Chapter 50

(Finally caught up, everyone, take a rest after reading, don't stay up late, and please give me recommendations and favorites.)

The moon gradually rose, and the villagers of Jiuligang mostly retreated to their homes to huddle around the stove for warmth.

At the village entrance, a scholar slowly walked into the village. He appeared thin and frail, with a pale, sickly complexion, as if a gust of cold wind could knock him down.

He wore thin clothing and shivered all over. He untied a purple-black gourd from his waist, took two sips, smacked his lips, and recited, "Drinking the cold wind, the soul wanders freely, but alas, the supply is not abundant, not abundant at all..."

...

The Hu Family Manor.

A young man in a black robe felt his blood boil, his fists clenched, and he sensed an unprecedented crisis.

"Young man, to be able to see through this demon's true form, you have some discernment. It seems your lineage is not from an unknown source. State your master, and this demon will not kill an unknown ghost."

The little boy spoke, but it was the voice of a middle-aged man. He stood with his hands behind his back, his emerald eyes filled with沧桑 (cāngsāng, meaning 'the vicissitudes of life'), looking eerie and terrifying.

"It's really a demon!"

Old Hu's body trembled, his face turning as pale as paper. The young couple stepped forward to support him, tears streaming down their faces as they cried out, "What has our child done wrong! If you want to possess a body, come for us!"

The little boy sneered, "Unfortunately, you are not born in the yin year, yin month, and yin day. The yin energy of this day is exactly what this demon needs. Possessing you? Although this demon has a naturally strong spirit, it lacks a mental martial art. Otherwise, just this illusion would be enough to bury all of you."

"Originally, I planned to slowly absorb the yin energy, but now I can't afford to delay. If the Wudang sect intercepts me, it will be troublesome. Offer your blood energy. With your blood energy, this demon will absorb all the remaining yin energy, and the last of the twelve main meridians will have enough energy to be fully connected."

Whoosh!

As the little boy spoke, his figure flashed. He moved like a demon, and in a few blinks, he was already three feet in front of the young man in the black robe.

A demon's movement technique!

The young man in the black robe was finally shocked. This was not an ordinary foundation-building technique but a true martial art, a movement technique of the demon race.

A foundation-building expert! A third-rate Kai Tian realm existence!

This demon did not bother to hide its cultivation. It directly attacked with a thunderous claw, aiming to pierce through the young man's skull.

Buzz!

Instantly, a strange fluctuation rose from the young man in the black robe. His body swayed like a willow, lightly dodging the attack in a hair's breadth.

Swoosh!

Although the distance was minimal, a few strands of black hair were cut off by an invisible force, falling to the ground.

Qi芒 (qí máng, meaning 'aura')! Internal true qi!

The young man's face instantly lost its color. With his current qi and blood, performing the Willow Fluff Movement Technique was too strenuous. Even though it was a third-rate martial art, it was not something he could easily perform at his current level.

Of course, he now felt a bit regretful. He had only come to train and experience the dangers of the world, the various sects and schools, but he never expected to encounter such a formidable opponent in his first battle—a foundation-building demon, a third-rate Kai Tian realm expert. In the demon race, where hierarchy is strict, this demon was a level above ordinary demons, already a demon soldier.

"Willow Fluff Movement Technique? So you are a disciple of the Light Smoke Sect. The Light Smoke Sect in Huangshi Prefecture is merely a third-rate sect. Even if your sect leader were here, he could not stop this demon's path!"

Whoosh!

The little boy attacked again, this time even faster, leaving a faint afterimage. His emerald eyes were fierce, and in an instant, they seemed to multiply into dozens, their cold gaze causing fear and a chill to the bone.

This demon's movement technique was too terrifying, accompanied by a chilling aura, which was the demon's internal true qi, filled with a coldness that could freeze the heart and shatter the will to fight.

Too fast!

This time, the young man in the black robe was completely taken aback. Even if the demon was possessing a body, its speed far exceeded his imagination. His eyes could not keep up, let alone dodge.

In an instant, his scalp tingled, and five sharp auras pierced down. His vision went black, and his heart seemed to stop beating.

Thud!

A dull sound, like a war drum beating.

"Bold indeed!"

Instead of the expected darkness, a strong wind blew in his face, accompanied by the demon's angry cry. The young man felt his arm tighten, and a powerful force pulled him backward, throwing him far away.

A clean, dark green robe, a somewhat handsome young man stood tall, though not exceptionally handsome, he exuded an indescribable aura as he stood before everyone.

"It's you!"

The young man in the black robe took a deep breath. He had noticed this young man's difference earlier but thought he was at most on par with him. Now, he realized this young man was far superior.

"The Light Smoke Sect's foundation-building technique is the 'Heavenly Horse Technique,' an advanced version of the 'Racing Horse Technique,' with eight levels. At the seventh level, it surpasses the strength of a fierce horse, but it still falls short of the Wudang Sect's 'Turtle Snake Technique,' a tenth-level foundation-building technique. At the seventh level, it possesses the strength of a blood-sweating horse. The Light Smoke Sect's 'Heavenly Horse Technique' at the seventh level only has a fraction of the divine form. Only by breaking through to the eighth level can it truly surpass a blood-sweating horse. However, the Heavenly Horse is just a beautiful wish, far from achievable. I wonder how much power this young man has, but without foundation-building, the hope is slim. The demon said it has one of the twelve main meridians left to connect, making it close to a third-rate expert like a hungry tiger leaping over a ravine, far superior to those who have just entered the Kai Tian realm..."

The young man in the black robe's thoughts raced, but he saw no hope. However, he did not panic. His eyes grew colder. Since entering Shiyan Prefecture and coming to Yunyang County, after separating from his master, he had been prepared to die in the martial world.

As a martial artist, who doesn't face the blade!

But dying at the hands of a demon was deeply unsatisfying. Against such a formidable enemy, he did not even have the qualifications to die together.

Su Qignian's eyes radiated an indomitable fighting spirit. This was a tribulation, but he still had unfinished business and could not fall here.

"Young man, I am very curious. At such a young age, to have such remarkable power, it's impossible for a small sect to cultivate you. Could you be a disciple of Wudang? No, Wudang values swordsmanship and hasn't produced any notable knife users in the past two to three hundred years. Who is your master? Well, no need to say, let's see!"

The little boy seemed to be talking to himself. He raised his tender hand, a cruel smile on his lips, a smile filled with the vicissitudes of life, bloodlust, and cruelty. But what Su Qignian saw, from beginning to end, was only a tender smile.

A little boy who had just turned three, who should have had a carefree childhood, was now possessed, his spirit damaged, his body invaded by demonic qi. Even if he survived by chance, he would likely be disabled, unable to grow like a normal person, and might not live many more years. For a life that had just begun, nothing could be more cruel.

A surge of boiling blood rose in Su Qignian's heart, burning with a fierce and resolute fighting spirit. The second level of the 'Mystical Soul Technique' autonomously activated, reaching an unprecedented peak. His eyes even faintly glowed, causing the little boy to frown slightly. The gaze was too fierce, and a young man having such a gaze was beyond his expectations.

In the Ancestral Spirit Hall.

The golden sun, which had been dormant for many days, began to rotate, its rays like golden rain, illuminating the entire sea of consciousness.

A realization surged in Su Qignian's heart, and his eyes faintly turned a pale gold, causing the demon to feel a deep aversion.

"Die!"

In an instant, the little boy moved, his figure blurring and disappearing in a moment. The next moment, dozens of little boys appeared around Su Qignian, each seemingly real. Their tender hands had long nails, sharp and emitting a few inches of gray-blue qi, all aiming for Su Qignian's head.

Unfathomable!

The young man in the black robe clenched his fists, drenched in sweat, his eyes bloodshot. The little boy was using real skills, and he could no longer see through it. Was this a movement technique or a mental illusion? (Finally caught up, everyone, take a rest after reading, don't stay up late, and please give me recommendations and favorites.)