A pale moonbeam cast down on the ground, stretching the shadows of those filthy things.
"The shadows of these people... What's going on?" Yaohua suddenly widened her eyes. She had never seen such a strange sight anywhere before.
The shadows of these dead people were gathering into a strange shape under the moonlight. Gradually, it grew a head and limbs, and slowly crawled in the direction those filthy things were moving!
"The Shadow Demon."
No one knew the storm that was brewing beneath Chongming's calm tone.
The Demon Clan didn't belong to the Three Realms. They were outsiders from beyond the sky. Since records began, they had always wanted to annex the Three Realms and become its masters. Back then, the Phoenix Ancestor sacrificed herself to suppress them. No one would have thought that they would make a comeback, so arrogant that they openly used the people of Cangyan Mountain as nourishment for their cultivation!
"What is the Shadow Demon?"
The records of the Demon Clan in the Phoenix Clan only existed in the legends of the Phoenix Ancestor. In those records, she didn't seem to have heard of the Shadow Demon.
Was it a very powerful demon?
"A demon born from the resentment of the dead. It hides under the corpses. Once it touches someone, that person will lose their shadow." Chongming stared intently at that shadow, his eyes filled with killing intent.
"What about those villagers?" Yaohua panicked again. "Even when they're sleeping, they still have shadows, right?"
Seeing that the shadow had already sneaked into the village, Yaohua's eyelids twitched. "Master, let's act!"
Urged by Yaohua, Chongming finally moved.
But instead of walking towards the village, he used his spiritual power to gather the scattered dark clouds again.
The moonlight disappeared, and the shadow vanished instantly.
"Yaohua, why is there no light in the village?"
"Because..." Yaohua thought for a while. "Without light, there will be no shadow?"
"Exactly. The Shadow Demon used to move around day and night, but now it can only come out at night. Why is that?"
Yaohua racked her brains. She bit her finger a few times. "Could it be because... it's restricted in some way and can only come out at night?"
In the darkness, she felt her master's gaze on her face, which made her a little nervous.
"Master, did I say something wrong?"
"No. Think more. What kind of restriction is it?"
Shadows exist day and night. What restricted this shadow from appearing during the day?
External forces could mean someone didn't allow it to appear, or there was something it feared.
Internal forces could mean it couldn't come out on its own. If so, it was because its cultivation was insufficient.
Before dawn, the villagers would put out the lights and go to bed, leaving no trace of light. If they were really trying to prevent the Shadow Demon from coming out early, it meant that the Shadow Demon was in urgent need of cultivation.
And the villagers would put out the lights early because someone had advised them to.
It seemed that both reasons were valid.
And besides the mountain god mentioned by the villagers, who else could make the villagers obedient?
"Master, do you mean that the mountain god will stop the Shadow Demon?"
After getting Yaohua's answer, Chongming suddenly raised his finger and completely dispersed the dark clouds in the sky.
The bright moonlight shone down on the world, and the trace of the Shadow Demon was completely revealed.
Yaohua was startled by his action.
Was her master trying to lure out the mountain god?
Yaohua was a little confused. At first, she thought Zhao Wu was the mountain god, but her master's actions made her doubt.
How many mountain gods were there in Cangyan Mountain?
While she was thinking, the Shadow Demon had already reached the village.
Those stinking corpses began to disperse, and the shadows on the ground gradually separated.
Yaohua's heart slowly rose.
Bang!
An explosion came from the village.
All the shadows scrambled out of the village like snakes, which was extremely terrifying.
Near the village's boundary marker, those shadows merged into the Shadow Demon again.
Human arms, limbs, and finally a head emerged from the shadow on the ground.
The Shadow Demon crawled out of the ground. Its human form looked very much like a woodcutter in the mountains.
"Damn it! You're blocking me again!" As soon as it came out, it cursed in the direction of the village.
Then, those corpses it had controlled were suddenly thrown out by an invisible force and all smashed towards the Shadow Demon.
Yaohua was a little stunned. It seemed that her guess was right. The mountain god was indeed protecting these villagers.
The Shadow Demon dodged left and right, and from time to time used black energy to slow down the speed of those nearly falling - apart corpses.
"Damn it! Don't touch my treasures!"
When the last corpse was thrown out, a bare - footed girl suddenly appeared in mid - air. She wore a flower wreath on her head and covered her body with leaves. Her almond eyes were clear and lively, just like a mountain spirit.
Yaohua couldn't help but be stunned. No wonder the villagers trusted the mountain god so much. Judging from her appearance alone, this girl really looked like a god.
"Zhao Wu said that you're not allowed to harm the remaining people. Stop thinking about them all the time." The girl's voice was as sweet as a warbling oriole, as pleasant as singing.
Just as Yaohua was about to get intoxicated, she immediately pinched her palm.
This was a member of the Demon Clan. How could she be careless!
"Damn it! Don't think that just because they call you the mountain god, you really are one. These people will die sooner or later. You listen to Zhao Wu. Why don't you listen to me?"
The girl shook her head. "Zhao Wu said that your cultivation is still shallow. If you only focus on immediate benefits and are detected by the Three Realms, you won't be able to grow up."
"Everything is what Zhao Wu said. Aren't you annoying? If I don't eat these shadows, I really won't be able to grow up! Miss Shan, please be kind and let me in!"
Hearing this, Yaohua kind of understood. These two were following Zhao Wu's orders. It seemed that Zhao Wu's status was not low.
Thinking of Zhao Wu, Yaohua touched her forehead. She didn't know if it was an illusion, but she always felt that it was a bit hot just now.
"Are you feeling unwell?" Seeing Yaohua's action, Chongming immediately lowered his eyes and stared intently at her hand.
Yaohua was taken aback and shook her head. "It's nothing. I just thought it was a bit strange. Will this mark disappear only after Zhao Wu dies?"
"The mark has just formed. Although it hasn't been fully completed, if you want it to disappear, Zhao Wu still has to take action."
Hearing this, Yaohua was a little disappointed.
It would be great if this mark could be directly erased.
"Don't worry. Master will find a way."
The little phoenix was extremely beautiful. That red mark was really an eyesore. Chongming would find a way to remove this mark sooner or later.
"Thank you, Master!" Yaohua felt a warm current in her heart. Her master cared so much about her. What difference did it make whether this mark was removed or not?
At this moment, in the village, the two of them started to fight after a disagreement.
"Damn it! Why are you hitting me? I just want to cultivate. What did I do wrong?"
"You don't listen to Zhao Wu's words and you don't listen to my advice. You deserve to be beaten!"
The Shadow Demon was soon subdued by the girl. Although the girl subdued it, she also exhausted a lot of energy.
"Don't wander around if you have nothing to do. When someone reaches a certain age, I'll send them to you."