Chapter 213: Huanglong Village, the Princess

The night was thick, and before dawn, Chu Danqing, Zhong Ting, and others arrived at the village called Huanglong Village, guided by the mountain woman in darkness.

Upon hearing of the monster’s rampage, Chu Danqing naturally rushed to the rescue immediately.

When he arrived at dawn, the village was already a ruin.

Despite hurrying, they were still too late.

The good news was that not all villagers had been slaughtered.

They were now rebuilding their homes.

Moreover, no severed limbs or body parts were found—perhaps the monster, Xuan Nü Zhi, needed live victims and took them whole.

It was also possible the remaining villagers had already cleared away the remains.

Seeing the mountain woman return, a familiar villager’s face showed a flicker of relief: “Qian Niang, you’re safe too—that’s good, that’s good.”

The mountain woman’s name was Qian Niang, meaning roughly “the eldest daughter of the Qian family,” and she had no other name.

“Auntie, my husband—” Qian Niang hurriedly asked.

But the aunt, upon hearing this, wiped her tears and said: “Like my own Tiewa, he was taken by those monsters.”

“Now… now… oh, why is my life so bitter?”

At these words, her emotions shattered, and she burst into loud sobs.

“Don’t cry yet,” Zhong Ting said, exasperated. “They’re probably not dead yet—does anyone know where the captives were taken?”

From what they could tell, the captured were not killed on the spot—they were either used as living sacrifices or blood food, so rescue was still possible.

“The Princess’s Tomb!” another villager cried out. “They went toward the Princess’s Tomb!”

“That’s the Xuan Nü Zhi you mentioned before,” Qian Niang added quickly. “The village chief, greedy for money, led soldiers and tomb raiders there—that’s what brought this upon us.”

At these words, all the villagers were filled with rage.

If the village chief’s entire family hadn’t been taken too, they’d have dragged them out and beaten them now.

【Hidden Quest: Rescue the captured Huanglong Village villagers within 1 hour】

【Trial Difficulty: B-Rank (Brave）】

【Trial Reward: Paradise Points ×5000, Attribute Points +3】

【Trial Failure: Paradise Points -10000】

The quest activated immediately, but it was a hidden quest—clearly unrelated to the trial mission.

Still, Chu Danqing accepted it.

Even without this quest, he planned to go save them.

As for Yuanping Wang’s tomb—it could wait. They were already at Huanglong River; it wouldn’t run away.

Besides, Qian Niang said Huanglong River had begun rising these past days; descending into the tomb carried risks.

Especially for someone like Chu Danqing, who only knew a little feng shui—he could handle danger, but he feared getting lost in the wrong tomb due to environmental conditions.

Huanglong River was once a prime feng shui site; more than just Yuanping Wang was buried here—many other tombs still lay buried.

If he entered the wrong tomb, his talent quest would be in trouble.

But if he rescued the villagers, Chu Danqing would not only do good—he could also enlist their help later.

As for the villagers fearing another disaster?

After what had happened, this place was no longer safe—they had to relocate the entire village, not stay and gamble on it never happening again.

The villagers weren’t fools; if they knew the danger and still stayed, they might as well slit their throats and save the middlemen their profit.

“Someone with courage—step forward and lead us,” Chu Danqing said.

At these words, a boy stepped out: “I’ll go.”

His parents had been taken last night; with a lifeline before him, he would grasp it tightly.

Chu Danqing glanced at him and said sternly: “Lead the way.”

The boy nodded and ran toward the Princess’s Tomb.

Along the way, he introduced himself: his name was Sanwaizi, the third child in his family.

His two older siblings had died before reaching adulthood.

So though he was the third, he was the eldest.

Along the journey, he told Chu Danqing and the others about the Princess’s Tomb.

Xuan Nü Zhi’s tomb was unusual—its above-ground portion had once dominated the structure.

When first built, it had been magnificent, but now it lay in ruins.

Not just from wind, sun, and rain, but also because nearby villagers, when short of stone, would break off pieces to reuse.

Over time, the once-majestic above-ground tomb had vanished.

In the Li Dynasty, no one would have dared.

But the Li Dynasty had been gone for a thousand years—no one cared anymore.

Especially since Cangmang Guling became a haunted land, isolation deepened, and reverence for the dead faded.

“Wait—this aura is heavy with malice,” Zhong Ting suddenly grabbed Sanwaizi, who was leading them. He had sensed overwhelming evil from afar.

Chu Danqing felt nothing. Da Bao felt nothing either.

Clearly, Zhong Ting’s cultivation of Kui Xing Ti Dou gave him bonuses against local malevolent entities—including enhanced perception.

“Little Brother Chu, this will be a hard fight—how confident are you?” Zhong Ting asked, not wanting to die. “This seems to have drawn every malevolent force within dozens of li.”

“Xuan Nü Zhi is utterly monstrous—even a corpse demon pales before her.”

Zhong Ting’s meaning was clear: he couldn’t win. If Chu Danqing couldn’t either, he’d retreat.

After all, his original agreement with Chu Danqing was to help find Yuanping Wang’s tomb.

He had no intention of risking his life here—he needed to survive to deliver the Centipede Pearl for his own rescue.

“It’s a bit challenging,” Chu Danqing said, stroking his chin.

A B-Rank, Level 1 trial was far harder than a Reserve Rank one.

But for Chu Danqing, it made little difference—his trump card was the Emperor’s Son.

As a Son of Huang Tian and a Peaceful Immortal Spirit, he was most lethal against demons and monsters.

His full-area attack, combined with his Blood Sacrifice Blade’s doubled damage, dealt devastating blows.

Only Xuan Nü Zhi, the elite monster, might prove difficult.

B-Rank difficulty meant elite monsters—barely reaching boss thresholds.

To be a boss in a Level 1 trial world, you needed at least an S-Rank.

“Alright,” Chu Danqing said. “You three stay back—I’ll send someone in.”

Zhong Ting expected Chu Danqing to say he had this in the bag—instead, he planned to hide.

As soon as he spoke, Da Bao charged ahead, then the Emperor’s Son emerged from Chu Danqing’s chest decree, accompanied by the Yellow Turban Warriors.

Chu Danqing pulled out his blood-drawing device and began lowering his HP.

Thanks to prior experience, his efficiency this time was much higher.

In moments, his HP dropped precisely to 50%.

Zhong Ting didn’t understand: why did Chu Danqing always injure himself before battle? Was there some hidden reason?

Before he could ponder further, the battle erupted.

Jin Guang exploded instantly, blinding everyone present.

Chu Danqing, however, could view the battle log.

It showed the Emperor’s Son dealing damage to the enemy.

“Wait—why is Da Bao’s HP dropping so fast?” Chu Danqing suddenly noticed something wrong.

Then he realized: “Shit—he’s charging straight for the elite monster!”

The current tactic was for the Emperor’s Son to clear weak enemies, while Da Bao fought the elite.

Theoretically, it should’ve been the reverse—but Da Bao had no AoE skills, and without resources, his growth relied solely on constant fighting.

Combat sharpened his instincts and reflexes—like honing his own skills.

So fighting strong foes was the fastest way to improve.

“You stay here—I’m going to the front to heal Da Bao,” Chu Danqing said, taking Da Bai with him.

His own safety wasn’t a concern—Yue Lan Wu Ying, Ghost Mother, and the Beast-Mask Warriors provided mobility; it was easier to kill the Emperor’s Son than to hurt himself.

Before Zhong Ting could respond, the Driver Warrior whipped the reins, and the war chariot raced toward the battlefield.

Since the distance was short, they arrived quickly.

But by the time Chu Danqing reached the scene, Da Bao had already entered Fearless and Berserk states—and, due to his bloodline, transformed into his Killing Form.

Within the ruins of Xuan Nü Zhi’s tomb, Da Bao’s crimson fur covered his entire body, his wild, flame-like mane curling irregularly, flickering like blood-red fire.

His eyes were glazed with molten-gold hues, his fangs bared, facial muscles bulging—he had become a raving beast.

His HP, which should have kept falling, stabilized, and his stats surged under Berserk’s overload.

From disadvantage, he slowly clawed back to parity.

As for Xuan Nü Zhi, Chu Danqing now saw her: a desiccated female corpse clad in ceremonial armor, draped in a python-embroidered imperial robe.

But centuries of decay had left it tattered and ruined.

Xuan Nü Zhi’s gaze suddenly fixed on Chu Danqing—as if drawn to something on him.

She immediately shoved Da Bao aside, twisted her corpse aura into a long crimson beam, and shot toward Chu Danqing.

“Dragon Qi…” Xuan Nü Zhi’s dry, rasping voice scraped from her throat as she extended her corpse-claw toward Chu Danqing’s face.

But Da Bao was no slower—he halted, and his Blood Fury surged into his right hand, swelling into a massive blood-claw that slammed down upon Xuan Nü Zhi.

The body of Xünnü Zhi was immediately gripped by the claws, and Da Bao clenched back, the blood-claw shattering instantly.

Chu Danqing’s eyes widened at this sight.

“With bloodline, instinct, intuition, and spiritual affinity, Da Bao’s mastery of Blood Rage has grown stronger.”

“But it can probably only be used in Kill Mode—what a pity.”

“If Fearless and Frenzy were both active skills, that would be ideal,” Chu Danqing muttered.

(End of Chapter)