Chapter 233: Snatching People

Countless mycelial threads coiled upward, instantly encasing the Plague God Sparrow in a sphere.

Three large spheres, each one encasing one of the three Great Realm beings.

If Zhu Ge succeeded, all three would either die or be severely wounded.

The crisis facing Red River Prefecture could be resolved in an instant.

However, just as the Plague God Sparrow was being encased, all three simultaneously sensed a life-or-death crisis.

“SCREEE!!!!”

The Plague God Sparrow let out a piercing shriek.

“If I’m going to die, I’m taking you with me!” the Red River Dragon Python roared at the sky, its body thrashing and struggling madly.

The Locust Demon Crown Prince closed his eyes. He said nothing; only his Divine Soul trembled violently.

“RUMBLE—”

Dark clouds roiled, and the sky for thousands of miles around turned a gloomy, ink-green. Wisps of plague energy began to fall like rain.

At the same time, innumerable insects burst forth from the soil and trees, frantically gnawing on any life they could find.

“ROAR—ROAR—”

The Red River began to flood. Defying all logic, the churning waters surged up from the riverbed and poured into the surrounding farmlands, villages, and cities.

Meanwhile, in distant cities, the disaster prompted a response.

“A great calamity is upon us.” Mr. Langhao, the Jianshui City Lord, sighed. Behind him, groups of Second and First Realm Cultivators poured all their strength into sustaining the city’s protective array.

“Seal the tunnels!” The lord of Eagle City was directing people to move supplies and seal the passages, his face grim. “Delouse everyone immediately upon entering the city! Do not light any torches to avoid suffocation! Activate the city’s protective array!”

At the same time, cities like Mengzi and Fenshui also activated their protective arrays to defend against the plague energy, the swarms of insects, and the overflowing river.

It wasn’t just the Human Race; even members of the Demon Race were poisoned to death on contact with the plague energy. The insect swarms made no distinction between demons and crops, devouring all in their path.

As for the waters of the Red River?

The river, which had rarely flooded in the past, now turned both banks into a drowned land.

Countless villages and old stockades surrounding the cities, places that had survived the Demon Beast tides, now suffered a devastating blow in a single moment.

“The swarm! The swarm! The insect swarm is here again!!”

“Oh, Heavens, why do you treat us this way? Our child, whom we struggled our whole lives to bring into this world!”

“Father! Mother! Where are you!”

“Damn you, insects! Damn you!”

The land was filled with wails of anguish; the dead and injured were beyond counting.

It was not just the Human Race; members of the Demon Race also shrieked and died in agony across the land.

Even some of the weaker Ghost Gods and Spirit Monsters could not escape.

A mass extinction!

In stark contrast, a tremendous power of fear suddenly erupted forth.

In the deep mountains and old forests throughout Red River Prefecture, corpses that had gone unnoticed began to emerge one by one.

Even in Jianshan Village, a corpse appeared. If Zhu Ge and Hua Liusha had been there, they would have recognized it as the body of Hua Liusha’s mother.

Wisps of green plague energy rose from countless similar corpses.

This plague energy pulled the power of fear from a vast surrounding area, and it all surged high into the sky.

And all of this power of fear would become strength for the Plague God Sparrow!

‘The power of fear…’

Zhu Ge wasn’t looking in that direction, but he could still sense the power gathering.

Back in Jianshan Village, Hua Liusha and her mother had died of the plague. The Master had discovered something, which was why he had left Jianshan Village to report to Yuan Yang City.

But it was likely he had perished on the road, which was what led to all the subsequent events.

Now, it seemed the Plague God Sparrow had been plotting this for a very long time. The entirety of Red River Prefecture must have already been saturated with this plague energy.

‘Aren’t they here yet…’

Zhu Ge glanced at the sky and muttered to himself.

Then, he asked Hua Liusha in his mind, “Is everything ready?”

“Don’t worry, Brother,” Hua Liusha replied. “Your plan is flawless. Now, we just wait for these ‘pests’ to die.”

Just then, Yan Liyuan spoke up.

“Brother Zhu, is there anything else we can do?” Yan Liyuan looked up at the sky, his expression grave. “The world is filled with this power of fear. The Plague God Sparrow could very well use it to break through!”

A breakthrough!

Whether it was the Locust Demon Crown Prince, the Plague God Sparrow, or even the Red River Dragon Python, the one thing they wanted most was to achieve a breakthrough.

Only by breaking through and taking that next step could they enter a new realm and solve their respective problems.

And what of the casualties their breakthrough would cause? The displacement, the deathly silence?

They didn’t care.

The ones who cared were those at the very bottom: the common folk of the Human Race, the lowliest of the Demon Beasts.

Because they were the ones dying.

“I’m out of options,” Zhu Ge said, shaking his head. “The Hongmi Immortal is dead, and trapping three Great Realm beings is the absolute limit of my array.”

“My backer, True Monarch Minmian, was severely injured after his sword strike against the Nanyue Mianhuang. It’s estimated he won’t recover for a hundred years. I can only handle this battle on my own.”

“Brother Yan, and everyone…”

Zhu Ge looked at the others. “Thank you all for your help this time. However, my array is about to fail, and you all still have bright futures ahead of you.”

“You should escape while you can. You all have powerful backgrounds. I believe that as long as the Plague God Sparrow and the others aren’t fools, they won’t hunt you down for no reason.”

“As a member of Red River Prefecture, I will not be leaving.”

But the words had barely left his mouth when Su Feibai, who had been lying gravely wounded on the ground, shot up.

“Damn it! Are you a fucking idiot?” Blood streamed from Su Feibai’s mouth. He glared, wide-eyed, looking nothing like his usual self. “If I left now, what fucking immortal would I be cultivating to be? I’m afraid my Dao Heart would shatter the second I turned my back!”

“Fuck me, hey, swearing is actually pretty refreshing, huh? I think I’ll start cursing more from now on.”

Hearing this, Guan Julan couldn’t help but glance at him. Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she pressed them tightly shut.

But after just two seconds of the others staring at her with odd expressions, she couldn’t hold it in any longer and blurted out:

“Damn it! You might be an idiot, but I’m not going to be one! This lady comes and goes as she pleases, you hear me? I’m a Saintess! A goddamn Saintess of a Sect! So what if I miss out on one opportunity? It’s not like I’m desperate for it!”

“Well said, damn it all!” Yan Liyuan couldn’t help but praise, only to earn even stranger looks from the others.

“Ahem.” Yan Liyuan cleared his throat. “That is… what she said is absolutely correct, I agree. For my Confucian Dao, my Confucian heart… if I were to retreat now, I might as well take my own life.”

The others broke into laughter at the sight.

The other scholar, Wen Mo, and the Martial Dao cultivator, Hong Xiu, also laughed.

“Brother Zhu.” Yan Liyuan’s expression turned serious as he looked at Zhu Ge. “Why don’t you join my academy? If this endeavor fails, with your aptitude, I believe many masters at my academy would be clamoring to take you as their disciple.”

“Indeed,” Wen Mo nodded. “Brother Zhu, your spirit is suited for cultivating the Dao of ‘Righteousness.’ ‘Where righteousness leads, one would face nine deaths without regret.’ It is the most resolute and powerful Dao in this world, and it matches your Martial Dao perfectly.”

“Or you could join my sect,” Hong Xiu said with a smile, licking her lips. “I’m not afraid to tell you all that I’m actually an assassin. If you join us, with your skills in concealment, becoming our sect’s Holy Son would be no problem at all!”