Chapter 246 Unfinished Work

On that twisted human face, the pupils suddenly contracted. It saw the blade, and it saw the person holding the blade; the edge was already three inches from its neck.

"Squeak!"

A sharp screech suddenly erupted from the creature's throat, not like a bat, but rather like the death cry of some beast. It flapped its wings violently, its figure retreating a hundred zhang in a burst, narrowly avoiding the sharpest point of the blade.

But Chen Mu's strike was too fast; the Saber Qi had already sliced a half-foot-long gash into its left wing membrane.

The creature felt the pain, and its ferocity completely erupted. No longer retreating, it spread its wings and lunged directly against Chen Mu's blade, sharp claws reaching for his heart.

Chen Mu did not retreat but advanced instead.

He parried with the soul-slaying blade. The blade and claws collided, emitting a harsh screeching sound as sparks flew instantly. Chen Mu felt a massive force travel from the blade, his tiger's mouth numb, the tiles beneath his feet shattering, and he was pressed back several steps.

But this was exactly what he wanted.

While retreating, he shifted his body to the side, dodging the creature's second claw that followed closely. He kicked off the edge of the roof ridge, the Wind and Rain Induction Mantra already in motion.

He sensed a wisp of southeast wind in the night sky, sweeping past the century-old locust tree outside the courtyard, blowing in this direction.

Weak, but enough.

Chen Mu advanced against the wind. Borrowing this gust, the aerial control effect of the Wind God Wings suddenly strengthened by thirty percent. His speed became faster in an impossible moment, and the soul-slaying blade pierced through the gap between the creature's claws, aiming straight for its throat.

The creature clearly had not expected Chen Mu to be able to make such strange changes in speed and direction in the cramped space of the rooftop. In shock and rage, it only had time to tilt its head to dodge.

The blade grazed past its neck, slicing off a large patch of brownish-red flesh, almost reaching the windpipe.

"Hiss!"

The creature emitted a near-wretched wail, completely losing its Battle Intent. It flapped its wings again, rising from the ground regardless of everything, and fled into the depths of the night sky.

How could Chen Mu allow it to escape? He urged the Wind God Wings again, his figure shooting up from the ground to pursue it closely. Stepping on the airflow of the Void Realm, he actually glided seven or eight zhang in the air, the cold light of the soul-slaying blade rising once more.

However, it was just three feet short.

The creature's escape speed was unimaginably fast; every time it flapped its wings, it traveled over ten zhang. Chen Mu had not chased far when the night wind around him suddenly dissipated. The hovering power of the Wind God Wings quickly faded, and his whole body began to fall.

He turned in mid-air, tapped his toes on the tree canopy outside the courtyard to shed the downward momentum, and drifted onto the treetop.

Looking back, the night was vast, the moon bright and stars sparse. That black shadow had already turned into a tiny black dot, crossing the rolling mountain shadows and disappearing completely from his field of vision.

Sheathing his blade, Chen Mu's expression was calm.

Not being able to catch up was within his expectations; he never wasted emotions on such helplessness.

At this moment, the courtyard was a mess.

The roof tiles of the main house had been shattered in large sections by the recent fierce battle, and the suppressed sobbing of Wang Laogen and his wife could be vaguely heard.

Feng Qing knelt on one knee amidst the shattered tiles, his iron bow propped on the ground, breathing heavily. Three gashes had been torn into the clothes on his left shoulder by the sharp claws, the flesh rolled open, and blood flowed down his arm. Yet, there was no expression on his face; he only stared at the direction where the creature had disappeared, remaining silent for a long time.

A moment later, Chen Mu drifted down from the treetop, his toes touching the ground without a sound. Feng Qing also came down from the roof and simply bandaged his wound with a cloth strip. Wan Chongshan held the hook-and-sickle spear he had retrieved, looking at Chen Mu and then at Feng Qing, his Adam's apple bobbing.

"That... what was that?"

"The Bat King," Chen Mu replied calmly.

"With a human face and bat body, it already possesses rudimentary demonic intelligence. Moreover, it was unscathed by Feng Qing's three consecutive arrows, meaning its strength is at least in the Heart-Awakening Realm. If it hadn't been caught off guard and had fought us with its full strength, the outcome would have been unpredictable."

Feng Qing nodded silently, acknowledging this assessment.

Wan Chongshan's face turned livid.

"My sister... and the three girls in the village... were they all taken by this thing..."

He did not continue, the veins on his hand gripping the spear bulging.

Inside the west wing, Shen Suning held a whip in her left hand, her back straight. When the door was pushed open, her hand gripping the whip tightened suddenly, but upon seeing it was Chen Mu, she slowly relaxed it.

"How is Xiao Ning's injury?"

Shen Suning shook her head.

"The poison hasn't been cleared, so he is sleeping deeply. Even with such a commotion outside just now, he didn't wake up. However, his pulse is steady, and the bleeding has stopped. He should be better by tomorrow."

Chen Mu walked to the bed and looked down at Ling Xiaoning. The youth's face was still pale, his brows tightly locked, and his lips were devoid of color due to blood loss, but his breathing was steady and long; he was indeed just in a deep sleep.

He was silent for a moment, then turned around.

"This place is not suitable for staying long. Take Xiao Ning and return to Brother Wan's house."

...At Wan Chongshan's house, a single lamp flickered like a bean.

Ling Xiaoning was settled on the bed, his face still pale, but his breathing was steady. He was currently sleeping soundly. Chen Mu sat against the window, eyes closed to regulate his breathing. The Hunyuan Calamity Astral Qi within his body flowed slowly, repairing the minor injuries sustained during the fight with the Bat King just now.

Shen Suning sat on the edge of the bed, her left hand resting on Ling Xiaoning's wrist, occasionally checking his pulse.

Feng Qing stood against the wall, head lowered, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the arrowhead.

In the room, there was only the sound of heavy breathing and Ling Xiaoning's occasional, indistinct murmurs in his sleep.

Time passed in silence. The first cockcrow came from afar, and the horizon gradually turned a fish-belly white.

The door hinge creaked softly. Wan Chongshan pushed the door open and walked in. Several people looked up at the same time.

"The village chief and his wife have been settled. I sent them to their relatives' house overnight. That family has many men, and the courtyard is secure, so they should be fine for the time being."

He paused and then added.

"Uncle Wang told me to have every household in the village seal the gaps in their doors and windows tomorrow. Any holes that rats or bats could crawl into should be sealed with yellow mud. Every household should prepare a gong and strike it if they hear any movement at night. It's a method passed down from the elders, said to scare away demonic creatures."

Chen Mu nodded without responding.

These folk methods might be useful against ordinary snakes, insects, rats, and ants, but for the Bat King that had already awakened its spiritual intelligence last night, it was merely a psychological comfort, better than nothing.

However, he did not point it out. It was useless to say anything, as it would only increase panic.

Wan Chongshan naturally understood this too. He rubbed his face, trying to dispel his fatigue.

"Brother Chen, those bats last night... I still can't figure it out."

His brows were already knitted into a knot.

"Although those six little things were fierce, their strength was limited. Even with that Bat King, how could they take people away while the doors and windows remained intact?"

"Carpenter Li's family, Widow Zhao's family, Hunter Liu's family, and my Xiao Yuan—four girls, living people, how could they just vanish into thin air?"

Shen Suning looked up and replied softly.

"I also carefully examined the scenes. There were no signs of the door bolts or windows being pried, nor any brute force impact to break through doors or windows. If there had been any signs of forced entry, we would have discovered them during our first inspection."

Wan Chongshan slammed his fist against the doorframe, causing wood shavings to fall down with a rustle.

"That's why it's so eerie! Could it be that the monster knows how to walk through walls? Or is it that..."