84: Chapter 84 The Demon General Appears

By the time they returned to the manor, the sky was pitch black.

Qingyuan stood at the manor entrance, holding an old lantern he had scavenged from Zhang Qingyuan's room, looking out anxiously. Seeing two dark figures appear in the distance, he was startled at first, but once he saw clearly that it was Lu Mingyuan and Zhang Qingyuan, he breathed a sigh of relief and hurried to meet them.

"Junior Martial Uncle! Old Man Zhang! You're finally back! That red light is getting brighter and brighter, I was worried to death..."

Halfway through his sentence, he saw the bloodstains on Lu Mingyuan's body, and his Face turned pale instantly.

"Junior Martial Uncle, are you injured?"

Lu Mingyuan shook his head.

"It's not mine."

Qingyuan wanted to ask more, but Zhang Qingyuan waved his hand.

"Let's talk inside."

The three entered the manor, and Zhang Qingyuan closed the door tightly, checking the Talismans on the courtyard walls once more. He had applied those Talismans one by one over twenty years, pouring his heart's blood into each one. At this moment, in the night, the Talismans emitted a faint golden light, protecting the entire manor in the center.

In the main house, the elderly and the weak were already asleep. Only the kitchen still had a light on, with porridge warming in the pot, left there on Zhang Qingyuan's instructions.

The three entered the kitchen, and Zhang Qingyuan served three bowls of porridge, one for each person.

Lu Mingyuan held the porridge but didn't drink. He gazed out the window toward that red light in the Northwest, his brow furrowed.

"Those things that came out today," he said slowly, "are called Chaos Demon Soldiers. They're more troublesome than I anticipated."

Zhang Qingyuan nodded.

"The ones that came out the first three times weren't as numerous or as strong. It seems The Rift really is expanding at an accelerated rate."

Qingyuan's heart pounded as he listened, and he couldn't help but ask:

"Then... then what do we do?"

Lu Mingyuan didn't speak.

He didn't know what to do.

In today's battle, he had used his full strength yet only killed thirty Demon Soldiers. The remaining three to five hundred had merely retreated, not been routed. If they came again, if more came...

He looked down at the bowl in his hand. The porridge had already grown cold, a thin skin forming on the surface.

Just then, he suddenly sensed something and snapped his head up.

Outside the window, that red light brightened.

It was brighter than ever before. So bright it looked like someone had lit a fire in the Northwest, the flames turning half the sky red.

Immediately after, a terrifying aura swept over from that direction.

As soon as that aura entered his body, Lu Mingyuan understood.

A Demon General.

A true Demon General was nothing those foot soldiers could compare to.

He set down his bowl and stood up.

"Qingyuan, stay here. Do not go out."

Qingyuan wanted to say something but was stopped by his gaze.

Zhang Qingyuan also stood up, picking up that heart lamp.

"I'm going with you."

Lu Mingyuan shook his head.

"It's useless for you to go. Guard the manor, protect these people."

Zhang Qingyuan looked at him, remained silent for a moment, and then nodded.

Lu Mingyuan pushed open the door and stepped into the night.

Outside the manor, the leaves of the poplar forest rustled loudly—not from the wind, but from fear. Those trees were afraid, trembling, issuing a warning in their own way.

Lu Mingyuan passed through the poplar forest and stood at the edge of the woods, looking toward the Northwest.

There, a figure was slowly approaching.

The figure was very tall, a full three zhang high, and dark red all over, as if fished out of a sea of blood. Its shape was roughly humanoid, but upon closer inspection, every part was eerie—the head was a skull, devoid of flesh, with only bone, and two clusters of ghostly green fire flickered in the eye sockets. Its body was covered in dark red armor bristling with spikes, each spike dripping with a dark red liquid.

Its left hand held a bone blade, the blade composed of countless bones spliced together—some human, some beast, and some of unrecognizable shapes. Its right hand was empty, but around the knuckles of its fingers, coils of dark red mist wound, within which countless distorted Faces could be faintly seen.

It walked to within thirty zhang of Lu Mingyuan and stopped.

Those two clusters of ghostly green fire stared at Lu Mingyuan.

Then, it spoke.

The voice sounded like bones grinding together—piercing, hoarse, yet it reached his ears with perfect clarity:

"An Earth Immortal... interesting."

Lu Mingyuan did not move.

He was sensing the other's aura—Taiyi, at least Taiyi. Two whole major Realms higher than him.

"Who are you?" he asked.

The skull's head tilted slightly, as if it were smiling.

"Me? I am called Bone-Eroding. You can also call me... your death."

Before the words finished, it moved.

Fast.

So fast Lu Mingyuan could barely see it.

He could only dodge to the side by instinct as the bone blade grazed his shoulder, the resulting sharp wind cutting a gash on his Face. Before the blood could even flow, Bone-Eroding's left hand retracted and its right hand shot out, the mist wound around its five bone fingers transforming into five venomous snakes that lunged for his Face.

Lu Mingyuan's figure retreated violently as his hands simultaneously formed a seal, a Talisman exploding in front of him to form a screen of light.

The venomous snakes slammed into the light screen with a sizzling sound. The screen trembled violently, lasting only three breaths before shattering with a bang.

The snakes continued their pounce.

Lu Mingyuan didn't have time to form another seal and could only circulate his Wanxiang True Qi, striking out with a palm.

The palm wind collided with the snakes, Chaos aura and dark red mist tangling together with an ear-piercing hiss. The snakes were dispersed, but the mist did not vanish; instead, it transformed into countless tiny threads that wound around his arm.

His arm went numb.

Immediately after, agonizing pain followed.

Those threads were like living things, burrowing into his skin, his flesh, and his bones. Everywhere they went, his bones felt as if they were being gnawed by ten thousand ants or roasted over a fire.

Bone-Eroding stood in place, not pursuing, merely watching.

"Wanxiang True Qi?" Its voice carried a hint of amusement. "Somewhat interesting. Unfortunately, you're too green."

It raised its right hand and clenched its five fingers.

Lu Mingyuan felt the threads inside his arm tighten suddenly; those threads had actually wound around his bones and began to twist with force.

Under the intense pain, he nearly cried out.

But he gritted his teeth, circulating Wanxiang True Qi to flood into his right arm and fight against those threads. Wherever the Chaos aura passed, the threads snapped one by one, but for every one that broke, two new ones burrowed in.

One side waxed as the other waned, and vice versa.

Watching this, the ghostly fire in Bone-Eroding's eyes flickered.

"Still holding on? Then let's add a bit more."

It raised its left hand and swung the bone blade.

A dark red blade light slashed toward Lu Mingyuan.

Lu Mingyuan wanted to dodge, but his right arm was ensnared by the threads, restricting his movement. He could only form a seal with his left hand, laying down three Talismans in front of him at top speed.

The blade light struck the first Talisman, and it shattered. It struck the second, and it shattered. It struck the third, and it shattered.

Then, the blade light landed on his chest.

"Bang—"

Lu Mingyuan flew backward, slamming into a poplar tree. The trunk snapped on impact, and he continued flying back, smashing through three more trees before finally stopping and falling to the ground.

On his chest, a deep wound ran diagonally from his left shoulder to his right ribs, the flesh torn open to reveal the bone within. The bone was white, but the edges of the wound were wreathed in dark red mist, which was burrowing into the bone.

Bone-Eroding walked over slowly, each step steady.

"An Earth Immortal is a deity in the eyes of Mortals. In my eyes, you are nothing but a slightly stronger ant." It stood before Lu Mingyuan, looking down at him. "Do you know how many Earth Immortals I've killed? Thirty-seven. You are the thirty-eighth."

It raised its foot and stepped on Lu Mingyuan's chest.

The sound of bones cracking was exceptionally clear in the night.

Lu Mingyuan gritted his teeth, not allowing himself to cry out. He circulated his Wanxiang True Qi, desperately fighting the pressure coming from his chest, but Bone-Eroding's strength was too great—so great he simply could not resist.

"Struggle then." Bone-Eroding looked down at him, the ghostly fire in its eyes dancing. "I love watching people struggle. The more you struggle, the harder the bones become, and the more flavor they have when gnawed."

It leaned down, extending its right hand, and pressed its five bone fingers against Lu Mingyuan's forehead.

"These bones of yours, I'll take them."

The mist wound around those bone fingers began to burrow into Lu Mingyuan's skull.

Cold, darkness, despair.

In that instant, Lu Mingyuan felt as if he had been thrown into a bottomless abyss, surrounded by darkness, cold, and dead silence. He could hear no sound, see no light, and could not feel his own body.

Only that mist, like countless worms, crawled in his skull, crawled in his consciousness, crawled in his Soul.

Is this death?

He suddenly remembered what his Master had said—

"Where there is light, there is love. Where there is love, one can protect. If one can protect, one can mend."

Light.

Where was his light?

He thought desperately, searched desperately. But the darkness was too thick, so thick he could see nothing.

Just then, his chest suddenly burned hot.

That heat came from the Jade Pendant he wore.

The Jade Pendant was one of the three treasures given by Xuanweizi.

He had worn it against his skin for five years and never felt it was anything special. But now, as that mist was about to invade his Sea of Consciousness, the Jade Pendant suddenly became scalding hot.

A burst of green light erupted from his chest.

That green light was gentle and clear, like the first ray of morning sun, like the first spring in the mountains. It surged from the Jade Pendant, instantly enveloping Lu Mingyuan's entire body.

The mist that had invaded his skull, upon being struck by the green light, immediately sizzled like snow meeting fire and turned to nothingness. The mist that had burrowed into his wounds was also forced out, dissipating into the air.

Caught off guard, Bone-Eroding was struck by the green light and stumbled back, the foot stepping on Lu Mingyuan's chest also letting go.

It looked down at its bone fingers; several fine cracks had actually appeared on them.

"This is..." The ghostly fire in its eyes flickered, and for the first time, a hint of wariness appeared in its voice. "The aura of the Supreme?"

Lu Mingyuan struggled to crawl up, his chest in agonizing pain, but he had no time to check his injuries. He looked at Bone-Eroding, then at the cracks on its bone fingers, and suddenly understood.

The Jade Pendant his Master gave him wasn't an ordinary Body-Protecting Talisman.

It was a mark of the Supreme.

Bone-Eroding stared at him, the ghostly fire in its eyes flickering uncertainly.

"Are you a Disciple of the Supreme?" it asked.

Lu Mingyuan did not answer.

He was only thinking: what now?

The Jade Pendant could only repel it for a moment; it couldn't kill it. And with his current injuries, he couldn't even stand steadily. If Bone-Eroding attacked again, he was surely dead.

Bone-Eroding seemed to see through his predicament.

It laughed.

"A single Jade Pendant cannot save you."

It raised the bone blade, the dark red light on the blade growing brighter and brighter.

"This time, I will dismantle your bones one by one and eat them right in front of you."

It took a step forward.

Two steps.

Three steps.

Just as the bone blade was about to fall, a golden light descended from the heavens.

That golden light came without any warning, so fast that even Bone-Eroding didn't react in time.

The golden light landed, transforming into a woman in white. Her Face was cold and elegant, her long hair like a waterfall, and she held a longsword in her hand, its blade flowing with light like moonlight.

She landed in front of Lu Mingyuan, her sword tip pointing directly at Bone-Eroding.

"Stand down."

The voice was soft, yet it carried an unquestionable authority.

Bone-Eroding looked at her, the ghostly fire in its eyes jumping violently.

"One of the Queen Mother of the West's people?"

The woman did not answer; the light on her sword simply grew brighter.

Bone-Eroding stared at her, remained silent for a moment, and then suddenly laughed.

"Interesting. A Disciple of the Supreme, and the Queen Mother of the West's people also come to join the fun. What is this kid's background?"

The woman still did not answer.

Bone-Eroding looked at her, then at Lu Mingyuan, and slowly lowered the bone blade.

"Fine. I'll give you Face today."

It turned and walked toward the Northwest.

After a few steps, it suddenly stopped and looked back at Lu Mingyuan.

"Kid, your name is Lu Mingyuan, right? I'll remember you. Those bones of yours will be mine sooner or later."

With that, its figure flashed and vanished into the night.

After Bone-Eroding left, the woman turned around and looked at Lu Mingyuan.

Lu Mingyuan leaned against a broken tree, barely standing, the wound on his chest still bleeding. His Face was as pale as paper, but his eyes remained clear.

"Thank you, Senior, for saving my life," he said.

The woman looked at him, a trace of surprise flashing in her eyes.

"Injured like this and still able to stand. Somewhat interesting."

She put away her longsword and took out a Medicinal Pill from her sleeve.

"Eat it."

Lu Mingyuan didn't hesitate, took the Medicinal Pill, and swallowed it. As the pill entered his stomach, a warm current spread out; the wound on his chest healed at a speed visible to the naked eye, and his shattered bones began to knit back together.

He took a deep breath, feeling much better.

"Senior is..."

The woman looked at him.

"Under the Queen Mother of the West, I am a Messenger of the Jade Lake. By the command of Her Ladyship, I invite you to Kunlun."

Lu Mingyuan was stunned.

"Queen Mother of the West?"

He recalled what Xuanweizi had said—after the Witch-Demon Calamity, the Queen Mother of the West took charge of Kunlun and governed the female immortals, making her a figure of great importance in the Three Realms.

But why did she want to see him?

The woman seemed to see his confusion.

"Her Ladyship said it is time you knew some things."

She turned and walked forward.

"Let's go. Your companions will be picked up by someone else."

Lu Mingyuan gazed at her back, then looked back at the distant manor. In the manor, that heart lamp was still lit, faint yet tenacious.

He took a deep breath and stepped forward to follow.

In the night, two figures, one in front and one behind, disappeared into the depths of the poplar forest.

Behind them, that red light was still shining.

But he knew that from now on, he would no longer be walking alone.