I became the demon of the female devil

Chapter 383 Burning Rage! The Demon Lord Descends!
Among the swirling incense ash, countless gray Gu worms were hidden, their size as small as dust particles, barely perceptible to the naked eye.

The breath, greedily inhaled by the pilgrims, seeped into their bodies through their nasal cavities.

After inhaling the Gu worms, everyone's cheeks flushed red, their expressions became excited, all their ailments vanished, and they seemed to be filled with inexhaustible energy.

However, all of this was just an illusion.

“The Phantom Gnatant can catalyze emotions; the deeper the obsession in one’s heart, the stronger the effect.”

"On the contrary, if one is indifferent to worldly affairs and has few desires, one will not be affected in any way."

Chen Mo's eyes were cold. Anyone who climbs the steep mountain path and comes to the top of the mountain to pray for blessings must have something to ask for.
Fear of disease, desire for wealth... these emotions are amplified under the influence of the illusionary gnats, and the Gu God Cult has clearly taken advantage of this.

"Infinite Heavenly Lord!"

"Thank you, True Lord, for bestowing your divine power to save the people from suffering!"

Seeing the frenzied expressions of the people around him, Chen Mo frowned even more.

In this atmosphere, even if the imperial troops came, they might not be able to disperse this group of people.

An invisible aura swirled around Yu Zhe, making it difficult for the Gu worms to get close. He squinted and said, "Looks like they're going to play their cards openly. Shall we just make our move?"

“There are nearly a thousand people in this Taoist temple. If a fight breaks out, the casualties will be very heavy,” Chen Mo said, shaking his head.

“Our primary task is to eradicate the Gu God Cult. It’s normal for some sacrifices to occur along the way. Moreover, if we continue to drag this out, the number of people infected with the Gu will only increase.” Yu Zhe said calmly, “When faced with two evils, choose the lesser one. In my opinion, we should act swiftly and decisively, leaving the evil cult no chance to take advantage of us.”

The Xuanjia Guards only care about the emperor's orders; completing the mission is their top priority.

As for the lives of ordinary people, they were never within their consideration.

Chen Mo remained noncommittal, and after a moment's thought, said, "We haven't figured out the details of the Gu God Sect yet. I have a feeling that there's a bigger conspiracy brewing behind it. Let's investigate further before making a decision."

Upon hearing this, Yu Zhe didn't say anything more and nodded, saying, "I will follow Lord Chen's arrangements."

The two walked through the crowded people and headed into the Taoist temple.

On the altar, the old Taoist priest lowered his eyes and chanted scriptures, but a barely perceptible sinister smile appeared on his lips.

The entire Ziyun Temple covers a large area, with pine, cypress and bamboo planted between the courtyards. Black rockery and white pond are pieced together to form a Bagua pattern, which seems to have a sense of "yin and yang complementing each other".

Unlike other Taoist temples that enshrine the Three Pure Ones and the Jade Emperor, Ziyun Temple only has two main halls.

The main hall enshrines "Zhenwu Shenjun", while the side hall houses a deity called "Zhaohua Niangniang".

It is said that this goddess was the Daoist partner of Zhenwu Shenjun, and was extremely effective in praying for offspring.

Chen Mo and Yu Zhe stepped into the main hall. The entire hall was tall and majestic, with clean and simple pillars. Auspicious clouds and mythical beasts were carved on the blue stone base, and a tall stone statue stood in the center.

He was several meters tall, with flowing hair and bare feet, and wore no crown or ornament.

He wore a star-moon cloud-patterned shoulder cape and a robe embroidered with precious images underneath. He held a jade seal in his left hand and a seven-star sword in his right. His lowered gaze held a hidden majesty, exuding both awe and compassion.

Dozens of believers knelt on prayer cushions in front, their eyes closed, murmuring and chanting Taoist scriptures.

Last night, Chen Mo fought with that Taoist Xuanzhen here, almost destroying half of the palace, but now there is no sign of anything unusual.

"This Taoist priest..."

Chen Mo stopped the young Taoist priest who was hurrying past and asked, "Where is Master Xuanzhen now?"

The young Taoist priest looked him up and down. "You are..."

Chen Mo took out a wooden plaque from his pocket, handed it to the young Taoist priest, and said, "I am Xuanji, a friend of Taoist Master Xuanzhen. We have arranged to meet today."

Upon seeing the words "Tian Shu" on the wooden plaque, the young Taoist priest was taken aback. He then hurriedly bowed and said, "I was unaware of your arrival, Master. Please forgive any rudeness... Head Master Xuanzhen is currently praying for believers in the side hall. Please follow me, Master."

"Good work."

Chen Mo followed the young Taoist priest through the main hall and along the connecting corridor to the side hall at the back.

Yu Zhe looked surprised and transmitted his voice, "Lord Chen is actually a successor of the Tian Shu Pavilion?"

"When you're out in the world, you give yourself your own identity," Chen Mo said calmly.

To be precise, given his relationship with Dao Zun, he should be considered the godfather of Tian Shu Pavilion...

We arrived at the entrance of the side hall.

This hall is smaller than the main hall and does not have the same grandeur, but it looks more exquisite. The brackets are layered, like clouds clustered together, and the beams are painted with cranes paying homage to the heavens.

Sunlight streamed through the carved window lattice, and wisps of smoke swirled in the beams of light, creating a misty, ethereal atmosphere.

In the very center stands a two-person-high, colorful statue, dressed in gorgeous clothes, with colorful ribbons fluttering behind it, and a warm smile on its beautiful face.

At this time, a long queue had formed inside the hall, numbering about several dozen people. Looking around, they were all women, each with a protruding belly, appearing to be pregnant.

Below the statue, Xuanzhen sat cross-legged, holding a whisk in his hand.

The women knelt one by one on the prayer mats opposite them. Xuanzhen moved his lips, chanting scriptures, and dusted off the surroundings with his whisk.

As if a spring breeze were caressing their faces, their expressions became serene, and tranquil smiles appeared on their faces, just like the statues behind them.

"Thank you, Taoist Master."

After the pregnant woman stood up and bowed, she left through the back door, guided by the other Taoist priests.

Chen Mo frowned and asked, "Why are there so many pregnant women here?"

“They all came here to pray for children, and now they’ve come to fulfill their vows,” the young Taoist priest said proudly. “These women either have physical defects or are simply unlucky, and have been unable to conceive for a long time, enduring countless scornful looks.”

"Finally, under the guidance of Lady Zhaohua, my wish was fulfilled. This is an incredible stroke of luck!"

"is it?"

Chen Mo frowned slightly.

The young Taoist priest led them to Xuanzhen and bowed, saying, "Master, this immortal says he has something to discuss with you."

Xuanzhen looked up and was stunned when he saw Chen Mo.

Although the person in front of me was blurry, I recognized him at a glance. He was the mysterious person I had fought last night!
"Didn't you say three days? Why are you here now?" Xuanzhen looked at Yu Zhe, who was following behind, and frowned. "And who is he?"

“It’s one of our own.” Chen Mo said in a low voice, “The Princess entered the city this morning, the location of the second batch of goods has been exposed, and Tang Xingbang is dead! The situation is urgent, there’s not much time, the goods must be transferred before dark!”

While speaking, he secretly activated his soul power, causing it to vibrate at a special frequency, constantly influencing the other person's perception.

Whether the method worked or not, Xuanzhen had no doubts whatsoever. He said with a solemn expression, "I also received the news, which is why I started the ritual ahead of schedule, in order to resolve this matter as soon as possible."

He handed the whisk to the Taoist priest beside him, stood up and said, "Everything is ready, come with me."

Chen Mo gave Yu Zhe a wink, signaling him to stay outside, while he followed Xuan Zhen through the back door.

The pregnant women who had received the blessing did not leave immediately, but instead lined up neatly and walked towards the inner courtyard.

Their expressions were blank, their movements stiff, like marionettes, showing no reaction to external stimuli.

"What exactly is the situation with these people?"

Chen Mo's unease grew stronger.

The inner courtyard was heavily guarded, with Taoist priests carrying long swords standing guard and patrolling everywhere.

Xuanzhen arrived at the artificial hill in the courtyard, placed his palm on a stone, and twisted it a few times. With a muffled "boom," the hill slowly moved away, revealing a deep tunnel.

"Please come in," Xuanzhen said, gesturing for him to enter.

Chen Mo did not hesitate and went inside.

Xuanzhen followed closely behind, and the entrance slowly closed.

The interior was dimly lit, with narrow stone steps leading downwards, and only the copper lamps on the walls could barely illuminate the path ahead.

The two walked down the steps, and Xuanzhen said as if chatting casually, "This place was built by the former abbot. At that time, there were frequent wars on the southern border. He realized that the flames of war would eventually reach Bailu City, so he began to prepare in advance."

"Sure enough, within a few years, the barbarian hooves trampled through the southern border, and Bailu City was lost."

"The abbot hid the elderly, women, and children who had fled here, while he led his disciples down the mountain to fight the enemy. But how could they possibly be a match for the barbarian cavalry?"

"The casualties in that battle were extremely heavy. The abbot himself was also seriously wounded and soon passed away. As the only surviving direct disciple, I naturally took over the Taoist temple..."

Chen Mo nodded and said, "This old abbot is quite a character. He sacrificed himself to save others. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to build a shrine for him."

“What’s the point of building a shrine when the person is dead?” Xuanzhen said disdainfully. “If you ask me, that old guy is just stubborn. What we pursue in cultivation is longevity. Once we embark on the path of cultivation, we are no longer the same kind of beings as those mortals.”

"To risk one's life for a bunch of ants is utterly foolish."

Chen Mo raised an eyebrow and said, "Immortality? I'm afraid even the Supreme Being can't achieve that, right? Besides, judging from your physical martial arts skills, you don't seem like a cultivator."

"Hehe, that's a long story." Xuanzhen said with a smile, "It is indeed as difficult as ascending to heaven to attain the Great Dao through dedicated cultivation. But if you think about it from another perspective, as long as you replace your physical body with a Gu worm and reproduce life after life, wouldn't you be able to achieve 'immortality' in a certain sense?"

"I have to thank Master Yin of the Gu God Sect for his guidance and for his willingness to help me modify my body."

"However, after the modification, the meridian pathways became different from ordinary people, and the previous cultivation methods could no longer be used. The only option was to switch to martial arts." "But compared to achieving immortality, this sacrifice is nothing."

As the two talked, they descended the last step and arrived at a stone chamber at the end of the passageway.

Xuanzhen pushed open the door and entered. "Come in."

"This is?!"

Upon seeing the scene inside, Chen Mo's heart skipped a beat!
The stone chamber is quite large, and the floor is carved with intricate patterns, resembling a kaleidoscope with nested rings.

The outermost layer consisted of twelve stone beds, each with a woman lying on it. Their bellies were swollen high, and a thin bamboo tube was inserted into their navels, with the other end connected to the ground. A pale yellow liquid dripped continuously from the tubes and flowed into the patterns on the surface.

The liquid flowed slowly along the grooves, eventually converging at the very center intersection.

A fleshy Ganoderma lucidum sprouted from the crack in the brickwork, its fine white hairs fluttering around it, making it look almost alive.

Chen Mo was very familiar with this thing.

Because he possesses a half-finished, unripe flower.

"Meat fungus strain..."

However, unlike the one I encountered in Toyogi Prefecture, this fungus matures extremely quickly, changing almost every moment!
"That's absolutely brilliant, isn't it?"

Xuanzhen said with a smug look, "An accident happened in Tiannan Prefecture. Not only was the supply of Heart-Eating Gu cut off, but the Meat Fungus also disappeared. In order not to delay important matters, I improved the original cultivation method."

"Using a woman's body to nurture the Gu worm, while simultaneously extracting the amniotic fluid from her abdomen to nourish the fleshy fungus, is simply killing two birds with one stone, hahaha."

Chen Mo clenched his fist beneath his sleeve, his voice low and deep, "So those women outside seeking children didn't actually get pregnant; they just became containers for cultivating the Heart-Eating Gu?"

“That’s right,” Xuanzhen said. “This amniotic fluid is more nutritious than flesh and blood, and it is a yin fluid, which is easier for the flesh spirit mushroom to absorb. It is expected to be fully mature tonight, and the heart-devouring gu should be ready by then.”

"In this way, we can both report back to the master and help Master Yin rebuild his physical body."

"It's funny, even though it's not a naturally conceived fetus, the mother's body still nourishes it with all her might, sending all the nutrients to the Gu worm... Tsk tsk, mortals are truly foolish."

Listening to Xuanzhen's incessant sarcasm, Chen Mo lowered his eyelids, seemingly trying to restrain himself.

He took a deep breath, composed himself, and said, "The lord can't wait any longer. The Xuanjia Guards could rush up the mountain at any moment. Give me these... containers first, and I'll move them to a safe place. We'll make further plans after things calm down."

"That's...ok."

Xuanzhen hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "But before that, there is something important to do."

"What is it?" Chen Mo asked.

"Although the physical body of Sect Leader Yin has been sculpted, it is, after all, a product of acquired craftsmanship, and it is difficult to achieve perfection. This may affect his future cultivation."

Xuanzhen stared at him intently, his expression gradually turning ferocious. "I see you have excellent physique, extraordinary talent, and are perfectly gifted. Why don't you lend it to me for a while?"

Chen Mo was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled, "So you figured it out all along? Then why did you put on this act for so long?"

“Otherwise, how could we lure you down here? Making too much noise outside would attract the attention of the Princess, and that would be terrible.” Xuanzhen said loudly, “Elder Shi, the person has been brought here, what are you waiting for?”

Chen Mo looked around, but didn't see anyone else appear.

However, the next moment, Xuanzhen's thin body seemed to swell up as if inflated, tearing his Taoist robe. His muscles twisted and knotted in a strange way, as if they had been randomly pieced together.

The skin on his chest bulged and tore open from the middle, and a tentacle reached out, crawling outwards along his body.

Finally, it fell to the ground with a "thud".

?

Chen Mo's lips twitched. "This is the... Elder Shi you were talking about?"

It was a bizarrely shaped creature, entirely pink, its skin covered in slime, with eight tentacles bearing suckers waving about. Its enormous head was covered with a dozen or so densely packed eyes, making it look like a—

Mutant octopus?

He had previously learned from Ye Zige that Yin Tiankuo had a Grandmaster-level elder by his side, which must be this thing.

"Tch, what a fuss. There are many ways to achieve immortality; there's no need to be confined to the human form."

Xuanzhen said to Elder Shi, "I've fought this kid before. He's probably at the level of a third-grade martial artist. If you and I join forces, I guarantee we can take him down."

Elder Shi stared intently at Chen Mo with dozens of eyes, his voice sharp and piercing, "My sect's protectors, and thousands of sect members from Tiannan, were all killed by you?"

Chen Mo nodded. "Pretty much."

"Fine, then go die!"

Elder Shi's tentacles writhed, and his figure flashed by, suddenly appearing behind Chen Mo. His speed was so fast that even the eyes could not keep up!

It opened its blood-red maw wide, its three-layered mouthparts covered with sharp teeth, and was about to swallow half of its body whole!

However, Chen Mo was completely unaware and stood still without dodging.

"I thought it would be much stronger, but it's nothing special..."

click-

With a crisp sound, Elder Shi's sharp teeth shattered!
He immediately let out a strange cry, enduring the excruciating pain as he pulled back, his eyes filled with horror.

"So hard?!"

His sharp teeth could bite through fine iron, but his opponent couldn't even break through a layer of skin!
Chen Mo's body was covered in jade-colored scales, his chest was engraved with intricate divine patterns, and dragon mouths and beasts were coiled around his shoulders. His face was covered by a helmet and visor, and something seemed to be burning in his pair of purple-gold eyes.

"To avoid suspicion, I rarely use my martial spirit. Consider this a special treat for you."

Chen Mo slowly raised his hand, and a golden spear appeared out of thin air, radiating a dazzling divine light like the blazing sun. "I hope you don't die too easily..."

call--

A sudden gust of wind arose in the sealed room.

"Watch out!" Xuanzhen exclaimed in alarm.

Before Elder Shi could react, a piercing shriek suddenly rang in his ears.

Zheng——

The Sky-Splitting Spear traced a golden arc as it lashed down from mid-air, and the enormous head exploded like a watermelon!
Blood and murky brain matter splattered everywhere!

Elder Shi staggered and fell to the ground.

Granulation tissue grew rapidly at the wound site, and soon a new head was formed.

His body was shrouded in shadow, and he looked up in terror, finally seeing clearly what burned in those purple-gold eyes—

That was a raging fire that seemed capable of burning the Canglan River dry!

Xuanzhen sensed something was wrong. He had barely moved his foot when a thunderclap exploded!
Purple lightning, accompanied by white flames, engulfed him instantly. In the blink of an eye, his physical body collapsed and disintegrated, turning into charred remains amidst piercing screams.

They couldn't retaliate!

They couldn't fight back at all!

"stand up."

"do not let me down."

Chen Mo pointed the tip of his gun at him and said calmly, "This is just the beginning."

Elder Shi swallowed hard, a human-like fear appearing on his ugly face.

"This guy is a third-rank martial artist?"

"Xuanzhen, I'll fuck your mother!"

……

……

Five hundred li outside Egret City.

Two figures stood amidst the clouds.

One of the women was tall and slender, wearing a loose-fitting scholar's robe, her deep eyes gazing at the distant city.

A semi-transparent figure hovered beside him, whispering, "My lord, our race is in dire need of rebuilding, and you have only recently been resurrected. Isn't it too risky for you to come to human territory so rashly?"

Zhuque was ordered to track Chen Mo, but she felt uneasy, so she sent the message back to the Desolate Region.

I never expected the Demon Lord to descend in person.
Even though it's just a clone, it's still far too risky!
Just as Zhu Wujian was about to speak, he suddenly sensed something, his gaze piercing through the void as he looked south.

"somebody is coming."

(End of this chapter)