CHAPTER 125: CHAPTER 125: NOT A TRUSTED AIDE, BUT A MAJOR THREAT (FIFTH UPDATE)

Wan Mingchuan’s heart surged with emotion as he listened, recalling the image of the Ice-winged Eagle, capable of flying and shooting Ice Arrows, as a "weak" creature that "had never produced a strong individual," according to Brother Long. How powerful must the Brother Long subdued by his master be?

This comparison made his master seem even more formidable!

"You two, come help," Jiang Yuan called out, unaware of what reverie his disciple was indulging in. Holding Yun Mo’s massive head, he intended to administer more medicine.

Bai Yunqi lazily remained still, while Wan Mingchuan trotted over to help administer medicine and feed water, applying Hemostatic Powder to the bloody holes left by the removed Feathered Arrows.

In a hazy state, Yun Mo felt intense pain and heat in his body, which later turned to cold and pain once again. After what felt like a long time, he finally felt as though he had come back to life, mustering all his strength to open his eyes.

The blurry figures and scenes before him gradually became clear. He opened his mouth and spoke in a weak voice, "Mr. Jiang, did Eagle Twenty-One kill you too?"

"Pah-pah-pah, don’t speak such ill-omened words," Wan Mingchuan scolded sternly. He would not allow anyone to curse his master with such talk of death.

Jiang Yuan stroked Yun Mo’s fur, patted his head, and sighed, "I never expected my words to come true. That person you thought was a confidant turned out to be a great threat! How did he beat you like this? Tell me the whole story, tonight we will help you get justice!"

Upon hearing about the impending fight, Bai Yunqi became alert, "Don’t rush to get involved, creating enemies all around. What’s your relationship with him that makes meddling worth the risk?"

"There’s a Spirit Stone Vein in Lushan..." Jiang Yuan began to say, and Bai Yunqi’s eyes immediately brightened, "A friend of the Venerable Family, ready to give it all for loyalty; count me in tonight!"

At these words, Yun Mo drooped his head, looking utterly defeated, "Thank you, Mr. Jiang, but... after all, they were once my brothers. Forget it, I’ll accept my fate; I’m just a complete failure. Thank you for extending a helping hand, but please let me fend for myself."

Eh? Why is this eagle all emo now?

Isn’t betrayal supposed to fuel a burning anger inside, the kind that screams, ’Don’t underestimate a poor youth, grudge as deep as the sea’? Someday, it’ll be returned a hundredfold without hesitation!

A large Ice-winged Eagle, albeit with bald patches, is still a Foundation Establishment Demon Cultivator, how can it be so fragile?

"You don’t want to live anymore?" Jiang Yuan tilted his head and asked softly, "What a waste. Why not think of yourself as having died already and stay with us, joining a warm family, shining bright like a riding beast?"

Yun Mo’s eyes bulged and his voice rose, "A riding beast? Mr. Jiang, how dare you insult me!"

Well, looks like it’s not possible to tame him for now.

Wan Mingchuan came over with half a roast chicken, chuckling, "Master’s tactics really work. Look, he’s got the strength to stiffen his neck. Quick, eat the meat Master saved for you, eating more meat will help you recover faster. Otherwise, even if you want to be Master’s mount, you wouldn’t qualify."

Yun Mo’s scorched cheek turned visibly red, obviously from anger.

"You, unable even to accomplish Transformation, staying here can only serve as a mount for the Venerable Family," Bai Yunqi transformed into a human form, crossing his arms over his chest and exuding a terrifying aura, bestowing a scornful look upon him.

Infuriated and unable to move, Yun Mo could only gnash his teeth and vent his anger by devouring the roast chicken before him.

Noting that his life bar was slowly rising, Jiang Yuan, assured of his safety, went to the Storage Box to organize his Storage Bag. Then, taking out the vast amount of herbs and spices needed for Incense Making, he called his disciples and the contracted pet to look, "Today’s task is to gather as many of these herbs as possible. Once done, you’re free to go; I’ll head to Riverfront Village to see what’s really going on."

"I’ll go too!" Bai Yunqi and Wan Mingchuan spoke in unison.

Bai Yunqi then patiently explained, "Such tremors last night are not a good omen. It’s too dangerous for you to go alone; it’s better to go together. After all, you’re under my protection; if anything were to happen, I’d be mortified."

Hearing they were planning to go to Riverfront Village, Yun Mo, who had been eating chicken on the ground, immediately stopped, "Don’t go! The human village to the southeast of Lushan was suddenly enshrouded by the Ghost Realm last night, it’s extremely dangerous!"

Seeing the three were not taking it seriously, he sighed and explained, "While wandering, I once heard from a senior Great Demon that the Immortals had ascended to the highest heavens. In the absence of Immortals, overseeing everything, the worlds below became chaotic, some even invaded and shattered into pieces floating in the void.

The senior said that our world exists like a bubble, unanchored. Once fragments float nearby or are drawn in by similar energy, they break through the world’s barriers to forcibly fuse, forming extremely dangerous areas.

The nearby human village is filled with ghostly energy, obviously having merged with a piece of the Netherworld, turning into a Ghost Realm! It’s said that the more fragments that merge, the weaker the world’s barriers, potentially bursting!"

"Then all the more reason to check it out, right?" Bai Yunqi slightly tilted his head, somewhat absentmindedly, "Being so close, without figuring out the situation, once the Ghost Realm spreads..."

He recalled some unpleasant memories, leaving the sentence unfinished.

Jiang Yuan’s heart skipped a beat, remembering the details of his contracted pet—Xiao Bai had three avatars: one perished in a calamity; another in a disaster of land collapse, leaving only this one, unknown what damage it sustained.

Could it be... those two avatars perished in other collapsing worlds? Damn, this snake outdoes me in collapsing companies; could it be anywhere it goes collapses?

"Then let’s not dally. Let’s hurry over." He reconsidered and fine-tuned the items in his Storage Bag for immediate retrieval, refilled the raw materials in each workshop, and with that, the three set off in a hurry.

"Oh my god!"

Just after crossing Mao’er Ridge, Wan Mingchuan couldn’t help but exclaim.

In the bright morning sunlight, what used to be a large, poor yet quiet and peaceful village, along with farmlands and a section of river, was shrouded in black mist. Looking down from the mountain top, it appeared as a black stain stuck to the ground.

"Master, the area covered by the black mist... is precisely where the Divine Statue used to emit divine radiance!" He had lived in Riverfront Village for over a decade, often dazedly gazing at the edge of the "divine radiance." He was all too familiar with it.

Making a comparison now, Wan Mingchuan noticed something odd, "Could it be the pillar? Didn’t he reside inside the statue? And he turned into that ghostly form, he..."

Overwhelmed with shock and excitement, his words became incoherent, but Jiang Yuan understood and nodded, "Very likely he’s the one who, after continually devouring the villagers’ souls, caused the mutation that attracted the Ghost Realm. When the Yin Messenger came to capture him, he even mentioned ’protecting’ the remaining villagers. I suspect he might have been directing surviving villagers to conduct some kind of ritual that invited disaster. Of course, it’s just a suspicion; we need to go inside to know for sure."

The closer they got, the thicker the Yin Fiend energy; the howling wind billowed their clothes as they stood on the edge.

[Do you want to enter the Riverfront Village instance?]