38: First visit to the altar

"Were you beaten into a state of confusion?"

"You couldn't possibly be a masochist, could you?"

Seeing Zhou Yan's look of disgust, Han Wenqing hurried to explain.

"Wh-what are you talking about!"

"That time, I was dominated by my wild nature. In a moment of impulsiveness, I rushed into the village without any preparation and took Little Yueer away."

"I was on the verge of collapse back then. If it weren't for you, I can't imagine what I would have done."

Recalling that time, Han Wenqing couldn't help but feel a lingering fear.

"However, your Spell is very special." Mentioning this, Han Wenqing's confidence was rekindled, and he became slightly excited.

"Not only did that punch of yours wake me up, but it also changed me from a wolf back into this Werewolf form."

"I noticed it back in the village. If it hadn't been for your kick, which left that old bastard in a bad state for a while before he could recover, he would have caught up long ago."

Hearing Han Wenqing's words, Zhou Yan finally connected these oddities.

It seemed to be the effect of True Damage. Could True Damage have a miraculous effect on these modified monsters?

Seeing Zhou Yan begin to ponder, Han Wenqing knew there was a chance and continued.

"The Immortal they talk about is actually just an Evil Cultivator who modified their own body."

"As long as you can use that method against the enemy again, there's no need for a long battle. Just save the person and run, just like you did just now."

"Then we will definitely be able to rescue Little Yueer. Once we've taken Little Yueer far away, there will always be a chance to come back for revenge."

"I know you're a good person, but you're not a fool either."

"If you're unwilling to go back with me to save Little Yueer, I won't blame you. I only hope you'll go far away and report this to an official who can actually do something."

"That way, even if I fail, they will receive the punishment they deserve."

As he spoke, Han Wenqing's sharp claws sank deep into his palms, and blood flowed out continuously.

Zhou Yan didn't give a direct answer but told him to stay still, then used one hand to help heal his palms.

After treating him for a while, he finally spoke.

"Accept the treatment properly; don't drag me down later."

Han Wenqing immediately beamed with joy, his whole being filled with vitality.

So after all that, this kid just looks intimidating; before the modification, he was probably just a typical chuunibyou youth, right?

It was clear that his past experiences had matured him significantly, but he still appeared childish when he had someone to rely on.

Zhou Yan wasn't just acting on a whim by going along with Han Wenqing; he was indeed somewhat moved when he heard the description.

He had Foundation Establishment Sword Qi and a pile of Medicinal Pills in his interface. As long as a Core Formation expert didn't show up to insta-kill him, it was quite feasible if he only needed to stall for a moment or two.

Of course, if the opponent really were a Core Formation Cultivator, that would simplify things; killing one wouldn't be a waste of a Sword Seal charge.

"Are you sure that person calling themselves an Immortal is also a modified human? Exactly how high is her cultivation?" To ensure everything was safe, it was better to ask clearly.

"Her cultivation definitely doesn't exceed the Foundation Establishment Stage, and she is undoubtedly a modified human."

Zhou Yan recalculated the resources on both sides. It was feasible!

Meanwhile, in the village on the other side.

Yi Sanyi traveled quickly and finally brought the Village Chief back to his home before sunrise.

After sitting in a grand armchair in the living room and swallowing a Medicinal Pill, the sword wounds on the Village Chief's body began to sprout granulation tissue and slowly heal.

"Why did you tell them about Han Yue's subsequent destination?" The Village Chief's tone was very level; it was precisely because it was level that it showed he was truly Life Qi.

"If you don't tell them, are you going to wait until they take advantage of the village's emptiness to turn this place into a mess?"

"Anyway, transporting Han Yue requires a lot of manpower, so we might as well all go together."

"If they come, we'll catch them; if they don't, even better, as it won't delay anything."

"When the time comes, if that young man still has an ace up his sleeve, wouldn't it be more secure with the Immortal's protection?"

Hearing the explanation, the Village Chief's expression gradually softened. Yi Sanyi knew the old man had likely dissipated his Life Qi.

With the old man's shrewdness, he couldn't have failed to realize this; he was just temporarily blinded by rage and needed to vent.

Recalling the Village Chief's strange rage and the bizarrely killed corpses in the secret passage.

Young Brother Zhou, oh Young Brother Zhou, don't let me down.

"Old man, if that young man is fine, then Code Name probably won't end up well."

"This time, his unauthorized actions caused all of this. It has nothing to do with you or me, and I'm sure the Immortal will investigate clearly."

Now that the Village Chief's Life Qi had dissipated, it was time to talk business.

As soon as Yi Sanyi spoke, he defined the nature of the situation, shifting all the blame onto the deceased Code Name. Seeing that the Village Chief didn't object, he must have tacitly agreed to let Code Name take the fall.

"By the way, now that Code Name is dead, his jurisdiction should be assigned to me. I can handle production and sales myself, which saves trouble later." Seeing that everything had settled, Yi Sanyi began to ask for benefits.

But unlike before, this time the Village Chief just stared at Yi Sanyi, and after taking a sip of tea, he gave a definitive answer.

"You'll be credited with a merit this time, but that jurisdiction cannot be given to you. I will arrange for someone to take over later."

"Credit with merit, credit with merit—it's always 'credit with merit' all day long!"

"What, are you going to fill up my credits all at once and then send me straight to the capital to become a State Duke?"

"I'm the most capable one right now. I can clearly do everything well, so why must you insist on dividing my power!"

Hearing the familiar answer, Yi Sanyi turned red with anger.

But the Village Chief acted as if he hadn't seen it, or perhaps he was just used to it, as he simply said indifferently:

"I am the Village Chief."

Hearing this, Yi Sanyi became even more furious. With a cold snort, he slammed the door and left, leaving only one sentence behind:

"Village Chief, you will regret this!"

At the edge of a cliff.

Zhou Yan looked at this desolate place, which wasn't much better than Code Name's secret passage hiding spot, and was momentarily uncertain.

"Han Wenqing, are you really sure this is the Altar?"

Zhou Yan saw that the surroundings were empty, with only the sound of waves crashing against the cliff below.

"An Altar... you'd think there would at least be some kind of platform here."

Seeing this and hearing Zhou Yan's question, Han Wenqing also felt a bit unsure.

"There is indeed the scent of when I was still human here, as well as the scent of my current Half-Demon self."

"This is definitely the place where I was modified, but as for its appearance... I was unconscious at the time, so I don't know much about it."

Unlike Zhou Yan, Han Wenqing truly had no cards left; he had come to risk his life supported entirely by a lingering spark of hot-bloodedness.

He just hoped they wouldn't fail to find the way and not even get the chance to risk their lives.

While he was brainstorming, Zhou Yan suddenly pulled him into the dense vegetation nearby.

"Someone's coming!"

Zhou Yan pushed Han Wenqing, whose head was still halfway exposed, back down; this action also snapped him out of it.

Although it was still quiet in front of them, a long string of red dots had appeared on Zhou Yan's mini-map, lined up in a long queue like ants moving house.

Zhou Yan roughly estimated that there were at least dozens of people.

A lot of people?

The more, the better!

Seeing those "mobs," Zhou Yan could already imagine what it would be like when he started racking up Fatal Strikes.

The group soon appeared in their field of vision; the long line of people were all half-human, Half-Demon monsters.

There were fish, frogs, Sea Horses, and all sorts of others.

In the middle of their procession, they were guarding a sedan chair. On Zhou Yan's map, that sedan chair was a single green dot amidst a sea of red, extremely conspicuous.

Han Wenqing didn't think as much as Zhou Yan; his eyes were fixed on the sedan chair being carried in the middle of the line.

With just a twitch of his nose, Han Wenqing confirmed the identity of the person inside.

"Brother Zhou, cover me in a moment. As soon as I rush into the sedan and save Little Yueer, we'll retreat!"

"Alright!"

The procession approached, and the sedan chair was now not far from the two of them.

"Move!" x2

The two spoke in unison and leaped out together.

What a wolf demon! See Han Wenqing perform a move called the Wind-Scattering Earth-Rending Claw; his figure was like a bolt of lightning, his claws like horizontal blades, moving through the crowd as if it were empty ground—truly extraordinary and elegant!

What a Zhou Yan! See him forming seals with his left hand, his sword fingers tapping rapidly like flashing lightning and crashing thunder, while his right hand channeled a Divine Ability, water and fire clashing with a momentum that seemed to overturn heaven and earth.

This wolf and this man unleashed their techniques, slaughtering the group of demons until they scattered like falling stars and drifting clouds, their ranks utterly broken!