Chapter 228: I Want to Go Home
Half-Crazy Monk and the others felt their scalps crawl. As they sprinted wildly, they saw the mountains shaking violently, countless rocks flying through the air, and from amidst the rubble, pitch-black tendrils emerged—these were the root feet of the Withered Ridge Root Demon.
The Heavenly Demon Sect had used black stone steles to suppress her root feet, while the black steles around the lake and the withered trees suppressed her main body.
Now that the black stone steles suppressing her main body had been pushed over by Half-Crazy Monk and his group, the root demon was able to unleash her power, and it was utterly terrifying, causing the entire mountain range to tremble incessantly.
As her power surged, the steles suppressing her root feet flew up one after another, shattered by her fearsome strength!
"How could an ordinary tree demon possess such immense power?"
Half-Crazy Monk exclaimed in shock: "Was this tree demon deliberately suppressed here by the Heavenly Demon Sect to harm people?"
Suddenly, several thick roots coiled toward them, each root tip adorned with a beautiful woman who giggled: "Leaving? You saved me, and I haven't repaid you yet. Stay here and merge with me!"
Qiu Yue swung her sleeve, and countless insects flew out, charging at the roots. These insects grew larger in the wind, reaching over ten feet in length, and bit down on the roots with a crunching sound. But their rows of sharp teeth shattered against the roots, unable to pierce them.
Qiu Yue was startled. She saw that from the navels of the women hanging on the roots, tiny rootlets sprouted, piercing through each of her Gu insects. In an instant, the Gu insects were reduced to hollow shells, their flesh and blood completely drained.
"My Gu insects can even bite through spiritual weapons, yet these roots are harder than spiritual weapons!" Qiu Yue cried out in alarm.
One root slithered behind them. Yuan Shan leaped into the air, gripping his sword orb, and thrust forward, piercing through the woman on the root. His sword spun, severing her head.
The woman's head hit the ground and immediately withered into a lump of charcoal shaped like a skull, while on the root, the headless woman grew a new head.
Yuan Shan was also shocked. He tried to cut the root, but another root shot out like lightning, stabbing through his back and into his body.
Yuan Shan hurriedly activated his sword orb to sever the root behind him, but his body suddenly shriveled. In an instant, all his flesh and blood vanished, leaving only a hollow skin.
The others had intended to rescue him, but upon seeing this, they frantically fled toward the canyon's exit. Behind them, above Withered Ridge, countless black tendrils waved wildly, and roots clung to the peaks on either side, hoisting the true body from beneath the earth.
It was a massive, tangled ball-like entity, with countless roots dangling below. Its movements were so violent that they triggered the Xuanji Crossbows on the surrounding peaks. Sensing the demon's aura, the crossbows automatically loaded, and two enormous arrow beams shot through the air, striking the Withered Ridge Root Demon, which resembled a giant black sphere.
The demon let out a piercing scream, as if countless voices were layered together, shaking the surrounding mountains and triggering avalanches.
Long Jiaonan and the others barely escaped the pursuing tendrils. Fortunately, the Xuanji Crossbows' attack caused the demon pain, making it retract its tendrils and allowing them to survive.
"These Xuanji Crossbows can even kill Celestial Beings—they'll definitely finish off this demon!"
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but suddenly, the Withered Ridge Root Demon swung its tendrils at the Xuanji Crossbows on the peaks. With a thunderous crash, one of the crossbows was shattered, its massive bronze arm tumbling down the mountain.
Then, the Xuanji Crossbow on another peak was also smashed to pieces by the demon.
Long Jiaonan and the others turned pale. They quickly leaped onto the back of the red serpent Long Jiaonan had raised and fled madly, finally escaping Withered Ridge. Looking back, they saw countless roots like black pythons crawling toward them from the canyon, accompanied by a heavy rumbling sound.
Clearly, the root demon's body was too massive and heavy to fly, so it could only use its roots to grip the cliffs and drag its enormous body forward.
This demon was so colossal that its movements caused it to collide with the mountains on either side, shaking the peaks.
"The Heavenly Demon Sect has truly committed heinous sins, raising such a massive demon to harm people!"
Half-Crazy Monk trembled, whether from anger or fear, and roared: "How many people must they have killed to nurture this demon to this level? How I hate that my strength is too weak to subdue demons and uphold the Dao!"
The others knew he felt guilty for releasing the demon and was shifting the blame onto the Heavenly Demon Sect. They didn't call him out, instead saying: "At least this demon has been lured into the Great Ruins, so it won't ravage the people of Yankang. That's a blessing."
"Everyone in the Great Ruins is either abandoned or heretics driven to desperation. This demon causing chaos there is practically eliminating evil and upholding the Dao."
Half-Crazy Monk's expression softened, and he said: "The Heavenly Demon Sect leader deliberately made noise to lure us into the valley, likely intending to use this demon to kill us. We are blessed by fortune and escaped alive—he must be deeply disappointed, right?"
Just as he finished speaking, the Withered Ridge Root Demon's massive body squeezed out of the canyon, rolling down from the heights, its countless tendrils writhing wildly.
The group quickly took to the air. Scholar Lan Yu said gravely: "This demon can't fly, so we're safe..."
At that moment, a bird's cry rang out, and a gust of wind hit them. A golden-winged giant bird shot over like lightning, its claws gripping Lan Yu's shoulders and carrying him away.
Scholar Lan Yu felt pain in his shoulders as the bird's claws pierced through his shoulder blades. He tried to use his divine abilities to save himself, but the golden-winged bird lowered its head and pecked him on the skull, shattering it. It then carried his headless body deeper into the vast forest.
The Great Ruins had arrived.
A lawless, untamed wilderness.
The beasts here didn't care whether you were a disciple of a famous sect—to them, there were only things they could eat and things they couldn't.
Qiu Yue shouted in panic: "Don't fly! Stay on the ground!"
Everyone landed. Behind them, the Withered Ridge Root Demon was still pursuing. They ran for their lives. As they passed a pool of water, a massive fish leaped out, biting one of the young experts and shaking him violently before killing him and dragging him into the water.
The Withered Ridge Root Demon arrived, its countless roots plunging into the pool. The strange fish in the water leaped out and followed behind Qiu Yue and the others, moving swiftly on land. It soon overtook them and ran ahead, leaving the group staring in disbelief.
They ran another ten miles, only to see a row of trees uproot themselves, sprout legs, and sprint away, fleeing from the pursuing Withered Ridge Root Demon.
"Demon King, the Great Ruins are very dangerous. If you don't have to, never fly in the sky."
In the distance, Qin Mu sat on the back of the Dragon Qilin, looking relaxed, and said with a smile: "The Great Ruins have their own unique rules. If you want to fly, keep low and don't be too conspicuous. If you think you're strong enough, you can fly higher, but if the beast lords find it annoying, they'll knock you down and eat you."
The All-Heaven Demon King sneered: "Isn't that just the law of the jungle? I understand. The All-Heaven Realm follows the same rules."
"Also, don't go out after dark."
Qin Mu's expression grew serious: "Unless you have the power of a god or demon, never step into the darkness, or you'll die."
The All-Heaven Demon King chuckled: "What's so scary about darkness? The All-Heaven Realm has already collapsed into complete darkness, with only a few places still having light and life. I thrive in the dark—I'll wander around at night and show you."
Fox Ling'er rolled her eyes. In the little fox's view, the All-Heaven Demon King was already dead.
Qin Mu continued: "The Great Ruins have no laws, so no matter who you meet, you must be polite. If you're rude, you might offend someone and get killed easily. The more lawless a place is, the more you need to observe etiquette. Also, there are terrifying gods and demons in the Great Ruins—some sealed, some suppressed, and some living quite comfortably. Don't wander around recklessly."
The All-Heaven Demon King was startled: "There are gods and demons in this world?"
"Plenty. I've encountered a few."
Qin Mu said: "As long as you understand the rules of the Great Ruins, it's actually safer here than in Yankang. Ask Ling'er if you don't believe me."
The All-Heaven Demon King looked at Fox Ling'er, who nodded vigorously, deeply agreeing, and said: "Yankang is far more dangerous than the Great Ruins. Young master came out this time to train in Yankang. We don't even consider the Great Ruins as training grounds, which shows how perilous Yankang is."
Suddenly, a deafening crash came from behind them. Qin Mu turned to see countless tendrils filling the sky, and a pitch-black, mountain-sized behemoth lumbering toward them.
On those tendrils hung naked women, cackling eerily.
"That demon from Withered Ridge—who was foolish enough to release it?"
Qin Mu shuddered. The women hanging from the Withered Ridge Root Demon had already spotted him and were rushing toward him, along with countless beasts fleeing in the same direction.
"This demon is asking for death. Charging recklessly through the Great Ruins will get it killed quickly."
Qin Mu shook his head: "Even the Village Chief wouldn't be so reckless."
As he spoke, the ground shook violently. A massive, golden-furred hand burst from beneath the earth, flames burning around it, and slammed down on the Withered Ridge Root Demon.
The root demon, like a black ball, was sent flying, disappearing into the distance.
The fleeing beasts all stopped, looked back, and then returned to their territories one by one.
The All-Heaven Demon King stared, speechless for a long time.
Qin Mu comforted him: "It's fine, it's fine. That's just how the Great Ruins are. Some ancient ruins often hide strange gods and monsters. As long as you burn incense at temples and worship the gods, you'll be fine. That demon probably bumped into some relic and angered the spirit within."
The All-Heaven Demon King's body stiffened. After a long while, he exhaled and said: "This place is too dangerous. I want to go back to the All-Heaven Realm..."
The demon king suddenly became agitated, his four faces and four mouths spitting out broken parts: "This broken world of yours—where is it a mortal realm? It's full of demons and monsters everywhere! I won't invade anymore, okay? Let me go! I want to go home!"
Fox Ling'er advised: "The Great Ruins are really safe, much safer than Yankang. Stick with young master, and you'll be fine."