The straw-shaped demon emitted a sharp, piercing sound, which sounded particularly eerie in the silent night.
Its face, twisted from withered grass and black mist, had two points of crimson light flickering as it surveyed the trembling refugees below.
"Who was talking badly about me just now?"
"Let me search carefully, I'm going to eat this person up!"
The eerie voice carried a mocking tone, sending chills down one's spine.
It paused, quite pleased with the extreme fear on the faces of the disaster victims.
"Alright, I'll give you a chance."
"Arrest all those who spoke ill of me earlier, and those who thought that the mountain goddess would come to save you!"
"Then, burn them alive!"
"If you do as I say, I'll spare the rest!"
These words were like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples all around.
The disaster victims looked at each other, their faces drained of color.
Burn their companions to death?
this……
Many of them had indeed silently prayed to the Mountain Goddess in their hearts.
After all, the deeds of the Mountain Goddess in Qingzhou were no secret.
That goddess saved us from the flood, established a desolate county, and gave countless displaced people a place to settle down and make a living.
At this moment, asking them to identify their equally desperate companions, or even to burn them alive with their own hands, would be more painful than killing them.
Fear and reluctance to bear the pain tore at these people's hearts, and many of them subconsciously closed their eyes.
However, the burly man and the female believer beside him remained unfazed. They were blessed by the mountain god and had no fear of this evil spirit.
They stayed here simply because they couldn't bear to see these people being harmed by evil spirits.
Seeing that the crowd remained motionless, a hint of impatience flashed in the demon's scarlet eyes.
"What? You don't want to?"
"Looks like you all want to die!"
Black mist swirled around it, bringing a bone-chilling cold.
Just then, a discordant voice suddenly rang out.
"My lord! My lord! I know who it is!"
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw that the scholar who had been sickly and rude to the mountain goddess was now struggling to get up from the ground as if he had grasped a lifeline.
His face was flushed, and his eyes were full of flattery.
"It's them! It's the two of them!"
The scholar stretched out his withered, claw-like fingers and pointed tremblingly at the burly man and the woman beside him.
"They were the ones who were talking badly about the adults! They were spreading rumors and misleading people, saying that the Mountain Goddess would definitely come to save us!"
"My lord, we'll arrest them both and burn them alive to appease your anger!"
The surrounding people, including those who were also infected with the plague and were weak, looked at the scholar with disbelief.
"you……"
How could you do this!
The burly man was trembling with anger, pointing at the scholar, but he couldn't utter a single word.
The female believer remained indifferent; she had seen many similar incidents during the flood relief efforts.
It's just a little evil spirit, does it really think it can go against the Mountain Goddess?
The straw demon felt a surge of pleasure as it looked at the scholar's fawning face!
It was a notorious evil spirit in the surrounding area, which took pleasure in spreading plagues and sucking human blood.
This desolate county and the surrounding villages were its pastures!
Unexpectedly, everything changed just as I returned from recovering from my injuries!
Its territory was actually occupied by a mountain goddess who appeared out of nowhere!
Those ignorant mortals actually began to worship that mountain god!
In its eyes, the mountain goddess was nothing more than another demon with higher cultivation. Why should she take its territory and food?
Today, it will slap that mountain goddess in the face right in front of these mortals!
It wants to let these mortals know who the true ruler of this place is!
“Very good!” The straw demon let out a sinister laugh that sounded terrifying.
"You did a good job!" It nodded at the scholar, its tone appreciative.
Then, it turned to the other victims, its voice suddenly becoming brutal: "What are you all standing there for? Tie those two up! Pile up some firewood and set it on fire!"
The disaster victims looked at each other, their faces filled with hesitation and fear, but no one dared to step forward.
"Hmm?" A threatening snort escaped from the demon's nostrils.
"Sir, they, they are pitiful people too..." a man with a little backbone said in a trembling voice.
"Pitiful?" The demon chuckled and suddenly extended a sharp claw formed from black mist, grabbing at the man who had spoken with lightning speed!
"ah!"
A piercing scream tore through the night sky.
Before everyone's eyes, the man's body visibly shriveled up, all the blood was drained away, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud, raising a cloud of dust.
The demon was moving so fast that even the two believers next to it didn't have time to react. Seeing this, the two glared at it angrily.
The demon licked its non-existent lips, seemingly still wanting more: "This is what happens to those who are unwilling to take action!"
"Now, does anyone have any objections?"
The shadow of death instantly enveloped everyone.
The remaining disaster victims were terrified at the sight, their hearts breaking with fear, and they dared not harbor the slightest thought of disobedience.
They trembled as some gathered up the fallen branches and leaves scattered on the ground, while others dismantled the wood from the makeshift shack next door and began piling up firewood with shaky hands.
The burly man and the female believer were furious. They exchanged a resolute glance.
Get ready to seize the opportunity and fight this evil spirit!
However, just as the pyre was about to be completed, and the evil spirits urged them to light it, a critical moment arrived.
A young woman holding a child had a resolute glint in her eyes.
The child in her arms was already on the verge of death from the plague, his little face flushed and his breathing weak.
The woman suddenly lowered her head and bit down hard on the straw rope binding the burly man's wrists!
The straw rope was not very strong to begin with, and after she tore at it with all her might, it quickly made a snapping sound.
"What are you doing?!" exclaimed a nearby disaster victim, while the demon cast a cold glance at them.
The woman ignored everything, quickly bit through the other rope, and then shoved the dying child in her arms into the female believer's arms!
"Run!"
With all her might, she shoved the burly man and the female believer holding the child toward the darkest spot behind the shack!
"Take the children with you! You'll definitely find a way to escape!"
The woman turned around, opened her arms, and stood between the straw demon and the two believers.
Her figure appeared unusually thin in the firelight, but her eyes were fiercely resolute.
"I can hold him off for a short time!"
"Tell the children I don't need to avenge them!" she roared, drawing a bronze knife from her waist and slashing her wrist, arranging the blood into a simple rune.
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