Demonic Cultivator: Immune To Common Side Effects - Chapter 59

Chapter 59: The God’s Tomb and the Ancient Demonic Eye

A colossal Thousand-Handed Centipede, dozens of zhang long, charged toward Gu Cave Village. Its thick, armored carapace gleamed, and a golden seal was embedded in its head, unmistakable evidence that it was a Gu creature bred by Daoist Tranquil Void.

The guards on the stone wall immediately rang the alarm bell. The urgent clangor echoed through the underground cave. Inside the village, women snatched up their children and fled into the stone caves, while the men, young and old, seized their hoes and rushed to reinforce the wall.

“It’s… it’s the Golden Seal Centipede!”

“What’s happening? Why is the Golden Seal Centipede attacking the village?”

The armored centipede began battering the stone wall. The Rune Formation lit up, temporarily halting the frenzied creature. However, the insect-repelling talismans plastered on the wall burst into flames under the corrosive influence of the centipede’s Malevolent Qi.

As the Golden Seal Centipede relentlessly slammed against the wall, the Rune Formation flickered and weakened with each impact.

Just then, an elderly voice rang out from within the village:

“Who provoked the Golden Seal Centipede?!”

An old man with white hair, leaning on a cane, hurried to the top of the stone wall. As he arrived, he glanced at Li Yan, a stranger to the village. Though puzzled by Li Yan’s presence, the Village Chief refrained from asking questions.

Watching the Golden Seal Centipede relentlessly batter the stone wall, the Village Chief climbed atop it and, without a word, shoved two guards off the edge.

Caught completely off guard, the two guards tumbled down the wall.

“Chief?!”

“Help… help me!”

Everything happened so suddenly that most people hadn’t even registered what had happened.

Even Li Yan was astonished by the old Village Chief’s actions.

What?

When in doubt, just throw your own people to the bugs?

The Golden Seal Centipede showed no discrimination, promptly devouring the two who had fallen.

Having finished its meal, the centipede remained unsatisfied, its crimson eyes fixed on the people above.

The Village Chief’s face hardened. “Why aren’t you volunteering to jump down and feed it?” he snapped. “If it’s not full by the end of the day, none of you will survive!”

With that, the old man’s gaze shifted to Li Yan.

His voice dripping with venom, he hissed, “This is all your fault, you little brat, for luring that Golden Seal Centipede here.”

“You’re one of those Tranquil Void Temple disciples exiled to the Underground Cave for some transgression, aren’t you?”

“Since you caused this mess, hurry up and throw yourself down to appease it!”

Unlike the servants, the old Village Chief didn’t mince words. He had already concluded that Li Yan was a disgraced disciple banished here for his misdeeds.

The Golden Seal Centipede’s rampage was undoubtedly Li Yan’s fault.

The Old Village Chief raised his walking stick, pointing it at Li Yan. “What are you waiting for?”

Li Yan raised an eyebrow. “I’m here on the Grandmaster’s orders to retrieve a treasure.”

Faced with Li Yan’s defiance, the Old Village Chief wasn’t as easily fooled as the younger villagers.

“Hmph, trying to deceive this old man? The Grandmaster never lets anyone who enters this place leave alive.”

“The Golden Seal Centipede is a Gu creature raised by the Grandmaster. Normally, it only needs to eat two people a day. Why is it still lingering instead of leaving? Explain yourself!”

Li Yan didn’t bother responding to the chief’s demand.

He pinched his fingers into a hand seal and calmly muttered inwardly, “Blood Shadow Immortal Art: Suppress Side Effects.”

Instantly, a ten-zhang-tall Bloodline Demon Shadow erupted from the ground.

The ferocious demon figure hurled the Golden Seal Centipede away with a single punch.

The Thousand-Handed Centipede rolled several times across the ground before slamming into a wall.

Bloodied and bruised, it let out a pitiful wail, then scrambled into the darkness, tail between its legs.

Only when Li Yan finally acted did the surrounding servant villagers gasp in astonishment.

They had expected Li Yan to be formidable.

But they never imagined this young Inner Sect Disciple could be this powerful!

“No… No wonder he’s an Inner Disciple of the Tranquil Void Temple!”

“Senior Brother Mingyan is truly heaven’s favored son! To possess such power at such a young age!”

Li Yan was impossibly young.

His youth was almost unbelievable, yet he possessed such a high cultivation base, inspiring awe and fear among the villagers.

The Old Village Chief, having witnessed Li Yan’s true power, immediately clamped his mouth shut.

His attitude underwent a complete about-face.

“So… so you’re the disciple Grandmaster sent to retrieve the treasure.”

“With such strength, Little Master hardly seems like someone who’s been exiled.”

The Old Village Chief’s demeanor shifted instantly, becoming obsequious as he bowed deeply before Li Yan.

The villagers watched with contempt as the old man’s behavior flip-flopped so dramatically.

That old coot…

The Old Village Chief trotted ahead, gesturing for Li Yan to follow with exaggerated courtesy.

“Little Master, please! To my humble abode! Take the seat of honor! I’ll prepare fine wine and a feast fit for a noble guest to properly entertain you.”

“Oh my, oh my! How splendid! How truly splendid!”

Li Yan snorted coldly, refusing to acknowledge the Old Village Chief’s fawning enthusiasm.

The Old Village Chief seized Li Yan’s hand ingratiatingly. “My deepest apologies, Little Master. Let’s proceed with your official business. The treasure is safely stored in my home.”

For the sake of the treasure, Li Yan silently followed the Old Village Chief.

When the old man pushed open the door, it was clear he lived in considerable opulence. Compared to the impoverished villagers, the chief’s home resembled a prince’s mansion. The interior boasted exquisitely patterned floor tiles, calligraphy and paintings adorning the walls, carved screens, and gilded furniture. In the courtyard, comely maids tended to the chief’s daily needs.

This old man was likely a lackey of Daoist Tranquil Void, serving as the administrator of Gu Cave Village.

The old man greeted Li Yan with an obsequious grin. “Little Master must be weary from your journey. Would you care for one of my concubines to attend to you?”

In ancient noble households, concubines were not wives; they were freely given to guests for companionship and intimacy.

Li Yan didn’t even glance at the maids, replying coldly, “This Daoist Lord has no interest.”

“Fetch the treasure at once!”

“Right away!”

The old man clapped his hands, and several maids soon carried in wooden chests, placing them on the table.

When Li Yan opened the chests, he found not Magical Treasures, but boxes filled with withered bones—the remains of Ancient Cultivators! There were also broken Magic Artifacts: shattered swords, cracked sabers, and ruined Storage Rings.

“Is this all?”

“Grandmaster entrusted you with managing Gu Cave Village for all these years. Don’t tell me you’ve been lining your own pockets!”

As Li Yan’s murderous aura pressed down on the Old Village Chief, the old man grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellowed teeth.

“Little Master, the real treasure is coming right up.”

Four maidens carefully carried a treasure chest plastered with yellow talismans and placed it before Li Yan.

When the iron chest was opened just a crack, a surge of malevolent Qi erupted skyward. The Old Village Chief immediately slammed the lid shut, sealing the Qi inside.

Pushing the treasure toward Li Yan, the yellow-toothed Village Chief whispered mysteriously, “This is the Ancient Demonic Eye Crystal we unearthed from God’s Tomb yesterday.”

“The Demonic Eye’s malevolent Qi is so potent that even slight contact can drive one mad or, worse, cause blood to gush from all seven orifices and transform them into a Yin Demon!”

“We sacrificed eighty lives to retrieve it!”

Li Yan maintained a calm facade, but inwardly he was ecstatic.

The Ancient Demonic Eye!

Its malevolent Qi was so concentrated!

If he absorbed it directly, the Side Effects would skyrocket!

Li Yan desperately wanted to seize the chest, find a secluded spot, and study the Ancient Demonic Eye.

“Very well, I’ll take this with me and request a reward from my master for you later.”

The Old Village Chief smiled obsequiously. “Little Master, don’t be in such a hurry.”

“Come, try our village’s finest brew,” the Old Village Chief said. “Have a cup before you leave.”

He clapped his hands, signaling one of his more attractive concubines to bring Li Yan a glass of wine.

Is that all he wants? Li Yan thought, barely suppressing a smirk. This wine must be poisoned. Is the old Village Chief trying to outsmart me?

“Alright, I’ll have a cup!”

Li Yan took the glass and drained it in one gulp.

Seeing Li Yan finish the wine, the Old Village Chief’s face lit up with glee. He slapped his thigh and burst into laughter.

“Haha! You fell right into my trap, kid!”