Urban Martial Saint

Trapped inside the Devouring Demon Flower, Ye Qing had no idea how much time had passed. He was almost driven mad with hunger. Although he sat cross-legged, trying to minimize movement and energy consumption, being a living person, he still needed to breathe. Having gone so long without a sip of water or a bite to eat, the hunger was inevitable.

Ye Qing had undergone rigorous training in the military before, having gone three days and nights without food or drink. Yet, the hunger he felt then wasn’t as severe as what he was experiencing now. This suggested that he had been in the Devouring Demon Flower for more than three days.

All this time, there hadn’t been a sound outside the Devouring Demon Flower. Ye Qing didn’t know if it was because the flower was soundproof or if there had been no one outside. Regardless, the intensifying hunger made him almost despair. Was he really going to die here, trapped inside this Devouring Demon Flower?

Gently stroking the Devil Flower surrounding him, Ye Qing had little hope left. He only had a single thought: if he could find a way to save Huangfu Ziyu, he would die without regrets!

But trapped inside the Devouring Demon Flower, this was merely a wishful thought. Even the Corpse Ghost Dragon couldn’t leave the Devouring Demon Flower by itself, so how could he and Huangfu Ziyu?

”Sigh!” In the darkness, Ye Qing sighed softly. By this time, he no longer had the strength to sit cross-legged. Unlike Yin Xianzi and Ding Lianshun, who could reduce their energy consumption with the Turtle Breathing Technique, he didn’t know how to perform it. After sitting cross-legged for so long, he was tired, so he stretched his legs out and leaned against the petals.

The petals of the Devouring Demon Flower were like walls, and leaning against them didn’t budge them an inch. Honestly, if it wasn’t for the softness of the petals, Ye Qing would have thought the Devouring Demon Flower was made of metal. But the Devouring Demon Flower was light to the touch, like an ordinary petal, surprising and mysterious—he couldn’t fathom how such a strange entity existed in the world.

But Ye Qing didn’t have the luxury to ponder these things. If he couldn’t get out of the Devouring Demon Flower, he’d starve to death here and become its fertilizer. He was completely powerless, the only option being to wait for death as there was nothing he could do despite having unfinished business and lingering attachments outside.

Leaning back against the petals, Ye Qing sought the most comfortable position to sit. As his right hand slid down his trouser leg, he was surprised to find two small bottles in his pocket.

”Ziyu Chenxiang Pill!” Ye Qing suddenly remembered that he brought some Ziyu Chenxiang Pills this time.

This was Huangfu Ziyu’s stash. Both he and Huangfu Ziyu carried some, planning to give some to the Little White Fox if they saw it again or to help Yin Xianzi and Ding Lianshun recover. But having arrived here without seeing the Little White Fox, and with only Yin Xianzi having taken one Ziyu Chenxiang Pill so far, he hadn’t had the chance to give any to Ding Lianshun yet. So, he still had a small bottle with about a dozen Ziyu Chenxiang Pills.

Ye Qing quickly took out the bottle and swallowed a Ziyu Chenxiang Pill almost immediately. He hadn’t eaten anything during his confinement, and the extreme hunger forced him to use this precious pill as sustenance.

After swallowing the Ziyu Chenxiang Pill, Ye Qing felt even hungrier, wanting to consume all the Ziyu Chenxiang Pills he had. However, he restrained himself, knowing all too well the consequences of ingesting too many Ziyu Chenxiang Pills at once. He had almost lost his life before when he overconsumed them and dared not risk it again.

Shortly after consuming the Ziyu Chenxiang Pill, Ye Qing felt a surge of strength, though it was from the pill’s potent effects. Despite its small size, the Ziyu Chenxiang Pill had a miraculous ability to quickly restore energy. However, since Ye Qing was suffering from hunger rather than fatigue or injury, the pill restored some energy but couldn’t quell his hunger. Instead, having energy only made the hunger more acutely felt, exacerbating his torment.

The gnawing hunger left Ye Qing almost on the brink of collapse. Gazing at the remaining Ziyu Chenxiang Pills, he placed them aside helplessly, realizing they could only restore energy, not satiate hunger. Thus, he abandoned the idea of using them. In this moment, his only thought was of Huangfu Ziyu, who was similarly trapped. He wondered what her condition was.

Leaning against the petals, Ye Qing felt his mind growing foggy. In the end, he drifted off to sleep. Even though he understood the risk of never waking from this sleep, the circumstances were beyond his control.

Unsure how long he’d slept, Ye Qing was suddenly awakened by a gnawing sound near his ears, like a rat chewing on something.

The sound startled Ye Qing awake. He turned around, scanning his surroundings, trying to find its source. Being confined here for so long without hearing a single sound, this sudden noise, even if it was just a rat, was enough to excite him.

The Devouring Demon Flower was incredibly dark and without light, making it impossible for Ye Qing to see anything. Still disoriented from hunger, it took him a moment to recall his situation. Rubbing his temples, he fought to clear his mind.

In such darkness, eyesight was redundant. Regaining clarity of thought, Ye Qing held his breath and focused his hearing to locate the sound.

This time, Ye Qing made progress. After listening for a while in the darkness, he pinpointed the sound to his left, by the petals.

Summoning what strength he had, Ye Qing inched toward the sound. However, as he moved, the noise abruptly stopped—perhaps startled by Ye Qing’s movements.

Ye Qing immediately halted, hesitant to make any more movement for fear of scaring away whatever was making the noise.

Fortunately, after a short while, the gnawing sound resumed, and Ye Qing, now very close to its source, listened intently.

Relying on his hearing, Ye Qing drew even closer, spreading his arms and reaching out. To his surprise, he grasped only air; there was nothing where the sound originated.

Ye Qing froze in confusion. He could hear the gnawing but failed to grasp anything. Was hunger causing him to hallucinate auditory sensations?

Yet soon, the gnawing sound returned, dispelling Ye Qing’s doubts. He was certain the sound came from his location, simply meaning something was gnawing nearby.

Perplexed by the proximity yet lack of tactile feedback, Ye Qing pondered the situation.

After a brief pause, a realization dawned on Ye Qing, his expression changing dramatically. He considered a possibility!

The sound was real and indeed came from his location, but he couldn’t touch anything, suggesting only one outcome: the sound was coming from outside the Devouring Demon Flower!

This possibility caused Ye Qing’s heart to race. Considering he’d believed the Devouring Demon Flower was soundproof given the silence, this noise indicated otherwise.

What if the Devouring Demon Flower wasn’t soundproof, after all? But what was making that gnawing noise outside in what was thought to be a deathtrap in the Demon Hideout Cave? Might there be small creatures out there?

With these doubts in mind, Ye Qing reached out to touch the petal, right where the sound originated. He merely wanted to sense the exterior, but upon contact, he felt a gentle trembling from the petal, like something was gnawing on it. He discerned the petal vibrating to the rhythm of the gnawing sound!

Ye Qing’s heart pounded wildly; the discovery was beyond his expectations. He had seen the Devouring Demon Flower’s resilience firsthand. Even an ordinary Famed Instrument under the enhancement of the Sun Shooting Bow barely scratched its surface, let alone teeth gnawing through it, akin to biting a diamond.

But what was this phenomenon? What could possibly chew through the Devouring Demon Flower?