Casting immortality in the furnace

Chapter 50 Shocking Miracle

The night was very dark, and the stars and moon were shrouded in dark clouds.

As the largest village within dozens of miles, Black Wind Village is built against the mountain, and even at night, it is lit up everywhere.

The high-ranking leaders drank and made merry under the firelight, enjoying themselves to the fullest. Powerful patrol teams carried torches and led hunting dogs around, while ordinary villagers gathered together to chat and laugh.

The slaves they captured slept in dark stone caves, awaiting the arduous labor of the next day.

"Have you heard? The Blood Dragon has devoured another village's worth of people."

"Hasn't this blood dragon's stomach gotten too full after eating so many people?"

"What do you know? That blood dragon has lived for hundreds of years. Its body is long enough to circle Black Wind Ridge several times. It could eat thousands of people and it would just be a matter of filling its teeth."

"I've heard something different," a scarred man said mysteriously.

"What news?"

The scarred man lowered his body and said in a low voice:

"I heard that some villages weren't eaten by the Blood Dragon, but rather..."

"Stop keeping me in suspense, just tell me already."

Everyone urged them on.

The scarred man gestured for everyone to be quiet, then carefully pointed upwards with his finger:

"I've heard that some villages were secretly devoured by their chiefs."

Everyone shuddered. The leader of Black Wind Stronghold had a very mysterious background, was highly powerful, and had cruel methods. In just a few decades, he built a large stronghold of more than two thousand people and dominated the surrounding area for dozens of miles.

The villagers all say that the leader is a corpse demon who cannot be exposed to sunlight, and that every now and then his whole body will become cold and stiff, and he must drink human blood to warm up.

The group exchanged bewildered glances, cold sweat beading on their foreheads.

"You mean the leader... has had another episode?"

"That's utter nonsense!"

In the largest cave of Black Wind Stronghold, the eight leaders gathered to eat. The table was littered with cups and plates, and a pile of wine jars lay overturned. They were all flushed from drinking.

Apart from the leader on the main seat.

The leader of Black Wind Stronghold was an elderly man who looked to be over eighty years old.

His hair and beard were snow-white, his face was wrinkle-free, but his face was extremely pale, devoid of any color, and his voice was high-pitched. At this moment, he was filled with anger.

"What?! I've had another episode, secretly slaughtering several villages just to drink blood? That's utter slander!"

"That's right!"

The burly, over-forty-year-old leader immediately responded, slamming his fist on the table and standing up in anger. His large, bell-like eyes glared at the other leaders below, and he retorted:

"Could my father be that kind of person?"

The other leaders quickly echoed, saying no, their expressions obsequious and respectful.

The old leader in the main seat also looked aggrieved, "That's right, I haven't even made a move yet."

He held out his hands, which were frozen blue-purple, for the leaders to see:

"See? I'm still enduring it even though I'm like this."

The leader was startled, quickly slapped himself, and bowed respectfully, saying:

"Father, it's all my fault for not taking good care of you. I'll go to the prison and bring you a few men to warm your stomach."

The old leader shook his head and sighed:

"You're such an unfilial godson."

The head of the gang felt a sudden chill run down his spine, cold sweat breaking out on his back. He immediately knelt down and said, "Your son knows he was wrong."

The old leader pressed his shoulder and asked in a low voice:

"Do you know what you did wrong?"

The leader trembled all over, and the chill emanating from his shoulder made him feel utterly hopeless.

"Please enlighten me, Father, I will certainly correct it immediately."

The old chief shook his head helplessly, looking annoyed, and said:

"I'm freezing like this, and you're still leisurely going to the jail to arrest people? Aren't you deliberately trying to starve me!"

As he finished speaking, he roared loudly, his pale old face turning ashen, four fangs sprouting from his mouth, and his white hair standing on end, making him look like a corpse demon.

The head of the gang was terrified and at a loss. "If your son doesn't go to the jail to arrest people, where will he get blood to offer to you, sir?"

The old leader, enraged, slapped him away, sending him flying. His emerald fingernails pointed at the seven terrified leaders below, and he roared:

"Aren't there plenty of people here!"

The leader quickly got up from the ground, ignoring the dent in his cheek, drew his curved knife, took a step in front of the third leader, and stabbed him in the chest.

Blood splattered all over the leader's face as he roared:

"Father, your son will get your blood right away!"

He threw the third leader's corpse to the old leader to enjoy, and then immediately attacked the fifth leader beside him.

"Are you crazy?!"

The fifth leader was unarmed and powerless to resist. He was stabbed through the abdomen by the first leader and casually tossed to the corpse demon behind him who was devouring his organs. The demon was immediately disemboweled and its internal organs were taken out and eaten.

"Fifth Brother!" the Sixth Master exclaimed in shock.

The next moment, his head was also severed, and blood gushed out.

The second-in-command, his eyes blazing with fury, drew a short blade and shouted at the remaining leaders:

"Attack together! We'll all die if we don't kill him!"

The leader sneered and slashed out with his backhand, cutting him in half at the waist.

His curved blade rose and fell swiftly, and the cultivation levels of those leaders were far inferior to his. They were all quickly killed by him and fed to the old corpse demon.

The old corpse demon was covered in blood after eating, its beard and hair were stuck together, and its mouth was bulging.

The head of the gang said with a fawning smile, "Father, have you eaten your fill? If not, your son will go and kill some more."

The old corpse demon looked up, its sharp claws plunging into his chest, ripping out his heart, stuffing it into its mouth to chew, and mumbling indistinctly:

"You heartless wretch! I've cared for you so much, yet you're unwilling to let me consume all your Qi-refining essence and blood; you're going out to kill people instead."

After finishing eating the people in the cave, the old corpse demon walked outside the cave and looked at the many lights below the mountain. His eyes gleamed with ferocity.

"It wasn't for nothing that I've fed these two thousand people; today I can finally eat my fill."

"Use your blood to help me take another step on the path to immortality!"

…………

It was already quite late.

Fan Zhou arrived outside the market.

Today, many wooden sheds and thatched huts have been built here, and thousands of villagers from the surrounding area have gathered here to make a living.

The bonfires flickered, illuminating the bewildered faces.

First, an old blood dragon that had been dormant for decades suddenly emerged and devoured thousands of lives in just a few days.

Then, a corpse demon went on a rampage, slaughtering and eating people. The Black Wind Stronghold, with more than two thousand people, was destroyed overnight, with only a few escaping.

I heard a couple of days ago that the snake god worshipped in Green Snake Village went on a killing spree and destroyed the entire village.

Dramatic changes, rarely seen in decades, occurred one after another, and fear swept across the surrounding area like a tsunami.

The surrounding villagers were gripped by panic, fearing they might encounter those ferocious demons at any moment.

Even the larger villages are now filled with unease.

Fearing that the next riot would be caused by the demon god they worshipped, many people ran away in fright.

But in this desolate land, where is there any safety?

And who can deal with those powerful demons?

"Of course, it's Langdang Mountain!"

"That's right, they can even kill the White Tiger King, so they can definitely deal with those monsters."

"They're all outsiders, I don't trust them!"

"Then go believe in those man-eating monsters!"

As a result, a large crowd gathered outside the market.

They all gathered here with their families, hoping that if demons appeared, the immortals in the market would step in to subdue them.

When Qin Zhiyuan learned of the situation, he did not drive them away. Instead, he provided them with some supplies and sent people to maintain order.

This reassured the villagers even more. As soon as the news spread, many small and medium-sized villages abandoned their original belief in the demon god and came here to hide.

Fan Zhou was assigned by Qin Zhiyuan to manage over a hundred villagers and maintain stability in the refuge area.

He walked through the crowded streets, torch in hand, the ground beneath his feet muddy and filthy, reeking of garbage and filth.

"Lu Ming, gather the leaders of each village first thing tomorrow morning and have them lead their people to clean up the area. The weather is hot now, and this could easily cause illness."

"Yes, Commander." Lu Ming nodded quickly in response.

He followed Fan Zhou with a few teenagers, looking at these villagers who dared not return home and lived aimlessly, and felt a deep sense of relief.

Although the work in the market is hard, there is no worry about food, drink, or other necessities, and there is no need to worry about being attacked by demons.

Unlike him, Fan Zhou was in a heavy mood.

His gaze swept over the villagers, noticing their bewildered expressions and lifeless demeanor.

Thousands of people gathered here in fear and anxiety, unable to produce or hunt, and could only sit idly by, living off their dwindling resources.

As long as demons are not eliminated, life will not be peaceful.

As more and more villagers gather here, trouble is bound to arise over time.

Why would they rather expend resources to help them than simply eliminate the demons?

Fan Zhou didn't understand what Qin Zhiyuan was thinking. With the strength of the market, eliminating those demons would be a piece of cake.

Regardless of what Senior Uncle Qin is thinking, I just hope this crisis will pass quickly.

Fan Zhou sighed inwardly and silently surveyed the refuge area.

He walked for a while and saw a large group of people gathered ahead, seemingly listening to someone speak.

"We can't stay here forever. Are we supposed to keep relying on the market to give us handouts?"

A middle-aged man sat by the campfire giving a speech. He had a dignified appearance and was dressed neatly and cleanly, unlike the unruly and barbaric villagers around him.

"We should try to get back to our normal lives instead of sitting here doing nothing every day."

Someone scoffed, "Easy for you to say, what about the demons outside?"

Faced with the rebuttal, the middle-aged man remained calm and said gently:

"This land has always been infested with demons, yet our ancestors still survived, didn't they?"

"Moreover, the current situation is not insurmountable."

A man with his arms crossed asked, "How do we solve this? Are you a god? Do you have any magic to deal with demons?"

The middle-aged man turned his gaze to him and calmly said, "I am not a god, nor do I know any magic."

"But I do have a way to deal with demons."

His words made everyone around him perk up, and they all asked, "What method?"

The middle-aged man's expression was serious as he said in a deep voice:

"Use demons to fight demons!"

The crowd was stunned and speechless; some even laughed out loud.

"Are you out of your mind? Why would demons help us fight demons?"

The middle-aged man replied seriously, "Haven't we always been like this?"

"We worship the gentler demons, offering them sacrifices in exchange for protection from those ferocious monsters."

The group looked at each other, realizing that this was indeed their long-standing way of life.

"But demons are demons after all; no matter how kind you are to them, you can't change their bloodthirsty nature!"

"If there really is a gentle and kind demon god, I would be willing to try to worship it; it would be better than living such a hopeless life now."

Opinions varied; some opposed, some agreed, and many more were ambivalent.

The middle-aged man, however, smiled, appearing confident and assured.

"To be honest, on my way here, I encountered a demon god who was betrothing to a human."

He pulled off his clothes, revealing three horrific claw marks on his chest and abdomen, almost disemboweling him.

Everyone gasped in shock; such injuries would have been fatal.

The middle-aged man, still shaken, pointed to the claw marks and said:

"I was injured by a black bear on my way to the market. At that time, a large part of my intestines were sticking out, and I thought I was going to die, but I didn't expect to survive."

"How did you get cured?"

"What exactly happened?"

Everyone asked with tense expressions.

"This is all thanks to the White Deer God."

The middle-aged man's gaze drifted, as if he were lost in memories.

"I was seriously injured at the time and could only watch helplessly as the black bear walked towards me. I closed my eyes in fear, hoping that the black bear would give me a quick death and not let me die too painfully. But I waited for a long time and the black bear did not get close."

"When I opened my eyes with my last bit of strength, I saw the black bear lying on the ground, trembling, and a magnificent white deer standing on its back, its pure figure like that of a fairy. Then I fainted."

"When I woke up again, I found myself lying in a cave, and my abdominal wound had miraculously healed!"

"It's a miracle. My intestines were spilling out, and I lost so much blood, yet I still survived."

The middle-aged man's eyes were filled with tears, and his expression was full of gratitude.

"I knew this must be a gift from the White Deer God, so I excitedly stood up and walked out of the cave."

"Sure enough, the white deer was outside, with a Ganoderma lucidum in its mouth. It slowly walked towards me. I was so shocked that I couldn't speak until it handed me the Ganoderma lucidum and said that it could replenish the essence that my body was depleted. Only then did I come to my senses and quickly knelt down and kowtowed to thank the White Deer God for saving me."

"The White Deer God told me not to thank him, that he saved me just as a favor, and that I should take the Ganoderma lucidum and go to the market, and not to mention his affairs to anyone."

Everyone was so shocked by this fantastical experience that they were speechless.

"Everyone, the White Deer God is our savior sent by Heaven!"

The middle-aged man, looking agitated, shouted at them:

"As long as we have his protection, we will never have to fear those demons again."

"We can go back to our old lives!"