You've really caused me a lot of trouble!

Sensing the Little Corpse Meteor Insect burrow into the Green Scab Spider, Fang Huai knew the outcome was sealed and quickly found a hiding spot to take cover.

Driven by his will, the Little Corpse Meteor Insect tunneled into the Green Scab Spider's body, made straight for its heart, and bit down hard.

The Green Scab Spider immediately entered a berserk state.

It knew something strange had gotten inside it but could do nothing about it. The intense sense of mortal danger made it vent its fury on the mortals.

Just as Fang Huai was preparing to retreat to a distance and wait for the Green Scab Spider to die, several sword beams stabbed into the Green Scab Spider's head.

"Ten Thousand Manifestations Sword Art!"

Lin Yu's figure appeared at the edge of the battlefield, his eyes filled with desperate resolve as he stared fixedly at the rampaging Green Scab Spider nearby.

Seeing this, Fang Huai rushed to his side and snapped, "Do you really not want to live?"

Lin Yu shook his head and said, "I want to live, but the thousands of mortals in Green Parasol City—they want to live too!"

Fang Huai, furious, directly smacked him on the head with a fist. "Who can you save? You can't save anyone!"

Lin Yu said, "At least I tried!"

At that moment, after being attacked by Lin Yu, the Green Scab Spider turned its rage toward him, let out a screech, and charged in his direction.

"Your brain's full of water!"

Fang Huai flew into the air on his Paper Kite, glanced down at Lin Yu who still hadn't retreated from the ground, and formed a hand seal. A burst of flame spewed onto the Green Scab Spider.

The searing pain of the fire drove the Green Scab Spider into an even more frenzied roar. It abruptly changed direction and lunged at Fang Huai in midair.

Watching the giant spider charge at him, Fang Huai gritted his teeth and cursed, "Damn it, my brain's full of water too!"

Fang Huai cast spells while luring the Green Scab Spider toward an area with fewer mortals.

The Green Scab Spider's [Indestructible] had already been swapped away, greatly reducing its body's toughness. As it crashed into buildings, the sound of bones breaking rang out continuously.

The physical pain, combined with the Little Corpse Meteor Insect tearing at its heart, left no room for restraint in its attacks.

Despite Fang Huai's desperate dodging, he still took a hit from one of its legs, and his body began to waver after inhaling large amounts of poison gas.

The poison gas wasn't much of a problem—Fang Huai ate poisonous herbs and drank poisonous wine every day, maxing out his resistance—but the impact from the leg was something he couldn't handle.

He was a cultivator, sure, and at the fourth layer of Body Tempering, no less, but the continuous heavy blows had long since ruptured his internal organs.

Fang Huai's condition worsened, but fortunately, the Green Scab Spider couldn't hold on either.

After leading it along for another few dozen breaths, the Green Scab Spider's movements slowed, and it finally stopped in place, crashing to the ground with a thud.

The Little Corpse Meteor Insect had finally killed this demon beast!

Only when he saw [Body Dies Soul Dissipates] flash on the Green Scab Spider did Fang Huai feel relieved.

He landed on the giant spider's head, used the Crimson Sky Cry stuck there to cut open its skull.

He reached inside the spider's head and fumbled around for a long time, then looked up to the heavens with a long sigh. "What kind of shoddy Foundation Establishment demon beast is this? Doesn't even have a single demon core!"

Just as he was about to fly back to the city gate on his Paper Kite to see if that idiot Lin Yu was dead, cheers erupted all around him.

Looking around, the mortals who had been hiding in their houses came out one by one. After confirming the Green Scab Spider had no breath left, they cheered and rejoiced.

With the Green Scab Spider dead, the poison gas inside its body began to leak out.

Fang Huai used a spirit talisman to seal the corpse and shouted loudly, "Scatter quickly! The Green Scab Spider might explode with poison after death!"

Despite the warning, the mortals showed no sign of backing away.

On the contrary, more and more people gathered around.

"Immortal! A true immortal!"

A white-haired old man, tears streaming from his eyes, knelt before Fang Huai.

Led by him, more and more mortals prostrated themselves on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly in Fang Huai's direction, their voices choked with the sobs and gratitude of survival.

"Immortal Master, you are truly a god who saves the suffering. If not for you, we would all have died here!"

"Immortal Elder, could you tell us your name? I want to place you on my ancestral altar and instruct my descendants to pray for you for generations."

"Immortal Master, I want to bear your children! I want to bear a hundred of your children!"

"..."

Fang Huai looked at the scene before him, his heart stirred. So this was what it felt like to be a hero?

The irritation he'd felt from not finding a demon core inexplicably faded a little. He scratched his head, waved his hand awkwardly, and said:

"Everyone, get up. The demon beast is dealt with. It's over."

He originally planned to fly quickly back to the city gate, but seeing how enthusiastic the mortals of Green Parasol City were, he thought—didn't Lin Yu tell him to experience the flavor of mortal life?

With so many people here now, wasn't this the perfect chance?

Besides, that idiot Lin Yu had a tough life. It wouldn't hurt to check on him later!

"Immortal Elder, you saved the lives of the entire city. Let us honor you properly!"

Somehow, the mortals had found a sedan chair and, without asking, came to help Fang Huai into it.

The people around joined in the commotion, shoving him into the sedan chair with a flurry of hands.

Several young maidens carrying fruit were pushed in right after him.

Fang Huai was about to drive these women out when one of them shoved a plump grape directly against his lips.

"No, no, no, I'll do it myself!"

Fang Huai instinctively opened his mouth and swallowed the sweet grape, only to find a warm, delicate hand slipping into his robes.

Perhaps the maiden was nervous, her fingertips trembling slightly.

Fang Huai tried his utmost to refuse, but after the great battle, his spiritual power and physical strength were utterly depleted, and he found himself trapped in the sedan chair by these mortals.

As he swallowed another grape the maiden pressed into his mouth, he pulled out the slender hand that had somehow crept into his chest, his face full of chagrin:

"Hey, don't do this—I'm someone who wants to cultivate immortality... Hey, you're really making things hard for me!"

While Fang Huai was enjoying this worldly bustle, Lin Yu was on the verge of tears.

The sight of Fang Huai luring away the Green Scab Spider had deeply shaken him.

He had never imagined that a demon cultivator from the Corpse Sha Sect, who killed without blinking, would willingly step into a death trap for him, a Mystic Sword Sect cultivator he had never met, and for the defenseless mortals of Green Parasol City.

This was a demonic beast that had fallen from Foundation Establishment, yet Fang Huai was merely at the fourth layer of Qi Refining.

This trip wasn't luring away the beast—it was clearly a death march.

Through relentless effort, Lin Yu finally found a gap in the Demon-Trapping Array. If he burned his Lightning Body and struck with all his might, he could widen the gap and let the mortals escape through it.

Lin Yu clenched his fists, his voice trembling: "Daoist Fang, the Mystic Sword Sect above and below, and the people of Green Parasol City, will never forget this day's grace."

With trembling hands, he took out a Message Spirit Talisman and carved a few lines into it with spiritual power:

"Today, Fang Huai of the Corpse Sha Sect, though a demon cultivator, harbors a benevolent heart.

When Green Parasol City faced disaster, he used himself to lure the demonic beast, sacrificing his life to protect the people, and ultimately died from exhaustion.

Henceforth, any Mystic Sword Sect cultivator who encounters his descendants must treat them with courtesy and spare no effort to aid them—do not betray this righteousness."

After carving the message, he bit his finger and dripped his essence blood onto it.

"Go!"

The talisman flew swiftly out through the gap, heading straight toward the Mystic Sword Sect.

Just as he was about to ignite his body and blast open the gap with his own explosion, joyful shouts erupted from Green Parasol City.

Puzzled, he looked toward the source of the sound, and saw Fang Huai sitting in a sedan chair, slowly approaching him amidst the crowd of mortals.