roccoschili Chapter 699 699: The Crisis of the Photo God Sect _1
Chapter 699 699: The Crisis of the Photo God Sect _1
"This is... Inner Sect Disciple Zhu Ji! Who could have injured him this badly?" An Outer Disciple stared at the heavily injured Zhu Ji, his expression filled with horror.Outer Disciples naturally addressed Inner Sect Disciples as Uncle Master, and Inner Sect Disciples, in turn, called True Disciples Uncle Master. Once someone successfully advanced into one of these higher echelons, their original status shifted from peer to senior. Everything else became secondary; it was all about comprehensive superiority, including seniority. Thus, individuals who were peers yesterday—one perhaps a thousand and eight hundred years old, the other merely a hundred or so—could find their relationship altered today. If the younger one successfully advanced, the elder would then have to address them as Uncle Master. However, such occurrences were quite normal in the Green Nether Fairyland and many lower realms, as strength ultimately commanded respect.
"Quick, notify the Sect! There is... there is a Demon Path..." Zhu Ji gasped out, realizing he was fading fast, and quickly jumped to the crucial point, "Possibly... an Immortal Emperor..."
Before he could finish, he passed out.
The Outer Disciple was stunned. His scalp tingled. This is too preposterous! An Immortal Emperor from the Demon Path?
However, another thought quickly struck him: How could you, an Immortal Monarch, escape from a Demon Path Immortal Emperor? That's even more unbelievable!
This was not something he could handle. This Inner Sect Disciple was far more esteemed than him; after all, he was a key figure in the Sect. So, the Outer Disciple quickly dragged Zhu Ji towards the Sect's interior. He didn't realize, however, that the black slime on Zhu Ji was slowly seeping into his own body. Engulfed by high tension, he failed to notice the changes occurring within himself.
Only after handing Zhu Ji over to the disciples in the Medicine Hall did he let out a sigh of relief and finally notice the strange condition of his own body.
"Strange, where did Uncle Master Zhu Ji get this stuff from?" He tried to wipe away the black slime, but it wouldn't budge.
This startled him, and he hurriedly used an Immortal technique to cleanse it. Fortunately, it wasn't difficult to remove, though it clung stubbornly, and the process of scrubbing it off reddened his skin. However, as a cultivator in the Immortal Realm, he recovered almost instantly.
Could this be some spell from the Demon Path...? This Outer Disciple felt a cold shiver.
He knew full well how disgusting the spells of those from the Demon Path could be. Their cultivation and growth always relied on humans—meaning they used humans as the *cost* of their cultivation. When it came to harming their own kind, those of the Righteous Path might, at most, kill. But practitioners of the Demon Path were different; their methods were varied, cruel, and exceedingly sinister.
I'd better go back and clean myself up properly, or else... UGH!
Before he could take more than a couple of steps, the disciple suddenly started to retch, vomiting a large pool of black slime. Horror filled his eyes. As long as my mind is still clear, I know I've been hit too! This is a spell that even Immortal Monarchs can't resist; how could I?
Therefore, without hesitation, he turned and rushed back into the Medicine Hall he had just exited.
"I've been hit too! The Demon Path spell has... UGH!" Before he could finish, he vomited another large quantity of black slime.
This slime wasn't composed of his blood or organs; rather, it was his immortal power, solidified by some contagion and forcibly expelled from his body.
Zhu Ji had already passed this stage. Being an Immortal Monarch, the slime hadn't erupted from his mouth but had seeped out through his skin, which was why his entire body was coated in it.
This scene shocked everyone in the Medicine Hall. This is ridiculous! He just vomited such a huge pool! We'll have a terrible time cleaning this up later, one thought.
"You, wait a moment! Senior Brother Zhu Ji is still being treated," an Inner Sect Disciple from the Medicine Hall grumbled. A mere Outer Disciple, how dare he use the Inner Sect's Medicine Hall? He should go to the outer area! However, considering the newcomer had just saved an Inner Sect Disciple, he refrained from reprimanding him too harshly.
But as he spoke, the Medicine Hall disciple noticed something was amiss. The Outer Disciple hadn't responded to his greeting and stood there, swaying unsteadily. Moreover, he could sense the Outer Disciple's life force plummeting, flickering like a candle in the wind.
This is bad! Could this spell be some kind of poison? The Inner Sect Disciple from the Medicine Hall was alarmed and immediately prepared to subdue the other man.
But before his spell could be launched, the Outer Disciple's life force quietly extinguished. Then, he raised his head, his eyes rolling back to white, exuding an aura of death.
AAAAH!
With a shrill cry, the corpse-like Evil Ghost lunged at him.
"Damn it! These are the methods of the Ten Thousand Nether Sect!!!" The Inner Sect Disciple's face filled with horror. He unleashed a barrage of techniques on the Outer Disciple, now a Ghost Corpse, but failed to halt its advance.
The Ten Thousand Nether Sect was no minor faction; it was one of the three most powerful sects in the Demon Path. The legacy of the Huangquan Sect in the lower realms was established by the Ten Thousand Nether Sect. Thus, he recognized the origin of this Ghost Corpse. Even though this is a Ghost Corpse technique typically used by their outer disciples, for it to possess such power, the one who refined it must be incredibly strong. It's highly probable they're at the Immortal Emperor Realm, just as Zhu Ji said before he collapsed!
CLANG!
He timely blocked the Ghost Corpse's bite—which reeked of a foul stench and oozed viscous fluid from its mouth—with his Flying Sword. If he had reacted any slower, a large chunk of his own flesh would have been torn off next.
Damn it! What kind of Divine Skill is this? It allows a mere Immortal Realm cultivator to transform into a Ghost Corpse in such a short time and actually rival me, an Inner Sect Disciple at the mid-stage Immortal Monarch Realm! The Inner Sect Disciple immediately wanted to flee.
The reasoning was simple: If this Outer Disciple was infected by Zhu Ji, then Zhu Ji, as the source, must be even more dangerous. I'm already struggling against an Immortal Realm Ghost Corpse. If Zhu Ji, who is at my cultivation level, turns into one, how could I possibly resist? The best option now is to either escape or call for help.
As an Inner Sect Disciple who had clawed his way up from the bottom, his choice was naturally the former. Who knows when help would arrive? If I encounter someone hostile or someone who deliberately delays to weaken a rival, I'll be the next one to become an infected Ghost Corpse!
After repelling the Ghost Corpse, he unhesitatingly turned to flee.
"Everyone, evacuate the Medicine Hall!" he yelled as he fled, showing a sliver of responsibility—just a sliver.
However, the entire Medicine Hall remained eerily silent, causing his expression to shift. Normally, there should be some reaction, even if it's people scrambling to escape together. It shouldn't be this quiet.
ROAR!
A roar erupted from the depths of the Medicine Hall, making him jump.
He could clearly tell it was the roar of a Ghost Corpse, but this one was significantly more formidable than the Immortal Realm Ghost Corpse he had just faced.
Zhu Ji has turned into a Ghost Corpse...
As he broke through the door to leave, a backward glance revealed the Ghost Corpse emerging from the inner chamber. No, "crawling" wasn't the right word; it was "slithering."
Furthermore, the creature was incredibly bloated and headless, resembling a giant, grotesque behemoth.
As it slithered, a massive fissure suddenly ripped open on its back, revealing a grotesque appendage—a fusion of tongue and tentacle, tipped with a colossal eye—that lunged at him.
As it neared, the eye abruptly swelled and then burst open into eight petal-like segments. He could clearly see the ruptured eye transform into a maw filled with sharp teeth, and within, a narrow esophagus lined with countless spiraling serrations. If swallowed by that, I'd have no chance of escape!
However, it was too fast. He saw it all but couldn't react in time.
Immortal King Realm power... The thought flashed through his mind.
"Vile beast, how dare you act so presumptuously!" A thunderous shout echoed, followed by a flash of sword light. Just as the eye-maw was about to devour him, the sword light streaked past, instantly obliterating it.
The ruptured eyeball gushed out a large amount of black, viscous liquid, splattering all over him.
His expression froze.
He remembered the Outer Disciple had turned into a Ghost Corpse after coming into contact with the black slime on Zhu Ji. And now, I've been splattered with it... Does that mean... I'm infected too?
AAAGH!!!
The instant the thought arose, he felt an intense burning and pain on his skin, as if foreign objects were burrowing beneath it. The sensation was so agonizing he wished for death.