Chen Zhou had long known that this was a high-magic world fraught with peril.
He hadn’t expected to trigger another sub-quest so soon—slaying a demon.
He didn't know much about demons.
He had killed a snake demon before, but it was too weak to serve as a proper reference.
Without prior intelligence, caution was the best policy.
Since things had come to this, he might as well start with a sacrifice.
Common flesh x 4,000
Common blood x 2,000
Common souls x 500
【Sacrifice】!
Countless materials flew out of his storage, merging into the Bone Altar.
The massive skull atop the altar trembled violently. A crimson, malevolent light flickered in its eye sockets, and the chilling aura swirling around it surged instantly!
At the same time, Chen Zhou felt his own power skyrocketing!
The range of his Ghost Domain expanded at a speed visible to the naked eye, swelling dozens of times over in an instant.
With his Ghost Domain strengthened, Chen Zhou could now induce hallucinations in creatures caught within its bounds.
His authority to control enslaved ghosts unlocked an additional ten Ghost Servant slots and one Ghost Attendant slot.
The material cost for Bone Summoning increased to a range of 5 to 500 units, meaning he could now summon far more powerful Ghost Servants.
...
Meanwhile, at the edge of the Dead Man’s Forest outside the Ghost Domain, the air was thick with the sounds of bustling labor.
Shitou swung his blade energy to chip away at stone blocks while silently reciting the martial arts mantras in his mind.
The god had not appeared for several days.
Only that green netherflame continued to tirelessly transport wood and stone.
Every time it delivered materials to a certain spot, the items would vanish into thin air. A moment later, the netherflame would return empty-handed and repeat the process.
'A god’s gaze will not remain fixed on mortals forever.'
Shitou shook his head, comforting himself with the thought to suppress the disappointment in his heart.
He still constantly revisited the memory of that first night.
How the god's majestic bone incarnation had stepped out from the divine light, crushing the nightmare-like, man-eating beast with a single, effortless palm strike!
It was the most awe-inspiring and reassuring sight he had ever seen in his life.
Though the god was nowhere to be seen, miracles never ceased.
When the workers grew hungry, portions of snake meat were carried to each person’s hands by gusts of cold wind.
When they were thirsty, a massive water well appeared out of nowhere in the clearing.
Even when Li Dazhu found rare wood, he was rewarded with divine elixirs and medicine from the god.
Now, a large expanse of yellow-earth fields had suddenly emerged.
It seemed the god intended for them to make their home here, sparing them the misery of wandering.
To be full, warm, healthy, and free from pain or fear... in the past, no one would have dared to imagine such a life. Not even in their wildest dreams.
"This is too luxurious..."
The surrounding villagers shared his sentiment, their faces filled with genuine, peaceful smiles.
Everyone knew that even though the god hadn't appeared again, he was definitely still there.
Everyone felt a sense of peace they had never known before.
While Shitou was focused on chiseling stone, the surrounding light suddenly dimmed.
The chatter of the villagers and the clinking of tools grew distant before vanishing entirely.
Nothing remained before him but an endless void of darkness. Even the ground beneath his feet seemed to lose its substance.
Shitou didn't panic in the least. He stood firmly in place, his back as straight as a stalk of bamboo.
This was a place protected by the god; no demon or evil spirit would dare to harm him so brazenly here.
Moreover, his soul belonged to the god.
Before long, a lustrous white figure slowly emerged from the distant void.
Clad in white robes with hands behind his back, the figure’s face was blurred, and his robes fluttered despite the lack of wind. A faint halo of light surrounded him, making him look like a transcendent immortal descending from the heavens.
It was the god!
With just one look, Shitou was absolutely certain that the figure in the distance was the god's true form!
This silhouette was far more ethereal and divine than he had imagined, surpassing even the descriptions of immortals he had heard from the wealthy lords in the city.
Shitou had no education and was illiterate, but he suddenly remembered a line of poetry he had overheard once.
"Save for the triple layers of snow upon your frame, who in this world could outshine the one in white?"
In this world, perhaps no one was more worthy of that line than the god.
"Shitou—"
A vast and majestic male voice rang out.
Though it came from across the distant void, it resonated as if it were whispered directly into his ear.
Without the slightest hesitation, Shitou dropped to his knees. He slammed his forehead heavily against the void, yet it felt as solid as the ground.
He then responded loudly, "I pay my respects to the god!"
The white-robed figure did not move, but his voice continued, tinged with a hint of compassion.
"The Way of Humanity is flawed, but the Heavenly Dao possesses mercy."
"In this age, demons roam the world, and evil spirits pervade the Nine Provinces."
"I know that Shideng Village is about to face a demon disaster. Since I pity the suffering of the common people, are you willing to act on my behalf to slay the demons and purge this evil?"
Shitou’s mind jolted as he said firmly, "I would die ten thousand deaths to do so!"
"Good!"
As the word fell, the surrounding darkness receded like a tide.
Sunlight spilled down once more, and the voices of the villagers became clear again.
Shitou remained kneeling on the spot, but several items had appeared beside his hand.
Two pills emitting a familiar, putrid scent, a set of cold-gleaming bone armor, a sharp bone blade, and a wooden token entwined with thin threads of blood.
He carefully tucked the items into his shirt and swallowed the pills without hesitation. A familiar warm current instantly spread through his body, and his strength increased once more.
He then stood up, gripped the bone blade at his waist, and walked toward Widow Li and the others with burning eyes.
As soon as he approached, Widow Li’s loud voice struck first.
"You brat! You were standing there like a wooden post just now. I shouted until my throat was sore and you didn't answer. Did you lose your soul?"
She took two steps forward, reaching out to pinch Shitou’s arm, but her hand stopped abruptly when she spotted the cold-gleaming bone blade at his waist. Her eyes went wide.
"Where did this thing come from?"
The bone blade gleamed coldly, faintly emitting a trace of deathly energy; it was clearly no ordinary object.
"Mother!" Shitou quickly interrupted her, taking a deep breath and raising his voice. "I just saw the god!"
These words were like a thunderclap, causing the villagers who were chopping wood and chiseling stone to stop in their tracks.
Li Dazhu rushed over with his axe, one of his shoes flying off in the process. "What? The god appeared? What did he say to you?"
Shitou gripped the bone blade and said word for word, "The god said that Shideng Village is about to suffer a demon disaster. He has ordered me to go there and slay the demons in his name."
"A... a demon disaster?"
The boisterous villagers were instantly gripped by terror. A dark-faced man shrank back like a startled quail, his voice trembling.
"Shideng Village is dozens of miles away. Can't we just ignore it? That snake demon almost ate us last time. If we run into something even stronger, won't we all just be demon food?"
"Hongshu Village and Heishui Village were wiped clean by demons just a few days ago."
"Exactly..."
Demons were numerous in this world, and one often heard terrifying tales of villages being slaughtered.
Wasn't their own Daliang Village also victimized by the snake demon? Out of a population of hundreds, only twelve had survived thanks to the god's protection.
In the entire Qudao County, perhaps only White Jade City was safe.
The fear of demons was carved into their very bones.
Rate on N.U.
