Chapter 65: The Trial of Chen Yan
As Gu Qing Yi vanished into the dense forest, Chen Yan swiftly leaped onto a towering tree, settling himself upon a sturdy branch several meters above the ground. Suspended high above, a sense of security surged within him.
Night had fallen, and the chilling wind howled through the wilderness. The rustling of unseen movements in the underbrush sent a shiver through the air, casting an even deeper shadow upon the dimly lit path through the forest.
Narrowing his eyes, Chen Yan activated the Heavenly Eye Qi-Observing Technique, scanning his surroundings without respite. Within his sharpened vision, he perceived a thin veil of crimson mist drifting in the wind, converging toward the heart of the mountain. That was the very direction Gu Qing Yi had pursued.
[It seems her instincts were correct. This hunt will likely bear fruit,] he mused.
Cautious by nature, Chen Yan retrieved several talismans from his robes. First, he struck his body with a Misfortune-to-Fortune Talisman, ensuring that fate itself would favor him. Then, he affixed a Six Yang Righteous Qi Talisman, its radiance forming an invisible barrier against the lurking malevolence in the air. Lastly, he pressed a Lightness Talisman against himself—should retreat become necessary, his steps would be as swift as the wind.
Seated atop the branch, he cast his gaze deep into the mountain’s embrace. Suddenly, a distant rustling reached his ears.
Chen Yan’s senses sharpened. The sound was unmistakable—something was charging through the forest, trampling the brittle carpet of fallen leaves and dried branches beneath hurried steps.
He rose.
Moments later, a shadowy figure stumbled into view.
A young woman, clad in winter garments, dashed forth in panic. Her ponytail was disheveled, her down jacket torn, and her jeans dirtied by the night’s merciless grasp. Her breath came in sharp, desperate gasps, and with each frenzied step, she let out shrill cries of terror. Ah! Ah! The primal sounds of unrestrained fear.
Chen Yan noticed she had lost a shoe in her flight, leaving one foot exposed to the biting cold. His wariness intensified.
Yet, as he peered through his Qi-Observing Technique, he found no lingering traces of the unnatural upon her. Her aura was mundane, merely a dull gray that bespoke an ordinary mortal. However, a faint streak of crimson intertwined with her fate—an omen of impending bloodshed.
Just as she reached the worn path, her foot caught against the edge of a drainage channel. With a cry, she was sent sprawling to the ground.
Chen Yan, expression unreadable, reached into his pocket, pulled out a mask, and donned it before descending from the tree. He landed lightly, a few steps away from where she had fallen.
The woman scrambled up on hands and knees, only to freeze upon spotting him. A strangled yelp escaped her lips before panic overtook her face. Realizing he was human, she found her voice and shrieked, “Help! Please, help me!”
She reached out in desperation, but Chen Yan did not move forward. Instead, he tilted his head slightly, his tone laced with feigned confusion. “What happened to you? What’s chasing you?”
Tears and snot smeared her dirt-streaked face. Her lips trembled as she wailed, “There’s a monster! A monster in the woods!”
Chen Yan studied her intently. Still, her Qi betrayed nothing unnatural. Only then did he approach and grasp her arm, pulling her back to her feet.
“Calm yourself. Tell me, what did you see?”
“I… I…” Her body quaked violently. She turned her head, terror glazing her eyes as she stared into the blackness of the trees. “We must run! We have to get away!”
“Someone is after you?”
“No! Not someone! Something!” Her voice cracked under the weight of her fear. “A monster!”
Chen Yan’s grip on her arm tightened as he began leading her toward the forest’s edge. Her steps were unsteady, and without her shoe, the rough terrain had torn through her sock, revealing a bleeding foot.
“Did you call the authorities?”
“N-no, my phone… I lost it,” she sobbed.
“Tell me exactly what you saw.”
“A monster—it eats people!”
“Then how did you escape?”
A fresh wave of sorrow overtook her, and she broke down. “My dog… my dog saved me. It… it killed my dog…”
Her strength gave out. Whether from exhaustion, fear, or the biting cold, her body succumbed. Her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed into unconsciousness.
Chen Yan exhaled, shaking his head. Without a word, he dragged her beneath a nearby tree, preparing to contact Gu Qing Yi.
Yet, just as he reached for his phone, a bone-chilling sensation crawled up his spine. Every hair on his body bristled in warning.
The talisman’s Ward Evil aura flared, while his cultivated Qi Sensory roared in alarm—
Danger was upon him.
A ghostly breath slithered behind him, cold as the grave.
His instincts screamed. Without hesitation, he executed the Escape Formula, his body propelling forward in a blur. At that very instant, a razor-edged force whistled past the back of his head.
He twisted mid-air and landed lightly, gaze snapping back toward the source of the attack.
A towering tree now bore a deep gash where he had stood mere moments ago. The cut was clean—several inches deep.
And standing before that ruined bark, shoulders hunched and breath ragged, was a monster.
This thing stood like a man, yet its rags fluttered like tattered battle flags, and its hair, tangled like wild brambles, concealed its face in a veil of shadow. A lifeless grayness clung to it, as if it had been steeped in dust and decay for centuries.
Its form mimicked a human’s, but its arms were unnaturally long, the clawed fingers hanging nearly to its knees. The skin upon its hands was shriveled and cracked, like the talons of a desiccated bird of prey, and at its fingertips, curved nails gleamed with an ominous sharpness.
Though its head was bowed, its crimson eyes burned through the strands of its matted hair, staring straight at Chen Yan with a predator’s intensity. When its lips parted, it revealed a maw filled with jagged teeth, the remnants of flesh still clinging to them, fresh blood smeared along its mouth.
Chen Yan took but a single glance before a chill raced down his spine. Drawing upon his Qi Observation Technique, he sensed the dense miasma of killing intent rolling off this creature like a foul tide, its very presence making his breath grow shallow and strained.
The beast stood before him, and his body instinctively reacted. His heart pounded, his adrenal essence surged, and his hands clenched tighter. Fear had no place here—only action. Gritting his teeth, he reached into his pocket and withdrew two Six Yang Righteous Qi Talismans, one for each hand.
These talismans were techniques he had only recently mastered, consuming a great deal of his vital energy to inscribe. He had managed to craft merely three in total—one already burned into his own skin for protection, leaving only these last two.
“Hunger… hunger…”
The beast muttered in a low, rasping voice.
Chen Yan’s mind jolted—this thing could still speak?
Slowly, he backed away, his steps measured, until he felt the rough bark of a tree against his back. The moment he blinked, the monster vanished.
Without hesitation, Chen Yan reacted with practiced instinct. He did not need to see the attack to know that danger was upon him. In the blink of an eye, he executed the Evasion Command, his form flickering like mist as he sidestepped into the void.
A sharp crack split the air as the creature landed where he had just stood. Its claws tore through the ancient tree like a blade through soft clay, splintering it into fragments before it collapsed in a deafening crash.
Chen Yan’s mind raced. Such monstrous strength?!
Hadn’t Little Madam Gu claimed this beast was not beyond his ability to handle?
What kind of nonsense was that?!
If it landed even a single strike on him, he would be as broken as that tree!
As the tree fell, its branches momentarily enshrouded the beast. Chen Yan saw his chance. He charged forward, activating the Evasion Command once more to close the distance in a blink.
“By decree—Seal!”
With a breath of vital energy, his voice boomed with power, the decree laced with the hidden thunder of his spirit.
Bound by the collapsing branches and the force of his spell, the monster froze in place, its limbs locked in an unnatural stillness.
Without pause, Chen Yan pressed forward. Pouring Qi into his palm, he slapped a Six Yang Righteous Qi Talisman onto the creature’s shoulder. The moment the paper adhered, the beast convulsed, a scream of agony ripping from its throat as the binding wavered. But Chen Yan was faster. Moving behind it, he slammed the second talisman onto its back.
As the second talisman ignited, black flames erupted from the beast’s flesh. The talismans disintegrated into light, while corrupt Yin energy bled from the monster’s wounds, hissing as it dispersed into the night air.
But Chen Yan did not linger to watch. Seizing the unconscious girl from the ground, he hoisted her onto his shoulder and ran.
His feet barely touched the ground as he propelled himself forward, bounding with lightness techniques, the wind whistling past his ears. Yet even as he fled, a furious roar rang out behind him. The monster, though wounded, had broken free. The tangled mass of shattered branches was no match for its unholy strength.
It lunged forward in pursuit, its steps unsteady but devastatingly fast. Within moments, it had closed much of the distance.
Chen Yan’s heart pounded. This thing was faster than the Evasion Command?!
He cast his gaze forward. The path ahead was clear—too clear. The open terrain would give the beast the advantage. He would not outrun it in a straight chase.
Making a split-second decision, he twisted sharply and veered left, plunging into the dense forest.
Among the trees, he was forced to slow, navigating around trunks and undergrowth, but he was nimble, darting through the obstacles like flowing water. Though the Evasion Command was useless in such close quarters, the Lightfoot Talisman still bolstered his speed.
The monster, however, lacked such finesse. It barreled into the forest after him, but its bulk and injuries worked against it. Within moments, it collided headfirst into a tree, snapping it like a twig. It roared and resumed its pursuit, only to smash into another trunk, shattering it as well.
Chen Yan gritted his teeth and pushed forward. The beast, though strong, was not intelligent. Each time it crashed into an obstacle, he gained precious distance.
Minutes passed, his breath burning in his lungs. He could no longer hear the beast, but through his Qi Observation, he still sensed its presence. It was relentless, tracking his aura as if drawn by an unbreakable tether.
He yanked out his phone, his fingers moving in a blur as he activated WeChat and barked into the speaker.
“Gu Qing Yi! The beast is still on me!”
Just as the message sent, the trees parted before him, revealing an open space—
And beyond it, a vast lake, its waters gleaming beneath the moonlight.
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation