A foul-smelling, turbid demonic wind drifted towards Feng Bingwen. When the demonic aura dissipated, it revealed a bizarre figure that had nothing to do with humans. The figure was thick and winding, with thick tentacles swaying on both sides with the airflow.
At first glance, it looks like a centipede magnified hundreds of times, but a viscous liquid emitting a foul odor drips continuously from its shell, and its head has a deformed skull with distorted features, neither human nor insect.
This seemed to be a demon that couldn't even transform into human form, but the demonic energy it released, though murky, exerted such pressure that even the demon carrying a string of skulls looked suppressed.
"It's been so long since I've seen a Taoist priest as pure and innocent as you, Lingji. I really miss you!"
The enormous demonic creature writhed across the ground, its massive body crushing the paving stones into dust. It circled around Feng Bingwen, its various-sized blue eyes revealing extreme greed.
"You've come to pay your respects to the madam, haven't you? Come with me."
Feng Bingwen watched the demon circle around him, and it's unclear what conclusion it drew from its observation. With a swagger, the hideous and ugly demon body pushed through the crowd and meandered into the depths of the county town.
A hint of confusion appeared in his eyes. He looked around and saw all sorts of demons with greedy eyes, but none of them dared to approach. Without much hesitation, he pulled Ning Buwang, whose face was full of curiosity, forward.
Everything in the world was so novel to him. Even a demon's lair, adorned with human skin and white bones, did not frighten him. Like a newborn calf unafraid of tigers, he did not even understand the meaning behind the gazes of the demons around him.
"Teacher, it stinks here!"
Ning Buwang followed Feng Bingwen, stepping on a beam of mysterious light. He had no reaction to the terrifying scene that flashed by like a fleeting shadow, even though it was enough to drive any sane person crazy. He just felt that the place was too filthy.
When can we leave here?
"After meeting that lady, we left."
Feng Bingwen looked down and saw that the five-year-old child's small face was scrunched up, looking like he wanted to vomit but couldn't, and he looked extremely uncomfortable. He reached out and gently stroked the child's face, and then asked.
How are you feeling?
"Finally, I can breathe!"
With Feng Bingwen's magical power filtering out the demonic poison mist, Ning Buwang began to breathe heavily, his body gradually relaxing. The child laughed happily.
"Teacher, you are so kind to me!"
"Um!"
Feng Bingwen responded calmly, but his eyes were observing the scenery on both sides of the road he was traveling through. This was a county town controlled by demons, but the majority of the people there were not demons, but humans who were native to this small world.
The humans living in this city of demons are naturally not ordinary. A considerable number of them are missing limbs, while those who are slightly less injured are simply missing large chunks of flesh.
However, the disabled only make up a portion of the residents. The majority of the inhabitants, strictly speaking, can no longer be considered human. Their bodies have grown objects that do not belong to humans, but they are not considered demons either.
Because that's just a form of degradation, only enough to keep them alive in this demon city, and not much else of use. It might even deplete their already limited life force.
"Hehe, we have a distinguished guest in Nanruo City today!"
"What a rare guest! I haven't seen such a handsome human in a long time."
"Was that little baby a gift from the Taoist priest to the lady? I wonder if the lady would be willing to bring it out for a banquet, so that we might be able to get a share of the meat."
Greedy gazes surged from all directions, their malice so intense that even cultivators would crumble. Feng Bingwen, however, had something to rely on and was fearless, while Ning Buwang, whom he was holding, was ignorant yet fearless.
"Taoist priest, the lady is downstairs, please go in!"
The enormous centipede-like monster led Feng Bingwen to the center of the city. There were no buildings there, only a huge underground cave, from which thick, dragon-like tree roots emerged and firmly embedded themselves in the soil.
Judging from the distribution and size of these tree roots, the ground beneath this entire county is probably covered with the roots of this unknown monster, and even the breathtaking greenery outside the city is likely related to it.
Because once you step outside the city gates, less than thirty miles away lies a desolate wasteland, barren of everything. It seems that all the life in this area has been concentrated here.
"I hope you have a pleasant conversation with your wife!"
Amidst that malevolent blessing, Feng Bingwen did not hesitate for a moment, leading Ning Buwang into the underground cave. As he descended to a position lower than the ground, the vines clinging to the surrounding rock walls of the cave began to dance like dragons and pythons.
Meanwhile, deep beneath the cave, in a place of extreme depth, a venomous gaze fell upon him, exactly as he had sensed outside the city.
"Where did you come from, Taoist priest?"
An indescribable sound, like hundreds or thousands of people speaking at the same time, echoed and buzzed in the cave. The dancing vines became even more unrestrained, filled with demonic energy, evil energy, ghostly energy, and malevolent energy... It seemed that all the filth in this small world had gathered here.
"There shouldn't be anyone like you in this world now, right? How could those thieves have left you behind when they left?"
The voice was full of doubt, but Feng Bingwen sensed the chaos and madness within it, as well as a deep-seated hatred and resentment.
"Have those thieves returned? What do they want now? They've already extracted all the best spiritual veins from the land, aren't they satisfied? Aren't the rest just useless junk to them?"
One question after another only highlighted the chaos of the being deep within the cavern; its aura was vast and complex, no longer describable as a mere demon.
The questions it asked, and the information contained therein, corroborated what Feng Bingwen had seen over the past few days, naturally made the reason why the dilapidated little world had fallen to this state clear.
"Answer me, you scoundrel!"
An angry roar exploded deep in the underground cave, making Ning Buwang, who had followed him down into the cave, ring in his ears. Feng Bingwen, however, remained calm, his eyes swirling with energy as he clearly saw the monster's appearance deep in the cave.
It's hard to describe what kind of monster it was. It was like a giant tree that grew branches from the earth's veins, but its trunk was made of piled-up flesh and rotten mud. Thousands of demon heads and human faces appeared on it, emitting wails and roars that shook the very soul.
At the tree roots that connect with the earth's veins, a rich mixture of earth's energy and malevolent energy mingles with the roots themselves. The roots are a deep color and have a texture as if they were cast from pig iron, exuding a fierce and ruthless aura.
"monster!"
Feng Bingwen clearly saw the monster's appearance deep inside the cave. The chaotic composition of its power made it impossible for him to find an accurate description. This was the most disgusting and grotesque scene he had ever seen in his two lifetimes.
"Teacher, I'm scared!"
At this moment, even the ignorant Ning Buwang felt fear. The darkness beneath his feet concealed the most terrifying monster in the world, which would rush out and devour him at any moment.
"Don't be afraid, it will be over soon!"
Feng Bingwen comforted the first human child he had saved after his birth, then pointed to his feet, and seven bright red sword lights eagerly leaped out of his body.
In the darkness, a clear, dragon-like sword cry rang out, and crimson sword light crisscrossed. Wherever it passed, the vines that danced like dragons and pythons were as fragile as the most delicate things in the world, breaking at the slightest touch, without causing the slightest obstruction to the sword light.
"Immortal Sword! You're a sword cultivator sent by those old fogies from the Sword Pavilion!"
A sharp screech exploded in Feng Bingwen's ears, attempting to shake his soul, but such an attack had no effect on Feng Bingwen. The Mountain-Moving Cauldron rotated slightly within his body, and immortal light filled his body inside and out.
Feng Bingwen did not recklessly use the only intact immortal artifact in his possession; he merely activated its immortal light to protect himself. There were more demons in this ruined realm than just this one, and he needed to eliminate them one by one.
"The second immortal artifact!"
The "Lady" hidden in the cave went completely mad. She felt her own existence was seriously threatened, and the approach of death drove her to do whatever it took.
The underground cave was trembling, and more tree roots and vines were being pulled out of the soil. The city walls, which were built on roots and vines, were also shaking, collapsing and houses were being destroyed.
"I've already become like this, and you still won't let me go. You parasites of heaven and earth, you are all too greedy!"
The angry roars and howls received no response from Feng Bingwen, nor did he have any intention of explaining. What was the point of explaining to a monster about to die by the sword? Her mind was already in turmoil.
In the Dharma-ending Age, the first to be affected will be great demons like her, who are powerful enough to dominate a region but not enough to prolong their existence in the Dharma-ending Age. They will perish at the fastest speed.
Because of the changes in the environment, it was no longer possible for a demon like her to continue to exist. In this great upheaval, the demon known as the Lady obviously tried everything possible to ensure her survival, even at the cost of turning herself into a monster.
Yin spirits, malevolent energy, earth veins... she absorbed all the power she could find and obtain without restraint, thus creating this monstrous creature with such a ferocious appearance.
"Die! Die!"
A colossal figure, whose size could not be determined, burst forth from the depths of the earth. Its limbs, whether tentacles or vines, were numerous and emerged from the darkness, even breaking through the blockade of the seven killing swords.
Primordial Five Elements Annihilation Spirit Thunder!
Feng Bingwen stretched out his hand, and the thunder talisman in his dantian moved slightly. In an instant, the immortal spiritual energy transformed into lightning with the power of destruction, bursting forth from his fingertips, sweeping away the gloom, and destroying demons and monsters.
Lightning crackled and thunder roared. At this moment, Feng Bingwen's spellcasting was no longer as unrestrained as it had been in the "Nine Heavens and Ten Earths" secret realm. The spiritual energy in the secret realm was abundant, and he could almost recover as much as he consumed. But now, in this world of declining Dharma, there was no spiritual energy to replenish him.
For the first time, he began to try to learn the "meticulous planning" that ordinary cultivators do when they first begin their cultivation, striving to ensure that every bit of immortal spiritual energy he expended, transformed into lightning, could land effectively and deliver a fatal blow to this monster.
"ah--"
Amidst the twisted branches of the ancient tree, thousands upon thousands of soul heads opened their mouths and let out soul howls, but to no avail. Ning Buwang, whom he had brought with him, had long since been taken into the Floating Light Pavilion.
However, this time the soul howl was not directed at Feng Bingwen. Wailing, screams, pleas for mercy, and the sounds of flesh and blood exploding and scattering all reached Feng Bingwen's ears in turn.
The next moment, the essence extracted from the flesh and soul of the demon and the mutated human turned into a long river of blood, which surged in from all directions and then fell into the ever-expanding body of the demon.
"If you want to exterminate me, I won't let you thieves of heaven and earth get away with it. Even if it costs me everything, I will keep your immortal seed alive!"
A twisted ancient tree, hundreds of feet tall, grew out of the abyss. Feng Bingwen was forced to fly to a higher point in the sky. Looking down, the town of Nanruo was now completely silent.
All the hustle and bustle he had seen when he entered the city was gone, replaced by blood, flesh, and bones scattered everywhere. Even the greedy demons met the same fate as the mutated humans, without any difference.
This situation was not unexpected for Feng Bingwen. Everything that could move in the city, whether demons or humans, was food raised by this largest monster and her food reserves.
When she felt a survival crisis, she naturally used up her reserves that she would normally be reluctant to consume without any hesitation.
"Taoist priests like you have always been the darlings of those old fogies. If I were to kill you, those old scoundrels would probably feel the pain for a long time!"
The monster, whose powerful aura had exhausted all its strength, made Feng Bingwen feel the pressure. It let out a wanton roar, and its ferocious evil intentions and killing intent locked onto Feng Bingwen, wanting to grind him to dust.
The monster chattered incessantly from beginning to end, while Feng Bingwen remained completely silent. He looked at the towering monster, its body writhing with countless vengeful spirits, and let out a sigh.
Clang~
Seven melodious sword cries rang out almost simultaneously, as if in one breath. The killing sword, carrying the will of the human ancestors to slay demons and monsters, instantly grew to a hundred feet tall under the infusion of Feng Bingwen's immortal spiritual energy.
The spirit nurtured within the killing sword emitted a soothing sword chant, followed by a surge of sword light that crisscrossed and intertwined, like a large net enveloping the standing demon.
Having exhausted all its accumulated resources, the monster roared desperately, resisting with all its might.
However, the moment Feng Bingwen descended into this world, the outcome was already predetermined. This monster possessed all the power, but it had nothing to do with humans. How could it possibly withstand the killing sword forged specifically to slay non-humans?
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