Heavenly Demon Scroll

Chapter 3: 3. Heavenly Demon Scroll (Third Update)

In agony, Ning Xuan's mind suddenly stirred. He quickly turned the dagger he was about to stab the Bear Demon with towards himself.

At that instant, a line of red text flashed before his eyes.

[Three out of Ten]

Pfft!

The dagger plunged into his throat.

It hurt.

But it was nowhere near as painful as being gnawed by the bear.

Ning Xuan gave a violent twist, and the sharp dagger sliced through his throat as easily as cutting tofu.

He lay on the ground, blood gushing from his neck with a glug glug sound. His consciousness quickly blurred.

When he opened his eyes again, he was much calmer.

He instinctively touched his neck. It was completely healed.

He lay on his back on the bed, looking at the hanging white gauze curtains, then slowly sat up.

The room was still entirely gray.

He mumbled to himself:

"If suicide works, at least it can alleviate the pain of the bear's gnawing."

"But what does 'three out of ten' mean?"

After a brief silence, he rushed out of the room, went to the guardhouse, grabbed a dagger and a saber, and then quickly held the dagger to his neck.

The bloody red text reappeared:

[Four out of Ten].

He focused and saw that after [Four out of Ten], another line of small text slowly appeared: If not successful after seven times, the ending will be irreversible, and the nightmare will never end.

So, "ten" was the maximum number of cycles, and "four" represented the current cycle count. When he tried to commit suicide, this information would appear, warning him against foolish actions.

A sense of powerlessness immediately washed over Ning Xuan.

He couldn't imagine how he would succeed in the remaining seven cycles.

"At least I need to injure that Bear Demon first."

Ning Xuan thought, and then practiced with the saber under the moonlight.

At first, his saber was dull and clumsy, but soon the saber became agile. Then, in one instance, it erupted with the "brilliance" unique to a trained martial artist.

His body was as light as a swallow. He suddenly slashed, unleashing a saber light like splashing snow. As he retracted it, he drew a beautiful arc, like the trajectory of an elegant flying swallow soaring through the sky.

This was the Swallow Chasing Wind Saber.

When Ning Xuan transmigrated here, he had once thought this world might possess some extraordinary powers. He had pursued and searched for them but found nothing. Therefore, he had also devoted himself to martial arts, not aiming to become a great master, but merely to be able to protect himself.

He had practiced the core three stances of the Swallow Chasing Wind Saber proficiently.

First Stance: Flying Swallow Chasing Wind. It emphasizes speed. If one can kill with speed, why need a second strike?

Second Stance: Swallow Piercing Raging Waves. It emphasizes power. With the speed accumulated from the first stance, combined with the technique of channeling strength, this strike becomes exceptionally powerful and forceful, just like a flying swallow piercing through angry tides and raging waves.

Third Stance: Skillful Swallow Returning to Roost. It emphasizes retreat. Even while retreating, it still conceals a killing intent. It can be considered a 'returning horse spear' or a 'dragging saber' technique, where the saber is swung back and strikes again while retreating, catching the opponent off guard.

He spent half an hour revisiting this almost forgotten saber technique, reactivating his "muscle memory," and then hung the saber at his waist.

Ning Xuan still remembered that there was a master in this manor. The master was an old man with kind features, yet the fierce guards showed him immense respect, a respect written on their faces.

He recalled briefly and went to the old man's room, rummaging through drawers and cabinets.

After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, he held a dark, chilling metal tube. He had found it in a secret box under the old man's bed.

The bottom of the black tube had a simple and clear strap, obviously designed to be secured to the arm. The mechanism was at the top, allowing it to be triggered with one hand.

Ning Xuan secured it to his left arm, then slightly bent his arm, adjusted it, and continued until he was sure it was completely fine.

"It's not enough."

Ning Xuan recalled the previous few times.

The first time, he had no weapon, and the Bear Demon had immediately started gnawing.

But since the second time he brought a weapon, the Bear Demon had always gnawed him from behind.

The Bear Demon's skin was extremely thick, like heavy armor, making it difficult for even swords and spears to penetrate. Even if there were powerful hidden weapons inside this metal tube, they probably wouldn't be able to shoot through.

The young man stood in the courtyard in the night breeze, deep in thought. He looked up and saw that the moon had passed its zenith, and dawn was not far away.

Suddenly, he had an idea.

At least he could try.

In the hanging basket.

Ning Xuan stood quietly.

He changed into a robe with wide sleeves.

He had already done his utmost to calm himself and conserve his strength.

His eyes were filled with sharpness, focus, bloodlust, and madness.

There is great terror in the face of life and death, let alone that he had died three times!

Not only died, but was eaten alive!

Three times!

The sky slowly brightened.

The pale, scorching sun cast a pale light, illuminating the mountains and the sea of mist in a ghastly white.

A drop of foul-smelling bear saliva dripped from above.

Ning Xuan looked up, meeting the Bear Demon's playful grin.

The next instant, the Bear Demon grabbed the rope of the basket, and Ning Xuan leaped out of it.

Whoosh!!

The Bear Demon yanked the basket up. The empty basket flew backward like a stone hurled by a trebuchet.

Ning Xuan moved his left hand, inserting a dagger into a crack in the rock. The dagger was extremely fast; he had tested it repeatedly and confirmed the rock crack.

Man and demon faced each other once more from a distance.

The Bear Demon's playfulness froze, turning into rage.

Ning Xuan, meanwhile, hung in mid-air, gripping the dagger with one hand.

Another instant.

Snap!

The empty basket landed. The Bear Demon hunched its body, its two bear legs wrapping around an old tree, its claws reaching down as if to scoop the moon. It was ten feet tall, and by rights, it should have been able to reach Ning Xuan.

Unfortunately, this time, Ning Xuan's basket had descended very deep.

He had lowered himself from the cliff, seemingly having no intention of climbing back up.

However, if he wished to return, he only needed to leap into the cliff.

The Bear Demon, it seemed, did not know this.

It reached down several times, but could not reach Ning Xuan.

Man and demon met eyes again amidst the swaying.

The Bear Demon said, "Such a clever brain must be delicious, and such a strong body must be chewy."

Ning Xuan reminded it, "This cliff is very deep."

The Bear Demon said, in a very human-like manner, "How deep?"

Ning Xuan replied, "You'll know if you jump down."

And at that very moment, the Bear Demon suddenly leaped. Its body plunged downward headfirst, its sharp claws suddenly shooting out, several inches long, like weapons fitted with steel claws.

Chii!!

The claws dug into the cliff face.

The Bear Demon re-secured itself, hanging upside down on the cliff like a giant gecko. It was now very close to Ning Xuan.

"Fool, bears can climb trees. I've cultivated into a demon; how could I not climb this kind of mountain?"

As it spoke, it rapidly climbed towards Ning Xuan.

Its massive, stout body, like armor, exuded a terrifying pressure. Its face drew nearer, its eyes flashing with cold light.

And those eyes drew closer and closer to Ning Xuan's dangling hand.

When they were close enough

Ning Xuan suddenly let go of his left hand.

The Bear Demon was startled. Not wanting its prey to escape, it quickly reached down with both hands as if to scoop the moon.

Its face drew even closer. Ning Xuan looked upward, his sleeve cuff flipping open to reveal a dark, cold, metallic tube, pointed directly at the Bear Demon's face, or rather, the Bear Demon's face lunged towards his left hand.

He pulled the trigger.

In an instant, like a sudden summer downpour, a barrage of long and short needles swept upward, covering everything. These were specially made Pear Blossom Needles, which now transformed into a sudden, falling rain, engulfing the Bear Demon's entire face.

The Bear Demon had no time to close its eyes, and its pupils were immediately pierced by the needles.

But Ning Xuan's waist was also struck fiercely by the Bear Demon's grab.

Sharp claws dug into his flesh.

Ning Xuan grunted in pain, then his right hand grabbed the saber and swung it, the saber heavily slashing across the Bear Demon's face once more.

The Bear Demon cried out in pain, "Aoo!" A wisp of black smoke scattered from the wound and drifted onto Ning Xuan, while the Bear Demon itself appeared slightly weakened.

Its claws consequently loosened, allowing Ning Xuan to fall further down.

Bang!

Ning Xuan landed back in the bedroom.

His waist felt like it was burning, but he was suddenly surprised to find his arms had thickened considerably, transforming from a "pretty boy's" skinny arms into the muscular arms of a "strong man."

"The Bear Demon's power was transferred through the black smoke. As long as I can injure it, I can plunder its strength. I don't understand what this is, but this nightmare reincarnation was strange from the start. This must be the key to breaking through," Ning Xuan understood.

Just then, an enraged roar sounded in the distance.

The house began to collapse, the walls shattered, and the pitch-black Bear Demon charged like a black whirlwind, crushing everything in its path.

Ning Xuan gripped his long saber and walked out of the bedroom, standing in the courtyard.

His speed and strength were far inferior to the Bear Demon's.

However, he at least had the will to fight to the death.

"Flying Swallow Chasing Wind, Swallow Piercing Raging Waves!"

He charged towards the Bear Demon, swinging the most fierce and intense saber strike towards death.

This strike, empowered by the strength he had just gained, actually let out a thunderous roar in mid-air.

[5/10]

On the bed, as Ning Xuan dug his fingers into his neck, words flashed before his eyes.

His gaze shifted slightly, and he glanced at his strengthened arms.

The enhancement he had gained from the Bear Demon's blood seemed to have not disappeared with the reincarnation.

Then...

Lines of information suddenly appeared before his eyes:

[Ning Xuan]

[Heavenly Demon Scroll: Mountain Crashing Bear (7/100)]

[Life (Physique): 1]

[Nature (Spirit): 1]

And at this moment, the "1" in the [Life] column slowly shifted forward, becoming "1 (1.1)", with small text beside it: "Extra increase from Heavenly Demon Scroll."