slowly healing.
The other Gu family cultivators also drew their blades and stepped forward, intending to subdue She Da Shi. But he was now a demon, his strength greatly increased, and he had no intention of lingering. He struck back briefly before retreating.
The group couldn't keep up with his speed.
Just as She Da Shi was about to escape, a faint blue watery light appeared, condensing into a watery chain that precisely bound him in place.
A water-based restraint technique?
"Who's ambushing me?" She Da Shi snarled, his eyes filled with hatred. With a surge of power, his veins bulged, and within two breaths, he broke free from the water prison's bindings.
As he attempted to flee again, Gu Quan and the others surrounded him, brandishing their blades.
She Da Shi took several blows, but his tough hide protected him from deep wounds.
Still unwilling to engage in a prolonged battle, he endured a few strikes and, spotting an opening, tried to escape once more.
But at that moment, a flash of blue light appeared, and another cold chain materialized, disrupting his movements and confining him to the spot.
"Who are you?!" She Da Shi roared in anger.
His eyes, now resembling those of a beast, scanned the surroundings. He spotted the young master of that noble family, Mo Hua, standing motionless with his hands behind his back.
Yu Dahe, holding the two children, was also at a distance.
The two Gu family cultivators were holding the two black-robed men captive.
There was no indication of anyone using magic.
She Da Shi's heart turned cold.
"There's a powerful expert among the people from the Dao Court?" he thought.
She Da Shi's gaze sharpened. "This won't do. I can't delay any longer!"
He roared towards the sky, his eyes filled with bloodshot veins, his demonic aura intensifying. With a punch, he knocked Gu Quan back and swept the other two Gu family cultivators away with a claw. Despite taking a blow from Gu An on his back, he accelerated, trying to break through the encirclement.
But no matter how fast he was, he couldn't outpace Mo Hua's spiritual sense.
Mo Hua's spiritual sense locked onto him tightly.
From a distance, Mo Hua maintained his calm demeanor, his hands hidden in his sleeves as he pointed with his fingers.
A water prison instantly condensed, and the chains wrapped around She Da Shi, who had just started to accelerate, binding him tightly.
Caught off guard, She Da Shi lost his balance and fell to the ground with a thud.
Mo Hua breathed a sigh of relief.
She Da Shi's demon transformation was similar to that of Huo Fotuo.
However, his cultivation and strength paled in comparison to Huo Fotuo, and even in his demon form, he couldn't make up for his shortcomings.
Pill masters were generally weaker in direct combat.
This She Da Shi was both a pill master and possibly an array master, so he wouldn't have had much time or energy to temper his blood qi and spiritual power.
Though he was powerful in his demon form, he was far from being as invincible as Huo Fotuo.
She Da Shi struggled vigorously, dispersing the watery spiritual power chains binding him. He slowly climbed to his feet, his eyes bloodshot.
Taking advantage of this moment, Gu An and the others quickly surrounded him again.
Filled with rage, She Da Shi knew that with the presence of the sly cultivator who used water-based restraint techniques, he had no chance of escape today.
"I didn't want to go to such lengths..." She Da Shi's voice turned hoarse, sounding inhuman, as he smiled sinisterly, "...and I intended to leave your bodies intact, but you insist on bringing this upon yourselves..."
Sensing something amiss, Mo Hua's eyes turned cold as he ordered, "Kill him!"
Gu An and the others held nothing back as they slashed with their blades.
This aura was subtle, ancient, bloody, cold, and sinister, as if it were an old and evil formation soaked in human blood. However, this sinister formation was currently sealed.
A sinister formation?
Mo Hua raised his head again, taking in the surrounding fishermen's cottages one by one, when he suddenly noticed something amiss. The arrangement of these cottages was too neat; so neat that they resembled...
Mo Hua's brows furrowed as a sense of deja vu washed over him, as if he had seen a similar scene somewhere before. His mind raced through various matters related to the Demon Path.
Suddenly, a memory surfaced. It was a formation—the Myriad Corpse Formation! In Nan Yue City, within the mine's Corpse Hall, Lu Chenyun, the head of the Lu family, had intended to create this sinister and profound formation for refining corpses.
The Myriad Corpse Formation was an extremely profound sinister formation that used sinister patterns to connect coffins, integrating corpse refinement, nurturing, and consolidating corpse qi.
Mo Hua was very familiar with this formation. Lu Chenyun had once threatened him to set up the array core for it.
And now, the layout of this dojo bore a striking resemblance to the "Myriad Corpse Formation." These rows of fishermen's cottages were arranged so neatly that they resembled... coffins!
A chill ran down Mo Hua's spine. Just then, his gaze flicked towards She Da Shi, who had his palms pressed together. Taking advantage of the others' distraction, he was sneaking a finger into his mouth.
Mo Hua's pupils contracted, and he shouted, "Old fool!"
Gu An, who was holding She Da Shi captive, sensed something amiss and immediately reacted. He exerted his strength, pressing the blade against She Da Shi's neck, intending to sever his head. The blade cut halfway, causing blood to gush out.
But She Da Shi had already managed to put his little finger in his mouth. Gritting his teeth, he bit down, and with a sickening sound, black blood spurted as his finger was severed.
She Da Shi swallowed his finger, as if consuming a sinister pill. His aura surged, and his body transformed—becoming taller with layers of bulging flesh. His hair turned black and grew longer, eventually turning him into a hideous demon with human and beast features.
The demon's flesh was as tough as iron. Gu An's blade was embedded in She Da Shi's neck, unable to cut any further. He forcefully pulled back, tearing off a large chunk of flesh.
She Da Shi, now a demon, revealed black-green flesh and red-green blood on his neck. However, in just a moment, the blood stopped flowing, and the flesh began to wriggle, the wound slowly healing.
The other Gu family cultivators also drew their blades and stepped forward, intending to subdue She Da Shi. But he was now a demon, his strength greatly increased, and he had no intention of lingering. He struck back briefly before retreating.
The group couldn't keep up with his speed. Just as She Da Shi was about to escape, a faint blue watery light appeared, condensing into a watery chain that bound him precisely in place.
A water-based restraint technique?
"Who's ambushing me?" She Da Shi snarled, his eyes filled with hatred. With a surge of power, his veins bulged, and within two breaths, he broke free from the water prison's bindings.
As he attempted to flee again, Gu Quan and the others surrounded him, brandishing their blades. She Da Shi took several blows, but his tough hide protected him from deep wounds.
Still unwilling to engage in a prolonged battle, he endured a few strikes and, spotting an opening, tried to escape once more.
But at that moment, a flash of blue light appeared, and another cold chain materialized, disrupting his movements and confining him to the spot.
"Who are you?!" She Da Shi roared in anger. His eyes, now resembling those of a beast, scanned the surroundings. He spotted Mo Hua, the young master of that noble family, standing motionless with his hands behind his back.
Yu Dahe, holding the two children, was also at a distance. The two Gu family cultivators were holding the two black-robed men captive. There was no indication of anyone using magic.
She Da Shi's heart turned cold. "There's a powerful expert among the people from the Dao Court?" he thought.
She Da Shi's gaze sharpened. "This won't do. I can't delay any longer!" he told himself.
He roared towards the sky, his eyes filled with bloodshot veins, his demonic aura intensifying. With a punch, he knocked Gu Quan back and swept the other two Gu family cultivators away with a claw. Despite taking a blow from Gu An on his back, he accelerated, trying to break through the encirclement.
But no matter how fast he was, he couldn't outpace Mo Hua's spiritual sense. Mo Hua's spiritual sense locked onto him tightly.
From a distance, Mo Hua maintained his calm demeanor, his hands hidden in his sleeves as he pointed with his fingers. A water prison instantly condensed, and the chains wrapped around She Da Shi, who had just started to accelerate, binding him tightly.
Caught off guard, She Da Shi lost his balance and fell to the ground with a thud.
Mo Hua breathed a sigh of relief. She Da Shi's demon transformation was similar to that of Huo Fotuo. However, his cultivation and strength paled in comparison, and even in his demon form, he couldn't make up for his shortcomings.
Pill masters were generally weaker in direct combat. This She Da Shi was both a pill master and possibly an array master, so he wouldn't have had much time or energy to temper his blood qi and spiritual power. Though he was powerful in his demon form, he was far from being as invincible as Huo Fotuo.
She Da Shi struggled vigorously, dispersing the watery spiritual power chains binding him. He slowly climbed to his feet, his eyes bloodshot.
Taking advantage of this moment, Gu An and the others quickly surrounded him again. Filled with rage, She Da Shi knew that with the presence of the sly cultivator who used water-based restraint techniques, he had no chance of escape today.
"I didn't want to go to such lengths..." She Da Shi's voice turned hoarse, sounding inhuman as he smiled sinisterly, "...and I intended to leave your bodies intact, but you insist on bringing this upon yourselves..."
Sensing something amiss, Mo Hua's eyes turned cold as he ordered, "Kill him!"
Gu An and the others held nothing back as they slashed with their blades.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
