Bam! Bam! Bam!

Almost instantly, Zhang Kui fell into a strange state.

The surrounding silence was terrifying, so much so that he couldn't even sense Elder Huayan or the Immortal Crane nearby, only the slow thud of his own heartbeat.

In his line of sight were nothing but those eyes of varying sizes, ablaze with a blood-red flame.

Immediately, an unprecedented hunger rose from his stomach.

Some say pain drives one mad, but it's really hunger that makes one lose all reason.

Zhang Kui's eyes began to redden; his mind was filled with visions: locusts blotting out the sun, thundering as they devoured fields, leaving behind scorched earth where people resorted to cannibalism, and bones littered the fields...

Buzz!

Once again, two stars shone brightly in the dark depths of his mind, and Zhang Kui's cold sweat-soaked body was jolted awake.

Opposite him, the evil aura surged skyward, those eyes grew increasingly brighter, and a chilling presence kept escalating.

Though now conscious, Zhang Kui's body remained numb, completely beyond his control.

He heard beast-like roars coming from beside him.

In his peripheral vision, Elder Huayan and the Immortal Crane were drooling like crazed beasts, ferociously lunging at each other.

Damn!

Zhang Kui swore angrily, immediately summoning the Protective Golden Light. Although it shattered within moments, his senses returned, and he turned to strike with a fierce punch.

Elder Huayan and the Immortal Crane, though formidable, had lost their sanity and didn't evade, getting knocked back ten meters by Zhang Kui's left and right fists.

But they quickly got up, bloodshot eyes howling as they pounced on him again.

"Wake up!"

Zhang Kui roared with anger. He intended to knock Elder Huayan out and take him away but found it impossible. He could only separate the two while dodging.

In his fit of anxiety, a feeling of hunger also emerged from his Personal Space.

What the hell are you joining the commotion for?

Zhang Kui was a bit annoyed but quickly realized something was wrong. "Longevity" wasn't affected by the Locust Demon; its craving was for something else.

Turning abruptly, Zhang Kui spotted a large piece of white gauze on the ground ahead, scattered with bamboo pieces around it.

That was... the cage that held the Locust Demon!

The once lush green bamboo cage shards had turned yellow and faded, decaying at a visible rate.

Yet the white gauze, despite the explosion, had not torn and remained intact, as bright as new.

It seemed ordinary, but even a fool would know it was a treasure.

Eyes lighting up, Zhang Kui waved a claw, and the white gauze swiftly flew over to cover Elder Huayan.

Sure enough, Elder Huayan ceased his wild struggles, panting heavily as clarity gradually returned to his eyes.

Just then, the Immortal Crane came rushing in, its long beak narrowly missed, and Zhang Kui leaped up to land a punch, knocking it down.

The white gauze was large enough to cover the Immortal Crane's head and neck, and it too quickly regained sanity.

Beneath the gauze, Elder Huayan's face was pale, and he lamented, "Water, drought, locusts—the three disasters. Of them, locusts across thousands of miles strip all grass and trees, causing more devastation than water or drought."

"I didn't expect the Locust Demon to be this formidable. Is heaven truly set on destroying the human race?"

"Let's get out of here first!"

With a low growl, Zhang Kui, with the two of them and the crane under the white gauze, stumbled out of the Locust Demon Hall.

After running hundreds of meters, they finally escaped the range of the terrifying blood-yellow evil aura.

Zhang Kui stored the gauze away but hesitated, opting not to put it into his Personal Space. This gauze clearly could block the Locust Demon's aura and might prove useful again.

They gazed toward the Locust Demon Hall, but the peculiar mist obscured everything; they couldn't see anything or even sense any presence.

Yet an ominous feeling grew more intense, as if something was being born.

The Locust Demon was out, its vicious might far surpassed the Dragon Bone stage and Drought Fiend statue, leaving both Zhang Kui and Elder Huayan feeling a hint of helplessness.

At that moment, the two were startled and turned to the rear.

Within the thick fog appeared five figures of varying sizes, all Octopus Demons with constantly writhing antennae on their heads.

Judging by their armor and auras, they were even more formidable than the two before.

Zhang Kui's face turned grim.

Five old demons of the Celestial Tribulation Realm!

They were clearly outmatched. More importantly, there was the terrifying Locust Demon behind them, and they had no idea where the Dragon Bone stage and Drought Fiend statue lurked.

To become entangled here was certain death.

"Retreat!"

The trio didn't hesitate, immediately veering to the side.

However, the Octopus Demons were relentless, cloaked in swirling black light as they pursued relentlessly.

The five elder demons shared the same lineage, and from their trailing black light, large tentacles with sharp, spiked suckers shot out, interwoven tightly.

Simultaneously, their auras merged into one, continuously escalating, resembling a ferocious beast encased in black light that accelerated instantly, blocking Zhang Kui and his companions.

Zhang Kui and Elder Huayan halted and looked grave. No wonder Jingjiang Water Mansion sustained such heavy losses in the Celestial Tribulation Realm and continued deploying people inside. These Octopus Demons could perform a united strike.

After combining, the Octopus Demons became exceptionally bizarre, surrounded by a dozen twisting, waving large tentacles, with five heads gathered in the center, each opening a lotus-like maw, hissing.

"Hmph, those folks from the Painting Studio are so weak!"

One head with a dark face said, "No wonder it took so long; it turns out a few rats slipped in."

"You're the damn rat!"

The Immortal Crane flapped its wings and cursed.

"Courting death!"

The eyes of the Octopus Demons suddenly glowed green.

At that moment, from the direction of the Locust Demon Hall, a chilling ferocious aura erupted.

The Octopus Demons, about to act, paused, uncertainly staring toward the Locust Demon Hall.

"What on earth is over there?"

These newcomers, thwarted by the strange mist, had no clue what was happening in the Locust Demon Hall and were startled.

Before the words settled, that terrifying aura rapidly retracted and quickly became undetectable.

Gazing at the slow-moving yellow mist, the Celestial Tribulation Realm's elder Octopus Demons exchanged glances.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Kui's face changed drastically, and he instantly spread the gauze over their trio.

Opposite, an Octopus Head sneered, "Thinking of surrendering? Never! Our Jingjiang Water Mansion never leaves..."

Crash!

A shadow the size of a building suddenly burst through the mist, crashing down from above yet quickly lifting again.

Zhang Kui and his companions saw it clearly—a massive locust's head, accompanied by that distinctive blood-yellow evil aura, with terrifying mandibles gleaming coldly.

The Octopus Demons had vanished without a trace, and even the patch of ground they'd been on had been gnawed away.

Hiss…

Zhang Kui and Elder Huayan gasped in shock.

Boom, boom, boom—the ground began trembling, a gigantic insect limb, several meters thick, pierced the fog and descended from above, with terrifying hooks smashing the gravel surface, creating deep cracks.

They had no idea how large the Locust Demon was due to the mist blocking their sight; Zhang Kui and the others could only see the insect limbs striking down from a high position.

Possibly obstructed by the yellow mist, even the Locust Demon couldn't find an exit, rampaging aimlessly, its massive limbs crushing old halls and various buildings in their path, raising dust and debris like an earthquake.

Zhang Kui and his team were caught in a desperate plight. Though the gauze shielded them from the Locust Demon's discovery, evading its massive, unpredictably falling limbs alone was a perilous task.

"Damn you!"

Just after narrowly avoiding a stomping, Zhang Kui angrily unleashed the Lu Li Sword, which shot out and pierced the massive insect limb.

But the insect limb seemed unfazed, pulsating with blood-yellow evil light, swiftly recovering.

Zhang Kui was horrified to find that the Geng Metal Evil Light on the Flying Sword wore down slightly!

Feeling a sense of helplessness, Zhang Kui's group could only flee frantically toward the exit.

They dared not soar too high; if discovered, evading the Locust Demon's speed would be impossible.

Though the place was now a ruin, they remembered the general direction. Just as they neared the entrance, the trio abruptly stopped, faces darkening.

In the yellow mist, the Drought Fiend's bronze statue slowly emerged, eyes glowing blood-red, its three heads of joy, rage, and lust twisting endlessly…

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