The root cause of the hunters disappearing on Partridge Mountain wasn't human wrongdoing, but a demonic disaster.
Nanfeng City had invited Li Lantian over for one reason: not to rescue any hunters, but to exterminate Demonic Evil.
As it happened, Li Lantian had been famous in Nanfeng City for years. With his solid Mid-grade Martial Artist cultivation, he counted as a Great Master even in this remote southern county of Dagan.
And back in his younger days as an escort, Li Lantian had incurred many debts of gratitude.
As the saying went, one couldn't help oneself in Jianghu. There were many things Li Lantian couldn't decide for himself.
Perhaps even Li Lantian hadn't expected that this would be his end.
A long dragon of fire wound along the rugged mountain road of Partridge Mountain.
Li Xian looked up at Partridge Mountain, crouched across the earth in the darkness like a giant beast, and let out a long sigh.
"Second Young Master of the Li Family."
Hearing the voice behind him, Li Xian turned around. It was Captain Chen.
"Captain Chen, you can call me Li Xian."
"Then I'll call you Young Master Li." Captain Chen smiled. "Come to think of it, I've never met the eldest young master of your family."
"My elder brother excelled in his studies. He's been studying at White Deer Academy in Songzhou Prefecture these past few years!"
"I see." Captain Chen paused, then added, "Actually, you didn't need to come."
Li Xian lowered his head and thought for a moment. "As his son, I should at least come and help take care of my father's remains. After all, he was a prominent figure in Nanfeng City. This way, he can have some dignity."
In the darkness, silence hung heavy and hard to bear.
After a long while, Captain Chen spoke again. "This Demonic Evil isn't simple. You shouldn't get involved. I don't want to go to an old friend's home to deliver the news of his son's death twice."
What he meant was that even he lacked confidence in dealing with this Demonic Evil.
An inscrutable light flickered in Li Xian's eyes.
He'd been in this world for so long, and had only heard of Demonic Evil. He'd never seen one with his own eyes.
The reason he'd volunteered to come to Partridge Mountain this time was partly to recover Li Lantian's remains, and partly to meet the so-called Demonic Evil of this world.
As for his safety...
Even now, no one in this world had seen Li Xian truly go all out.
Perhaps the Demonic Evil on Partridge Mountain would make him use his full strength.
"Captain Chen, can ordinary people really not deal with Demonic Evil?" Li Xian asked.
"It's hard!" Captain Chen shook his head. "Even someone as powerful as your father, Li Lantian, ended up vanishing without a trace when he faced Demonic Evil. What chance would you have?"
He fixed his gaze on Li Xian and said earnestly, "Young Master Li, I won't stop you from coming, since I know you're doing it out of filial piety. So I'll let you come along. But if you want to make it back alive, don't leave my side."
Li Xian smiled. "I'll listen to you."
"Good."
"My lord, there's something up ahead."
The advancing group suddenly came to a halt. After a brief commotion, a young constable hurried over to report.
"Take me to see." Captain Chen's voice was grave.
Li Xian followed close behind to take a look.
At the very front of the group stood a dense forest. Around its edge, several corpses hung with their eyes still open. When the mountain wind blew, they swayed with it.
The eerie, terrifying sight weighed on everyone's hearts like a giant stone.
At last, Captain Chen broke the silence. His voice was hoarse as he said, "Take them all down."
The corpses were still dressed in constables' uniforms. They were clearly members of the group sent here some time ago to exterminate the Demonic Evil.
Li Xian glanced over their faces. When he didn't see his father, Li Lantian, he felt a faint sense of relief.
The constables from the County Office were just about to step forward and take down the hanging corpses.
Suddenly, a foul wind swept through the woods.
Li Xian furrowed his brow.
Captain Chen's eyes widened with fury, and he roared.
"Come back!"
The constables at the edge of the forest didn't understand what was happening. They turned back with puzzled expressions.
In the blink of an eye, a shadow burst from the pitch-dark woods. It darted forward like a hare and leaped away like a falcon; several heads hit the ground.
"It's a demon! A demon!"
"Come back!"
"Don't run around!"
Blood sprayed as people cried out in terror. The flames whipped wildly, and the entire group fell into chaos.
Only Li Xian and Captain Chen remained seated on their horses, their expressions calm.
"Young Master Li, you're even more composed than I expected." Captain Chen looked at him with approval.
Li Xian replied, "At a time like this, staying by your side is the safest thing to do."
Captain Chen smiled, then his expression turned serious. He slowly drew the long saber at his waist.
The moment the saber was in his hand, he swung it around, and blazing flames erupted along its length.
This was...
Fire Control?
Li Xian was deeply shaken.
So there really were people in this world who were born with the Divine ability to command fire and water.
In an instant, the foul wind rose again, and the shadow appeared once more.
This time, Captain Chen had been waiting, ready to strike.
He leaped from his horse, his figure swift as an arrow. In a single bound, he crossed several meters, bringing his flaming saber straight down.
A clash of metal rang out.
Captain Chen's saber couldn't cut through the Demonic Evil?
By the light of the flames, Li Xian saw its true appearance.
Its body was covered in thick black fur. Its long arms were thick and powerful, and its face was a strange blend of human and beast.
The Demonic Evil bared its enormous, bloody mouth and roared at Captain Chen. Li Xian could even make out its ugly yellow teeth.
"It's a Mountain Imp! That's a Mountain Imp!"
Someone shrieked in terror.
"Everyone, get back! I'll take this thing on!"
Amid the flames, Captain Chen shouted at the panicked group.
The other young constables obeyed, scattering far away and leaving the battlefield to Captain Chen.
The fight soon erupted again. Captain Chen's flaming saber whipped through the air, while the Mountain Imp barreled into him, its body as hard as steel. The battle was fierce, and neither side gained the upper hand.
"Ah!"
Just then, Captain Chen suddenly heard several sharp, anguished screams nearby.
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