Chapter Fifteen: Shadow of the Demon

The woman in white waved her hand, her brows drawing together slightly. “My mind is made up, there’s no need to say more. If you’re afraid, you may leave first.” The young man froze, watching as the demonic aura grew ever more powerful, the ground trembling violently beneath their feet. His face was filled with urgency. At last, he sighed. “Junior Sister, only the elders of our sect can subdue this fiend. Our cultivation is not enough. Leave quickly!”

The woman in white said nothing further. Gazing up at the demon energy surging into the sky, her features hidden behind her veil remained utterly unchanged. With a wave of her slender hand, a long sword radiating dazzling light appeared in her grasp.

Seeing her resolve, the young man stamped his foot in frustration. “Very well! If that’s how it must be, then I’ll stay with you! At worst, we’ll die together!”

A ripple of black spread across the stone beneath their feet, forming into a whirlpool-like portal right before their eyes.

“If you have the courage, come in! I’ll be waiting for you inside,” came a cold, disdainful voice from the depths of the vortex.

At these words, the woman in white’s delicate form trembled. A faint white radiance rippled from her body, forming a protective aura that shielded her completely. In a flash, her graceful figure darted forward and disappeared into the vortex.

“What potent demon energy!” Long Yun could not help but frown. Each time the woman in white summoned her true energy, his own inner power surged restlessly, especially in his right arm, which began to itch.

“Is it you?” Long Yun’s heart leapt with joy. Was it the little golden dragon who had exhausted its strength to save him? Could it be awakening at last? Was it the aura from the woman in white, or the demonic power in the air?

Long Yun had always felt guilty for the golden dragon’s sacrifice. He knew that, with his current cultivation, he had no way of helping it return to life.

But now, this feeling brought him a sliver of hope. Even if entering that vortex meant certain death, he could not turn back.

The young man suddenly looked at Long Yun and his companion. “You two, go fetch your sect elders! This fiend’s cultivation is of the Innate Realm—if it escapes, the righteous path will suffer greatly! Hurry—there’s no time to lose!”

With that, he too vanished into the vortex.

“We should return,” Xiao Leng said, his gaze flickering. Though he disliked taking orders from the young man, it was undeniably the wisest choice. With their current cultivation, facing an Innate Realm fiend was courting death.

Long Yun shook his head and smiled. “Senior Brother Xiao Leng, please return and inform the sect leader; I’ll stay here to keep watch.”

Xiao Leng’s eyes widened in disbelief. “No!”

Long Yun’s smile became tinged with bitterness. Yet he could not reveal the true reason. “By staying, I can observe the battle and gauge the fiend’s strength, so the sect leader won’t be caught off guard.”

“Then be careful!” Xiao Leng was never one to hesitate. Handing his sword to Long Yun, he turned and sped away into the distance.

Long Yun let out a long breath. “Forgive me, Senior Brother. This time, I’ve deceived you.”

As Xiao Leng’s figure disappeared, Long Yun’s eyes flashed with determination. His true energy surged, healing his wounds in an instant and restoring him to his peak condition.

Meanwhile, the black vortex on the ground, already closing after the woman in white and the young man had entered, began to contract. Without hesitation, Long Yun dashed forward and plunged into its depths.

A maelstrom of chaotic energy battered him from all sides. No sooner had he entered than a cold, sinister aura enveloped him, icy tendrils seeming to creep into his very bones.

The onslaught of demonic energy was suffocating, as though he had fallen into a frozen abyss. The chill seeped straight into his meridians, filling them with sharp pain.

His protective aura could not withstand the pressure; even his inner power was forced back, retreating in waves, each contraction sending fresh stabs of agony through him. Long Yun’s brow furrowed in pain.

“This won’t do. With such overwhelming demonic energy, I’ll be annihilated before I even reach the heart of it! I cannot give in!” Long Yun bit his tongue, wrenching himself from the grip of fear.

Summoning his true energy, he formed a vortex within his body. The vast intent of the sword coursed through his meridians, melding with his inner power.

Within his meridians, his true energy—sharpened by the sword’s intent—became countless blades, exuding an unparalleled aura of sharpness.

“Sword intent unleashed—slay demon, vanquish immortal!” Long Yun roared, sending a torrent of sword energy coursing through his meridians.

Wherever the sword energy swept, the rampaging demonic aura collapsed, scattered to nothing. At the same time, Long Yun’s arms tensed, and the sword in his hand sang, unleashing a blinding brilliance.

The sword light wrapped him completely, forming an impenetrable barrier of sword intent. Though the demonic force was strong, it could not breach his fortress, held at bay by sheer will.

Having done all this, Long Yun’s face finally relaxed. Without the sacred power of the dragon blood in his veins, which fused sword intent and flesh into one, he could never have shattered the demonic aura so easily.

As the vortex’s power faded, Long Yun flipped through the air and landed. The ground beneath his feet was damp and icy, dark as pitch, the air reeking of rot and blood.

It seemed the scent of fresh blood lingered heavily here. Long Yun’s frown deepened. Was someone injured? Was it the formidable young man or woman, or the demon itself?

Long Yun’s heart gave a jolt. If the fiend was wounded, so much the better. But if the young man and woman were hurt, things would be much more complicated.

With that thought, he quickened his pace, racing towards the source of the blood-scent.

The world around him was shrouded in darkness, though ghostly blue flames flickered here and there, casting a ghostly glow and revealing glimpses of his surroundings.

The entire space was barren—no roads, no grass, not even snakes or insects. The environment was so harsh, no living being could survive here.

Long Yun dared not linger. Fixing on a direction, he sped ahead.

The young man and woman were stronger than he was; surely they would find the demon’s lair quickly. If he hurried, perhaps he could aid them. Though they had little fondness for him, the demonic sect was the common enemy of all who walked the righteous path—he would not stand idly by.

He pushed his speed to the utmost. The demonic aura thickened, yet he barely noticed, his heart filled only with worry.

The path narrowed, flanked by jagged rocks that loomed on either side, lending the place an even deeper air of mystery.

Long Yun’s gaze swept constantly around him, his senses probing the darkness, seeking the presence of his aunt.

Just then, less than a mile ahead, a dazzling beam of white sword energy shot skyward, flaring a dozen yards high and illuminating the entire cavern.

“It’s them!” Overjoyed, Long Yun launched himself in the direction of the sword light.

As the glare flashed again, a burst of azure sword energy erupted beside the white, the two beams weaving together, slicing the black demonic aura into shreds.

Long Yun crept toward the heart of the battle, sword intent blazing from his body. Though he lacked a protective aura, the sacred sword energy was no less formidable.

He halted behind a black stone, now less than a thousand paces from the dueling figures. Occasionally, the shockwaves of true energy would blast past, pulverizing the rocks for hundreds of yards around.

At the center of it all, a blue-clad youth and a white-robed woman, cloaked in radiant auras, fought desperately amidst the darkness, already forced onto the back foot.

The two embattled figures were none other than the young man in blue and the woman in white.