After the Immortal Disappeared

Sunx Fuling smiled. ”Only the Deities, dwelling high in the heavens with no real conflicts with humanity, could have made this possible. You see, ever since nations appeared in the Mortal World and began wielding Primordial Power, Demon Immortals and Human Immortals have steadily declined. Wild Demons can no longer match them, and even Daoist Sect Cultivators have to kowtow to the Emperor, seeking titles and ministerial posts.”

Hee Lingchuan asked in surprise, ”If that’s the case, why do some people say Primordial Power was taught by Immortals?”

”Historical records state that during the Middle Ages, Demon Beasts ran rampant, plaguing the common people. They were considered one of the two great disasters, alongside floods. Immortals, or rather, Cultivators, were their mortal enemies,” Sunx Fuling explained. ”As the Spiritual Qi in the world grew scarcer, Cultivators hoped to seize it from Demon Beasts, and vice versa. Some old scholars believe Primordial Power was passed down by Immortals because, for a very long time, Sects and nations formed alliances to deal with Demons together. For the sake of a common enemy, the Sects deliberately showed goodwill to humans. As for the Deities, they are far too ethereal—unseen and unverifiable.”

That was why nations established by humans spread across the world, while most Demons were driven into the wilderness and great marshes.

Anomalies like the Northern Demon Kingdom were, after all, a minority.

”Deities...” It was a mysterious term, but one Hee Lingchuan had heard on many occasions. Nian Songyu had even summoned a Deity to possess him, intent on seizing the Grand Square Pot. ”Why would they help humans?”

Sunx Fuling spread her hands. ”Such ethereal and elusive beings—how many in this world truly understand them? I’ve heard countless legends, and they are all far-fetched conjectures.”

She chuckled, ”You’d have better luck asking Commander Zhong or the Red General that question.”

’Right. Those two are closer to the Deities than most people.’

Hee Lingchuan scratched his head and changed the subject. ”We have a dozen or so days off. How do you want to spend them?”

”I want to go—”

A sudden scream from the west cut her off.

The voice was high-pitched and sharp; it had to be a woman or a child.

The sound stopped abruptly, but Hee Lingchuan had already pinpointed its direction. He pointed to a nearby golden rain tree and said to Sunx Fuling, ”Stay under the tree and don’t move!”

This golden rain tree was very large. Although it had lost all its leaves in winter, its trunk and the low wall beside it formed a corner. With the sun slanting west, the spot was in shadow, offering excellent concealment for anyone standing there.

He dashed off, following the sound.

After vaulting over three low walls and passing two earthen houses, he saw a Child sprawled face down on a doorstep.

Hee Lingchuan turned him over.

He was a boy of about six or seven, eyes wide with terror. His neck was broken.

There were also several bloody holes in his neck, as if made by sharp claws.

The boy stared fixedly at Hee Lingchuan. His mouth moved, but no words came out before he breathed his last.

The dead can’t be brought back; catching the killer was the priority. Hee Lingchuan laid the Child’s body down and examined the nearby tracks.

His many demon hunts as a Patrol Guard had given him plenty of experience. He immediately noticed a footprint on the ground next to the Child’s body—

A human footprint, but it was shorter than his palm.

He leaped onto the wall and found two smears of fresh blood on the roof tiles where its forelimbs had landed, stained with the child’s blood.

He gave chase.

He executed the Swallow Returning Body Technique, pursuing in the direction he had determined.

Over three months of arduous, day-and-night cultivation were now paying off. He weaved through narrow streets and cramped houses, his speed barely impeded by obstacles, moving with the agility of a real swallow.

Just then, he saw a dark shadow flash over a wall to the east and leap through someone’s window.

’Caught up!’

Hee Lingchuan followed, landing silently on the roof tiles. He held his breath and waited.

After a good while, it still hadn’t come out. ’Is it waiting for me to go in?’

He wasn’t falling for it. He lit a small medicine vial and threw it through the window.

CRASH! The vial shattered.

Soon, thick, yellowish-brown smoke billowed out from the door and windows, accompanied by bouts of hoarse coughing.

’The killer is actually human?’

This medicinal smoke was meant for flushing out Demons and wild animals from their lairs—creatures like weasels, foxes, and Earth Cave Spiders—but it worked just as well on humans.

A few moments later, Hee Lingchuan saw a dark figure leap from the window and flee in a frenzy.

They were no more than twenty or thirty feet apart.

He was ready. With a flick of his wrist, the hidden mechanism activated, and a Sleeve Arrow shot out.

A hit.

However, he had aimed for the center of its back, but the Sleeve Arrow struck its leg.

’My aim is still a bit off when shooting at fast-moving targets.’

The dark figure staggered, let out a strange, low roar, and continued to charge forward.

’What a shame,’ Hee Lingchuan thought.

The Sleeve Arrows he was equipped with were cheap, mass-produced ones he’d had Skinny buy for him. Their material and power were mediocre, just barely passing muster. If he’d been using the custom-made Purple Gold Sleeve Arrows he’d ordered from Li Fubo, he would have pierced straight through the creature’s thigh. Furthermore, those arrows had a cord attached, allowing Hee Lingchuan to forcefully yank it back.

But as it was, the Sleeve Arrow only served to slow it down.

The importance of good equipment only becomes apparent at critical moments.

Not daring to delay, Hee Lingchuan leaped off the roof and gave chase.

The thick smoke had not yet dispersed, obscuring his vision. The moment he landed, he felt a slight disturbance in the air behind him, and a sudden chill ran down his spine.

’An ambush!’

With no time to think, he bent his knees, let his legs go soft, and executed a sideways roll. His right hand gripped the hilt of the saber at his waist, and he swung it forward in a wide arc!

Just as he suspected, another dark figure had been lying in wait, enduring the choking smoke to strike Hee Lingchuan from behind.

’These things work in pairs!’

It was a good thing Hee Lingchuan had reacted quickly.

Even so, he still felt a searing pain on his back.

He was wounded after all.

If he had been half a second slower, the creature probably would have punched several large holes in his back.

Fortunately, his saber also struck the opponent’s chest. The impact felt like hitting tough, old leather; there was none of the satisfying sensation of cleaving through flesh.

But the dark figure shrieked in pain and unleashed a furious storm of attacks on Hee Lingchuan.

CLANG! CLANG! Their weapons clashed, striking sparks in the swirling smoke.

Only then did Hee Lingchuan realize this creature was a size larger than the first one he had chased, but its movements were far less agile. No wonder its first instinct had been to lie in wait for a counterattack rather than flee.

The creature choked on several mouthfuls of smoke as it roared, and its attacks slowed. If not for its thick, tough hide, Hee Lingchuan would have cut it down long ago.

Its hide was tougher than hundred-year-old vines, and the Patrol Guard’s Hundred Battle Long Blade did limited damage. As long as the creature protected its head and neck, there was little Hee Lingchuan could do to it.

With such a thick hide, it was practically invincible.

He could now see his opponent clearly. It was gaunt and bony, like a skeleton wrapped in skin, but the skin was dark and covered in fine scales.

At first glance, it was humanoid. Its lower limbs were longer than its upper ones, allowing it to walk and attack upright. But its forelimbs had only three toes, with claws like hooked scissors, and they were surprisingly hard—hard enough to block Hee Lingchuan’s saber head-on.

But the most terrifying part was its face...

It had no face. Its head had only two sunken eye sockets, with green will-o’-the-wisps flickering within. Another orifice—he couldn’t tell if it was a nose or a mouth—emitted an insect-like hissing.

Suddenly, it spat a glob of thick green phlegm at Hee Lingchuan.

They were close, and the creature spat with the force and accuracy of a nail being driven. How could Hee Lingchuan dare let it hit him? He instinctively raised his saber to block.

Then, he heard a faint SIZZLING sound from the blade, accompanied by a strange smell.

If that glob of phlegm had splashed directly onto his face, then...

’I’d have to say goodbye to my handsome face in this Dream Realm, wouldn’t I?’

Just then, a shadow flickered on the wall. The agile monster that Hee Lingchuan had been relentlessly pursuing had returned, rejoining the battle without a sound.

One was savage, the other was fast. It was two against one. What were his chances?

Hee Lingchuan was in dire straits.

If not for his recent life-and-death experiences in Yuewu Hall, which had rapidly improved his mentality and Martial Art, he would have been disemboweled within two exchanges and forced to log off early.

But he didn’t know how much longer he could last.

’Should I risk taking an injury to finish off the agile one first?’ he wondered. But as he was weighing his options, he heard a SPLASH. Someone from behind had thrown a pot of boiling water, dousing the brawny monster completely.

The creature shrieked instantly, its movements becoming chaotic.

Its cry was strange, like the screeching of an insect mixed with the wail of a cat at night.

How could Hee Lingchuan miss such a golden opportunity? As the creature instinctively turned its head, he brought his saber down on its neck.

He knew this thing’s hide was tough, so he put his full strength into the blow, using every ounce of power he had.

At the same time, a dark object smashed against the monster’s head with a resounding BONK, knocking it right into the path of the Long Saber.

Bluish-green liquid splattered everywhere. Hee Lingchuan dodged it.

He had cleaved more than halfway through the monster’s neck, but he hadn’t cut all the way through the bone. It was still connected by a small sliver.

But his saber had broken.

The blade had already been corroded, and now its master had used it for a powerful cleaving blow. It could no longer bear the strain.

The brawny monster collapsed to the ground, twitching uncontrollably. Its companion, seeing things had gone south, turned and fled, its speed even faster than before!

Hee Lingchuan fired another Sleeve Arrow into its back, but could only watch as it disappeared into the distance.

”What are you doing here?” The smoke had mostly cleared by now, and he could see the person who had helped him—

Sunx Fuling.

She was still clutching a large wok, its bottom deeply dented.

It was she who had poured the boiling water on the monster and then delivered a stunning slam to its head. Her timing had been perfectly in sync with Hee Lingchuan’s; otherwise, he might not have been able to cut through the monster’s neck.

The monster on the ground couldn’t get up, but it was still reaching out, clawing at the air. Seeing its claws about to touch Sunx Fuling’s shoes, Hee Lingchuan yanked her back. ”Didn’t I tell you to wait by the tree?”

”It got too lively over here.” She didn’t seem very frightened. Instead, she leaned down to observe it. ”What the hell is this thing?” ’Its neck is more than halfway severed, and it’s still not dead.’

”I’ve never seen one either,” Hee Lingchuan admitted. Since joining the Patrol Guard, he and his team had slain at least forty or fifty Demons, and not a single one had looked like this.

It was less like a Demon and more like an Evil Ghost.

But ghosts feared the Taiyang True Flame. They generally didn’t move about during the day, and they certainly shouldn’t be out in the sun.

During the chase, he had seen it clearly: the sunlight had shone directly on the monster, causing it no discomfort whatsoever.

”Where did you get the hot water?”

Sunx Fuling pointed inside the house. ”I took it off the stove. It had just started boiling.”

”Someone lives here?”

”They did. They’re dead on the floor now.” Sunx Fuling turned and walked into the house.