121: The corpse demon is born, and danger is everywhere

Deep beneath Yan Province, an evil Qi that had been dormant for a thousand years was awakening.

Just five days after Wang Shun led the villagers away from Yan Province, the earth began to tremble.

The tremors from underground carried a strange rhythm, like the heartbeat of some colossal creature. The already dry wells of Yan Province suddenly boiled, spewing not water, but foul-smelling black blood.

At first, it was just a faint tremor, like the pulse of a sleeping giant.

The trembling continued for a day. Immediately after, in the mass grave outside Yan Province City, crows suddenly took flight en masse, a dense black cloud obscuring the setting sun.

The cries of these crows were not like bird calls, but rather like the wailing of infants.

They formed an eerie Formation in the air, then collectively crashed into the city wall, leaving streaks of putrid black mud on the blue bricks.

A muffled rumble came from underground, as if some enormous creature was turning over.

"Boom—"

With a loud bang, the ancient altar in the center of Yan Province City collapsed, revealing a bottomless chasm.

Black mist surged from the hole like a living entity, causing plants to wither and insects to die wherever it passed.

Within the black mist, two points of crimson light ignited, like eyes opening in Hell.

"Finally... this day has come... I have finally awakened."

A hoarse voice emanated from the depths of the earth, each syllable carrying the scent of decay.

The ground shook violently, and the city walls of Yan Province crumbled like building blocks.

Cracks spread like a spiderweb across the earth, and countless pale, withered arms stretched out from the fissures.

The mummified corpses buried underground responded to their master's summons, struggling to crawl out of their long-resting graves.

Their bones made a grating sound as they crawled, and some of the mummies still had putrid flesh in their chests, from which swarmed countless Corpse Demons.

These insects turned into black water upon landing, and the black water then condensed into new, smaller Corpse Demons, only the size of cats and dogs but exceptionally ferocious.

They were once the residents of Yan Province—farmers, merchants, children, the elderly.

Now, only a layer of dry skin covered their bones, and eerie green ghost fires flickered in their eye sockets. They stood in neat rows around the giant hole, like soldiers awaiting inspection.

A colossal bony hand clutched the edge of the hole, and rubble tumbled down.

The main Corpse Demon was emerging—a ten-foot-tall body pieced together from countless skeletal remains. Its head was a complete ancient corpse, its face still vaguely showing the majesty it possessed in life.

It wore rusty armor, and black viscous fluid seeped from the gaps in the armor.

"My children..."

The Corpse Demon opened its mouth, revealing jagged fangs. "Hungry for a thousand years, it is time to feed."

The mummy army let out a piercing howl, their decaying vocal cords producing a chilling sound.

The Corpse Demon raised its arm, pointing towards Qing Province.

"There is fresh flesh there, warm Souls..."

It let out a cackling sound from its throat, "And... my Opportunity for evolution."

The earth trembled beneath the Corpse Demon's feet, and the mummy army surged southward like a tide.

They were tireless, fearless, and would only follow their master's command—to kill all living things and bring death to every inch of land.

At the same time, on the border of Qing Province.

Lord Chuping was meditating in the temple when he suddenly felt a pain in his chest, as if an invisible hand had gripped his heart.

He abruptly opened his eyes, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

"This oppressive feeling..."

It was as if the end of the world was coming.

Lord Chuping stood up and walked out the door, gazing at the northern sky.

Under the clear night sky, the clouds in the direction of Yan Province were a strange dark red, like congealed blood.

"No! Something has happened in the north!"

The Divine Power within him surged uncontrollably, resonating with that evil force in the distance.

Since his Transmigration, it was the first time he had felt such a strong threat.

Lin Chuping did not hesitate, directly taking out the Formation Plate for the Star Isolation Grand Formation from the System space.

This was a crystal-clear jade plate, intricately carved with complex star patterns. He injected his Divine Power into the Formation Plate, and the jade plate immediately emitted a dazzling blue light, floating into the air.

"Star Grand Formation, activate!"

With his command, the jade plate unleashed countless blue light rays, shooting like meteors to various points along the Qing Province border. Upon landing, the light rays immediately formed a translucent blue light curtain, enveloping the entire Qing Province.

Lin Chuping let out a long sigh of relief, the feeling of dread slightly alleviated.

But this was only temporary; he could feel that evil force rapidly approaching.

"What kind of monster is this, to be so fierce!"

"Did the System strongly recommend the Star Isolation Grand Formation precisely to deal with this thing?"

[Host, the Corpse Demons will arrive at the battlefield in three minutes. Please annihilate them!]

"Alright."

The Formation, bought with a loan of a billion, was very effective. Lin Chuping was not worried that the Star Isolation Grand Formation couldn't block the Corpse Demons, it was just that... just now, in his excitement, he had used the Star Isolation Grand Formation to surround the entire Qing Province. Now the Corpse Demons couldn't get in, and he couldn't get out either.

"System, shrink the range of the Isolation Grand Formation a little bit, and also make the Formation's range visible, so no one accidentally runs out and gets hurt."

[Okay, the range of the Star Isolation Grand Formation has been reduced to 90% of its original size, as per the Host's wishes.]

* * *

Just as Lin Chuping was setting up the Formation, the entire Qing Province erupted like boiling water poured into a hot oil pan.

Although the Corpse Demon was tattered all over, with not a single good piece of flesh on its body, this thing's speed was incredibly fast.

It was like a gust of wind, only a blur visible to the naked eye.

Many people who remained in Yan Province only smelled a foul odor before their consciousness abruptly plunged into darkness.

The number of dead increased, and the Corpse Demon's army grew larger.

The dead villagers shakily stood up, following behind the Corpse Demon like loyal soldiers.

In just a few minutes, they formed an army of tens of thousands.

As they approached Qing Province, many monsters also joined their ranks.

With their movements, the ground shook, as if an earthquake was imminent.

* * *

It was evening, and the people of Qing Province had just finished their work in the fields, preparing to go home for dinner.

Wang Houshi had just put away his hoe when he suddenly felt the ground vibrate. He immediately lay down to feel it carefully.

"Brother Houshi, what's wrong?"

San Wazi asked suspiciously, seeing Wang Houshi with his rear end sticking up as he lay on the ground.

"The ground is shaking, see if it is!"

Hearing Wang Houshi say this, San Wazi was about to lie down to feel it himself when he suddenly saw the small stones on the ground trembling slightly, and the speed increased rapidly.

Now there was no need to listen; everyone felt it.

"Earthquake!"

"Quick, everyone run!"

"My wife, come out quickly, the ground is shaking! And the sky has turned red."

"..."

Suddenly, in everyone's line of sight, a blue light emanated from Lord Chuping's temple, then transformed into something like a blue pot lid. The pot lid grew larger and larger, as if it would encompass the entire world.

"Lord Chuping has acted."

"No need to run, everyone come out and see the immortal!"

* * *

In just the blink of an eye, the foremost Corpse Demons had crashed into the edge of the Star Grand Formation.