When the Immortal Venerable Picked-Up the Demon Cub - Chapter 44

“It’s my birthday today, and you didn’t come to celebrate? Then I’ll just have to make you all my drinking snacks,” the shadowy figure declared arrogantly, clearly not taking Lin Xiayan and Zhu Ning seriously. Though Lin Xiayan had deliberately concealed her aura, the sight of his smug face made her want to slap him hard.

Fortunately, her rationality prevailed, keeping her in check.

Zhu Ning frantically tried to recall any mention of birthdays in the original novel, but found no such plotline.

She had no choice but to focus on the present. Unlike Zhu Ning’s mental search, Lin Xiayan cut straight to the point, her voice icy: “You’re the old man who dragged us into the Pit of the Dead this afternoon to watch those ghost actors perform, aren’t you?”

Lin Xiayan lived up to her reputation. Even after concealing her cultivation level, she couldn’t hide the aura of superiority cultivated from her peerless status.

Her words also jolted Zhu Ning awake. No wonder the illusion in the Pit of the Dead this afternoon had been so festive. It was all to celebrate this old man’s birthday?

The old man, hearing such insolence, glanced at Lin Xiayan. Judging her to be more bark than bite, he roared in fury, “And who are you, little brat? My cultivation is enough to crush ten of you!”

Once those words were spoken, there was no turning back. The old man, now a raging monster, unleashed a putrid wave of resentful energy from his limbs, sweeping toward Lin Xiayan and Zhu Ning.

Zhu Ning, having faced vengeful spirits in haunted houses before, handled this entry-level resentful energy with ease. A few yellow talismans blocked its path.

Yet the old man showed no surprise at his energy being blocked. Instead, a smug look spread across his face, as if to say, You’ve just wasted a few more of your talismans.

The next wave of resentful energy didn’t just come from a few directions. As if he controlled the very fabric of the world, it surged from all sides. Even with yellow talismans in hand, they couldn’t possibly defend against such an overwhelming onslaught. They wished they had three heads and six arms.

Lin Xiayan was quick and agile, blocking several waves of resentful energy for Zhu Ning. But this defensive stance couldn’t last. Zhu Ning quickly suggested a plan.

“You keep blocking the resentful energy,” Zhu Ning shouted over the din, “I’ll focus on using Zhōng Yuè against the old man.” Lin Xiayan nodded in agreement, leaping into the air. Several Yellow Talismans flew from her hand, perfectly intercepting the incoming attacks.

Zhu Ning wasted no time. After chanting the incantation several times, Zhōng Yuè blazed with golden light, sending beams of golden light toward the old man. But the black mist surrounding him acted like a shield, protecting him. The golden light only managed to crack the barrier in a few places. Frowning, Zhu Ning decided to activate the Magic Array, hoping the combined power of the array and Zhōng Yuè could subdue the old man.

As the Magic Array activated, the red ropes glowed faintly, forming a circle around the room. The array proved effective against the old man, even reducing the flow of resentful energy. Lin Xiayan finally had a moment to pause and observe the old man.

As she observed, Lin Xiayan whispered to Zhu Ning, “This old man isn’t a ghost. He’s a spirit formed through cultivation. He must be some kind of animal from the forest that lived in this place of strong yin energy for a long time. Instead of dying, he cultivated into a spirit. That’s why our Yellow Talismans can disperse his resentful energy but can’t harm his true form. Zhōng Yuè’s golden light is mainly effective against ghosts and their resentful energy, so it’s less effective against spirits.”

Zhu Ning had crammed a lot of knowledge about this topic, so she wasn’t completely lost when Lin Xiayan explained. Instead, she felt they were facing a tricky situation. Against ghosts, they had two options: either disperse them or persuade them to repent and reincarnate in the Underworld.

But dealing with spirits was much harder. First, they couldn’t easily kill one. Spirits are formed by absorbing the essence of heaven and earth through cultivation, making them half-immortal. Second, these spirits have their own established ways of thinking and wouldn’t be easily persuaded to change.

Meanwhile, the old man seemed to have adapted to the array’s influence and resumed his attack. This time, he wasn’t just using Resentful Energy; he actually emerged from the black mist, revealing his true form.

Zhu Ning’s almond-shaped eyes widened as she looked. She finally understood the saying, “You don’t know until you see it, and when you do, you’ll be terrified.” The old man who crawled out of the mist was nothing like his normal appearance, nor did he resemble the man she’d seen that afternoon. Instead, he was covered in blood, his bones completely exposed, with no skin to cover them. The bloody flesh hung in tatters, and the only remaining patches of flesh were rotting beyond recognition.

It was a sight far more gruesome than anything she’d witnessed in the Pit of the Dead.

Zhu Ning gasped. She loathed and feared battling monsters like this, whose blood-soaked bodies seemed ready to splatter her with every step forward.

Her white robes already bore a few crimson stains. Zhu Ning, who had a mild case of cleanliness obsession, would never allow this creature to get close. Yet the old man was a lunging monster with astonishing strength.

Even when Zhu Ning channeled her cultivation energy, she could only force the creature aside. Glancing down at her sleeve, now soaked with blood, she felt utterly disgusted.

Zhu Ning, furious, tore off her sleeve, exposing her pale wrist to the air. Lin Xiayan, caught in the heat of battle, glanced back a few times before awkwardly resuming her struggle against the Resentful Energy swarming from all directions.

Zhōng Yuè snapped shut, transforming into a sharp blade that shot straight at the Old Man Monster. The old man, no fool, dodged faster than the Resentful Energy itself. Zhu Ning, however, was using Zhōng Yuè in tandem for the first time, their movements utterly out of sync.

The old man cackled. “I thought your Dharma Artifact looked interesting, but its wielder is just a fool. Don’t blame me for showing no mercy.”

Lin Xiayan felt helpless. She couldn’t understand what was wrong with Zhu Ning. Not only did the incantations require a night of preparation, but even her Dharma Artifact, which she used daily, felt foreign in her hands.

Is she really Zhu Ning? Or is she possessed by some ghost? Lin Xiayan dared only think the question, not voice it. Instead, she secretly aided Zhu Ning while battling the Resentful Energy. As Zhu Ning fought the old man, she sensed a mysterious force assisting her.

She glanced at Lin Xiayan, who seemed to be struggling against the Resentful Energy, and her heart warmed. She plunged back into the fight.

Having never faced such a situation before, Zhu Ning was already tiring after just a few rounds. In contrast, the old man seemed to possess endless strength, his blood spraying everywhere in a nauseating display.

Lin Xiayan swiftly erected a barrier, temporarily sealing the Resentful Energy outside, and joined the fray.

No longer concealing her aura, she unleashed dark purple energy from her fingertips, each shard striking the old man like a razor-sharp blade. Sensing the attack’s ferocity, the old man couldn’t dodge in time, and several new gashes appeared on his body, even shattering segments of his pale, exposed bones.

“Who are you? Why are you ruining my plans? This hunter brought this upon himself!” The old man, a coward at heart, clearly bullied the weak and feared the strong. He had been spouting insults at Zhu Ning moments ago, but after just a few exchanges with Lin Xiayan, he was already on the verge of defeat.

Lin Xiayan frowned, taking a few steps forward to hear what was happening. But after a dizzying moment, all she heard was a sharp, piercing scream beside her.

“Lin Xiayan, behind you!”

Lin Xiayan realized she had been careless, but it was too late to react. After a tense moment, instead of a searing pain in her back, she heard Zhu Ning’s muffled groan of agony.

Her vision cleared, and Lin Xiayan saw Zhu Ning behind her, blood streaking her back. The girl’s face was pale, and the wound on her chest had reopened, making it difficult for her to stand. Fortunately, the pain hadn’t affected her cultivation. Zhōng Yuè glowed with blinding intensity, shielding Zhu Ning from the old man’s attacks.

In that instant, something snapped within Lin Xiayan’s heart. The seeds of ambition, dormant within her Demon Realm nature, burst into flames. All thoughts of maintaining a low profile and concealing her true strength vanished. Those bloody streaks seemed etched into her very soul.

The pain was minimal, but the fury burned deep in her bones.

Lin Xiayan conjured a folding fan from thin air. With a flick of her wrist, petals rained down like a storm upon the old man. Each petal that struck him exploded, tearing holes through his body.

The old man was stunned by Zhu Ning’s overwhelming power, caught completely off guard. Though she was in excruciating pain, her dignity as Sect Leader and her indomitable spirit remained intact. If she remained this weak, wouldn’t she be at the mercy of others forever?

Being a transmigrator was a temporary excuse, not a reason for her continued weakness.

Zhu Ning’s gaze hardened. Zhōng Yuè’s bells chimed with a soul-stirring resonance, targeting only the old man. He clutched his head, his skull throbbing violently, and collapsed to his knees. Caught in a pincer attack, he finally broke.

“Tell me now,” Zhu Ning demanded, her voice strained but firm. “What did you mean by ‘the hunter brought this upon himself’?”

The old man valued his cultivation and life above all else. He had no choice but to reveal everything. After hearing the full story, Zhu Ning’s expression darkened.

She placed a curse seal on him and let him go. Lin Xiayan watched Zhu Ning’s long silence, unsure what to say.

“Maybe we should go back and talk to the elderly woman?” Lin Xiayan suggested after a long pause. “If they don’t offer the compensation the old man wants, we can just walk away.”

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