Chapter 122

Chapter 122: The eerie aura on the Demonic Beast

Fang Yu jogged after her, calling out in a teasing voice: “Tsk tsk, wait for me!”

Shen Sang Ruo had reached her limit, so she stopped and turned around.

Fang Yu almost crashed into her and thought, [Wouldn’t it be even better if I bumped into her?], then he simply stopped trying to keep his balance.

Shen Sang Ruo’s temples throbbed as she flicked her Luan Feather Fan: “Scram.” With one sweep she smacked the falling Fang Yu aside.

Fang Yu spun several times in midair before he hit the ground, then he clutched his face and stared, confused and a little wronged.

He muttered to himself, [Why is this going nothing like I imagined?]

At least that one smack knocked him mostly back to normal.

She asked in a cold voice: “Who are you, and why are you approaching me?”

He blurted the nonsense again, then, seeing her look, hurried to correct himself: “Elder Sister…”

She gave him another look, and he finally landed on the right address and tone: “Elder Sister, my name is Fang Yu. I’m a disciple of the Joyous Union Sect, here in the Phantom Mirage Domain for training.”

[So he’s from the Joyous Union Sect. That explains a lot.] In her last life the Joyous Union Sect had been a mid-tier sect already in decline; by this life it was on its last legs, with fewer than a hundred disciples.

She frowned and asked: “So you came close because you want…” [To become Dao Companions with me?]

Fang Yu waved his hands fast: “No, no. I absolutely have no other thoughts about Elder Sister.”

He knew that finding a powerful woman to become his Dao Companion could speed up his cultivation, but he also knew Shen Sang Ruo was far beyond his reach; that one smack alone filled him with pure respect. [She’s way out of my league.] Besides, he was not planning to look for a Dao Companion yet.

She lifted a brow and pressed him: “Then what is your goal? And why did you act like that just now?”

At that, Fang Yu perked up and pointed at the ground: “Elder Sister, did you see the traces left by a Demonic Beast here?”

Rubbing his hands, his eyes shining, he added: “It has to be a Great Demon, and whatever it’s guarding won’t be ordinary. How about we team up and find its lair together?”

He grinned and explained, “As for what I did earlier, I only wanted to make it easier for you to agree to an alliance.”

People who fell for Joyous Union Sect charm arts were easier for him to tug around by their emotions, but he had not expected Shen Sang Ruo to be totally immune. [Who knew she wouldn’t buy that at all.]

She looked him over from head to toe, and with a sweep of Divine Sense saw he was at Mid Golden Core.

Fang Yu scratched his head and asked, half-sheepish, half-curious: “By the way, I still don’t know Elder Sister’s name.”

She answered evenly: “Ninghua Sect, Shen Sang Ruo.”

He blinked: “Ninghua Sect? I haven’t heard of that sect,” then he rushed to add, “That must just be my ignorance.”

He had trained in the Joyous Union Sect for years and only recently come out to gain experience. He had not followed any auctions or news, so of course he had never heard of the Ninghua Sect.

Shen Sang Ruo’s face stayed calm as she said: “You’ll know in time.” [After the Sect Grand Tournament, I’ll make Ninghua Sect’s name echo across the Cultivation World.]

Fang Yu nodded, then steered them back to the Demonic Beast: “So, Sister Sang Ruo, what do you think of my idea? If we work together, we can’t miss.”

“Not interested,” she said, stepping away to leave.

She did want to test herself against that Demonic Beast, but only if they happened to meet. She would not waste time searching for it; her main task was to reach Wuqing Stockade as soon as possible. [My priority is Wuqing Stockade, not monster hunting.]

“Sister Sang Ruo, please think it over,” he begged, tagging along like a tail.

“Not considering it.”

“What if we find a rare treasure? Really not considering it?”

“Still not considering it.”

“Elder Sister…”

She cut him off with a warning: “If you keep following me, don’t blame me for being rude.”

She had only spoken this much because Fang Yu held no malice toward her. That did not mean she would let him trail her forever.

“We’re not on the same path. Farewell.”

Seeing she would not budge, Fang Yu used his last card: “Sister Sang Ruo, I have another clue you might like.”

He did not keep her guessing and said straight out: “Do you smell a faint, eerie aura in the air?”

Shen Sang Ruo paused: “Isn’t that due to the miasma here?”

The aura was very faint, but she had noticed it the moment she entered the area ravaged by the Demonic Beast. It was the same aura she had sensed on the Demonic Beast she had already cleared out. She said so aloud.

Fang Yu shook his head as he jogged to her side: “No. I arrived here a few days ago. The snapped trees look fresh, no more than two days old, and back then the eerie aura in the air was thick. It only faded over these last few days.”

He lowered his voice: “Small Demonic Beasts might be affected by miasma, but how could a Great Demon on the level of Late Golden Core or even Nascent Soul Early Stage be swayed by that?”

Then he offered his guess: “What if that eerie aura is being produced and spread by the Great Demon itself?”

Shen Sang Ruo’s gaze sharpened: “You mean that Great Demon has a problem?”

Fang Yu nodded hard: “Yes, and not just it. I also found lots of the small Demonic Beasts you mentioned. Many of the Demonic Beasts in this area seem off.”

He added, more serious now: “Those corrupted Demonic Beasts act like they’ve lost their minds.”

He finally sounded properly earnest, and Shen Sang Ruo revised her view of him a little.

“Maybe if we check the small Demonic Beasts first, we can find a clue,” he suggested.

“No need. We go straight for the Great Demon.”

Realizing how serious this might be, Shen Sang Ruo decided to investigate. If left alone, the eerie aura could taint every Demonic Beast in this region and then keep spreading across the Phantom Mirage Domain.

“That Great Demon is the strongest Demonic Beast nearby. If the aura clinging to it is as thick as you say, it’s most likely the source,” she reasoned. “From there it infects the smaller ones.” It would also save time.

“Great. I’ll follow Sister Sang Ruo’s lead!” Fang Yu’s goal had been to find that Demonic Beast anyway, so he was all in.

She pointed into the trees: “The aura is stronger that way. We go there.”

A line of broken trunks made a crude path. Fang Yu had stayed here several days without seeing the beast return, so he guessed it had only passed through once. If they followed the snapped trees, they might find it.

They set out at once.

Shen Sang Ruo kept a quiet distance from him as they moved. He might look a bit simple, but they had just met, and she knew nothing of his background. [Trust is earned.]