Caught You!

Jiang Yuan sighed. He didn't want to get involved in any messy business, and he certainly didn't want to bring a liability along.

So, he decided to bail! Coo coo!

Hah, it was hilarious. Someone might be trying to harm him in secret right now, and perhaps someone was even watching to see if he'd take the mission.

Jiang Yuan wasn't foolish enough to go straight for it.

Jiang Yuan glanced at the token in his hand.

It clearly read, 'Qihe Village, 1-3 people mission, collect the Heart of the Black Wolf...'

This mission had no time limit; it was just a material collection task. It was optional, and there was more than one such token on the wall. There wouldn't be any punishment if he didn't fulfill it.

Jiang Yuan casually put the token into his pocket.

His mind began to ponder his true destination.

It was a dangerous area east of Haiyuan City, known as Soul-Losing Mountain.

Just the name told him how perilous the place was.

This place wasn't always called that. It was said that at some point, all sorts of supernatural events began occurring in the mountain, and it was soon declared a forbidden zone by Haiyuan City.

And it was named Soul-Losing Mountain.

However, Soul-Losing Mountain was already a remote place, with no settlements or resources around it.

Even Haiyuan City, the closest city to Soul-Losing Mountain, didn't care about it, let alone other cities.

With no profit to be made and no harm to Martial Artists' interests, no one bothered to explore Soul-Losing Mountain.

Over time, the mountain's strangeness remained.

The escort agency had only symbolically posted an exploration mission with a rather low reward.

Soul-Losing Mountain was the most suitable place Jiang Yuan had chosen for his training.

Coupled with its remoteness.

If there were any abnormalities, it would be the ideal place to gain Points!

While Soul-Losing Mountain was naturally a place others avoided, for Jiang Yuan, it was a place where opportunity and crisis coexisted.

Of course, for a Qi and Blood Martial Artist to seek out abnormalities would be no different from seeking death. Qi and Blood Martial Artists had no means to deal with abnormalities; their Qi and Blood could at most prevent the weakest Ghosts and Ghouls from getting close.

But the power of the Great Sun Blazing Fire Bone gave Jiang Yuan confidence. Even if he couldn't win, he should be able to escape.

Jiang Yuan packed his equipment, strapped on his sword case, registered his destination, and then walked out of the escort agency.

As for his registered destination, it was naturally Qihe Village.

Jiang Yuan walked out of the escort agency's gate. During the day, the city was much more prosperous than it had appeared at night.

People came and went, and there were countless street vendors.

Jiang Yuan stood by the roadside, tall and slender. His escort agency uniform made him look heroic and extraordinary. The sword case on his back was conspicuous, and his slightly handsome face made many passing young women blush.

Jiang Yuan found the direction of the city gate and walked towards it, soon exiting the city.

Outside the city, it was also a scene of prosperity, with wheat fields rippling in the wind like waves.

A gentle breeze blew, refreshing the mind and spirit.

However, Jiang Yuan knew that beneath this prosperity, man-eating demons and monsters were hidden.

Jiang Yuan walked along the road with his eyes lowered, occasionally taking out a map.

It was the route map to Qihe Village he had obtained from the mission hall.

As Jiang Yuan walked, he encountered fewer and fewer people, and he moved further and further away from Haiyuan City.

Then, Jiang Yuan suddenly accelerated, quickly leaving the main road and heading rapidly towards the side.

Strangely, Jiang Yuan's shadow began to twist, and then it turned pitch black.

The surrounding light was absorbed by Jiang Yuan's shadow. The shadow wriggled slightly, and the movements of the shadow, which had a human silhouette, began to tremble slightly. This trembling was not something Jiang Yuan was doing.

The shadow's trembling was incredibly eerie.

Jiang Yuan continued to walk towards a patch of wasteland with his eyes lowered, completely unaware of the changes happening to the shadow beneath his feet.

As he ran, Jiang Yuan's shadow suddenly extended a hand.

At this moment, Jiang Yuan was still running, his hand merely waving unconsciously, not reaching out so directly.

The pitch-black hand began to reach for the shadow's own head.

Jiang Yuan suddenly stopped.

"Got you!"

A scorching flame erupted from Jiang Yuan's eyes.

A fiery glow appeared on his chest, and Jiang Yuan's Qi and Blood erupted, quickly igniting the Qi and Blood throughout his body.

Flames spread throughout his body, yet Jiang Yuan felt no heat at all. Instead, he felt a sense of comfort.

It was as if someone who had been curled up for a long time had suddenly stretched out their body.

Jiang Yuan suddenly flipped over, like a swallow returning to its nest. His body twisted in a flash of lightning, and he grabbed the ground with one hand.

To be precise, he grabbed his own shadow.

Strangely, this shadow still maintained the posture Jiang Yuan had been in just moments ago.

Except for one hand reaching towards his head, it was entirely Jiang Yuan's shadow from when he was standing.

Now, it was as if there was network lag; the shadow was still holding its previous pose.

At this moment, Jiang Yuan's pupils had turned crimson, like the hottest flames.

His fully unleashed Qi and Blood transformed into a thin, transparent blood robe covering his body. Then, the flames burning on his chest ignited the blood robe, turning it into a fire robe. Jiang Yuan, like a god of fire, commanded the flames and looked down upon the world.

Exotic Bone · Great Sun Blazing Fire Bone!

The Exotic Bone from the Martial Emperor's simulated life revealed its fangs for the first time in reality.

Jiang Yuan formed his hand into an eagle's claw, plunged it into the ground, and then pulled upwards.

A emaciated, pitch-black monkey, reduced to just bones, appeared in Jiang Yuan's hand.

Jiang Yuan's expression was blank, his eyes devoid of any emotion.

The 'monkey' in his hand was completely black, reflecting no other color. Its dark body could not reflect any light, making it impossible for outsiders to discern its exact appearance.

Jiang Yuan retracted his hand. The monkey in his grasp trembled and struggled, then its body was engulfed in flames.

The burning Abnormality was reflected in Jiang Yuan's eyes, the firelight dazzling.

The 'monkey' turned to ash and vanished into the world.

[Points +50]

Jiang Yuan snorted and quickly left the area.

He found a hidden spot, changed out of his conspicuous courier uniform, and put on a black martial arts uniform.

This type of black uniform was the most common attire for Martial Artists.

Jiang Yuan then took out a box of rouge he had casually bought on the road and smeared it across his face.

Jiang Yuan naturally didn't know any disguise techniques, but with this box of rouge haphazardly applied to his face and a change into a black uniform, a seemingly ordinary young Martial Artist appeared.

Although a close inspection would still reveal Jiang Yuan, this was the best concealment he could manage.

Jiang Yuan recognized the black monkey.

It was recorded in the Record of Demons, Monsters, and Oddities.

Shadow Demon: Thin as a monkey, pitch black, it resides within a person's shadow, constantly draining the host's spirit, energy, and vitality until the host becomes as gaunt as the Shadow Demon. At that point, the host becomes the new Shadow Demon.

Its stealth capabilities are strong; it's difficult for ordinary people to detect.

The Record of Demons, Monsters, and Oddities had very few entries, but it simply introduced many Abnormalities.

This Shadow Demon was one of them.

Abnormalities, ordinary people would fear them immensely, but as Wenzhao said.

Fear comes from the unknown, from insufficient strength.

Jiang Yuan's current strength was sufficient, allowing him to eliminate this Shadow Demon, so he naturally felt no fear.

Fortunately, he had the jade pendant gifted by Wenzhao. After Jiang Yuan left Haiyuan City, the jade pendant on his person began to emit a faint warmth.

It was this jade pendant that alerted Jiang Yuan, preventing him from heading directly towards Soul-Losing Mountain.

Instead, he walked along the direction of Qihe Village for a stretch.

It wasn't until he noticed something was wrong with his shadow that Jiang Yuan managed to capture this Shadow Demon.

"They're really brazen..."

Jiang Yuan muttered, glanced around, and ran continuously in one direction.

Fortunately, Jiang Yuan could now utilize the power of his Exotic Bone to some extent. With the boost from the Exotic Bone, he managed to wear down and kill this Shadow Demon, whose Qi and Blood were difficult to match.

Not long after, at the spot where Jiang Yuan had killed the Shadow Demon.

Two figures suddenly appeared.

"It disappeared here... What should we do? Should we cancel the plan?"

"No need. After all, he's Wenzhao's nephew. It's normal for Wenzhao to give him some means of self-preservation. However, we didn't encounter him when we arrived. He might be heading towards Qihe Village. Let's wait for him at Qihe Village!"

"Heh, just a brat. He probably doesn't even know about the existence of Shadow Demons. He just has a good uncle."