Chapter Seventeen: The Demon Appears Again

Three days later, deep within the Lianyun Mountains, in a cavern by a bottomless pool, Leng Tian stood beside a stone pit, having just collected two more bottles of spirit nectar. Turning away from the cave, he wrapped himself in a layer of protective energy that warded off the biting chill as he burst from the water’s surface and landed on solid ground.

“When Xiaowu and the others return, I intend to set out across the continent, searching for some innate treasures to speed up the restoration of my power!”

Two days earlier, Huo Wu and the other four, along with Han Yuanshan, had gone to the nearest city, Hidden Wind City, to register the mercenary corps with the Warrior’s Alliance. Leng Tian hadn’t accompanied them, but was unanimously elected as the head of the corps. After the others left, he rode Max back here to collect more spirit nectar.

He’d allowed Max to roam freely, planning to wander the primeval forests alone for a while. With a jug of fine wine in hand, just as he was about to leave, a gruff voice called out, “Kid, you’re not easy to find, you know!”

Leng Tian looked up sharply, almost choking, spitting out a mouthful of wine. There, not far away, sat Zhuang Zhuang, legs dangling over a fallen tree, grinning mischievously at him. The reason for Leng Tian’s outburst was clear—Zhuang Zhuang’s outfit was utterly absurd. His rotund figure was clad in a pink silk bellyband embroidered with orchids, and he held an unfamiliar wildflower to his nose, sniffing with relish.

“What’s the matter, kid? Don’t you think I look dashing?”

“Oh, you look… dashing, alright. You didn’t… steal that from some poor girl, did you?” Leng Tian couldn’t help laughing.

Zhuang Zhuang pouted, ignoring the teasing. “You’ve got quite the luck with the ladies, don’t you? That little Huo Wu—have you made a move yet? Gotten under the covers, eh?”

“Ridiculous! What are you talking about?” Leng Tian was certain this lecherous bear meant nothing good by his words.

“All right, kid, I’ve got things to do. There’s this chick who just won’t leave me alone. Ah, women—always such trouble!” With a sigh, Zhuang Zhuang waved a paw and vanished into thin air.

Leng Tian was at a loss. Was that bear really so bored that he’d attract a female’s interest? Most likely, it was just some she-bear in heat. He shook his head, chuckling helplessly, and set off into the mountains, savoring the wildness of nature. He wandered on, lost in the moment, crossing four or five peaks without noticing.

Standing atop a summit, he gazed at the range—winding, majestic, wreathed in drifting mists—an awe-inspiring sight. In the distance, several streaks of light flashed across the sky. Leng Tian’s expression sharpened. That was the protective true essence of powerful cultivators, their radiance gleaming as they flew—these were true martial experts, soaring through the air!

He concealed his presence and watched. There were four streaks—one in front, three behind. In a few breaths, they were overhead. Leng Tian recognized the creature flying ahead at once: it was the Abyssal Demon he’d encountered recently in these mountains!

The pursuers were three young people—two men and a woman. The men were elegant and handsome, the woman, clad in flowing robes, moved with enchanting grace, her beauty as ethereal as a painting, every expression captivating the soul.

All three wore cold, determined expressions as they pursued the Abyssal Demon. The distance between them had closed to a mere dozen yards. The man in blue raised his fingers like a blade and slashed at the demon.

A blade of energy, a dozen feet long, flashed through the air, descending upon the demon with lightning speed.

The demon cackled and twisted through the sky, narrowly evading the deadly attack.

A thunderous explosion echoed as the energy blade struck the mountainside.

Grey mist surged around the demon, its speed suddenly doubling. With a trail of wicked laughter, it shot far into the distance in a blink.

With a stamp of her foot, the woman’s face frosted over. “Brother Li, Brother Wang, we can’t let it escape! It has murdered so many disciples of our three sects—we must destroy it!”

“You’re right, Sister Yudie. We can’t let it go!” the man in blue echoed, his tone equally grim.

“After it!” barked the man in black. His energy flared as he shot forward, slicing through the sky in pursuit. The other two followed, their auras blazing.

Watching the trio speed away, Leng Tian revealed himself. Three martial experts hunting an Abyssal Demon—this promised to be a spectacle worth seeing.

He summoned Max with a thought, and soon the dragon landed beside him atop the peak.

Climbing onto Max’s back, Leng Tian pointed in the direction the trio had gone and ordered the pursuit.

These three experts were no ordinary figures—they were the chief disciples of the three great sects within the Canglan Empire, all at the pinnacle of the Profound Realm. The woman, Luan Yudie, was the lead disciple of Green Peak Mountain; the men, Li Tianzheng and Wang Mang, were chief disciples of the Xuantian Sect and the Qian Kun Martial Academy, respectively.

Recently, disciples had begun vanishing mysteriously from their orders. At first, the disappearances went unnoticed, but as they grew frequent, the sects’ leadership took action. Many experts were dispatched to investigate, and at last, the true culprit was discovered—it was the Abyssal Demon, unseen for ten thousand years, now preying upon the disciples. The leaders of the three powers were shaken—did this mean the Abyssal race was stirring again, seeking to invade this world?

They immediately sent their chief disciples to join forces and hunt the demon. Several ancestral elders set out for the great powers of the continent, spreading the warning and inviting the hidden supreme experts to the Sealed Lands, to determine whether the demons had truly returned.

The three disciples had been hunting the demon for some time, but it was cunning. By day, it targeted densely populated areas, cruelly devouring ordinary mortals to sow chaos. By night, it hid in the wilderness, dissolving into grey mist beneath the earth where the three, for all their skill, could not follow.

At their wits’ end, the trio managed to corner the demon in these mountains. Today, their pursuit brought them to the heart of the Lianyun range, with Leng Tian arriving just in time to witness their wrath—they would not rest until the demon fell.

Guiding Max, Leng Tian followed at a measured pace. “I just sensed several powerful presences. Could it be that strong cultivators have passed through here again?” Max inquired.

“There were indeed three martial experts—they’re chasing a demon,” Leng Tian replied calmly.

“The Abyssal Demon? How can that be? Weren’t they all banished long ago? How could one appear in the open again?” Max was stunned, unable to believe it.

The path of martial cultivation reaches its peak—Chapter 17: The Demon Returns, complete.