Chapter 262: One Night Demon Pill

That night, Chu Danqing and Yang Qianyuan departed under cover of darkness.

Meilong Town was not the former Guanglu Prefecture, so its walls were naturally far inferior.

How could a prefecture’s territory compare to a town’s?

“Fang Yiliu is quite a clever fellow—he fled his hometown right after his spirit beast died.”

“Indeed, everyone has their own perspective,” Chu Danqing said, gazing at the nearby wooden hut.

During the day, Chu Danqing had inquired about Fang Yiliu’s affairs; he wasn’t utterly depraved, but his deeds were undeniably vile.

Losing the spirit beast Wu Jiao Dog didn’t warrant death.

Individually, these acts of revenge might mean little, but piled together, they could kill him.

Before news of his Wu Jiao Dog’s death spread far, he had already packed his silver and valuables and fled.

Now he was sheltering in a dilapidated wooden hut, likely built temporarily by a hunter or herb gatherer.

But it appeared abandoned for a long time, rarely visited by anyone.

“This man is clever enough—if he applied his wit to righteous pursuits, he’d live a comfortable life at least,” Yang Qianyuan added.

The two had been lying in wait here for half an hour, chatting intermittently.

As for what the opportunity was, neither knew.

Yang Qianyuan had considered performing another Celestial Mechanism divination, but Chu Danqing stopped him.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to—it was simply unnecessary.

Celestial Mechanism divination isn’t just about expending energy—it also shortens one’s lifespan.

But Yang Qianyuan’s strength was insufficient, so the results were vague, and thus the lifespan reduction was minimal.

Chu Danqing learned of this later.

The last time Yang Qianyuan used Celestial Mechanism divination to help him locate the needed spirit beast, the Omen Spider was backlashed for exceeding its capacity, and Yang Qianyuan himself lost at least a year of life.

Yang Qianyuan didn’t speak of it, but Chu Danqing wasn’t dead—he naturally inquired on his own.

He kept these matters in mind, planning to sign a pact at the right moment, then buy some Lifespan-Extending Pills from the Guo family.

With Lifespan-Extending Pills, Yang Qianyuan wouldn’t be invincible, but he’d be unique—like a scorpion’s shit, one of a kind.

“Quiet—Feidi says someone’s coming,” Yang Qianyuan warned immediately.

About a minute later, a faint glimmer flickered across the sky.

“Good lad, I’ve finally found you,” said an old man seated atop a massive bat, landing directly before the hut.

Chu Danqing recognized the bat—it was called Youyi Night Bat, a spirit beast that could only unleash its full power at night, a nocturnal species.

During his days in Meilong Town, Chu Danqing hadn’t just been training Da Bao—he’d also bought numerous books on spirit beasts to expand his knowledge.

Among them were illustrated compendiums, helping him recognize many spirit beast species.

The old man’s Youyi Night Bat tore open the hut’s door with one claw; Fang Yiliu was terrified, then threw himself at the old man’s leg upon seeing him.

“Elder, I didn’t mean to run away—it’s just that I—” Fang Yiliu wailed, but the old man cut him off.

“Shut up. I ask you: where is the person who previously contacted you? Why are all of them dead?” the old man snapped, then asked coldly.

He didn’t care what this thug had done—his concern was that the transit station he’d planted had been wiped out.

It must have happened last night.

Li Fengjie could have been smuggled away unnoticed only because of the seven men at the Wilderness Inn—and thanks to his own maneuvering.

Otherwise, Fang Yiliu alone could never have managed it.

As for why he, so powerful, didn’t act himself—it was simple: from Ning Wang’s overall scheme, he’d deduced the man intended to rebel.

If he ever wished to shift from shadow to light, he’d need to do fewer dirty deeds.

So he found a scapegoat to do the dirty work for him.

That way, if anything went wrong, it wouldn’t land on him.

He’d planned to check on Li Fengjie’s status the next day—only to find everyone dead.

From the scene’s traces, he dug up the corpses of people and spirit beasts.

But he found only these clues; all other traces had been buried.

After much thought, he came here to question Fang Yiliu.

Then came a stranger twist: upon arriving in Meilong Town, he couldn’t find Fang Yiliu—and learned he’d fled.

And the owner of the Dragon Phoenix Inn, who had been kidnapped, had returned.

With this coincidence, it was obvious he knew something—otherwise, why had Fang Yiliu run?

Fortunately, he’d finally found him.

“Dead? That shouldn’t be… I didn’t know!” Fang Yiliu’s heart turned icy.

He realized he’d been dragged into some vortex—but he was sharp, and immediately spotted the clue.

“I know—it was the two who saved Li Fengjie. They did it,” Fang Yiliu said, not speculating blindly—he recounted what he’d experienced that day.

But he twisted and altered some details.

The old man listened, his eyes flickering.

Too many coincidences weren’t coincidences.

“Your spirit beast died, your Purple Mansion was backlashed—you’re ruined now,” the old man said, pulling out a blood-red crystal: “I can’t act directly in this matter.”

“But since you’re ruined, I happen to have one Night Demon Pill. If you take it, you’ll gain Night Demon power.”

“Start as a Night Demon Soldier; feed on blood to grow. After consuming no more than a dozen people, you’ll reach Night Demon General strength.”

“Though inferior to a spirit beast, it’s far beyond ordinary humans—you won’t struggle to capture those two’s spirit beasts.”

“If still unsure, consume a hundred more people—you’ll reach Night Demon King strength.”

“Meilong Town is a backwater with no strong cultivators—you’ll easily capture them,” the old man said, then forcibly shoved the Night Demon Pill into Fang Yiliu’s mouth.

Fang Yiliu had no time to react—the pill was already down his throat.

The next instant, a power not human but spirit-beast surged within him.

Night Demon power erupted from within, forming bat wings on his back and masking his face with a Night Demon-like visage.

The surge of power filled Fang Yiliu with intoxication.

“Thank you, Elder, I—” Fang Yiliu knelt, overflowing with gratitude—then in the next breath, Night Demon power coalesced into a steel trident in his hand, instantly piercing the old man’s chest.

“I have nothing to repay you with—so I’ll send you on your way.”

Fang Yiliu slowly rose, yanking the trident free.

“Those two clearly had extraordinary origins—how much chance does Night Demon power stand?” Fang Yiliu was clear-headed.

If the old man could track him down and learn his situation, how could he not know about Li Fengjie?

Then the question arose: why did the old man bother ordering him to capture them?

Fang Yiliu reached only one conclusion: the old man wasn’t strong enough himself—he wanted Fang Yiliu to be a cannon fodder to draw attention.

So he struck first.

“You—you dare—” The old man never finished his sentence—he died on the spot.

The Youyi Night Bat couldn’t act in time—it was backlashed by its master’s death.

It let out a mournful cry, then collapsed helplessly.

Fang Yiliu naturally chose to eradicate all threats—he drove his trident straight into the Youyi Night Bat’s skull.

Spirit beasts far surpassed humans in strength—even weakened by backlash, the Youyi Night Bat wasn’t killed by a single stab.

Fang Yiliu didn’t relax until he’d crushed the bat’s skull into pulp with the trident.

“Phew, phew—I must leave quickly and find blood to feed on,” Fang Yiliu felt his Night Demon power waning.

Whether the bat wings, the trident, or the enhanced strength—all consumed Night Demon power.

This power wasn’t permanent; once depleted, it vanished entirely.

So he needed blood to sustain and grow it.

As for returning to Meilong Town for revenge? The thought never crossed his mind.

He’d return only after his Night Demon power matured into Night Demon King strength.

“I hope this old bastard had some silver on him,” Fang Yiliu retracted his Night Demon power and began searching the corpse.

“No need to bother. When you’re dead, I’ll burn some for you.”

A voice sent chills down Fang Yiliu’s spine—from nearby.

It was the same voice that had killed his Purple Mansion spirit beast, Wu Jiao Dog, that morning.

Following the voice, he saw a blood-red shadow approaching through the night.

Without hesitation, he unleashed the Night Demon power he’d just retracted—bat wings burst forth, and he turned to flee.

But the howling wind behind him sank his heart deeper.

He didn’t turn to look—but his perception didn’t need to.

After all, Night Demon power enhanced his senses.

Riiip~

The sound of fabric tearing reached his ears first, then searing pain lashed his back.

But this was only the beginning—the claws sank into his flesh, and he felt his Night Demon power beginning to dissipate.

“No, I—” Fang Yiliu begged—but it was too late.

Da Bao’s claws pierced through his back, seizing his heart in an instant.

The next moment, it was violently ripped out—and crushed into pulp.

The Night Demon power vanished instantly with its host’s death.

At the same time, a Superior-grade treasure chest appeared on its corpse.

Da Bao immediately took it back.

Chu Danqing saw it and paid it little mind.

A Superior-grade treasure chest was essentially useless.

If it had shimmering patterns, it would’ve been worthwhile, but it didn’t.

He tossed it casually into his storage space, planning to open it later.

“The opportunity must be on this old man,” Chu Danqing crouched down, studying the elder’s corpse.

“Yes, but it’s probably tied to that so-called Yecha Wan,” Yang Qianyuan said. “This thing is truly extraordinary—it grants a person the power of a spiritual beast.”

Chu Danqing began searching the corpse; the old man’s body was packed full of items.

Most were pills, with some books mixed in—he couldn’t fathom how the man carried so much.

All he could say was that the clothing was remarkably durable.

(End of Chapter)