The stars and moon were sparse. Cast upon the forest, they created eerie and horrifying shadows.
The night should have been when wild beasts roamed, yet it was utterly silent. Not only were there no animal noises, but even the usual chirping of insects seemed to have vanished completely.
Came out too late, damn it!
Yao Chang held a torch, his face occasionally showing fear as he looked at the grotesque shadows around him.
Behind him was a basket strapped to his back.
A furry tail dangled limply out of the basket, indicating a good haul for the day.
Although Yao Chang was a hunter of this generation who often ventured into the mountains, the night was still fraught with immense danger, even for experienced hunters. Especially when he recalled some recent rumors, an uncontrollable trembling seized his heart.
Impossible— The world is so vast, there can’t possibly be foul things everywhere! Besides, I’ve trained in martial arts; I’m naturally courageous! How could I be frightened by this?
Yao Chang shook his head, forcing himself to calm down.
He had trained in martial arts for years. He even had a fighting chance against a tiger in the mountains. Those rumored creatures, no matter how strong, couldn’t possibly be stronger than a fierce tiger.
With this thought, his heart steadied a bit.
Holding the torch, Yao Chang discerned the direction and headed back the way he had come. Yet, as time passed, he found that the path he was taking was vastly different from what he had expected.
As a hunter, even at night, he was quite familiar with his usual hunting grounds. However, the current surroundings felt very foreign to Yao Chang.
It was as if he had never been there before. The first thing that came to his mind was one particular phenomenon: a ’ghost wall’!
Upon considering this possibility, the calm he had just regained once again turned into uncontrollable panic.
In recent times, people would enter the mountains to hunt and then disappear without a trace. Gradually, rumors spread, claiming that a Demon Evil was causing trouble nearby, wandering in the mountains and devouring anyone who entered. Chapters first released on novel(ꜰ)ire.net
Initially, Yao Chang didn’t want to take the risk of entering because of the rumor. But there was no choice; his family was on the verge of starvation.
If he didn’t bring back any game, his entire family would starve. Therefore, he had no choice but to risk hunting in the mountains, intending not to go too deep and to leave as soon as he had enough.
But, in his eagerness, he had ventured too deep and stayed until nightfall.
Thinking about the rumors, Yao Chang became increasingly afraid.
Hunters didn’t fear fierce beasts; with their ample experience, they had plenty of ways to deal with them. But the rumored Demon Evils, with their bizarre methods, truly inspired dread.
After wandering in the forest for a while longer, he finally confirmed that he had indeed fallen into some kind of trap.
The village elders often said that the hot blood from a person’s tongue tip could dispel all evil influences, even breaking a ’ghost wall.’ I’ll try it today!
Yao Chang thought about some things he had heard before.
Without hesitation, he bit his tongue hard.
Intense pain surged, and a metallic, sweet taste filled his mouth. Yao Chang didn’t swallow but instead spat it forward with force.
The blood from the tip of his tongue was spat out, and the scene before him seemed to shift. Where a dense thicket had previously blocked his path, a winding trail suddenly appeared.
Seeing the path, Yao Chang didn’t hesitate. He sped up, dashing towards it.
He knew it was the path he had taken when he entered the forest.
As long as he followed the path, he could escape this damned place. At that moment, a slight noise came from the basket on his back, as if something was rubbing against the bamboo frame—something like sharp claws or fangs.
At the same time, there was an uncanny RATTLE... RATTLE... sound, like a person on the verge of death gasping in agony.
Yao Chang turned pale. He felt the basket on his back moving but didn’t dare to look back.
Suddenly, he felt a slight itch on his neck.
Looking down, he saw a furry tail wrapped around his neck.
Then, Yao Chang stiffly turned his head. He found himself looking directly into a face with a pointed snout, sharp fangs, and gleaming green eyes.
After leaving Mountain-Breaking City, Shen Changqing followed the records in the dossier and headed straight for the location where the Demon Evil was said to exist.
He did not ride a horse, but walked on foot.
At his Realm of cultivation, the speed of ordinary horses couldn’t compare to his own.
Besides, horses required time and care; traveling alone was far more convenient.
Traveling this way, Shen Changqing also got his first true look at the scenery of South Nether Prefecture.
Unlike his previous trip to Exiled Immortal Valley, where all his time had been spent on the road.
Only now did he feel he truly had the time to properly observe the local customs and culture of South Nether Prefecture.
Unaffected by the scourge of war, most places in South Nether Prefecture were still in a state of peace and contentment. However, the number of Demon Evils mentioned in the files was exasperatingly high.
But strictly speaking, despite the large number of Demon Evils everywhere, they had not caused significant turmoil.
The three Demon-Subduing Divisions each had their own jurisdiction.
Even if they lacked the strength to eradicate all the Demon Evils, they could, in cooperation with the Yamen and various military forces, temporarily suppress them and prevent major disturbances.
The place Shen Changqing was now heading to was the very spot mentioned in the files where a Demon Evil existed.
The mountain forests harbored man-eating beasts. Later, the Yamen sent Government Officials and experts into the forest, all of whom went missing. Only then was it determined that it wasn’t beasts, but powerful Demon Evils in the forest. Thus, it was reported to the Demon-Subduing Division.
Recalling the content of the files, he had a general plan in mind.
Obviously, at first, people had disappeared in the mountains, and only then were cases reported to the authorities.
Initially, the Yamen had dismissed these as mere beast attacks.
After all, forests teemed with fierce animals, and people frequently went missing; it was all too common.
Even the most experienced hunters could fall prey to fierce beasts.
For this reason, the Yamen did not take this matter too seriously.
It was only because someone reported it that they dispatched a few Government Officials to investigate.
However, only after those Government Officials sent to investigate also disappeared in the forest did the Yamen truly take the matter seriously.
Afterwards, they once again dispatched a large number of Government Officials, and hired a few experts to accompany them, into the forest to investigate whether truly powerful beasts were present.
If there were, they would be eradicated.
It was well known that if powerful beasts truly lurked in the mountains, they would pose a considerable long-term threat to the nearby populace.
But then, as the Yamen dispatched this large party into the mountains to investigate and exterminate any potential beasts...
On the second day, not a single person came out of the mountains.
On the third day, it was the same.
The people who entered the mountains seemed to have vanished into thin air.
Since then, rumors that Demon Evils inhabited the mountains began to spread.
However, the Yamen immediately suppressed the news and then reported the situation to the Demon-Subduing Division, hoping they would send someone to handle it.
They had no choice. If it really was a Demon Evil, ordinary Yamen personnel simply couldn’t deal with it.
Therefore, the Yamen could only report the news and then organize people to seal off the mountain, preventing information about the Demon Evil from spreading and causing greater panic.
Reviewing the contents of the files, this was why Shen Changqing had chosen to come here first.
First, it’s highly probable that the Demon Evil in these mountains isn’t backed by the Eternal Alliance, but is a naturally occurring one. Such Demon Evils, without any constraints, could cause widespread slaughter if not managed properly. Just like in Luyang City, where in just a few days, all two hundred thousand residents perished at the hands of a Demon Evil.
In contrast, Demon Evils backed by the Eternal Alliance act with purpose. Annihilating an entire city is something they’d rarely do unless there was a specific objective.
One must understand, the Eternal Alliance was created by Demon Evils to sow division within the Human Clan and gradually consume them. Sometimes, causing a great uproar to destroy a city might not even be beneficial to their own interests. But naturally occurring Demon Evils are different; wiping out villages and slaughtering cities are trivial matters to them. As long as their strength is sufficient, their actions will become increasingly unrestrained.
Based on the file’s description, the Demon Evil that could silently eliminate Yamen officials and hired experts must be at least Resentment Level. Resentment Level Monsters provide a decent amount of Slaughter Value.
Within Great Qin, it’s mostly Resentment Level Monsters that run rampant. Fiend Level and true Demon Evils are, after all, rare. Unless a major war breaks out, it’s unlikely for Demon Evils of that caliber to cause chaos in various regions.
Before I entered the Heavenly Realm, there were some Fiend Level Monsters in South Nether Prefecture. But after I emerged, the files were updated; a significant portion of Fiend Level Monsters had already been eradicated. For instance, within a five-hundred-mile radius of Mountain-Breaking City, there are no traces of Fiend Level Monsters. If I were to deliberately seek out Fiend Level Monsters to kill, I’d have to traverse several other locations infested with Demon Evils.
Therefore, instead of directly seeking out Fiend Level Monsters for slaughter, Shen Changqing felt it would be better to proceed one by one, starting with the closest Demon Evils and then gradually moving toward that Fiend Level Monster.
He wasn’t worried about someone else getting there first.
With so many Demon Evils in South Nether Prefecture, even if someone else got there first, it wouldn’t make much difference.
He glanced at the Tiankui on his shoulder. Shen Changqing shook his head slightly.
Ever since I acquired this Tiankui youngling, it hasn’t seemed to serve any purpose. I’ll keep it with me for now and see if it can be cultivated. If it truly proves unteachable, I’ll deal with it later.