The four calamities of the mortal world were demons, monsters, ghosts, and anomalies.
Demons were born from plants and animals; monsters came from the Demon Realm's influence; ghosts were dead souls that refused to disperse. Anomalies, however, were uniquely favored by the fortune of heaven and earth. They were exceedingly rare, yet Ning Ye hadn't expected to encounter one here.
When Ning Ye realized it was an anomaly, he grew excited in an instant.
He knew this was his opportunity.
Anomalies had no fixed categories, because anything at all could become one. The Stone Lion was only its outward form; what truly mattered was the core that turned an ordinary object into an anomaly.
In the Immortal Sect, such a core was called an Extreme Anomaly Crystal.
"Anomaly" meant something that defied common sense.
"Extreme" meant something that transcended the laws of reason.
That was why anomalies were also called strange phenomena.
Some even said that anomaly crystals contained the laws of the Great Dao, and could even grant transcendence over it. That made them prized treasures coveted by the Immortal Sect, far more valuable than Ghost Essence or monster cores.
Ghost Essence, monster cores, and Demon Beads were merely materials for refining treasures. How could they compare to the precious value of an anomaly crystal? If one could discern the laws of the Great Dao within it, the benefits would last far longer.
So when Yue Xiuxiu saw that it was an anomaly, she was both shocked and delighted. She reacted quickly: just as the Stone Lion opened its mouth to bite, her body turned into a stream of water.
Crack!
The Stone Lion bit down on a mouthful of water. The stream splashed outward, landed a short distance away, and gathered back into Yue Xiuxiu's shape. Her face was deathly pale; that move had clearly cost her dearly.
But her opponent was an anomaly. Compared with the potential reward, this small loss was nothing.
Yue Xiuxiu was excited and ready to fight, but Ning Ye turned and ran.
"Hey! What are you doing?" Yue Xiuxiu shouted angrily.
Ning Ye ignored her.
Right now, he'd be better off if Yue Xiuxiu stayed here and died in the anomaly's jaws.
The next moment, the Stone Lion slowly opened its mouth. The earth trembled, and every house began to shake. Countless pillars of mud and stone thrust up from underground, enclosing the entire town.
Yue Xiuxiu was horrified. At last, she understood why Ning Ye had run.
The anomaly's spell had reached the Hualun Realm. It was far beyond anything they could handle.
Heaven had sent them an anomaly, yet she couldn't kill it and claim its treasures. Yue Xiuxiu's heart ached. The stone formation was almost finished enclosing the town. Ning Ye had run fast and already escaped, but she was too late. Gritting her teeth, she took out a talisman and vanished in an instant.
It was a Light Escape Talisman. When she reappeared, she was beside Ning Ye, outside the town with him.
Seeing that Yue Xiuxiu hadn't died, Ning Ye could only sigh in frustration.
No wonder this woman dared to come alone. Her fighting ability was ordinary, but she had plenty of ways to save her own life.
Yue Xiuxiu leapt away. "We need to hurry and report this to Master!"
Her cultivation was still low; she couldn't yet send a message with a fire talisman or a flying sword. She could only run back, but fortunately the journey wasn't far. She could get there in a day.
Tell her master?
Ning Ye sneered inwardly. By the time Gongsun Ye arrived, the opportunity would be long gone. And even if he did make it in time, what would Ning Ye get out of it?
But he said nothing of the sort. He only replied, "Right. We should hurry."
Yet he kept moving at an unhurried pace. The anomaly didn't seem interested in chasing them. Once they ran, it stopped, settling back into the shape of a motionless Stone Lion.
Yue Xiuxiu noticed and was deeply puzzled. "Why isn't it chasing us? And why didn't it attack when we were fighting the demons outside?"
Ning Ye replied, "Those three demons weren't its companions. They probably didn't even know there was an anomaly here. As for why it isn't chasing us, I don't know."
How could Ning Ye not know?
The Immortal Sect was far too fascinated by anomalies. The moment they heard of one, they would come from a thousand miles away to investigate.
If the anomaly hadn't been exposed by the Blood Demon's blood, it wouldn't have shown itself at all. Now that it had been exposed, its first thought was to flee, not to kill.
But he wasn't about to tell Yue Xiuxiu any of that. He'd let her believe the anomaly had spared them.
As they ran, Ning Ye slowed down more and more. Yue Xiuxiu snapped, "Hey, could you hurry up?"
Ning Ye retorted irritably, "I haven't learned any movement techniques. I can't keep up with someone as light-footed as you, Junior Sister."
Yue Xiuxiu was left speechless. Thinking the anomaly was more important, she said, "Then take your time back there. I'll return to the mountain first."
With that, she picked up speed and went ahead.
"Sure is a woman with no loyalty," Ning Ye sneered as he watched her go.
Still, he'd rather she had no loyalty. Otherwise, how could he deal with the anomaly?
Once Yue Xiuxiu was far away, Ning Ye turned back toward the town.
But as soon as he reached it, he saw a cultivator approaching in the distance.
Damn it. Someone else had noticed the commotion and come over after all.
Knowing this was bad, Ning Ye hurriedly slipped aside. The cultivator had reached the town by then. He wore a white cultivator's robe, embroidered with a large character: "Joy."
Seeing it, Ning Ye understood. The man was from the Extreme Joy Sect.
The Extreme Joy Sect was a small sect under the Ink Continent, with little strength. But it had a special method of making medicine, and could produce a substance called Bliss Powder. After taking it, a person's will drifted away, as if they were in a world of bliss. Immortals were very fond of it, especially those who knew their talent was limited and had no hope of advancing. They often became obsessed with the substance, savoring the pleasures of that world of bliss.
It was somewhat like the drugs of Ning Ye's previous life, except it wasn't physically addictive. But while it wasn't addictive to the body, it could still ensnare the mind. Many immortals despised it, yet others liked it, and that was how the Extreme Joy Sect had gained the protection of the Black and White Divine Palace.
Seeing that the man was from the Extreme Joy Sect, Ning Ye thought for a moment, then went into the woods nearby. He took off the clothes that marked him as a disciple of the Black and White Divine Palace, put on the Death Soul Mask, and activated his stealth as he crept toward town.
Meanwhile, the Extreme Joy Sect cultivator walked around the ruins of the town hall, muttering, "Strange. It appeared right here. Why is it gone now?"
He spotted Feng Jiu, grabbed him, and demanded, "Tell me! What happened here?"
Feng Jiu stammered out what had happened. The Extreme Joy Sect cultivator was stunned.
An anomaly? It really was an anomaly?
Greed surged within him. He struck Feng Jiu dead with a single blow, then countless white butterflies flew from his sleeve, scattering toward every household.
He intended to kill everyone here.
By the time Ning Ye had changed clothes and returned, there wasn't a single living person left in town. Countless white butterflies were flying back into the Extreme Joy Sect cultivator's sleeve.
"Cruel bastard!" Ning Ye was shocked by the cultivator's ruthless methods.
After slaughtering the whole town, the Extreme Joy Sect cultivator glanced at the Stone Lion, then shook his head. "It's no longer here."
The Stone Lion wasn't the anomaly itself, only an object controlled by it. Now that it had been exposed, of course it had fled.
The next moment, he sat cross-legged and began casting a spell. A brilliant radiance formed beneath his feet. Then the cultivator barked a command, and countless streams of blood flew out from the townspeople's corpses, splattering in every direction.
Since blood could expose an anomaly, he would use the townspeople's blood to force it into view.
In an instant, the entire Ancient Spring Town was dyed red.
Just then, something suddenly flew out.
It was a Teacup, but it had sprouted legs and was sprinting wildly.
"So there you are!" the cultivator roared with laughter. He cast a spell, and a hazy gray mist swept toward the anomaly.
The Teacup anomaly shrieked and unleashed Mud-Stone Spikes once more, hurling them at the cultivator.
The white butterflies from his sleeve danced again, scattering countless particles of pollen. The pollen and gray mist mingled, turning into a gray-white fog. Beneath that fog, all the Mud-Stone Spikes melted away like ice.
How powerful. This man's cultivation was only at the early Hualun Realm, but even at the same early stage of the realm, the anomaly lacked true spells and divine abilities. It was no match for him in battle.
Seeing this, Ning Ye realized that even if the Hualun cultivator expended a great deal of energy killing the anomaly, Ning Ye still wouldn't be able to beat him.
He had to help the anomaly.
Once he realized this, Ning Ye lit a Soul-Lodging Token and entered the Thousand Mechanism Hall with his mind.
Using a single Soul-Lodging Token to calculate a Hualun cultivator's moves was truly wasteful, but Ning Ye had no better option.
The image in the Kunlun Mirror shifted. Ning Ye saw what he wanted.
"So that's how it is." Ning Ye was overjoyed. He left the Thousand Mechanism Hall and sent a message to the anomaly: "One of those butterflies is his Life-Bound Butterfly. I'll help you lock onto it. Destroy it, and he'll be gravely wounded."
The anomaly hadn't expected this advice. It knew the immortal hiding in the shadows likely had ulterior motives, but it still followed Ning Ye's suggestion. Guided by its mind, it locked onto a white butterfly in a corner and formed a giant spike to smash into it.
The Hualun cultivator hadn't expected this turn of events. In his desperation, he hurried to protect his Life-Bound Butterfly, but he couldn't stop the anomaly's all-out attack. The white butterfly was struck and grievously wounded. The Hualun cultivator cried out and collapsed.
He wasn't dead yet. In his panic, he pulled out a talisman and pressed it against himself.
But as he did, light flashed. A Light Armor Technique had appeared on his body.
The Light Armor Technique was a defensive spell, though only of average strength. But that brief protection kept him from attaching the talisman.
Faced with this sudden turn, the cultivator immediately realized what had happened. He shouted, "Which great master is there? I, Lü, know my mistake! I'll leave at once and give up the anomaly!"
Ning Ye ignored him. He sent a Seventh-Grade Flying Sword Talisman flying, aiming straight for the Life-Bound Butterfly.
It was the most powerful talisman in his possession. Struck by it, the Life-Bound Butterfly burst apart on the spot. The cultivator cried out and fell. With his Life-Bound Butterfly destroyed, he wasn't necessarily dead, but he was gravely wounded and could barely cast spells.
Ning Ye was about to strike again when a series of stone pillars rose, turning into a stone cage around the cultivator. Then the ground turned to quicksand, and the cultivator sank beneath it.
It was the anomaly. It had actually protected the cultivator.
Ning Ye looked again and heard the Teacup anomaly rasp, "You helped me because you wanted to kill me, didn't you? You're the person from earlier, disguised so your companion wouldn't discover you. If you kill me, I'll let him go and expose you as a disciple of the Black and White Divine Palace."
Damn it!
A powerful enemy wasn't so bad. A smart one was the real problem!
Before you continue