Apart from Talisman Master Zhang, neither he, Zhang Peng Peng, nor Wang Mingyan in the distance were attacked by the Bizarre Demons.

What happened here? Why did the Bizarre Demons only attack Talisman Master Zhang and not them? What was going on?

Jia Ren's mind raced as he carefully recalled what Talisman Master Zhang had been doing before his death that triggered the Bizarre Demons' attack.

Did he know his time was short? Did he entrust Zhang Peng Peng to his care? Or was it because he spoke aloud? Could making a sound have been the cause of death?!

With too little information, it was impossible to infer, and he had to prepare for the worst.

Zhang Peng Peng still had her head down, a smile on her face as she fantasized about a bright future. When she looked up, her father had already been brutally killed. The sudden turn of events left her unable to react, and she stood there in shock.

Zhang Peng Peng's eyes blurred, and tears streamed down her face. She opened her mouth, about to say something.

Jia Ren appeared beside her in an instant, his right hand tightly covering her mouth and nose, while his left index finger was pressed to his own lips, gesturing for silence.

No speaking!

Zhang Peng Peng struggled once, then stopped resisting, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Wang Mingyan looked terrified and nearly fled. Seeing Jia Ren's gesture, she quickly covered her mouth with both hands, not daring to utter a sound.

The three of them remained tense but were not attacked. Confirming that they wouldn't be attacked by the Bizarre Demons if they made no noise, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The ten Evil Warding Talismans hadn't been enough to protect Master Zhang, indicating the Bizarre Demons were powerful. Even if not as strong as the Black Blood Bizarre, they wouldn't be much weaker. This being was not one they could afford to provoke.

Don't speak! Jia Ren thought. Sister Pengpeng, Master Zhang certainly didn't want anything to happen to you. You must live on, strongly. And you wouldn't want Master Zhang to be buried in the Black Demon Forest. We must leave this place immediately.

Jia Ren took out charcoal and Talisman Paper, writing down three sentences to give to Zhang Peng Peng.

Zhang Peng Peng's face was contorted with pain, but thankfully, she remained rational. She clenched her jaw tightly, saying nothing.

An Evil Warding Talisman cleared away the residual Bizarre Demon aura from Talisman Master Zhang's body. The residual evil from the Silent Bizarre was so potent it took two Evil Warding Talismans to cleanse thoroughly.

Talisman Master Zhang's Storage Bag was handed to Zhang Peng Peng. Jia Ren placed the corpse into a separate Storage Bag and then pulled the numb-looking Zhang Peng Peng away.

It was time to leave. They didn't want to linger within the Silent Bizarre's range and fled as far as they could.

The three continued their journey, hurrying along. The extent of the Silent Bizarre's influence was unclear, so from start to finish, no one dared utter a single word.

Throughout, they didn't encounter a single Bizarre Demon. Either there were no Bizarre Demons in this area, or they were still within the Silent Bizarre's territory. Bizarre Demons, like many Magical Beasts, had their own territories. Any other Bizarre Demons intruding would be seen as a provocation. With a powerful Bizarre Demon roaming around, other Bizarre Demons would keep their distance.

After walking for a day, the three moved like zombies. With Talisman Master Zhang dead and their numbers reduced, the joy of escaping the Great Wilderness was gone. In the Great Wilderness, there had at least been some leeway; their main pressure had come from the Black Blood Bizarre. Who knew how many powerful Bizarre Demons still lurked in the Black Soul Forest? The slightest error could trigger a taboo, leading to a mysterious and unexplained death.

With at least four hundred li still to travel, could a single mistake mean annihilation for their group? Was there a safe way to leave?

All kinds of thoughts rose in Jia Ren's mind as he looked at the treasures he possessed.

Magic Artifacts? He didn't possess anything like a Cloud-Surpassing Flying Boat that could fly to high altitudes. Low-altitude flight attracted too much attention. If it drew the notice of a powerful Bizarre Demon or triggered a taboo, it meant death.

Talismans? Evil Warding Talismans and Demon-Spottng Talismans could be useful; other Talismans had no immediate use.

Spirit Insects… The Sound Seizing Demon Mosquitoes could act as scouts. The Golden Armor King Worms to dig an escape tunnel? It would take a hundred years to reach the Black Desert Marketplace. The Black Wind Mantis was a pure combat Spirit Insect, and the Illusionary Demon Moth could create illusions. Perhaps illusions could be used for scouting, but unfortunately, they wouldn't last long.

He thought of three 'freeloader' insects that had never been useful before.

I have a plan!

Jia Ren reached out and produced three pale yellow Spirit Insects. Their auras barely fluctuated, and they were unremarkable in appearance. They were Puppet Demon Insects, derived from Puppet Bugs, which had reverted to their ancestral form using the Ancestral Worm Pill Bloodline. Puppet Demon Insects possessed the ability to control the corpses of dead creatures. The strength they could exert through these corpses, previously ranging from ten to fifty percent of the original's, had now improved to a range of thirty to seventy percent. Previously, they could only control one target. After reverting, their control limit had increased to five. Puppet Bugs held the seventh rank on the list of wondrous insects due to their ability to control corpses refined via the Demonic Path. After reverting, the Puppet Demon Insects' ranking could only be higher.

Humans were vulnerable to Bizarre Demon attacks, a fact evidenced by the Black Blood Bizarre's practice of raising humans. If they concealed themselves well, they could evade most Bizarre Demons. How could they conceal themselves? Merely suppressing their breath wasn't enough.

Then... what if we use the Turtle Breath Technique to hide inside the corpse of a Magical Beast, controlled by a Puppet Demon Insect, to escape?

By shedding their 'human' identity and using the corpses of Magical Beasts controlled by Puppet Demon Insects for movement, they might be able to avoid many Bizarre Demons. Whether the plan would work still needed to be tested.

The Demon-Spottng Talisman searched for non-threatening, large-bodied Magical Beasts. A Green Ox Demon, about a zhang in length and at First Order mid-grade, came into view.

Wait for me.

Jia Ren dared not be careless. The three of them communicated through writing.

The Green Ox Demon was nibbling on Spirit Grass and did not notice Jia Ren approaching stealthily using the Turtle Breath Technique. He took out the Qing Ling Needle and smeared it with Soul-Sealing Powder. Flying needles, notoriously sinister instruments in the Cultivation World, had faint Spiritual Power fluctuations. The Qing Ling Needle shot out, entering through the ear of the Green Ox Demon. At the same time, a golden light flashed past Jia Ren's fingertips, piercing the Green Ox Demon's throat.

Hit by two simultaneous sneak attacks, the First Order mid-grade Green Ox Demon didn't have time to react before its head and neck were pierced, and its life was extinguished.

Jia Ren quickly approached, took out a Puppet Demon Insect, and placed it on the dead Green Ox Demon. The Puppet Demon Insect burrowed in through the mangled ear canal. Moments later, the dead Green Ox Demon stood up and began to move slowly. Its movements were somewhat stiff at first, but they gradually quickened.

Jia Ren issued a command to the Puppet Demon Insect, making the Green Ox Demon's corpse lie down. Next, it was time to transform the 'Beastly RV.'

The Shadowless Sword Talisman cut open the Green Ox Demon's abdomen. Jia Ren completely emptied its organs, clearing out a relatively spacious area. He sprinkled Hemostatic Medicine Powder and used a Cleaning Talisman to remove the filth. The Green Ox Demon, having been carefully selected, was large enough to barely accommodate the three of them hiding inside.

Jia Ren gestured to Zhang Peng Peng and Wang Mingyan, communicating with them through writing. Wang Mingyan had no objections; she was eager for closer contact with Jia Ren.

The three of them crawled into the Green Ox Demon's abdomen one after another, causing its belly to swell as if it were ten months pregnant. The Qing Ling Needle, linked with Green Silkworm Thread, stitched up the wound in the Green Ox Demon's abdomen from the inside. From the outside, there was no visible sign of the opening.

The three of them suppressed their breath and hid their energy fluctuations. The Sound Seizing Demon Mosquito acted as their eyes, while the Demon-Spottng Talisman helped them avoid other Magical Beasts. They proceeded as before.

Perhaps because they were hidden within the Green Ox Demon, effectively 'merged' with the Magical Beasts of the Black Demon Forest, their journey was quite smooth. For a full day, they encountered no Bizarre Demon attacks. A Featherweight Talisman provided the Green Ox Demon with propulsion, making its travel speed even faster than before. They managed to cover over a hundred and thirty li each day. This was despite only traveling during the day and resting at night.

They were getting closer and closer to escaping the Black Demon Forest.

Before the three could rejoice for long, Zhang Peng Peng and Wang Mingyan's faces changed, and they covered their ears with their hands.

Is it the Echo Bizarre? Is it impossible to avoid Bizarre Demons after all? Wait, why wasn't I affected this time?

The Turtle Breath Technique allowed Jia Ren to completely merge with the Green Ox Demon, making him undetectable to the Echo Bizarre. Zhang Peng Peng and Wang Mingyan's breath suppression skills weren't refined enough for perfect concealment, so they couldn't deceive the Bizarre Demon.

Come close to me.

Jia Ren embraced the two women, using his Turtle Breath Technique to conceal their breaths as well. The Echo Bizarre's influence on the two women stopped. It then seemed to try to bewitch the Puppet Demon Insect controlling the dead Green Ox Demon. Unfortunately for it, the Green Ox Demon was already dead. The Puppet Demon Insect controlling the body was unaffected. After several failed attempts, the Echo Bizarre sulkily left.

Holding the two women, Jia Ren felt no trace of romantic distraction.

Moving while hidden inside the Green Ox Demon's abdomen was inconvenient, and food was also an issue. Fortunately, he had prepared a large amount of Fasting Pills for Foundation Establishment. The Fasting Pills had few impurities and negated the need for bodily waste disposal, which fortunately spared them much embarrassment.

This combination—the Puppet Demon Insect, Sound Seizing Demon Mosquito, Demon-Spottng Talisman, and the Extraordinary Saint Level Turtle Breath Technique—helped them avoid danger time and again.

After traveling for three days in the 'Beastly RV,' the characteristic black soil of the Black Demon Forest disappeared. The vegetation gradually thinned, and the towering trees reminiscent of an ancient forest were gone. The Spiritual Energy also began to grow sparse. This indicated that they had reached the edge of the Black Demon Forest.

They hadn't taken many steps when a Long Spear Magical Instrument shot towards them from a distance. The ground trembled and turned into soft quicksand, causing the Green Ox Demon's four legs to sink deep. From afar, a Magic Sword slashed towards the Green Ox Demon's neck.

"Our luck isn't bad today! This Green Ox Demon is a bit dumb."

"Huh, a pregnant Green Ox Demon? It should have cubs. We can sell them for a good price!"

"Careful now, don't hurt our prize!"

Four Cultivators emerged from different directions, their eyes burning with greed.

Human Cultivators!

Jia Ren had detected the hidden four earlier with the Sound Seizing Demon Mosquito.

Light flared from the Featherweight Talisman on the Green Ox Demon. Its hooves pushed off powerfully, allowing it to leap out of the quicksand and nimbly dodge the incoming Magic Artifacts.

The attacking Cultivators were stunned. A Magical Beast using a Cultivator's Talisman?

"Fellow Daoists, please do not misunderstand, we are just passing by."

Before the Cultivators could recover from their shock, they heard the Green Ox Demon speak. The next moment, its abdomen tore open, and three disheveled, bedraggled figures emerged one after another.

Now that they had left the Black Demon Forest, there was no longer any need to hide inside the Green Ox Demon's corpse.

"Bizarre Beasts!"

"Run for your lives!"

The four Cultivators, who had been fantasizing about a great haul from their hunt, were completely stunned by the rapid succession of unexpected events. They had thought the Green Ox Demon's belly housed its cubs, but instead, it contained the rumored Bizarre Beasts. Some Bizarre Demons could possess other creatures, preferring to attach themselves to Magical Beasts. These possessed creatures gained strange characteristics along with the beast's original strength.

Such Bizarre Demons were quite rare. To encounter such a terrifying one just after leaving the Black Desert Marketplace for a hunt… Such bad luck!

The four Cultivators cursed their parents for not giving them more legs as they frantically fled into the distance.

"Fellow Daoists, please wait!"

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