Chapter 05: The Madman Is Coming
Xiao Xing was just an artifact spirit, and it was terrified of being dismantled by Ling Song. Xie Bailu could understand its terror. Although she had heard about Ling Song’s reputation from Xiao Xing, hearing about it and experiencing it were two different things. It was only now, seeing everyone’s fear of Ling Song, that she truly understood the weight of his name. It was probably enough to stop a child from crying at night!
The feeling of joy turning to despair was not pleasant. For them, it was just casual bragging, but for her, it was a matter of life and death!
Xie Bailu suppressed her frustration and met Teng Anxiu’s gaze. “I’ve never seen Ling Song before. I just suddenly thought, what if the Ling Song you’re talking about is the same madman we encountered? He might have entered this domain too.”
Hearing Xie Bailu’s addition, everyone fell silent. Sun Yerong, as if afraid of startling something, asked in a low voice, “What did the madman you met look like?”
Xie Bailu recalled Ling Song’s appearance. He was truly handsome, with an aggressive beauty that was just her type. Too bad he was a monster.
Under everyone’s gaze, she pretended to be thinking. “He was wearing red clothes, extremely handsome, and seemed to… enjoy killing for sport. He was quite mad.”
In the silence, the male cultivator who had been praising Teng Anlan said, “The place where that madman wiped out the Luo Xiao Sect is only about a thousand li from here…”
This new world was vast, but a thousand li was “close” for a Golden Core cultivator. It was very possible for him to appear here.
Sun Yetong also said in a low voice, “Besides, in the current cultivation world, what other male cultivator likes to wear red?”
Everyone fell silent. Teng Anxiu suddenly said loudly, “What are you all afraid of? My sister is coming soon. Ling Song is no match for her!”
The male cultivator who had been praising Teng Anlan said dejectedly, “But what if we run into that madman first?”
Senior Teng Anlan might be able to defeat the madman, but they wouldn’t be able to withstand a single blow.
Although the madman didn’t kill on sight, who knew what might provoke him? What if he just didn’t like the number eight and decided to randomly kill one of them because there were eight people?
Teng Anxiu fell silent as well. He truly believed his sister was stronger than Ling Song. Ling Song’s current fame was greater than his sister’s only because he killed indiscriminately, and everyone feared him. That was why he couldn’t help but feel a surge of panic when he heard Ling Song might be in this domain.
As the male cultivator had said, what if they encountered Ling Song first? His sister was a celebrated genius, but he was of mediocre talent, only reaching the peak of Foundation Establishment through his family’s resources, and had been far from the Golden Core realm for years.
After a brief moment of dejection, Teng Anxiu’s arrogant demeanor returned. “You don’t need to be afraid. Even if we meet Ling Song first, he wouldn’t dare to touch me once he knows I’m from the Teng family.”
The two Teng family members with him nodded in agreement, but the others were noncommittal. It wasn’t as if they hadn’t heard of the madman attacking people from the five major families. They had heard he didn’t even give face to the Ling family, at most stopping short of killing them.
But no one refuted Teng Anxiu. They all hoped that if they did run into Ling Song, the Teng family name would actually be useful.
Teng Anxiu’s attention returned to Xie Bailu. He frowned. “If the person you met was really Ling Song, how did you escape from him?”
It was known that Ling Song had never failed to kill someone he wanted to kill. Hearing this question, a glimmer of hope rose in everyone’s hearts. Perhaps the person she met wasn’t the madman?
Xie Bailu was prepared for this. She put on a sad expression. “My elder brother held him off and told me to run first. I don’t know what happened to my brother. If the madman we met is really the person you’re talking about…”
Then he’s definitely dead, everyone thought.
Sun Yetong comforted Xie Bailu, “Maybe the person you met wasn’t the madman. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have been able to escape.”
Xie Bailu was speechless. “…” Thanks, I’ve already escaped twice.
She nodded, as if comforted.
But from the expressions of the others, they hadn’t relaxed. They clearly believed this madman was that madman.
Therefore, staying out in the open like this became dangerous. The male cultivator who had been sitting alone and silent said, “Let’s find another place to rest.”
Everyone agreed, and even Teng Anxiu didn’t object, no longer saying anything about not being afraid of Ling Song.
Xie Bailu silently followed the group to a new location, gaining a deeper understanding of how terrifying Ling Song was. In that case, her two escapes from him were incredibly lucky. No wonder Xiao Xing was so convinced she was a child of fortune.
But could this luck continue?
Xie Bailu’s lips thinned. She would not entrust her life to something as ethereal as luck.
Teng Anlan’s strength must be considerable, or she wouldn’t be so famous. Now it was a race to see whether Teng Anlan would find Teng Anxiu first, or if Ling Song would find her first.
When the group stopped in a place with a hillside blocking the view, Xie Bailu immediately began to meditate, wanting to recover more spiritual energy. If she encountered Ling Song first, she would use the Five-Star Cauldron to escape and buy herself some more time.
When Xie Bailu finished meditating, she saw that the others were either resting with their eyes closed, cultivating, or silently eating. No one made a sound, as if the slightest noise would attract the god of death.
Xie Bailu walked over to the Sun sisters and took out two spirit stones, whispering, “Do you have any extra water and dry rations to trade? I only need a little.”
Sun Yerong and Sun Yetong exchanged a look. Sun Yetong then took out a small oil-paper package of dry rations from her storage bag. “We still have some dry rations, but not much water. If you don’t mind, I can share some with you.”
She held up her waterskin.
Xie Bailu said gratefully, “Of course I don’t mind. Thank you so much! My brother told me that although it’s dangerous outside, there are still good people. He wasn’t lying.”
Sun Yerong smiled. In truth, if they hadn’t heard from Teng Anxiu that Senior Teng Anlan was nearby and would find them, they wouldn’t have been so generous. They had not yet reached the stage of Bigu and still relied on food and water to survive.
But even if they didn’t count on Senior Teng Anlan, wasn’t there still that madman? They would definitely get out of the Eye Demon’s domain one way or another, though whether they would be dead or alive was another question… In any case, food and water were no longer that important.
Xie Bailu pressed the spirit stones into Sun Yetong’s hand, who didn’t refuse. After Xie Bailu took out her empty waterskin, she was given half of the water.
Xie Bailu thanked them repeatedly, then took the waterskin and dry rations to a corner and began to eat and drink quietly.
After an unknown amount of time, Teng Anxiu suddenly shot to his feet. He was holding a faintly glowing bell, a look of joy on his face.
A clear, cold female voice came from the bell. “A’Xiu, are you well?”
Xie Bailu noticed Sun Yetong looking at the bell with envy. It was probably a rare magical treasure. The person on the other end was, of course, Teng Anlan. It was normal for siblings from a major family to carry magical treasures for communication when they went out. After all, magical treasures were not as important as the lives of their family members.
It seemed the demonic domain could also block this kind of magical treasure, which was why Teng Anxiu had only just received Teng Anlan’s message, meaning she had just entered the domain.
Hearing his sister’s voice, Teng Anxiu finally calmed down and said steadily, “Don’t worry, sister. The three of us are unharmed.”
Teng Anlan on the other end said, “Good. Stay where you are. I’ll go find the Eye Demon.”
Hearing that Teng Anlan was about to end the communication, Teng Anxiu and everyone else grew anxious. The Eye Demon wasn’t the urgent matter; the madman was!
Teng Anxiu said hastily, “Wait, sister! I heard from a rogue cultivator that Ling Song seems to have entered this domain as well!”
There was a moment of silence from the bell. Everyone feared that the person on the other end would say she would go find Ling Song first.
Spiritual sense was blocked in the domain. What if Ling Song found them while Teng Anlan was looking for him?
Teng Anlan’s voice sounded again. “I understand. Stay where you are. I’m not far from you. I’ll be there soon.”
Now Xie Bailu was envious too. This bell was so useful. Not only could it be used for communication, but it could also be used for positioning.
After the communication ended, relaxed smiles appeared on everyone’s faces. As long as Senior Teng Anlan was here, they were safe!
The previously oppressive atmosphere lifted. The two male cultivators who had been quiet before began to chat with each other, mostly about Teng Anlan and Ling Song. Of course, Ling Song was still referred to as “that madman.”
In the midst of this relaxed atmosphere, a voice suddenly rang out, “The madman is here!”
The shout was like a clap of thunder on a clear day. Everyone jumped up as if stung by an insect, looking around in panic.
When Xie Bailu recognized Xiao Xing’s voice, she immediately hid behind a large rock, coming face to face with a large eye that grew on it.
It blinked, and she blinked back, thankful that this Eye Demon’s domain was full of eyes and not mouths. Otherwise, she suspected the Eye Demon would have given away her position.
The others had no time or inclination to wonder where the unfamiliar, childish voice had come from, because they saw a striking red figure rapidly approaching in the distance.
The loose circle of the alliance instinctively tightened. Everyone gathered together, staring at the approaching figure as if facing a great enemy.
No one noticed that Xie Bailu was gone.
Someone asked in a low voice, “Young Master Teng, when will Senior arrive?”
What he didn’t ask was, Will she arrive before we’re all killed? Or will she only be able to collect our bodies?
Teng Anxiu’s expression was grave. As the red figure drew closer, he finally confirmed that it was Ling Song, with no room for doubt.
He said in a low voice, “My sister doesn’t make empty promises. If she said soon, then it will be soon. We just need to hold on for a little while.”
The others were speechless. Could they, a group of Foundation Establishment and Qi Refinement cultivators, really hold on for a little while against a Golden Core cultivator? They would probably be killed in a single encounter.
Ling Song had come from the sky, flying high and seeing far. He had spotted the group and flown straight toward them, landing in front of them.
No one dared to speak. Only Teng Anxiu, under the banner of the Teng family, had to brace himself and say, “Young Master Ling, I am Teng Anxiu of the Teng family. Teng Anlan is my elder sister.”
Hiding behind the rock, Xie Bailu was actually in a terrible mood. Ling Song had arrived too quickly. She had been hoping Teng Anlan would arrive first, and then this group would follow her to find and kill the Eye Demon. After that, Ling Song would follow his spiritual sense imprint to find her and fight Teng Anlan, and she could take the opportunity to escape.
But hearing Teng Anxiu’s respectful words, she couldn’t help but want to laugh. Who was that arrogant person who had wanted to stomp Ling Song under his foot? Why didn’t he dare to run his mouth to his face? Not only was his attitude respectful, but he had also eagerly mentioned his family and sister’s names in a single sentence, afraid that Ling Song would attack immediately.
But then she thought about her own attitude when facing Ling Song, and Xie Bailu felt she had no right to judge. Didn’t she also call him “Young Master Ling” to his face and “Ling Song” or “madman” behind his back?
Ling Song had been looking for Xie Bailu for a while. After entering the domain, he had lost his sense of her location. He had wanted to find and kill the Eye Demon first, but the Eye Demon had eyes everywhere and was too good at hiding. He could only search randomly in the domain, killing whoever he found first.
This group was the first batch of cultivators he had encountered in the domain. He didn’t pay much attention to Teng Anxiu’s words, his gaze sweeping over them as he said lazily, “Have you seen a female cultivator with the Five-Star Cauldron?”
Everyone was stunned. The Five-Star Cauldron? The divine artifact, the Five-Star Cauldron?
Ling Song’s attitude of ignoring the Teng family name and his sister’s made Teng Anxiu’s face darken. He held back, but thinking that his sister was coming soon, he couldn’t help but say, “Young Master Ling, my sister has long wanted to spar with you. She happens to be in this domain as well. I wonder if you would be willing to fight her?”
Seeing that the group hadn’t answered his question, Ling Song frowned in displeasure. “Your sister? Which one?”
He looked as if he had never heard of her.
The few rogue cultivators’ expressions turned strange. They remembered Teng Anxiu saying that Teng Anlan had always wanted to fight Ling Song, but Ling Song kept avoiding her. But now, it seemed Ling Song had never even heard of Teng Anlan. The claim of him “avoiding” her was nonsense.
Teng Anxiu’s face turned shades of green and white. He felt that Ling Song’s attitude was an insult to his sister. He had always admired his sister the most. How could he tolerate Ling Song treating her with such contempt?
The Teng family members with him knew his trigger. They quickly grabbed him from both sides before he could say something nasty.
Normally, Teng Anxiu could say whatever he wanted. They wouldn’t have stopped him from boasting in front of the rogue cultivators. But the person in front of them was the madman Ling Song! He dared to kill Teng family members, had the ability to kill them before Teng Anlan arrived, and had the ability to retreat unscathed after killing them!
Being held back like that was like having a bucket of cold water poured over his hot head. The person in front of him was Ling Song. Even though he had spoken of him with disdain before, he knew very well how reckless this person was.
If he was killed by Ling Song, even if the Teng family could seek justice from the Ling family afterward, what was the point if he was already dead? Moreover, the Ling family would never hand over Ling Song to be dealt with by the Teng family. At most, they would offer some spirit stones and magical treasures as compensation. He would have died for nothing!
Teng Anxiu shook off his companions’ grip and replied stiffly, “My sister’s name is Teng Anlan. She is a peak Golden Core cultivator and, like you, has defeated many opponents of a higher realm.”
Ling Song’s question hadn’t been a genuine inquiry about who Teng Anxiu’s sister was. He paid no mind to Teng Anxiu’s reply and simply asked impatiently again, “I asked you, have you seen a female cultivator with the Five-Star Cauldron?”
Hearing the killing intent in Ling Song’s words, the hair on everyone’s arms stood on end. The male cultivator who had been praising Teng Anlan hastily said, “No! As far as we know, besides you and Senior Teng Anlan who is on her way, we are the only eight cultivators in this domain.”
Ling Song’s eyebrow twitched, a playful expression on his face. “Eight people?”
The male cultivator’s expression changed drastically. No way, no way. I was just idly thinking that this madman might kill someone just because he dislikes the number eight. Don’t tell me I was right?!
Xie Bailu, who had been hiding and counting on Ling Song’s spiritual sense being useless, cursed inwardly. Damn it!
Fortunately, she had been preparing. Hiding wasn’t so much about truly avoiding Ling Song as it was about buying herself time to use the Divine Movement Art. Xiao Xing called it the Divine Movement Art, but she felt the name was a bit of a misnomer. The wind-up was too long. If she dared to circulate her qi and perform hand seals in front of Ling Song, she would definitely be interrupted.
The moment the male cultivator mentioned “eight people,” revealing her presence through the discrepancy in numbers, Xie Bailu completed the final hand seal.
Almost at the same time, Ling Song’s ghostly figure appeared behind the large rock. But just as he raised his hand to stop her, Xie Bailu had already turned into a streak of light and flown away. He hadn’t even touched her.
Ling Song watched the direction of Xie Bailu’s escape and suddenly laughed. Everyone could hear the pleasure and chilling killing intent in his laughter.
This was the first time he had failed to kill someone he wanted to kill, and the other party was just a seriously injured Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Unfortunately, she wouldn’t be able to run for long. The Eye Demon’s domain was only so big. Even if he couldn’t sense her location, now that he had seen which way she fled, he would find her soon enough.
But just as Ling Song was about to give chase, he heard a voice say, “Fellow Daoist Ling, I’ve long heard of you.”
He turned and saw an unfamiliar female cultivator looking at him, her eyes filled with fighting spirit.
He smiled. Fine. If she wanted a fight, then a fight she would get!