A Demonic Revelation in Ghost Valley City

“Qin Yan, follow me.”

Fangyuan fixed her gaze on Xiao Miao, who stood nearby, before addressing Qin Yan directly.

With that, she turned and walked deeper into the alley.

Upon seeing this, Qin Yan paused to consider. He was curious to see what scheme Fangyuan was concocting, so he followed her.

Xiao Miao, though utterly bewildered by the situation, did the same.

‘What exactly was Qin Yan’s relationship with the girl before them?’

The trio eventually reached the alley’s depths.

Qin Yan’s eyes widened when he saw a vendor there, pushing a cart laden with goods for sale, surrounded by a constant stream of customers.

Then, Qin Yan noticed Fangyuan staring intently in that direction.

“Qin Yan, do you know what they’re selling?”

Fangyuan asked, a hint of an inscrutable smile playing on her lips.

“What?”

Qin Yan frowned as he questioned her, disliking it intensely when people spoke in riddles.

“Eat this, and you’ll know the answer,” Fangyuan declared, pulling a finger-sized object from her sleeve.

It resembled a cat’s eye.

“A Cat’s Eye Gu, it can dispel illusions, and is particularly effective against certain phenomena.”

Even a child knew better than to casually eat something offered by a stranger, let alone Qin Yan.

“Impossible.”

Qin Yan retorted.

“I knew you would say that,” Fangyuan replied, seemingly unfazed.

She withdrew the Gu worm, then opened the long, narrow box she had been cradling.

Inside, something appeared to be writhing.

It was a creature resembling a leech, with a grayish exterior and skin that pulsed and contracted.

Though Qin Yan harbored no fear of insects, the sight of this particular specimen inexplicably sent a chill down his spine.

Xiao Miao reacted similarly, instinctively taking a step back.

[That girl’s eyes betray a demonic aura, Xiao Miao. You must be careful.]

Shizun’s words echoed in Xiao Miao’s ears, intensifying her vigilance.

“A first-rank evolvable Gu worm, the Blood Leech Gu,” Fangyuan announced.

She extracted the Gu worm from the long box, and it coiled around her right hand, resembling a hidden sleeve-dagger.

Having spoken, Fangyuan advanced towards the small vendor’s stall.

‘What was she going to do?’

This question flashed through both Qin Yan’s and Xiao Miao’s minds, until a flash of crimson erupted, and severed heads tumbled to the ground.

Fangyuan’s black dress was utterly drenched in a dark, ominous hue.

The sight sent shivers down both Qin Yan’s and Xiao Miao’s spines.

Fangyuan was wantonly slaughtering mortals, right before their very eyes.

“Fangyuan! What are you doing?!”

Qin Yan roared.

He had never considered himself a righteous man, yet the scene before him struck him with horror, compelling him to rush forward immediately.

Seeing this, Xiao Miao likewise drew her weapon.

As the two approached Fangyuan, they saw the Blood Leech Gu on her hand glowing a vibrant, almost dripping red.

The surrounding blood essence was being absorbed by the Gu worm, making it appear as if she were forging some demonic artifact.

‘Good heavens, was Fangyuan slaughtering these ordinary people just to forge this demonic artifact?’

What was the demonic path? What was the evil path? The girl before him, with a smile playing on her lips, embodied it.

Witnessing this, Qin Yan wasted no further words, directly drawing his long spear.

It wasn’t for the sake of vanquishing evil and upholding justice; he simply couldn’t stand by and watch.

All he desired was a clear conscience.

However, Qin Yan quickly noticed something amiss at the stall.

What was being sold were actual human bodies, inverted and hung by iron hooks like butchered pork.

Large and small, old and young—these were clearly people!

“Ugh…”

Qin Yan nearly vomited at the sight.

The impact of this scene was simply too overwhelming for him.

Never, from his previous life to this one, had he witnessed such a spectacle.

“Good heavens,” Xiao Miao murmured, lowering her weapon, her face etched with shock.

“Who are you people?!”

Just then, a sharp bellow echoed from the far end of the alley.

A squad of armored soldiers appeared there, charging swiftly towards Qin Yan and the others.

Before Qin Yan could even react, Fangyuan seized his hand and dragged him away, fleeing into the distance.

“Run! What are you standing around for?”

Fangyuan’s profile was etched into Qin Yan’s vision as she pulled him along, sprinting into the distance.

Xiao Miao followed closely behind.

‘What on earth was going on?’

Qin Yan desperately tried to piece things together, but he simply couldn’t grasp the crux of the matter.

Why were these people consuming human flesh here?

This wasn’t cannibalism in a metaphorical sense; it was literal, physical consumption.

Ghost Valley City didn’t appear to be suffering from any calamity; on the contrary, there was an air of prosperity and leisure about the city.

Just as Qin Yan was deep in thought, he suddenly felt something appear in his mouth.

Fangyuan, seizing the moment when he was distracted, had slipped something inside.

“Don’t spit it out,” Fangyuan’s voice instructed, just as Qin Yan was about to expel the object.

“Look back.”

Qin Yan turned his head and saw the pursuing soldiers.

The leader bore the head of a wolf, while several soldiers behind him sported canine heads.

‘They… they were demons?’

Witnessing this, Qin Yan was utterly incredulous.

Was this Fangyuan’s trick?

But what was her motive?

And the meat on those cutting boards certainly wasn’t fake.

‘Could it be that Ghost Valley City had already been infiltrated by the demon race to such an extent?’

Xiao Miao’s mind was equally muddled at this moment.

Nevertheless, she gripped her weapon tightly, her gaze fixed on Qin Yan, who was being led away by Fangyuan.

Should he encounter any danger, she resolved to intervene without hesitation.

[Shizun, what on earth is this…?]

She began to ask.

[Don’t speak. A powerful one is approaching.]

Shizun’s words resonated in her ears.

Sure enough, no sooner had her Shizun’s warning faded than a figure clad in white robes appeared high in the sky.

Fangyuan, recognizing she had been targeted, immediately halted her steps.

Qin Yan looked up at the white-robed figure, whose foxy, captivating eyes left a profound impression on him.

“Fellow Daoist, why have you committed such slaughter within my Ghost Valley City?” she inquired, her aura already locking down the entire space.

Fangyuan glanced at Xiao Miao beside her, seemingly aware of something about the girl.

“Slaughter? I merely killed demons,” Fangyuan retorted, her gaze unwavering as she faced the white-robed figure in the sky.

This declaration visibly stunned the white-robed figure, who then descended to attack the very next second, as if her deepest taboo had been violated.

[Damn it, what is this fellow doing?!]

Xiao Miao’s Shizun exclaimed, observing the scene before turning her attention to Fangyuan.

Even with her extensive cunning, she couldn’t discern the true anomaly.

Yet, as she watched the white-robed Golden Core cultivator descend with murderous intent, she knew that if she didn’t act, her disciple would perish here, and her own fate as a disembodied soul would be no better.

Everything unfolded with such bewildering speed that it caught everyone off guard.

[Xiao Miao, be ready. I will borrow your body to confront this Golden Core cultivator.]