Chapter 227: Withered Lonely Ridge Root Demon

"When others defeat the young, the old appear. For me, it's the opposite: I defeated the old, and now the young are coming." Qin Mu sighed to himself. Being the Heavenly Saint Cult Master was truly difficult.

Long Jiaonan and the woman from Three Wonders Fortress arriving here indicated that other young masters were also nearby. Being caught by them would be troublesome.

Hu Ling'er manipulated the demonic wind, sweeping away the insects flying towards them and sending them far off. She asked, "Young Master, aren't these people going home for the New Year?"

"They probably see killing me as their New Year's celebration," Qin Mu replied. He shook his head. "Besides killing me, they also want to kill the Emperor. Killing me certainly won't happen, but I wonder if they can kill the Emperor. After all, the Emperor is a much bigger target than me."

Hu Ling'er handled it well, blowing away the insects so Long Jiaonan and the others couldn't find them, preventing them from locating the Desolate Ridge Canyon.

Desolate Ridge Canyon was not far from here. When Qin Mu reached Desolate Ridge, he noticed that its mountains weren't as steep as other areas, but there was a distinct difference: the entire mountain range was bleak and gray, devoid of any greenery. The entire mountain was covered in withered trees; the trees were black, the ground was black, creating an ominous impression.

"What if they manage to kill the Emperor?" Hu Ling'er asked.

Qin Mu stepped forward, entering Desolate Ridge. Hu Ling'er quickly followed, jumping onto Long Qilin's back, then bouncing up to its head to look around.

"If they kill the Emperor and the Crown Prince ascends the throne, then the Imperial Preceptor's reforms will be overturned by the Crown Prince," Qin Mu explained. "Then the Imperial Preceptor would eliminate the Crown Prince and replace him with an obedient emperor. Even if the Imperial Preceptor doesn't do it, I will. I've even been saving the position of the Heavenly Saint Cult's Fourth Guardian King for him for a long time. However, they won't be able to kill the Emperor, and the Imperial Preceptor wouldn't want to be the Cult's Fourth Guardian King."

Withered trees, devoid of leaves and branches, covered the area. The little white fox felt nervous, sensing that the dry branches resembled sharp claws and the twisted trunks looked like terrifying faces, making her afraid.

"This place is contaminated by the blood of gods and devils," the Dutian Demon King remarked, casually swatting away a few flying insects. He then grabbed a handful of soil from the ground, rubbed it between his fingers, and said in surprise, "Strange, this blood is very peculiar. It's hard to tell if it's divine or demonic. It seems to contain both divine blood and demonic blood, a single type of blood with both attributes. Interesting..."

Qin Mu asked curiously, "Lord Demon King, could it be that divine blood and demonic blood were spilled on this land at the same time?" He had seen the blood of demon gods before; it was potent. Back when he and the Village Chief entered the darkness of the Great Ruins, the Village Chief wounded a demon god, and a single drop of its blood, falling to the earth, caused all trees and vegetation within a hundred zhang to wither, similar to the situation at Desolate Ridge. But that was just one drop of demonic blood. Here, the entire Desolate Ridge Canyon was contaminated, indicating a significant amount of divine and demonic blood must have flowed into this area.

"It's different," the Dutian Demon King said, shaking his head. "It's the same blood, but it possesses both divine and demonic attributes simultaneously. Your understanding is still too shallow; you can't grasp the intricacies. Divine blood governs life, while demonic blood governs death. The blood spilled in Desolate Ridge has both divine and demonic attributes. Its divine essence is hidden within the soil, while its demonic nature has destroyed all the plants and trees, causing everything that grows from the ground to die. These trees have died, but their roots are not dead; instead, they are exceptionally robust and developed. It's possible they have already gained sentience by absorbing the vitality of the divine blood."

Hu Ling'er quickly asked, "Will tree roots turn into monsters?"

"Yes, they will," the Dutian Demon King confirmed. "They should become a very peculiar creature, covered in tentacles."

Although called Desolate Ridge Canyon, the terrain was quite high; it was only significantly lower compared to the mountain ranges on either side. This dark canyon twisted and turned, and the mountain path was difficult to navigate. The Heavenly Saint Cult must have endured many hardships when smuggling goods through here in the past.

Every so often, they encountered a black stone tablet, three to four zhang high, inscribed with runes. Qin Mu recognized them and said, "These are the Cult's monster-suppressing runes. Ling'er, don't touch them. If you trigger the runes, you'll be sucked into the tablet."

Hu Ling'er was startled.

"There are many monster-suppressing tablets in Desolate Ridge. It seems the Heavenly Saint Cult put a lot of effort into opening up this passage back then. This also suggests that there are many, and very formidable, monsters in Desolate Ridge."

Qin Mu counted the black monster-suppressing tablets they encountered along the way; there were forty-six of them, and they had only covered less than half the distance. If each tablet suppressed only one monster, that would still be forty-six monsters. However, these black tablets were three to four zhang tall; it was impossible for such large tablets to suppress only one monster. Therefore, the number of monsters suppressed here must be substantial.

They reached the center of the valley and saw a pond ahead. Surrounded by snow-capped mountains, it was strange to find a lake here in such cold weather, which greatly surprised them. By the lake stood an ancient, withered tree, its branches spreading wide. Around this ancient tree and the lake, hundreds of black stone tablets stood densely packed, completely encircling the tree and the lake!

Qin Mu and the others were startled. With so many black monster-suppressing tablets here, were hundreds of monsters suppressed in this place? Although he was the Heavenly Saint Cult Master, he knew little about this Desolate Ridge passage and was unsure what the Heavenly Saint Cult had encountered here in the past.

"Could there be a monster kingdom here?" Qin Mu murmured. He continued, "But why are there so many tablets around this ancient tree? It doesn't look like they're suppressing many monsters; it's more like they're suppressing this tree and this lake."

No sooner had he spoken than a cry for help came from the lake. Long Qilin, being tall, looked over the black stone tablets, glanced, and slowly remarked, "There's a woman bathing in the lake."

"Help, help—" cried the woman in the lake.

Hu Ling'er quickly jumped onto his head to look into the lake, exclaiming indignantly, "Fatty Qilin, is that bathing? She's drowning!"

"It's bathing," Long Qilin slowly replied. "She's not wearing clothes, so naturally, she's bathing. Have you ever seen anyone drown naked?"

"Naked?" The Dutian Demon King was both surprised and delighted. He quickly climbed onto Long Qilin's head to gaze into the lake. Indeed, there was a drowning woman, completely naked and alluringly shaped, struggling in the water. Her curves captivated the Demon King, who exclaimed, "This demoness is beautiful! Come take a look, brat!"

Qin Mu chuckled, "We still have pursuers. Let's go." With that, he stole a glance through a gap in the forest of black stone tablets.

"Young Master is a true gentleman!" Hu Ling'er said, full of confidence in him.

"Gentlemen outside, help me—" the woman in the lake shrieked. The woman in the lake wailed, "Quickly, push down the stone tablets and save me! I will offer myself to you!"

Qin Mu and the others walked around the lake. Hu Ling'er crisply declared, "Demoness, my Young Master won't fall for your trick! Let it be known, my Young Master is the Heavenly Saint Cult Master!"

Suddenly, the woman fell silent, and a chilling voice echoed, "The Heavenly Saint Cult Master?"

*Splash!* From the lake surrounded by the black stone tablets, a monstrous wave surged, and countless dark tree roots, like innumerable tentacles, shot skyward, writhing and waving in mid-air. At the end of each tentacle hung a naked young woman, smooth and bare, all staring directly at Qin Mu. Countless shrill, piercing voices screamed, "The Heavenly Saint Cult! It was the Heavenly Saint Cult that suppressed me here! They used these tablets to shackle my body, to press down my legs and my arms—"

*Rumble, rumble—* Throughout Desolate Ridge Canyon, black stone tablets trembled. Beneath them, massive bodies seemed to be struggling and writhing, attempting to break free from their seals!

Qin Mu was startled. Seeing so many tablets in Desolate Ridge Canyon, he had always assumed they suppressed a monster kingdom with countless monsters. He never expected that these tablets were suppressing *one* monster—a single, enormous monster! The black stone tablets continuously vibrated, and the soil beside them shook violently, as if about to be uprooted. Suddenly, the runes on the tablets lit up, their light flowing. Each tablet became as heavy as a mountain, pressing down on the monster in Desolate Ridge, preventing her escape.

"I want revenge!" Above the lake, the countless faces of the women contorted, shrieking, "I will kill all of you from the Heavenly Saint Cult!"

The black stone tablets encircling the ancient tree radiated brilliant light, their runic glow illuminating the ancient tree. The tentacles above the lake seemed to be pulled underground by a strange force. The women hanging from the tentacles screamed, reaching out frantically, but they could grasp nothing as they were gradually dragged back into the lake.

"This lake should be a mark left by the impact of divine and demonic blood, which has now been absorbed by this ancient tree," the Dutian Demon King mused. He wondered aloud, "How does your old home have so many strange things?"

Qin Mu chuckled, "My old home has even stranger things than this. Let's keep moving. We must get out of Desolate Ridge before nightfall and find a safe place."

"What a pity," the Dutian Demon King muttered, smacking his lips. "That little demoness was quite beautiful, prettier than the women of my Dutian."

Meanwhile, Long Jiaonan, Qiu Yue, Scholar Lan Yu, Half-Crazy Monk, Yuan Shan, and others had reunited and were searching for Qin Mu's traces. Suddenly, they felt vibrations emanating from Desolate Ridge and all looked in that direction.

Scholar Lan Yu exclaimed, "The Heavenly Saint Cult Master went to Divine Severing Mountain Range? Isn't he afraid of being shot by the Xuanji Crossbows?"

Qiu Yue waved her hand, and countless swarms of insects flew towards Desolate Ridge, following the sound. "The Heavenly Saint Cult Master is cunning. Since he's going through Divine Severing Mountain Range, there's likely a safe passage there! I'll use insects to scout ahead; we'll follow!"

The group hastened towards Desolate Ridge, with the insect tide surging ahead. Countless insects flapped their wings, pressing forward. When they reached the lake, they saw demonic mist swirling over it, and innumerable voices cried out from within, "Heavenly Saint Cult Master, I will kill you, I must kill you, and wipe out your Heavenly Saint Cult!"

The group exchanged glances. Half-Crazy Monk coughed and loudly declared, "Demoness, what grievance or enmity do you have with the Heavenly Saint Cult Master?"

A young woman, naked and alluring, rose from the water, pitifully wailing, "The Heavenly Saint Cult suppressed me here for hundreds of years! My hatred for them is as deep as the sea, irreconcilable! Esteemed monk, if you can rescue me, I am willing to offer myself to you..."

Half-Crazy Monk chuckled, "I am a man of the cloth; I don't need you to offer yourself. Convert to my Buddhism, help me kill the Heavenly Saint Cult Master, and this humble monk will break the seal and release you."

"I am willing to convert!" the woman exclaimed, both surprised and delighted.

Scholar Lan Yu, Yuan Shan, Yu'e, and the others frowned in unison, about to dissuade him, but Half-Crazy Monk had already uprooted a black stone tablet and thrown it to the ground. He turned back and said, "Fellow daoists, this is a monster suppressed by the Heavenly Saint Cult. The Heavenly Saint Cult is a demonic sect, so the demoness they suppressed must be a good demoness. Please help me push down these monster-suppressing tablets and rescue our fellow daoist!"

The group had no choice but to step forward and, together, push down the stone tablets one by one.

*Rumble!* The mountains shook. The ancient tree slowly began to rise, and beneath its trunk, a massive black sphere continuously swelled, growing larger and larger, like an enormous ball of tangled black threads. The black roots writhed like dragons and giant pythons, revealing countless white bones entangled within them!

Seeing the white bones buried beneath the tree, Half-Crazy Monk was horrified. He now understood: what the Heavenly Saint Cult had suppressed might not be his fellow daoist, but rather an existence far more malevolent than the Cult itself!

"Run!" Long Jiaonan shrieked. The group immediately turned and ran wildly, fleeing towards the Great Ruins.

"I'm free! I'm finally free—" Innumerable shrill voices rang out behind them. Along the path, more black stone tablets suddenly shook and toppled. Thick tentacles burst from the ground, waving incessantly, each adorned with beautiful women. They cackled, "The Heavenly Saint Cult said I ate too many people and suppressed me here. Thank you, thank you, little monk. I can finally eat people again—"