Chapter 34: Demon Beast Invasion
In the blink of an eye, it was the middle of November.
Snowflakes drifted down. In an instant, the once-silent forest was covered in a thick blanket of white snow, and drifts half a meter deep piled up on the ground. The entire world was cloaked in silver.
Especially in the deep mountains of the Yunlan Mountain Range, the effects of the heavy snow were several times more severe. Wild animals hid in their dens, hibernating for the winter. This made it extremely difficult for Demon Beasts to find food. Countless Demon Beasts suffered the torment of hunger, but there was a limit to their endurance.
They gradually began to move in the same direction.
"BOOM—!"
Zhao Zuo, who was in the middle of his Cultivation, immediately opened his eyes. The boom was followed by the roars of various Demon Beasts and the loud bangs of activated Talismans. Some Loose Cultivators chose to fight back, while others fled in disarray. The whole of Qingni Lane was thrown into chaos as countless people yelled out warnings.
"The Demon Beasts are here!"
A few of the loud bangs seemed to be near Zhao Zuo’s house. The roars of the Demon Beasts sounded as if they were right beside his ear. Clearly, a Demon Beast had already charged into Qingni Lane and was preying on the nearby Loose Cultivators.
Faced with this situation, Zhao Zuo just pulled his quilt tighter around himself. Someone had once tried to save their life by digging a cellar, but unfortunately, they encountered a burrowing Demon Beast and died a miserable death.
’The Demon Beasts are invading to hunt, not to exterminate. If I run around outside now, I’m more likely to run into a starving one. I’m better off just staying home and cultivating like usual.’
Zhao Zuo waited quietly for a moment as the sounds outside gradually died down. This meant some powerful experts had stepped in and worked together to hunt the Demon Beasts. Of course, the ones they killed were just the first wave. From this day on, Demon Beasts would ride the cover of the snow to attack the four major districts every night, indulging in a gluttonous feast.
These Demon Beasts had no powerful leader; their attacks were mostly spontaneous. They were just scattered forces, making it difficult for them to pose a serious threat. Basically, Demon Beasts would attack every night and then voluntarily disperse before dawn.
Even so, several hundred Loose Cultivators were still culled each year. Of course, when spring arrived, the Moyun Sect’s Flying Ship would bring back several thousand Seekers of Immortality. A small portion would be accepted into the sect... while the majority would be given a basic Qi Cultivation Spell and sent to the Moyun Market to fend for themselves.
However, for some unknown reason, the Moyun Sect had yet to dispatch a Guardian Envoy this year.
The next day, Zhao Zuo pushed open his door. The snow on the ground was filled with footprints and crimson bloodstains. A house not far away had collapsed, and the mangled remains of a corpse were faintly visible. Around the corpse, a few Loose Cultivators were gathered, intending to profit from the dead.
The group was probably discussing how to divide the spoils. They seemed amicable now, but any disagreement over the distribution would inevitably lead to a bloody fight. Zhao Zuo glanced at them for a few moments before looking away.
Demon Beasts were only interested in food; Magical Artifacts and Pill Medicines were often carelessly tossed aside. This created an opportunity for many, a chance to turn their fortunes around. Of course, it could also become their graves, as opportunity and danger always go hand in hand.
Zhao Zuo observed for a little while. It seemed only one unlucky soul in Qingni Lane had encountered a Demon Beast and paid with their life. Everyone else was fine... After all, most residents of Qingni Lane were old-timers who had been around for a decade or so and were quite used to the winter Demon Beast invasions.
What they were really worried about now was... the character of this year’s Guardian Envoy.
Zhao Zuo returned to his room and began to cook. He stir-fried the leftover Demon Beast meat with various spices and then placed it on top of the cooked Spirit Rice. This was his breakfast for the day.
’The initial stages of the Demon Beast invasion aren’t too dangerous, and I’m confident I can handle it. But as the saying goes, a wise man avoids standing under a crumbling wall. Since there’s a safer option, I should get out of this dangerous place as soon as I can.’
He had already decided to go into seclusion in the core area of the Market. He would also sell the three Magical Artifacts he had and planned to buy an item that could conceal his breath, then upgrade it.
The next time he returned would probably be at the end of December. Before that, he needed to ask Shen Yunjiao to pay his December rent on his behalf. This was Zhao Zuo’s plan for the day. He just didn’t know if there would be any unexpected changes this year. The Earth Fire Chamber, after all, extracted flames from the earth’s ley lines.
In the winter, it might be shut down for a month to allow the ley lines to recover. During that time, the Earth Fire Chamber would be closed, and Zhao Zuo would have to leave the core area.
After his meal, Zhao Zuo learned from a neighbor that Shen Yunjiao had gone to the Market early in the morning to sell Demon Beast meat. It was also she who had killed the Demon Beast that invaded Qingni Lane last night.
Now that he knew where Shen Yunjiao was, Zhao Zuo packed his belongings into a bundle, left his house, and set off towards the Market.
His feet stepped on the snow, making a CRUNCH, CRUNCH sound.
In some places, the snow was so deep that a single step would sink him up to his thighs. A journey that normally took about ten minutes had taken him half an hour to only get halfway. He wasn’t exhausted, but this pace was far too slow.
Mana circulated, and Zhao Zuo activated a Light Body Talisman. It was as if an invisible current of air flowed around his body, making him very light. With the help of the wind, the resistance from the snow with each step was reduced by about a third.
’It’s truly miraculous.’ Zhao Zuo’s steps grew lighter, and his speed instantly improved.
In the pure white landscape, there were very few people on the road. The rare passersby eyed each other with vigilance. Every year during the Demon Beast invasion, Tribulation Cultivators would use the chaos as cover to launch their own attacks, striking from the shadows to plunder resources.
Zhao Zuo calmly gave way, and the two quickly passed each other and moved apart.
Suddenly, Zhao Zuo felt a sense of threat. A whistling sound rushed past his ear. The Vajra Talisman in his hand activated instantly. A two-layered, brilliant golden barrier spread out from his chest, blocking the sudden attack. The impact of the collision pushed Zhao Zuo forward half a meter.
Zhao Zuo immediately spun around, his Sky-Breaking Saber already slashing towards the enemy.
But his enemy stood there with a look of utter astonishment, as if terrified. He didn’t react until the Sky-Breaking Saber was right in front of his face, and he hastily tried to speak.
"Mercy—"
"SPLAT."
The enemy’s head exploded like a watermelon, splattering bone fragments and blood in every direction. The gore struck the golden barrier in front of Zhao Zuo, creating a dense flurry of ripples. Once it lost its momentum, the blood trickled down the shield.
Zhao Zuo waited a few seconds, then deactivated the golden barrier. He gazed at the enemy’s headless corpse and sighed softly.
"Why bother? I don’t like killing people."
After the battle ended, he finally remembered the man’s identity.
They were both Artifact Refining Apprentices from the Earth Fire Forging Hall. In the past, this person had always enjoyed mocking the body’s original owner. A while ago, when Zhao Zuo had exchanged for thirty Spirit Stones, this man happened to be among the onlookers in the exchange hall.
In the end, his greed got the better of him, and he lost his life for it.
Zhao Zuo only mused for a few seconds. Forcing himself to endure the stench of blood, he reached into the corpse’s robes and fumbled around. He quickly found a few Talismans and a porcelain vial. He stuffed his loot into his own bundle and continued on his way to the Moyun Market.
At the same time, he retrieved his Sky-Breaking Saber and the enemy’s Magical Artifact, securing them to a hidden clasp at his waist.
’This place isn’t safe. I’ll wait until I get to my Earth Fire Chamber to examine my haul.’
’This world really is a dangerous place. To think a random person on the road would suddenly turn on me and try to kill me. If I hadn’t been on my guard, things could have turned out very differently just now.’
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