Desperate Situation

Chapter 42: Desperate Situation

The mountain wasn't far.

Therefore, Ning Xuan was very close to the mountain.

He remained silent under an old tree for several breaths.

During these few breaths, he changed with every passing breath.

He cast aside all hope, all emotion, all hesitation, all fear, all thoughts, until only the most cruel and ruthless glint remained in his eyes, and then he began to walk towards the mountain.

At this moment, he was utterly unfamiliar even to himself.

His eyes held only indifference, disregarding the lives of others as much as his own.

Just as he was still a very, very long distance from the mountain, or rather, after he had only walked a few hundred zhang, something unexpected happened.

With his next step, he abruptly passed through a boundary and returned to his original spot.

Above him was the sprawling canopy of the old tree, lush and verdant, casting shadows. A few leaves, hanging downwards, swayed precariously.

'I've only walked such a short distance and already hit the boundary?'

Ning Xuan quickly walked to the side.

After a few hundred zhang, he returned to his original spot again.

He continued to try.

Soon, he confirmed one thing.

This nightmare was very, very small, so small that it was merely a circle with a radius of a few hundred zhang.

This circular area, apart from a few sparse trees, had no cover. The terrain was flat, with distant mountains and even ice mountains lying like a backdrop around it.

The moonlight was bright, illuminating the towering mountains.

But he couldn't get there.

Ning Xuan searched meticulously once more.

Then, he was completely certain: not only was the area small and without cover, but there were also no extra weapons or treasures.

All he had was the Beast Slaying Saber in his hand and the faint blue flying knife in his embrace.

Once he confirmed these things, Ning Xuan stopped wasting energy. He sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes to rest, and prepared to face the coming Yao and Mo in his best state.

Not long after, the sky brightened.

The pale, fierce sun cast a pale light.

A buzzing sound, tinged with anxiety, came from not far away.

"Where's my weapon? Where did my weapon go?"

Ning Xuan sprang up quickly and looked in the direction of the sound.

He saw a bear demon, about a zhang tall, standing in an open space in the distance.

A good bear demon, its form like a white jade high pavilion, its presence like mountains rushing and seas surging, its fur like willow catkins in snow, its pupils clear, its fangs retracted. Upon closer inspection, it even had a somewhat benevolent appearance.

As Ning Xuan looked at the White Bear Demon, the White Bear Demon also saw him.

The White Bear Demon abruptly asked, "Have you seen my weapon?"

Ning Xuan's fingers twitched slightly, and the faint blue flying knife slowly flew out from his embrace.

"Is it this?" he asked.

The White Bear Demon replied, "No."

Ning Xuan said, "I can't see clearly from afar. I'll let you see it up close."

Saying this, he moved his mind, and the flying knife slowly glided towards the White Bear Demon.

When it was close, the power of his flesh and blood instantly erupted. The power of "Yan He" attached itself to the flying knife, accelerating suddenly at extremely close range, and the air exploded with a boom.

Although he couldn't use "Yan Chao" at this moment, at such close range and with such strong burst, even the Bodhisattva Golden Body of the Stealing Incense Rat couldn't resist it.

A faint blue light flashed past and entered the White Bear Demon's brow.

The next instant, a piercing shriek came from where the flying knife and the brow met.

Ning Xuan's pupils contracted.

His flying knife had not managed to pierce the White Bear Demon's head; it had been blocked.

The White Bear Demon furrowed its brow, and two scales suddenly appeared between its eyes. The scales clamped onto the flying knife.

Just by furrowing its brow, Ning Xuan's full-power attack at close range was blocked!!

Immediately after, the White Bear Demon raised its claw and grabbed the flying knife.

Its claws were also covered in a layer of scales.

With such claws, after grabbing the magical flying knife, it applied force and squeezed. A grating, ear-splitting sound was produced.

The White Bear Demon frowned slightly, and scales also appeared on its arm.

He rubbed it again.

The sharp sound of the blade scraping iron came swiftly.

Several breaths

The claws loosened again, casually tossing it aside.

Pa pa pa pa

The flying knife shattered completely, breaking into countless fragments that fell to the ground.

After doing this, the White Bear Demon looked at Ning Xuan again, twisted its neck, and clenched its fists. The scale-like armor that had been around its body began to reappear, and it did so faster and faster.

Ning Xuan should have been afraid, and he was indeed very scared, but more than fear, he had learned to observe in these most desperate and unsolvable moments, to gather as much information as possible, and then, when there was nowhere left to hide, to fight the powerful enemy with all his might.

At this moment, his body was slightly crouched, striking the preparatory stance of the "Swallow Return Step" he had used before.

The air was silent to the extreme.

Under the pale sunlight, a leaf from the old tree drifted down leisurely.

THUD!!

The White Bear Demon took a step forward.

The ground was like a giant beating a drum, struck hard.

The White Bear Demon's figure appeared before Ning Xuan.

Ning Xuan's body had only just managed to lean back when the White Bear Demon was already in front of him.

Ning Xuan's Beast Slaying Saber was still sheathed. His plan was to resolve the situation like he had with the Mountain Crashing Bear Demon the first time: use the saber as a pivot, avoid the bear-type demon's wide, sweeping attacks with a spiral trajectory, evade the solid and attack the void, and after dodging the initial impact, immediately counterattack with his strongest force.

But the White Bear Demon was already in front of him.

He didn't have time to do anything else.

Man and bear faced each other.

Ning Xuan gritted his teeth, channeling strength into his hands, gripping the Beast Slaying Saber tightly. With the saber still in its sheath, he raised it high like a soaring swallow. The saber light trailed a sharp whine as it violently slashed upwards from below, striking the White Bear Demon's abdomen, and then dragged upwards.

Chii chii chii chii

Squeak squeak squeak squeak

Where the blade passed, a line of scales rapidly appeared on the White Bear Demon's body.

But halfway through the slash, the White Bear Demon pressed down.

BOOM!

Ning Xuan felt his entire body shatter.

However, he still had a surge of strength, enough to kill himself. After all, he hadn't forgotten the pain of being eaten bite by bite by the bear demon.

But just then, the White Bear Demon's eyes, looking at him, were filled with rage.

"Evil deeds lead to a pot of boiling oil, good deeds ascend to cool clarity. You spoke falsehoods, took lives, and deserve to die!"

With that, the White Bear Demon raised its claw and slammed down fiercely.

Ning Xuan's vision went black.

[Nine-Two].

Under the old tree, Ning Xuan opened his eyes.

He was quite curious.

The White Bear Demon hadn't eaten him?

Had he been killed by the White Bear Demon's claw?

"Evil deeds lead to a pot of boiling oil, good deeds ascend to cool clarity?" Ning Xuan muttered the words the bear demon had spoken before attacking, pondering, "Does it mean I lied to it before, and then sneak-attacked it, so it was an evil deed, and thus I deserved to die?"

Ning Xuan saw a new path before his eyes.

Up close just now, he had seen clearly that the bear demon's scales were not true "scales" but something produced by the compression of muscle strength.

His full-power strike couldn't even break the bear demon's defense.

In other words, even if the bear demon stood still and let him hack at it, he wouldn't be able to cut through it at all.

Therefore, he felt it was necessary to try another path.

Daylight

slowly descended.

An anxious buzzing sound came from the distance.

"Where's my weapon? Where did my weapon go?"

The White Bear Demon looked around, and upon seeing Ning Xuan, it asked again, "Did you see my weapon?"

Ning Xuan's fingers twitched slightly, and the dark blue flying knife slowly flew out from his embrace.

"Is this it?" he asked.

The White Bear Demon shook its head.

Ning Xuan took out the Beast Slaying Saber again and asked, "Is it this one?"

The White Bear Demon still shook its head.

Ning Xuan said, "I'll help you look for it."

The White Bear Demon nodded, then grinned and said, "You're quite a nice person."

Ning Xuan replied, "When you're out and about, everyone has their troubles. If you can help, you should."

Immediately, he and the White Bear Demon began searching for the "weapon" together.

He asked the White Bear Demon what kind of weapon it was, but the White Bear Demon said nothing, only stating, "If I see it, I'll recognize it."

The man and the Yao searched and searched.

They searched for more than half a day.

As the scorching sun descended once more and the black moon rose again, the White Bear Demon suddenly asked, "Are you hungry?"

Ning Xuan nodded.

As soon as he nodded, he felt a sharp pain in his spine.

Crack.

His spine broke.

He fell backward but was caught steadily in mid-air.

The White Bear Demon gently placed him on the ground, then sat cross-legged beside his feet, mumbling some scriptures. It then said solemnly, "Those who do evil enter boiling oil, those who cultivate good ascend to coolness. Since you are a good person, I shall guide you today, allowing you to merge with my body. This way, you can chant scriptures with me in the future, bathe in incense and offerings, and ascend to paradise sooner. Amitabha."

After speaking, the White Bear Demon grabbed Ning Xuan's foot and began to devour it with relish.