Transcending two realms to become an earth immortal

January has passed.

Amidst the ruins of Zhengyang Daocheng, the rubble was barely cleared away, and the execution ground was rebuilt.

Because the Black Mountain in the old world was extremely dangerous and unpredictable, and the Zhengyang Path had suffered heavy losses and its vitality was greatly depleted, it was necessary to replenish its combat strength first, and then discuss this matter later.

After more than ten days of reorganization, the refugees and surviving disciples absorbed by the Zhengyang Path from the three major heretical sects were finally barely reorganized.

The crowd, under orders, used the remaining ghost soldiers and demons to clear the ruins and hastily build several simple halls amidst the broken walls and rubble.

Inside the newly built lobby, the light was dim and the air still carried a faint scent of blood.

The elder in charge stood in the hall, reporting to Fang Chen at the head of the hall; his voice was hoarse.

"Reporting to Senior Brother, the sect has suffered heavy losses in this calamity. More than 80% of the disciples and elders have been lost. Half of the shops in the city have been destroyed, and the protective array of the mountain has also collapsed completely."

He paused, his voice strained:

"Besides, less than one-tenth of the spiritual materials and pills in the storehouse remain. Although we obtained a lot of spiritual resources and magic money by plundering the three major evil cults' execution grounds, the costs of paying blood taxes, purchasing healing pills, rebuilding the dojo's formations, and distributing compensation to disciples... are all extremely high, and the storehouse is now almost depleted."

Throughout history, war has always been the most expensive thing to do.

Not to mention that this was only a Pyrrhic victory, with the Zhengyang Path suffering heavy losses and its vitality greatly depleted. The spiritual resources and magical money plundered from the three major heretical sects were simply not enough to make up for the losses.

Upon realizing this, everyone in the hall wore a worried expression.

"The manor outside the city was also severely damaged." The elder's voice grew lower. "Only one senior sister is left to hold on, but more than half of the manor's guards have been killed or wounded. Fortunately, the three major evil sects' main forces were killed by the senior brother, the Dao Lord, so they survived by sheer luck."

"What's the current situation at the manor?" Fang Chen asked.

"Senior Sister has sent back a message that the manor's foundation is still intact. The formation is damaged, but it can be defended with difficulty. Moreover, I have dispatched the last batch of usable combat forces from the Daoist temple, as well as some of the remaining White Tiger Dharma Soldiers from the Yin World Daoist temple, to reinforce it. The current situation is relatively stable," the elder in charge of affairs replied.

Fang Chen nodded slightly.

Currently, within the Daoist temple, the three True Immortals need to go into seclusion to stabilize their Day Travel Realm, and Daoist Mingjun is in seclusion to seek survival. The high-level combat power is depleted, and he needs to personally oversee all affairs, so he cannot leave. Therefore, everything in the manor outside the city can only be decided by the only remaining True Immortal Senior Sister.

After a short while, Fang Chen asked again:

"What about the refugees absorbed from the shadows of the old world, and the newly recruited survivors? How long will it take for the dojo to be restored to its former state?"

After a moment's thought, the elder in charge replied:

"The refugees have been carefully vetted, and those with strong will and good health have been selected to join the outer sect. At the cost of sacrificing their lifespan and vitality, they have been forcibly given magical incantations to supplement the mid-to-low-level combat power..."

At this point, his expression turned serious, and he added:

"But senior brother, this method is extremely costly, requiring continuous use of Dharma money to maintain its vitality and delay the backlash. Furthermore, the reconstruction of formations, the construction of secret chambers, and the disciples' cultivation all require a large amount of Dharma money. However, the current Dharma money reserves of the Daoist temple... are far from sufficient!"

Upon hearing this, Fang Chen frowned slightly.

This world is corrupt and evil, and spiritual energy is impure, making orthodox cultivation slow. While quick methods can solve immediate problems, they require financial support.

Not to mention the reconstruction of secret chambers and formations, which also require a large amount of magic money.

The profits gained by cults are far from enough to fill this hole...

A brief silence fell over the hall, broken only by the howling wind and the flickering red candlelight.

After a moment of silence, Fang Chen suddenly raised his eyes, his gaze paused, and he abruptly laughed:

"This matter is not difficult."

The elders and disciples were taken aback upon hearing this.

You should know that the funding shortfall for this law is far more than tens of thousands.

If one were to kill someone and steal their soul, it would require going through hundreds of trials of light and shadow, or slaughtering tens of thousands of mortals. How could that be simple?

The elders and disciples inside the hall looked at each other, then bowed down one after another.

"Please enlighten me, senior brother."

Fang Chen smiled and said calmly:

"Previously, our Zhengyang Sect had to offer sacrifices to the surrounding demons every year in order to survive. Now that the execution ground has been severely damaged and the Dao Lord has succeeded, shouldn't these demons also contribute some effort?"

Upon hearing this, the expressions of several elders and disciples in the room changed drastically.

The elder in charge of affairs quickly advised:

"Senior brother, please reconsider! Our sect has just suffered a severe blow, and the demons from all sides are too powerful to control. The Dao Lord is still in seclusion. It is really not advisable to clash with them at this time! Not to mention that those demons are ruthless and have no sense of morality. If they take advantage of our sect's weakness to launch an attack, there may be unforeseen disasters. We need to plan this carefully..."

"It's alright." Fang Chen waved his hand and smiled slightly. "I cultivate an ancient secret technique called [Turning Demons into Humans]. Once this technique is used, demons will surely submit. You can go and summon them."

Ancient magic: [Turning demons into human form]?

What secret method has ever existed in Taoism?

Although the elders and disciples were surprised and suspicious, they dared not ask any more questions and could only respond in hushed tones.

The news was released quietly.

Three days later, all the demons in the surrounding area received invitations from Zhengyang Dao that seemed to be orders.

Just past noon, dark clouds covered the sky, and the world became gloomy.

Inside the simple main hall, Fang Chen sat calmly, while the remaining Daoist disciples stood on both sides, each with a tense expression and holding a magical artifact, creating a solemn atmosphere.

At this very moment—

"Brother Lin...they...are here..."

The elder in charge rushed anxiously into the hall, his face ashen, his breathing disordered, and he could barely speak. He shouted as soon as he entered the hall.

As soon as he finished speaking, the air in the hall suddenly froze, and a bone-chilling cold swept in from all directions, as if ice water had seeped into his bones.

Apart from Fang Chen, all the Daoist disciples felt a sudden chill in their hearts, their faces turned pale, and their souls seemed to be about to leave their bodies in shock, as if a great calamity was about to befall them!

Boom—

The next moment, the roof of the palace exploded with a loud bang, and wood chips flew everywhere!

A monstrous sheep's head, the size of a millstone and covered in filthy gray fur, suddenly plunged in. Its murky yellow vertical pupils stared intently at Fang Chen, and it grinned, revealing a mouth full of black and red fangs, emitting a grotesque, grinding laugh.

"Heh heh heh... So it's you, you greenhorn, who summoned us?"

Almost simultaneously, the side eaves were torn apart by an invisible force, and a blood crow as big as a calf with its iron feathers standing upright crashed through the gap and fell down suddenly.

Its scarlet raven eyes surveyed the group, its sharp beak opening and closing, dripping thick, bloody saliva onto the ground, as it hissed:

"Slurp~ What a delicious and succulent feast!"

Click!

boom--!

The front wall of the hall suddenly collapsed inward, and a giant statue, forcibly stitched together from dozens of swollen and decaying corpses, squeezed into the hall.

It was over three zhang tall, with putrid liquid flowing everywhere and a stench that filled the air. Dozens of rotting heads embedded in its torso and limbs swayed in unison, their empty eye sockets looking over and emitting a synchronized buzzing sound.

"Hey! You righteous brat, what brings you here?!"

Neither the new nor old Taoists in the hall had ever seen such a horrifying sight.

They were already terrified, their legs trembling. Those with weaker cultivation and less determined will collapsed to the ground with a thud, their faces ashen, and their crotches damp with fear, having lost control of their bladders.

However, this is only the beginning—

Click!

Boom!

wow-

The surrounding walls, pillars, and windows shattered one after another!

Huge, grotesque hands and claws covered in purplish-black, rotting flesh suddenly emerged from the shadows outside the hall, tearing apart the remaining roof, walls, and beams as if ripping rags.

Rubble rained down, dust filled the air, and in a matter of moments, the entire main hall was completely demolished from the outside, reduced to an open-air ruin.

The Taoist disciples coughed and trembled, barely managing to lift their heads to look. They saw several enormous black figures standing like mountains outside the ruins, their malevolent aura churning like clouds, obscuring the sunlight.

They all bent down, their greedy, covetous gazes pressing down on us like a tangible force.

Seeing the Taoist disciples so terrified, the demons let out a satisfied laugh, stepped forward, lowered their bodies, and completely revealed their terrifying appearance.

There were foxes with three eerie green eyes on their heads, their fur rotting and oozing pus; there were goat horns that were curved and coiled, dripping corrosive black liquid; there were crow beaks that were sharp as knives, stained with undried blood... A foul wind swept through, and thick saliva cascaded down like a waterfall, corroding the ground and producing smoke, and steaming up a highly poisonous white mist.

Those pairs of scarlet, pale green, and murky eyes, filled with nothing but naked greed and gluttony, were fixed on the huddled crowd in the center of the ruins, as if scrutinizing lambs being cooked and sautéed.

In this deathly silence and terror, the rotting fox head outside the courtyard slowly swayed, the human-faced deer head drooped, the dripping ram horns swayed, and the iron-feathered crow scraped its beak. These terrifying beings once again opened their mouths in unison, their voices mixed with their shrieks, merging into a terrifying sound wave that shook the rocks and caused them to tumble down.

"Hey! You righteous brat, what brings you here?!"

If you cannot provide a satisfactory solution, I will devour you all today and refine your souls into the Demon Lamp!