Chameleon Lizard Demon

Boom!

Li Ye smashed the large rock with a punch. After confirming there were no Demons, he looked around. The area was a mess, with scattered bits of flesh here and there.

He had started from the center and expanded outwards, returning to the center each time to move in a new direction.

After searching for several hours, he had dug up everything visible and invisible within the area.

Glancing at the sky, which was already darkening towards dusk, Li Ye brushed the dust off his hands, preparing to return to the entrance and call it a day.

Just as he began to use his Lightness Skill, he heard a muffled thud from below, accompanied by a shout.

He changed direction, flying straight towards the other side of the mountain.

He was currently on a mountaintop, and the area ahead had already been cordoned off. From the mountaintop, he could see the part of the mountain that had been dug open, revealing the rock face.

He was still quite close to the quarry. Below him, Yang Jie had clearly been hit by something, falling to the ground with a grunt, his arm bent at an unnatural angle.

"Run! Danger!"

From the corner of his eye, Yang Jie saw someone fall. After shouting, he was about to call for help from the drones patrolling overhead.

But at that moment, Li Ye landed swiftly, feeling a gust of wind.

Bang!

A dull impact sent Li Ye staggering back a step. The clothes on his shoulder were torn, with several gashes as if from sharp claws. Beneath the torn fabric, his skin bore several red marks.

Li Ye looked surprised. Ever since he mastered the [Twelve Golden Palaces Dragon Tiger Gate], no one had been able to make him retreat.

Especially after testing it on Dragon Mountain, where he confirmed that no Demon could even budge him. Yet here he was, encountering one.

And the situation felt wrong. Although he couldn't see its form, this single contact had caused Li Ye's Blood Essence to surge, making him feel an urge to flee, as if facing some great terror.

But this feeling was quickly suppressed by his Blood Essence.

"Let me see what you are!"

Li Ye quickly reached out, grabbing towards the object that was distorting the air ahead.

The thing seemed to be invisible, but there was a subtle distortion in the air. Up close, its general shape could be discerned.

Chii!

With a single grab, Li Ye's fingers sank in, tearing off a chunk of flesh and blood.

Blood sprayed from the air, and in Li Ye's hand, a cracked, broken scale and some bloody flesh materialized.

"Caw!"

The air let out a strange cry, and a gust of wind followed. Li Ye blocked it, and a dull thud echoed.

"A tail?"

He grabbed backward, seizing what felt like a tail by touch. He kicked out, sending the distorted mass of air clearly stumbling. Li Ye took the opportunity to step on it, his grip on the tail tightening.

"It'll reveal itself when it dies!"

Li Ye grinned ferociously, his fingers forming tiger claws, and he tore downwards fiercely. A large streak of blood and scale-like skin was ripped away, clearly torn apart.

The invisible thing took shape. In Li Ye's grasp was indeed a tail covered in irregular, broken scales. What he was stepping on was the upper chest area of the creature. The center had been torn open, splitting it in two.

It was a humanoid lizard-like monster. Its skin was covered in broken scales, and its limbs were like a human's, but its head was the narrow, elongated head of a lizard.

Its claws were long and sharp, with red lines between the nails. Behind its narrow head, it even had some human-like hair.

"This thing..."

Li Ye frowned, then looked towards the half-dug quarry in the distance. He walked over and pulled open its long mouth, discovering it was split into four lobes, like flower petals. Its tongue was very hard, and its tip was arrow-shaped.

"Chameleon Lizard Demon."

Before coming to Dragon Mountain, besides the materials provided by the school, he knew some things himself.

After all, he had researched extensively for Authority in the past, especially ancient texts, which contained detailed records.

He had the most comprehensive collection of information regarding Ningjiang City.

And in the Dragon Mountain area of Ningjiang City, there were some records of Demons.

The Chameleon Lizard Demon was one of them, recorded in the Qing Dynasty's "Ningjiang Prefecture Records: Labor Service Records."

"On the northern foothills of Dragon Mountain, three hundred quarry workers toiled day and night, carving rock to repair the city. A stone worker named Wang discovered 'Blood Marrow Jade,' angering the mountain spirit. Sulfur mist erupted from the rock crevices, melting the bones and flesh of ninety-three people into the rock veins. The rest went mad, consuming mineralized lizards and escaping into the crevices."

The modern interpretation was that the ancients, unable to bear the heavy burden of corvée labor, combined their resentment and desire to escape with the death energy of those who died, thus giving rise to this type of Demon.

The key to the Chameleon Lizard Demon was "chameleon-like," escaping all hardship and toil, wanting to cast off all burdens and flee alone to a safe place.

Therefore, these Demons possessed invisibility, able to blend in with their surroundings.

Once they appeared, they would also induce feelings of laziness and pessimism in people, making them unwilling to do anything, finding everything troublesome. They especially feared responsibility and hardship, and their outlook on the future became blank.

However, due to their nature, they rarely appeared in inhabited areas, mostly found in sparsely populated mountain regions.

These Demons feared Righteous Qi. Things tempered by iron-blooded experience and a sense of national responsibility could effectively deter them.

For example, the national anthem of the Divine Land.

Or the sound of a great bell could also repel Chameleon Lizard Demons.

This wasn't naturally evolved; it was a demon born purely from resentment, a harmful demon.

"To think a demon like this could still appear in this era."

Li Ye glanced toward the quarry, tutting. "I wonder which black-hearted company is responsible. They've actually driven out a demon; they need to be thoroughly investigated."

Having spent two months at the Pest Control Bureau, he knew how to handle such situations.

He looked over at Yang Jie. "Are you alright?"

"Th-thanks."

Yang Jie stared blankly at the severed corpse for a long moment. First, he stammered out a reply, then forced a wry smile. "I heard you were training the Adamantine Gate before, and I was skeptical. I didn't expect it to be true. Are advanced martial arts really this powerful?"

There was no jealousy, nor could he muster any.

The martial arts school he belonged to did have advanced martial arts. As a top athlete in school, they could find him one, but his aptitude wasn't enough.

It was like building a nuclear bomb. The principles were there, but why didn't anyone learn it? Was it because they didn't want to?

It was simply because their aptitude wasn't sufficient, forcing them to settle for a mid-tier body-training technique. Otherwise, he wouldn't have lost to Xiang Feipeng of the Fourth Dragon Gate while using the Fifth Dragon Gate.

This demon had struck him once, and his arm was fractured. Yet, when it struck Li Ye, it had only torn his clothes, leaving him completely unharmed.

The difference was stark.

No wonder they were so successful. Reaching the state of Bell Chimes and Cauldron Feasts was a personal achievement; there was no room for envy.

"Get up first. Someone should arrive soon to treat your injuries."

Li Ye extended his hand. After helping Yang Jie up, he stared at the drones flying toward them from above and said, "The person in charge should be here soon."

It wasn't long before rustling sounds echoed through the mountains. Several figures moved rapidly, traversing the terrain with incredible agility and quickly arriving at their location.

Only then did Li Ye get a clear look. These individuals were all wearing combat fatigues, and their Blood Essence was so potent it seemed to distort the air around them, incredibly vigorous.

The military had arrived.