ALL NOVEL Chapter 38
The moonlight was bleak.
Decaying corpses littered the ground, emitting a nauseating stench.
“An idol?”
In Lin Yuan’s mind, the image of the sacrificial evil god from the Lingsheng Sect flashed suddenly, his eyes gleaming like cold electricity, “What kind of idol?”
“It’s a fox, no, an eagle…no, no, it should be a fish…”
Jia Xinyue’s expression gradually became confused, her eyes moving unreasonably fast, but without focusing, up and down, left and right.
“I, I seem to forget… Wait, what did you just ask me?”
Lin Yuan frowned.
He stared at Jia Xinyue, a look that no normal person could make.
“I said, what kind of idol was it?” Lin Yuan squinted his eyes, emphasizing his tone and repeating the question.
“My father thought there was something wrong with what came out of the silver mine, so he took some experts from the villa and prepared to throw it back. Who knew, who knew they never came back…”
As she spoke, Jia Xinyue began to cry again, wiping her tears, astonished, she looked up at Lin Yuan:
“Young Master Lin, what did you ask me just now?”
“…”
Lin Yuan looked at Zhang Baoyi and the others next to him, they didn’t seem to feel anything wrong, their expressions were normal.
After a moment of silence, he said lightly, “It’s nothing.”
“Oh, right.”
Jia Xinyue nodded, a look of resentment appearing in her eyes, “If it really was the Willow Demon’s doing, then I should know where its lair is!”
“Lead the way.”
Lin Yuan said calmly.
A moment later.
Led by Jia Xinyue, they left Liuwang Town and walked along a small road for about fifteen minutes before stopping.
“Here!”
Jia Xinyue pointed to a hill in front, “Right there!”
Without her saying, everyone had already seen it.
On the small hill, there was a huge willow tree, the trunk alone was probably enough to be embraced by dozens of people.
Thousands of green willow branches hung down, swaying slightly in the night breeze, casting eerie shadows under the moonlight.
No, it wasn’t a semblance!
It was actually a group of ghosts, hanging in mid-air by the willow branches.
“This big?”
Zhang Baoyi’s eyes twitched, his scalp tingling, “Brother Lin, I think we’d better retreat….”
Leaving aside the Willow Demon for now, just the densely packed ghosts made one’s back chill.
How many people had to die for this?
“In our Liuwang Town, it is known as the Willow King because of this ancient willow tree!”
Jia Xinyue spoke solemnly.
“It has been in existence for who knows how many years, ever since Liuwang Town was established, the villagers would come to worship it on festive occasions, considering it a deity to be revered.”
“And Liuwang Town has always been prosperous, never heard of any haunting incidents.”
“Until that mining disaster happened…”
Jia Xinyue’s voice softened, filled with deep sorrow, she clutched her clothes tightly, “Many villagers died there, including my uncle and two uncles… only my father survived by sheer luck.”
“My condolences.”
Lin Yuan comforted.
He understood Jia Xinyue’s feelings, after all, in just a few months, first relatives unexpectedly passed away, then father went missing, with a very low chance of survival.
And now, the entire Jia Family Villa was wiped out, leaving only herself.
No one could accept that.
“Thank you, Young Master Lin. If it weren’t for you, I’m afraid I would also….”
Jia Xinyue took a deep breath, raised her head, and stared at the old willow tree on the hill, her eyes filled with deep hatred, “I just want revenge now!!”
In a resolute tone, Lin Yuan raised his head, staring at the ancient willow tree on the hillside, his beautiful eyes filled with deep-seated hatred, “Right now, all I want is revenge!!”
Lin Yuan squinted his eyes, remaining silent. The old willow tree ahead indeed posed a problem. Even at a distance, he could feel the surging Yin energy like a tide. And a willow tree that was constantly worshipped and revered by people should not be like this.
Many of the world’s gods were transformed from monsters. They accepted human beliefs and offerings, absorbed the power of incense from the earthly world, cultivated themselves, protected a region, and prevented people from being disturbed by monsters and demons.
It was somewhat akin to a symbiotic relationship. Strictly speaking, becoming a “god” was beneficial to all monsters and had no harm.
Especially for plant-based monsters, although they had long lifespans, their cultivation speed was surprisingly slow. Some tree demons, for instance, needed hundreds or even thousands of years just to awaken their spiritual intelligence.
Yet offering incense could expedite this process. Lin Yuan found it hard to understand. Why would the ancient willow, which had long been enlightened, suddenly abandon its principles and devour the people of Liuwang Town to cultivate itself?
Wasn’t this akin to killing two birds with one stone? The only reason he could think of was related to the so-called “divine image.”
“Young Master Lin!”
Suddenly, Jia Xinyue knelt in front of Lin Yuan with a thump, her white forehead touching the ground heavily, and said tearfully, “From now on, Xinyue is willing to be a servant, serving by your side, only asking Young Master Lin to help save the lives of dozens of people from the Jia Family Villa and hundreds of innocent villagers from Liuwang Town… to eliminate the willow demon!”
“Miss Jia, why do you say this? Since my Whale Gang has taken on this task, we will not sit idly by! Moreover, the willow demon harmed the innocent, and although I am not from the Demon Suppression Bureau, I cannot turn a blind eye. It is necessary to eradicate it!”
Lin Yuan said uprightly, a powerful Gang Qi lifting Jia Xinyue up.
Of course I will do it even if you didn’t ask me! This is a tree demon renowned for its longevity. If it brought benefits to the area, it would be understandable to let it be, but since it had killed many people, wouldn’t that just be offering up simulated lifespan on a silver platter?
Anyone who said not to kill would find it exasperating to Lin Yuan!
“Young Master Lin…” Jia Xinyue’s beautiful eyes showed a touch of gratitude. Nearby, Zhang Baoyi was slightly moved, feeling somewhat ashamed in his heart, especially since he had considered fleeing just a moment ago.
“Young Master Lin, standing up for justice, how can I, Liu Zongming, lag behind?”
At this moment, Liu Zongming strode up to Lin Yuan’s side, his eyes sharp, saying solemnly, “A mere willow demon, if it hadn’t attacked first, would I fear it!”
“Ahem, this monk’s cultivation is insufficient, so I won’t meddle further. I wouldn’t want to be a hindrance to the two benefactors.”
Master Xuanku chuckled.
Boom!!
The ground suddenly shook beneath their feet. Following that, large patches of earth were lifted, thick roots resembling dragons surged out of the ground.
Along with them came rotting corpses of various sizes, dark sockets glowing with green ghost fire, swarming towards them with howling cries.
“Ah!!”
In the trees, the fierce ghosts hanging from the willow vines emitted piercing screams, rushing towards them like a flood.
“Damn!”
Zhang Baoyi’s scalp tingled. Liu Zongming instinctively took two steps back, blood boiling and spirits high, but the scene before them was still chilling.
“Knife!” Lin Yuan’s cold voice resounded.
Zhang Baoyi subconsciously threw the pair of knives he was carrying over. Lin Yuan caught them with a raised hand. The next moment…
Chiiing!!!
The bright knife glow illuminated the night sky, resembling a galaxy, or a flash of lightning, but more like a scorching sun overseeing the world, its radiance piercing through the universe!