Chapter 448: The Demonized (Second Update)

"Who on earth is that person?"

As Gu Manhua thought about the events of these past few days, a wave of terror rose from the bottom of her heart.

That person, that day, that sword...

Terrifying.

Too terrifying.

It had taken her three full days to force the Sword Intent from the opponent's casual three strikes out of her body, and she had been repairing and recuperating ever since, only just managing to recover today.

Along with the fear, her heart was filled to the brim with jealousy.

"Damn it! Damn it!!!"

Gu Manhua leaned against the cave entrance to regulate her breathing for a long while, wheezing laboriously for a moment, before slowly raising her head to look at the firmament.

Dark clouds drifted past, revealing the full moon that had been hidden behind them; the moonlight spilled onto her face, illuminating her current appearance.

Gu Manhua raised her hand to touch her cheek, encountering a pile of layered, wrinkled skin.

!!!

Her expression twisted for a moment before she slowly calmed down, saying in a hoarse, low voice:

"As expected, has it turned into this state after all?"

At this moment, Gu Manhua's appearance had changed drastically from how she had previously appeared before everyone.

She looked aged and ghastly, her skin covered in age spots, and her once proud and upright bosom had sagged, making it impossible to see any trace of her former plump and alluring self.

This was the true appearance of Venerable Peony, an aged and frail old crone.

In fact, it is not only those at the Ask Dao Peak who are troubled by their lifespan.

In this world, the vast majority of people, ninety-nine point nine nine nine percent, are not even qualified to encounter the predicament of the Ask Dao Peak.

Because they simply cannot reach that step; too many people have already fallen halfway there.

The path to immortality is rugged, covered in thorns, and filled with tribulations at every turn.

Without breaking through the realm, one's lifespan will eventually come to an end.

How many people spend their entire lives merely in Qi Refining, their lifespan only slightly longer than that of an ordinary long-lived elder.

Gu Manhua was just such an old person whose lifespan was nearing its end.

Her talent was not bad; she had been able to break through the Heaven Realm to reach the Formless stage, becoming world-renowned and an ancestor of Wanhua Valley.

But unfortunately, Gu Manhua's highlight ended there.

Let alone the bottleneck of Asking Dao, the Formless stage was her limit; after her breakthrough, her cultivation did not advance even half a step, remaining stuck at the early Formless stage.

She had originally been sealed within Wanhua Valley, serving as a top-tier combat force to be awakened in a moment of crisis.

She had awakened when Li Long last attacked Wanhua Valley, preparing to face the Emperor of the dynasty who wielded the Qian Sword.

It was just that later, because someone did not die and Li Long happily ran off, she was left with no use for her skills.

Gu Manhua should have continued to be sealed, but her condition had become so poor that it no longer allowed her to be sealed, so she reappeared before the disciples of Wanhua Valley under the name of Venerable Peony.

Because her lifespan was coming to an end, her temperament became extremely eccentric, and she would punish Wanhua Valley disciples for the smallest trifles.

Gu Manhua had become psychologically twisted.

When she looked at those disciples who were as beautiful as fresh flowers, she felt only jealousy in her heart.

They are mocking me!

They are flaunting their youth!

Under such a pathological state of mind, Gu Manhua acted with extreme cruelty; once someone fell into her hands, they would be maimed, and the most severely injured were still lying in bed recuperating to this day.

And because of her Heaven Realm strength and nearing lifespan, no one could manage her; even the Valley Master Zhao Yundan could only offer advice and had no way to punish her.

This led the Wanhua Valley disciples to view her as a flood or a wild beast, wishing they could hide far away, and becoming incredibly nervous upon discovering she was following them.

Gu Manhua loathed her current appearance and used her remaining strength to alter her face, making it look exactly as it had in her youth.

But now, she had revealed her original appearance.

This meant that she had exhausted all her Dharma Power while healing and had no extra strength left to maintain anything else.

"No, no, no... I am not like this!"

She covered her face, letting out a shrill wail.

"This is not me!"

Boom!

Dozens of unopened flower buds flew out from her body, heading toward the surrounding creatures.

Woo—

The flower buds pierced into the bodies of the wild beasts, draining them dry in a few breaths, and bright red peony flowers bloomed upon the shriveled corpses.

Gu Manhua used her withered, chicken-claw-like palms to grab a peony directly, brought it to her mouth, and crushed it hard; scarlet juice dripped from between her fingers and fell into her mouth.

Gulp.

Gulp...

As the juice was swallowed down her throat, her skin became a bit firmer, and she looked a few years younger.

After draining the wild beasts across the mountain, Gu Manhua's appearance changed from eighty years old to sixty.

Not to say she became very beautiful, but at least she looked human.

But her expression did not relax in the slightest; instead, her eyes became even more ferocious.

"Still not enough, still not enough!!!"

She had long since been driven to madness by her lifespan.

This Flower Demon Blood Absorption Method, which seizes the essence and blood of others to extend one's own lifespan, is a forbidden art strictly prohibited by Wanhua Valley.

But the current Gu Manhua, in order to survive, no longer had any scruples.

To her, no matter what kind of evil method it was, as long as it was useful, it was the righteous path!

It was just that this blood-sucking method was gradually becoming inadequate; in her current state of unhealed, severe injuries, the rate of loss far exceeded the rate of absorption.

In the current situation, if she wanted to survive, she had no choice but to reach out toward others.

"The blood of ordinary beasts... is not enough; I need Demon Beast blood! No, a cultivator's will do too!"

Yes, a cultivator!

There are many cultivators here; even if one or two go missing, it won't be a problem, and no one will notice.

Once the murderous thought arose, it could no longer be suppressed.

Because of her severe injuries, and also to avoid exposing her own existence, Gu Manhua did not use her divine sense to scout, but instead used the moonlight to hide herself, concealing her presence like a beast in the night while searching for prey nearby.

Very quickly, she saw a target from afar.

That was a woman wearing a hood, with a few strands of silver hair showing.

The woman did not notice Gu Manhua; she was currently looking up at the moon, her throat bobbing up and down, as if she were restraining something.

This seemed to be a very good opportunity, but Gu Manhua calmed down and quietly walked away before the other party could discover her.

"... No, she won't do."

Although Gu Manhua was crazed, she was not yet insane, and she could sense the danger on the other party.

She could not consume this prey; it would get her killed.

And not long after Gu Manhua left, the ears beneath the hood of Cang Lan, who had been watching the moon, twitched slightly in the direction she had departed.

"A body full of the stench of blood, a dangerous fellow..."

Since Gu Manhua had retreated in the face of difficulty, Cang Lan did not pay her any mind.

The other party was very weak, but that did not mean she was feeble.

Cang Lan knew very well that a wounded beast is the most dangerous; there was no need to provoke such trouble.

Not long after, Gu Manhua, who had been searching for a long time, saw her eyes suddenly light up.

She had seen the most suitable candidate.

"Li Fengyao!!!"