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Chapter 524: Chapter 524: Forced to Join

"Wang Ji, you may return to your room. This matter isn’t your fault," Chen Xuan instructed in a detached tone.

"Alright, okay!" Wang Ji felt a surge of relief and quickly nodded in agreement.

"As for you two..." His gaze shifted to Li Mo and Li Ziyan, "I’m afraid I can’t just let you both leave like this."

The reason was simple: Chen Xuan had changed his mind.

If it were merely about letting them believe there was a Great Demon here, letting them leave wouldn’t be much of an issue. After all, Great Demons are rare and they come and go without a trace, like the Cyan Dragon Vortex, which claims hundreds of lives each time it crosses the border, yet seldom lingers in one place. Even if cultivators spread the word, few would believe it; even if they did, it’s hardly worth coming into conflict with a Great Demon over a place like Baihe Village.

Anyway, they would leave on their own accord once they’ve "eaten their fill."

However, when Li Mo saw Wang Ji, the nature of the matter changed. The authorities do not care how many people are killed by a Demon Fiend, but seeing the people rally behind a Demon Fiend is something the higher-ups would never tolerate. Once rumors leaked out, Baihe Village would inevitably face trouble.

Chen Xuan wasn’t afraid of trouble, but the villagers he was grooming weren’t strong enough yet, and he couldn’t stay in the Luo Kingdom forever. So some things still needed to be kept under wraps.

"Can’t we... talk it over?" Li Mo tried to flatter with a forced smile, "We promise we won’t say a word once we leave—"

Chen Xuan interrupted him succinctly, "No."

The rain continued to pour relentlessly, casting a misty shroud over the village’s houses and dirt roads.

Aside from the patter of raindrops, there was no other sound to be heard in the surroundings.

A murderous atmosphere hung over the three of them.

Li Mo and Li Ziyan stood as still as statues, letting the rain soak their shoulders, splash onto their cheeks, and form small waterfalls dripping from the hems of their raincoats.

Chen Xuan was also curious about what action they would take upon hearing his words. Would they fall to their knees and beg, or turn tail and run? Since they perceived him as a Great Demon, they probably didn’t think they stood any chance, right?

Just then, Li Mo bent his head and spat out a single word to his disciple, "Run..."

Indeed, they chose to flee after all.

Just as Chen Xuan was about to gauge their level of skill, a sudden clap of thunder split the night sky and struck right in front of him!

The flash of lightning illuminated the village almost as if it were daylight for a brief moment, and the deafening roll of thunder startled Chen Xuan, causing him to take two steps back instinctively, his eyes turning to where the lightning had struck—

There wasn’t even a small crater on the ground.

He immediately realized that the lightning strike was fake.

In front of him stood only Li Mo’s disciple.

She held a sword in her right hand, pinched a talisman with her left, muttering incantations!

Where had Li Mo gone?

Chen Xuan remained motionless and bent his upper body back 90 degrees. A sharp sword thrust out from the rain, narrowly grazing his chest! The swordbearer was none other than Li Mo!

Indeed, he had circled around to the back.

Chen Xuan couldn’t help but mentally commend them for their coordination. Start with an illusion technique to distract the target, then let the disciple take a stance for a feigned attack, a slip and you’d be in trouble.

Seeing the sneak attack with the sword miss, Li Mo’s heart sank. Seeing his disciple standing there still, he gritted his teeth, "Why are you standing there? Didn’t I tell you to run!"

"Forgive your disciple, I cannot abandon my master and run alone!" Li Ziyan bit the tip of her tongue, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the talisman, and then swung her sword towards Chen Xuan.

Under the gaze of the Divine Eye Technique, her actions were so slow, it was like watching a snail. Evading her sword would have been no challenge for Chen Xuan.

Yet he found he couldn’t dodge. The blood she spat contained a surge of spiritual qi, and it seemed to have locked onto him. No matter which direction he moved, he’d be met by the sword’s edge.

This was clearly the ability she had used.

In that case, Chen Xuan didn’t bother to evade.

He pointed back at Li Ziyan and uttered a True Word: "Freeze!"

An irresistible force immediately pressed down on the young girl, she shuddered, her lunging momentum came to an abrupt halt, and simultaneously, that locked feeling shattered into nothingness, disrupting her attack altogether.

Li Ziyan’s face flushed red with blood, then she coughed up a large mouthful of crimson blood!

Was this technique a double-edged sword?

Chen Xuan stomped his foot, and several tendrils erupted from the ground, swelling into gigantic petals of flesh and blood behind the pair. By the time they realized the grave danger, it was too late. The petals opened and closed like mouths, swallowing them both whole!

Li Mo had only one thought left in his mind... it’s all over.

...

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself lying on a wooden bed, with sunlight streaming in through the window, warming his body.

"I’m... not dead?" Li Mo shot upright, murmuring in disbelief.

"Ugh..." A low moan sounded beside him.

He turned his head to see his disciple lying next to him, her face as pale as paper, her brows knotted as though trapped in a nightmare.

Li Mo quickly glanced around, noting that the place resembled one of the village’s humble huts, though this one was even more dilapidated than where they had previously stayed. Webs hung from the ceiling and walls, suggesting it hadn’t been lived in for a long time.

Their weapons and equipment were placed beside the bed, their rain gear, hats, and shoes neatly removed, evidently having been intentionally moved to this room.

Li Mo shook his disciple awake, and she too came around startled, "Master, are we in the Underworld?"

"Does the Underworld have such bright sunshine? Of course not!" He knocked her on the head in frustration, "We’re still alive!"

"But..." Li Ziyan clutched her head in distress, "I distinctly saw you getting swallowed by the Great Demon’s technique..."

Li Mo fell silent, because the last scene he saw was identical to his disciple’s—a bizarre tendril sprouting from behind and transforming into a massive mouth, devouring Li Ziyan whole.

Then suddenly the door opened, and a young man stepped inside. "You’re awake?"

The two of them jumped at the sound, Li Mo instinctively shielding his disciple, "Who are you..."

"I’m Ma Shun, from Baihe Village. Now that you’re awake, come with me to meet Lord Xuan," the young man said.

"Lord... Xuan?" Li Mo was taken aback, "Do you mean the Great Demon?"

Ma Shun immediately scolded, "Don’t talk nonsense; Lord Xuan dislikes being called a demon the most. He says whether it’s a minor ledifficult thing to comprehend.p> Think of it this way—once you’ve met him, you’ll see how extraordinary his power truly is." demon or a Great Demon, they’re all merely his food. You’ve already received his blessing; if you continue speaking so carelessly, beware Lord Xuan skins you both alive!"

"Eek!" Li Ziyan wrapped her arms around herself, shivering involuntarily.

A Demon Fiend... is food?

Li Mo swallowed, "Then Lord Xuan... did he say what he actually is?"

Surely, he couldn’t be human!

"He is the Lord of Flesh and Blood," Ma Shun stated deliberately, "a forbidden entity of legend."

The two exchanged glances.

This forbidden entity... what on earth is it?

Another thing kept gnawing at Li Mo’s mind... what did it mean that they had already received His blessing?

This kind of rhetoric typically comes from street charlatans.

Yet the Great Demon... no, the forbidden entity was certainly not a charlatan; the composure he’d shown in battle was terrifying. Perhaps he really was as he claimed, unmatched even by the Great Demons.

Ma Shun looked at the unnerved pair, feeling a smug sense of satisfaction rise within. With his limited experience, it was only natural to be flustered by Lord Xuan’s identity, but what about the cultivator’s reaction? It was no different than that of an average villager’s.

"In any case, let’s hurry up and go; don’t keep Lord Xuan waiting." He urged, "Once you see him, you’ll naturally understand just how extraordinary his power is."

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