Chapter 112

Chapter 112

The Little Immortal wasn’t afraid of them at all.

All his attention was fixed on the approaching "deity" statue.

The closer it got, the clearer the "deity" appeared in his eyes.

This thing disguised as a deity was clearly an evil god!

The Little Immortal blinked, and the world transformed before his eyes.

The daylight dimmed, everything in his vision turned gloomy, leaving only the people and the *qi* enveloping them.

He looked at the sect’s disciples—these young-faced individuals each had flickering *qi* around them, like candle flames that a mere gust of wind could extinguish.

In stark contrast were the Outer Elder and the demon in the sedan chair.

One was almost entirely shrouded in black mist, with only a faintly discernible human face visible, while the other radiated a blood-red aura soaring skyward.

The Little Immortal’s ears seemed to pick up waves of countless agonized wails emanating from the demon.

Within the bloody halo, he keenly spotted two somewhat familiar faces.

The Little Immortal’s memory was sharp; whenever he encountered someone again, he could instantly recall when he had seen them before.

Those two must have had their souls extracted not long ago, and their spiritual strength was somewhat stronger than those the demon had previously devoured, allowing them to retain a sliver of precarious rationality and form.

They turned toward the Little Immortal’s direction, mouths wide open, faces twisted in agony, silently screaming something.

The Little Immortal narrowed his eyes, watching for a moment before finally deciphering their lip movements.

"Kill... kill me..."

"Help—"

These two were clearly disciples from the earlier wave!

The Little Immortal’s expression toward the Outer Elder shifted; he realized something and fixed a wary gaze on him. "You actually use your own sect’s disciples to sacrifice to the demons!"

The Little Immortal’s voice wasn’t restrained; he even mimicked the Outer Elder’s earlier method of dealing with the villagers, infusing his words with cultivation power so that everyone present could hear him.

This sudden statement was like a drop of water falling into hot oil, instantly igniting the disciples in the retinue of the Outer Elder and their "deity."

"How dare you! How can you repeatedly slander our sect’s deity!"

Some disciples, unable to contain their anger, raised their magical tools and charged forward, ready to fight the Little Wild God to the death.

The Little Immortal shifted his gaze from the demon and merely glanced lightly at this arrogant disciple, whose body immediately stiffened, frozen in place.

Sweat instantly poured down the disciple’s forehead, "What did you do to me!" he blustered, though his fear was evident.

The other disciples witnessing this scene stared in shock.

This was one of their sect’s most promising outer disciples, slated to enter the inner sect next year. Yet, without even engaging the Little Wild God in combat, he was incapacitated. How was this possible?

The surrounding disciples were utterly stunned, none daring to take another step forward.

Meanwhile, in the distance, You Nan, the envoy, and their group naturally saw this unfold as well.

Both martial artists and cultivators possessed keen eyesight, allowing them to clearly observe the situation across the way.

The envoy watched as the two "deities" faced off, his heart racing. Though reluctant to blink, he still found a moment to ask You Nan beside him, "You Nan, do you think our Little Immortal will win?"

You Nan wasn’t sure. He didn’t know if the original deity would assist the Little Immortal.

The "deity" that had arrived was far too powerful, far beyond what the Little Immortal could handle. For them to win, the original deity would have to intervene.

But You Nan didn’t voice this. Instead, he spoke calmly, injecting a dose of confidence into the envoy and the others. "The Little Immortal will prevail. As long as he’s here, these people cannot harm us!"

The envoy nodded, reassured.

The Little Immortal pushed off with both feet, soaring directly into the sky, looking down upon the other from a lofty position. "If you have the skill, meet me at Great Xing Mountain!"

With that, he flew toward Great Xing Mountain.

The disciples carrying the sedan chair frowned. Were they supposed to carry the deity statue up the mountain?

Before they could even speak to the Outer Elder, the sedan chair they were carrying suddenly grew heavy, pressing down on them like a massive mountain.

Some disciples dropped their tasks, others activated their cultivation to resist, but the sedan chair descended too quickly. Without even a scream, several disciples were crushed into pools of blood and flesh.

The Outer Elder felt warmth on his face. He closed his eyes, the scent of blood drifting to his nostrils.

He reached up and touched his face—it was blood splattered from the recently deceased disciples.

"What happened? Why did the sedan chair fall out of nowhere?" The sect disciples behind them were terrified by the scene before them.

But the Outer Elder remained composed. He stared at the liquid on his fingers, seemingly captivated by it.

His nostrils caught whiff of an incredibly enticing scent, making his entire body scream wildly to "taste it."

The Outer Elder raised his hand and brought his blood-stained fingers to his lips.

You Nan, the envoy, and the other sect disciples watched as he publicly sucked the blood.

Before the disciples could process this, the elder’s eyes lit up. He reached toward the sedan chair, and the corpses of the recently crushed disciples were pulled into his grasp. Their bodies rapidly withered, and he didn’t spare even the blood that had dripped onto the ground—he consumed it all.

Some disciples had already realized something was wrong.

One disciple, hiding behind the others, took out a communication talisman his master had given him before departure and immediately relayed everything happening here back to the sect.

More people began to flee.

The sedan chair exploded instantly, and immense pressure forced everyone attempting to escape on their flying swords back to the ground. The demon leaped out from the sedan.

It was at this moment that the sect disciples saw clearly for the first time what the "deity" they had worshipped and served truly was.

So the Little Wild God hadn’t been wrong after all.

If this wasn’t a demon, what was it?

How could it possibly be a deity!

How could a deity look like this!

It resembled a giant fleshy tumor, covered in tentacles and eyes. On its body, they could see countless faces.

Some faces were unfamiliar, only vaguely shaped with indistinguishable features, but several others they recognized.

The owners of these faces were none other than the disciples who had traveled with them, been singled out by the Outer Elder, and were tasked with serving the demons?!

They were all dead!

"Run! Run now!"

Someone shouted, jolting the disciples back to their senses. In a panic, they scrambled back along the path they had taken into the village.

The "Outer Elder" grinned, seemingly amused by their desperate attempts to flee.

He sprang forward, following closely behind the demon.

The demon streaked like a meteor, chasing after the distant Little Immortal, while the Outer Elder pursued the sect disciples.

In his eyes, a cultivator was far more valuable than ordinary people.

All of this happened in an instant, catching everyone off guard.

The envoy’s face turned pale, his heart chilled to the core.

So the royal family and the people had been worshiping a demon all along!

Thankfully, the demon had not taken action all these years. If it had emerged, their Yan State would surely have been the first to fall.

"The sect actually worships demons!"

The two cultivators escorting the envoy were filled with disbelief.

They were independent cultivators. From the moment they began their cultivation journey, they had walked it by themselves, with no one to guide them.

All resources, spells, and magic treasures were controlled by the sects.

To say they didn’t envy the sects would be a lie.

But now, they felt immensely grateful they had never joined one.

Who could have imagined a demon resided within a sect?

Other demons had been sealed away by ancient deities until now, but the sect’s demon was completely unsealed.

It could act at any time.

The envoy suddenly remembered something, and his face became ashen.

You Nan noticed and asked with concern, "Envoy, are you feeling unwell?"

The envoy shook his head, his face pale. "No, it's not that."

"I just recalled something that happened before," the envoy said. "Every time the king, at the sect’s request, went to the temple to worship this... demon for the sake of Yan State, he would experience about a fortnight of debility afterward. His health would deteriorate severely. The royal physicians said his pulse was faint as a candle guttering in the wind."

"It always took more than half a month of careful rest for him to recover his vitality."

The envoy thought back to his own experiences in the temple. "I don’t know what the king felt inside the temple, but whenever I stood there, under the gaze of the deity statue, I felt a deep, bone-chilling cold. It always felt like something was watching me."

His expression was complex. "Until today, I always thought I was just being overly sensitive."

But now it was clear—it was the demon scrutinizing the humans kneeling at its feet.

It saw humans as its sacrifices.

The envoy and his subordinates also realized this, their bodies turning cold with fear. Some of the more timid ones swayed on their feet.

Their lips trembled as they muttered, "It can't be!"

In extreme fear, people often deceive themselves and refuse to believe.

You Nan steadied them and called earnestly to the villagers to help. "Take them to rest first."

The villagers, having witnessed everything that had just happened, immediately responded. Their guardian Little Immortal was not here, but they showed no fear.

The envoy noticed the villagers’ courage and asked You Nan, "Do the villagers feel no fear?"

Even they, who had fought on battlefields, felt chilled. What about these ordinary people?

You Nan didn’t answer. Instead, a young girl from the village, about the same age as the Little Wild God who had lured the demon toward Daxing Mountain alone, answered in a clear voice, "How could we not be afraid? But no matter how scared we are, we still want to live. And so long as the Little Immortal doesn't fall, we will survive. We believe in the Little Immortal!"

Hearing the child’s words, the envoy and his group fell silent.

They looked up toward the direction of Daxing Mountain.

The Little Wild God and the demon had long since vanished into the mountain depths, out of sight from the village.

The envoy silently cheered for the Little Immortal in his heart.

He hoped the Little Immortal could defeat the demon, save Yan State, and protect this land!

You Nan had the villagers take the travel-weary envoy and his group into the village to rest, but he himself did not return.

He stood at the village entrance with the two cultivators, keeping watch into the distance.

The sect disciples had either fled or lay dead.

They were formidable against ordinary people and independent cultivators, but they were utterly powerless against the demon’s might.

Especially against the Outer Elder, who had been wholly remade into a puppet by the demon’s power.

The gap between them grew wider and wider.

Their resistance was laughable in the face of the Outer Elder.

You Nan could not stand idly by.

He took out the protective magic treasure the Little Immortal had given him, entered the ancestral hall, and retrieved a carved wooden statuette of the original deity. He hung it around his neck with a red string.

"I'll risk it all!" You Nan said. "Whether we advance or retreat, we’ll have to face him. Better to strike from behind while someone distracts him!"

With that, You Nan gripped his magic treasure, left the village’s protective boundary, and thrust his sword toward the elder, who was crouched over, gnawing at a sect disciple’s neck.

His appearance was sudden and unexpected. The black token and wooden statuette around his neck simultaneously flashed with a faint radiance.

You Nan’s sword, with unexpected force, plunged directly into the Outer Elder’s body and pierced through his heart.

And this was generally impossible to achieve.

You Nan was merely someone who hadn't even Built his Foundation—how could he possibly harm the Outer Elder?

With a "thud," it was the sound of the opponent releasing his grip, the corpse falling to the ground.

You Nan didn't drop his guard. He pulled out his sword again, his entire face contorted in disgust—this was his first time killing an enemy. The overpowering metallic scent of blood made him nauseous.

With a twist of his hand, the sharp longsword pressed against the elder's neck, ready to decapitate the elder.

While You Nan went out to kill the enemy, the two cultivators hesitated, their faces showed hesitation.

They were afraid of the Outer Elder's attacks and afraid of death.

But they also knew that You Nan's words were correct.

If the demon and this Outer Elder didn't die, then they'd all be dead.

"Screw it!"

One cultivator shouted, following You Nan's footsteps without hesitation.

The other clenched his jaw and once again chose to fight alongside his companion.

They saw You Nan land a clean strike on the elder, but before they could rejoice, the elder's neck suddenly spun completely around, facing You Nan directly.

The distance between the two was less than an inch, the foul odor assaulting his nostrils. You Nan's throat convulsed twice—he truly couldn't hold back and retched violently, "blaargh!" all of it splashed across the elder's face.

The elder, who had intended to scare You Nan to death: "..."

The sect disciples nearby who saw help arriving and rushed over to assist: "..."

The two cultivators who had joined the battle: "..."

The elder, furious enough to see stars, his eyes bloodshot and red, spat out, "You've got nerve!"

But You Nan, gagging from the acrid stench, had already teleported backward a second earlier, putting as much distance as possible between himself and the elder.

As soon as the elder finished speaking, he instinctively reached up to wipe the filth from his face, but his movement quickly froze.

The muscles on his face twitched uncontrollably.

He didn't mind the smell of blood—in fact, he found it quite appetizing—but this overwhelming sourness disgusted him!

He was stuck between cleaning it off and leaving it be.

At this moment, stood paralyzed, it was a perfect opportunity for the others!

Several bold sect disciples, ready to meet their fate, picked up their swords. As if moving as one with the two cultivators, they formed a formation together, trapping the elder within it, completely surrounded.

Everyone raised their weapons and executed their ultimate techniques, attacking the demon-possessed elder!