Thousand Isles County, Qudao County.
Night fell, but the ancestral hall of Zhang Family Village was brightly lit, packed with village chiefs and able-bodied men from several nearby villages.
"Have you all heard? White Jade City... is truly empty!" a man with a scarred forehead lowered his voice, though he couldn't hide his excitement.
"My nephew is a brave one; he snuck a look yesterday under the cover of darkness. In White Jade City, forget about demons—there wasn't even a ghost!"
"Only an empty city remains. I heard that all the monsters and spirits inside were dealt with by that Divine Lord!"
"It’s not just White Jade City!" Village Chief Wang from the neighboring village slapped his thigh. "A few days ago, that man-eating tiger demon at Black Wind Ridge and the water ghost causing trouble in the river at Liu Family Manor—weren't they both taken care of by those two kids, Shitou and Hong Ling?"
"I saw it with my own eyes. That girl Hong Ling waved her hand, and a Luan Fire Talisman flew out. That tiger demon didn't even have time to scream before it was burned to charcoal!"
"Shitou is even fiercer! I heard he can shatter mountain rocks with a single punch. Ordinary demons can’t even get near him!"
Discussion filled the hall, every face a mix of fear, excitement, and hope.
Since the Immortal Masters in the county disappeared, the minor demons that were previously suppressed by White Jade City's tyrannical influence had begun to run rampant, leaving the villagers living in constant peril.
Every day, people were dragged away, either becoming food for demons or vanishing without a trace.
Just when they thought they could only wait for death in despair, hope appeared.
Shitou from Daliang Village and Hong Ling from Shideng Village.
These two children, who once trembled under the claws of demons just like them, had now become Immortal Masters who slew demons and eliminated spirits.
And behind them stood a mysterious "Divine Lord."
"Qudao County has only had Immortals since ancient times; where did this God come from?" an old man raised a doubt. "Could this... be a trick?"
"Who cares if it's an Immortal or a God!" The scarred man slapped his thigh again.
"The facts are right in front of us! Those who followed those two have all safely reached the new city over at the Dead Man’s Forest!"
"I’ve looked into it. That path is very safe now; even wild beasts are rare. As long as I can live and stop fearing for my life, I’ll believe in whoever!"
These words voiced the thoughts of everyone present.
In the face of death, whether it was an Immortal, a God, or even a ghost or monster, it no longer mattered.
What mattered was that this being was truly protecting them.
"That’s right! We can’t keep waiting like this!" Village Chief Wang knocked his tobacco pipe heavily on the table.
"Instead of staying here to be eaten one by one by demons, it’s better to take the initiative and seek refuge with the Divine Lord! Our villages should unite and go together; we can look out for each other on the way!"
This proposal immediately received unanimous support.
The next morning, before dawn, a massive group of several hundred people gathered in the open space outside Zhang Family Village.
Leading their families and carrying simple bundles, eyes filled with anxiety and anticipation for the future, they formed a stream of people heading toward the Dead Man’s Forest.
After traveling for about half a day, they stopped to rest in a mountain hollow when a larger group appeared ahead.
The leader was none other than Hong Ling.
She looked even more capable than a few days ago, wearing a set of bone armor like form-fitting martial attire. Her eyes were calm, and her heroic spirit was beginning to show.
Behind her followed over a thousand incorporated villagers, moving in an orderly fashion.
"Auntie Hong—no, Lady Hong Ling!" When Village Chief Wang and the others saw her, it was as if they had found their pillar of support. They hurried forward and explained their intentions.
"If you are willing to come of your own accord, the Lord will naturally welcome you."
Hong Ling looked at the villagers who had come voluntarily. She didn't care about the specifics of the address, and her gaze softened slightly.
She could understand their anxious hearts; she had been the same way once.
"Everyone, don't worry. Once we reach the new city, everything will be arranged. As long as you are willing to work, you will never go hungry."
Her words of reassurance caused the heavy hearts of the villagers to mostly settle.
They were all farmers; they all had strength to offer. They just wanted to live a stable life and didn't dare dream of anything else.
Hong Ling quickly integrated the two groups, counting the people and arranging for the young and strong to guard the perimeter, preparing to return to the new city together.
However, just as the procession was about to set off again, a shrill, agonizing scream erupted from the crowd.
"Arrgh—!!"
Everyone looked toward the sound to see a middle-aged villager suddenly collapse, his body twitching violently.
An eerie bronze glow shone from beneath his skin, and black blood mixed with copper shavings flowed from his seven orifices.
"What's happening?!"
"Old Third! What’s wrong with you!"
The surrounding villagers were terrified. They tried to step forward to help, but were seemingly pushed back by something.
The villager's body was stiffening at a visible rate, his skin turning an ominous brass color.
A rotten, sickly sweet scent drifted from his body. Most of it followed the ground, moving as if alive, and quickly merged into the depths of the earth, vanishing from sight.
The small remaining portion transformed into several strands of bronze thread imperceptible to ordinary people, darting like lightning into the bodies of the villagers closest to him!
The infected villagers shuddered. A flash of confusion and terror crossed their faces, but they quickly returned to normal as if nothing had happened.
The copper poison was merely lying in wait.
It needed a more suitable incubator to complete its development.
Among them, the thickest strand of bronze vapor circled in the air once before locking onto the target with the most abundant flesh and blood energy in the area—Hong Ling.
For copper poison craving parasitism and growth, a cultivator with vigorous qi and blood like Hong Ling was the perfect incubator!
'Not good!'
Hong Ling's expression changed drastically.
Possessing the red trait Linglong Heart, her natural spiritual perception was incredibly sharp; the copper poison that others couldn't see was particularly prominent in her eyes.
The moment that strand of copper poison attacked, she felt an unprecedentedly massive threat.
Hong Ling did not hesitate, immediately condensing flames into burning talismans.
"Luan Fire Talisman!"
The talisman transformed into a bird of flame, soaring toward the strand of copper poison.
However, the Luan fire—which was capable of melting metal and was inextinguishable by water—was easily pierced by the copper poison as if it hadn't found anything combustible to burn.
The copper poison's speed didn't slow in the slightest as it lunged straight for Hong Ling's body.
Hong Ling gritted her teeth and summoned a wall of fire to protect herself, but the copper poison still treated it as if it were nothing. Yet, the moment it slammed into her bone armor, it was as if it hit an insurmountable wall of divine iron and was violently repelled.
The copper poison seemed to possess its own consciousness; it was the first time it had encountered something it couldn't penetrate. Furthermore, the collision just now had caused the copper poison to lose a significant amount of its energy.
It was as if that substance was its natural bane.
The copper poison circled the bone armor unwillingly for a moment, appearing to search for a gap, but eventually gave up.
It changed direction and, with even greater speed, darted into the body of another unlucky villager nearby.
The entire process was as fast as a lightning strike.
Hong Ling stood in place, her expression grave to the extreme, her back already drenched in cold sweat.
If not for the bone armor bestowed by the Lord, she had no doubt that her fate would have been the same as the corpse on the ground that had already turned into a bronze statue.
'What is this eerie thing?!'
She didn't have time to overthink it and immediately issued orders.
"You, you, and you—all of you step out and come over here!" Her voice was calm and decisive.
The villagers who had been infiltrated by the copper poison didn't understand what had happened, but out of reverence for Hong Ling, they walked out anxiously.
"Do not have contact with others for now," Hong Ling said, softening her tone to comfort them as she saw their terrified gazes.
"Rest assured, it’s nothing serious. The Lord possesses great divine powers and will certainly have a way to solve this. I will take you back to the city now; please endure for a moment."
With that, she didn't linger. She gave a few brief instructions to the leaders in the group, telling them to lead the main body forward.
She then took the infected villagers, picked up the bronze corpse with her bone sword, and transformed into a streak of light, rushing toward the City of the Wrongfully Dead at her maximum speed.
Rate on N.U.
