Even hybrid monsters have their day

Since waking up, Geng Miaowan felt that her senses had become much sharper. At this time, they were still some distance from the village entrance, but she could faintly smell a bloody odor.

She turned to look at Qiu Pi, who was also looking at her with a puzzled expression, clearly having noticed something amiss as well.

After walking a while longer, they saw a person standing motionless at the village entrance. The closer they got to the village, the stronger the stench of blood became. The intense smell made Geng Miaowan frown, and even Qiu Pi showed discomfort on his face.

The group arrived at the village entrance, and Geng Miaowan only then realized that the person was actually Granny Lu. She wasn't standing there at all; something had pierced her body, leaving her standing upright. The object that had passed through her body was the walking stick she used to lean on. Her face was contorted with terror, her eyes wide open, her death utterly tragic.

Several mangled corpses lay on the ground at the village entrance, a sight too painful to behold.

Geng Miaowan discovered that among the corpses was the body of a young woman, the mother of two children and Zhang's daughter-in-law. Her expression was different from the others; it was very sorrowful. Presumably, after believing that her children were dead, she had already lost all hope and her heart was dead.

She felt a pang of sadness. She had thought that once the child was rescued, they could be reunited, but she never expected that while the child would return, the mother would be gone.

The village was in complete disarray. Blood was everywhere, on the ground and walls, a sea of ​​crimson, and the pungent smell of blood made Geng Miaowan feel nauseous.

What on earth happened? She had only left the village a day ago, how could something like this have happened there?

Geng Miaowan and Qiu Pi stood at the village entrance, momentarily at a loss for what to do. As for Xiao Bai, he had vanished as they approached the village.

At this moment, Peng Yuxian emerged from the village, his face filled with pity, yet his eyes remained calm and undisturbed. His red robes, more vivid than blood, made his complexion appear even paler, and against the backdrop of the village's crimson hue, he possessed an eerie quality as if he had emerged from a sea of ​​blood.

Geng Miaowan was startled, but when she looked again, she saw that he still had that holy appearance.

She stepped forward and asked, "How is the situation in the village?"

“Not a single one survived.” He said this in a cold, emotionless tone.

Geng Miaowan was stunned. Although she had a bad feeling, she still found it hard to accept that the truth was exactly as she had suspected. So many vibrant lives were lost in a single day, and in such a cruel way.

While she was horrified by the reality, she was also secretly alarmed by Peng Yuxian's strength. He must have rushed into the village so quickly because he sensed what was happening there; they had barely entered the village's boundaries at that time. She and Xiaobai only sensed the anomaly when they were almost there.

Generally speaking, the higher a person's cultivation level, the stronger their perception. Compared to that, she simply couldn't imagine just how profound Peng Yuxian's strength was.

"Who did this? How could they be so cruel?" Geng Miaowan asked.

“If I’m not mistaken, it must have been done by that demon on the mountain,” Peng Yuxian said.

Qiu Pi also spoke up, saying, "This method does indeed seem like the work of that demon on the mountain."

At this moment, Xiaobai returned after scouting the surroundings, bringing back only four words to Geng Miaowan: "Too cruel."

Geng Miaowan recalled the scenes she had witnessed when she first arrived at the mountain and agreed with their assessment. She asked Peng Yuxian, "Do you know what kind of demon that was?"

He thought for a moment and said, "That's a thousand-year-old sand crawling insect demon."

"Sand-crawling insect demon, what is that?" Geng Miaowan asked, puzzled. She had never even heard of such a thing. Qiu Pi shared the same question.

Peng Yuxian glanced at the two of them and said calmly, "The sand worm is also known as the water centipede. There is a legend that this sand worm demon was originally just a small insect in Buzhou Mountain. It likes water and lives in a stream in Buzhou Mountain."

"What kind of place is Buzhou Mountain?" Geng Miaowan asked Xiaobai in her mind.

"Mount Buzhou is a sacred mountain. Legend has it that it is the closest place to the gods, and its highest point can reach the Heavenly Court. The mountain is full of spiritual energy, making it a good place for cultivation. Many monsters and spirits have cultivated there."

"I can't believe there's such a magical place," she exclaimed.

At this point, Peng Yuxian also spoke of the crucial moment, "Because Buzhou Mountain is full of spiritual energy, this sand crawler demon has some abilities. After absorbing spiritual energy for hundreds of years, it developed self-awareness. This demon has been cultivating in Buzhou Mountain for three thousand years. Originally, it had been cultivating peacefully in Buzhou Mountain, but who knew that some time ago it suddenly went berserk and rushed out of Buzhou Mountain and escaped. I came here by following its trail."

What Peng Yuxian didn't say was that the sand crawler demon wasn't the only demon that escaped from Buzhou Mountain. And Buzhou Mountain was no longer a suitable immortal mountain for cultivation.

"How could the demons of Buzhou Mountain suddenly go berserk and become bloodthirsty?" Xiaobai was very puzzled. "The spiritual energy of Buzhou Mountain is the closest to that of immortals. Long-term absorption can cleanse a cultivator's superficial roots, purify their soul, and lay the foundation for ascending to immortality. I have been to Buzhou Mountain a few times before, and the demons there are all very kind."

While listening to Peng Yuxian's explanation, Geng Miaowan communicated with Xiaobai in her mind, "How long ago did you go?"

Xiao Bai thought for a moment, "Probably a few thousand years ago."

Geng Miaowan rolled her eyes. "A lot of things can change in a few thousand years, okay?"

“But Buzhou Mountain is a sacred mountain that has existed since the beginning of time. How could it suddenly change?” Xiaobai argued.

"Then it might be that quantitative change leads to qualitative change."

"Huh? What does that mean?"

Geng Miaowan glanced at it, then turned to Peng Yuxian and asked, "Why did this happen?" Seeing him shake his head, she continued, "What should we do now? And what about these two children…?"

Peng Yuxian thought for a moment and said, "To prevent more innocent people from being harmed, I need to hurry and chase after that sand crawling insect demon. But these two children are now helpless and alone. Why don't you two take the children to the Green Mountain Sect and hand them over to the sect leader, Song Gan?"

After this incident, Peng Yuxian no longer insisted on having Qiu Pi take him to find the demon.

"If we just go there like this, will the leader of the Green Mountain Sect accept them?"

“I’ll write you a letter, which you can take with you. He’ll make the arrangements.” With that, Peng Yuxian took out a piece of paper from his lapel, and with a flick of his finger, several lines of dazzling golden characters appeared on the paper. He folded the paper, sealed it with a special spell, and wrote “To Song Gan only” on it, then handed it to her. “You just need to give this letter to Song Gan.”