Section 8: Borrowing Strength to Design, Phantom Scorpion Bat
Author: Gu Zhenren
2013-02-09
“The Sharp Claw Monkey is a Lesser Demon with 12 years of cultivation, while the Glutinous Rice Dog has around 14 years. On top of that, it’s being commanded by a Beast Master. This battle is already decided,” Chu Yun observed quietly from the side, coming to this conclusion as he witnessed the scene.
Generally speaking, a Demonic Beast commanded by the wisdom of a Beast Master can often overcome a certain degree of cultivation gap and successfully challenge wild Demonic Beasts. With the Sharp Claw Monkey’s cultivation still two years behind the Glutinous Rice Dog, the outcome was even more obvious.
Seeing the Sharp Claw Monkey’s situation worsening, Chu Yun dared not continue observing and quietly withdrew from the battlefield, heading deeper into the forest.
“The opponent has two Beast Masters and eight burly men. With such a powerful lineup, a mere flick of a finger from them would lead to my utter annihilation. I absolutely cannot confront them head-on. It seems I can only outsmart them!”
Chu Yun had rich combat experience and was by no means someone who would passively accept fate or rely on luck. If his strength was insufficient, he could use his wits. After careful consideration, the Sharp Claw Monkey had undoubtedly provided him with an extremely viable strategy.
“I have odorless powder on me, which can conceal my scent. Combined with the memories of my past life, which make me intimately familiar with this environment, I can use their own strength against them and continuously deplete their resources.” As the solution came to mind, his spirits lifted.
In the dark forest, a young man dressed in simple hemp clothes moved nimbly. His skin was fair, his features delicate, and his eyes sparkled like two black gemstones, catching the moonlight filtering through the canopy. A faint, almost imperceptible smile played on his lips.
“They want to kill for treasure and attack me? Hmph! I’ll make sure they never return!”
An hour later, the group of burly men encountered a Serrated Python with 16 years of cultivation. The man with the triangular eyes attacked, using his Green Blade Mantis with 13 years of cultivation to kill it after a strenuous effort.
Two and a half hours later, they encountered a swarm of Firefly Spiders and found themselves in a tough battle. The man with the triangular eyes and the bearded man joined forces to eliminate the mother spider, which had 15 years of cultivation, but two of their burly companions lost their lives.
“This won’t do. My Green Blade Mantis’s Demonic Energy is mostly depleted, and its strength has significantly waned.” The man with the triangular eyes had a grim expression, his earlier confidence of victory long gone.
Flames of anger burned in the bearded man’s eyes as he curses, “Damn it, is that kid a rabbit? I’ve never seen anyone who can run better than him!”
A heavy cloud of gloom had settled over the employee. Being a shrewd individual, he sensed the stirrings of a conspiracy. He hesitantly said, “This situation is not looking good. The opponent has odorless powder, which can conceal their scent and allow them to pass through most Demonic Beast territories undetected. Moreover, I feel like he’s deliberately luring us…”
“Nonsense! Who does he think he is? Ruan Er, if you’re scared, get lost. I despise cowards the most. To be frightened by a mere thirteen-year-old kid.” The bearded man looked disdainfully at the employee named Ruan Er, scoffing at him.
“You…” Employee Ruan Er dared not speak his mind for fear of reprisal.
“Enough, Ruan Er. Don’t be so suspicious. That brat is just lucky. As the leader of this mission, you also bear responsibility for not preparing adequately. If we had odorless powder, we would have caught him long ago.”
The man with the triangular eyes snorted coldly and took out a pill bottle from his embrace. He retrieved a round, thumb-sized, emerald-green pill and fed it to the Green Blade Mantis perched on his arm.
This Green Blade Mantis was about the size of an infant’s head, its body a dark green that flowed with a cold luster. Two pairs of scythe-like forelimbs were a lighter shade than its dark green body. Their blades gleamed sharply with a cold glint. The mantis lowered its triangular head, opened its mouthparts, and swallowed the pill.
This pill was a Demonic Energy Pill. Demonic Beasts consumed it to replenish any depleted Demonic Energy. Without Demonic Energy, not even Demonic Beasts could cast their spells and Dao techniques.
A moment later, the man with the triangular eyes felt the Green Blade Mantis’s Demonic Energy slowly but steadily increasing. He nodded with satisfaction, a flicker of pain crossing his eyes.
These pills were expensive even for him. Normally, he would let the Green Blade Mantis naturally absorb Vital Energy to replenish its Demonic Energy. However, at this moment, he couldn’t afford to delay any longer; he needed to hurry and pursue Chu Yun.
“Heh, you’re quite generous,” the bearded man remarked, glancing at the man with the triangular eyes and then at his own Glutinous Rice Dog. The latter was covered in wounds, panting with its tongue hanging out, its blood matted and black, its fur stuck together in a sorry state.
The bearded man also had pills, but he was reluctant to use them unless absolutely necessary.
“Damn it, if we encounter another blocking Demonic Beast next time and still can’t catch that brat, I’ll really have to use the pills!”
A ferocious glint flashed in the bearded man’s eyes. He had expected this pursuit of Chu Yun to be a simple, surefire success. However, things had unfolded far beyond his expectations. They were already in a sorry state without even a glimpse of Chu Yun.
“Keep chasing! Once I catch that kid, I’ll stomp his fingers off, slice off his…” and chop off his two dog legs!” The more the bearded man thought about it, the angrier he became. He, a dignified Beast Master who had commanded at least a hundred lives, was reduced to this by a mere brat. How could he bear it?
In fact, it wasn’t just him; the man with the triangular eyes and the others had also been harboring pent-up frustration. Normally, any one of them could have easily tormented Chu Yun to death. But here, in this forest, they had repeatedly been outmaneuvered, and three of their companions had lost their lives to wild Demonic Beasts. They felt an overwhelming sense of chagrin!
Driven by anger, the eight burly men, like wolves and tigers, accelerated their pace, gradually closing in on Chu Yun.
“This is it, the territory of the Phantom Scorpion Bat!” Following the memories of his past life, Chu Yun arrived here. He immediately slowed down, held his breath, and his expression turned solemn.
Demonic Beasts, whether solitary or in groups, possessed a territorial instinct. The stronger the Demonic Beast, the larger its territory. In Chu Yun’s memory, the Phantom Scorpion Bat was the strongest Demonic Beast in this small forest, possessing 19 years of cultivation!
Tall trees swayed their eerie branches in the night. The wind passing through them carried a peculiar coldness not found elsewhere, making Chu Yun shiver. To ensure his safety, he stopped and took out the second pack of odorless powder from his embrace, sprinkling it all over himself.
Odorless powder, as the name suggested, was a powder that concealed one’s scent. If there were no hidden Dao techniques involved, it was an essential item for traveling and exploring hidden places.
“I’ve already used two packs of odorless powder this quickly. I hope this Phantom Scorpion Bat doesn’t disappoint me.” Chu Yun was extremely worried. He didn’t know the extent to which the strength of the pursuers behind him had been weakened, but he was certain they possessed restorative pills.
The Phantom Scorpion Bat was the Demonic Beast with the highest cultivation in this region. If even it couldn’t stop them, then Chu Yun would be at his wit’s end and in grave danger.
After using all the odorless powder in his hand, he crumpled the wrapper and placed it in a conspicuous spot. Then, using the wrapper as a reference, he meticulously created a trail of false clues nearby, eliminating and concealing his true tracks, leading them deep into the territory.
He was extremely cautious, his nerves stretched to the breaking point! Throughout the process, he did his utmost to suppress any sound and spent a full half-hour. Finally, exhausted to the point of near collapse, he curled up inside a hollow, dead tree. As he let out a long sigh of relief upon successfully hiding, he almost fainted.
It wasn’t just physical exhaustion, but primarily mental fatigue. The Phantom Scorpion Bat might discover him, and if it considered him its prey for the night, Chu Yun would surely perish.
He could even imagine that once he was eliminated by the Phantom Scorpion Bat, the group behind him would likely laugh hysterically upon seeing his corpse. This was truly digging his own grave!
Fortunately, however, he had inherited the luck of his past life and, combined with his own caution, had managed to avoid detection by the Phantom Scorpion Bat.
Inside the dry wood, it was damp and stuffy, the space cramped, and the air stagnant. Coupled with his exhaustion, Chu Yun felt his body heat up and sweat profusely. Thankfully, the odorless powder was continuously absorbing his sweat.
No one liked to curl up their bodies and be confined in a small, cage-like space. Chu Yun felt exceedingly uncomfortable, and what was worse, waves of sleepiness washed over him like a tide.
Sweat dripped down his face, his eyelids felt as heavy as weights, and his vision blurred as they opened and closed.
“Hang in there! Hang in there! I can’t fall asleep!”
If he slept, he would lose the initiative and be at their mercy.
A voice echoed incessantly in Chu Yun’s mind. Relying on his strong will, Chu Yun fought against the demon of sleep. However, he was too tired. His body was not yet fully developed, and the mental and physical strain of battling formidable enemies had already depleted his strength. The power of the sleep demon surged, and the overwhelming drowsiness instantly submerged his consciousness.
“Don’t sleep, hang on, hang on…”
With the last vestiges of his consciousness, Chu Yun gripped the mountain-chopping saber in his left hand, and suddenly felt a surge of clarity!
The pain transmitted clearly. As he pulled his left hand back, a wound had appeared on his palm. It wasn’t deep, but it was bleeding profusely.
Chu Yun gasped softly in pain, gritted his teeth, and took out a packet of wound medicine from his embrace. He tore it open and applied the powdered medicine to the wound. Instantly, a sensation of numbness, tingling, and itching, followed by pain, subsided, and the bleeding stopped.
The drowsiness receded like a tide. The inside of the dry wood was dark, but two sharp beams of light flickered within. No matter how dense the darkness, it could not conceal the bright black eyes of Chu Yun!
His expression was focused, and he listened intently. After a moment, he heard the sound of heavy footsteps.
His heart immediately pounded, knowing that it was the powerful enemy pursuing him. As the footsteps grew closer, accompanied by the sound of the bearded man’s profanity, his heart began to race, and his breathing became heavy.
