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“It’s too late! We must leave immediately and escape from here.”

Linghu Yang swiftly made his decision, preparing to unleash his agility techniques towards the city gate.

“Wait… Sir Guardian, could you spare me the time of one incense stick? I still have my wife and children…” A Yuanhe Mountain deacon, his expression fluctuating wildly, suddenly shouted.

“Get lost!”

Linghu Yang didn’t hesitate for a moment, internally regretting the situation.

If he had been more vigilant or if the sect’s message had arrived earlier, they might have escaped already.

But now, the demonic seeds were unleashed!

Wasting even a fraction of a second could be akin to playing with death!

Forget about a mere deacon’s family; not even the deacon himself could make Linghu Yang delay for an instant!

His movements were astonishingly swift, leaving only afterimages visible to Chunyu and Qiao Wuchang, who, with expressions shifting dramatically, scrambled hastily to follow.

Along their path, they occasionally witnessed strange creatures slaughtering indiscriminately, but Linghu Yang and his companions paid them no heed.

Finally, with Linghu Yang leading the charge, they burst through the city gates.

However, as soon as he saw the scene outside, his expression gradually crumbled. “Dammit! This is truly damned!”

Beyond the city gates, the once-familiar farmlands and official roads had vanished without a trace. All that remained was layer upon layer of dense black fog!

The massive cloud resembled a thick wall completely encircling Blackstone City.

“This is…”

Behind him, the sound of fluttering garments echoed.

Even Chunyu’s icy demeanor shifted to one of utter shock.

“The Demonic Domain has taken hold; this place is now perilous beyond redemption. We…can’t escape!” Linghu Yang’s voice turned unbearably dry and hoarse, like that of a dying man struggling for breath.

If observed closely, a hint of despair seemed to flicker within the eyes of Yuanhe Mountain’s guardian.

At Baiyun Dojo:

“The situation… seems off.”

Fang Xi looked up, noticing the weather had abruptly turned gloomy.

The surroundings darkened as if it were approaching dusk, with the sun setting on the horizon.

His spiritual senses were wildly alerting him, indicating some imminent danger lurking nearby. This made Fang Xi increasingly anxious.

“Hurry!”

“Guard the main entrance!”

“Grab your weapons!”

“Fire! These monsters fear fire!”

The dojo disciples panicked until they discovered that the strange creatures recoiled from flames, becoming somewhat relieved when the creatures hesitated to approach.

“What is… happening here?” Fang Xi wiped away the black ash from his face and glanced at Mu Piaomiao.

She appeared even more disheveled; her once pristine dress was now stained with blood.

“I…I don’t know…” Mu Piaomiao murmured, eyes unfocused. “Could it be that some peculiar outcast beast has infiltrated the city?”

“If that’s the case, there are at least two types,” Fang Xi pondered aloud. “One seems parasitic, like it attaches to trees, even challenging for the dojo master to handle, with highly contagious properties… The other has black tattoo markings, possessing strength far beyond an ordinary martial apprentice with three transformations of blood and qi!”

Fang Xi had already collected a few drops of blood from the second creature, safely sealed within a jade bottle for future analysis.

However, regarding the first type—the eerie plant-like entity—suspecting it might be sentient, Fang Xi dared not touch it recklessly.

Suddenly, a figure burst through the wall of flames and landed inside the dojo.

The disciples jumped in surprise but relaxed slightly upon recognizing the newcomer. “Master, the Master is back!”

“Dad!” Mu Piaomiao, overwhelmed with relief, nearly wept, only to notice Mu Canglong’s pale face, one hand limp and continuously bleeding.

With a firm wave of his hand, he sternly shouted, “Piaomiao! Stay away!”

“Dad, what happened?” Stunned, Mu Piaomiao froze on the spot, unsure of how to react.

Mu Canglong glanced around at everyone, took a deep breath, and declared, “To all my disciples here, those who wish to return home should do so immediately. Those choosing to remain must contribute one hundred pounds of food!”

“Food?!” Confused by this seemingly nonsensical demand, Fang Xi couldn’t help but ask, “Master, why is that necessary?”

“It’s because of demons!” A wry smile flickered across Mu Canglong’s lips as he uttered, “We…can no longer leave Blackstone City…”

Before he could finish, his expression shifted abruptly, and he coughed out a mouthful of black blood.

Simultaneously, dark veins emerged along his neck, tracing ominous patterns beneath his skin.

“That monster mark!” One of the dojo disciples, terrified, nearly wet himself. “The master will turn into one of those cannibal beasts too…”

He had witnessed several fellow disciples develop similar dark markings on their faces before becoming ruthless and unrecognizable.

With a shriek, he grabbed a torch, bolted from the dojo, and vanished without a trace.

As soon as he fled, the remaining apprentices scattered like frightened birds or animals, leaving only a handful behind.

“Leave…it’s better if you go.” Witnessing this scene, Mu Canglong displayed a peculiar smile.

“Dad…” Mu Piaomiao’s eyes turned red, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“Sigh… Don’t worry, despite being afflicted by demonic curse poison, my true force can suppress it for some time yet,” Mu Canglong reassured his daughter with a loving gaze.

“Master, what did you mean earlier when you said we can’t leave Blackstone City?” Fang Xi remained behind, showing keen interest as he looked at Mu Canglong and suddenly asked.

“It’s exactly as I stated; the entire city has become a prison, and no one can escape…” Mu Canglong shook his head, gazing somberly at the remaining few disciples. “Aside from the danger of the demonic disaster…we’re likely to perish here due to lack of food.”

Fang Xi instantly understood the gravity of the situation.

If Blackstone City truly turned into a prison, what would be most scarce?

In a large city, there is abundance in people but scarcity in resources!

Even a small city like Blackstone relied heavily on nearby farms and villages for daily supplies of food and produce, requiring long convoys of goods each day.

Once sealed off, without any fresh supplies entering, it would swiftly transform into…a hell on earth!

‘But what does he mean by “can’t leave”? Wait…’

Fang Xi’s eyes gleamed with intensity. “Demonic disaster? As in demons from the realm of monsters? Is there a demon causing havoc within the city?”

“Exactly!” Mu Canglong sat cross-legged on the ground, responding with a wry smile. “We fear no great beasts, as they can be wounded and killed! Once cultivators inflict damage, given Great Liang’s resources, even the most formidable beasts can eventually be overwhelmed.”

That sounds distinctly like a player mindset… Essentially, whether it’s a god or anything else, if you dare show your health bar, we’ll find a way to take you down! Fang Xi silently acknowledged this sentiment.

Mu Canglong continued, “…However, demons are different; they cannot die! Even the weakest demon is invincible! Due to their immortality, whenever a region suffers under demonic influence, Great Liang often has no choice but to abandon it…”

His tone was filled with despair.

To Fang Xi, it felt like - ‘Report to GM: Someone is using a lock-health cheat’!

Only now did he realize how incredibly challenging these demonic entities were!

‘Undying and indestructible? For real?’

Fang Xi found it hard to believe.

‘Or perhaps…these martial artists are simply too weak.’

‘A demon that eludes martial artists might not necessarily evade us cultivators.’

‘Even if they can’t be defeated by Qi Refinement cultivators, perhaps a great Foundation Establishment master could easily dispatch them…’

‘And if not even those masters succeed, there’s still Core Formation and Nascent Soul stages to consider…’

With this thought, Fang Xi felt somewhat relieved, his interest in these ‘demons’ significantly piqued.

‘This world is truly fascinating; ordinary beast meat serves as invaluable treasures for body refinement, while demons seem invincible and immortal - isn’t that every cultivator’s dream?’

“Is Blackstone City now plagued with demons?” Tang Xuan retreated several steps, his expression filled with terror yet tinged with hope. “Master… I’ve heard both the government forces and Yuanhe Mountain have True Force martial artists among them. They should, they should be able to…”

Mu Canglong shook his head. “Once, a martial arts Zongshi managed to slay a demon ninety-nine times within a short span… Yet, the demon couldn’t be destroyed permanently and swiftly resurrected each time. In fact, the Zongshi eventually exhausted himself to death… Facing demons, warriors are akin to mere mortals confronting beasts, utterly helpless.”

“Our only hope now is to gather enough food supplies and then wait…”

Upon hearing this, Liu Taotao’s eyes lit up. “Wait for the imperial court to save us?”

“No,” Mu Canglong shook his head. “We wait until this demon is sated… completely loses interest in this place and leaves on its own…”

A sense of despair began to envelop everyone’s hearts within the dojo.

“Ah, look! What’s that?” Liu Taotao suddenly exclaimed, lifting his head.

Fang Xi followed his gaze, his expression instantly turning gravely serious.

He beheld… an enormous tree!

Its massive pitch-black canopy continuously grew and expanded, resembling a colossal dark bowl threatening to engulf the entire Blackstone City.

Numerous vine-like aerial roots dangled from the tree’s crown, emitting faint wisps of black mist.

An indescribable terror spread through the hearts of all who saw it.

As if responding to some command, the rampaging monsters outside converged towards the city center.

Then, one by one, the aerial roots descended, piercing the back of their necks, suspending them like puppets swaying in the wind…

“Is this… akin to the relationship between worker ants and a queen ant?” Fang Xi murmured to himself. “Are these monsters merely extracting nutrients to nourish the main tree, allowing it to grow?”

“I never expected to witness such a magnificent yet eerie form of life in this world…”