Chapter 140: The Ox-Horned Red-Eyed Demon

"That's…"

Lu Fang frowned; as the terrifying red eyes drew closer, he saw its true form—a crimson demon with ox horns, standing dozens of zhang tall.

A thick, jet-black chain, as wide as an arm, was bound around its waist.

The chain stretched endlessly downward, dragging on the ground; with every step the Ox-Horned Red-Eyed Demon took, the chain clattered loudly.

Lu Fang suppressed his fear and sensed the demon's aura, nearly solid in its weight—proof of its immense power.

He didn't need to fight to know he was no match for it.

Previously, with Li Yu's help, he had used the Supernatural Power: Conceal Heaven and Deceive Earth, and while transformed, he had slain a fourth-rank, third-stage Yihui Monk.

But he felt Yihui Monk would have no chance at all against this Ox-Horned Red-Eyed Demon.

Fortunately, this peculiar place had rank restrictions; otherwise, it might have been even stronger.

As Lu Fang and the Spirit observed the Ox-Horned Red-Eyed Demon, it roared to the heavens, like a territorial beast, fixing its blood-red eyes on the intruders before it.

Run!

Lu Fang and the Spirit sprinted in opposite directions almost simultaneously.

Behind them, the Ox-Horned Red-Eyed Demon moved like a cheetah, using all four limbs to drag its heavy chain as it chased Lu Fang and the Spirit—swift, closing the distance with terrifying speed.

Whoosh!

The Spirit condensed several tiny "divine force" swords and thrust them toward Lu Fang, who ran to the side.

Hoping to hinder Lu Fang enough to pull ahead himself.

To dodge the divine force swords, Lu Fang fell several body-lengths behind, but with the aid of the Qimen Flying Armor, he quickly caught up.

Petals of peach blossom drifted down, forming a circular barrier that locked the Spirit in place.

Lu Fang could have used the Funeral Chant to lock the Ox-Horned Red-Eyed Demon behind him, but he didn't—he locked the Spirit instead.

Didn't the fellow just try to sabotage him?

Then he had no reason to hold back; as long as he stayed ahead of the Spirit, that was all that mattered.

"You're not restraining the thing behind us—you're restraining me?"

The Spirit, dashing forward, said coldly; he reached out to dispel the peach petals around him, but could not—clearly sensing they were slowing his speed.

Lu Fang grinned, said nothing in reply, and as he swallowed the scent of scholarly qi, he used the Six Meridian Sword Technique to harass the Spirit's movement.

All of this happened in an instant.

After overtaking the Spirit by more than ten zhang, Lu Fang changed direction; in his view, if the Ox-Horned Red-Eyed Demon behind wasn't a fool, it would surely chase the Spirit.

"You—"

The Spirit glared at Lu Fang, teeth clenched, as he changed course.

Though there was a gap in their realms, it was slight; because of the Funeral Chant's restriction, his already slower speed became even more obvious.

Meaning, whether Lu Fang changed direction or not, it made no difference.

But now, the Spirit's situation was worse.

In this desperate moment, the Spirit glanced back—and was stunned to see the Ox-Horned Red-Eyed Demon still staring at the direction Lu Fang had run.

He instantly changed course, sprinting in the opposite direction.

The Spirit's guess was correct: even though he was closer, and clearly slower than Lu Fang, the Ox-Horned Red-Eyed Demon abandoned him and chased after Lu Fang.

Lu Fang noticed this too; he cursed inwardly and immediately locked the Funeral Chant onto the Ox-Horned Red-Eyed Demon.

Instantly, Lu Fang's speed surged dramatically.

With this speed differential, Lu Fang wasn't afraid of the demon at all—its waist-chain would inevitably hinder its pursuit.

"Moo~"

The Ox-Horned Red-Eyed Demon growled in frustration, trying to sweep away the peach petals around it—they had drastically slowed it down. Watching Lu Fang pull farther ahead, it roared as if threatening him not to come closer.

As Lu Fang puzzled over this, his eyes suddenly lit up—he saw ahead a Gubao, identical to the one he had seen in his dream when he met Zhao Qingzhu.

So he hadn't come to the wrong place.

No—

Lu Fang's eyelid twitched; he suddenly realized—if Zhao Qingzhu truly was inside this Gubao, or nearby, how had she survived for over a decade?

From what he'd learned, Zhao Qingzhu's cultivation base was not strong.

At least, against the Ox-Horned Red-Eyed Demon behind him, she would have had zero chance to resist—she couldn't possibly be inside the castle.

Thinking this, Lu Fang instinctively tried to circle around the Gubao; just as he was about to change direction, the castle door creaked open, and a figure stepped out.

The silhouette looked like a woman.

"Huh?" Lu Fang felt the woman's figure was familiar; he called out tentatively: "Zhao Qingzhu?"

The woman paused, then replied: "Is that Lu Fang? Come in quickly—your monster behind can't enter the castle."

The voice was unmistakably Zhao Qingzhu's!

Lu Fang hesitated briefly—he feared this Zhao Qingzhu might be a manifestation of the peculiar place, or that the castle held some trap—but he quickly dismissed the thought.

Because Zhao Qingzhu had called his name.

And no matter what, if he wanted to rescue her, he had to face her directly—so he might as well face her now.

"Moo!"

The Ox-Horned Red-Eyed Demon's roar grew fiercer, as if trying to stop Lu Fang from entering the castle.

As Lu Fang neared the castle, the surroundings shifted—he found himself inside the castle's parlor, with Zhao Qingzhu before him, studying him.

The room was not especially dim; several luminous pearls embedded in the walls glowed like moonlight, illuminating the space.

Zhao Qingzhu looked nearly identical to how Lu Fang had seen her in his dreams—early twenties, her features bearing a faint resemblance to Lu Ling.

Aside from her more mature aura and attire, at first glance, one might easily mistake her for Lu Ling.

Over a decade had passed, yet Zhao Qingzhu had not changed at all.

This must be due to the peculiar place.

Zhao Qingzhu showed no joy upon seeing Lu Fang; instead, she looked worried: "Didn't I tell you not to come here? Why won't you listen?"

Lu Fang smiled, changing the subject: "You remember me? When you called my name just now, I was shocked."

Previously, in his dreams, whenever he met Zhao Qingzhu, she forgot everything that had happened the next day.

So he naturally assumed she shouldn't remember him at all.

Zhao Qingzhu nodded: "I'm not entirely sure—I've only ever met you and the Ascetic Monk in dreams. Last time I dreamed of the Ascetic Monk, I saw him only once, so I didn't realize the version of me in dreams forgets so much."

"But as soon as I wake up, I remember everything that happened in the dream."

"You don't know how frantic I was when I learned about your relationship with Ling'er."