Demon!
This word seemed to carry a strange power, causing Chunyu and Qiao Wu to pale, their breathing becoming difficult.
"No time to waste, we must leave immediately, escape from here."
Linghu Yang swiftly made a decision, about to use lightness technique to move towards the city gate.
"Wait... Lord Guardian, can you give me the time it takes to burn an incense stick? I still have my wife and children..."
A steward from Yuanhe Mountain changed his expression several times, suddenly shouting.
"Get lost!"
Linghu Yang's figure did not pause at all, regretting in his heart.
If he had been more vigilant, or if the message from the sect had arrived earlier, perhaps he could have escaped long ago.
But now, the demon seed had appeared!
Any delay, no matter how small, could be playing with his own life!
Not to mention the family of a mere steward, even the steward himself could not let Linghu Yang delay for a moment!
His agility was astonishing, Chunyu and Qiao Wu could only see phantom images, their expressions changing drastically as they chased after him.
Along the way, sporadic strange people could be seen slaughtering, but Linghu Yang and the others ignored them.
Finally, Linghu Yang took the lead and broke out of the city gate.
The next moment, when he saw the scene outside the city gate, his expression gradually collapsed: "Damn, this is really damn!"
Outside the city gate, the original farmland and official road were all gone.
All that could be seen was layer upon layer of black mist!
The huge black mist was like a thick city wall, enclosing the entire Blackstone City.
"This is..."
Behind him, a voice with fluttering clothes suddenly sounded.
Chunyu saw this scene, and his cold expression became extremely shocked.
"The Demon Domain has formed, this place has become a dead end, we... can't get out!"
Linghu Yang's voice became extremely dry and hoarse, as if a dying person struggling.
If one were to look carefully at this moment, they would find that the eyes of this Yuanhe Mountain Guardian seemed to be filled with a hint of... despair?
...
Baiyun Martial Hall.
"The situation... seems a bit off."
Fang Xi raised his head, feeling that the weather had become much gloomier.
All around was dim, as if it was dusk, just before the sun set.
And his own spiritual awareness was frantically warning, as if some danger was lurking around.
This made Fang Xi's mood somewhat restless.
"Quick!"
"Block the main entrance!"
"Get weapons!"
"Fire, these monsters fear fire!"
The disciples of the martial hall were in a panic, until they discovered that those strange people were afraid of fire and did not dare to approach, they finally felt a little relieved.
"What's going on?"
Fang Xi wiped off the black ash on his face and looked at Mu Miaomiao.
The image of this senior sister was even more disheveled, with her once clean and tidy skirt now covered in bloodstains.
"I... I don't know..." Mu Miaomiao's eyes were vacant, murmuring, "Could it be that some kind of strange monster has infiltrated the city?"
"If that's the case, there are at least two kinds." Fang Xi pondered for a moment. "One seems to be parasitic on trees, even the martial hall master finds it difficult to deal with, possessing a strong infectivity... and there is also a black patterned face, with strength surpassing ordinary martial artists at the Qi Refining stage!"
He had collected a few drops of blood from the second type of monster, properly sealed in a jade bottle, waiting for future research.
But for the first type, that strange plant that seemed to have life, Fang Xi dared not touch it rashly.
Suddenly, a figure rushed through the wall of fire and fell into the martial hall.
Many disciples were startled, but after seeing the person, they slightly relaxed, "The hall master is back!"
"Dad!"
Mu Miaomiao cried tears of joy, but saw Mu Canglong looking pale, one hand hanging weakly, blood continuously seeping out.
At this moment, with a wave of his hand, he sternly shouted, "Miaomiao! Don't come over!"
"Dad, what's wrong with you?" Mu Miaomiao stood still in place, at a loss.
Mu Canglong looked at the people around him, took a deep breath, "My martial hall disciples, those who want to go home must leave immediately, and those who want to stay in the martial hall must submit one hundred catties of grain!"
"Grain?!" Fang Xi heard this somewhat nonsensical request and couldn't help but ask in confusion, "Hall Master, why is that?"
"Because of the demon!" Mu Canglong's mouth showed a bitter smile. "Blackstone City... can't get out..."
Before he could finish, his expression changed, and he suddenly spat out a mouthful of black blood.
At the same time, dark lines appeared along his blood vessels, emerging from his collar.
"It's that kind of monster!"
A disciple of the martial hall, frightened by the sight, said in a panic, "Even the hall master is about to turn into a man-eating monster..."
He had seen several senior brothers' faces covered with these dark marks, and then they became unrecognizable.
With a scream, he grabbed a torch and ran out of the martial hall, disappearing without a trace.
As this person ran, the other apprentices scattered like frightened birds and beasts.
Only a few people were left behind.
"Let's go... it's better to leave."
Seeing this scene, Mu Canglong's face showed a strange smile.
"Dad..." Mu Miaomiao's eyes were red, tears falling heavily.
"Ah... don't worry, although Dad is under the curse of the demon, with the true power to suppress it, he can still maintain it for a while..."
Mu Canglong looked lovingly at his daughter, comforting her.
"Master, what do you mean by saying that Blackstone City can't get out?" Fang Xi did not leave, but instead looked at Mu Canglong with interest, suddenly asking.
"It means just that, the entire Blackstone City has become a prison, no one can get out..."
Mu Canglong shook his head, looking at the remaining disciples, and said sadly, "Apart from the danger of the demon disaster... we will probably die here because of the lack of food."
Fang Xi suddenly brightened up.
If Blackstone City had really become some kind of prison, what was most lacking?
In a big city, there are plenty of people, but what is lacking is supplies!
Even a small Blackstone City needs a large number of nearby farms and villages to provide food and vegetables, with long lines of caravans delivering goods every day.
Once it is sealed off and supplies cannot come in, it will instantly turn into... a hell on earth!
'But what does it mean by not being able to get out? No...'
Fang Xi's eyes lit up, "Demon disaster? Is it a demon among demons? Is there a demon causing havoc in the city?"
"Exactly!" Mu Canglong sat cross-legged on the ground, smiling bitterly, "Even the most powerful demon can be killed, because demons can be injured and killed! As long as a warrior can inflict harm on them, with a large number of people, even the most powerful demon can be killed."
'This statement has a taste of players... so-called players, even if they are gods, as long as they dare to show their health bar, they can be killed!'
Fang Xi silently praised in his heart, listening to Mu Canglong continue, "But demons are different, demons do not die! Even the weakest demon will not be destroyed! Demons do not die or perish, so every time they rampage in an area, the Great Liang often gives up..."
His tone was full of despair.
And Fang Xi's only feeling was - 'Report to the GM, someone is using a blood hack!'
It was only at this moment that he realized how troublesome demons among monsters could be!
'Not dead or destroyed? Is it true?'
Fang Xi was somewhat incredulous.
'Or... are these warriors too weak?'
'If warriors can't kill demons, we cultivators may not necessarily be unable to kill them.'
'Even if a Qi Refining cultivator can't kill them, perhaps a Foundation Establishment cultivator can kill them with a wave of their hand...'
'Even if a Foundation Establishment cultivator can't do it, there are still Core Formation, Nascent Soul...'
With this in mind, Fang Xi suddenly felt much better.
At the same time, his interest in those 'demons' increased significantly.
'This world is truly interesting. Ordinary demon beast flesh is a treasure for body refinement, while 'demons' can survive without dying or perishing. Isn't this what cultivators dream of?'
"Now in Blackstone City... is there a demon head?" Tang Xuan took a few steps back, his expression full of horror, but also a hint of hope, "Master... the government and Yuanhe Mountain, they say even true strength martial artists are there, they should be able to... they should be able to..."
Mu Canglong shook his head, "There was once a martial arts grandmaster who killed the demon head ninety-nine times in a short period of time... but the demon head still could not be destroyed, quickly reviving each time, and in the end... that grandmaster was exhausted to death... When facing the demon head, warriors are just like ordinary people facing demon beasts, there is no way at all."
"Our only hope now is to collect enough food, and then wait..."
Upon hearing this, Liu Taotao's eyes lit up, "Wait for the court to come and save us?"
"No." Mu Canglong shook his head, "Wait for this demon to be full and satisfied... to completely lose interest in this place, and then leave on its own..."
A feeling of 'despair' began to envelop everyone in the martial hall.
"Ah, look, what is that?"
Liu Taotao looked up, suddenly exclaiming.
Fang Xi followed his gaze, his expression instantly becoming extremely serious.
He saw... a giant tree!
The huge black canopy continued to grow and expand... like a large black bowl, about to cover the entire Blackstone City.
Thin vine-like air roots hung down from the canopy, emitting a faint black mist.
An indescribable terror spread in the hearts of everyone who saw it.
Meanwhile, the monsters rampaging outside seemed to be converging towards the center of the city as if they had received some kind of command.
Then, one by one, the air roots descended, piercing into the back of their necks, hanging them all up, swaying in the wind...
"Is this... similar to the relationship between worker ants and the queen ant?"
Fang Xi muttered to himself, "Are these monsters just extracting nutrients, to eventually nourish the main tree and let it grow?"
"I didn't expect to see such a magnificent and bizarre life in this world..."
(End of this chapter)