Chapter 7: The Mantis Stalks the Cicada

The sun gradually sank toward the horizon, and the evening Sanqing Mountain unfolded before Anzhi like a magnificent painting.

Standing at the summit and looking down, the mountain village under the setting sun resembled a brilliant gemstone embedded in the embrace of nature. People lived on this beautiful land, enjoying a harmonious coexistence with nature.

Anzhi had been very diligent and excited today. She had cleaned the Blessed Land inside and out all afternoon. She felt as if she had been injected with adrenaline, needing to keep moving at all times, and she eagerly awaited the arrival of night.

Anzhi was in the courtyard practicing the sword techniques that Meng Hong had taught her in her dreams with a wooden training sword. Halfway through, she suddenly realized a problem: Fan Jin had gone to the Sanqing Hall for an entire day and had not yet returned.

She looked up toward the summit; the sun was about to set. Clutching her wooden sword, Anzhi ran quickly toward the gate of the Blessed Land.

With steps as swift as the wind, Anzhi crossed the threshold of the Sanqing Blessed Land in two or three strides.

"Where are you going?"

Having already stepped out, Anzhi suddenly heard a voice from behind. She held her breath, stood still, and turned her head slowly to see Fan Jin sitting on the threshold, staring blankly at the sun about to dip below the mountain peak.

"Uncle-Master, why, why are you sitting here? I was just going to look for you." Anzhi hopped over to Fan Jin’s side.

After spending these past few days with Fan Jin, Anzhi felt that this old man was not as difficult to get along with as everyone said. On the contrary, perhaps due to his age, he was actually quite easy to be around, much like her own grandfather’s generation.

Fan Jin looked at the sunny-faced Anzhi and pointed his cane toward the setting sun: "Tell me, is it beautiful?"

Following the direction of Fan Jin’s cane, the setting sun looked like a brilliant gemstone, slowly sliding down the mountain peak and leaving behind a golden-red afterglow. A few wild geese flew freely through the twilight.

"It’s beautiful!" Anzhi said involuntarily.

"As long as it’s beautiful, that’s good." Fan Jin said as he leaned on his cane and stood up. He knew Anzhi wanted to go out at this time, so he walked back into the courtyard without looking back: "Come back early, and don't go running around aimlessly."

Anzhi was stunned. This old man was strange, anyway. She had intended to ask about what happened at the Sanqing Hall today, but decided against it.

Suddenly,

The Spirit Snake poked its head out from Anzhi’s robes, looked around cautiously, and said, "Aren't you leaving yet?"

Anzhi didn't think twice; she took off running down the mountain.

Nighttime.

The forest behind the mountain seemed to be shrouded in a mysterious veil, giving it a tranquil and dreamlike quality.

In this deep forest, moonlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, spilling onto the damp soil and forming mottled patterns of light and shadow.

"Wait, don't go there," the Spirit Snake said, lowering its voice suddenly.

Anzhi slowly crouched down, looked left and right, and asked in confusion, "Snake-Bao, what's wrong?"

The Spirit Snake crawled onto a tree branch and whispered, "Come this way."

Anzhi nimbly arrived at the tree the Spirit Snake had indicated. Sure enough, in a hollow in the forest, a group of people was walking back and forth in the dark. Although their voices were very low, a buzzing sound could still be heard.

Less than a quarter of an hour later, Luo Ling and her group ran in from behind.

"Everyone, stay alert. The Senior Brother and I will go in first. If there’s any situation, provide support immediately." After Luo Ling finished her instructions, she went to Ke Dasheng and said, "Senior Brother, we must catch this person tonight."

Ke Dasheng said confidently, "Don't worry, I released two fourth-tier spirit demons; they will be able to lure this person out."

Anzhi was stunned. Since she had wiped out all the spirit demons in the back mountain last night, this posture was clearly aimed at her. Moreover, her cultivation was still quite pathetic; if she were caught or discovered, things would become difficult.

"Snake-Bao, let's go. They are clearly coming for us tonight." Anzhi began to walk out of the forest on tiptoe.

The Spirit Snake actually thought the same. With Anzhi’s current level of cultivation, once discovered, she would become a target for everyone and would be crushed into dust by Luo Ling’s group, so they had no choice but to play it safe.

The forest behind the mountain was like a canopy, with branches and leaves intertwined. Taking advantage of the dark night and high winds, Anzhi and the Spirit Snake soon made their way out.

Anzhi was feeling a bit disappointed and was about to leave with regret when she suddenly felt a demonic aura drifting from the archway.

Anzhi was surprised and excited at the same time, because the fact that she could smell the demonic aura meant that her spiritual power was taking effect.

"Snake-Bao, Snake-Bao, over by the archway!" Anzhi pointed her wooden training sword toward the direction of the Sanqing Palace archway.

The Spirit Snake asked, "Master, did you sense something?"

"A demon!" Anzhi said, somewhat excitedly, as she raised her sword and walked toward the archway. "Haha, I can smell the demon now."

The archway spanned the two dragon gates with majestic momentum; the pavilion was built like a rainbow ridge, towering and spectacular. The three characters "Sanqing Palace" at the top of the archway had stood firm for a thousand years and remained striking and dazzling.

A strong wind blew, and leaves all over the ground swirled in the air. The sounds of surrounding animals rose and fell.

The demonic aura grew stronger. Anzhi felt a chill down her back and couldn't help but tilt her head to look at the Spirit Snake on her shoulder: "Snake-Bao, can, can you sense where it is?"

The Spirit Snake looked left and right, its antennae searching like a radar, but it found nothing: "If only you had a magical artifact."

The importance of a magical artifact to a demon hunter was self-evident; different artifacts had different functions. But now, Anzhi only had a wooden training sword, so she couldn't locate the demon at all.

Suddenly, Anzhi’s vision was covered by a flash of red silk, and countless faceless figures appeared flickering around her.

"Monster, take this!" Before the Spirit Snake could speak, Anzhi lunged with her sword, but she struck empty air.

Facing the shifting spirit demon, Anzhi dropped her wooden sword, gathered spiritual energy in her palms, and unleashed a Palm Thunder at the phantom in front of her.

"Hahahaha, hahaha."

"Let me play with you for a while."

"Little girl, why are you playing with Palm Thunder for no reason?"

The hollow voice circled around like a curse, alternating between male and female tones. As the voice grew more urgent, a strong wind whipped up around them. A leaf flew past Anzhi’s cheek, instantly cutting a gash that bled profusely.

A fourth-tier spirit demon was only one step away from advancing to a full-fledged demon; its abilities were certainly formidable.

"Master, don't be afraid, these demons don't have much lethality!" the Spirit Snake reassured her again.

Anzhi touched the blood on her cheek and asked in disbelief, "Wind-blade?"

The Spirit Snake replied: "These demons are called fourth-tier spirit demons, but they have been sealed by Sanqing disciples for a long time and have long since lost their fourth-tier habits. In reality, their skills are only at the third-tier level. Believe in yourself, you are more than a match for them."

The Spirit Snake’s words were undoubtedly a reassurance for Anzhi. She immediately gathered her spiritual energy and retaliated with Palm Thunder. Although every strike hit a phantom, as the number of attacks increased, Anzhi slowly began to sense the location of the spirit demon’s true form.

In Anzhi’s current state, she couldn't tell what type or attribute this fourth-tier spirit demon was; she only felt that it was very powerful, capable of infinite illusions, and more importantly, capable of turning anything on the ground into a sharp blade.

The fourth-tier spirit demon was getting annoyed: "Little girl, I didn't expect this. Even Ke Dasheng couldn't dodge my illusionary ice blades, yet you’ve dodged four times in a row. Hahahaha, watch closely, take this!"

As soon as the voice fell, the scattered leaves on the ground were quickly collected and transformed into a giant sword, which slashed straight down.

"Palm Thunder!" Anzhi continued to dodge while firing Palm Thunder to resist the blade made of leaves.

It was effective. After the Palm Thunder hit, sparks flew, and it immediately ignited the giant sword made of leaves.

The giant sword instantly scattered into countless leaves, drifting chaotically in the air.

Because the giant sword was too sharp and powerful, it still managed to cut Anzhi’s arm the moment it scattered.

Seeing this, Anzhi picked up the wooden sword from the ground, closed her eyes for three seconds, gathered her spiritual energy at the tip of the sword, and struck with a single blow.

*Awoo...*

The demon’s wail echoed from the Sanqing Palace archway. The sound was so loud that it startled Luo Ling, Ke Dasheng, and the others lurking in the distant forest, and they quickly led their people toward the archway.

The demon was killed, but Anzhi fell to one knee and couldn't stand up; blood flowed from her sleeve.

"Master, run, quickly, they are coming!" The Spirit Snake immediately sensed the danger.

Anzhi endured the sharp pain, grabbed the wooden sword, picked up the four spirit demon seals on the ground, and limped away in another direction, following the Spirit Snake.

By the time Luo Ling and Ke Dasheng arrived, only the blood on the ground and the surrounding wails remained.

"Senior Brother, the fourth-tier spirit demon has been killed. It seems this person is not simple." Luo Ling dipped her finger into the blood on the ground.

Ke Dasheng was quite calm; after all, a fourth-tier spirit demon was just a piece of cake to him: "He has been seriously injured by the spirit demon. Everyone, split up and search immediately."

"Yes!"

(End of chapter)