CHAPTER 369: CHAPTER 369: THE ARRIVAL OF THE "DEMON GOD

More and more white paper cranes and paper sculptures took flight, rescuing an increasing number of cultivators.

[Do a Good Deed Daily: Fortune +1; Lucky Draw *1]

The trapped cried out for help while those who escaped expressed gratitude amid fear, creating a chaotic scene of mixed emotions both on the ground and in the air.

"The Venerable Family is there!" Hu Zhile exclaimed, his eyes dazzled as he pointed to where the paper cranes were continuously appearing. "Since the paperman and paper horse are free, the Venerable Family must be safe."

Wan Mingchuan finally exhaled a sigh of relief, "Wonderful, just wonderful, Master is indeed the greatest! Not only is he not trapped, but he also saved so many people!"

On the vast square, the lucky ones were few and far between. Bai Yunqi looked around and saw the endless cries resonating across the mountains, the whiteness on the ground spreading as if it wouldn’t rest until Wo Hu Mountain was completely covered. The trapped cultivators were like dense swarms of ants, disorderly and chaotic.

In this chaos, the paper cranes and sculptures, fluttering with their wings, swooped down to rescue the trapped cultivators and brought them back.

Though the figure of the Venerable Family was still unseen, it was presumed he was busy rescuing people.

"Thankfully for Mr. Jiang’s alertness, we narrowly escaped this disaster," Tang Qin said, her heart still pounding.

Watching as even some cultivators with high realms struggled in vain before collapsing lifelessly, just a step away from death, she felt even more grateful for having escaped in time. Even with Mr. Jiang’s rescue, there would have been a heavy price to pay otherwise.

Xie Chenyuan stood atop his flying sword, landing steadily while swinging a golden chain to help three final cultivators find their footing on the square before descending beside Hu Zhile’s group.

"I can’t do much either. That mysterious white substance is too overbearing, flying on swords above is impossible, and to avoid falling and getting trapped, I had to retreat. How about Jiang Dao You?"

Hu Zhile pointed to where paper cranes were still sporadically taking off, "The Venerable Family is there; all these rescuing paper cranes and sculptures were released by him."

"I didn’t expect Jiang Dao You to be skilled in Paperman and Paper Horse Skill," he remarked, his curiosity growing. How could someone who dwells on the food of the Underworld not have even a hint of Yin Fiend?

There were, at the very least, fifty or sixty paper cranes busily flying back and forth rescuing people mid-air. Some cultivators were able to leave automatically upon being lifted from the ground, while others could only rely on being delivered to the opposite square.

Sadly, the number of trapped was enormous, and only a handful could be so fortuitously rescued.

"Damn, I came to seize the opportunity of an Immortal Peach with only limited lifespan remaining, only to inexplicably lose more than a decade!"

A cultivator, already with a short lifespan, now looked elderly with gray hair after having more of it forcibly absorbed, cried out in anguish. Those who were rescued but remained with little lifespan were instantly filled with insurmountable despair, casting a somber tone over the whole square.

"Even though some lifespan was lost, at least we’re lucky to be rescued. Look at those who had worse luck, far from Jiang Dao You, many have already died," said one of the first cultivators saved and relatively unharmed, trying to console others.

The mood improved slightly, allowing Hu Zhile to inquire with a female cultivator nearby who seemed less severely impacted, "May I ask, Dao You, what on earth were those white things? What exactly happened in such a short time?"

The other person looked at her, remembering the young Daoist friend’s earlier warning to flee which prompted their timely escape, realizing now the wisdom in heeding advice as they managed to escape with their lives.

"Alas, it’s hard to explain in a few words!" She sighed, recounting the bizarre events in a lowered voice, "Those white things, I don’t know what they are; they seem fluffy, like some fine fungal filaments entangled together.

When they reached our feet, it felt like the spiritual power within was draining away through the soles, forcibly absorbed by some power!

The pull was overwhelmingly strong, rendering both cultivation techniques useless and legs immobile, all the while commencing the forced extraction of lifespan!

I was too panicked to closely estimate but was rescued by the benevolent young Daoist, fearfully escaping afterward, feeling as though I could lose a year’s lifespan in just a breath!

I could sense life force swiftly ebbing away, utterly helpless, unable to break free! I couldn’t mobilize spiritual power within, couldn’t release techniques, stuck between wishing to fly and being unable, even the teleportation talisman was ineffective...

In hindsight, it was terrifying. Luckily, I was closer to that young Daoist who first warned about the Immortal Peach devouring people. He lifted me off the ground with his weapon, allowing me to escape using a teleportation talisman."

"Forced absorption of spiritual power and lifespan?" Bai Yunqi frowned, "Isn’t this an evil cultivator’s method? No wonder rumors were spread to lure so many of us. We thought to contend for opportunity and extend our lifespan, yet they aimed for this to be our grave."

Xie Chenyuan pointed with his sword, "Look, it seems consuming spiritual power and lifespan is not enough. See that fallen cultivator being consumed to the bone!"

Sure enough, at Wo Hu Mountain’s mid-slope, a cultivator of evidently low realm and limited lifespan died after futile struggle, failing to wait for rescue and entirely stripped of lifespan.

After death, his true form was revealed as a horse apparently cultivated into a demon. The fallen horse’s body was wrapped in white filaments resembling fungal growth, quickly devoured until only bones remained, and soon, even those were gone.

"Could it be..." Hu Zhile’s complexion paled, taking a sharp breath as he speculated, "The peach tree bred by the bodies of cultivators, able to bear peaches extending lifespan?"

Bai Yunqi and Xie Chenyuan simultaneously raised their eyebrows, speaking in unison, "It could be!"

Finally realizing, Yun Shu calmly suggested, "Then one should head straight to the peach tree, cutting it down to save the remaining people, shouldn’t they?"

While they deduced the answer through speculation, Jiang Yuan had used the improved Soul-Devouring Demon Skill too often, absorbing too much lifespan, leading to a frenzy state, not even noticing the Daily Good Deed system reward.

Releasing all paper cranes and sculptures alongside twenty corpse ghosts, only a few could always be rescued. Entering the frenzy state, he felt dazed as if intoxicated, exhilarated, desperately seeking more lifespan and greater destructive power.

He immediately clicked to equip "Demon Skin", blew on a paper-made elephant, transforming it into a mount.

After a few steps of unsatisfaction, he donned the "Demon God" title, shaking out his right hand to release the upgraded Soul Refining Banner, luxurious in appearance and exuding strong Yin Fiend energy; ten Yu Hu warriors, covered in Poisonous Miasma, stood lined up, following behind.

Amidst chaos, the sudden appearance of a conspicuous "monster" captured everyone’s attention!

A gigantic demon beast body;

Giant red crab pincers nearly three meters long wielding the sinister Soul Refining Banner, emitting ghostly wails;

The head was a massive alien skull, humanoid yet beastly.

Crucially, the monster exuded a terrifying mix of ghostly, beastly, demon god malevolent aura, as if a towering demon god had descended upon the mortal world!

Strangely, there were also tall, robust warriors clad in armor, emanating heavy Poisonous Miasma, never before seen.

The scene was so shocking that no one cared what mount the monster was riding.

And the newly upgraded Soul Refining Banner, even Bai Yunqi hadn’t seen it, now emanated powerful malevolence, the rolling black mist occasionally featuring skulls circling and ghastly sounds. No one could associate the "monster" with Jiang Yuan.