Chapter 20: The Demonic Disaster Emerges (Seeking Recommendations)
Chapter 20: The Demonic Disaster Emerges (Seeking Recommendations)
Dawn.
The splendid morning glow slowly spilled from the east, as if coating the entire Black Stone City in a layer of gold.
Fang Xi returned to his own residence and changed his clothes.
"Lu She was no match, but the information he revealed before his death is worth noting. . ."
Last night, with the power of talismans, he effortlessly eliminated the high-ranking members of the Red Snake Martial Arts Hall, while the outer disciples remained completely oblivious.
Furthermore, he also used Lu She to complete one of his experiments.
'A True Force martial artist will still be at a great disadvantage against a low-grade artifact. . . their bones are slightly harder than ordinary people's, but as long as one avoids a few hard bones and targets the vital points, one can easily overcome the strong with the weak! '
Thinking of Lu She's shocked expression upon witnessing flying sword techniques last night, Fang Xi still found it very amusing.
After finishing breakfast, Fang Xi went to the White Cloud Martial Arts Hall.
"Junior Brother, you're finally here."
Mu Piao Miao's eyes lit up when she saw Fang Xi at the martial hall entrance, and she grabbed his hand, pulling him towards the inner courtyard.
"Senior Sister, what's happened?"
Fang Xi felt the astonished gazes of the surrounding disciples and subtly withdrew his hand from Mu Piao Miao's grasp.
"Father's friend has come, Uncle Hao is also a martial hall master. . ."
Mu Piao Miao introduced them briefly and concisely.
'Oh, so Mu Cang Long has guests, and he wants me to come and show support? '
Fang Xi generally understood, so he didn't refuse and followed Mu Piao Miao into the living room.
"Haha, this must be my niece, isn't she? She's grown even more graceful and lovely."
In the main hall, Mu Cang Long and a ruddy-faced burly man were seated, host and guest.
The ruddy-faced big man's eyes lit up upon seeing Mu Piao Miao, then he instructed a red-robed youth beside him: "Why aren't you going to pay your respects?"
"I am Hao Lan, greetings, Miss Mu."
The youth was likely Hall Master Hao's nephew or junior relative, approaching with a gentle smile.
"This nephew of mine is undeniably talented; though he's only nineteen, he's already reached the Blood-Qi Third Transformation realm. . ."
Hall Master Hao burst into hearty laughter.
"Haha. . . This disappointing daughter of mine only broke into the Blood-Qi Third Transformation realm at twenty."
Mu Cang Long calmly took a sip of tea, then pointed at Fang Xi: "However, this disciple is quite good. He's seventeen this year and also at the Blood-Qi Third Transformation."
"What?"
Hao Lan's expression instantly became a sight to behold, as if he'd just been stabbed.
"Haha. . . I still have important matters to discuss with Old Brother Mu. . . " As for Hall Master Hao, after a brief moment of shock, he quickly returned to normal.
"Hmm, Piao Miao, Fang Xi, take Hao Lan out for a stroll. Young people should get to know each other more."
Mu Cang Long's expression also grew serious.
Fang Xi and Mu Piao Miao each bowed and walked out of the living room.
Just before leaving, Fang Xi's ears twitched, and Hall Master Hao's voice, full of worry, drifted into his ears: ". . . Old Brother Mu, there's probably something suspicious about that previous monster siege!"
...
'What exactly went wrong with that monster siege earlier? '
While Fang Xi was pondering, Hao Lan, seeing Mu Piao Miao's eyes occasionally glance at her junior brother, suddenly felt a surge of youthful competitiveness: "This Junior Brother has actually broken through to the Blood-Qi Third Transformation at seventeen. Hao Lan is impressed. How about. . . we have a spar?"
"This. . . isn't necessary, is it?"
Fang Xi refused.
With his current martial hall master realm, ordinary Blood-Qi Third Transformation practitioners would be one kick each.
"What? In front of Miss Mu, Junior Brother Fang, could it be. . . you're afraid to lose? " Hao Lan chuckled.
He believed that young people were easily provoked and would surely fall for such a challenge.
Unexpectedly, Fang Xi merely rolled his eyes internally, too lazy to bother with a child: "Hmm. . . then I concede. Brother Hao's strength is extraordinary; I truly feel inferior!"
"Hmm?"
Hao Lan's eyes widened, seemingly re-evaluating Fang Xi.
After a long pause, he finally uttered another sentence: "I've never met anyone like Brother Fang. . ."
...
"Old Brother Mu, please take today's matter to heart."
White Cloud Martial Arts Hall main entrance.
Hall Master Hao, with his nephew, bid farewell to Mu Cang Long.
Mu Piao Miao and Fang Xi stood among the crowd, seeing them off.
"Just now. . . why did you directly concede? " Mu Piao Miao quietly asked, leaning closer to Fang Xi.
"Why fight a meaningless battle? " Fang Xi retorted, lowering his eyelids.
Rather than contending with a child, it's better to consider the recent peculiar atmosphere in Black Stone City.
It seems. . . something terrible has happened since the last demon hunt.
As he was lost in thought, a sudden cry of alarm came from not far away:
"Murder! Someone's been killed! ! !"
The sound was shrill, almost piercing the sky.
"Hmm?"
Fang Xi frowned and followed the martial hall members to where the sound came from.
After turning a street corner, they saw a crowd of people scattering wildly, fleeing from several. . . strange individuals behind them?
"What in the. . . what is that thing?"
His keen eyesight allowed Fang Xi to see the strange individuals' true forms—their cheeks were emaciated, and wood-like tendrils protruded from their seven orifices.
At this moment, one of the strange individuals casually seized a passerby nearby, and roots instantly pierced into the person's body.
"Ah!"
The innocent passerby screamed tragically, their body rapidly shrinking by a visible margin, and their eyes gradually grew vacant. . .
'It feels. . . very much like some kind of puppet? '
As a cultivator, Fang Xi's knowledge was exceptionally vast.
Upon seeing this scene, his pupils constricted violently, and he was even more speechless: 'I was wrong. . . I used to be so foolish and naive, thinking this was a low-martial world. . . '"
"Save. . . save me!"
"Wuwu. . . Mommy. . ."
The strange individuals and the terror spread rapidly through the crowd as if contagious.
A large number of people fled in panic, and a child stumbled by the roadside, whimpering and crying.
"Quickly, get up."
Hao Lan grabbed the child and quickly retreated towards the martial hall group.
"Old Brother Mu! " Hall Master Hao roared, his fists like rolling boulders, smashing into one of the strange individuals.
Thwack!
Wherever his True Force passed, the strange individual's spine was directly fractured, and half of its body tore apart.
"Little Brother Hao, quickly get out of the way!"
Mu Cang Long's eye twitched, and he cried out in alarm.
"Ah!"
Hall Master Hao cried out in pain, staring at his palm, only to see several bloodied holes had appeared on it at some unknown point.
"At the very least, a great demon, or perhaps even. . ."
Mu Cang Long's expression became incredibly solemn, and he roared: "Disciples of the White Cloud Martial Arts Hall, heed my command! Retreat immediately to the martial hall and defend the walls!"
"Understood!"
Mu Piao Miao glanced at her father, then led her junior brother back to the martial hall.
Fang Xi looked up and saw Mu Cang Long wielding a fine iron staff, locked in battle with one of the strange individuals.
He gazed at the collapsed stalls on the street; a rattle drum rolled a few times on the ground, finally stopping at his feet.
This seemingly prosperous era was like a soap bubble, bursting at a single poke. . .
The speed was so swift, it truly felt like a dream.
"Hurry!"
Hao Lan didn't know why, he just felt pity for the child and instinctively saved him.
By the time he came to his senses, several strange individuals had already surrounded them.
These strange individuals were different from the previous ones; no tree tendrils protruded from their seven orifices, but their bodies were branded with eerie black marks, wriggling like tadpoles, covering most of their faces like grotesque masks.
"Behold my family's inherited. . . Rolling Boulder Fist!"
He took a deep breath, and the powerful force of his Blood-Qi Third Transformation surged forth like raging waves and thunder.
Bang, bang, bang!
Snap!
Hao Lan screamed tragically, feeling the bones in his right hand had snapped.
He looked at a tattooed-faced strange individual leaping towards him, couldn't help but give a bitter laugh, and closed his eyes.
Boom!
The next moment, a tremendous roar echoed.
"What are you still standing there for? Hurry and go!"
Fang Xi kicked one of the strange individuals flying, and at some unknown point, a cyan short sword had appeared in his hand, with which he slashed across another strange individual lunging towards him.
Specks of dark red blood splattered, clinging to the sword's blade.
'I've got some blood. I can go back and research it, or take it to the cultivation world and have someone examine it. . . '"
Fang Xi's main objective in coming out was still to get a sample. As for Hao Lan?
He merely felt a slight goodwill towards the other party for his earlier act of saving the child, so he casually rescued him.
As a cultivator, one should act as one pleases, doing whatever one desires.
"So. . . so powerful!"
Hao Lan was practically dumbfounded.
As someone who had just fought them, he knew perfectly well how troublesome those strange individuals were.
He had broken his hand after only a few moves, yet Fang Xi dealt with them with extreme ease.
Thinking of Fang Xi's frank concession earlier, Hao Lan's face couldn't help but turn as red as a monkey's backside, entirely from shame and embarrassment: "I was so foolish, truly. . ."
...
A little earlier.
Black Stone City, where the Da Liang government office was located.
Behind the government office.
Monster after monster emerged; among them were even the two-headed demon wolf from before, and several missing martial hall masters.
The ground was covered in blood, and there wasn't a single living soul left in the vicinity.
And the parasitic monsters and powerful martial artists gathered together, suddenly letting out a few piercing roars, their flesh and blood exploding.
Amidst the splattering blood and gore, vine-like tendrils emerged, intertwining with each other, growing long roots that burrowed into the ground.
Soon, a bizarre, pitch-black great tree grew out from the flesh and blood.
Countless roots emerged from white bones and skulls, supporting the main trunk of the pitch-black giant tree. Veins like blood vessels surfaced on its bark, and within its massive black canopy, faces seemed to appear and disappear.
Black aerial roots descended from mid-air, piercing into the bodies of the strange individuals appearing nearby.
Life and death, evil and beauty. . .
All manner of harmony and discord, symmetry and asymmetry, could be found upon this bizarre entity!
After this strange black-blooded giant tree appeared, its massive canopy expanded wantonly in all directions, and faint mist emerged, growing ever denser. . .
"Damn it, it's a 'Demon'!"
Not far away, all the experts from the Yuan He Mountain branch were present, led by none other than Linghu Yang!
Linghu Yang watched this scene, gnashing his teeth in hatred: "The frequent migration of monsters near Black Stone City was because a 'Demon' was born! Now this fiend has chosen to take root in the center of Black Stone City. . . Black Stone City. . . is doomed!"
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