Blade - Unbound

Li Yan carefully examined the protective talisman in his hand. The flesh and tendons of the chicken claw had been removed, leaving only the bone, polished smooth enough to be carried and handled.

However, a talisman given by a demon hunter was naturally far from ordinary. The chicken bone was thicker than a man's thumb. Its surface was yellowish and translucent like colored glass. Evil-warding talismans had been engraved into it, with cinnabar pressed into the grooves.

Li Yan could even smell a scorching incense aura emanating from it. It felt surprisingly heavy in his hand. When lightly tapped, it even produced a metallic ringing sound. No ordinary chicken could leave behind a bone like this.

Could it have come from some creature that had cultivated Dao?

Turning it over in his fingers, Li Yan found it rather interesting.

Before long, night fell once more. This time, it was Wang Daoxuan's turn to cultivate and build the second floor of his inner temple. He was thoroughly familiar with the process, so nobody worried about him. After sealing the spiritual node with stones, Li Yan joined Sha Lifei and the others around a campfire to stand watch outside.

The mountain winds were particularly fierce that night. As midnight approached, everyone was beginning to feel drowsy.

Suddenly, Li Yan's eyes widened as the ground slowly sank inward behind Sha Lifei. Two antennae as thick as little fingers silently emerged from beneath the soil.

Li Yan shouted, "Watch out!"

As he used his movement technique, hidden force exploded through his left leg. The moment he shouted, his body had already shot forward like an arrow. At the same time, the Guanshan blade came flashing from its sheath.

The blade had barely left the scabbard when he arrived beside Sha Lifei.

Meanwhile, Sha Lifei was equally alert. Sensing danger, he didn't even bother turning around. Instead, he lunged forward, rolled across the ground like a lazy donkey, and came up with his blade already drawn.

Unfortunately for him, the creature was faster. Its antennae twitched before instantly retracting underground.

Li Yan's blade followed immediately, stabbing downward. At the same time, he activated the Three Talents Demon-Suppressing Coin tassel. His expression changed as the tip of his blade seemed to strike smooth metal. The blade slid to one side and failed to penetrate.

Bang!

Behind him, dirt exploded into the air. A centipede as thick as a man's arm burst from the earth. Its countless legs writhed wildly as massive mandibles snapped toward him.

At such close range, even though the creature had concealed all of its scent, Li Yan had already detected its movement through subtle changes in the smell of disturbed earth.

He retreated with a flash as his Guanshan blade crossed before his chest. His left hand gathered power, preparing to unleash the Soul-Hooking Chain.

That was currently his strongest killing move. The creature's body was as hard as steel, but regardless of what sort of demon it was, as long as it possessed a soul, the Soul-Hooking Chain would work.

However, another attack was even faster. A streak of sword light shot past him; it was the young Daoist Dian Shu. His reactions were slower than Li Yan's and Sha Lifei's, but he understood what was happening. Pulling out a talisman from his robes, he formed a hand seal and ignited it. His sword pierced through the burning talisman as it flew forward.

Clang!

Li Yan had no idea what sort of talisman it was, but he could smell incense-infused astral qi attaching itself to the blade as it burned. The sword pierced directly into the centipede without the slightest resistance.

Li Yan was speechless. The young Daoist still lacked experience.

In a situation like this, why stab?

Shwing!

As expected, the thrust was not fatal. Instead, the centipede shrieked in pain and began thrashing violently, spraying venom from its mouth.

Li Yan reacted instantly. "Careful!"

Grabbing Dian Shu, he pulled him backward. The venom splashed onto the ground, producing plumes of white smoke. Li Yan could smell a cold, corpse-like stench within the fumes. Merely approaching it was enough to make one's head spin. What the centipede spat out was clearly no ordinary poison.

Meanwhile, the earth centipede used the opportunity to retreat and burrow underground again.

At that moment, a short spear came flying through the air. The weapon was forged entirely from iron, and its tip was lined with vicious barbs. A burning talisman hung from its center, while a metal chain was attached to its tail.

Puchi!

The spear penetrated the centipede's body without resistance and the chain snapped taut. The earth centipede, which had nearly escaped underground, was violently dragged back out.

Rolling helplessly across the ground, it continued writhing like a wild beast. It screeched and sprayed venom in every direction.

The one who had attacked was none other than Red Yaksha. She had been keeping guard nearby, and rushed over the moment she heard the commotion. She had already thrown the spear before dashing forward.

Hunting creatures like these was her specialty. Even her weapons had been custom-made for this purpose. As the centipede rolled and struggled, Red Yaksha quickly tossed a leather pouch from her waist while simultaneously swinging her sword upward. She was also a martial arts expert who had reached the peak of the Dark Jin Realm.

The pouch split apart in midair, splashing the centipede with a torrent of bright red chicken blood. It seemed to act like acid, producing thick clouds of white smoke. The centipede immediately seemed drugged as its struggles weakened. The venom spraying from its mouth also ceased.

Clang!

Red Yaksha jerked the chain with tremendous force, dragging the centipede directly before her. She then casually shifted sideways and flicked her sword. The centipede's head flew from its body and the corpse twitched a few times before finally falling still.

Ignoring everyone else, Red Yaksha split the severed head apart with her sword. Disappointment immediately filled her eyes when she found nothing inside.

Sha Lifei was still shaken, but that didn't stop him from talking. Remembering Dian Shu's earlier story, he asked, "Heroine, were you looking for a Centipede Pearl? I thought only really large centipedes had those."

Though disappointed, Red Yaksha was clearly in a better mood after completing her mission. She shook her head. "Smaller ones can occasionally produce them too. They're only about the size of a soybean, but they're extremely effective against all kinds of snake venom."

Everyone gathered around to examine the corpse. The battle had been too chaotic earlier for them to see clearly. Now, under the firelight, the creature was fully visible.

The earth centipede was as thick as a giant vat. If stretched out completely, it would likely be taller than an ordinary woman. Countless legs lined its body, gleaming coldly in the firelight. Unlike normal centipedes, this one was not merely larger. It also had a strange color. Its legs were dark red, while the body itself was a dusty gray. When it lay against the soil, it was genuinely difficult to spot.

"My goodness..." Sha Lifei poked it with his blade and balked. "What in the world did this thing eat to grow so large? No wonder the young Daoist said they can eat python brains."

Red Yaksha replied, "If one is born in a location where innate yin killing qi gathers and then consumes heavenly treasures, unusual transformations can occur."

She looked around with a strange gaze before she continued, "Even demons have their own habits and preferences. This place is a freezing high mountain. It's completely unsuitable for insects. So why would it come here?"

Dian Shu also relaxed and nodded. "The Qinling Dragon Veins gather here. All sorts of strange things happen. Sometimes even we can't figure them out.

"Regardless, the demon is dead now. Benefactor Luo, stop sitting alone and come warm yourself by the fire. We'll all head down the mountain together tomorrow morning."

Red Yaksha hesitated briefly before nodding. "Very well."

With the demon slain, everyone sat down again. Their moods were considerably lighter.

Sha Lifei's eyes kept roving around as he began enthusiastically serving tea and asking questions about demon hunters. Even though Red Yaksha wasn't good at socializing, someone as thick-skinned as Sha Lifei was impossible to ignore. Eventually, she began sharing a few stories.

"Our lineage traces its origins to the late Tang Dynasty. Back then, chaos engulfed the world. Demons and evil spirits were everywhere. A senior master of the Taixuan Orthodox Sect gathered various techniques, and joined forces with the Mount Mei Faith and several martial arts grandmasters to establish the Demon Hunter lineage.

"The Mount Mei Faith mostly consists of hunters and excels at training Fierce Soldiers. As for us, we specialize in hunting demons and exterminating zombies. Our focus is combat. We don't possess the orthodox altar rituals of the Daoist sects."

Dian Shu immediately shook his head. "You're being too modest, Benefactor Luo. You travel throughout the world hunting demons and suppressing evil spirits. I don't know how many lives you've saved.

"If we're talking about merit, it's far greater than us monks who simply chant scriptures all day."

As the conversation continued, everyone gradually became more familiar with one another.

Only then did Li Yan learn that Red Yaksha's name was Luo Yihong. She was in fact a native of Chang'an. Her name sounded gentle, but her deeds were worthy of admiration. Even Li Yan had to give her a mental thumbs-up and call her a true hero.

Though she had neither husband nor children, she had adopted several orphans. All of them had lost their families to demons, evil spirits, or zombies. Most were already too old and had never received proper education. Even those who possessed awakened spiritual roots were unlikely to be accepted by orthodox sects or cultivation lineages.

In the end, Luo Yihong had taken them in as disciples. It allowed the Demon Hunter arts to continue while also giving the children a legitimate way to earn a living in the future. Of course, raising so many disciples was expensive. Until they matured and became independent, she had no choice but to travel everywhere to support the entire household alone.

As they chatted, something gradually began to feel wrong. Everyone's spirits grew lower and lower as fatigue steadily washed over them. Their eyelids became impossibly heavy.

"Oh no... We fell for its trick!"

Luo Yihong suddenly barked a warning before collapsing unconscious. Li Yan's heart jolted. He was just about to stand when thick fog rose before his eyes. The surrounding world darkened as he received another underworld mission.

Damn it! Why now of all times?!

Li Yan cursed silently, but there was no time to think. He immediately sprinted forward. He was already extremely familiar with this phenomenon. No spell could free him from it. The only solution was to quickly view the mission and reject it.

As expected, the well appeared once more. Without hesitation, he placed both hands upon it and the water within began swirling.

Mist churned as countless images emerged. It was the same cave and the same old Daoist.

The same mission again?

Li Yan was about to reject it when his eyes suddenly widened. Two centipedes crawled forward beneath the black jar containing the old Daoist. They inserted their heads into openings at the bottom of the jar and began spraying streams of blood inside.

The moment the blood touched the old Daoist's body, it was rapidly absorbed. At the same time, the corpse-like grayness on the old Daoist's face deepened.

So this thing was behind everything!

Grinding his teeth, Li Yan immediately chose to accept the mission. He knew he probably no longer had a choice. The instant he accepted, the surrounding fog vanished.

The moment Li Yan opened his eyes, he realized something was wrong. A huge centipede had already emerged from the ground beside him, its snapping mandibles descending on his neck.

"You’re seeking death!"

Murderous intent flashed in Li Yan's eyes as his left hand shot out and seized the creature's head.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Chains rattled beside his ears. The Soul-Hooking Chain plunged directly into the centipede's body. With a violent pull, Li Yan dragged out a glob of cold, bloody spiritual essence.

No matter how powerful the centipede was, it remained a living creature. The strength of its soul was not even comparable to that of a child. It merely possessed a bit of spiritual awareness.

Li Yan’s Soul-Hooking Chain shredded it almost instantly. The centipede's soul was ripped away, and its body immediately went limp.

Looking around, Li Yan saw that everyone else had collapsed unconscious. Beside each person, a centipede had emerged from the ground and was preparing to bite their necks.

Another centipede had surfaced next to the campfire. Enduring its instinctive fear of flames, it sprayed faint poisonous smoke directly into the fire.

What a cunning beast!

Li Yan leapt into action. Hidden force erupted from his legs as three consecutive kicks flashed out.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Moving at incredible speed, he kicked every centipede away from the sleeping group. Then he pulled out the Divine Tiger Token and activated Thousand Gold Protection.

"Nuogao, three stars upon the left, three prisons upon the right. Heaven overturns and Earth reverses. All nine paths are sealed. Let your mind be lost as east become west, south become north..."

ROAR!

The instant the spell formed, the sound of a tiger's roar seemed to echo through the air. The centipedes recoiled in terror, and immediately retreated underground.

Li Yan knew the spell would only frighten them temporarily. He quickly crouched down and began reviving everyone. He pinched pressure points and slapped cheeks, whatever was necessary.

The poison mixed into the campfire was colorless and odorless. Though it had incapacitated everyone without detection, it was not particularly potent.

Once awakened, they quickly regained clarity.

When he saw the countless holes covering the ground, Dian Shu's face turned pale. "Why are there so many of them?! Impossible! This is a demon nest. How could the mountain patrols have missed it?"

"Someone tampered with it." Li Yan's expression darkened as he ran to the entrance of Wang Daoxuan's spiritual node.

The stones sealing the cave had only been stacked temporarily. They could never be perfectly airtight.

Peering through the gaps, Li Yan saw Wang Daoxuan sitting peacefully in meditation as Soul-Guarding Lotus Lamps burned around him. His expression was completely calm.

Li Yan relaxed at the sight.

Turning back, he said in a deep voice, "Uncle Sha, bring me my Thundercloud Divine Drum."