Chapter 16: Confrontation

It must be said.

Zhang Long and Zhao Fang's plan was fundamentally sound.

A powerful Ghost-grade anomaly could practically run rampant among those in the Meridian-Opening Realm.

An apprentice Demon Slayer, at most, was merely at the beginning of the Meridian-Opening Realm.

Even if several of them arrived, it would be impossible to contend with a powerful Ghost-grade anomaly; it was far more likely they would be devoured entirely.

Unfortunately—

Things turned out to be somewhat different from what the two had anticipated.

First.

Because the Demon Suppression Division had suffered significant losses in manpower recently, only Shen Changqing had arrived, rather than the group of apprentice Demon Slayers they had envisioned.

Furthermore.

Although Shen Changqing was an apprentice Demon Slayer, his true strength was no weaker than that of a top-tier Yellow-rank Demon Slayer.

In fact.

He was even more powerful than a top-tier Yellow-rank Demon Slayer.

With the fifteenth level of the Thirteen Grand Protectors Hard Qigong and the eighth level of the Pure Yang Art, his foundation was incomparable to any martial artist of the same Meridian-Opening level.

The former in particular.

External arts are easy to enter, but training them to a profound level requires a significant amount of time.

Almost no one spends too much time on external arts.

But conversely.

Once external arts reach a profound level, the power they can unleash is inconceivable.

Just like Zhang Long's sneak attack earlier.

That single strike.

A normal Meridian-Opening martial artist would have been decapitated and killed instantly.

Yet, on Shen Changqing's body, it failed to damage even a single hair.

This was the strength of the Thirteen Grand Protectors Hard Qigong.

"Zhang Long is dealt with, but the anomaly in Gu Yue Village is still here. I have to eliminate it first!"

Shen Changqing gave a brief glance at Zhang Long's body and ignored him, turning back toward the original courtyard.

At this moment.

The courtyard had not changed much, but an intense chill was surging from all directions, at least twice as strong as when he first entered.

Without even thinking, Shen Changqing understood.

The anomaly residing in the courtyard had been completely provoked.

Suddenly.

A freezing sensation struck him from behind.

In an instant.

Shen Changqing spun around and slashed with his blade, colliding exactly with a pale, white palm.

The palm seemed to have no physical form; the moment it touched the blade, it vanished without a trace as if it had never existed.

However, the long blade touched by the palm seemed to fall into an endless winter; an extreme cold swept up from it, causing a faint white frost to condense on the blade.

Pure Yang True Qi erupted.

The frost on the blade dissipated.

Soon, an endless chill surged again, and a head of disheveled hair suddenly rested on Shen Changqing's shoulder. As he turned his head, he came face-to-face with a pale, rotting countenance.

Instantly.

Goosebumps erupted all over his body.

Without any hesitation.

Shen Changqing spread his Pure Yang True Qi throughout his body and slammed his elbow forward with force. A shrill scream rang in his ears, leaving his mind momentarily dazed.

In the next instant.

A pale, white palm thrust through his armpit, reaching directly for his chest.

His clothes tore.

A bone-chilling cold exploded.

His physical body, which had remained impenetrable even under Zhang Long's attacks, saw its skin torn open under the anomaly's assault.

The pain in his chest caused Shen Changqing's fury to flare.

He struck out with a palm, unleashing the full power of his eighth-level Pure Yang True Qi, which directly shattered the pale hand.

Just as the hand dissipated.

An even greater chill surged from behind him.

He took a step forward, thrusting his long blade backward through his armpit. It felt as though he had pierced something, and a piercing scream immediately rang out.

Soon.

The courtyard fell silent.

Shen Changqing stood holding his blade, his eyes vigilantly scanning the surroundings, his perception pushed to the absolute limit, not daring to miss even the slightest movement.

The wound on his chest had quietly scabbed over.

Yet the pain remained, a testament to what had just occurred.

"Truly troublesome!"

Shen Changqing sighed. This was his first time facing an anomaly head-on, and a powerful Ghost-grade one at that.

Even though.

He had spent a long time cramming knowledge about anomalies in the Library.

When he actually faced one, he realized that what was written in books still differed somewhat from reality.

At this moment.

Shen Changqing fully understood the terror of a powerful anomaly.

To name just one thing.

That single attack just now—if it had been an ordinary Meridian-Opening martial artist, their heart might have been ripped out.

In such a confrontation.

A single mistake meant certain death.

"Whether it is a Ghost-grade or a Grudge-grade anomaly, they have no concrete physical form; they must attach themselves to something in order to persist!"

As Shen Changqing thought about the nature of anomalies, his gaze began to sweep back and forth across the courtyard.

Low-level anomalies.

Have no physical form.

And precisely because they lack a physical form, they possess a fatal weakness: they must attach themselves to certain objects.

Those attached objects are equivalent to the anomaly's lifeblood.

As long as those things are destroyed.

Even if the anomaly cannot be slain, it can be dealt a heavy blow.

The problem was.

There were too many objects an anomaly could attach itself to. It could be a stone on the ground, or some inconspicuous item. Finding the exact object in such a large courtyard would definitely not be easy.

"If I cannot find what the anomaly is attached to, it can continue to ambush me endlessly. I might not be able to win a battle of attrition; if this drags on, I will likely be the one who loses—"

Of course, Shen Changqing was confident that if he retreated, the anomaly would have no way to intercept him.

Immediately.

He strode toward the room where he had first been attacked.

As he reached the doorway of the room.

Shen Changqing suddenly paused his steps, then changed direction.

In the courtyard.

The chill permeated everything.

A massive fog covered the area, completely blocking out the bright sun, making the surroundings feel as if they had fallen into night.

But for Shen Changqing, he had already reached the level of being able to see in the dark.

Even though the environment was dim.

It could not cause much of an impact.

After changing directions several times, the anomaly made no move, as if it had fallen completely silent or had vanished entirely.

But Shen Changqing knew very well.

The anomaly was silently watching him from somewhere; the previous exchange had made it realize he was not so easy to deal with, so it did not dare to strike lightly now.

It was waiting.

Waiting for the right opportunity to strike.

Suddenly.

Shen Changqing changed direction once more, sprinting toward the large tree in the courtyard.

*Weng—*

The chill surged through the courtyard, and a piercing, shrill scream rang out from thin air, enough to freeze one's soul.

Two pale, white palms abruptly appeared, reaching for Shen Changqing's face and chest.