CHAPTER 370: CHAPTER 370: HIDDEN ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED!

"What is that monster?!"

"It’s extremely evil, could it be the mastermind behind all this?"

"The demonic energy is so intense, where did he come from? Why is the monster unaffected by that white substance?"

......

The survivors were the first to notice the suddenly appeared monster.

Even separated by a cliff, the pressure from the other side hit them in the face. The bold ones retreated slightly and whispered to each other, while the timid ones shivered, and the more cowardly ones rushed headlong into the market, afraid that the demonic monster might go on a killing spree.

"Oh no, where are the Venerable Family members?" Hu Zhile tried to sniff out a familiar scent from the air to locate them, but due to the influence of death and demonic energy, she couldn’t smell the Venerable Family’s presence, and she twisted her hands anxiously.

Bai Yunqi could only worry in vain; earlier, he could barely make out a direction from the paper crane. Now, with a monster suddenly barging in with ten eerie subordinates, he was worried that if this was truly the mastermind showing themselves, it would be detrimental to the Venerable Family.

After all, he had been saving people, which essentially thwarted their plans!

"I’ll go find the teacher!" Yun Shu immediately stood up without hesitation upon seeing this but was stopped by Hu Zhile, "You have no lifespan and are unaffected, but all your actions depend on Spiritual Power. If they forcefully drain it from you, you won’t even be able to save the Venerable Family; you’ll be swallowed by that white layer and won’t come back."

"So we just sit and wait?" Wan Mingchuan was filled with anxiety, especially since the monster’s pressure was extremely terrifying. His lower Realm caused his legs to tremble slightly, fearing that his master wouldn’t be able to get away smoothly.

But he couldn’t think of any solutions, so he could only keep pulling on Bai Yunqi’s sleeve.

Bai Yunqi also felt helpless; rushing in would only mean sending himself to death and dragging the Venerable Family down to save him, making things worse.

Now we can only hope that the Venerable Family, having saved so many people and accumulated boundless merit, will be fortunate enough to escape this calamity.

Meanwhile, Jiang Yuan, who they were concerned about, was wearing the monster’s shell and was already completely thrilled!

"Hahaha! Five years! Four years! Five more years!"

He unleashed a round of Soul-Devouring Demon Skills, roughly losing a year’s lifespan every three seconds, but his quick skill release let him recover five to six years in about 1.5 seconds.

Watching his lifespan numbers soar, even without an added Frenzy buff, anyone would be unable to suppress the joy in their heart.

So with frenzy and joy combined, the cultivators trapped on the entire mountain were shrouded in clouds of gloom, while he alone indulged in the frenzy of reaping lifespans, bursting with excitement.

Most cultivators trapped on Wo Hu Mountain were not so short-lived; losing a year of life value at a time, they could still hold on.

So when the cultivators freed on the square were discussing the monster, none dared even to cry for help; each held their breath, fearing being noticed and dragged into the Soul Refining Banner as brothers.

"Do you want to become stronger?" The Mutated Skull, filled with resentment, began to murmur quietly again.

Jiang Yuan, caught up in the frenzy, smirked coolly and said loftily, "Am I not already powerful? You were beaten to death by me, so what right do you have to criticize me?"

The resentment paused for a second, then continued its temptation, "Devour all these people, and you will gain more powerful strength..."

"Pah!" Jiang Yuan retaliated without thinking, "I’m just in a frenzy, not like you, who lost even your brain. Why would I devour these innocent people? If I were to devour something, it should be..."

He paused, realizing belatedly, "It should be the peach tree! These are its roots, the source of harm... Yes, devouring the peach tree will surely purify more lifespan!"

Understanding the logic, he immediately clicked to use the Demon Seal Escape.

Thick demon energy instantly spread, and amid the rolling black fog, the monster’s figure vanished, reappearing beside the peach tree atop the tiger’s head in the next second.

[Nine Nether Peach: One thousand two hundred years ago, Demon Monk Guang Hui lured a large number of cultivators to their death in Wo Hu Mountain, becoming nourishment for the peach tree for millennia; it devoured many cultivators and eventually bore mature fruits. Consuming it can increase lifespan by a hundred years, but one must endure the evil karma. The peach tree seed can be planted when the farmland reaches Level Three.]

Can it be planted?

Great, then let’s plant a real Immortal Peach Garden!

Seeing the large pink peaches on the tree, Jiang Yuan instinctively glanced at the system identification, excitedly reached out to shake the tree trunk, and automatically collected all twenty-three peaches.

During this time, he never stopped releasing skills, but even when switching the plunder target from the tree roots to the peach tree, the increase in lifespan remained five to six years, without growing.

[Time-limited mission: Deplete Nine Nether Peach Tree’s health bar within ten minutes. Reward: Acceleration Card +5]

"Acceleration Card?" He ignored it, immersed in the excitement of accumulating more and more lifespan, laughing wildly, "What acceleration card? How can it compare to absorbing more lifespan?

I won’t do this task! It’s a rare chance to absorb to the fullest! Absorb until the end of the world and live as long as the heavens and the earth!"

The major Sects, family disciples, and leaders stationed merely ten meters away from the peach tree, full of tears, caught in this web of despair.

Thinking it was just a power struggle for resources, who would have thought it was a conspiracy! After traveling thousands of miles to get here, not only did they gain no advantage but those who used their strength to take the best places ended up being forcibly pinned down and having their vitality drained, unable to escape.

Even with high Cultivation and long lifespans, they couldn’t withstand being forcibly deprived year by year.

Amid the unavoidable doom, watching helplessly as the peaches were all picked by the monster, the cultivators’ grief, regret, and remorse mingled intensely, and finally, someone couldn’t suppress their inner despair.

A Sect leader, looking up at the tall and terrifying demon in front of him, suddenly recalled the legend of sacrificing to demons in exchange for a deal.

Since there was no escape and death was inevitable, rather than die in vain here, wouldn’t it be better to make a deal with the demon, at least dying for a reason?

"Demon God! I sacrifice myself and all my treasures to you, in exchange for a way out for my two disciples!" He pulled down the Storage Bag at his waist and fell to his knees, pleading, "They are still young and have limitless potential. Please, Demon God, accept my sacrifice and lend a helping hand so they can escape on their own!"

"No! Master, don’t do that!" The young man and woman, a pair of senior and junior disciples already shrouded by the shadow of death, felt their hearts sink with despair. Hearing their master’s words, they burst into tears, "I can sacrifice myself, begging the Demon God to save Master and the Senior Brother!"

"Accept my sacrifice, let Master and Junior Sister leave, as they have better Cultivation talent than I do, they can’t die an unclear death here!"

"I also pray for a sacrifice, please save my children!"

"...Sacrifice..."

"...Sacrifice..."

......

The intense atmosphere of grief was incredibly infectious, and regardless of whether the monster was good or bad, or whether the other party, once they killed them, would keep their promise. Seeing the paper cranes couldn’t come over in time to save them, all the survivors prayed to exchange their lives for a sliver of hope.

The noisy cries made the indulged, greedily harvesting lifespan Jiang Yuan’s head buzz, with the familiar word "sacrifice" reverberating in his ears. Belatedly, he turned back and looked at the mountain, where 90% of those trapped were still alive, but could only wait for their lifespan to be drained, leading to their demise.

Something deep inside him was touched, finally counteracting his unrestrained greed and frenzy. He took a deep breath, raised the Soul Refining Banner in his crab claw, and went for it!

Purifying lifespan? I want none of that!

As the saying goes: saving one life is worth more than building a Level Seven Monastery. Killing the life’s consuming peach tree to rescue so many lives, how many monasteries do I build worth of merit?

"Woo woo~"

The Ghostly Wail whimpered, and three strips of pure black power wrapped around flickering skeletons flew out from the Soul Refining Banner, rapidly spiraling towards the peach tree.

At the same time, his hand didn’t idle; he used the other side of the Soul Refining Banner to flip each of the trapped ones within reach, granting them a brief escape so they could quickly get away.

"Thank you, fellow cultivator, for saving my life!"

"Thank you, benefactor!"

......

[Hidden Achievement: Achieving Self-Control and Righteousness unlocked! Reward: Luck +10; all current skills upgraded by 1 level]