Chapter 36
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Chapter 36: The Demon God Statue
Fengyun Wuji could scarcely comprehend the degree of decay that had befallen the minds of the earliest humans after eons of desensitized existence. Glancing once more into Mo Li’s stern, resolute eyes, Fengyun Wuji made a silent vow: “This world’s people need a spiritual revival.”
With a somber nod, Fengyun Wuji retreated to a secluded corner to sit. Mo Li offered an approving nod in return; educating the newcomers to prevent their actions from dooming the entire human race was their solemn duty, irrespective of personal sentiments.
Fengyun Wuji was ill at ease, feeling as though innumerable fine needles threatened to pierce his skin from outside. This oppressive sensation was acutely discomforting. He flicked his finger, intending to release a sword energy three finger widths wide, only for it to emerge as a mere thread.
“Perhaps the elder spoke true: a world can exert a potent repulsion against outsiders,” Fengyun Wuji mused, as he quietly channeled the “Nine Xuan Life and Death Profound Technique,” now over twentyfold stronger than before, into the surrounding air, delicately sensing the external environment.
Faint traces of celestial energy trickled into his body through the meridians, so weak they were significantly less than what he could draw in the realm before his ascension.
“How can this be!” Fengyun Wuji was taken aback, despite his mental fortitude.
The thunderous footsteps reverberated through the dungeon’s corridors. Fengyun Wuji’s gaze followed the sound to witness rows of towering, grotesque demons brandishing an array of weapons, filling the previously empty passageways.
“Rise. Rise! The time has come!” Demons with dual wings upon their backs clanged the iron pillars in the corridors, bellowing harshly. The dungeons were separated by iron plates; Fengyun Wuji could not perceive the adjacent cells, yet the clinking of chains echoed from the neighboring confines.
Fengyun Wuji looked to Mo Li with a puzzled expression. Mo Li sighed, pressing his hands against a ferocious black iron demon god statue with horns on the iron door. A faint glow traveled up his arms and into the beast’s maw.
The demon god statue, its mouth agape, suddenly clamped down on Mo Li’s wrist, its four iron-like fangs sinking deep into his flesh. Mo Li’s face contorted in pain as dark blood coursed down the silver-white teeth and into the beast’s maw. After a moment, the fangs gradually released and resumed their original form. A contented gurgle emanated from the depths of the beast’s mouth, shrouded in darkness.
Mo Li’s face turned ashen after this act. Fengyun Wuji swiftly moved behind Mo Li, placing his palm on his back, infusing him with true energy. Mo Li’s complexion slightly improved before he pushed Fengyun Wuji away: “It is your turn…”
“Over there, human, it is your turn, move quickly!” A demon, noticing Fengyun Wuji’s aid to Mo Li, shouted and hoisted a lengthy whip, brandishing it through the air, leaving a trail of sparks.
Fengyun Wuji remained silent, his eyes flickering as he surveyed the dense throng of demons outside.
“Hurry up!” Mo Li’s angry shout echoed from behind: “Do you wish to doom everyone here?”
Fengyun Wuji turned his head to see Mo Li, though exceedingly frail, almost carried away by a mere gust, yet his expression was unwaveringly stern.
With an inward sigh, Fengyun Wuji approached and thrust his palm into the demon god statue’s maw. With a subtle exertion of his wrist, the formidable sword energy delved into the statue’s mouth.
A shrill howl resonated from within the beast’s mouth, followed by a gush of black air. The cast-iron demon god statue’s face began to display blood-red veins, even the fangs were laced with sanguine striations.
“What’s happening?” A demon outside the door cried out in bewilderment.
“The beast has perished! This individual’s true energy is excessively sharp, the beast cannot assimilate it.” From a place beyond Fengyun Wuji’s sight, a demon’s resounding voice echoed through the passage.
The demon leader, adorned with bat wings and surging with malevolent energy, cast a cold glance at Fengyun Wuji, then with a sudden flick, the whip lashed across his back. A crackling sound rent the air as the garment tore, revealing the mangled flesh beneath, blood rapidly seeping from the wound, soaking the shirt.
Fengyun Wuji experienced an agony that seemed to emanate from the soul itself, as if the whip had struck not the flesh, but the very essence of his being, eliciting an involuntary howl of torment.
“Humans, behave,” the demon warned, his violet eyes glinting with menace. With a swift motion, the peculiar whip coiled back around his wrist, and he bellowed outside: “Replace it, bring forth an ancient beast.”
Then, turning to Fengyun Wuji, he barked: “Get up there, infuse it with true energy, and be quick about it.”
Fengyun Wuji’s eyes blazed with a ferocity that rivaled the demon’s. As he was about to act, a thick hand descended on his back. He turned to see Mo Li’s aged visage.
“Proceed, harbor no other thoughts; escape from here is impossible,” Mo Li said, gesturing toward the nearby stagnant water. “See those skeletons in the water, they are the warnings of those who came before.”
A tinge of bloodshot redness veiled Mo Li’s eyes, blurred with a sheen of moisture. The old man wiped his eyes with a grime-encrusted sleeve, gazing quietly at the blackened skulls adrift in the water, a trail of turbid tears streaming down his cheeks.
Boom! As if struck by thunder, Fengyun Wuji was jolted once more. Upon his arrival, he had failed to notice the dense array of withered bones, nearly indistinguishable from the murky water.
Fengyun Wuji slowly rose, approached the demon beast’s head once again, and extended his right hand. A powerful suction emanated from within the skull. Expressionless, Fengyun Wuji allowed the peculiar demon god to sate its thirst, then slowly retracted his hand, returning to sit silently beside Mo Li.
The dense ranks of demons filed out of the passage. In the vast, subterranean dungeon, an eerie silence prevailed. Fengyun Wuji, hugging his knees, stared vacantly at the waterborne skeletons, their forms piteous, lost in contemplation for an extended while; the thoughts swirling within him were as inscrutable as the depths of the dungeon.