Chapter 78

The drizzling night rain made the already dim sky even darker.

In the desolate mountain path under the night rain, there stood a solitary courtyard, brightly lit.

Knock, knock!

The courtyard gate was knocked on.

After a few breaths, the tightly closed gate opened, and a man dressed as a scholar quietly looked at the visitor.

"Your humble servant is Mo Zijin. May I ask how you are addressed, sir?"

"Yang Gong of the Eternal Alliance, greetings to Mr. Mo!"

Looking at the person in front of him, Yang Gong politely clasped his hands, his expression calm, but his eyes betrayed his nervousness.

He was very clear.

He knew exactly what he was dealing with.

Although he was a member of the Eternal Alliance, he did not dare to underestimate a young-stage Calamity.

Upon hearing the words "Eternal Alliance," Mo Zijin's expression did not change much.

"It's raining outside. Brother Yang, why don't you come in and sit for a while?"

After saying this, he turned and walked inside.

Standing outside the courtyard, Yang Gong hesitated.

He knew very well that the Calamity's territory was within the courtyard.

As long as he did not step inside, the Calamity could not harm him.

However, if he did step inside, he might run into serious trouble.

Putting himself in a dangerous situation was something Yang Gong was unwilling to do.

But thinking of the orders from the Eternal Alliance, he had no way to refuse.

Betraying humanity and joining the demons had already cut off his own retreat. If he were abandoned by the Eternal Alliance, neither humanity nor the demons would have a place for him.

At that time,

It would truly be a dead end.

With this thought, Yang Gong hesitated for a moment, but ultimately stepped inside.

"Although Calamities are dangerous, it's just a young-stage Calamity. If it really comes to a fight, it might not be able to harm me. Besides, as long as I don't provoke it, there shouldn't be any major problems."

Having made his decision,

He relaxed a bit.

As Yang Gong entered the courtyard, the originally open gate closed automatically.

The sound of the gate slamming shut made his heart race involuntarily.

Walking into the hall,

Yang Gong immediately felt a strong scent of ink mixed with the pungent smell of herbs, which made him instinctively frown.

The interior environment was similar to that of an ordinary household.

"Brother Yang, please sit down."

Mo Zijin had a gentle smile on his face.

Yang Gong had no choice but to sit down and then hurriedly said, "I have come this time to discuss something with Mr. Mo."

"Discuss something with me?"

Mo Zijin showed a surprised look, his face filled with confusion.

"Your humble servant and Brother Yang have never met. I wonder what Brother Yang wants to talk about?"

"Have you heard of the Eternal Alliance?"

"I would like to hear more about it."

"The Eternal Alliance is a force created by our demon race, covering the entire world, not just the current land of the Great Qin. This time, I have come mainly to invite Mr. Mo to join our Eternal Alliance."

Yang Gong said solemnly.

To outsiders,

The term "demons" was a derogatory term for demons, but it was not so.

The term "demons" did not originate from the human race but from the Eternal Alliance.

Therefore, his expression did not change when he mentioned the term "demons."

On the other side,

Mo Zijin's gentle smile seemed to stiffen.

He neither agreed nor disagreed, as if he had not heard anything.

"The night rain is cold and damp. Your humble servant will fetch something to warm you up, Brother Yang."

After saying this,

Mo Zijin turned and left.

Yang Gong opened his mouth to call him back, but it was too late.

Sitting alone in the hall, he looked around. The candlelight flickered in the flowing air, making him feel restless.

Taking a few deep breaths,

He calmed his uneasy heart.

"This mission is indeed not as simple as it seems."

Yang Gong sighed inwardly.

Although the mission was not simple, if he could accomplish it, the benefits would be substantial.

Not to mention,

The rewards from the Eternal Alliance would be numerous.

At that time, he might even be able to break through to a level comparable to a Grandmaster, who knows?

Thinking of this, Yang Gong's spirits lifted slightly.

The Eternal Alliance had many strong individuals. As a demon-human comparable to the innate realm, his status was not very high.

However,

If he could make a breakthrough,

He would be considered a strong individual in the Eternal Alliance.

At that moment,

Mo Zijin walked in with a porcelain bowl in his hand.

"Brother Yang, this is a medicinal soup that I have spent many years researching. It is very nourishing for the body. You can drink it while it's hot."

Yang Gong looked at the black medicinal soup, which emitted a pungent and foul smell, almost making him want to vomit.

If he said there was nothing wrong with it, he would have to cut off his own head.

The scene fell into a stalemate.

After a while,

Mo Zijin's stiff smile became even more somber.

"Brother Yang, do you not trust me?"

"Mr. Mo, you misunderstand."

Yang Gong reached out to take the porcelain bowl. The pungent smell intensified, making his throat involuntarily move.

Since joining the Eternal Alliance, he was no longer a normal human.

Even if the soup in the bowl was poisonous, it would not have much effect on him.

After all, no poison could harm a demon.

Over the years,

Yang Gong had never heard of a demon being poisoned to death.

So he was not afraid of the poison in the bowl, but the smell was truly unbearable.

He really did not want to drink it.

But under Mo Zijin's gaze, Yang Gong knew he could not refuse.

If he refused,

The plan to recruit him into the Eternal Alliance might fail.

For the greater good, even if the soup was hard to swallow, he had to drink it.

With this thought,

Yang Gong steeled his resolve and opened his mouth to swallow the contents of the bowl.

The black medicinal soup did not have the expected foul smell but instead had a fragrant taste.

The stark contrast

Made him smack his lips.

"Delicious!"

Hearing the praise, Mo Zijin's smile became even brighter as he took the porcelain bowl.

"Brother Yang truly has good taste."

"That's—ugh!"

Yang Gong smiled, but as he was about to say something, the medicinal soup in his stomach exploded like a bomb, twisting his face in pain as he bent over and vomited.

Black blood mixed with unknown substances spewed out, spreading a foul odor.

"This, this medicinal soup, it's poisonous—"

Yang Gong slid off the chair, his body curled up on the ground, his face turning blue and twisted.

Poisonous!

The medicinal soup was truly poisonous!

He never expected the poison to be so strong that it could even affect him.

On the other side,

Mo Zijin's face was filled with anger.

"This is a formula I spent years researching. How could it be poisonous? You dare to insult me like this, you deserve to die!"

As he spoke, his face twisted.

Instantly,

The candlelight in the hall flickered violently, and the once bright hall became much darker.

Then,

Mo Zijin's eyeballs fell out, black blood flowed from his eye sockets, and his mouth split to the sides of his ears, blood dripping from the wounds.

At that moment, he had lost all the elegance of a scholar.

"You dare to defame me, I will eat you!"

Seeing Mo Zijin lean down, Yang Gong's eyes showed horror.

He wanted to resist,

But the intense poison made it impossible for him to move.

He could only watch helplessly as Mo Zijin leaned down, inching closer to him.

Rip—

His arm was torn, and the intense pain made Yang Gong scream in agony.

"Ah!"

Holding the bloody arm in his mouth, Mo Zijin quickly devoured it, then turned his black eye sockets to the rest of Yang Gong's body.

The candles in the hall suddenly went out.

Thunder flashed in the night sky, accompanied by a heavy downpour.

Piercing screams echoed in the hall.

The screams grew from intense to weak, and finally, they fell silent.

After a long while,

The candles in the hall were relit, and the sound of reading resumed, as if nothing had happened, accompanied by the night rain.

In a brightly lit secret room, rows of oil lamps were lit. Among the many lit lamps, one suddenly went out.

At the moment the lamp went out,

An old woman with a cane entered, looking at the extinguished lamp and the name carved below it, her expression changed.

Then, she left the secret room and went elsewhere.

Outside the secret room, it seemed to be a large household courtyard, with artificial hills, flowing water, pavilions, and terraces.

Servants and maids moved about, but upon closer inspection, their expressions seemed somewhat unnatural.

The old woman crossed the courtyard and arrived at the hall.

Inside the hall, a person was sitting, with a table in front of him covered in unknown bloody flesh, some of which was still twitching, and a strong smell of blood filled the air.

Seeing the old woman enter,

The person paused in his eating.

"Why are you here?"

As he spoke, he did not put down the meat in his hand, chewing it, with fresh blood flowing down his mouth.

Seeing this,

The old woman's expression remained unchanged as she said calmly, "Yang Gong's life flame has been extinguished."

"Yang Gong?"

The person was taken aback, as if remembering something.

"I remember he was ordered to find that young Calamity."

"That's right, but now that Yang Gong's life flame has been extinguished, either he was encountered by the Demon Suppression Bureau, or he was killed by the Calamity."

The old woman's expression was calm.

"If he was killed by the Calamity, it would be better. If he was killed by the Demon Suppression Bureau, our base here might be exposed."

"I understand."