Chapter 88 The Soul-Cutting Gourd
The incident of a ghostly giant rat attacking people in the city of Sword Demon stirred up quite a commotion.
Especially since Brother Cheng of the Foundation Establishment Realm personally took action and was injured by the spectral rat, this shattered the previous perception people had of the residual spirits in Sword Demon City.
Although Brother Cheng didn't come to blows with the City Lord of Sword Demon, the incident still caused a significant uproar.
It even alarmed Elder Yan.
But what was strange was that when Brother Cheng and the others rushed to the scene, they couldn't find the spectral rat.
"It seems that the ghostly giant rat knows how to bully the weak and fear the strong."
During breakfast, Guan Xiaoshun shared the latest news with Li Muyang, expressing his astonishment.
"When it sees small fries like us in the Qi Refinement Realm, the giant rat jumps out wanting to harm people."
"After an elder powerhouse of the Demon Path like Elder Yan arrives on the scene, the giant rat hides away… tsk."
Due to last night's unexpected event, the plan to search for the lost dog was forced to a halt.
Li Muyang and the others finally learned the identity of the noble person who lost the dog.
"It's said that a noble from Centipede Ridge was invited to Sword Demon City to assist. Who would've thought that as soon as she entered the city, the dog she had raised for many years went missing."
Li Yuechan also shared the news she had learned.
Centipede Ridge is a demon's lair, conveniently located within the territory of the Refinement Demon Sect.
Demons differ from human cultivators and prefer to dwell in the mountains and wilds, rarely venturing into the human world.
Located within the territory of the Refinement Demon Sect, Centipede Ridge and the Refinement Demon Sect have an alliance of cooperation.
Nowadays, the demons don't need to come down from the mountains to snatch people, as cultivators from the Refinement Demon Sect will deliver human blood and food right to the entrance of their lairs.
Thus, most demons live a secluded life, mysterious and peculiar.
Upon hearing the news shared by Li Yuechan, Guan Xiaoshun's eyes widened.
"De... Demons?!"
The simple youth from the border town had not expected that he was helping a demon search for its dog last night.
"A demon's dog surely eats humans too, right?" Guan Xiaoshun felt fear after the fact: "It's good that we didn't find that dog last night, otherwise getting eaten or bitten would have been bad luck."
Guan Xiaoshun and Li Yuechan probed for a lot of information.
However, Li Muyang had little interest in these gossiping tidbits.
After finishing breakfast, he put down his bowl, stood up, and walked outside alone.
For a cultivator, one meal of Spirit Rice a day is enough. At the Refinement Demon Sect, they, including Li Muyang, would only eat dinner.
The poor living conditions of the Outer Sect did not provide much to satisfy culinary desires apart from Spirit Rice.
But after arriving in Sword Demon City, the City Lord arranged for cooks, allowing these ascetic Outer Sect disciples to also enjoy the worldly custom of three delicious meals a day.
Li Muyang, wearing the blue robe of an Outer Sect disciple of the Refinement Demon Sect, walked the streets of Sword Demon City, attracting stealthy glances filled with awe and curiosity from the common folk.
While Outer Sect disciples are the lowest rung of the Refinement Demon Sect, a Qi Refinement Realm cultivator is still considered somewhat significant in the mortal world outside.
To this, Li Muyang remained unfazed and indifferent.
After passing through the entirely unbusy commercial district of Sword Demon City, he arrived at a secluded place.
Then Li Muyang closed his eyes, opened the system, and entered into the game.
After a dozen fierce battles in the game last night, Li Muyang finally defeated the Red Flame King.
Now the experience points for the Dharma Extinguishing Wheel had gone from 18% to 32%.
Li Muyang had Jiang Xiaoyu go back to see Luo Feng to submit the mission.
[Luo Feng: Good! You've come at the right time. During your mission to assassinate the Red Flame King, I have obtained clues about the Startling Swan Immortal Sword.]
[Luo Feng: According to the Human Puppet Master's confession, there is a special area in this city, which is the burial mound that Jade Immortal had set up for her husband.]
[Luo Feng: Jade Immortal and her husband shared a profound love. Now that she has perished, her dying wish was likely to be buried together with her husband.]
[Luo Feng: Leave immediately with the head of the Human Puppet Master. Take advantage of the chaos not yet breaking out in the city, and go find that grave, retrieving the Startling Swan Immortal Sword.]
After Luo Feng in the game finished speaking, he took out the head of the Human Puppet Master and handed it to Jiang Xiaoyu.
At this moment, the expression on the Human Puppet Master's face was calm, no longer as agitated as when he had just died.
The hair at the back of its head conveniently served as a hanging rope, and Jiang Xiaoyu, holding the head by this makeshift noose, let out a chuckle.
[Jiang Xiaoyu: Human Puppet Master, we meet again.]
[Human Puppet Master: …]
The Human Puppet Master emotionlessly averted his eyes.
[Luo Feng: I've already come to an agreement with the Human Puppet Master, and he is willing to help us. With him guiding you, you will surely find that grave.]
No sooner had Luo Feng's voice faded than the ground beneath their feet began to tremble violently.
Following that, the distant city was filled with the sounds of chaotic and angry roars and shouts.
[Luo Feng: This is bad! Those demons have started their assault ahead of schedule!]
Immediately after, Luo Feng's half-demon subordinates ran over in a panic, reporting the situation.
[Tushan Jun: General, it's bad! The demons have acted ahead of time and have started attacking human settlements!]
[Wu Dafu: It is said that someone killed the Red Flame King in the streets, which triggered a fierce reaction from the demons. Now the demons have started their attack early, and the city is in total chaos!]
The earth trembled occasionally as if in an earthquake.
And from within the distant city, smoke of war had already begun to rise.
The chaotic and precarious state of the environment corroborated the latest reports from the two half-demons.
Upon hearing this information, Luo Feng, the half-demon general, subconsciously turned his head and looked towards Jiang Xiaoyu.
Jiang Xiaoyu guiltily shifted his gaze away.
[Luo Feng: …]
[Luo Feng: Forget it, those demons are bound to cause trouble eventually, earlier or later makes little difference.]
[Luo Feng: It's just that now, with the city in turmoil, I can't send people to help you.]
[Luo Feng: You'll have to go through the war zone on your own with the Human Puppet Master to retrieve the Startling Swan Immortal Sword.]
[Luo Feng: This task is extremely dangerous, so I will lend you one of my magical treasures for the time being, hoping that you will make good use of it.]
After saying this, the half-demon general took out a magical treasure and handed it to Jiang Xiaoyu.
[Acquired Soul-Slaying Gourd]
[Soul-Slaying Gourd: A magical treasure crafted and cherished by the half-demon general Luo Feng, capable of releasing a Soul-Slaying Flying Knife that inflicts massive damage on enemies.]
[Soul-Slaying Gourd (17/17)]
Li Muyang read the item's description and realized that it was a long-range magical treasure.
It was capable of releasing a flying knife once, with a total of 17 releases available.
And the flying knife replenished once per minute.
This thing was incredibly lethal, but its usage was limited.
If he had this magical treasure from the beginning, dealing with the Red Flame King wouldn't have been so troublesome.
Moreover, this magical treasure perfectly compensated for Li Muyang's lack of long-range skills.
Securing the Soul-Slaying Gourd, Li Muyang maneuvered Jiang Xiaoyu to leave the residence of the half-demon general Luo Feng.
Before leaving, Luo Feng gave him one last admonition.
[Luo Feng: You'll have to pass by Granny Gu's residence on this trip, be very cautious of Granny Gu, and it's best not to get too close to her.]
[Luo Feng: Granny Gu is extremely dangerous!]