Why is the Demon Venerable Like That? - Chapter 5

Before anyone could react, Lingchuan Du grabbed Xiao Jingchun by the shoulder as if picking up a puppy by the scruff of its neck. Within the blink of an eye, he had vanished a hundred yards away.

Shen Xun’an opened his mouth, hesitating several times before finally speaking in an uncertain tone. “Did Lingchuan Du just kidnap Xiao Jingchun?”

Lu Yuan pulled his longsword from where it had been pinned into the stone pavement. The System followed submissively behind him. 【Chief Lu, I did not lie to you.】

Lu Yuan knew naturally that no one would tell such a clumsy lie, especially one that could be exposed by simply asking a bystander. Consequently, his expression darkened even further.

After Lingchuan Du’s departure, the red moon quietly receded, but the crowd did not breathe a sigh of relief. Without Lingchuan Du’s suppression, the swarms of evil spirits across the ground naturally began to move again.

Despite his natural brilliance and his achievement of the Golden Core stage, Shen Xun’an was still young. Facing such a massive tide of spirits, he eventually found himself overwhelmed. He parried left and struck right, his heart gradually filling with a numb despair.

Am I really going to die here?

In the moment his focus wavered, a massive opening appeared behind him. Shen Xun’an heard the whistling breath of an evil spirit rushing toward his back. He turned in a panic, but it was already too late to defend himself. The deathly aura of the creature was inches away.

The sound of a squelch echoed as a longsword carved a massive hole through the spirit’s chest. The blade was withdrawn abruptly, splashing black blood across the ground. The spirit let out a strange, gurgling sound from its throat before collapsing, revealing the person behind it.

Lu Yuan stood holding the sword, his face solemn under the moonlight.

Shen Xun’an’s heart hammered against his ribs. “Senior Brother Lu?” he asked in disbelief.

Lu Yuan glanced at him. “Clear your mind.”

Without changing his expression, he shifted his grip on the hilt and thrust the sword backward, impaling a spirit lunging from behind. Lu Yuan withdrew the blade and said in a low voice, “Concentrate.”

Dried blood stained his face, giving him a fearsome appearance. It was Lu Yuan, yet it also felt nothing like him.

In that instant, Shen Xun’an felt his throat itch with dryness. As if needing to confirm something, he could not help but call out again, “Senior Brother Lu.”

Lu Yuan gave him a strange look, but ultimately said nothing. Given the gravity of the situation, words were unnecessary.

The System had mentioned giving him a temporary boost to the Nascent Soul stage, and temporary was indeed the keyword. He could feel himself becoming like a water bag full of holes, his spiritual energy leaking out like water.

There was no more time.

Lu Yuan leaped forward, his sword flashing like a cold light as he threw himself alone into the tide of evil spirits.

Many disciples of the Fengchi Sect saw Lu Yuan’s actions. They knew he was like a mantis trying to stop a carriage, essentially charging toward his death. Yet, a few secretly felt relieved; if he could stall for time, they would have a better chance of surviving.

Lu Yuan’s jaw was set tight. Nascent Soul cultivation was far from enough to handle these spirits. He was breathing heavily, his physical strength now completely exhausted. The surrounding spirits bared their teeth, mocking his overestimation of his own abilities.

No, he had to live.

Under the dim moonlight, Lu Yuan’s face looked as though it were carved from ice. He took a deep breath, the cold, damp air rushing into his lungs and bringing a sliver of clarity to his groggy mind.

He gripped the hilt with both hands at an angle, his knuckles slowly whitening as he tightened his hold. His shoulder blades rose in a graceful arc, like a beast poised to strike. He compressed his Nascent Soul cultivation to its absolute limit, the energy screaming inside his body for an outlet.

The blade let out a piercing, ferocious vibration. A violent, terrifying power manifested from Lu Yuan’s body. He acted decisively, swinging the sword down through the air.

The unstoppable sword energy swept through half of Lin’an Town. Any evil spirit caught in its path was instantly reduced to powder, drifting like snowflakes. In that moment, the world fell silent as the sword light tore through the night.

Lu Yuan stood alone at the end of the street. He was as quiet as a black divine statue.

The sword in his hand had long since snapped. The remaining half was mottled and battered, its edge filled with tiny chips. Black blood dripped slowly down the blade onto the stone road.

The crowd’s cheers died in their throats. They stared at him blankly, as if Lu Yuan were the true man-eating demon haunting this town.

Finally, this demon could no longer remain standing. The sword fell from his hand, and he suddenly coughed up a mouthful of hot blood.

Shen Xun’an cried out, “Senior Brother Lu!” He lunged forward to catch him.

Lu Yuan’s clear eyes gradually faded into a lifeless grey. His body temperature began to slip away along with his life.

Shen Xun’an wondered if it was an illusion, but he saw a silver, sand-like glow reflecting in Lu Yuan’s pupils, swirling like a revolving lantern. This light had been as faint as a firefly at first, but it was becoming brighter and brighter.

No, someone was coming.

Shen Xun’an jerked his head up. Countless silver-white talismans were suspended in the sky. The talismans emitted a soft, shimmering light, creating ripples in the air. The solemn tolling of a bell echoed as the formation rose, and the faint sound of a dragon’s roar reached his ears.

The bell tolled faster, and the ripples around the talismans intensified. The light grew so brilliant that Lin’an Town was suddenly illuminated as if it were broad daylight.

The people from White Jade Capital had arrived.

Lu Yuan felt all his strength drained away as he fell directly into a deeper layer of darkness.

The scenery on both sides blurred past. The wind whipped against Xiao Jingchun’s face, making it impossible for him to open his eyes. He suppressed a scream as Lingchuan Du dragged him through the air. His stomach was churning violently, and he forced himself to endure it with every ounce of his will.

Suddenly, the wind stopped. Xiao Jingchun realized a moment later that it was not the wind that had ceased, but Lingchuan Du who had stopped.

He brushed back his hair, which had been tossed into a mess by the gale, and looked forward.

A woman bathed in silver moonlight stood waiting in the distance. She wore the white robes with gold embroidery unique to the Fengchi Sect. Her voice was clear and ethereal. “Lingchuan Du, it has been a long time.”

“Sect Leader Lin, I trust you have been well.” Lingchuan Du released his hold on Xiao Jingchun, responding with a calm indifference, as if he were seeing an old friend after many years.

Lin Jiangxue did not mind his cold attitude. She looked at Xiao Jingchun beside him with feigned surprise. “Oh, this young fellow looks quite familiar.”

Xiao Jingchun’s eyes welled with tears. If his eyes could speak, he would have screamed “Sect Leader Lin, save me” a thousand times. But he could not. The god of slaughter beside him had long since dropped his initial mask of being “gentle as water.” He had been clutching Xiao Jingchun’s collar so tightly he nearly strangled him.

Lingchuan Du was in no mood for pleasantries with Lin Jiangxue. He said bluntly, “I am taking him away.”

Lin Jiangxue knit her brows, looking troubled. “I originally had some news I wanted to share with Sovereign Ling, but this is hardly the way to treat an acquaintance.”

“Lin Jiangxue, after all these years, you have become just like those old fools in the Haotian Alliance. Your way of speaking is nauseating.” Lingchuan Du looked her in the eye and said, word by word, “Move.”

As soon as he spoke, thunder rolled. It seemed the previous storm had not been satisfied, and it threatened to return.

Lin Jiangxue looked at him with an expression that asked what kind of madness he was suffering from now. Suddenly, she seemed to understand something and looked at Lingchuan Du in surprise. “You are not planning to take him to the Hundred Domains to pull that broken blade, are you?”

Lingchuan Du did not answer. Instead, a blue-black flame ignited at his fingertips. The flickering flame wound around his fingers like a small snake. He preferred action over words.

Lin Jiangxue took a wary step back, realizing that reasoning with a paranoid madman was difficult. She glanced at Xiao Jingchun in the distance. Her melodious voice dropped to a low whisper, coiling around the heart like a small snake, though her words were as sharp as a bloody knife.

“Let us make a trade. You do me a favor, and I will take you to Lu Yuan’s grave.”

A bolt of lightning split the clouds. Lin Jiangxue saw the shock on his face, just as she had hoped.

Lingchuan Du cast Xiao Jingchun aside. In a flash, he appeared directly in front of Lin Jiangxue, gripping her shoulders tightly. His eyes widened as he demanded, “What did you say!”

Lin Jiangxue had not anticipated his sudden approach. Lingchuan Du’s hands clamped onto her shoulders like iron chains, turning her face pale with pain. She struck out with a palm against his chest. Lingchuan Du took the hit without flinching and did not release her shoulders. Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, looking almost bewitching against his pale skin.

Lingchuan Du merely licked the blood away with indifference. With a madness in his eyes that he himself had not noticed, he asked in a hoarse voice, “What do you know?”

“You only need to say whether you agree to this trade. As for anything else, I will not say a single word.” Lin Jiangxue tilted her head up, enduring the pain. She was not intimidated by his appearance; instead, she let out a smile.

Lin Jiangxue was exquisitely beautiful. Even in the dim night, she was like a ghost lily under the moon. Lingchuan Du was unmoved by her pitiful beauty. He frowned, trying to discern the truth from her expression. He knew well that this woman was a master of deception.

“If you lie to me, you know the consequences,” he said, withdrawing his hands.

Lin Jiangxue rubbed her shoulders and complained, “Goodness, I would never lie to my own fiancé.”

When Lingchuan Du heard the word “fiancé,” a vein visibly throbbed at his temple. His tone turned threatening. “Lin Jiangxue, if you continue with this glib tongue, I will…”

“You will kill me as a sacrifice to the heavens, right? Fine.” Lin Jiangxue, now holding the leverage, spoke with more confidence. “I will take that as your agreement to the trade. First, release Xiao Jingchun.”

Lingchuan Du shook his head slowly. “No. Choose another condition.”

Lin Jiangxue’s heart sank. She knew that ever since Lu Yuan died, Lingchuan Du had become suspicious, always believing Lu Yuan was still alive. Because of this, he would periodically bring back people he suspected might be Lu Yuan to see if they could unsheathe that divine blade.

Lin Jiangxue knew that Lingchuan Du did not actually believe it; he simply wanted to grasp at a phantom hope. Even a tiny sliver of hope was enough for him.

But now, even with such an enticing offer on the table, Lingchuan Du had refused. Xiao Jingchun’s importance in his mind was clearly on a different level compared to the previous subjects.

Lin Jiangxue looked at Xiao Jingchun suspiciously. She knew he was the grandson of the leader of White Jade Capital and that his cultivation had been forced upward through the use of rare treasures. She scanned him from head to toe several times but saw nothing unusual about him. She had no idea what Lingchuan Du saw in him.

Lin Jiangxue did not want to meddle, but she could not simply ignore the situation. She stood her ground, preparing for a desperate struggle, yet not daring to truly provoke him. She pressed two fingers together and swore an oath. “I will personally bring Young Master Xiao to visit the Hundred Domains in the future. But today, I will not let you take him.”

Lingchuan Du lowered his gaze, his eyes sweeping over Lin Jiangxue’s face. Unless necessary, he had no intention of clashing with her. He bowed his head to weigh the pros and cons. After a moment, he nodded slightly. “What are your other conditions?”

Seeing him relent, Lin Jiangxue finally let out a breath. She lowered her guard and stated the second condition. “Go to the Fengchi Sect and wait for my news.”

Lingchuan Du looked at her in disbelief. “Do you know what you are saying?”

Lin Jiangxue handed him a ring. “Remember to sneak in through the back mountain. Do not cause too much trouble for me. If you are accidentally discovered by the guards, just show them this.”

Lingchuan Du gripped the token, which still held the warmth of her hand, for a long moment before finally understanding. He shouted in anger, “Lin Jiangxue!”

Lin Jiangxue ignored him, as if she were certain he would not refuse. She left his voice behind her and grabbed the cowering Xiao Jingchun. “What are you looking at? Let us go.”

Xiao Jingchun stumbled as she pulled him along. He had not heard the details of their negotiation; he only knew he had escaped death. He thanked her in a panic, “Thank you, Sect Leader Lin.”

Lin Jiangxue had no time for him. She closed her eyes as if sensing something. Suddenly, her expression darkened, and she flew back toward Lin’an Town without looking back.