American variety show world begins with subduing Jason

"Alone I sit amidst the secluded bamboo grove, letting out a long sigh as I play my zither. Entering a state of profound stillness, even the venomous dragon vanishes. All things are utterly silent; my heart and spirit are at peace!"

The Qi-sealing technique, combined with the Heart-Cleansing Incantation, immediately brought the riot under control.

The victims, whose consciousness had been clouded, collapsed to the ground as if waking from a dream. However, they were exhausted and were mostly still in a dazed state.

The situation seemed to be settled, and just as Zhu Mingyao was about to ask a question, a gray-white figure suddenly appeared from the side...

The light and shadow stretched out, revealing a hazy, sharp short sword!

"O Lord! May your enemies perish like this, and may those who love you rise like the sun, shining brightly..." A sharp, old voice suddenly broke out, unleashing a fierce spell that struck down from above.

"Brilliant my foot!" The white bone banner slashed horizontally in time, hitting a baseball home run that turned the dim sword of light into sparkling fireflies.

Having missed her chance to show off, Bai Ziyuan kicked the attacker to the ground, a wisp of chilling smoke poking her forehead. Showing no respect for elders or the traditional virtues of kindness, she sternly questioned:

"Which cult or organization are you a member of, Big White... How dare you take advantage of the chaos and use living people for burnt offerings? You're all tired of living, aren't you?"

The ghostly runes flickered, and the heavy aura of death and the underworld struck, enough to send the dead back to their eternal slumber, and it worked just as well on the restless living.

However, despite the overwhelming suppression from a position of vastly superior strength, the old woman named Camo showed no fear whatsoever.

She remained fanatical, repeatedly chanting incoherent sacred words, even reaching out her withered, chicken-claw-like hands to scratch wildly, seemingly oblivious to the bloody holes pierced by the needle-like Soul-Sealing Smoke.

"Although he is a spellcaster of considerable rank, his practical combat experience is extremely poor. The information does not show that there are any such people nearby?"

Bai Ziyuan disgustedly delivered a calming and warding spell, then stepped back two paces and whispered in Zhu Mingyao's ear, both finding it extremely strange.

This area, shrouded in mist and crisis, has a total of about 40,000 to 50,000 permanent residents. This number is neither small nor large, and it is a traditional residential area, not some desolate wilderness.

If there were truly some highly skilled extraordinary individuals living in seclusion, the authorities would certainly not be unaware of it.

As for the old woman's fanatical devotion, the two didn't care at all. This land was a nation founded on religion, and such people were numerous. It was normal for a few oddballs to emerge from the ranks of the extraordinary.

"Could it be a crazy witch who came in unannounced to cause trouble and make money?" Bai Ziyuan speculated wildly.

"and many more!"

Zhu Mingyao's golden eyes on his forehead opened slightly, just like Erlang Shen opening his eyes, carefully observing back and forth, his expression becoming more and more solemn the more he looked.

“You’re wrong…” He beckoned to the cross that the other was clutching tightly, flicked the simple ritual implement made of wood and nails with his finger, and savored the trace of spiritual energy that remained in it.

"Although his aura is mixed and slightly off-center, he is still a legitimate clergyman!" Zhu Mingyao's face was full of incredulous amazement.

With his current level of understanding and insight, he could clearly discern that beneath the chaotic and obscure appearance, the old woman's source of power clearly belonged to the pure Christian system.

"There's even more interesting news!" Bai Ziyuan exchanged a few words with David, who was busy comforting the child, then turned to him with a subtle expression and said:

"According to those in the know, this old widow, Camo, is a native of this town. In the decades since, including when she was attacked and chased by the monster, she has never shown any extraordinary power, which means..."

Zhu Mingyao took a slight breath and continued his train of thought, "It's simply unbelievable that she suddenly went from an ordinary old woman to a priestess approaching the [Knight rank]!"

Of course, it is inconceivable. Whether it is Catholicism, Protestantism, or Orthodoxy, the Christian system is ultimately a righteous and legitimate path. Even heretical sects that have deviated from the correct doctrine can only accumulate holy power step by step. There is no such thing as a shortcut to heaven.

It should be noted that clergy of the [Knight Rank] are already considered to be the backbone of the lower and middle ranks. Bishops in remote, small places are at most at this level.

Considering her wicked actions just now, it's truly infuriating—could it be that the Most High God finds listening to prayers and chanting all day too bland and wants to try the taste of roasted human flesh? So he secretly promoted a saint?

A whole host of blasphemous thoughts swirled in their minds, but they couldn't quite put their finger on them.

"Never mind!" The thin chain rattled, and Zhu Mingyao flicked open the brass pocket watch, glancing at the angle formed by the hour and minute hands:

"The estimated time for setting up the space lockdown is 12 hours, and more than half of that time has already passed. Let's subdue her first and deal with it after we get out."

"Heh...heh, you filthy...blasphemer, don't even think about ruining the baptism of purity." The mad old woman had regained her composure, and a strange smile appeared on her wrinkled face.

She trembled violently like an epileptic, foam rising from the corners of her mouth: "Punishment has come! God has sent the [Beast] as his messenger! He has come! He has come... You will all fall into hell!"

The vicious curse disturbed their mood. Before the two could decide whether to continue questioning or simply gag them, they heard a muffled "boom"!

The sudden change shattered the tranquility. A shocking and piercing noise erupted from beneath people's feet, the entire supermarket jerked upwards, then suddenly sank down, and terrified screams filled the air.

"The house is going to collapse!"

"Run!"

People fled in panic, shelves collapsed as they shook, and countless goods rolled all over the ground, which in turn added to the chaos.

As the flashlight was waved haphazardly, it revealed the bent and deformed steel frame structure supporting the building. The broken plaster ceiling and dust cascaded down from the top, and the cement floor tiles shattered and tumbled up one after another, as if strange pythons and venomous dragons were lurking and moving about.

"Calm down, everyone!"

Seeing that a stampede was about to occur, Zhu Mingyao let out a long roar, and the thunderous sound full of true qi forcibly suppressed the panic. He raised his hand to signal the crowd to move away from the walls on both sides, and then pulled out the peach staff from his waist and threw it forcefully.

The dark green wooden staff soared into the sky, reaching from the heavens to the earth, and in the blink of an eye transformed into a giant pillar with a coiled dragon, supporting the tilting, collapsing roof.

"Everyone, take a headcount, line up, and prepare for evacuation..."

Before he could finish speaking, a series of explosions rang out.

The supermarket's entire glass display window facing the street was already teetering on the brink of collapse during the tremors, and now it shattered into pieces, with dozens of basketball-sized black shadows bursting through the waterfall of crystalline fragments and flying towards the crowd.

At the same time, the roof that had been propped up suddenly collapsed, revealing giant tentacles covered in barbs and emitting a foul stench, which pounced on the sheep like hungry wolves!

The scene suddenly became chaotic!

Chapter 394 Flowers, Petals?

The thick, soft, life-like tentacles moved incredibly fast, reaching the top of his head in the blink of an eye.

The flesh-colored suckers of various sizes resembled the mouthparts of worms, wriggling and opening in a disgusting manner. Among them were blackish-gray keratinous barbs that gleamed like blades, adding to their sinister appearance. Even a slight touch would be tantamount to being slowly sliced ​​to pieces on the spot.

The fog has a strong obscuring effect on perception. Based on the experience of hunting the little fleshy people in the early stages, as long as the monster is brought close, its sweet and delicious flesh and brains will be right in front of it!

But it clearly miscalculated.

Fine strands of light intertwined horizontally, vertically, and crisscrossingly, instantly unfurling a large, silvery-white net that swept upwards.

The onrushing tentacles froze as if petrified, then straight streaks of blood appeared, followed by square chunks of flesh falling like a torrential downpour, turning into white smoke and dissipating in mid-air.

With a single sword strike, Zhu Mingyao swiftly drew sword-like fingers with both hands, the clear light turning like a brush, instantly creating a divine talisman. Where the azure energy surged, it was as if ten thousand trees were sprouting, and illusory energy roots spread outwards, making the roof and walls as solid as a rock, making it difficult for foreign enemies to invade again.

He handled the situation swiftly and decisively, and the battle on the other side ended just as quickly.

The buzzing sound of the insect's rapidly flapping membranous wings reverberated through the space, once again disturbing the peace that had just been barely settled.

"Be careful, those strange insects are poisonous!"

During their escape, people witnessed their neighbors and friends demonstrate the monster's danger with their lives, and they immediately scattered in all directions in a panic.

Fortunately, driven by its instinct to chase the light, the scorpion- and bee-like insect flapped its wings and did not immediately choose to attack humans. Instead, it twisted its plump body, which was the size of a falcon, and turned around, crashing into the lamps on the counter.

The entire row of kerosene lamps fell to the ground and shattered. Pale yellow liquid flowed from the fuel container, turning into several winding, writhing serpents of flame that fragmented the light and shadow in the room.

hiss!

Distracted by the heat of the rising flames, the strange insect was momentarily confused before locking onto a new target. It folded its transparent wings, raised its needle-like stinger, and aimed at a woman who had just awakened from hypnosis, stabbing her fiercely!

"Crunch!" A round, white object crashed down, and the insect-like monster twisted wildly with a series of chewing sounds.

The white, sphere-like object spun around, its empty eye sockets flickering with ghostly flames, and its jagged, sharp teeth smeared with gray-blue insect blood. It was laughing out loud.

The horror of this scene was probably three times more intense than being bitten by a poisonous insect. Without a doubt, the woman rolled her eyes and swiftly passed out.

She wasn't the only one who was frightened. Even though common sense has long been shattered by today's standards, the scene of dozens of eerie skeletons croaking and flying around devouring strange insects was still too much of a challenge to people's values.

However, the instigator had no time to consider the mental well-being of bystanders; he simply sternly rebuked them:

"Don't just focus on what's above, there's more underground!"

Sure enough, following his reminder, the seemingly calm ground began to rise and roll, and as the soil cracked, a large number of spider-shaped monsters emerged from the ground like a black tide.

Each of them is at most the size of a walnut, yet they are all exceptionally fierce, with their blood-red, menacing compound eyes raised, and hundreds of soft white lines swirling like fine spring rain.

Wherever the seemingly delicate threads brushed past, whether it was scattered goods or metal shelves, they all turned black and discolored as if splashed with strong acid. Then they quickly corroded and dissolved, turning into puddles of black viscous liquid that emitted a pungent odor.

"Trying to be cunning again, with the intelligence of an arthropod, yet daring to make a fool of themselves in front of us terrifying upright apes."

Zhu Mingyao sneered coldly, raised his left hand and drew a semicircle. The overwhelming spider silk suddenly closed and hardened, twisting into a long spear with sharp edges, which was hurled out and plunged deep into the cement ground head to tail.

At the same time, he stepped heavily, his movements as steady as wading through mud, taking a step in each of the four cardinal directions, and the four seal characters Tai, Yue, An, and Zhen lit up in turn.

A cloud of dust-like yellow smoke flashed by, and an invisible, enormous force twisted and squeezed, causing the ground to sink several centimeters. Amidst the continuous cracking sounds, the swarm of venomous spiders was reduced to a thin layer of yellowish-green flesh.

Almost simultaneously, a sharp screech came from where the spear had landed, and a calf-sized black shadow tumbled through the soil, leaping out of its hiding place against the sudden increase in gravity.

The enemy looked like a spider from before, enlarged a hundred times larger. Its body was covered in shiny black hairs like steel needles, and its round belly was covered in bright red and yellow patterns that were eye-catching and awe-inspiring.

However, atop its eight-legged body was a highly anthropomorphic head, with two rows of clean white primate teeth neatly arranged, replacing the chelicerae of insects, making it look bizarre and absurd.

Seeing it futilely twisting its neck, trying to bite off the spear piercing its body, Zhu Mingyao pointed disdainfully, and the weapon formed from spider silk suddenly disintegrated, returning to its original form of countless fine threads that shot out in all directions, just like a giant dandelion blooming, leaving the spider monster riddled with holes.

"Mrs. Camor, you seem to have some unusual and special friendship with the things in the mist. Could you act as an intermediary and introduce us to them?"

Bai Ziyuan's words were full of teasing, and he still had a smiling face, but his interrogation was not as refined as last time.

The nine white bone ghost heads embedded in the Soul Gathering Banner protrude, their eerie green eyes emitting a merciless cold light, sweeping back and forth across the aging body, as if they were about to devour and refine its soul at any moment.

Now both of them realized that the strange old woman, the mist monster, and even the mist itself must be closely related!

However, to his threat, the old woman's withered chest heaved violently, and she laughed loudly while panting:

"Foolish creatures, do you think this is the end? That was just a small appetizer... the last breath of the beast, now it comes... sins will be washed away, and humanity will be restored to purity—"

Her voice was like a rollercoaster, soaring high and then fading away, her head suddenly tilting to the side and then falling silent again; she had simply died.

Such an unexpected turn of events left the two of them slightly stunned. They committed suicide before even being tortured—was that really so decisive?

"What's going on? This lunatic is truly unreasonable." Bai Ziyuan complained slightly, taking off the white bone ring from his wrist and throwing it out, about to try to collect the remnant souls.

"Watch out!" Zhu Mingyao, whose true cultivation level was a whole step higher than his companion's, keenly sensed something was wrong. He suddenly pushed him away, and his sword pellet unfolded like a rainbow, intercepting the white light that shot out from the old woman's heart.

"Ding!"

The white light was short and small, but the spiritual power it contained was beyond imagination. As soon as the sword light made contact, it was smashed to pieces. The sharp and powerful energy even flowed upwards, trying to invade Zhu Mingyao himself.

His heart skipped a beat, and he secretly released his carefully concealed cultivation. The true qi of the Xuan Tan Palace formed in his spiritual sea poured out, and the sword qi instantly condensed and strengthened several times. However, he could only barely cut off a tiny bit of it. He could only watch helplessly as the rest of it rushed away like thunder.

A small, narrow, curved petal, like a sparrow's tongue, drifted to the ground. Pure white and flawless, it resembled the purest emulsified crystal, radiating a sacred glow. It was completely free of any evil from the inside out, a stark contrast to the host's insane and wicked behavior.

"Is this... some kind of flower?"

"You're asking me? My specialty is bio-skeletons!"

As the petals slowly emitted a pure spiritual light, the two stared at each other, their minds filled with questions.

Botany and such are outside our area of ​​knowledge...