36: Chapter 36 Soul Devouring and City Slaughter

Li Changsheng was the last to exit.

Before the stone gate, he spat out another mouthful of blood essence.

Mixing it with his remaining Qi, he carved several warning and isolation runes onto the damaged stone door frame before staggering out.

"Boom!"

The already overburdened stone gate, along with a portion of the passage, collapsed completely after he exited, temporarily sealing the cave entrance.

However, the unwilling roars and sounds of impact from the Devilish Qi within could still be faintly heard.

Outside the cave, the surviving Cultivators were all pale, shaken by their narrow escape.

Looking at the entrance blocked by rubble and at Li Changsheng, who stood tall despite being covered in blood and having a weak aura, their gazes were complex.

There was awe, lingering fear, and also a trace of indescribable greed.

This person was actually able to temporarily Seal that terrifying monster!

Li Changsheng swept his cold gaze over these people, his eyes lingering for a moment on Wanjin Sanren, the old man from the Zhou family, and Mr. Mo.

"Today's events were all caused by your greed."

"The monster 'Spirit Devourer' has been disturbed, and the Seal is damaged; I could only temporarily Seal it."

"This place has become a forbidden zone. If anyone dares to trespass again and triggers the monster to break the Seal completely, all life within a hundred miles will be devastated!"

His voice carried an unquestionable majesty, along with a trace of Qi vibration that struck directly at everyone's minds.

"Those who survived today, leave Qinghe Town immediately!"

"Inform your respective factions of the truth about this place!"

"If anyone harbors ulterior motives again, do not blame me, Li Changsheng, for being ruthless with my sword!"

Having said this, he ignored them further and, supported by Li Hu, turned and left.

Although his back looked slightly weary, it was as heavy as a mountain, pressing down on the surviving Cultivators until they could barely breathe.

Wanjin Sanren and the others looked at each other.

Finally, they gave a bitter smile and fled in a panic, each carrying both the relief of surviving a disaster and deep fear.

After this battle, the truth about the "True Lord Xuan Yun ruins"—that it was actually a dangerous place suppressing the ancient monster "Spirit Devourer"—as well as the news of Li Changsheng turning the tide and temporarily sealing the monster, would spread even faster.

It was foreseeable that there would still be those who refused to believe it or those with ulterior motives who would come.

However, in the short term, the large-scale, blind exploration craze would likely cool down.

However, a greater crisis had already been buried.

The "Spirit Devourer" devilish consciousness had been partially released, and the Seal was further damaged.

The Li family, and indeed the entire Qinghe Town, were like people sitting on a volcano that could erupt completely at any moment.

Returning to the Li manor, Li Changsheng immediately began secluded cultivation to heal his injuries while urgently deducing a method to completely resolve the "Spirit Devourer" threat.

He knew deeply that a temporary Seal was by no means a long-term solution.

The arrival of the Qinglan Sword Sect's envoy had become the only hope for the Li family and even Qinghe Town.

But would there be enough time?

No one knew.

In the night wind, one could almost hear the suppressed monster deep within the mine emitting a low, venomous hiss.

Spring in Qinghe Town was exceptionally cold.

After that tragic mine exploration, Qinghe Town ushered in a month of superficial "tranquility."

Those Loose Cultivators and disciples of various factions who had luckily escaped brought with them a deep fear of the "Spirit Devourer" monster, and through their exaggerated accounts, this land was, in their view, now a "cursed land."

The news that the "True Lord Xuan Yun ruins" was actually the Seal of an ancient monster spread quickly throughout the surrounding cultivation world as if it had grown wings.

For a time, Qinghe Town transformed from a "treasure-hunting hotspot" into an "ominous place" that everyone avoided.

Occasionally, there were sporadic people who refused to believe it.

Or those with ulterior motives came to investigate, but upon sensing the cold Devilish Qi faintly emanating from deep within the mine from afar, and the heart-palpitating pressure overflowing from the collapsed cave entrance, most would shrink back, not daring to go deeper.

The Li family's tense nerves relaxed slightly, but the alarm bells in the hearts of Li Changsheng and several core Elders never stopped ringing.

They knew that the cave entrance, which had been forcibly blocked, was like a dam full of cracks, and the "flood" inside could burst out at any moment.

Li Changsheng studied the "Small Heavenly Cycle Qi Induction Mantra" day and night, deducing a more perfect sealing method while striving to restore his lost blood essence and Qi.

He attempted to combine more Qi knowledge gained from the low-magic cultivation world with martial arts, searching for a power that could restrain the cold Devilish Qi.

However, progress was slow, and faced with a monster of the "Spirit Devourer" level, his existing means still seemed inadequate.

Everyone pinned their hopes on the upcoming envoy from the Qinglan Sword Sect.

That was, in their understanding, the only external force capable of resolving such a crisis.

However, the monster's patience was far more limited than imagined.

After devouring the blood essence and Souls of more than a dozen Qi Refining Stage Cultivators, the "Spirit Devourer's" weak Origin, which had been worn down by the Seal for ten thousand years, received a precious nourishment.

It lurked in the damaged Seal and the dark green pool water like the most cunning viper, digesting this "blood food" while constantly attacking and eroding the temporary blockade Li Changsheng had set up and the remaining sealing runes.

Days passed.

The dark clouds over the mine seemed to grow heavier, and even the sunlight appeared pale and weak.

Although the townspeople did not understand why, the oppression lingering in their hearts and the strange whimpering sounds they faintly heard from deep underground from time to time at night made them uneasy.

Finally, on a moonless night, the long-accumulated power reached a critical point.

"Boom—!!!"

A dull, massive sound, as if coming from the depths of the Nine Netherworlds, suddenly exploded from the direction of the Black Iron Mine!

The ground shook violently, roof tiles from the Li family manor fell with a rustle, all the dogs in Qinghe Town began to bark like crazy, followed by chaos throughout the town with chickens flying, dogs jumping, and children crying!

Li Changsheng was the first to rush out of the quiet room; looking toward the mine, his face instantly turned as pale as paper.

He saw that deep in the mine, the mountain where the cave entrance he had blocked was located had now exploded into a huge hole!

Thick, ink-like, and churning pitch-black Devilish Qi shot into the sky like a volcanic eruption, instantly blackening half the night sky!

Within the Devilish Qi, countless twisted and painful ghost faces appeared and disappeared, emitting sharp, piercing howls that penetrated directly into the Soul!

A huge and blurry shadow slowly condensed and stretched in the center of the Devilish Qi.

It had no fixed form.

At times, it was like a black cloud covering the sky and blocking the sun; at times, it turned into countless dancing tentacles; at times, it condensed into a terrifying face covering half the mountain, possessing only a giant mouth and countless compound eyes!

It was precisely the "Spirit Devourer" devilish consciousness entity that had broken the Seal!

Although it was still far from its peak, its monstrous might and the extreme, pure evil and desire to devour already made all living beings within dozens of miles feel a trembling from the depths of their Souls!

"Roar—!!!"

The "Spirit Devourer" let out a roar that shook the world, filled with the resentment of being suppressed for ten thousand years and the ecstasy of regaining "freedom"!

Its invisible consciousness swept across all of Qinghe Town like a tide.

"Blood... Soul... More... Food... Revenge... Destruction..."

The next moment, it moved!

Like a black wave of death, it surged down from the mine, heading straight for Qinghe Town at the foot of the mountain!

Wherever the Devilish Qi passed, grass and trees instantly withered and turned black, rocks were covered in frost, and some small animals didn't even have time to escape before their blood essence was extracted, turning them into dried corpses!

"The monster is coming down the mountain!!"

"Run!"

"Help—!"

Qinghe Town instantly fell into unprecedented chaos and despair!

The sounds of crying, running, collapsing houses, and the sucking sounds as the monster swept past intertwined, resembling a living Hell!