Chapter 121 - 111: Turmoil
By now, the sky had grown dark.
Lü Zhong walked alone along the riverbank, heading toward his small courtyard by the water.
His trip out today had been a huge success. Not only had he sold four volumes of the Talisman Making Book, but he had also successfully sold the rights to the Qingyang Body Protection Secret Talisman. All he had to do was teach it tomorrow to receive five thousand Spirit Stones.
Such a massive sum was more than enough to complete the first step of his plan to open a shop.
Passing by a Magic Shop, Lü Zhong bought a new Magic Skill.
It was the Object Control Skill. Learning this skill was essential. The "magical hand" it created could reduce the strain of controlling a Magical Artifact, which in turn lowered the difficulty of performing Sword Skills. It could also be applied to Talisman Making; compared to a human hand, the magical one was far more stable and could increase the success rate.
As he walked, his expression suddenly changed.
"This is... Demonic Qi!"
Relying on his abundant Spiritual Power, Lü Zhong kept his Qi Observation Skill active almost all day, except on special occasions. He did it to guard against ambushes, never expecting to make a discovery like this.
The memory of what happened at the Qingliu Ruins surfaced in his mind, and a bad feeling immediately took root in his heart.
In his Qi Observation Skill’s vision, the world—once vibrant and beautiful—was being tainted by an inky-black Demonic Qi. At the same time, a foul, fishy stench began to fill the air.
’Don’t tell me—!’
Before Lü Zhong could think any further, he caught a glimpse of something in the northwest corner of his vision. A tall tower erupted with ripples of Spiritual Light, looking from a distance like a brilliant torch suddenly ignited. It lit up the pitch-black night sky as if it were day, accompanied by the CLANG CLANG CLANG of an Alarm Bell Sound.
Something had happened, just as he’d feared.
Lü Zhong glanced around and decided not to linger on the now-empty street.
At a time like this, the Heling Sect’s prohibitions were temporarily void.
He formed a hand seal and began chanting. A layer of Spirit Wind enveloped him, and he shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, covering a great distance with each step as he rushed toward the relative safety of his riverbank courtyard, which was protected by an Array.
Along the way, a group of mangled Walking Dead shambled around a street corner.
Lü Zhong didn’t bother with them. They were weak and posed no threat; dealing with them was unnecessary and offered no benefit.
With a single leap, he was already dozens of feet away.
Once he left that area, the concentration of Demonic Qi in the air began to drop, indicating he had moved away from the epicenter of the crisis. He no longer had to worry about a direct confrontation with the Demon Cultivator stirring up all this trouble.
He returned to the riverbank courtyard.
Thanks to the cover of the White Cloud Array, and because they didn’t know the meaning of the bell, Hong Fu and Li Hejun showed no reaction to the changes outside. They simply stood obediently at the door to welcome him, anticipating their reward for completing their task.
Nearby, the Spirit-Seeking Rat was lying on the ground, flicking its tail back and forth in a fawning manner.
It had seen the two women’s reward yesterday and was craving the Spirit Rice and Spirit Beast Meat. How could those sour, astringent Mouse-Breeding Pills even compare? Naturally, it wanted a share for itself.
His gaze swept over the ten bound volumes of the Talisman Making Book before shifting to Li Hejun. "You can stop printing the books for now. I remember you’re literate, so for the time being, you can start teaching Hong Fu to practice writing."
He paused, then continued, "It’s not safe outside lately. You two should stay in the courtyard and be on high alert..."
As if to prove his point, a loud RUMBLE came from outside the White Cloud Array.
The protective shield began to tremble, but not violently.
Lü Zhong’s brow furrowed. ’How did the chaos spread so quickly?’ he thought.
"You two, go back inside," he ordered.
After giving the command, he summoned his Golden Devourer Sword and Ink Crystal Shield, readying himself for a fight.
He sent a few Technique Mantras into the Control Token. The churning Cloud Qi outside the shield began to dissipate, revealing a night sky illuminated by Spiritual Light and flames.
With his naked eye, Lü Zhong spotted the creature attacking the White Cloud Array.
"What in the world is that thing?"
Outside the White Cloud Array’s shield was a sludge-like monster, attacking frantically. Dense clusters of human hands and feet would periodically protrude from its body, along with deformed heads displaying expressions of joy, anger, and madness. Body parts from different sources had fused together, finally coalescing into a spear of flesh and blood that thrust outward.
BANG! A muffled sound echoed.
The White Cloud Shield trembled again.
’I can’t let it keep attacking,’ he thought. ’Otherwise, this Array is sure to break!’
Seeing this, Lü Zhong decided to strike.
Before making a move, he didn’t forget to use scene regression to observe his surroundings, guarding against any lurking Demon Cultivators waiting to ambush him.
Once he confirmed that this was the only enemy around, he controlled the White Cloud Shield to open a gap.
He was greeted by the sound of something tearing through the air.
The Water Pattern Shield unfurled, steadily blocking the incoming object.
Looking at the things that had fallen in front of him, he saw they were all bones. Some were human, while others came from livestock like pigs, dogs, chickens, and cows. They had all undergone some sort of mutation, becoming incredibly sharp.
His gaze finally settled on the sludge monster. He saw the chaotic and disorderly Demonic Qi surging from it, much like the out-of-control Demon Cultivator from Silver Treasure Village. This creature before him was also a Demon Monster, transformed from a Demon Cultivator who had lost control.
’Another one that’s lost control. No wonder Demon Cultivators are so reviled.’
Lü Zhong’s calm gaze swept over the sludge monster’s surface when he suddenly spotted two familiar faces: Li Hejun’s father, who had been killed some time ago, and the bald-headed thug who had been scared to death.
At this moment, the two faces were half-rotted, endlessly letting out meaningless wails.
Completely unmoved, he ignored the additional bone spikes shot out by the monster, formed a hand seal, and began chanting to cast the Qingyang Fire Rain Technique.
After the fiery light splashed down, everything returned to peace.
After dealing with the out-of-control Demon Monster, Lü Zhong didn’t relax in the slightest. He stared silently at the space ahead and to his side.
A few moments later, a figure emerged from the darkness there.
When he got a clear look at the person’s face, Lü Zhong’s eyes narrowed.
’Is that her? No, they just look similar!’