198: Demonization

Xiao Zhuo's eyes flickered slightly, but a gentle smile spread across his face. He wanted to see what the Qiu Family was truly up to.

As the bride took her place, the edges of Xiao Zhuo's Divine Sense, which permeated the wedding hall, trembled slightly—dozens of figures with sinister Qi had quietly surrounded the hall, making it impenetrable.

“First bow to Heaven and Earth!” the Ning Family Elder loudly announced.

Xiao Zhuo complied, bowing with the Qiu Family maiden. When putting on an act, one naturally had to go all out, but this “first” wedding ceremony being in such a state, he couldn't help but feel a bizarre amusement.

After the first bow, the two then bowed to their Elders, and finally, the husband and wife bowed to each other.

The hall full of guests and members of both the Ning and Qiu Families all smiled radiantly, a scene of joyous celebration, completely unaware that killing intent was already close at hand.

For the alliance between the Ning and Qiu Families, Liu Jian, the Family Head of the Liu Family—one of Yunyatown's three major families—had personally led several Family Elders to offer congratulations. Other small and medium-sized families in the town were also present in full force. Inside the vast wedding hall courtyard, fifty to sixty banquet tables were set, now completely filled.

After the ceremony, the bride was escorted to the bridal chamber, and the Elder immediately announced the start of the banquet.

Immediately, the clinking of cups and the sounds of hearty laughter filled the air. Xiao Zhuo, accompanied by his father Ning Yuanshan, went from table to table to toast the guests.

No one noticed the evil smile that quietly flickered in the eyes of Qiu Ling, the Qiu Family Head, who was toasting among the Ning Family members.

About an incense stick's worth of time after the banquet began, Xiao Zhuo had already finished toasting over a dozen prominent guests from the town with Ning Yuanshan.

Suddenly—

“Ugh!” A muffled groan sounded.

“Clatter!” A burly man, as if overcome by drink, crashed his thick body onto a wine table. Cups, plates, bowls, and dishes shattered across the floor, and fine dishes and wine splattered everywhere.

Several people nearby were about to step forward to help when a strong sensation of weakness and numbness instantly swept through their bodies, causing them to collapse to the ground.

“Poison! There's poison in the food!” As the furious roar just exploded, Xiao Zhuo felt a surge of power about to erupt from the jade talisman at his waist.

Without hesitation, his right hand, swift as lightning, tore off the jade talisman and flung it into the air!

“Boom—!!!”

A deafening explosion erupted overhead! The entire wedding hall instantly plunged into chaos.

The Ning Family members only now awoke as if from a dream. Just as someone was about to shout a warning, sharp whistling sounds of objects tearing through the air already rent the atmosphere!

Black-clad figures had, at some unknown point, filled the tops of the walls. Their faces were contorted with bulging black veins, and their expressions were terrifyingly sinister. Poison-tipped crossbow bolts were being fired frantically from their hands into the chaotic crowd!

In an instant, over a dozen people were struck by arrows and fell to the ground. Even those who still had the strength to resist could only dodge clumsily due to the poison and the alcohol, with little power to fight back.

Ning Yuanshan's face was ashen. Still reeling from the earth-shattering explosion, his Qi and blood churning, he suddenly regained his senses and roared, “Guards! Enemy attack!”

He did not notice that Qiu Ling's palm behind him was already glowing with an ominous black light, carrying a foul stench, as he struck fiercely at his vital spot from behind!

“Family Head, be careful!” Ning Sanshui, the Ning Family Butler who was lagging behind, witnessed this scene and, filled with shock and fury, screamed.

But it was too late! Qiu Ling's demonic palm was less than three inches from Ning Yuanshan's back!

In a flash of lightning, Xiao Zhuo pulled his arm, and Ning Yuanshan stumbled, being pulled away, narrowly avoiding the fatal blow!

Ning Yuanshan was, after all, an Innate Martial Artist. When Qiu Ling's sneak attack missed, he was filled with shock and fury, and instantly counterattacked: “Demonic Qi! Qiu Ling! How dare you collude with demons and Cultivate Demonic Technique?!”

He roared, not bothering to wonder how his seemingly ordinary eldest son could have so easily saved him, and turned to strike with a palm, imbued with abundant True Qi, at Qiu Ling!

Both were in the Late Stage of Innate Realm. Qiu Ling's sneak attack had failed, his Move was spent, and seeing Ning Yuanshan's fierce counterattack, he could only hastily retreat and dodge.

The Qiu Family's First Madam, standing nearby, was ashen-faced and dumbfounded, clearly unaware of this drastic change.

Although the Qiu and Ning Families had an alliance of interests, their relationship had always been harmonious.

The sudden turn of events left everyone utterly shocked.

Only after seeing the swirling Demonic Qi on Qiu Ling's palm did they understand, and they all angrily denounced him.

However, most of the guests in the hall had already drunk the poisoned wine, and many were weak all over, like lambs awaiting slaughter.

Only a few Acquired Realm experts managed to suppress the poison with their True Qi and, along with the Ning Family guards who rushed over upon hearing the commotion, struggled to resist the continuously surging assassins.

“Hehehe!” Black veins bulged menacingly on Qiu Ling's neck and even his face. His entire being exuded a crazed and eerie aura. “Die! You all must die! The Human Race is merely blood food for the Sacred Race! Come! All of you, become my nourishment!”

He roared, his body actually beginning to swell. A casual strike from him sent Ning Yuanshan, his equal in Realm, reeling back over ten meters!

Everyone stared intently, and all gasped in cold air!

Qiu Ling, who had originally appeared as a kind and Elder-like figure, now had disheveled hair and beard, his body swollen to over ten feet tall, his muscles bulging and knotted, and his skin turned a bizarre purplish-red. He had clearly transformed into a terrifying demonic monster!

Before anyone could recover from their shock, Qiu Ling's figure flickered like a ghost. His massive claw had already seized the head of a Ning Family Acquired Realm expert who had just repelled an assassin, and his five fingers clamped down fiercely!

“Pfft!”

The head burst open like a ripe watermelon, sending red and white matter splattering!

“Blood! I need more blood! Human blood!” Qiu Ling indifferently raised his giant claw, covered in blood and brains, to his mouth. His crimson tongue greedily licked it, and a twisted, enjoyable expression appeared on his face.

The Qiu Family's First Madam witnessed this horrifying scene and let out a shrill, piercing scream, fainting on the spot.

The guests throughout the hall were even more ashen-faced, terrified beyond belief.

Ning Yuanshan's brocade robe on his back was drenched with cold sweat, his eyes filled only with deep fury and disbelief.

He could never have imagined that the Family Head of the Qiu Family, who was on par with his own Family as one of Yunyatown's three major families, would suddenly transform into a demon!

Just then, countless even more bizarre and ferocious roars suddenly erupted from outside the wedding hall!

The faces of everyone in the hall instantly turned ashen as paper.

“It's over... Yunyatown is finished...” A white-robed Young Master, his face full of despair, collapsed to the ground.

A black shadow flashed past, and his still somewhat handsome head flew high into the air!

Liu Jian, the Liu Family Head, moved his pair of fleshy palms like lightning, forming a battle formation back-to-back with several Liu Family Elders, desperately repelling the demonized assassins who attacked them one after another.

Many guests had come to attend the wedding banquet without carrying weapons, making them extremely passive in the fight.

The black-clad assassins who had initially appeared on the walls had now also transformed into distorted monsters with purplish-black skin. Although their physical changes were not significant, they were all fearless and their strength was roughly at the Acquired Realm level.

The fighting guests and guards in the hall, their combat power greatly reduced by the poisoned wine, found themselves in a precarious situation.

Xiao Zhuo had already quietly retreated to a corner and sat down, like an outsider observing the chaotic and bloody slaughter unfolding in the hall with keen interest.

To him, this battle in the illusion was merely a rather novel play.

He had already gained a general understanding of the Martial Arts Realms in this world from snippets of conversation among the guests earlier. They were divided into Six Realms: Skin Training, Bone Training, Organ Training, Acquired, Innate, and Grandmaster.

Although Yunyatown was a large town within a hundred-mile radius, its top combat strength was merely Innate experts like Ning Yuanshan, Qiu Ling, and Liu Jian. The Grandmaster Realm was unheard of.

At this moment, the demonized Qiu Ling's aura was violent, his power surged, subtly exceeding the limits of the Innate Realm.

This calamity for the Ning Family was undoubtedly a devastating disaster that would engulf the entire Yunyatown.

“Boom—!”

With a loud bang, the courtyard wall exploded! An elderly figure spewed blood, crashing through the bricks and stones in a sorry state, and tumbled into the courtyard.

From the swirling dust, a graceful figure in a bright red wedding dress slowly stepped out of the breached wall.

Xiao Zhuo looked up and couldn't help but shake his head and smile, “Heh, this Qiu Family maiden, Qiu Yun'er, is actually a pure demon?”

At this moment, Qiu Yun'er's fingernails had grown long and sharp like blades, glinting with a cold, eerie light.

Her face was ashen, only her lips were a striking crimson, as if she had drunk her fill of blood.

Those eyes, which should have been sparkling with charm, had now turned into a pure, deep black, and they gazed eerily at Xiao Zhuo.

“Husband...” Qiu Yun'er's voice carried a strange sense of grievance and deep confusion, “How come... you're still not dead?”

Xiao Zhuo hadn't expected this demonic bride to target him first, and he felt helpless.

He had originally wanted to continue enjoying the unfolding drama of this illusion, but now it seemed that this play... might not be able to continue.