CHAPTER 52: CHAPTER 21: DIFFERENT CHANGES; AND THE BELATED ARRIVAL (PART 3)

At this moment—

Despite his heart pounding wildly, and an almost tangible sense of pressure suffocating him, he found his thoughts suddenly becoming remarkably clear and his heart filling with a serene tranquility, experiencing an unprecedented sense of exhilaration.

Step by step, he pushed through the pressure, walking as fast as he could in the cold gaze of the Illusory Demon, his face pale yet showing no trace of fear.

Standing before the strange yet beautiful figure, Gu Mo held out the palm-sized Spirit Stone, tentatively offering it to the demonized Hidechika. In the story he knew, Fujikichiro had used the power of the Spirit Stone to save Hidechika from falling into her demonic side.

The Spirit Stone is useful, but how should it be used?

It should work just by getting closer, right? But why is there no reaction?

Gu Mo was burning with anxiety, decisively focusing and pressing the "use" option on the Spirit Stone in his hand; the next moment, the stone shattered, and pure essence seeped into his skin like water, as if evaporating into the air, absorbing into him.

His heavy body suddenly felt much lighter, his physical strength somewhat restored, and his mind also became cool and clear...

The effect was immediate, but this wasn’t the effect he wanted! He wasn’t supposed to use it on himself! Damn it, how can he use this on someone else? Isn’t there an interaction option to choose from?

He gritted his teeth tightly, struggling to keep his voice calm: "Don’t, don’t worry, I still have two more pieces, it’s going to be okay..."

The Illusory Demon floating before him, looked down at him with icy cold eyes, terrifying waves of murderous intent and a bloodthirsty glow continuously flickering in her gaze, yet her trembling became all the more severe, but she did not make any move.

Behind this calm exterior, enormous waves of tension were building up!

The second Spirit Stone still sat securely in Gu Mo’s hand without the slightest anomaly, making him even more anxious; could it be that because of his interference, Hidechika was really going to become a demon in this world?

After all, if it weren’t for his chaotic intervention, she would have swept through Thirteen Sakura Village according to her own rhythm, dealt with the Horse-headed Ghost, and Fujikichiro should have arrived just in time when she fell into demonization, right? But now... the Monkey hasn’t come yet.

Realizing this terrifying possibility, Gu Mo clenched the fist of his other hand tightly, his fingernails nearly breaking the skin.

However, at that moment, the floating Illusory Demon suddenly fell to the ground, seeming to lose all strength, her hands supporting the ground, the purple illusory light flowing over her trembling body gradually faded, and her long silver hair fell back to its original black color.

The black-haired girl, restored to her original appearance, breathed a long sigh of relief, glanced up at him, and just managed to show a feeble smile of relief before her head tilted, and she collapsed directly to the ground.

Did the Spirit Stone work...?

Gu Mo was momentarily stunned, but immediately dismissed the possibility upon seeing the Spirit Stone in his hand, which had no reaction. So does this mean that Ah Xiu relied entirely on her own will, without any external help, to accomplish this self-rescue?

He crouched down, picked up the girl’s body, checked and found that she had passed out, her breathing relatively steady, and only then did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"Yo, I arrived late—"

Just at this moment, a voice greeting came from the doorway behind him.

A middle-aged man with a somewhat sly appearance appeared there, looking at the scene inside, akin to hell, with rivers of blood flowing, and he was startled. He took a closer look, only to see a young man on one knee over there, supporting an unconscious girl.

"You... are you that famous Demon Exterminator?" The man seemed confused, opening his mouth, "I thought it was just one person, did you come here overnight?"

"..."

"..."

"Yes, I... we all arrived at this village last night."

Glancing at the still unconscious black-haired girl, Gu Mo remained silent for a moment, then managed a wry smile, carefully considering how to answer.