Chapter 15: Too Terrifying

Yujing Peak.

The disciples had already used a sword formation to restrain the Blue Cat when Ke Dasheng arrived with his men.

In the process of struggling against the sword formation, the Blue Cat had grown massive. Phantoms representing its four remaining lives appeared from time to time, letting out deafening cries, its entire coat glowing with a blindingly bright blue hue.

Ke Dasheng slowly drew the Yuxu Sword, and flames began to coat the entire blade.

The Yuxu Sword was forged at Yuxu Peak; it was seven feet long, belonged to the fire element, and was crimson in color. Capable of slaying demons with intense heat, it was suitable for demon hunters of the sixth rank or higher.

"Heavenly Net Thunder!" Ke Dasheng focused his concentration, using his spiritual power to stoke the flames of the Yuxu Sword even higher before lunging forward with a swift strike.

Heavenly Net Thunder was a demon-slaying sword technique of Mount Sanqing. With a concentrated burst of spiritual energy, a single strike released three streaks of light.

*Crackle, pop...*

The three streaks of light struck the cat demon directly, instantly engulfing it in flames. Its fur sizzled and popped as it burned.

The cat demon exerted every ounce of its strength to break free, causing some of the disciples controlling the sword formation to vomit blood on the spot from spiritual exhaustion.

An Zhi, who had been hiding behind a large tree, was stunned. She hadn't expected the Yuxu Sword of the Three Heroes to be so powerful. Thinking of her own Yuhua Sword, which was merely an ordinary blade, she felt an urge to take hers out and test it as well.

Luo Ling, the cat demon struggling violently, immediately lashed out with a long whip, striking the creature in an endless barrage...

The sound of the whip was like ancient war drums, striking fear into the heart of the monster.

*Slap, slap, slap...* *Slap, slap, slap...*

Under the relentless assault from Luo Ling and her fellow disciples, the cat demon began to slowly collapse within the sword formation.

To subdue it as quickly as possible and prevent any unforeseen complications, Ke Dasheng immediately summoned the Yuxu Buddhist Whisk.

The Yuxu Buddhist Whisk was the dharma treasure of the first patriarch, the tenth-rank demon hunter Meng Hong. Passed down to the present day, its power was incomparable; not only could it bind any demon, but striking a creature with the whisk could leave it in a state where it could neither live nor die.

Ke Dasheng formed a hand seal, and the whisk instantly levitated before him, shimmering with golden light.

Ke Dasheng slowly took hold of it, then leaped into the air, coordinating his strikes with Luo Ling’s long whip.

In this manner, the cat demon never expected that it would be beaten mercilessly by the whip and the whisk, as if it were being flogged after death.

With every strike of the whip, a flame-like crack appeared on the cat demon's body.

That sensation of being unable to live yet unable to die caused it to gradually weaken, eventually lying submissively within the sword formation.

Finally, it died. Two demon seals appeared within the formation.

Ke Dasheng and Luo Ling were panting heavily, having exhausted most of their spiritual power; they would likely need several days of recuperation.

The disciples retracted the sword formation and stepped forward to check the situation, with An Zhi following closely behind on tiptoe.

"Meow..."

Suddenly, a cat's cry from behind them made everyone turn around.

"Not good, it still has four lives!" Just as Ke Dasheng finished speaking, a brand-new cat demon appeared.

"Form the array!" Luo Ling shouted at the sight.

Seeing this, An Zhi nimbly ducked behind a large rock.

Forming an array! It wasn't that easy; the sword formation had been retracted, and setting it up again would take time.

Seizing the opportunity, the cat demon launched an immediate attack. Two disciples were killed on the spot, turning into piles of white bones.

Even more terrifyingly, the junior sister, Li Tongyu, was wounded by the cat demon. Since Li Tongyu was a new disciple who had only just passed this year's assessment, her spiritual power was insufficient to resist such potent demonic poison. Very quickly, fur began to grow across her face.

"Senior Sister, help... help... help me!" Li Tongyu cried out in agony, reaching out with a hand that had already transformed into a claw.

Seeing Li Tongyu's expression of pain, Luo Ling did not hesitate for a second; she swung her whip and struck Li Tongyu. Li Tongyu collapsed instantly, falling directly behind the rock where An Zhi was hiding, scaring An Zhi so much that she curled up on the ground.

Without the constraints of the sword formation, the agile cat demon had a much wider range of movement. Although Ke Dasheng had the enhancement of the Yuxu Buddhist Whisk, its accuracy dropped significantly against such a nimble foe; seven out of ten strikes missed.

Facing such a low hit rate, Ke Dasheng knew that once everyone's spiritual power was depleted, they would all become the cat demon's meal. Therefore, he ordered Luo Ling to quickly organize the disciples to reform the sword formation while he used the Yuxu Buddhist Whisk to stall the demon.

Having just lost a life in the sword formation and still having four lives remaining, the cat demon was not easily deceived.

Ultimately, the demon cat escaped from Yujing Peak...

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"I—I'm telling you, Li Tongyu was corrupted by the demonic poison right then and there."

"That woman is too cruel; she killed Li Tongyu without a second thought."

"I... I wanted so badly to go help them, but..."

Inside the house at the Sanqing Blessed Land, An Zhi recounted the day's events to the Spirit Snake. Seeing such a grand and terrifying spectacle for the first time left her memory vivid and her heart trembling at the thought.

"And then what?" the Spirit Snake asked.

"And then!" An Zhi calmed down and continued, "The Eldest Senior Brother led everyone to search in different directions, and that was the end of it."

The Spirit Snake pondered for a long while before saying, "A great opportunity, a great opportunity."

"What great opportunity? Even the Eldest Senior Brother couldn't handle it," An Zhi said, feeling discouraged. After all, this was her first time seeing such a powerful demon. "We should stick to slowly leveling up from demon spirits."

"What are you talking about? That cat still has four lives. If you kill it, you'll get eight demon seals. You could jump straight to being a fifth-rank demon hunter! You can't miss this chance," the Spirit Snake said, getting excited just thinking about it.

An Zhi felt depressed. "I can't win."

"I have a way." Having said that, the Spirit Snake crawled to the window and looked into the courtyard. "Quick, it's almost dark and the old man isn't back yet. Follow me. I'll take you to get a dharma treasure to kill it."

With a heart full of trepidation, An Zhi followed the Spirit Snake out of the Sanqing Blessed Land.

After walking for an unknown amount of time—passing through dense forests, crossing small rivers, and moving past graveyards—An Zhi arrived at an obscure Taoist temple on Mount Sanqing.

The temple was in a state of ruin; only the roof beams remained. The words "Yuling Temple" on the plaque were faintly visible but had been eroded by moss.

"Snakey, where... where are we? I can't see a thing," An Zhi said, feeling spooked by the sound of the wind whistling through the ruins.

The Spirit Snake led An Zhi to a mound of earth overgrown with weeds.

"Dig it up. There's a dharma treasure inside: the Demon-Binding Rope," the Spirit Snake said confidently.

"How do you know?" An Zhi found it hard to believe that a treasure was buried under a mere mound of dirt. However, she always listened to the Spirit Snake, so she immediately began digging using various methods.

"Ah!"

Suddenly, halfway through digging, An Zhi unearthed a skull, which frightened her so much she dropped it instantly.

Before An Zhi could react, the Spirit Snake had already spotted the Demon-Binding Rope.

Recovering herself, An Zhi pulled the rope from the dirt and examined it repeatedly, but it looked nothing special.

"This... this thing can actually bind a demon?" An Zhi couldn't believe it.

"Heh, don't underestimate this rope. It's an absolute divine tool for dealing with cat demons," the Spirit Snake said, hopping onto the small mound. "A cat's agility is unmatched in this world. It is extremely difficult to kill one without binding it first."

Hearing the Spirit Snake speak so mystically, An Zhi unfurled the rope and muttered, "Snakey, this rope looks no different from a common hemp rope used for hanging. Are you sure?"

Seeing An Zhi's skepticism, the Spirit Snake immediately began telling the legend of the rope: "Seventy years ago, a demon hunter from Mount Qingcheng in Bashu traveled to Mount Sanqing. He encountered a Demon Sovereign at Yuling Temple and was killed. This treasure was left behind here."

"Mount Qingcheng?" An Zhi had never heard of that place.

"Oh, it's just a sect from the Bashu region. Bashu is the best place for cultivators and demon hunters to train." Feeling that An Zhi was getting distracted, the Spirit Snake changed the subject: "We have to find the cat demon before they do."

An Zhi picked up the Demon-Binding Rope and prepared to leave, but through the moonlight, she saw the skull she had tossed into the ditch. Feeling a pang of guilt, she stepped forward to pick it up. "Sorry, sorry. I was too forceful just now."

An Zhi wiped the mud off the skull, went back to the mound, and reburied it.

"Old man, thanks for the rope." After bowing, An Zhi turned and followed the Spirit Snake deep into the woods.

Mist swirled through the trees, rising like ghosts, enveloping the entire forest in a mysterious atmosphere.

Every living thing in the forest seemed to exude an eerie aura, making one feel an irresistible sense of dread.

(End of Chapter)