Chapter 452: Ghosts All Over the City
The officers and soldiers who escaped reported the information back.
The Yuncheng City Government realized that the situation was out of control and reported it urgently to the higher authorities.
This matter was of great importance, and the practitioners in Anyue's organization spared no effort in using their magical powers to pass on the news using talismans.
Because Emperor Anyue was personally leading his troops to fight against the demons at the Demon-Suppressing Pass, he was unable to escape.
In Xuzhou, Ji Lin, the third son of Emperor Anyue, soon learned about the chaos caused by Dengxian Powder.
He also learned the news of the death of the touring inspection ambassador Zhao Wanjun.
Ji Lin was furious and gave an order.
The people of Anyue court were outraged and mobilized quickly!
Tens of thousands of troops, carrying all kinds of new weapons, came from all directions, vowing to wipe out the villains who spread the Ascension Powder.
At that time, among the thirty-three practitioners on Anshan, several were maintaining peace in various places in Qianzhou.
Upon hearing the news, everyone rushed to provide support to prevent harmful substances like Dengxian Powder from continuing to spread.
Those villains had no idea that they would trigger such a massive action by An Yue. They panicked and were trapped in the forest.
The army is approaching, and the spiritual explosion is erupting.
Artillery fire covered the mountains and forests, blocking the villains' escape route.
Knowing that this army belonged to Anyue, and that Anyue respected Anshan Li Yuan as the national god, the local mountain god thought about it, shrank his head, and dared not say a word.
He was afraid that if he caused trouble for mortals, Li Yuan would come out to cause trouble for him.
That's not some Anshan troublemaker, that's the great Anshan!
Anyway, it's just trees and land, it will be fine in a few years...
The local mountain god advised him to follow his heart and even took the initiative to sweep out a handful of magical power to reveal the traces of the villains.
From the dispatch of the surrounding armies to the siege of the forest, the whole process took less than seven days and all the villains were captured. After interrogation to find out whether there is someone behind the scenes manipulating them, they will be sentenced to death.
Of course, Anyue’s army is very disciplined.
The artillery fire damaged the forest and land of the local mountain god. Some soldiers lined up to go up the mountain and worship in the temple.
He also renovated and refined all the temples on the mountain and offered delicious fruits and tributes.
This made the local mountain god very satisfied and some of the resentment in his heart disappeared.
However, the small town that was ravaged by the Dengxian Powder, tens of thousands of people were controlled by poisonous insects and addicted to the Dengxian Powder...
Anyue's army was helpless.
We can only guard it strictly and keep the city gates tightly closed.
Looking at those pale and skinny people, who were suffering from the withdrawal reaction from the poisonous insects and were in great pain in the city, some were even going crazy and hurting themselves and attacking each other... the soldiers felt sorry for them, but there was nothing they could do.
Without clarifying whether the poisonous worms could be transmitted through physical contact and close range, the army issued a ban, prohibiting people from entering the city rashly.
A high-ranking official from Anyue Capital came from afar, using the magic of practitioners. When he saw this scene, he was deeply saddened.
These are all Anyue’s people, innocent civilians!
The damned villain spread such a devastating powder on the world, destroying so many families and lives!
After the practitioners arrived, they immediately observed and treated some of the people, but after many attempts, they sighed and shook their heads.
The so-called immortality powder contained some kind of insect eggs, similar to the poisonous insect.
For those who are addicted to Dengxian Powder, the worm eggs have already hatched and are eating away at the human body, merging with the internal organs, tendons, blood, and flesh, and are now everywhere.
It is truly transformed into flesh and blood, integrated with the human body, and connected to the host's lifeblood.
The pain caused by addiction is the result of the poisonous insects being hungry and eating the human body.
Only by continuing to take Dengxian Powder can the madness of the poisonous insect be temporarily curbed.
Forcibly expelling this insect is like digging out a person's heart and liver, peeling off his bones and breaking his tendons.
In order to rescue the people, Anyue's soldiers had no choice but to go to the nearby mountains and beg the local mountain gods for help.
In their minds, if mortals cannot solve something, the gods and immortals must have some way to do it.
The local mountain god took Anshan's face into consideration and soon appeared.
But after some investigation, he shook his head and frowned.
The Gu worm was connected to the human body, and when it grew to maturity, it had become one with the flesh and blood. Even the immortal magic was powerless to save the situation.
After hearing the news, the old official who had rushed over from the capital felt like the sky had collapsed in his heart.
Tens of thousands of civilians, tens of thousands of lives!
The officials of the small town had already been arrested.
The old official's eyes were red. He found the official and cursed him angrily, wishing he could cut him into pieces!
If this official had not fallen into the trap and became a puppet of Dengxiansan, aiding and abetting Zhou in his atrocities, how could the people in the whole city be killed without the outside world noticing at all!
The officials of the small town, because they had taken the Ascension Powder before, the poisonous insects in their bodies were now dormant. Compared with the crazy people in the city, they were still somewhat rational.
Facing the old official who was as furious as a lion, he smiled bitterly and sadly at himself without any excuses.
The entire city was inhabited by tens of thousands of people.
He was the chief officer, but failed to stop the spread of evil in time. Instead, he became addicted to the Ascension Powder and became a puppet of the evildoers.
This crime is punishable by death.
The official was sober at this moment, and knew that he had committed a grave sin. He just kowtowed to the people and soldiers in the city, begging for death.
He has become a puppet of the Dengxiansan poisonous insect. If he continues to live, he will only be bitten to death by the insect after the addiction kicks in.
The old official's face was gloomy and furious, but he did not give him a quick death.
After finding out all the causes and consequences, he was thrown into the city and left to be torn to pieces by the crazy people without any mercy.
It was also a cruel punishment for his extreme disappointment.
When Li Yuan received the message.
Came from Anshan.
The city was filled with corpses of civilians.
After the relatives and friends of the people in the city outside got the news, everyone who was nearby rushed over.
When they learned that it was caused by poisonous insects that caused the people in the city to go crazy and be bitten to death, the people gathered outside the city, wailing loudly.
Their cries were mournful and sorrowful, and they were filled with grief over the tragic deaths of their relatives and friends.
But the city was full of poisonous insects, and for the safety of the people, General Anyue did not allow them to enter the city.
They could only vent their sorrow through the thick city walls, and they couldn't even see their relatives and friends for the last time.
It’s just... the bloody scene in the city is too tragic. Perhaps... it would be better if it wasn’t seen by people.
"Master Li Yuan, I have tried my best, but this poisonous insect has integrated with the human body like flesh and blood. My strength is limited, and I really have no way to deal with it..."
The local mountain god bowed to Li Yuan in fear and trepidation, fearing that Li Yuan would vent his anger on him.
If demons were causing trouble, he would be able to sense it.
But this man-made disaster was so serious that he would not have noticed it if he had not paid close attention to it while secluded in the mountains.
Li Yuan stood on the top of the city wall, looking at the tragic scene in the city. He couldn't help but slowly close his eyes, and his body shook slightly.
The city's corpses were scattered all over the streets, bloody and mangled, a horrific sight.
Tens of thousands of lives were lost overnight.
And Zhao Wanjun...
Li Yuan sighed silently.
He did not vent his anger on the local mountain god, but just waved his hand and let him leave first.
Because after Li Yuan sensed it, he found that even he would find it difficult to expel this strange poisonous insect without harming the people.
After all, these poisonous insects have already merged with the human body, firmly parasitizing the host and becoming one with it.
It is a pure biological fusion, not the influence of energy from magic or supernatural powers.
Not long after, the old official found out the truth and came to the city again.
Just then, under the scorching sun, Li Yuan stood on the edge of the city wall, emitting a soft fairy light. He looked toward the city and called softly:
"Soul is coming, don't be afraid——"
"Soul gathering, Mo Shang——"
In the sight that the old official cannot see.
What Li Yuan saw were tens of thousands of civilians’ ghostly figures, scattered all over the city.
They all stood there in confusion, unable to accept the fact that they were already dead.
He was using his magic to protect the souls of the people in the city from being burned by the scorching sun, lest they die before the guide from the underworld arrived.
“Is there someone behind this?”
Li Yuan finished casting the spell and asked silently.
The old official approached respectfully, turned around and looked at the corpses of the people all over the city. His old eyes were cloudy and his heart was filled with grief. He said in a deep voice:
"Under severe torture, the villain has confessed. It was a certain Gu Shu sect that had been planning this for a long time and was behind the scenes trying to use Gu insects to disrupt the peace of the world and make profits from the chaos."
"There is no trace of immortals, gods, demons or monsters..."
Hearing the old official's words, Li Yuan's shoulders seemed to slump a little.
"So, it's really a man-made disaster..."
He was filled with grief and anger, and at this moment he didn't know where to vent.
If the gods and immortals cause chaos or demons invade, he can attack and kill them without fear and avenge the people.
But if it is a man-made disaster...
How much can he stop the mutual slaughter among humans?
Moreover, this is just an introduction, the beginning of the real trouble.
When the catastrophe comes and people's hearts begin to become chaotic, the world will no longer be at peace.
Looking at the confused souls all over the city, Li Yuan closed his eyes silently and sighed for a moment.