I Became the Devil Queen's Heart Demon-Chapter 1028 - 382: Burning Rage! The Demon Lord Descends!

Amidst the ashes flying in the sky, countless grey Gu Poison Worms were hidden, as small as specks of dust, nearly invisible to the naked eye.

They entered the body through the nostrils as the pilgrims greedily inhaled.

After inhaling the Gu Poison Worms, everyone's cheeks flushed, their expressions grew excited, and all their ailments seemed to vanish, as if their bodies were full of endless energy.

However, all of this was merely an illusion.

"Phantom Midge can catalyze emotions. The deeper the obsession in one's heart, the stronger the effect."

"Conversely, those who are detached from worldly desires and have a clear mind will not be affected."

Chen Mo's eyes were cold. Anyone who can climb the steep mountain path to pray at the summit certainly has desires they're wishing to fulfill.

The fear of illness, the craving for wealth... These emotions would be further amplified by the Phantom Midge, and the Gu God Sect obviously deliberately exploited this fact.

"Infinite Heavenly Venerate!"

"Thank you, True Monarch, for bestowing mana and saving the people from dire straits!"

Watching the fanatical expressions of the people around him, Chen Mo frowned even more deeply.

In this atmosphere, even if the court soldiers came, they might not be able to disperse this group of civilians.

Yu Zhe, surrounded by invisible Gang Qi, kept the Gu Poison Worms at bay. He squinted and said, "It seems they want to play openly. Why don't we just take action?"

"There are about a thousand civilians in this Daoist Temple. If we fight, the casualties could be severe," Chen Mo shook his head and said.

"Our primary mission is to eradicate the Gu God Sect, and some sacrifices are normal in the process. Moreover, if we delay further, more people will be infected," Yu Zhe said indifferently. "When faced with two harms, choose the lesser. In my opinion, we should quickly cut through the mess and not give the Demon Sect any chance to exploit."

The Xuan Armor Guard only had the Emperor's orders in their eyes. Completing the mission was the priority.

As for the lives of ordinary civilians, they never considered them.

Chen Mo was noncommittal. After a slight pause, he said, "We haven't figured out the details of the Gu God Sect yet. I feel there's a bigger conspiracy brewing behind this. Let's scout around first before making a decision."

Hearing this, Yu Zhe said nothing more and nodded, "I'll listen to Mr. Chen's arrangements."

The two of them squeezed through the crowded masses and walked towards the interior of the Daoist Temple.

On the altar, the old Taoist kept his head down, reciting scriptures with a faint, imperceptible sinister smile on his lips.

The entire Purple Cloud Temple was quite large, with pine and bamboo planted between courtyards, black artificial hills, and white ponds forming a yin-yang pattern, giving a sense of "yin and yang complement each other."

Unlike other Daoist Temples enshrining the Three Pure Ones and Jade Emperor, there were only two main halls in Purple Cloud Temple.

The main hall naturally enshrined the "True Martial God," while the side hall was dedicated to a deity named "Lady Zhao Hua."

It was said that this Empress was the Dao Companion of the True Martial God, extremely effective in prayers for children.

Chen Mo and Yu Zhe stepped into the main hall, which was grand and majestic. The columns were plain, and the platform built of bluestone was engraved with auspicious clouds and mythical beasts, with a towering stone statue standing in the center.

The statue, several meters tall, had unadorned hair, barefoot, without crowns.

Over its shoulders was draped Star Moon Cloud Shoulder, wearing a robe embroidered with precious images, holding a jade seal in the left hand, and leaning a Seven Stars Sword with the right, its eyes cast down with hidden majesty, emanating a sense of awe yet also exuding a touch of compassion.

Ahead, several dozen faithful knelt on prayer mats, eyes closed, chanting Taoist scriptures in whispers.

Last night, Chen Mo had a confrontation with Daoist Xuanzhen here, almost destroying half of the hall, yet now there was no trace of any anomaly.

"This Daoist..."

Chen Mo grabbed a young Taoist rushing past and inquired, "May I ask where Daoist Xuanzhen is now?"

The young Taoist looked him up and down, "You are..."

Chen Mo took out a wooden token from his bosom, handed it to the young Taoist, and said, "I am Xuanji, a friend of Daoist Xuanzhen. We arranged to meet today."

Seeing the words "Tianshu" on the token, the young Taoist's expression froze, then hastily saluted, "I didn't know the real master was here. If I have been rude, please forgive me... Daoist Xuanzhen is in the side hall blessing the believers. Please follow me, Real Master."

"Thank you."

Chen Mo followed the young Taoist, passing through the main hall, and moved along the corridor toward the side hall.

Yu Zhe was surprised, transmitting his voice, "Mr. Chen is actually a lineage of Tianshu Pavilion?"

"When traveling, one assumes their own identity," Chen Mo said flatly.

To be exact, given his relationship with the Daoist Venerable, he could be considered the godfather of Tianshu Pavilion...

They came to the front of the side hall.

This hall was a bit smaller than the main hall, not as grand, but seemed more exquisite, with overlapping dougong, like clouds clustered, and the beams painted with colorful cranes towards the origin.

Sunlight shone through the carved windows, and wisps of green smoke swirled in the beams, giving an ethereal misty feeling.

In the center stood a two-person-high colorful statue, dressed in luxurious attire, with colorful ribbons fluttering behind, a genial smile on its graceful face.

Inside, a long queue had already formed, probably dozens of people, all females with swollen bellies, seemingly all pregnant. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Beneath the statue, Xuanzhen sat cross-legged, holding a horsetail whisk.

The women knelt on the prayer mats facing him in turn, Xuanzhen's lips moved as he recited scriptures, flicking the whisk around.

Like a spring breeze brushing their faces, their expressions became serene, smiles of tranquility appeared on their faces, resembling the statue behind them.

"Thank you, Daoist Master."

After bowing, the pregnant women were led out the back door by other Taoists.

Chen Mo frowned and said, "Why are there so many pregnant women here?"