lerbook Chapter 44: The Mysterious Key
Chapter 44: The Mysterious Key
The dark blade flashed like lightning, tearing through the night!
On the banks of the Lanjiang River, the turbid water surged and churned like a long snake, thick black blood permeated the entire river surface, exuding an ominous and sinister aura.
As this familiar yet terrifying power surged out of Zhang Ping's body, Chong Xin's last shred of feigned composure crumbled completely, his eyes widened, and blood vessels instantly filled his eyeballs!
"It's you! That demon from the capital city... it's you!"
He almost roared, a storm of rage and bone-chilling cold surging within him! A seemingly insignificant apprentice in his martial arts school was actually a demon lurking so deep?! This was an absolute irony!
However, it was too late for any regrets at this moment. Zhang Ping's boiling killing intent and his icy gaze fixed on him revealed his determination to completely destroy him!
"Heh," Zhang Ping let out a low, hoarse chuckle, particularly chilling in the night wind, "Why must you speak so harshly, Master? Who said I'm a demon?"
He paused, his voice suddenly turning cold, tinged with a venomous mockery: "Besides, you can rest in peace on your journey. Your beautiful wife... I'll take good 'care' for her..."
"You—!" Chongxin's eyes widened in fury, and a mouthful of blood welled up in his throat!
Before the words were even finished!
A highly refined, jet-black blade of energy, seemingly capable of devouring light, suddenly appeared in the night sky! Silent and still, yet carrying an aura of death that could freeze the soul!
Exhausted and covered in blood, Chongxin could only watch helplessly as the pure darkness swept across his body in an instant.
puff!
The dull thud of a sharp blade cutting through flesh was barely audible.
Chongxin's body stiffened on the spot, a thin line of blood spreading vertically downwards from between his eyebrows. Then, his entire body, like a toppled block, silently split open to both sides along the blood line!
Zhang Ping remained expressionless, and with a slight flick of his wrist, several more sharp black blades flashed past!
laugh!laugh!laugh!
The body, torn in two, was instantly shredded into countless pieces! A stench of blood and gore sprayed out! Only the area around the heart on the chest was deliberately avoided.
Only after confirming that he could no longer sense any life force did Zhang Pingfang dispel the churning black energy around him and carefully step onto the blood-stained riverbank.
"Sigh..." He glanced at the pile of horrific wreckage, a poignant sigh appearing on his face. "If you had sincerely taken me as your disciple back then, things wouldn't have come to this."
Just a few months ago, he was an ordinary person with no strength to even kill a chicken, who joined the Sitong Martial Arts School for protection. At that time, Chongxin was a powerful expert in the Refining Realm whom he could only look up to, and he had to walk on thin ice when he met with Fu Huiying in secret, for fear of being discovered.
Who could have imagined that just a few months later, this master whom he once looked up to would perish by his own blade!
It's true that life is unpredictable and fate can be cruel.
The brief sigh was fleeting. Zhang Ping bent down, rummaged through the mess for a moment with precision, and then pulled out a small cloth bag of a special material, stained with dark red.
There was only one item left in the bag—a strangely shaped key.
The key is shaped like a six-pointed star and is made entirely of a strange metal that is neither gold nor jade, cool to the touch, and shimmers with a faint light. It is covered with intricate and complex runes.
"The key to the vault?" Zhang Ping raised an eyebrow. It was expected that an old fox like Chongxin wouldn't carry his entire fortune on him. But the material and design of this key were anything but ordinary.
"Keep it for now, we'll see when we get back to the martial arts school." He casually tucked the key into his pocket.
He stood up and turned his gaze to the turbulent waves in the middle of the river.
The white unicorn dragonfish had vanished without a trace, presumably having nimbly disappeared into the deep water the instant he struck Chongxin with his sword.
"What a pity..." A hint of regret flashed in Zhang Ping's eyes. Something that Chongxin was willing to risk so much to seize was definitely not an ordinary item.
"That's it!" He suddenly remembered his panel and turned his gaze to the huge, pale horn covered with spiral patterns that had been left on the shore.
He stepped forward quickly and gently placed his hand on the cold horn.
"Branding, sonic attack."
[Demon - Unicorn Dragonfish] [Core Talent: Shockwave]
[Sonic Wave: The Unicorn Dragonfish uses its unique horn to release special sonic attacks that ignore ordinary physical defenses, possessing extremely strong penetrating power and destructive force, and also has a significant killing effect on non-physical spirits.]
The information on the panel is concise and accurate.
"Unicorn Dragonfish... I see." Zhang Ping understood; the name was indeed fitting.
He wanted to find out more about the beast's talents, but from the dark forest in the distance, he could faintly hear unsettling commotions and growls, clearly from predators attracted by the blood and energy fluctuations.
Zhang Ping's eyes narrowed, and without lingering, he quickly gathered up the valuable unicorn horn, his figure disappearing into the darkness of the shore like a ghost, vanishing without a trace.
Half a month later.
Songping County.
Outside the city gates, the streets were still bustling with traffic and merchants coming and going in an endless stream. However, the long queues of people entering the city now included many unfamiliar faces, looking travel-worn and anxious.
At the end of the procession, an ordinary-looking young man silently pulled a cart. The cart was covered with a thick black cloth, revealing only a vaguely angular outline. Among the many merchants and villagers carrying local produce, his presence did not seem out of place.
Zhang Ping's gaze swept past the throng of people and landed on the city gate. He noticed that Songping County had actually opened a new gate next to the original city gate, creating a one-way entrance and exit layout, which greatly improved efficiency.
What caught his attention even more was that, besides the usual merchants, the queue was noticeably mixed with a large number of ragged, terrified refugees. Their eyes were filled with a longing for peace and a fear of the unknown.
"In the past, caravans without considerable strength wouldn't dare to travel through this desolate wilderness... It seems Songping County is trying to emulate the prefectural city's methods, clearing the surrounding area to ensure smooth passage?" Zhang Ping mused. The implications behind this scene made him sense something unusual.
Although the line was long, it moved at a fast pace. Soon it was Zhang Ping's turn.
The guards, seeing his cart covered with a cloth, instinctively wanted to approach and inspect it. Zhang Ping remained calm, subtly releasing a trace of the aura of a martial artist.
The soldier's expression changed slightly, and he immediately withdrew his hand, respectfully stepping aside: "Please, go ahead!"
After entering the city, Zhang Ping first found an inconspicuous inn to stay in, and then began to inquire about information from various sources.
Just half a day later.
When he came out of the busiest restaurant in the county town, his face was so gloomy it could drip water!
"Damn demon!" he cursed under his breath, and without stopping, he went straight back to the inn and quickly packed his bags.
He received extremely bad news.
Lingchuan County is under siege by demons!
Upon hearing the news, he could hardly believe it.
Although Lingchuan is not a prefectural capital, it is still a county seat, and it is overseen by the head of the Demon Extermination Division, a top-tier expert in the Refining Realm! Demons dare to besiege the county seat? This is simply outrageous!
However, news from multiple sources confirmed this. Recalling the panic in the eyes of the refugees at the city gate, Zhang Ping spat angrily: "Those people... they're probably all fleeing from Lingchuan!"
After less than a day's stay in Songping County, Zhang Ping set off again. This time, he bought a strong and swift horse and spurred it on towards Lingchuan County!
"Hopefully, it's not too late!" The sound of horses' hooves clattered, and dust billowed. On the desolate official road, Zhang Ping lay prone on his horse's back, his brows furrowed, his eyes filled with barely concealed anxiety.
Lingchuan is surrounded, in extremely dangerous condition! But he must go back!
There's only one reason: Fu Huiying is still at the martial arts school!
That woman was not only his savior, but also his cherished mistress! Even if it meant facing mountains of knives and seas of fire, he could not stand by and watch her fall into a desperate situation!
……
Dark clouds loomed over the city, the leaden sky so low it seemed to touch the city walls.
Lingchuan County has been shrouded in this boundless gloom for three days and three nights, with no sunlight in sight. The former hustle and bustle has been wiped away as if by an invisible giant hand. In the deathly silent city, every living person is like a frightened bird, and any unusual sound can attract countless terrified and prying eyes.