I Swear I’m Not a Demonic Cultivator - Chapter 36
Chapter 36: Fang Zheng, the Great Benefactor
Fang Zheng approached the villagers and stopped.
From his Storage Bag, he solemnly produced the Eternal Grace Holy Grail.
In Fang Zheng’s eyes, it was a precious vessel carved entirely from pure white jade, radiating a soft, life-affirming glow. Its surface was intricately carved with scenes depicting the Ten Thousand Peoples’ Prayer for Blessings Map.
But in the eyes of the villagers, it was a… vile abomination!
A vessel composed of writhing, purplish-black flesh, its surface crawling with twisted veins and agonized human faces, its rim ringed with spikes of deathly pale finger bones.
A thick, suffocating aura of corruption, reeking of life-plundering intent, emanated from the vessel, making all who inhaled it feel their life force being drained away.
“Fear not,” Fang Zheng declared.
His voice, amplified by the Black Qi, deepened into a resonant, magnetic timbre, carrying a strange, hypnotic power that calmed the crowd.
“The suffering of the flesh is fleeting.”
“The soul’s true home is eternal.”
“Today, I will personally guide you from this sea of suffering to a Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss—a realm free from oppression and pain, where only peace and glory reign.”
“There, you will become part of my Guardian’s power, reborn into everlasting existence.”
Fang Zheng raised the Sacred Grail high.
He was about to begin, to conduct this sacred ritual of “redemption.”
The villagers listened, their fear reaching its peak.
Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss?
Eternal rebirth?
He’s clearly going to turn us into fierce ghosts, to become part of that evil banner of his!
“No… please, no…”
“Demon… you’re a demon…”
Fang Zheng heard them.
He felt no anger, only deeper pity.
The first time someone called him a demon, he thought it was a misunderstanding. But as more and more people, again and again, branded him as such, he understood: good people are always misunderstood.
See? This poor soul has been tormented by suffering until his mind is shattered, unable to distinguish between good and evil.
The more desperate his plight, the greater the need to save him.
“I shall bestow my grace upon you first.”
Fang Zheng aimed the Sacred Grail’s mouth at the villager who had spoken.
Closing his eyes, Fang Zheng visualized the most majestic and compassionate scene of salvation, pouring his entire boundless will—to heal the sick, rescue the dying, and protect all living beings—into the Grail without reservation!
Buzz—!
The Sacred Grail vibrated violently!
In Fang Zheng’s perception, a ten-thousand-zhang pillar of Sacred Light erupted from the Grail’s mouth, flowing like a warm river to gently envelop the villager.
The pain and fear on the villager’s face vanished instantly, replaced by a knowing smile.
His body became translucent in the Sacred Light, ultimately transforming into a golden speck of devout radiance. Filled with the joy of liberation, it willingly flew into the Sacred Grail.
He was finally free.
But in the real world…
The ghastly pale finger bones encircling the mouth of the bloody, fleshy vial suddenly opened like a living maw!
An irresistible, pitch-black suction force erupted!
“Aaaaaah—!”
The villager unleashed the most agonizing, inhuman scream of his life!
His body withered visibly before their eyes! Skin, flesh, bones—every part of him was instantly drained of its life essence, transforming into streams of crimson energy that were greedily sucked into that gaping maw!
In less than a breath…
Only tattered rags and a small pile of ashen bone dust remained on the ground.
Meanwhile, the villager’s soul—a twisted, agonizing wraith—was swept up by the Human Emperor Banner nearby and utterly devoured.
Ding!
With supreme compassion, you have liberated a lost soul, guiding it back to the Origin of Life and granting eternal peace.
You have received Merit as a reward: Water of Grace x1 drop.
The System’s notification rang out, solemn and divine.
Fang Zheng opened his eyes, gazing at the empty ground and the three additional drops of crimson liquid in the Sacred Grail. A profound sense of peace filled his heart.
He turned his head, his gaze sweeping over the villagers who had been scared out of their wits.
On his face bloomed what he believed to be his most gentle, most compassionate smile.
“Don’t worry.”
“Next, it’s your turn.”
“Everyone gets a share.”
Everyone gets a share~
A share for all~
For all~
A share~
Share~
Fang Zheng’s words struck the Black Stone Village villagers like a death knell from the Nine Nether Hell, shattering the last vestiges of their sanity.
Desperate cries and terrified screams echoed through the mountain ravine.
Driven mad, the villagers scattered in all directions, trampling the anaconda into countless fragments without even noticing.
Their only thought was to escape the Demon God wielding the flesh-and-blood evil bottle—to get as far away as possible.
Watching this scene, Fang Zheng frowned slightly.
I don’t understand, he thought.
Why would these poor souls reject my merciful “blessing”?
Has their prolonged suffering truly twisted them to the point where they fear even salvation?
A heavy sense of responsibility welled up in Fang Zheng’s heart.
No.
I cannot abandon even a single soul in need of redemption.
The more you flee, the deeper you are mired, the more you need my help.
“Alas,” Fang Zheng sighed softly, his voice filled with pity and resignation.
“The mortal world is a sea of suffering. Turn back, and the shore awaits.”
“Since you refuse to come willingly, I shall personally guide you to the other side.”
Fang Zheng raised the Eternal Grace Holy Grail in his hand.
This time, he would no longer “redeem” them one by one.
Such methods are far too inefficient.
To swiftly deliver them from their suffering, he resolved to shower his compassion upon the entire village!
Hum—!
Fang Zheng poured the Great Righteous Qi he had just recovered into the Sacred Grail without reservation!
The pristine white jade vessel, which appeared infinitely holy in his eyes, blazed with radiant light!
Streams of gentle Sacred Light overflowed from its mouth, transforming into a warm, luminous rain that precisely cascaded upon each fleeing villager.
But in the real world…
The flesh-and-blood demonic bottle swelled violently!
The anguished face of the False God etched on its surface snapped its eyes open!
An invisible, savage devouring force, like a flood unleashed from a breached dam, instantly engulfed Rainbow Cloud Village!
“Aaaaaaaah—!”
Heart-wrenching screams coalesced into a symphony of death.
Every villager touched by the “Sacred Light”—man, woman, child, elder—froze instantly.
Then, their flesh, vitality, souls… everything was forcibly extracted by that domineering power, transforming into thick crimson torrents that surged greedily toward the flesh-and-blood demonic bottle hovering in mid-air!
The scene resembled a hundred rivers converging into the sea.
Only, these “rivers” were life itself, and the “sea” was death.