299: Chapter 299 Puppet Showdown in the City - Demon Soul Possession

Later, Jiang Chen's group set off with these people, heading straight for that secret location—all to verify a suspicion in his heart: if these people truly regarded Spirit Masters as unshakable, supreme existences, then this world held no value for him to linger in.

Changing deeply ingrained prejudices? That was as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Rather than wasting time struggling here in vain, it would be better to leave, head for a new realm, and truly begin his journey!

Xiao Pangzi, who was traveling with them, chatted warmly with everyone along the way, and before long, the group had arrived at the gates of Wudu City.

The moment he stepped into Wudu, Jiang Chen's heart gave a slight jolt—the pedestrians filling the streets all exuded terrifying, abyssal auras, and a sense of oppression rushed toward him.

Although Wudu was a grand city, it was impossible for it to be filled with such powerful individuals everywhere.

He immediately activated his Eyes of Guixu, and as his vision shifted, he suddenly understood: beneath these people's skins, they were no longer flesh and blood, but puppet bodies possessed by demon souls!

It was only at this moment that he completely clarified the situation of this realm—the entire continent, save for the fertile southern lands where living beings still remained, was nothing but a dead, desolate wasteland where not a blade of grass grew.

From this, he deduced that the Martial Emperor entrenched in Wudu was, in reality, the ultimate hub that governed all races and held the destiny of the world in his hands.

And those demons were precisely the ones lying dormant within the body of the Martial Emperor!

In their eyes, the Martial Emperor was both the strongest physical vessel in the human world and a symbol of authority to command the world.

For now, they did not dare to act rashly, only using Golden City as bait to test the waters—wanting to see just how many formidable individuals capable of stirring up trouble were still hidden in this human world.

It now appeared that there were very few truly formidable experts, which was why the demons had urgently summoned the heroes of the world to gather in Wudu, intending to wipe them out in one fell swoop and completely tear through the last line of defense of the human race!

Although these puppets in the city had chaotic auras, their dominant consciousness was still their residual humanity; it was precisely because they feared the backlash and execution by the top combatants arriving from all directions that they had delayed taking action.

If not for this, they would have already bathed the entire city in blood!

It must be mentioned that those who came to the gathering this time were indeed elite—although most were Spirit Masters, Jiang Chen knew at a glance that all those who could sit firmly in their positions today had walked a path of bitter cultivation unimaginable to ordinary people.

Otherwise, how could they control spirit pets and fight side-by-side with them using only mortal bodies?

After the group from the Spirit War Academy arrived at their lodging, they immediately extended an invitation: "Since we come from the same origin, why not join forces? What do you all think?"

Xiao Pangzi hesitated for a moment, instinctively looking toward Jiang Chen.

Jiang Chen merely nodded slightly.

In that instant, Xiao Pangzi's heart leapt—his master had actually entrusted such a critical matter to him!

His throat felt warm, and he blurted out: "Alright!"

Wang Gang and the others nodded with smiles.

Everyone had originally wanted to stay at the same inn, but the number of arrivals was like a tide, and all guest rooms had long been occupied.

Fortunately, at this time, the Martial Emperor issued an edict: anyone entering Wudu could choose a place to settle.

For a time, every household opened their doors, sheltering travelers for free.

The common people sighed in admiration, declaring this new ruler to be a truly benevolent and virtuous sage.

However, at dinnertime when night fell, a sudden change occurred—dense, scarlet spots began to appear on everyone's bodies, and a thick red mist quietly began to spread throughout all of Wudu!

Anyone touched by the mist fainted instantly, only to be immediately engulfed and devoured by the undercurrents within the fog!

Some turned to flee, only to discover that the entire city of Wudu had been sealed off by an invisible barrier, leaving them unable to escape even with wings!

Furthermore, the red mist permeated everywhere, completely obscuring vision, making it impossible to distinguish figures beyond ten paces.

In less than half an incense stick of time, the red mist had swallowed the entire city.

The wailing gradually died down, corpses lay everywhere, and only a few people remained, gritting their teeth and struggling to stay on their feet.

Yet, in the eyes of the thousands of demons, this faint glimmer was nothing more than the light of fireflies, incapable of causing even the slightest ripple.

Just as the demon horde swept through the streets, a strange phenomenon occurred—there were people standing safely in the mist, completely unharmed!

One, two, three... and then hundreds of people appeared one after another!

There were no spirit pets around them, yet majestic auras surged forth, like an angry sea overturning the heavens, like stars falling from the nine skies, almost crushing the entire city!

How familiar were the demons with this aura—Cultivators!

But immediately, a great demon let out a cold snort: "These cultivators have weak cultivation; they don't even count as third-rate in the Upper Realm, they aren't worthy of being called enemies at all!"

In an instant, the ten thousand demons shed their disguises, all revealing their hideous true forms!

At this moment, atop a pavilion, Jiang Chen held his cup and took a light sip.

His gaze swept over the chaos outside the window, the corners of his lips curled slightly, and he said calmly: "Old Wang, you truly did not disappoint me."

Wang Gang froze in place, his eyes wide as saucers, and blurted out: "The Old Wang you speak of, could it be the sect master of the Worlds Number One Sect who once shook the Eight Desolations—Wang Yueshan?!"

Jiang Chen nodded slightly: "You know him?"

"That is my second uncle!" Wang Gang replied urgently.

Although these demons were fierce, the cultivators were definitely no pushovers.

The true essence of both sides clashed, sword qi crisscrossed, and they actually fought to a draw, making it hard to determine the winner—just this confidence to go head-to-head was enough to show that the cultivation of this group of cultivators had reached the realm of perfection!

However, the battle remained deadlocked, unable to tear open a gap.

Jiang Chen's brows furrowed slightly, and he suddenly flicked his sleeve!

In an instant, a vast, abyssal aura rumbled across the entire scene, as if the sky were lowering and mountains were collapsing!

All the cultivators trembled, their spiritual power suddenly surging several times over!

Xiao Pangzi and the others were close by, and they only felt their eardrums buzzing, their blood and qi churning, and even their breathing became a bit heavy.

Yet, while this violent power helped their combat strength skyrocket, it also stirred up a burning, tearing sensation within their meridians, and their bones ached faintly.

Jiang Chen's voice was steady and clear, exploding directly in everyone's sea of consciousness: "If you want to live, then kill them all!"

Previously the demon momentum was fierce, but now it was the cultivators' turn to counterattack like a tide—this overwhelming power was the foundation for their comeback!

Everyone knew: the longer they dragged it out, the more variables there would be.

If they didn't fight now, when would they?

No one held back, no one hesitated; everyone rushed out like arrows released from a bow, solely to tell their opponents with the most ferocious offensive—the price of provoking them was bloody and admitted no luck!

Jiang Chen did not stop, however, and turned to urge Xiao Pangzi and the others to hurry to the palace: "That is where the true battlefield is.

If we delay any longer, the situation will only get worse."

But when they charged into the palace gates, what they saw was unnaturally empty—there was not a sound among the vermilion walls and green tiles, and not a single figure could be seen beneath the palace halls and corridors.

Xiao Pangzi was completely confused, scratching his head and whispering: "Strange? Where did everyone go? Could it be we took a wrong turn?"

"It's not that we took a wrong turn, it's that we shouldn't have come here."

Jiang Chen's gaze sharpened, his nose twitched slightly, and he had already locked onto that thickest trace of demon aura.

He raised his hand and pointed into the distance at the vast mountain shadows: "Go to that main peak! The Martial Emperor is there!"

The group's aura was rising step by step; how could they let this once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity slip by?

Immediately, they surged forth like a flood, heading straight for the mountain gate!

But just as they stepped outside the boundaries of Wudu City, an invisible, immense force suddenly wrapped around their entire bodies—it was as if a weight of ten thousand jun had smashed down upon their heads, their brains swelling, their internal organs shifting, as if the entire world were crushing their souls!

Yet for the horde of demons, this pressure became a tonic!

The demon power lying dormant within their bodies was forcibly awakened, growing wildly amidst the intense pain, and roars faintly echoed from the depths of their bloodlines!

At this moment, atop the distant giant peak, a streak of scarlet blood light tore through the clouds, and monstrous blood qi swept across the continent like a tsunami!

All the powerful experts in the Southern Region changed color, their hearts and minds trembling!

Countless demons looked up to the sky and howled, cheering crazily: "Hahaha—the Demon Emperor has descended upon the world!!"