Chapter 116
In front of the Falling Sunset Peak, Li Qingran finally breathed a sigh of relief as the scrutinizing gazes faded away. She steadied her mind, leaped into the great cauldron, and with a wave of her hand, sealed the lid using her spiritual energy.
“Master, you have to give it your all...
Qingran will do her best too.”
Inside the pitch-black cauldron, Li Qingran sat cross-legged, cradling the pill paste she had formed with her hands. Surrounding her was a swirling aura of water spirit energy that locked the paste in place, creating a protective barrier.
At the same time, she activated the formation.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom—!
From the four corners of the cauldron, fierce alchemical flames surged forth.
Above the sea of clouds surrounding the peak, Su Qinian and Liu Yuanqing were gazing at the cauldron atop the peak, now ablaze with alchemical fire.
“Old Liu, do you think Qingran can handle it? Not only will the flames burn her, but the toxins she refines using her spiritual energy will course through her body. Even if they eventually get expelled, the pain she’ll endure in the process is unimaginable…”
Liu Yuanqing furrowed his brow, equally uncertain, but recalling the news he had heard from Elder Jiong, he offered some comfort: “This girl is wholeheartedly devoted to her master. She broke through the Heart-Testing Barrier in the Scripture Pavilion with a single strike. I believe she can do it.”
“Ah, if only my disciple were half as obedient as Qingran, I’d be burning incense in gratitude.”
“You mean Yue Qianchi?”
“Exactly.”
“Alright, I’ll send her a message right away.”
“...You old goat!”
…
…
“This is the construction site of Century New City Phase Three. It looks pretty ordinary…”
“They say it’s haunted. Over a dozen workers died in one night, and such a large site was shut down immediately!”
“Really? Are you sure it wasn’t just an accident?”
“Ah, anyway, our goal today is to stay here for a night. Anyone who’s scared can back out now; we won’t laugh at them~”
…
Arriving before Chen Huai'an and Lin Lingling were four vibrant college students, each strikingly beautiful, and notably well-developed. Standing there, they were a picturesque sight.
Unlike the three middle schoolers, who were just kids and couldn’t compete.
“Ha, a bunch of clueless college students!” Lin Lingling frowned, looking quite mature for her age.
“How do you usually handle situations like this?” Chen Huai'an pulled his gaze away from the four girls. In the past, he would have stolen a few more glances, but now his standards and self-control had been elevated by Li Qingran.
“Of course, we warn them not to go in,” Lin Lingling crossed her arms, exasperated. “But it’s hard to persuade the foolish; some people just don’t listen.”
She nudged Chen Huai'an with her elbow: “You handle this. No one listens to me.”
Usually, when encountering such situations with other demon-slaying teams, it was another member who would negotiate. She had tried a few times herself but had only been mercilessly mocked as a delusional girl.
Chen Huai'an approached the four girls, smiling politely: “I’m a staff member here. It’s not safe inside, so please don’t go in!”
Before he could finish his sentence, he noticed the girls’ faces turning crimson at an alarming rate.
One shy girl had already lowered her head, her blush creeping down to her ears.
As for the one with dyed blonde hair, clearly more extroverted, she let out a suppressed squeal: “Oh my gosh! Ultimate handsome guy! Handsome, can I get your WeChat?”
She stepped forward, enthusiastically wrapping her arm around Chen Huai'an’s.
It was clear she couldn’t help herself, perhaps it was her first time doing something like this. Her chest kept a distance from his arm, yet she mustered a shy courage.
“Are you a celebrity or something?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll just add you to my friend list to take a look. I promise I won’t stalk you!”
With the bold girl leading the charge, the other three girls became much braver, dropping their pretenses and surrounding Chen Huai'an with chatter.
Chen Huai'an barely managed to extricate himself from the sweet siege of the four girls and returned to Lin Lingling’s side.
The middle school girl was leaning confidently against a streetlight, casting a sidelong glance at him.
“Enjoying yourself?”
“Yeah.”
“Tsk, tsk, noob~”
Chen Huai'an slowly raised an eyebrow in confusion.
How was he a noob?!
“Did they decide not to go in?”
Chen Huai'an nodded: “I gave them my number, and they agreed to wait outside, saying they’d take me back to school after I finish work.”
Lin Lingling smirked: “Hehe.”
…
Without further ado, the two activated their wrist-mounted detectors and entered the construction site side by side.
Meanwhile, ten meters below the site.
A corpse in a black coffin suddenly opened its eyes.
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Chapter 123: Let’s Talk It Out (Naming is Harder than Writing a Thesis +1)
“Another rat from the Demon-Slaying Division has come in?”
“Truly forgetful…”
The corpse puppet’s eyes were shrouded in a layer of black mist, revealing the situation within the construction site.
It spotted Chen Huai'an and Lin Lingling approaching, their figures blurred but their cautious movements unmistakably marked them as members of the Demon-Slaying Division.
The four figures outside the site were likely just ordinary people.
“Fortunately, the death coffin is fully set up. I can move freely now. I’ll take care of those four outside to fill my stomach, then seal off the site and deal with these two little rats from the Demon-Slaying Division.”
With that, a cruel smile spread across the decayed face of the corpse puppet.
The coffin creaked open, and it slithered out like a nimble black snake.
…
“Chen Huai'an, don’t you think this site feels really cold…”
“Nope.”
“Are you afraid of ghosts?”
“Yeah.”
“Noob!”
Chen Huai'an shot a glance at the little brat who was practically glued to him: “If you think I’m a noob, then why are you sticking to me?”
Lin Lingling blushed and quickly took a step back, turning her head to mumble, “I’m not!”
“Why are you shivering then?”
“Who’s shivering?!”
As they bantered, the eerie atmosphere around them seemed to lighten a bit.
Just then, a scream suddenly pierced the silence at the entrance of the construction site.
Lin Lingling’s expression changed, and she turned to look toward the entrance, raising her wrist to open the camera on her watch. In the distance, she saw a plume of black smoke rising into the sky.
“Oh no, it’s a malevolent spirit! Those four girls might be in trouble!”
She was about to rush toward the entrance with Chen Huai'an, but he reacted even faster.
His eyes glinted with a cold light as he grabbed her shoulder.
Then, he suddenly accelerated!
“Holy crap!” Lin Lingling’s eyes widened, and as she opened her mouth, the wind rushed in, choking her.
She felt like a rag doll in Chen Huai'an’s grip, her body suspended in mid-air. In the darkness, the scenery around them flew by, and in a few agile maneuvers, they reached the entrance of the construction site.
When Chen Huai'an set her down, she was still a bit dizzy.
At the entrance, the air was thick with blood.
Three girls were huddled together in the guardhouse, trembling in fear.
At the entrance of the guardhouse, the streetlight flickered ominously, and the ghostly shadow on the ground twisted. The shadow belonged to a massive humanoid figure over two meters tall, its back turned to Chen Huai'an. The sound of its ‘crunching’ as it chewed was particularly jarring in the silence, sending chills down their spines.
“Indeed, you Demon-Slayers are here, and one of you looks quite familiar. You all arrived rather quickly…”
The monster stopped chewing and tossed a round object onto the ground.
Lin Lingling’s pupils constricted, and as she recognized what it was, every hair on her body stood on end.
It was a half-eaten human head!
The head belonged to the blonde college girl who had asked Chen Huai'an for his WeChat at the entrance.
“You ate her!?”
The corpse puppet didn’t respond, merely flicking its hand violently.
A mass of mangled flesh came crashing down toward them.
Blood splattered, obscuring Chen Huai'an and Lin Lingling’s vision.
At the same time, a giant claw, shrouded in black smoke, lunged from behind the corpse.
Before the claw reached them, the oppressive wind it generated turned Lin Lingling’s face pale. She could almost envision herself being torn apart beneath that monstrous claw.
“Chen Huai'an, duck!”
Adrenaline surged through her veins as she shouted a warning to Chen Huai'an.
Simultaneously, she rolled to the side, hiding behind a pile of sand.
At that moment, her heart sank.
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