Chapter 35: The Appearance of the Half-Demon

My ancestral graves were excavated, and while the villagers should have been deeply grateful, they only showed respect toward my grandfather, with no hint of true gratitude.

That was the first point; the second was that even if it were to save the lives of the villagers, my grandfather and my family showed no reaction at all—which was highly abnormal. Both my grandfather’s and my father’s actions made me feel as though this were a matter of no consequence. But looking across the entire Great Xia Kingdom, whose ancestral grave excavation is ever considered a trivial matter? To my grandfather and father, that ancient tomb seemed like a grave with no owner.

"The most renowned master warlock of his time; I never expected to encounter him here," the man in the bronze mask sneered, though he did nothing to the painting. I knew he likely held it in disdain. As someone from a lineage of warlocks, the significance of this painting was different for me. I wanted to bow to show my respects, but fearing I might give myself away, I refrained.

The corridors inside the cave were intricate and winding; even with the bronze-masked man leading us, we took many detours. Gradually, we began to reach the deepest part. I started to suspect that the entire mountain had been hollowed out.

"Squeak..."

Suddenly, a sound echoed through the cavern. Because of the complex corridors, the echoes were everywhere, making it impossible to pinpoint where the creature making the noise was located.

"Ah!"

A scream rang out instantly. Something had happened to the Song family members at the back of the line. I swung my flashlight toward the sound, only to see a black shadow the size of a fur ball dragging the young descendant of the Song family away, vanishing from my sight. What was that thing? It was pitch black, like a clump of fur.

"Night Owls, or what you might call half-demons," the bronze-masked man said coldly. "They are the greatest danger in this cave." Judging by his tone, he was also somewhat concerned about these Night Owls; otherwise, he wouldn't have bothered to warn us.

"Everyone, gather together! Do not stray," Li Yiran commanded. The young Song descendant had been dragged away; his chances of survival were slim to none, but Li Yiran would not interrupt the mission for the sake of one junior. The elder and the middle-aged man from the Song family were filled with anxiety but dared not break away from the group. If they did, they would likely meet the same fate—how could they possibly save him then?

"Who goes there?"

Suddenly, the bronze-masked man shouted and vanished from where he stood.

Damn it! What is going on? Did that bronze-masked man just abandon us? He was our most powerful combatant; what were we supposed to do without him?

"Ignore him, let's keep moving." At this critical moment, it was Li Yiran who spoke up. "We are very close to our final destination. Once this task is finished, we can leave."

"Young Miss..." the Song family members started, hesitant to speak.

"Don't worry, once my business is done, I will go back to rescue him. But be prepared: the chances of your junior surviving are not high." Li Yiran said. Within the ten seconds it took for him to be dragged away, his death was essentially guaranteed. It wasn't that she was cold-blooded; it was simply that there was no point.

"Then thank you, Young Miss!" The elder of the Song family bowed.

The party pressed on and soon arrived at a vast, open space. Here, a massive floating coffin was suspended in the air, secured by several heavy chains. Li Yiran fixed her gaze on it. My mentor and I understood immediately.

"I can go up there, but I need you to tell me the purpose of coming here." Regarding the ancient tomb at the bottom of the river and this place, layers of mystery were intertwined. I had tried to unravel the threads of these chaotic clues, but in the end, I realized I still didn't understand. I had far too few clues.

"No problem!" This time, Li Yiran agreed quite readily.

"Old man, come help me!" I walked beneath the coffin and gestured for him to crouch down. I stepped onto his shoulders, and as he slowly stood up, I finally reached the coffin. With a burst of strength in both arms, I hauled myself up. Standing on the coffin, I felt unsteady; the chains had fallen into disrepair, and it began to sway the moment I climbed on. I pulled out my dagger and thrust it in. The wooden lid had long since decayed, and I broke it open with ease.

Under the beam of my flashlight, a shriveled, dried-up thing lay inside. Having remained uncorrupted for hundreds of years, it startled me at first glance. If you could call it human, it had a sharp, monkey-like face and was covered in fur; yet, if you said it wasn't human, its form was remarkably similar to a person's. Following the line of its head down, a black sword was thrust into the creature's abdomen. Up close, the blade was covered in dense, intricate inscriptions. These characters looked like individual runes, exuding a sense of profound mystery.

The moment I saw that sword, the blood in my veins seemed to boil, as if I were looking at a rare treasure or billions in cash laid out before me. My entire body trembled uncontrollably; in my mind, there was only one urge: to pull this sword out! Pull it out! As long as I pulled it out, this sword would be mine!

"Clang!"

It was as if a sharp blade had been unsheathed. I could no longer control myself, and my right hand gripped the hilt of the black longsword. It felt warm yet icy to the touch, and in the next instant, I pulled it free. In the pitch-black cave, a flash of cold light flickered and vanished. Holding the longsword, I could even feel the blade vibrating with excitement, humming incessantly.

"Young Jiang, get out of the way!" the old man suddenly shouted.

Before I could react, a black shadow knocked me off the coffin. The coffin was suspended at least three meters high, and I hit the ground hard.

"Squeak..."

Inside the cave, a black shadow scurried about, emitting sharp, piercing shrieks. And all around us, countless things were responding to this creature that was neither fully human nor fully demon! At that moment, it felt as though we had charged right into their nest; at least hundreds of monsters were screaming. According to the bronze-masked man, these things were all half-demons. It was terrifying!

"There are too many! Retreat!" Li Yiran shouted. We couldn't even handle one half-demon, let alone hundreds.

The cries of the half-demons echoed through the corridors, and we could clearly feel them rushing toward us. The faster ones had already reached the ceiling of the cavern, circling above and darting frantically along the walls.

"Begone, evil!" Li Yiran threw a talisman, and the space instantly lit up. The shrieks of the half-demons grew even louder. In the chaos, Li Yiran led the way, pushing deeper into the cave. Everyone’s face was deathly pale; we all felt the looming shadow of death.