When the Immortal Venerable Picked-Up the Demon Cub - Chapter 38

As evening approached, Zhu Ning, who had found an inn in Yun Cang Town, felt uneasy.

By the time they finished dinner, it was late. Lin Xiayan, who should have been resting in her room, noticed candlelight flickering from Zhu Ning’s room. Curious, she went to see what Zhu Ning was doing.

Pushing open the wooden door, she found the room warmed by a charcoal fire, its gentle crackling the only sound in the quiet space. Zhu Ning sat with a furrowed brow, silent. Sensing her unease, Lin Xiayan asked, “Are you tired? You should rest.” Zhu Ning shook her head. Since regaining her magical power, she had learned a little about calculating fate. Just now, on a whim, she had cast a divination and discovered…

With a sigh, Zhu Ning said, “I’ve felt uneasy all day. The divination confirms it: trouble is coming tonight.” Lin Xiayan was puzzled. With her by Zhu Ning’s side, no one would dare cause trouble.

Zhu Ning stood up and rummaged through her cloth bag, pulling out the small compass she had found the previous night. She then retrieved several talismans and, with practiced movements, affixed one to the compass.

Zhu Ning began pacing the room, waiting for the compass needle to stop moving. When it finally settled, she looked through the window and spotted a hidden house. She exchanged a glance with Lin Xiayan, who led her flying down the stairs. They walked side by side toward the house.

“How could there be a house here?” Zhu Ning asked as they walked.

“This is the outskirts of Yun Cang Town. Why would there be a house here?” Lin Xiayan replied, equally puzzled. But her years as a demon had sharpened her instincts, and she sensed something was off about this place.

As they finally entered the house’s courtyard, the scene was completely different from what they’d seen outside. From the courtyard’s edge, they’d seen only overgrown weeds and a desolate, ruined landscape.

“How can there be weeds in winter?” Zhu Ning realized something was wrong. But when they stepped deeper into the courtyard, the contrast was shocking. There was no trace of the overgrown weeds they’d seen earlier.

The weeds had been an illusion, meant to deceive. As Zhu Ning and Lin Xiayan took a few more steps past the weeds, they discovered the courtyard was a patch of barren black earth, completely devoid of vegetation or even snow.

“How is this possible?” Zhu Ning was stunned. She couldn’t imagine how the outer courtyard could appear overgrown and ruined, while the inner courtyard was completely barren.

Staring at the unusually dark ground, Zhu Ning felt a growing unease. She pulled out her compass, only to find the needle spinning wildly, unable to point in any direction.

The compass’s erratic behavior within the courtyard, its inability to discern Yin and Yang, confirmed her suspicions: this was an extremely Yin place.

Zhu Ning approached a patch of grass that seemed deliberately placed to conceal something. Everywhere else was barren, yet this patch of grass stood out. Curious, she reached out to part the blades, but Lin Xiayan stopped her. Her face was cold as she pulled a folding fan from her cloth bag and handed it to Zhu Ning. “This place is strange. We must be careful. Use the fan to move the grass. It’s safer.”

A hint of embarrassment crossed Zhu Ning’s delicate features as she accepted the fan. She parted the grass and brushed aside the dark soil, revealing several fragments of jade.

Her intuition had been right. The dark soil and jade fragments confirmed her suspicions.

Seeing Zhu Ning’s grim expression as she held the jade fragments, Lin Xiayan asked, puzzled, “What’s wrong with the jade?”

Zhu Ning explained that it wasn’t the jade itself that was wrong, but the entire place. This was no place for people to live.

Zhu Ning gazed at the shattered jade in her hand, recalling every word from the scroll she’d read the night before. Her face grew solemn as she uttered two words: “Haunted House.”

This Haunted House was no ordinary place. Zhu Ning and Lin Xiayan held their breath, their minds racing. Whatever could make Zhu Ning foresee such calamity must be extraordinary.

Lin Xiayan, completely unaware of this place’s existence, felt a growing unease. Now unable to use her full power as the Demon Lord in Zhu Ning’s presence, she knew she’d be fighting with one hand tied behind her back if trouble arose.

As the two stood in tense silence, a rustling sound emerged from beneath the black earth, as if their arrival had disturbed something slumbering. Lin Xiayan’s face twisted in disdain. “Just a Haunted House? They make it sound like some world-ending disaster!” Even with all the demonic beasts under her command, she’d show any fool who dared cross her.

With her resolve hardened, a predatory glint flashed in Lin Xiayan’s eyes. Spending so much time with Zhu Ning had almost made her forget how she ruled the Demon Realm with an iron fist.

The child’s body felt too restrictive. Lin Xiayan transformed back into her true form: a red-robed beauty with phoenix eyes fixed on the seemingly calm black earth. In her mind, she wondered what kind of ghost this Haunted House harbored.

The surroundings remained eerily silent, broken only by the biting chill in the air and the rustling of dry leaves under the wind, sounds that seemed particularly unsettling in the stillness of the night.

Zhu Ning wasn’t idle either. She stared down at the shattered jade, frantically searching her memory for every detail the book had described about the Haunted House. As she recalled these details, the environment around them began to subtly change.

A sinister black mist crept closer, starting as a single tendril before surging in from all directions. Because it was night, the darkness of the mist blended seamlessly with the surrounding gloom. Both women were deep in thought, so they failed to notice the approaching mist until it was almost upon them.

It was Lin Xiayan who first detected an unusual scent. Yes, an unusual scent! It carried a hint of blood, a touch of decay, but even stranger, it smelled like… something rotting.

A piercing, unnatural screech tore through the night sky.

Hearing the screech, Zhu Ning knew something was wrong. Reacting swiftly, she gripped Zhōng Yuè, preparing to defend herself. But then, something impossible happened. Zhu Ning discovered she couldn’t move her hand. No, it wasn’t that she couldn’t move it, but rather that her movements were agonizingly slow, as if her body were trapped in an icy tomb, utterly rigid.

A flash of red light streaked past, and Zhu Ning’s left arm burned with a sharp pain, as if a razor-sharp blade had just sliced across it. Her hand, jolted by the pain, loosened its grip, and Zhōng Yuè fell to the ground.

Lin Xiayan sensed something was wrong and turned to Zhu Ning. “Zhu Ning? What’s wrong? Is there a demonic creature nearby?” Zhu Ning pressed a hand to her wound, gritting her teeth against the pain. “It’s nothing. Just a scratch. I’ll put some medicine on it.”

Lin Xiayan relaxed slightly and took a step closer to Zhu Ning.

Creak, creak—what had started as a single eerie cry now swelled into a chorus of strange noises. The cries seemed to come from all directions, making it impossible for Zhu Ning to pinpoint their source.

Suddenly, she felt a wave of malevolent energy rushing toward her face, growing closer with each passing moment. Her hand remained paralyzed, and cold sweat dripped from her forehead, drop by drop.

This time, Zhu Ning saw it clearly: a grotesque black hand lunging at her. The hand had long, claw-like nails and was covered in unsettling patches of coarse hair.

At the critical moment, Lin Xiayan pierced Zhu Ning’s middle finger with a silver needle. The sharp pain finally brought Zhu Ning’s body back to normal. Zhu Ning arched backward, narrowly avoiding a strange black shadow that brushed past her.

Zhu Ning steadied herself, remaining vigilant. She traced a snow-white light with her fingertip, blocking the malevolent energy that surged toward her. As if drawn to a single point, the surrounding darkness began to recede, gradually clearing her vision. Zhu Ning activated her Yin-Yang Eyes, though she was still inexperienced with them. Her vision remained blurry for a long moment before finally stabilizing.

What she saw confirmed her suspicions: the monster that had emerged from the Haunted House was the culprit. Zhu Ning finally recognized it as a Corpse-Transforming Vengeful Spirit.

Lin Xiayan understood immediately. A Vengeful Spirit must have sensed my Demon Clan aura. She could only draw the Serpent Sword Zhu Ning had given her earlier to mask her presence.

As expected, the disrupted aura agitated the Vengeful Spirit, its long claws still reaching for Zhu Ning.

Unable to watch any longer, Lin Xiayan chanted an incantation and leaped into action. Zhu Ning, her white robes now stained, moved in sync with her.

Zhu Ning flung out Zhōng Yuè, which blazed with golden light, causing the Vengeful Spirit to wail in agony.

As Zhōng Yuè expanded in mid-air, Lin Xiayan seized the opportunity and charged straight at the Vengeful Spirit. The spirit, originally intent on killing Lin Xiayan, was caught off guard by the sudden, fierce attack. Its crimson eyes locked onto Zhu Ning, its deathly aura swirling around its clawed hands. Like an unkillable cockroach, it kept surging back, fully healed, no matter how far Zhu Ning’s talismans hurled it away.

Just as Zhu Ning prepared to deliver the decisive blow, a sudden twist occurred. The Vengeful Spirit unleashed a black mist, this time several times larger than before. Even standing close to Lin Xiayan, Zhu Ning could no longer see her silhouette.

Something seemed to lurk in the darkness, and the Vengeful Spirit’s roars vanished, replaced by an eerie silence. No one knew what lurked within the black mist, not even Zhu Ning, who clutched her umbrella helplessly.

The stench within the black mist intensified. Zhu Ning struggled to hold her breath and asked, “Lin Xiayan, do you think this Vengeful Spirit is trying to poison us?”

Lin Xiayan smiled, about to share what she knew, when Zhu Ning let out a bloodcurdling scream. Lin Xiayan’s heart clenched. Using the cultivation techniques from her original body, she scanned their surroundings. The black mist conjured by a mere Vengeful Spirit posed no real threat.

Lin Xiayan saw two figures nearby. Upon closer inspection, she realized they were Vengeful Spirits binding Zhu Ning, their black claws raking across her face.

Zhu Ning had been caught off guard, giving the Vengeful Spirits an opening. Now, feeling both embarrassed and angry, the usually gentle Zhu Ning’s expression darkened. Before Lin Xiayan could react, Zhu Ning recklessly unleashed her overwhelming cultivation power, forcing the Vengeful Spirits back and violently dispersing the black mist. There was no finesse or technique involved; it was a raw clash of cultivation strength.

Lin Xiayan, observing through her cultivation power, was momentarily stunned. During their time on Yun Cang Mountain, she had only seen Zhu Ning’s calm, kind, and endearing side. She never imagined Zhu Ning could be so formidable.

The Vengeful Spirits were hurled back ten meters as the black mist gradually dissipated. Zhu Ning quickly withdrew her cultivation power, feeling dizzy and unwell from her first use of such overwhelming force.

After steadying herself, she noticed Lin Xiayan standing nearby, her expression blank. Zhu Ning forced a smile, wanting to reassure her that she was fine, but a sudden, excruciating pain shot through her shoulder. She remembered the injuries she had sustained during her travels before arriving at Yun Cang Mountain. Though Lin Xiayan had healed them with Yun Cang Mountain herbs, her drastically weakened cultivation power had caused the wounds to flare up again.

A thin sheen of sweat beaded on Zhu Ning’s forehead as she fought to suppress any sign of pain. With the vengeful spirit still unexorcised, she couldn’t afford to let Lin Xiayan lose her composure.

As expected, the vengeful spirit reappeared beside Zhu Ning. Driven to near madness by the earlier assault, it lashed out wildly with its long, sharp claws. But the searing pain in Zhu Ning’s shoulder made her hesitant to retaliate, forcing her to dodge and evade.

Sensing her struggle, the vengeful spirit grew bolder, deliberately targeting Zhu Ning with renewed ferocity. Lin Xiayan drew her Serpent Sword and rejoined the fray.

Instantly, sword light flashed in all directions, punctuated by the vengeful spirit’s relentless roars. As the battle reached its climax, Zhu Ning grew increasingly weak, her face draining of color.

Finally realizing something was wrong, Lin Xiayan swiftly knocked the vengeful spirit back and rushed to support Zhu Ning. The wound on her back had clearly reopened. Afraid of aggravating it further, Lin Xiayan helped Zhu Ning lean against the wall, then bit her middle finger to draw blood and quickly sketched an array.

“Zhu Ning, stay within this array for now,” Lin Xiayan said. “Remember who I am. Let me handle the vengeful spirit.” With that, she stepped out of the array.

Zhu Ning remembered Lin Xiayan telling her she was just a Minor Demon. Even though she knew Lin Xiayan was incredibly strong, she grabbed her arm and said, “I’m fine, just a few scratches. I can’t let you face that Vengeful Spirit alone.” But Lin Xiayan strengthened the Array, making it impenetrable. Neither Zhu Ning nor anyone else could enter or leave.

Zhu Ning sat on the ground, her eyes fixed on the Vengeful Spirit, terrified Lin Xiayan might be caught off guard. To be honest, Lin Xiayan wasn’t feeling confident either. With Zhu Ning watching so intently, she couldn’t use her full power.

Lin Xiayan now regretted telling Zhu Ning she was just a Minor Demon.

Still, she didn’t believe anything could truly threaten her. If necessary, she’d drop the act, eliminate the Vengeful Spirit, kill Zhu Ning, and seize Su Mi’s Immortal Bone.

Yet the thought of killing Zhu Ning brought a sudden pang of heartache, as if she couldn’t bear to part with her.

Distracted by these thoughts, Lin Xiayan didn’t notice the Vengeful Spirit lunging at her, baring its fangs. Zhu Ning watched in helpless panic.

Hiss… In that moment of distraction, the Vengeful Spirit bit Lin Xiayan’s hand.

This deeply offended Lin Xiayan, who had always looked down on others for centuries. A dangerous glint gradually widened in her eyes as she glanced at Zhu Ning. She hadn’t wanted to resort to this, but now she had no choice. Lin Xiayan cast a Magical Technique, causing Zhu Ning, who was already unconscious, to faint again.

With that done, the murderous intent in Lin Xiayan’s eyes could no longer be contained. She looked down at the bite mark on her hand, her delicate eyebrows arching slightly. Suspended in mid-air by her cultivation, her beautiful figure swayed gracefully.

Once again, she exuded an aura of superiority.

The Vengeful Spirit finally sensed something was wrong. An overwhelming sense of submission to her cultivation surged through it. It never imagined that the seemingly weak person before it could transform into a Demon Lord with such immense power.

Lin Xiayan flicked her slender, elegant hand, releasing a white light as sharp as a blade. The light sliced through the Vengeful Spirit’s body. In the sleepless night, Lin Xiayan merely gazed up at the moon, knowing that a single strike from her would be enough to finish the spirit. The Vengeful Spirit endured a punishment akin to death by a thousand cuts, while Lin Xiayan stared at the unconscious Zhu Ning.

She leaned quietly against the wall, a dark red stain seeping from the corner, likely blood from her earlier struggle. A pang of pain shot through Lin Xiayan’s heart, and she abandoned her original plan to take further action.

Withdrawing her magical technique, Lin Xiayan gazed at the Vengeful Spirit’s battered form and smirked. She glided toward it, her bare, jade-like feet landing mercilessly on its body. Her deep, melodious voice echoed in the spirit’s ears: “Opposing me was your most foolish act.” The moment the words left her lips, the Vengeful Spirit vanished into thin air. Had it not been for the lingering traces of their battle, it would have seemed as if the spirit had never existed.

As Lin Xiayan spoke to the Vengeful Spirit, Zhu Ning’s fingers seemed to tremble slightly. Unfortunately, Lin Xiayan didn’t notice.

Recalling her earlier claim to Zhu Ning that she was merely an obscure minor demon from the Demon Realm, Lin Xiayan knew it would be implausible for a single demon to have slain the Vengeful Spirit alone.

To maintain her facade, she slashed herself with the Serpent Sword, creating gruesome wounds across her body. She then conjured a mangled corpse of a Vengeful Spirit, meticulously preparing the scene. Her gaze once again turned to Zhu Ning.

After a long pause, Lin Xiayan sighed and refrained from acting. She cast a spell to erase Zhu Ning’s memories from just before she lost consciousness. Though the spell felt strangely off, it thankfully succeeded.

Zhu Ning had actually awakened much earlier, sensing the lingering killing intent. She knew Lin Xiayan didn’t want her to remember the bloody methods she had used, but the spell Lin Xiayan had cast wouldn’t erase her memories.

To play along, Zhu Ning slowly woke up, her gaze filled with confusion and concern as she looked at Lin Xiayan. “I don’t know how I fell asleep just now. What about the Vengeful Spirit?”

Lin Xiayan replied weakly, “I learned a Magical Technique in the Demon Realm when I was young. My cultivation isn’t pure enough, so I had to borrow some of your power. That’s why you fell asleep. The Vengeful Spirit is gone now.”

Zhu Ning nodded, surveying the chaotic scene around them. She recalled the legendary, once-great sects described in books. To them, Vengeful Spirits had been mere insects, easily crushed. Yet here she stood, an Immortal Venerable with vast cultivation, struggling against one. The shame of it was unbearable.

“Those ancient noble sects… they probably would have slaughtered these Vengeful Spirits as easily as crushing ants.”

Lin Xiayan’s expression turned sorrowful. Having lived for centuries, she had heard tales of those sects’ former glory. Now… it was truly a case of “the tea grows cold when the guest leaves.” The so-called righteous sects of old had risen to power because of that very righteousness! Lin Xiayan’s eyes turned icy. If they all claim to be righteous, then let them pay the price.

“Lin Xiayan, what are you thinking about?” Zhu Ning’s puzzled voice broke through her thoughts. Lin Xiayan snapped back to reality, skillfully concealing the bloodthirsty glint in her eyes. “I was just lamenting the sect’s downfall. I heard the great sects were once incredibly powerful, even handling some matters for the Underworld.”

Zhu Ning nodded absently, not really listening. She urged, “Lin Xiayan, the Vengeful Spirit’s claws are laced with Corpse Poison. If you revert to your flesh body now, you won’t be able to withstand it. We need to apply medicine to your wounds first. Stop standing there like a fool and come here quickly.” Lin Xiayan stared at Zhu Ning’s anxious expression, momentarily stunned.

For centuries, she had lived like a wooden puppet, devoid of emotion or pain. After finally cultivating a flesh body, she had recklessly inflicted wounds upon herself like a madwoman, until blood streamed down her body and her face paled with agony. Yet she never imagined someone would worry about her like this.

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