After the Immortal Disappeared

Chapter 407: Chapter 406: The Divine Bone’s Second Feeding

A Wind Demon that once forced the King of Treasure Tree himself to take action—how could it truly be shackled by a small stone pedestal?

During Ancient Times and the Middle Ages, the Wind Lion Lords acted as markers, telling the Wind Demon where it ”should” tread lightly. After all, on the main peak of the former Piaomiao Sect, the Spirit Medicine Fields by the chasm’s edge were more fragile than any mortal. The Immortal Sect had to establish rules for the Wind Demon.

When the Wind Demon slammed into a Wind Lion Lord’s Barrier, it would feel a certain discomfort that made it reluctant to get close. It was like an electric fence in a wildlife preserve—it wouldn’t kill a lion, but the pain would keep it confined to its own territory.

However, ”should” was not the same as ”must.”

And ”reluctant” did not mean ”unable.”

Now that the Piaomiao Sect was long gone, it was far easier for the Wind Demon to shatter the Wind Lion Lord’s restraints than it had been in the past.

Hee Lingchuan, however, simply beckoned to the Wind Demon.

The meaning of the gesture was unmistakable: Bring it on.

So the Wind Demon charged.

To fight in such a narrow space, it had somehow managed to compress its full power into a vortex less than five feet wide. As a result, Fushan Yue, standing in the cave above, didn’t even feel the hem of his robes stir.

But the vortex of wind emitted an ominous WHIRRING sound. Every jet of high-speed Gang Wind spinning within it was like a steel blade, pulverizing anything it touched.

It shot straight toward Hee Lingchuan.

The powerful current it brought with it threatened to pin him to the wall, rendering him immobile as he was subjected to death by a thousand cuts from the Wind Blades.

Under this immense pressure, Hee Lingchuan found it exceedingly difficult to even raise his saber to face it, let alone fight back.

How was a man supposed to fight the wind?

Fushan Yue, rushing over, watched with rapt attention, afraid he would miss a single detail.

’Someone who’s caused me this much trouble can’t possibly be a fool. He must have a trick up his sleeve.’ He had an ominous premonition.

Just as the Wind Demon was about to bear down on Hee Lingchuan, the man suddenly vanished.

Vanished into thin air, not crushed to powder.

The Wind Demon’s full force slammed into the stone wall. Amid a teeth-grinding WHIRRING, a large hole, a foot deep and three feet in diameter, was gouged out of the hard rock face that had endured countless years of wind and frost!

Had that struck a living body, wouldn’t it have instantly exploded into a bloody mist?

Meanwhile, Hee Lingchuan himself had reappeared behind the Wind Demon, right at the spot where the Wind Lion Lord had cracked!

Fushan Yue’s pupils shrank. ”Teleportation?”

That could only be accomplished through a Divine Technique, not a Martial Art.

Of course, Hee Lingchuan didn’t know how to teleport. He had simply snuck the Ghost Shadow Cicada Shell under the stone sculpture when he’d set down the Wind Lion Lord. Activating the Divine Technique, Substitution, he had swapped places with the Ghost Shadow Cicada Shell.

The thousands of lives lost just over a quarter of an hour ago were a testament to the Wind Demon’s terrifying power. Confronting the master of this domain on its home turf was not something any sane person would attempt.

After the swap, Hee Lingchuan didn’t immediately flee. Instead, with a push of his toes, he charged straight for the Wind Demon!

They were barely ten feet apart. With his speed, he crossed the distance in the blink of an eye.

This gave Fushan Yue, who was still running toward them, pause. He couldn’t understand why this man, after going to such lengths to escape, would turn right back around to throw his life away.

The Wind Demon had struck nothing but air and was about to spin around—not being human, it couldn’t reposition as nimbly as Hee Lingchuan. But its enemy was already upon it from behind. The Long Saber at his waist flashed out, delivering four slashes in the blink of an eye!

Back at Zhao Pan’s front-line camp, Hee Lingchuan had been able to sever seven raindrops with a single slash. A four-hit combo now was child’s play.

The faint light of the saber flashed in the stone chamber as all four strikes landed squarely on the Wind Demon’s back.

Fushan Yue’s brow furrowed deeply.

’You can’t cut wind. My opponent can’t possibly lack such basic common sense, and his weapon isn’t imbued with Primordial Power. So what is he...?’

But the Wind Demon let out a deafening shriek.

Fushan Yue, who knew it well, was suddenly startled.

That shriek was filled with agony!

The parts of the Wind Demon’s body struck by Hee Lingchuan’s Long Saber were actually sloughing off as if they were solid!

Though the pieces dissipated in an instant, Fushan Yue was certain he hadn’t been mistaken. The Wind Demon’s very form had been cut to pieces by that blade!

’That brat can actually cut the wind?’

Hee Lingchuan gripped Floating Life, the blade feeling like an extension of his own body. He could sense the weapon’s twin aspects of nimbleness and lethality.

As he faced the Wind Demon, a sudden realization struck him:

Floating Life’s ”Void Shattering” property was effective against the Wind Demon!

It could strike all things formless and incorporeal. If ghosts were considered ”formless,” then the Wind Demon clearly fell into the category of ”incorporeal.”

The Wind Demon’s body was now only half its original size. Seething with pain and fury, it blasted a Wind Blade at Hee Lingchuan.

Though invisible and without substance, it could slice through flesh and bone with ease.

Hee Lingchuan had anticipated this. Without waiting for the Wind Demon to turn after his four-hit combo, he planted a hand on the ground, kicked off the wall with his right leg, and pirouetted like a swallow to its flank.

The retaliatory Wind Blade was perfectly dodged.

The Wind Demon had yet to recover. Wary of its oppressive aura, Hee Lingchuan refused to let it regain its full form. He rained down two more slashes, dicing it to pieces!

With a shriek, the Wind Demon’s form suddenly dissolved, transforming into a raging gale that filled the entire chamber!

It had finally realized that its most powerful form, its humanoid shape, was actually a disadvantage against this foe.

It would revert to its true form. Though somewhat weaker, it would tear this bastard to shreds!

True Power circulated in Hee Lingchuan’s Dantian as he immediately erected his Protective Gang Qi.

He felt his Gang Qi being rapidly whittled away, unsure how many Wind Blades had struck him in that instant. Fortunately, the Wind Demon’s power was greatly diminished now that it had dissolved into a whirlwind. Furthermore, he had recently achieved a breakthrough on the Three-Heart Plateau, taking his Cultivation to the next level. Otherwise, he might not have been able to withstand such a rapid drain on his power.

’Oh, right, the Heart-Protecting Mirror is working too.’

As the great wind howled through the chamber, the Divine Bone Necklace suddenly emitted a faint red glow.

Then, the wind that swept past Hee Lingchuan was sucked straight into it.

’What the hell is that thing?’ The Wind Demon refused to accept this and stirred up its winds once more.

But no matter how much wind it sent, the Divine Bone Necklace absorbed it all, refusing none.

In the short span of two breaths, the Divine Bone had seemingly become a massive black hole, threatening to devour the entire whirlwind!

It was too late for the Wind Demon to flee.

It struggled to escape, but it couldn’t resist the pull from the black hole behind it. With a series of WHOOSHES, it was sucked in.

Fushan Yue, arriving at the stone chamber, turned pale with fright. He lunged straight for Hee Lingchuan, Water-Splitting Needle in hand. ”Stop!”

His furious strike was packed with power. In the nick of time, Hee Lingchuan parried with a backhanded block of his saber.

With a CLANG of metal on metal, both men retreated two steps.

The Divine Bone Necklace finally ceased its ravenous feasting and grew quiet.

Hee Lingchuan’s sharp eyes noticed that Fushan Yue was clutching a small object in his left hand.

It was a half-palm-sized... Wind Lion Lord?

For him to reveal it at a time like this, it couldn’t be meaningless.

”It’s the last Wind Demon in the world. It would be a pity to kill it.” This Wind Demon had been with Fushan Yue for a long time, and he was absolutely heartsick.

Hee Lingchuan replied coldly, ”What’s that to me?” ’If you can’t control your own pet, don’t blame others for teaching it a lesson.’

Fushan Yue drew his Water-Splitting Needle. ”Give it back to me, or this will be your grave.”

Hee Lingchuan beckoned with his finger again. ”Come and get it.” ’The Divine Bone Necklace doesn’t spit out what it eats.’

The atmosphere in the stone chamber suddenly grew taut with tension.

However, after only two breaths, the sound of tumbling rocks echoed from outside.

It was impossible to tell if it was just the mountain wind or if someone was approaching.

Fushan Yue’s expression shifted. He suddenly lowered the tip of his needle. ”Fine. I’ll let you off this time.”

Hee Lingchuan found this amusing but didn’t press the issue. He pulled his mask over his face, dashed out of the stone chamber, and in two bounds, reached his Rock Sheep, swung himself onto its back, and rode off.

The Divine Bone Necklace was no longer glowing or giving off heat, evidently satisfied after its hearty meal.

Today, it had feasted on two fine delicacies.

Fushan Yue walked out of the stone chamber. There was no one outside, only the whistling of the wind.

He leaped down the terraced fields and ran to the edge of the chasm. Only then did he look down at the small Wind Lion Lord in the palm of his left hand. Its craftsmanship was far more exquisite than its counterparts inside the mountain.

”Come out.”

A few wisps of mountain wind swirled together, forming a miniature Wind Demon less than three inches tall.

So, the Divine Bone Necklace hadn’t managed to absorb it completely.

But the Wind Demon was now only the size of a spinning top. It kept coalescing and dispersing, unable to even maintain its shape. It was a pitiful sight.

Now that it was small, it no longer looked so menacing. Who would have guessed that this very creature had devoured countless lives just a quarter of an hour before?

”What on earth was the Magical Treasure that kid used to do this to you?”

The Wind Demon whimpered, as if tattling.

Fushan Yue listened for a while but couldn’t make heads or tails of it. He could only gather that an astonishing suction force had erupted from the boy, absorbing more than half of the Wind Demon’s Origin.

If he hadn’t arrived in the nick of time, the Wind Demon would have been completely devoured.

”Enough. Rest and recover.” He pointed at the chasm. ”You didn’t wipe out the Guard Team, so they’ll be back to investigate. In a few days, this whole area will be swarming with people from the Treasure Tree Kingdom.”

The Wind Demon immediately dove into the chasm and vanished with a WHOOSH.

It would now enter a dormant state, replenishing itself with the wind energy deep underground. After feeding on the Meridian Divine Wind once or twice, it would be back on its feet.

Fushan Yue took out the Wooden Bottle again, his face a mask of contemplation.

’Why did that kid throw the Dragon Marrow back?’

’Why did he have such a strange smile?’

’Did he throw it back because he decided it was worthless? Does that mean he knew exactly what it was?’

Fushan Yue silently put the bottle away and found a stone chamber across the mountain path to enter a state of Meditation.

From there, he would be the first to spot anyone entering the belly of Wind Demon Mountain.

He had to act as the Wind Demon’s Protector.

A bird of prey flew overhead, and Fushan Yue immediately retreated into the depths of the stone chamber.

...

By the time Hee Lingchuan caught up with the merchant caravan, Shi the Second was directing his men to clean up the remains left behind by the Guard Team.

Hee Lingchuan nodded. ”A righteous act, Shi the Second.”

Shi the Second was, in truth, a little worried. ”Brother Hee, are you sure the Wind Demon won’t come back? There’s no cover on this road. Even the Guard Team couldn’t handle its assault. If that thing returns, won’t our little caravan be swept away in an instant?”

Hee Lingchuan didn’t mention what had happened at the Immortal Sect ruins, only reassuring him, ”It only attacks its enemies, and it was badly injured. It shouldn’t be coming out again anytime soon.”