“It... it can actually speak?”
“The Divine Lady said it was a demon. Of course a demon can speak.”
“If it’s a demon, then why did Daoist Master Xuan He call it the Locust God and tell us to offer a living sacrifice to it?”
“Could Daoist Master Xuan He have been lying to us?”
The whispers spread like a tide, with countless eyes darting back and forth between Daoist Master Xuan He and the Qiuyu.
Those gazes were filled with suspicion, scrutiny, and the growing anger of being deceived.
Daoist Master Xuan He’s face turned deathly pale, and even the color in his lips drained away completely.
Ignoring his pain, he scrambled up from the ground. His Daoist robes were covered in dust and debris, and his graying hair fell disheveled over his shoulders—a truly pathetic sight.
“You... you have the ability to control locusts! You can summon a swarm that blots out the sky! How could a mere minor demon possess such power? How can you not be the Locust God?!”
If it wasn't the Locust God, then he was an absolute fraud. No, worse than a fraud—he was a villain who used human sacrifice to deceive the people and win their reverence!
If that were the case, these deceived commoners would tear him limb from limb. Not even his junior fellow disciple could save him then.
“You are the high and mighty Locust God! Why fear an unknown witch? Show your divine might and let her see what true power is!”
The Qiuyu tilted its head and looked at him, its red vertical pupils filled with confusion, as if looking at a lunatic.
Is this old man crazy? He wants me to fight the Divine Lady? That’s my favorite, favorite, favorite host!
Remembering Yun Shu’s goal in coming to Xindu City—to make the people believe in her Divine Lady persona and harvest Shock Value—it suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
It turned around, shuffled two steps toward Yun Shu, and then flopped down with a thud.
This time, it prostrated itself even more thoroughly than before. Its massive head pressed against the ground, and its tail trailed submissively behind it, looking exactly like a puppy that had done something wrong and was begging its master for mercy.
“How could this little demon dare to offend the Divine Lady?” That youthful, child-like voice carried a sob, sounding both pitiful and terrified.
Daoist Master Xuan He watched this scene, his eyes nearly bursting with rage.
He hadn't expected this.
This beast was so cowardly that the woman had cowed it into submission with just a few words.
Yun Shu looked down at it, giving the system a massive mental thumbs-up for its cleverness. It had finally made some progress.
“Tell the truth.”
The system racked its brain and began to spin a tale. “This little demon was originally a small Qiuyu in the Spirit Beast Garden of the Ninth Heaven. I snuck down to the mortal realm to play, but then I was tricked by that Daoist. He told me to pretend to be the Locust God, saying that if I played along and summoned some locusts to scare the city folk, I’d be able to live a life of luxury...”
Its voice grew smaller and more sheepish, like a child admitting a mistake to an adult. “This little demon is young and ignorant, so I agreed.”
Daoist Master Xuan He’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Just making things up on the spot? He had tricked many people, but he could swear to the heavens that he had never tricked this demon!
Yun Shu gave him no chance to defend himself. “Since you are a spirit beast, do you not know that using human sacrifice is a path to the demonic, deserving of death by heaven and earth?”
The Qiuyu trembled, its scales clattering, and its red vertical pupils were filled with panic.
“Divine Lady, please see the truth! This little demon is innocent! I had no idea that Daoist was going to use a human sacrifice!”
Its tone was urgent, its youthful voice sharp and brittle, as if it had suffered a great injustice. “When he found me, he spoke of offering incense and fruit. I was greedy, so I agreed to help him trick people. If I had known he wanted a human sacrifice, I wouldn't have dared even if it killed me!”
“Divine Lady, I know I was wrong! Please don't take me back to the Celestial Tribunal for punishment...”
The entire area fell into a deathly silence.
Ninth Heaven? Spirit Beast Garden? Celestial Tribunal?
The commoners’ mouths hung open. There was too much information to process; they didn't know how to digest it all.
They stared blankly at the massive monster sobbing on the ground, then at the pale gold figure standing on the ritual altar, their hearts filled with nothing but awe.
Daoist Master Xuan He desperately wanted to rush forward and explain.
“You're talking absolute—”
Thinking the Daoist meant to harm the Divine Lady, Shen Jue pinned him to the ground in a single move.
Because everyone was captivated by the Divine Lady and the Qiuyu, no one heard his muffled cries for help.
The Divine Lady looked quietly at the prostrate Qiuyu, her face still devoid of expression.
After a moment of silence, she spoke. “Considering that you have not yet been tainted by human karma and have a heart for repentance, I shall give you a chance.”
The Qiuyu snapped its head up, its eyes full of surprise and joy.
The Divine Lady’s gaze fell upon it.
“From this day forward, you shall guard Xindu City and ensure it remains free from locust plagues for three years. Will you atone for your crimes in this way?”
The Qiuyu froze for a second, then nodded frantically. “I will, I will, I will! This little demon is willing!”
Below the altar, the commoners erupted into a frenzy.
“Three years... three years without locusts?”
“But it’s a demon after all. What if it changes its mind and eats us all once the Divine Lady leaves?”
“Exactly, exactly.”
“If only the Divine Lady would stay in Xindu City.”
“Can we offer sacrifices to the Divine Lady every year, like we did for the Locust God, so she will protect us?”
“You fool! The Divine Lady just said that using humans as sacrifices is for evil spirits!”
“But hasn't it always been like that?”
Hearing this, Yun Shu’s expression shifted slightly as she looked at the whispering commoners below.
Initially, hearing someone suggest human sacrifice for her made her angry. For a split second, she even had the extreme thought of wiping them all out.
But as she looked at those weathered faces, the fire in her heart gradually died down.
They weren't truly evil; they were just unenlightened, trapped by generations of ignorance, unable to distinguish right from wrong.
Since that was the case, she should solve the problem by teaching them to distinguish truth from falsehood, rather than eliminating the people with the problem.
Having reached this realization, she spoke each word with deliberate weight. “True deities never require the incense and sacrifices of the mortal world, let alone evil rituals that use the flesh and blood of innocent lives.”
The moment her last word fell, the orange torches on the altar flickered in unison.
“Sacrificing human lives is not honoring a god; it is committing bloodthirsty evil in a god's name, desecrating the Heavenly Dao and trampling upon life. This is the greatest insult to the divine!”
Everyone’s heart shook.
【Blacksmith Sun’s Shock Value +100】
【Old Man Chen’s Shock Value +100】
【...】
【Current Shock Value: 67,450】
A white-haired old man fell to his knees, his withered hands supporting him on the ground as tears streamed down his face.
“Please forgive us, Divine Lady! Three generations of my family have participated in these grand rituals. I always thought it was the rule; I didn't know it was an offense to the gods.”
His kneeling was like the first domino falling.
The surrounding commoners all knelt as well, the sounds of kowtowing and crying echoing below the altar.
“We were deceived!”
“And Governor Zhao! He was the one who gave the order! He said it was a decree from the Imperial Court!”
“Heavens, we almost burned a person alive...”
Lingering fear was like a bucket of ice water poured from head to toe.
Zhao Qian stood on the altar, watching the commoners prostrate themselves. His legs and hands were shaking uncontrollably.
Falsifying an imperial decree, human sacrifice—once these crimes were proven, even the execution of his entire clan wouldn't be enough!
The fat on his face quivered as he forced an expression of righteous indignation, pointing a finger at Yun Shu. “Do not be deceived by this witch! What Ninth Heaven? What Spirit Beast Garden? It’s all just lies she made up!”
“Think about it! Why did that demon confess the moment she arrived? This is clearly a scripted charade!”
Rate on N.U.
