CHAPTER 62: CHAPTER 62: LUCK?

Late at night, outside the city.

A fog, of unknown origin, spread, cold and hazy.

The ground was damp and cold.

Without its iron gates, the city entrance loomed like a terrifying abyssal maw, ready to swallow any living thing that passed by.

Two figures, one tall and one short, both draped in straw raincoats and wearing bamboo hats, emerged from the dim white fog.

They gazed at the massive, heavy city walls, which appeared and disappeared in the mist.

The shorter figure, keeping his voice low, said, "The last message from the Hu Brothers was that they entered this county town."

"Let’s go in and take a look," the taller figure replied, craning his neck, his voice shrill.

At the city gate, the dozing gatekeeper, seeing them approach, rubbed his eyes and called out, "Who goes there?"

HISS—

Eyes bulging, the gatekeeper looked down in disbelief.

A heart, still beating and struggling, lay in the shorter figure’s hand.

"You..."

The gatekeeper fell backward, convulsed a few times, and then lay still, his breath gone.

Lifting the veil from his face, the shorter figure opened his mouth wide and took several bites. Hot blood streamed down his arm.

"Not a bad flavor."

The shorter figure killed the gatekeeper without another word.

Just as the two were about to step into Baoho County, a dense, ferocious aura suddenly poured down from above, as if they were being targeted by a savage tiger descending a mountain.

They looked up. On the city gate tower, Sun Yueting stood with his arms crossed, looking down indifferently at the tall and short figures beneath the city wall.

"Visiting so late at night and killing my gatekeeper," Sun Yueting said. "Are you two looking to die?"

"A True Intent Martial Artist?" A sniffing sound came from beneath one bamboo hat. The shorter figure turned his head. "Shall I?" he asked.

The taller figure nodded slightly. "Make it quick."

"Good!"

Before the word "Good!" had fully left his lips, the shorter figure vanished.

A fierce gust suddenly tore through the air with a hissing howl.

In an instant, the shorter figure appeared before Sun Yueting, throwing a punch. A rolling wave of force surged straight for Sun Yueting’s face.

So fast!

Sun Yueting’s tiger-like eyes narrowed as he raised an arm to block.

BOOM—

Fist met elbow. The battlement beneath their feet cracked, sending dust flying.

Sun Yueting’s expression turned grave.

Such a heavy fist.

The next second, a barrage of shadowy fists and kicks was unleashed, threatening to engulf Sun Yueting like a torrential storm.

Spreading his arms and arching his body, Sun Yueting remained composed despite the shorter man’s fierce attacks. Any martial artist who had stepped into the True Intent Realm had experienced countless fierce battles.

He sidestepped, dodging a claw aimed at his throat.

Sun Yueting’s gaze darkened. The void behind him stirred as his True Intent Inner Qi instantly converged, invoking a Divine Marvel.

ROAR!

A deafening tiger’s roar, like a clap of thunder, resounded.

A phantom tiger claw descended through the air.

The wild, masculine force slammed into the shorter figure, who was caught off guard as the tiger claw struck him on the head.

TEAR—

The bamboo hat shattered, and the veil was torn to shreds.

A terrifying face was exposed—skin blood-red, veins pulsing visibly.

In the center of his forehead, a bizarre, twisted character was starkly visible.

A demon!

Seeing the demonic mark on the shorter figure’s forehead, Sun Yueting’s pupils shrank. His expression instantly turned furious, his killing intent flaring. "Rebel Demonfolk!"

"Heh heh, so you’ve found out," the shorter figure rasped. "In that case, I definitely can’t let you live."

Surging murderous intent, cold as a tide, fiercely enveloped Sun Yueting.

HUM—

A faint glow emanated from Sun Yueting’s body. His face darkened; some of the bone-chilling Yin energy had seeped into him. Fortunately, he had swiftly activated his Inner Qi shield; otherwise, he would have been frozen solid, left to their mercy.

"Die!" the shorter figure snarled, his eyes cold and brutal. He thrust out his hand, his sharp, claw-like fingertips glowing with a greenish-blue light—clearly coated in deadly poison!

"Hu Ben!"

As the poisoned claws descended towards his heart, Sun Yueting roared.

A semi-transparent pillar of light blasted from his mouth, sweeping across the area like a terrifying sword thrusting towards the shorter figure’s chest.

Die! Sun Yueting thought, knowing the power of his Hu Ben technique, as he watched the shorter figure’s shocked and enraged face.

But just as the shorter figure was about to be obliterated by the terrifying, suddenly erupting pillar of light, a figure intervened.

An iron fist struck hundreds of times in an instant, forcefully shattering the light pillar into countless glittering fragments.

Having blocked the fatal blow aimed at his companion, the taller figure surged forward, a punishing whip kick landing fiercely on Sun Yueting.

BANG—

At the moment of impact, just as Sun Yueting was about to channel his Inner Qi, the taller figure suddenly threw a pill.

With a pop, the pill exploded. Dark red smoke instantly spread.

As the smoke enveloped him, Sun Yueting’s face darkened. "Demon Blood Smoke!"

The poisonous smoke, concocted from Demon Blood, made Sun Yueting’s Inner Qi sluggish and slow, preventing him from channeling it freely.

Seizing the opportunity, the taller figure struck again, unleashing another vicious, insidious whip kick that cracked through the air with deafening force.

THUMP!

Unable to mobilize his Inner Qi for defense, Sun Yueting coughed up a mouthful of blood as he crashed through the stone wall, brutally kicked into the city gate tower behind him.

"True Intent Martial Artists? Nothing more than this," the taller figure said coldly, watching Sun Yueting, whom he had sent flying with a single strike.

Suddenly, the flagstones of the city wall shattered and buckled, heaving like a furious tide. Broken stones clattered down as if a primordial behemoth was approaching.

The next second, a large man in black shot through the air like a cannonball. His massive, crimson-purple hand, wreathed in terrifying Yang energy, struck out violently at the taller figure!

"Wipe that smug look off your face! Let’s see you take one of my ’nothing more than this’!" the man in black roared. "BREAK!"

The palm struck the taller figure squarely on the chest.

"AARGH!"

A pained scream erupted. Struck by a palm imbued with incredibly pure and domineering Purple Extremity Inner Qi, the taller figure shrieked, trembling like a leaf. His body, like snow under a scorching sun, emitted copious amounts of white steam, as if it were melting.

"I won’t accept this!!!" Eyes wide with fury as if they would split from their sockets, the taller figure’s gaze was filled with bitter resentment.

Why is this Inner Qi so fiercely Yang! Why did it have to be this kind of Inner Qi? I refuse to accept this! I can’t resign myself to this!

...

Sun Yueting struggled out of the city gate tower. Seeing the taller figure slowly dissolving, Sun Yueting’s gaze flickered with shock.

Such domineering Pure Yang Inner Qi.

Witnessing the taller figure dissolve into a puddle from a single palm strike, the shorter figure was terrified. Heedless of anything else, he turned to flee.

"Brother, don’t let him escape! They’re Rebel Demonfolk!" Sun Yueting shouted. He wanted to give chase, but the taller figure’s kick had shattered half his ribs; he could barely stand.

"Rebel Demonfolk?" Qi Xiu’s expression turned cold upon hearing this. He had read about Rebel Demonfolk in some of the books from Yuan Baiyi’s collection.

They betray their own kind and pledge allegiance to Demons! They abandon their humanity to become Half-Demons, more vile and brutal than Demons themselves. Such creatures are even more despised by the Human Race than actual Demons. Once discovered, they must be eliminated!

"Don’t worry," Qi Xiu said, his gaze cold. "He won’t escape."

His figure flickered. Using the Invisible Ghostly Shadow technique, Qi Xiu instantly appeared before the fleeing shorter figure. Fingers splayed, his large hand descended from above, enveloping the shorter figure, who was screaming in terror.

...

After dispatching the two Rebel Demonfolk, Qi Xiu picked up the bundles they carried, turned, and vanished in a series of swift flickers within moments.

Sun Yueting stared blankly as the large man in black, who had appeared out of nowhere, swiftly dispatched the two Rebel Demonfolk, and then departed just as quickly. Sun Yueting scratched his head and chuckled.

Truly an extraordinary man, coming and going like the wind. However...

Below the city wall, two puddles of foul, sticky blood were slowly seeping into the soil.

...

After taking a dozen large, circuitous routes in a rush, Qi Xiu returned home.

He tore off the Hundred Faces Mask and grabbed a towel hanging nearby to wipe his hands.

It’s confirmed. This new County Magistrate isn’t involved with any heretical sects. But what’s the deal with these Rebel Demonfolk suddenly showing up?

To ensure the security of his own little territory, he had stealthily infiltrated Prefect Song’s residence as soon as night fell. Leveraging the spectral mobility of his Invisible Ghostly Shadow technique, he had managed to overhear why this County Magistrate was spending so lavishly to win the people’s hearts.

He’d overheard the explanation: "By performing good deeds and acts of kindness, one can borrow the people’s morale and popularity to strengthen one’s own fate. Then, by cultivating the soul and spiritual essence, one can ensure a path free of disasters, tribulations, and bottlenecks, allowing smooth progress on the Great Dao."

TSK TSK TSK. The Dharma Gates of this world are truly full of endless wonders. Some toil through summer’s heat and winter’s cold, gritting their teeth in arduous training. Others merely spend lavishly and grow stronger by the day. Alas, I belong to the former category.

Sighing to himself, Qi Xiu suddenly had a flash of insight.

If I hadn’t, on a whim, gone to Song Tingye’s residence tonight, I wouldn’t have realized Sun Yueting had gone out to fight those two Rebel Demonfolk. Without my help, Sun Yueting would surely have been defeated. And Song Tingye would have been in grave danger too. But because I showed up... Sun Yueting is fine, and the Rebel Demonfolk were slain. Song Tingye is safe and sound.

Qi Xiu drew a sharp breath.

This chain of events seems like a series of coincidences, yet every link is strangely fortuitous. Could it be... this is so-called fate? Was it this fate that orchestrated everything tonight? Ultimately ensuring Song Tingye’s safety?

...