The Demon Beast Emerges

Lin Yu said angrily, "So many Spirit Stones! How can you say that with a straight face?"

Fang Huai remained calm. "Fellow Daoist Lin, don't rush to refuse. Hear me out and let me finish the math first.

"We're required to bring back at least a thousand mortals on this trip.

"For every person below that number, we lose fifty Contribution Points. For every person above it, we earn twenty.

"There are more than four thousand mortals in Green Parasol City. If we bring them all back, we'll earn sixty thousand Contribution Points, worth six hundred Spirit Stones.

"But if we hand all the mortals in Green Parasol City over to you, we won't just lose out on that six hundred Spirit Stone reward—we'll also be fined five hundred Spirit Stones. That's a difference of eleven hundred Spirit Stones."

Fang Huai paused, then continued, "By that calculation, asking you to trade eight hundred Spirit Stones for four thousand mortals isn't unreasonable, is it?"

He had settled on the price of eight hundred Spirit Stones after discussing it repeatedly with Pu Ren'an.

Though Green Parasol City had four thousand mortals, most were old, weak, sick, or disabled because of the Vegetation Sha.

Driving them back to the sect would be both time-consuming and exhausting. Given their condition, more than half would likely perish along the way.

Demanding eight hundred Spirit Stones would spare them the risks of escorting the mortals, while also making Lin Yu feel indebted to them.

Pu Ren'an put on an aggrieved expression. "We've already lowered our price by three hundred Spirit Stones. Fellow Daoist Lin, surely you won't refuse to acknowledge our kindness and instead use your superior cultivation to bully us?"

Lin Yu looked troubled. Eight hundred Spirit Stones did sound reasonable, but it was more than he could afford.

As he hesitated over whether to haggle, the mortals erupted into an uproar.

"Immortal Lin, the immortal from the Corpse Sha Sect has already lowered his price. Please, just agree."

"There are so many people in Green Parasol City. Are we really not worth eight hundred Spirit Stones?"

"Lin Yu, if you keep hesitating, then once we're free, we'll write a blood petition to the Mystic Sword Sect elders and accuse you of being heartless and unjust!"

"..."

Fang Huai sneered inwardly. Lin Yu really was pitiful.

He had risked his life to protect those four thousand old and weak mortals, yet with a little scheming, Fang Huai had made him look like a heartless wretch who stood by while they suffered.

If Lin Yu refused, he would be guilty of that accusation. He would never be able to hold his head up among his fellow cultivators, and he might not even be able to answer to his sect.

Sure enough, Lin Yu's resolve wavered. "Eight hundred Spirit Stones... does sound reasonable, but..."

The ground suddenly shook violently. A shrill roar rang across Green Parasol City, coming from the Demon-Suppressing Wood in the city center.

Before he could finish speaking, the earth began to tremble violently, and a shrill roar rang across Green Parasol City.

The roar came from the Demon-Suppressing Wood in the city center—the tree that had been suppressing the demon beast!

Amid the roars came Cheng Zhaozhao's tearful cries for help.

At that moment, a blinding golden light flared above Green Parasol City, instantly spreading into a thick curtain of light that sealed the entire city.

"The demon beast has emerged! The Demon-Trapping Array has activated! What have you done?"

Lin Yu shouted in fury and rushed toward the sound.

Only then did Fang Huai realize that Cheng Zhaozhao had disappeared.

She must have noticed something unusual about the Demon-Suppressing Wood when she called Fang Huai and the others back earlier.

So, while the others were confronting one another, she had returned to the Demon-Suppressing Wood to collect the baleful intent.

She knew that unusual baleful intent was a rare cultivation resource, but not that it depended on the Demon-Suppressing Wood to exist. Driven by greed, she had taken all the Vegetation Sha and, by chance, released the demon beast beneath the tree.

Pu Ren'an released his spiritual sense and sensed the demon beast's aura. Frowning, he said,

"A mid-stage Qi Refining demon beast? Would they really use a Demon-Trapping Array for that? Is that Lin fellow trying to trick us?"

He quickly mounted his Paper Kite and followed, calling out, "Everyone, come with me and take a look. We can't let those eight hundred Spirit Stones slip away."

Pu Ren'an didn't understand the demon beast's strength, but Fang Huai and Liu Ye did.

A demon beast that had taken the Demon-Suppressing Wood a hundred years to subdue couldn't possibly be only at the mid-stage of Qi Refining.

Liu Ye looked uncertain. "Junior Brother Fang, should we go?"

Fang Huai sent a stream of spiritual energy toward the curtain of light overhead.

The moment it touched the barrier, it sank into it like a clay ox into the sea, raising not so much as a ripple.

Realizing that they couldn't break through the Demon-Trapping Array, he said,

"We're going. With just the two of us, there's no way out of Green Parasol City. And if we don't bring back the Vegetation Sha, we're as good as dead."

When they reached the Demon-Suppressing Wood, they saw Lin Yu and Pu Ren'an looking grim, their gazes fixed on the spot where the tree had stood.

A massive green spider crouched beside the collapsed remains of the Demon-Suppressing Wood.

It had nine eyes. Eight had been destroyed, leaving only black, empty holes.

Its one remaining eye shimmered with a faint light. It slowly opened and looked over the four of them.

A moment later, it closed again, as if it had merely glanced at a few insignificant ants.

[Green Scab Spider]

[Sixth Layer of Qi Refining (Foundation Establishment Middle Stage)]

[Weakness (White)][Flesh Proliferation (Red)]

[Weakness: Its cultivation realm has fallen, and it will be difficult to recover]

[Flesh Proliferation: As long as it remains alive, it can quickly repair its wounds]

The Green Scab Spider looked terrifying.

Its body was flat as a sheet of armor, and its eight legs stretched a full hundred zhang, each segment covered in mottled blue-black patterns.

A dark green shell covered its entire body. Poison filled the gaps between the plates, giving off a sharp, putrid stench.

Though a hundred years of suppression by the Demon-Suppressing Wood had reduced its cultivation to around the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining, the lingering might of a demon beast that had once reached the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage remained.

Cheng Zhaozhao had been impaled through the body by one of its legs. Her flesh was being sucked into the Green Scab Spider along its limb.

As the flesh flowed into it, the eight ruined eyes began to squirm, as if slowly repairing themselves.

"Help me..." Cheng Zhaozhao pleaded desperately.

Seeing Fang Huai and Liu Ye arrive, Pu Ren'an felt a little bolder and said,

"Though this demon beast is only at the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining, it might have been at the Qi Refining Perfection Realm before it was suppressed. Be careful when we attack."

Lin Yu said, "Fellow Daoist Pu, according to the stories, this Green Scab Spider was at Foundation Establishment before it was suppressed..."

Pu Ren'an was shocked. Green Scab Spiders focused on body cultivation. Once they reached Foundation Establishment or higher, their bodies became exceptionally tough and almost impossible to pierce.

Even if its cultivation had fallen and its spells had weakened, its physical strength remained. It wasn't something the few of them could afford to provoke.

"Fellow Daoist Lin, could you deactivate the Demon-Trapping Array and let us leave? We'll forget about the mortals. Just give us five hundred Spirit Stones."

Now that Cheng Zhaozhao was as good as done for, leaving seemed a safer choice than risking their lives to save her.

As for their mission payment, they could settle for less and claim later that the Mystic Sword Sect had interfered.

Hearing Pu Ren'an's words, Cheng Zhaozhao cried out. The Green Scab Spider's gaze grew more hostile, and it sucked at her with its legs even faster.

Fang Huai's expression darkened. He guessed that Cheng Zhaozhao had the Sha-Gathering Bottle, now filled with Vegetation Sha, on her.

Lin Yu saw what Pu Ren'an was thinking and sighed. "Even if I wanted to let you leave, I couldn't.

"This Demon-Trapping Array was set up by a Foundation Establishment uncle specifically to trap the Green Scab Spider.

"Once this spider emerges, the Demon-Trapping Array won't disappear unless it's slain."

When Pu Ren'an fell silent, Lin Yu continued, "Fellow Daoists, the Green Scab Spider has only just awakened. It hasn't recovered yet. If we join forces, we might be able to kill it."

Fang Huai glanced at the Green Scab Spider. It was clearly no easy opponent.

He wondered to himself why he was so unlucky. He had only taken two missions: one had involved a demon beast guarding a clan, and the other a demon beast whose cultivation had fallen. It was as if the heavens were setting him up.