Chapter 113: The Shadow Demon Clan

The violent Nether Sea instantly dragged Xu Chen into its deep abyss.

Dark and profound, an endless sense of loneliness and isolation devoured his inner being. Deep within the seabed, Xu Chen looked up toward the location of the Pale Moon, his gaze filled with a desperate longing. In the midst of the dark solitude, he hungered for light, for everything. But the ten-thousand-fathom deep Nether Sea blocked the light, blocked his everything.

Darkness sprouted within Xu Chen’s heart. He felt his spirit, his very soul, being consumed bit by bit by this gloom. A chill, like the biting cold of ten-thousand-year ice, welled up from his soul. As if at his ear, a hoarse and ancient voice spoke:

"Succumb. This endless darkness is your true paradise."

At that moment, Xu Chen inexplicably recalled the words spoken by his Star Body-Refining Technique avatar. The rate at which the darkness consumed his heart suddenly accelerated. Standing in the depths of the seabed, even as the darkness engulfed him and the loneliness pressed in, he kept his eyes fixed toward the direction of the Pale Moon.

The abyss of the Nether Sea held his consciousness captive. Within it, Xu Chen attempted to cultivate the "Sovereign Solar Image Body," hoping to conjure even a flicker of light. Yet, every time the thought arose, his soul stung with pain.

*The Pale Moon holds light, and returns to the Nine Underworlds.*

The sentence flashed through Xu Chen’s mind. A pale moon slowly rose within his heart. Just then, the Pale Moon above the Nether Sea shot down a beam of light, piercing through the sea and reaching the very bottom.

"Light..." Xu Chen rasped the word.

In an instant, he returned to the cliff above the Nether Sea. Looking at the Pale Moon once more, he felt that this desolate, cold moonlight brought him endless warmth.

After an unknown amount of time, Xu Chen’s consciousness returned to his physical body. He found himself drenched in sweat.

"Senior Brother Li, please fetch me a set of clothes."

Although he could use his vital energy to evaporate the sweat and cleanse his garments, he still preferred to change into clean clothing.

"You got it!" Li Chengfu immediately produced a new set of clothes and handed them over.

Once he had changed, the large bird had finished roasting.

"Junior Brother, these wing joints are yours."

The fatty, tender, and crispy-skinned bird wings emitted a peculiar, savory aroma. Xu Chen took them and couldn't help but start gnawing. Zong Changshou used a stone bowl to serve Xu Chen some soup. After the three of them enjoyed a hearty meal, they began to take turns resting.

"Junior Brother, you rest first. I can hold out for a while longer," said Zong Changshou.

"I’ll go first; you two rest. I haven't exerted myself much on the road anyway," Li Chengfu said as he stood up.

"That works."

Xu Chen nodded. In the corner of the cave was a stone bed, and he lay down upon it, falling into a deep slumber. Since entering the Ancient Battlefield, the three of them hadn't had a proper night's rest.

He slept for five hours before waking up.

"Vital energy replenished, spirit restored."

Xu Chen stretched, his bones popping, and his vital energy flowed rapidly throughout his body. He noticed Zong Changshou was still asleep nearby.

Stepping outside the cave, Xu Chen released his "Spider-Web" force and discovered Li Chengfu hidden in the shadows behind a boulder, keeping watch over the area.

"Senior Brother Li, go get some sleep. I’ll take over the watch."

Li Chengfu did not stand on ceremony; he nodded to Xu Chen and retreated into the cave to fall into a deep sleep. Xu Chen stood guard outside, watching the sky of the Ancient Battlefield, where flashes of light appeared from time to time. Occasionally, specific fireworks formed patterns in the air.

"The alien races of the Holy Spirit Heavenly Court... I haven't encountered any that were too powerful yet. Where have all those aliens with over nine dragon-strengths of vital energy gone?"

Seeing the fireworks bursting in the distance, Xu Chen’s thoughts wandered. Though he wanted to investigate the distress signals, guarding their cave was his priority for now.

He stretched his Spider-Web force to its limit, covering a three-hundred-foot radius around the cave entrance. Within this area, no one could evade his sensory perception.

Just then, a familiar firework pattern exploded in the sky, and Xu Chen abruptly stood up.

"A sect distress signal, second-tier."

Zong Changshou happened to walk out of the cave just then. Seeing the dissipating fireworks, he instantly became alert.

"Junior Brother, go! I’ll hold the fort here."

"Right! Wait for me."

Sixty miles away, on a hillside, Bai Ningxue stood back-to-back with another woman, defending against five goblin-like alien creatures.

"If no one comes to rescue us in half a quarter of an hour, kill me first. Sever my body into at least ten pieces," Bai Ningxue said, her cold tone tinged with despair.

"I understand. These are Yin Demons, the most vile race in the Holy Spirit Heavenly Court." The other woman’s voice was also filled with despair, yet her eyes were full of resolution.

"Humans truly are excellent meat farms. The men are for eating, and the women can be used to breed offspring for our race for generations. Truly wonderful."

The lewd tone of the five Yin Demons ignited even greater killing intent in the eyes of Bai Ningxue and the other woman. Bai Ningxue thrust her sword forward, hoping to take one down with her before death, but the Yin Demon was too fast; it not only dodged but slapped the sword out of her hand.

"Yingxue, kill me quickly!"

Risking a heavy blow, Bai Ningxue retreated to the woman's side. The five Yin Demons surrounded them again, seemingly intent on capturing them alive.

"There's still a little time; perhaps there is hope." Qin Yingxue saw a black dot appear in the distance, and a glimmer of light rose in her eyes.

"There is no hope. Cut me into ten pieces; I don't want my corpse to be defiled."

"Wait!" Qin Yingxue’s eyes remained fixed on the distant black dot.

The five Yin Demons seemed to sense something as well and attacked in unison.

"Kill me now!" Bai Ningxue’s voice grew visibly frantic.

Qin Yingxue unleashed her final burst of vital energy, a sword light sweeping out to force the five Yin Demons back once more.

"Finish it! We don't know if the one in the distance is friend or foe." The leader of the Yin Demons produced a strange-looking long staff and smashed it toward Qin Yingxue with a surge of vital energy.

At that critical moment, five "Wind-Breaking Arrows" tore through the air, embedding themselves with perfect precision into the chests of the five Yin Demons. Each arrow burst with a refined force, sealing the heart meridians of the creatures.

Seeing the style of the arrows, Qin Yingxue collapsed to the ground, looking up at the black dot in the sky with the pure joy of surviving a catastrophe.

"We’re saved!"

The injured Bai Ningxue let out a long sigh of relief.

"Are you two Senior Sisters alright?"

Xu Chen descended from the air, holding his Azure Sky Bow.

"Junior Brother Xu!"

Bai Ningxue was brimming with the joy of survival. Just as she was about to step forward to greet him, a figure suddenly darted out from her side and threw her arms around the unsuspecting Xu Chen.

"Junior Brother Xu! Wuu~~~"

"Those five Yin Demons almost caught us. We almost lost our purity."

Qin Yingxue was truly weeping. She could accept reincarnation, but having her innocent body defiled was a shadow that would haunt her for a lifetime. At such a critical juncture, a Junior Brother appearing like a divine hero to save the damsels in distress—combined with his handsome face—instantly shattered her emotional defenses.

"Senior Sister, we haven't met before. This was merely a rescue mission; there is no need for this."

Xu Chen tried to push her away, but found she was holding on with a death grip; he feared that applying more force might injure her.

"Senior Sister Bai, perhaps you could pull her away and comfort her..."

Though it was quite comfortable to be embraced by such a beautiful and soft-bodied Senior Sister, he couldn't stay like this forever.

Bai Ningxue looked at her best friend's pathetic display and felt an urge to pull her off and beat her.

"Very well."

A cold hand placed itself on Qin Yingxue’s waist, making her shudder.

"Don't pinch me, let me hold on for a moment longer."

No sooner had she spoken than the cold hand pinched down hard.

"Ah~~"

With a scream, Qin Yingxue released her grip.

"Many thanks to Junior Brother Xu for saving our lives," Bai Ningxue said gratefully.

"This little sister thanks..."

Before Qin Yingxue could continue her act, Bai Ningxue struck.

"Speak properly~"

"Thank you, Junior Brother, for saving our lives." Qin Yingxue looked at Xu Chen with watery eyes. Although she hadn't met Xu Chen before, she had certainly heard of the man who could break through her best friend's defenses.

"It was just a small effort. Seeing the distress signal of my own sect, of course, I had to intervene." Xu Chen looked at the five Yin Demons, their heart meridians sealed. When he had studied the intelligence on the Holy Spirit Heavenly Court, he had paid special attention to this race for no other reason than their striking resemblance to the Goblins of his past life.

"Do either of you know any methods to torment these alien creatures?"

Xu Chen walked over to the strongest Yin Demon, pulled out the Wind-Breaking Arrow, and spoke coldly. He could well imagine the fate that would have awaited his two Senior Sisters had they fallen into the hands of these creatures.

"Sever their limbs, destroy their meridians, and leave them to rot," Bai Ningxue said coldly.

"Gouge out their eyes, cut out their tongues, and lock them in a confined space to let them devour each other."

Looking at Xu Chen with soulful eyes, Qin Yingxue’s tone also turned icy.

"You two Senior Sisters are too kind. Leave these five Yin Demons to me; I guarantee they will wish they were dead."

Truth be told, Xu Chen couldn't think of many effective ways to torture aliens, but he knew others who could.

"Senior Sisters, I recall there were five of you in your team, so..."

On the Immortal Boat, Xu Chen had met Bai Ningxue and seen her teammates; they were quite capable.

"We ran into a team of the Holy Spirit Heavenly Court's higher-tier races and were scattered. We were heading toward our agreed-upon rendezvous point."

"We ran into these Yin Demons halfway. They aren't strong, but their numbers were large—there were twenty of them originally," Qin Yingxue said, her gaze never leaving Xu Chen.

Bai Ningxue looked at her friend, took a bottle of pills from her robes, swallowed one, and tossed the bottle to Qin Yingxue.

"Could we trouble you, Junior Brother, to protect us for a while? An hour would suffice."

"Once we return, we will surely repay you for saving our lives," Qin Yingxue said as she consumed a pill to begin recovering her vital energy.

"No problem."

At that moment, the Yin Demon from which the arrow had been pulled suddenly lunged, attempting to flee.

Xu Chen didn't even look; an invisible strand of Spider-Web force bound the creature and suppressed its heart meridian once more.