Chapter 74: 074 Goodbye, Wu Lian (Grand Chapter 68K)

Demons naturally devour and fight each other; higher‑rank demons devour lower‑rank ones, but if the power gap is too great, they stay together more peacefully and do not devour one another.

"Ha ha, trying to run away?? Where do you think you're going???"

Wang Wu's wildly arrogant voice rang through the forest; ever since his ordinary strength broke through to the True Realm, he also goes out during the day to hunt demons.

Of course, he remains very cautious and timid, only picking soft targets.

As the solar term shifts to Minor Snow, daylight shortens; now there are only about three hours of day, precisely two hours and fifty minutes of sunlight.

The rest of the time, the whole world is shrouded in endless darkness.

"Ha, then you shall die!!"

A golden beam shot from Wang Wu's forehead, precisely striking the fleeing demon of the True Realm ahead. Its body instantly swelled, then split open with countless fissures, golden light pouring out from each.

The monster collapsed to the ground, and in the blink of an eye only a pitch‑black skeleton remained.

Wang Wu stepped forward, extracted the demon's core and stored it in his storage ring. The Heavenly Demon Eye scanned the surroundings, and he found the Wang Gu Lin unusually quiet today.

There aren't many over‑strength demons; he is now at Ninth‑Rank Great Completion, and indeed the supplement's boost to cultivation speed is that fierce.

But to be honest, even with the supplement, Wang Wu's cultivation speed is still somewhat slow.

Because his senior brothers and sisters all reach Ninth‑Rank completeness in about a month without any supplements. They are true geniuses, and that world‑first assassin is a genius among geniuses.

Although Master Qin Xiang's relationship with the other side is extremely poor, even the master must admit that Wu Yun is a rare martial‑arts prodigy of the age, his talent comparable to Qin Xiang's.

And his elder brother, the Cloud‑Crane Sect leader Wu He, is the greatest martial artist in history.

The Extreme Heaven Vajra Sect's techniques are easy to learn but hard to perfect; its Ninth‑Rank cultivation speed is extremely fast—normally, without any supplement, one can reach completion in about a year.

Thus Wang Wu's talent is essentially the same as that of ordinary people in the assassin's world, but Qin Xiang doesn't mind and even comforts Wang Wu:

"It's nothing, just talent; talent doesn't mean everything. The second strongest in Yun Light City, the top Heavenly Warrior, is far stronger than Wu Yun, but his talent is inferior to Wu Yun's, even to your senior sister."

"But he remains the current second strongest of Yun Light City; if you work hard and repeatedly take life‑or‑death battles, you will eventually reach the summit."

"The path of martial arts is destined to be fraught with peril; it is a road of death, and only the fiercest, death‑defying warriors can go ever farther."

The consolation was odd, yet it gave Wang Wu some motivation, and it worked fairly well.

And that is why he now dares to go out hunting.

After wandering the forest and seeing nothing, Wang Wu prepared to turn back to his cave. But before returning, he suddenly thought of human society.

"I wonder what the situation is like for humans at this moment?"

Thinking that, he suppressed his demonic aura, his twin wings humming as he surged into the sky.

Thirty kilometers outside He Xi Xian, in a wild field near Wang Gu Lin.

His massive body flew through the air, yet left no trace, only occasional eerie hums. The sound was faint because Wang Wu had slowed down considerably.

At the moment he activated optical invisibility; the effect wasn't great—if looked at closely one could see a vague outline—but it was sufficient.

Although warriors and cultivators have keen sight, cultivators and True‑Realm warriors possess special detection methods, making ordinary optical invisibility very limited.

But now the few cultivators and warriors ahead of Wang Wu did not sense his aura at all.

Wang Wu originally only wanted to observe from afar the condition of human villages and towns, to see how they fare in this season.

This time he didn't go to He Dong Xian, but to He Xi Xian, and happened to meet an acquaintance.

"Lian, Lian'er… why, why did you…?"

Below, a dramatic love scene unfolded, and one of its protagonists was Wang Wu's familiar—perhaps familiar demon—Wu Lian.

At this moment, Wu Lian leaned against a huge stone in the field, a flying sword lodged in her abdomen; before her stood a young man in splendid robes, handsome in appearance.

Beside the man stood a cold‑proud cultivator, and several cultivators and armored troops surrounded the two and the demon.

These armored troops wore heavy armor with towering high collars and long skirt‑plates, clearly cavalry‑style.

They indeed were cavalry, each mounted on a massive, heavily‑armored warhorse.

At that moment, the handsome youth stood before Wu Lian, eyes brimming with tears, his face full of grief and disbelief.

He looked at Wu Lian on the ground, anguished: "I—I love you so much, Lian'er, even if you are a monster, I am willing, willing to marry you!! Lian'er!!"

"But why, why did you try to kill me??? Why did you entangle yourself with those Xi Men family people!??"

"Lian'er!!!"

Wu Lian lay on the ground silent, quietly breathing, her gaze fixed on the man.

Wang Wu noticed the handsome youth and suddenly felt his face was familiar, yet he could not recall having seen him before.

After searching his mind for a moment, he remembered the guy resembled a middle‑aged man he met in Ma Wang Village.

"Young Master Lin."

At that moment, the cultivator beside the youth called him a name. The cultivator was handsome and charismatic.

His attire matched that of Zhao Xingyue's group of cultivators Wang Wu saw in Wang Gu Lin, clearly indicating they were from the same sect.

He was a True‑Realm cultivator, not particularly strong, roughly at the early True‑Realm level, on par with Wang Wu.

Come to think of it, cultivators rarely look unattractive; even ordinary‑looking people often possess striking aura. Perhaps humanity's extraordinary cultivation system also enhances a cultivator's appearance.

"Time is running short, Young Master Lin. Decide quickly—kill or release." the handsome cultivator said, "Although this place isn't far from He Xi Xian, winter has set in; it's safest to be cautious."

"I, I…"

Hearing the cultivator's words, Young Master Lin's body trembled, and he turned to look at the other.

"Really, is there truly no way? No way to lift the seal inside her and imprint a new one?"

The cultivator said nothing, only shook his head.

He looked back at Wu Lian; his eyes were full of grief yet also of compassion.

He raised his hand, his open mouth trembling, hesitated for nearly half a minute, then finally struck with force.

"Give her a quick end…"

Those words seemed to drain all his strength, leaving him instantly weakened.

"Fine." The cultivator lightly nodded and extended his hand toward Wu Lian.

Slow

True Qi circulates within the body, flowing to the fingertips, and, with a thought, turns into a signal that is transmitted, connecting to the flying sword within Wu Lian's body, causing it to begin releasing energy.

But just then, a voice sounded, and immediately a massive force came from the wrist, a ferocious power that, along with that force, invaded the body, instantly cutting off the previously smooth signal.

The cultivator's eyes widened, about to speak, but the scene before him left his mouth open, unable to utter a single word.

It was only now that he noticed a humanoid transparent outline standing before him. Though the outline was clearly conspicuous, he had only just discovered it.

The previously transparent outline gradually took shape, and an unfamiliar face appeared before his eyes.

He wore a white robe with a dark‑bird pattern and an open collar, a hairpin of beast bone set with a jade beast face on his head, a long sword hanging at his waist, and exuded an imposing aura.

Most importantly, his face, like Wu Lian on the ground, possessed a celestial beauty.

"Heaven has the virtue of cherishing life; fellow Daoist, show mercy where you can," the other said, releasing his grip. Yet the vigorous, majestic, and simultaneously ferocious True Qi still remained inside his body.

Like a massive rock by the sea, no matter how the internal Qi surged or battered, it remained steadfast.

"Who are you?" the cultivator asked Wang Wu, his expression solemn.

Although he bore a monster‑level appearance, the other was clearly not a monster. After all, no monster in this world can wield True Qi; if one could, it would already have overturned Heaven.

"But a devotee of the Xi Men family?"

Looking at the man before him, the cultivator could not have imagined anyone else would come here at this moment.

"When did the Xi Men family find another True Realm devotee?"

Zheng Shuang thought to himself, then said to Wang Wu, "Even if you came for Wu Lian, you must have been lurking among us for some time already."

"Then you should also know…" he said, looking at Wang Wu, "this demon race colluded with the Xi Men family, deceiving and intending to harm the young master of the Lin family; that is clearly a capital crime."

The statement was indeed sound; Wu Lian, seeing this, also understood that she was likely sent to assassinate the Lin family's young master.

"Rather than saying the demon race colluded with the Xi Men family, it is more accurate to say the Xi Men family employed demon slaves to harm the Lin family's young master," Wang Wu said, "she is merely a tool; the blame does not rest entirely on her."

"What difference does it make?" Zheng Shuang asked, tilting his head.

"No problem." Wang Wu had no intention of arguing, and looking at the cultivator before him, he continued:

"Heaven has the virtue of cherishing life, and so do I. I came here only to save my old friend—or rather, my former demon—and have no intention of opposing you. If you wish to avoid bloodshed and needless sacrifice, please depart."

"Even if you are a True Realm warrior, speaking such words is perhaps a bit too arrogant, isn't it?"

At that moment, another voice sounded. Wang Wu looked toward its source, and hundreds of meters away in the sky, a figure stood silently.

That too was a True Realm, but the impression it gave was odd—like a True Realm yet not. Moreover, in strength it was even slightly weaker than the novice True Realm cultivator before him.

"You may try." Wang Wu drew his long sword from the scabbard; the blade instantly burst with golden light, then vanished, turning into a series of golden filaments.

With the level increase, the effect of Qi‑tempered blades has changed. Previously it was a blood bar; now it is a series of filaments.

At this moment, Zheng Shuang, who had been watching Wang Wu, shifted his gaze to Wang Wu's waist.

Then he saw something—a thing hanging at Wang Wu's waist, something he knew well, yet it absolutely should not be here, nor on a True Realm warrior.

"You!!! Beast, what have you done to senior sister!????"

When he saw the jade pendant at Wang Wu's waist, Zheng Shuang even forgot the Geng‑metal Qi that Wang Wu had planted inside him; his internal Qi surged instantly, flowing from the dantian to his limbs and bones.

Then the Qi clashed, and a mouthful of fresh blood spurted out.

"Eh! What are you doing!" Wang Wu, caught off guard, had a few drops of blood splatter onto his white robe, and his face instantly filled with gloom.

"You… cough cough, you!!!"

Zheng Shuang staggered back several steps, swaying, and pointed at Wang Wu, saying, "Your waist, your waist… how could senior sister's item be on you!!?"

"Hm?" Hearing Zheng Shuang's words, Wang Wu was momentarily stunned, then looked down at the spot he pointed to and immediately understood.

"You're talking about this?" Wang Wu took the jade pendant in his hand, examined it, then set it down.

"It was given to me by your senior sister," he replied.

"Impossible!!!"

Zheng Shuang roared, "This jade pendant is senior sister's most treasured item, also her most prized artifact; even senior brother has never received it from her, so how could you… cough, cough cough…!"

"You're insane." Hearing that, Wang Wu glanced sideways at him, "You're not senior sister; how do you know she wouldn't give this to me? Moreover, I saved her life; what's wrong with her giving me this trinket?"

"Besides, this thing already recognizes me as its master; you think it wasn't senior sister who gave it voluntarily—could I just take it straight from her corpse and use it?"

"You!!" After hearing Wang Wu's words, Zheng Shuang seemed to want to say something, but the words got stuck, and he couldn't utter a single syllable for a long while.

Because his statement obviously had no flaw.

If it were just an ordinary artifact, perhaps through certain means it could be re‑bound to a new master after the original owner's death.

But this artifact is a Delusion‑Breaking Realm artifact forged by a great power of the Profound Heaven Sect; unless voluntarily transferred, it can never have a second master.

"You must have, must have deceived her by some means, perhaps even threatened senior sister, to make her give this artifact to you!!! You oily‑headed, you… you…"

After a long pause, Zheng Shuang finally forced out a sentence, but it was clearly pure emotion, containing no rational content.

"Why are you so worked up?" Wang Wu looked at the kid, at his face flushed red with anger, then asked:

"Do you like senior sister? Seeing her give such an important thing to me made you collapse outright."

"But senior brother hasn't said anything yet, and you already lose it—how low are you?"

"You!!! *Pfft*—!!"

Wang Wu felt that if he kept speaking like this, the other might die of anger, and he truly did not want to kill anyone. So he went to Wu Lian's side and glanced down at her.

The two demons locked eyes; Wang Wu nodded at her, then crouched, placing one hand on Wu Lian's abdomen and gripping the hilt of her abdominal magic sword with the other, pulling it out directly.

"Cough, cough cough!"

When the magic sword left her body, Wu Lian coughed violently a few times, spitting out a large clump of bloody sludge that also contained chunks of flesh, clearly indicating her organs had been significantly damaged.

"Lian'er!!!"

At that moment, the young man who had remained silent despite Wang Wu's intrusion shouted again, "Lian'er! Lian'er!!"

"Stop shouting!!"

Wang Wu scolded him, "What good does shouting do? Can your shouting heal her wounds?"

After speaking, Wang Wu immediately began to channel true qi into Wu Lian's body.

Although he hadn't really practiced the Yinji Divine Sect's methods during this period, Wu Lian's injuries were not severe, and the monster's own regeneration was strong; once the Yinji True Qi was poured in, her breath steadied considerably.

Of course, the most crucial factor was the mutual generation of metal and water attributes; metal begets water, so the Geng metal qi could to some extent strengthen Wang Wu's Yinji True Qi.

After completing the simple treatment, Wang Wu stood up again, looked at the pale-and-ashen Qin Shuang before him, and said:

"It seems you don't wish to fight, so why not each step back and let me take this monster away? I'm not a servant of the Xi Men family, though I did share a banquet with Xi Men Pei. I will not meddle in your conflict with the Xi Men family."

"However," Wang Wu continued, glancing at Wu Lian on the ground, "I, Wang Wu, must repay the favor of a single meal, and I owe her more than just one meal. I must save her today."

At that moment, the strange true realm cultivator who had been in the sky descended. He approached the Shang Xuan Sect cultivator and said to Wang Wu:

"She is merely a monster slave, a plaything of Xi Men Pei, long offered by Xi Men to countless others. For you to value her so highly is truly..."

"So what of it?" Wang Wu cut him off, retorting, "Becoming Xi Men Pei's monster slave means life and death are in the other's hands; is that still her willing choice?"

"Even if monsters naturally enjoy male-female pleasures, they aren't suitable for just anyone, are they? Have you read too many scholar novels?"

On the ground, Wu Lian heard Wang Wu's words, her body jolted. Looking toward his back, a sudden emotion rose, pressing against her chest.

The cultivator's words were utterly absurd; he came to save his life-saving benefactor, not to find a wife, yet his remarks made it seem as if he rescued Wu Lian out of love.

He's downright insane.

Moreover, even if the remark couldn't attack Wang Wu, the expression on young master Lin's face showed it struck him.

This guy is crazy.

After Wang Wu's retort, the strange true realm cultivator seemed about to speak, but before he could, he was interrupted by the Lin family's young master:

"Fine..."

Young master Lin looked at Wang Wu, his body trembling slightly, and said.

As the weakest present yet holding the final decision, young master Lin nodded.

He looked at Wang Wu and said, "Since the great hero has spoken, though we met only by chance, your lofty righteousness moves me; I am willing to concede. But please, please release the restriction on my friend's body."

He gave the other a glance; this guy... is actually sensible and rational, speaking plainly.

"Very well." Wang Wu nodded, snapped his fingers. Instantly, Zheng Shuang, who had been battling the raging Geng metal qi inside, felt his body lighten, and the massive pressure that had been bearing down vanished without a trace.

Zheng Shuang said nothing further, but his gaze toward Wang Wu remained unfriendly.

"Young master Lin, being so sensible and willing to spare the monster that once intended to harm you, I truly admire you," Wang Wu bowed to young master Lin, not out of mere politeness.

Afterwards, he went to Wu Lian's side, bent down, and lifted her from the ground.

"It's already late, why not, young hero, accompany us back to the city, rest a night, and depart afterward?"

At this moment, young master Lin's face no longer showed the earlier sorrow; instead, it displayed composure, calmness, and confidence.

"Rest assured." Seeing Wang Wu had not replied, he continued:

"Since you've promised not to pursue further, I, Lin, will naturally not act inconsistently. Young hero, you may be at ease; if not, I can also swear a poisonous oath."

"No need, no need." Wang Wu said with a smile, "Young master Lin truly has a broad heart; he will surely achieve great deeds in the future."

"Hehe, the young hero overpraises me," young master Lin replied with a smile, though his gaze, when sweeping over Wu Lian in Wang Wu's arms, still showed a faint hidden sorrow.

To be fair, monsters are indeed fierce in the realm of enchantment. Yet it's normal; after all, there are tales like the Beacon Fire Games among lords back home, so it's not surprising here.

No one can truly be completely rational; back home that's impossible. Here, cultivators clearly don't follow the path of total detachment either—at least none of the cultivators Wang Wu has seen can achieve that.

Accompanying young master Lin's entourage into He Xi Xian, it was Wang Wu's first time there, and the differences from He Dong Xian were quite many.

On the road, since it was highly likely he couldn't return today, Wang Wu called his family.

Indeed, he now had an extra phone in hand, a survival tool his master had given him. After learning his disciple was a monster living wildly in the wilderness, he mailed some small items to the disciple.

For example, walkie-talkies with a communication range of 250 kilometers—three units total, one per each of the three female monsters. Wang Wu's phone has a built-in local communication module; setting a single channel lets him exchange information with the female monsters across hundreds of kilometers.

As for why his phone suddenly had a feature he never knew before, Wang Wu didn't know either. But never mind, he could only say 'whatever.'

"Hey, Shu Niang, I might not be able to return in the next few days."

"Right, I ran into Wu Lian outside today. She ran into trouble, so I helped her; I probably won't be back for a few days. The Demon-Subduing Formation only needs replenishment every thirty days; I just refreshed it yesterday, so there shouldn't be any issue."

"Hmm, okay. Over the next few days, don't go out at all. Even if you must, don't cross the Demon-Subduing Formation's area; be very careful."

Wang Wu could play with his phone in his mind, and naturally could also make calls in his mind.

Night, He Xi Xian.

The Lin family is a major clan of He Dong Xian, but in recent years their focus shifted to He Xi Xian, so young master Lin, as the head of the Lin family, naturally resides long-term in He Xi Xian.

In a inn in He Xi Xian, a room was prepared; Wang Wu placed Wu Lian on the bed, cleaned her wound, and infused some Yinji True Qi. Looking at Wu Lian's expressionless face on the bed, he said:

"It's fine. With your constitution, another two days of rest will be enough."

"Young hero."

At that moment, hearing Wang Wu, Wu Lian turned her head. Looking at Wang Wu, her expression shifted from blank to sorrowful, eyes filled with gratitude and inferiority: "I may be so lowly, yet the young hero still wishes to save me... but I... I have already..."

"Damn it, what nonsense is that," Wang Wu frowned, "Rest well; I can now lift the restriction inside you, but it's winter now, not the right time. Next year I'll go back to He Dong Xian again to resolve your problem."

"Go to sleep."

After speaking, Wang Wu patted her hand, then prepared to get up and go downstairs to buy some food.

But at that moment, outside the guestroom window, a sudden series of booming sounds erupted. Wang Wu recognized that kind of rumble, usually from several warhorses trampling the ground.

The inn he stayed at was beside the main road into the city, and the guestroom window faced directly onto the avenue. He opened the window and looked down; instantly, Wang Wu's heart was blocked from his chest to his throat.

A massive, well-equipped heavy cavalry unit.

They wore black heavy plate armor, each rider's armor covered by a white-sleeved shirt, topped with phoenix-wing helms adorned with white raptor feathers, wielding long spears, their horses bearing large bows.

Wang Wu had never seen an army dressed like this before, though he had heard of them many times:

The Demon-Subduing Army.

At the instant he opened the window, among the cavalry below, a person dressed as a commander also lifted his head to look this way.

One human, one monster, eyes meeting.

Then that person stopped. At the moment he halted, all the cavalry present also stopped.

(End of chapter)