Demon Demon Curse Power

Several hours later.

Fang Xi returned to the White Cloud Martial Arts School.

"Junior Brother, how did it go?"

Liu Taotao and Tang Xuan immediately crowded around him.

They were also among the Inner Disciples who had resolutely stayed behind during the martial arts school's earlier commotion.

Fang Xi shook his head. "Taking advantage of the monsters returning to their nests, I went to the city gate to take a look... The area outside the city is already shrouded in a layer of black mist. If you try to pass through, you'll be blocked by a strange power. I'm afraid Black Stone City is truly cut off from the outside."

Tang Xuan immediately fell into despair.

Fang Xi, however, looked at the towering tree canopy in the city center, lost in thought. "I suggest... we first relocate to the outskirts of Black Stone City, near the city walls, and establish a stronghold..."

"Why?"

The question came from Mu Piaomiao. After sending her father to rest in his room, she had remained silent until now, finally speaking.

"Because that Demon Demon Tree is still growing taller..."

Fang Xi explained, "Living creatures covered by the canopy will definitely be harassed by those falling Qi Roots. It will be extremely dangerous..."

In his heart, another guess remained unspoken.

That was that the Demon Demon Tree would continue to grow taller.

If this continued, one day it would tower into the clouds, and its canopy would replace the sky, engulfing the entire Black Stone City!

That would be the doomsday for all of Black Stone City!

'Of course, it's not impossible that this Demon Demon Tree has intelligence and is actively corralling a portion of humanity to feast on them at regular intervals...'

'Demon... what an interesting creature! According to Mu Canglong, is this sealing method the 'Demon Domain'? It does have some semblance of a nascent formation.'

"Cough, cough!"

Mu Canglong emerged from somewhere, coughed a few times, and said, "Fang Xi is right. Do as he says... Also, when the martial arts school relocates, we can abandon other things. We only need food and clean water..."

"Daddy, your body?" Mu Piaomiao looked at her father with concern.

Fang Xi could also see that the tadpole-shaped black markings on Mu Canglong's body had spread further, reaching his chin.

"It's useless. This is poison, and it's also a 'Curse'!"

Mu Canglong replied with a bitter smile.

"May I ask, Master, what is a 'Curse'?" Fang Xi's interest was piqued.

"So-called Demon Demon and monsters are just creatures that look strange, have great strength, or possess some peculiar abilities..." Mu Canglong waved his hand. "But Demon are completely different, especially 'Curses'! This is a unique power of Demon – Curse Power! Its terrifying extent far surpasses the Blood Qi Power of us martial artists, or even True Force, True Energy... Therefore, once you're afflicted, it's like a bone-deep ulcer, leading to certain death..."

"I see." Fang Xi nodded and cupped his fists. "Master, I need to go home for a while to handle some matters. I can only join you later."

The monsters outside were now hanging from the tree canopy, making it relatively safe.

Many of the remaining disciples had already secretly fled.

Fang Xi had solemnly bid farewell because he was a person of principle.

"Um... Master, I also want to go home," Liu Taotao timidly echoed.

"Mm." Mu Canglong nodded, not stopping them. "Remember, we will gather at the East City Gate later. Fang Xi's earlier deduction was correct; the farther we are from the Demon Demon Tree's core, the better... Also, be careful of those Demon Servants. Although they are only infected by the Demon Demon's Curse Power, they are still difficult to deal with."

"I thought this was supposed to be an enjoyable world, but it's suddenly turned into a disaster survival scenario?"

Fang Xi walked down the street, looking at the dilapidated shops, the shattered corpses on the ground, and the occasional wary glances from behind windows. He couldn't help but sigh. 'It's even a battle royale version, with the poison circle constantly expanding from the inside out...'

Fortunately.

He could feel that as long as he wished, he could still return to the Southern Barrens Cultivation World.

With this as his trump card, Fang Xi wasn't particularly anxious.

He walked and stopped along the way, arriving at his mansion.

The main gate was broken and lying to the side.

The bodies of several guards were scattered around, some still maintaining expressions of rage.

"As expected..."

Fang Xi had anticipated this. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes as he stepped into the inner chambers.

Several maids lay in pools of blood, still clutching jade leaves, pearls, gold jewelry, and other valuables...

'Damn it, the moment danger struck, they thought of stealing the master's belongings and running away...'

He walked and observed, basically confirming that his home had also been attacked by monsters, and the servants had suffered heavy casualties.

Those who were still alive had mostly fled, taking a considerable amount of property with them.

'Never mind, consider it severance pay.'

Fang Xi was quite philosophical about it, as these were all external possessions anyway.

He arrived at his bedroom, his eyes suddenly narrowed, and he pushed open the door.

The bedroom was also a mess.

It turned out that the main family's prohibition was like a fart when faced with the apocalypse.

Fang Xi didn't care about these things and came to a carved rosewood cabinet with dragon and phoenix patterns. He knocked on the cabinet door.

"Ahhh!"

Amidst the screams, a petite figure rushed out, holding a pair of scissors and stabbing swiftly.

Slap!

Fang Xi was speechless. He casually slapped the scissors away and followed up with a slap of his own. "Bai He, wake up, it's me!"

Hiding in the cabinet was the maid, Bai He.

A bright red palm print quickly appeared on her cheek, forming a stark contrast with her fair and delicate skin. However, she seemed to have finally woken up, crying uncontrollably and sobbing, "There... there are monsters... Sister Shui Xian, Sister Yu Lan... they're all... all dead..."

"What about Yue Gui?"

Fang Xi asked.

Bai He shook her head. "I didn't see her..."

Fang Xi recalled as he walked, not seeing Yue Gui's body was good news.

He stroked Bai He's hair, feeling like he was petting a cat. "Black Stone City is finished now. I'll give you two choices. The first is to come with me. The second is that I'll give you a hundred taels of gold and return your contract, and you can leave on your own. Choose one!"

Fang Xi glanced at the bedroom; there was nothing he needed to take.

Gold and silver, in the current Black Stone City, were probably no different from bricks and stones. It would be better to move a few more bags of rice from the kitchen!

No, I can go to the cultivation world and buy mortal rice, no need to move it...

"I..." Bai He's eyes managed to regain a sliver of life. "I'll go with Young Master..."

"Excellent!"

Fang Xi nodded. This was a smart girl. "In that case, hurry up and get ready, go to the kitchen, pack a bag of rice, and come with me..."

East City Gate.

A residential area built along the city wall.

White Cloud Martial Arts School chose this location because it was already the outermost area of Black Stone City.

In a small courtyard, it was already crowded with martial arts school apprentices and their family members.

Besides Fang Xi, who brought a maid, Liu Taotao and Tang Xuan had also brought their parents over.

Even the Second Senior Brother, Wu Ji, had brought a beautiful woman, said to be his wife, and occupied a room openly at some point.

Near the courtyard, there were many other city factions, mostly Martial Hall Masters, who, along with their apprentices, had driven away the original homeowners and occupied the best plots of land in the area.

With the breakdown of order in the city, fists were the best authority!

It was precisely because of this that Mu Canglong had to drag his injured body to deal with those Martial Hall Masters.

Deep into the night.

Mu Canglong summoned a few inner disciples to discuss the day's events.

"Cough cough... According to the news I've gathered, that Demon Demon Tree can parasitize human and animal bodies. It descended directly upon the Prefectural Office at the beginning. The city's Prefect and all the high-ranking officials are basically dead without a burial place..."

A single lamp cast a dim light, illuminating the shocked and fearful faces of everyone. Mu Canglong's voice carried a sense of helplessness. "Now... there are many martial arts factions gathered near the East City Gate. Yuan He Demonuntain occupies the South City Gate. The situation at the North City Gate is unknown; it's likely a death trap. There are occasional scattered reports from the West City Gate, with large numbers of refugees gathered..."

"And the monsters driven by the Demon Demon Tree are active at night and inactive during the day. Their numbers are not large. As long as we proceed with caution, we should be able to hold on for a while..."

Mu Piaomiao looked worried. "Father... the food and water we have stored can only last us for about a month."

"A month?" Mu Canglong's mood inexplicably became low.

In fact, there were too many dead people in Black Stone City. As long as one wasn't afraid of danger, avoided the core area covered by the tree canopy and the monsters, it wasn't difficult to search for supplies in residential areas and grain stores.

The real difficulty was confidence!

In reality, all the higher-ups should know that they will definitely be abandoned by the Da Liang Dynasty...

Huddling together now is just prolonging the inevitable.

Fang Xi crossed his arms and leaned against a pillar, having understood everything. The persistence now is just a faint, extremely weak hope that this Demon Demon will leave after it's had its fill...

But no one would have thought at first that this demon is actually a tree! What if it doesn't leave? Even if it does leave, it might be after the tree canopy spreads across the entire sky and kills everyone with its Qi Roots...

Of course, judging by its expansion, this process will take several months to a year... so the initial danger is actually... other people!

As Fang Xi was thinking, Mu Canglong's expression changed. He suddenly spat out a mouthful of black blood and fainted.

"Father!"

Mu Piaomiao cried out in alarm and quickly went to support him.

Ignoring the flustered crowd, Fang Xi walked out of the house and looked up at the gloomy sky.

With the strongest combat power of White Cloud Martial Arts School damaged, it was unlikely they could hide it from those with intentions. Danger was imminent!