The blade's tip was only half an inch from my throat.
The wind stopped, and so did every sound. I heard my own heartbeat pounding against my eardrums like a drumbeat, each thud slower than the last. I could not move. My spiritual power had been completely drained, and I could not even lift a fingertip. The spirit beast was pinned to the ground, barely breathing.
Just then, a voice rang out in my mind.
[Ding—Hidden quest "First Battle Against Many Enemies · Do Not Yield an Inch" completed. Reward issued: mid-grade Dharma treasure · Demon-Slaying Thunder Talisman Seal]
The voice came suddenly, yet it was as clear as if it had been carved into my bones. I snapped my eyes open and instinctively reached forward with my right hand. My palm sank as something cold dropped into it.
It was a bronze seal, its four corners worn down and its surface covered in fine patterns. It gave off a faint vibration beneath my fingers, as though something was flowing inside it. I had no time to examine it closely, but instinct told me this was what the system had just mentioned.
The lesser demon leader's blade continued forward.
I bit my tongue, and the taste of blood flooded my throat. Strength exploded from my chest. I raised my hand, held the Bronze Seal before me, and poured the last thread of spiritual power in my body into it.
The bottom of the seal lit up.
Purple light flashed, and the air overhead exploded. A thick bolt of lightning struck down from the seal, hitting the lesser demon leader squarely in the shoulder. It did not even have time to scream before it was blasted away, crashing into a group of its companions. Its bone blade flew from its hand, spun several times in the air, and buried itself in the dirt.
The aftershock swept through the area, throwing every lesser demon within five steps to the ground. Some twitched and could not get up. Others passed out on the spot. A burnt stench filled the air, mixed with the smell of blood and filth, making me want to vomit.
I did not stop.
Bracing myself on my knees, I rose to my feet. I clenched the Bronze Seal in my left hand and pointed it at the remaining demons. They were still sprawled on the ground, each of them looking up at me with terror in their eyes.
"Come any closer," I said, my voice so hoarse it barely sounded like mine, "and I'll use a second bolt of lightning to split your leader's skull."
No one moved.
Several lesser demons exchanged looks and slowly backed away. One had just turned around when I raised the Bronze Seal a little higher. It immediately shrank back into place, not daring to move again.
I remained standing, though my legs were already shaking. That strike had used up every bit of strength I had left. I was only holding myself up by sheer will. If those creatures truly dared to rush me, I might not be able to unleash a second bolt of lightning.
But they did not dare.
A few seconds later, no one knew who ran first, but they all turned and fled one after another. Some even abandoned their weapons, stepping on their companions' backs as they scrambled away. Their leader lay on the ground with half its body charred black, smoke pouring from its mouth. It clearly would not survive.
The siege was over.
I let out a breath, and my knees buckled, nearly sending me to the ground. I hurriedly grabbed a broken stone beside me and barely managed to steady myself. The Bronze Seal was still hot in my hand. I gripped it tightly, afraid it would disappear the moment I let go.
I turned to look at the spirit beast.
It was still lying on the ground. There was a deep gash in its hind leg, blood pouring from it without end. It also had scrapes and bruises elsewhere, and the light on its horn had completely gone out. When it saw me approach, its ears twitched and its tail gave a faint wag, telling me it was all right.
I tore off the hem of my Daoist robe, pushed aside the fur around its wound, and wrapped the cloth around it layer by layer. My movements were slow, afraid of hurting it. After bandaging it, I took out the last Qi-Restoring Pill from my storage pouch and placed it in its mouth.
"Swallow it."
It swallowed with great difficulty. Once it had finished, it closed its eyes, and its breathing gradually steadied. I knew it could not hold on much longer. It had fought to its limit in this battle.
So had I.
I sat down against a rock and placed the Bronze Seal on my lap. It had not cooled yet, and the lightning patterns on its surface were still slowly shifting. I stared at it for a long time before finally confirming that this was not an illusion.
This was the first time the system had given me something during a battle.
It was not a cultivation technique, nor was it a pill. It was a Dharma treasure that could save my life. And it had appeared only when I was about to die, as though it had deliberately chosen that exact moment.
I lowered my head and looked at my hands.
My fingernails had turned bluish, my knuckles were pale, and my palms were covered in sweat. The wound on my calf was still bleeding, soaking through my pant leg. But I ignored it. The most urgent thing now was to recover a little spiritual power. Otherwise, if those lesser demons came back to their senses and launched another attack, neither of us would be able to leave.
I closed my eyes and tried to guide my breath.
My meridians were empty, like a dried-up riverbed. There was not the slightest ripple in my dantian. In this state, it would take at least several hours to recover, but I was not sure I had that much time.
A rustling sound came from nearby.
I opened my eyes and saw several lesser demon corpses that had not fled far moving. The wind passed through the forest, stirring the leaves and revealing half a face beneath them. It was a young female demon with her neck twisted at an angle, her eyes wide open, and a rusty blade still clutched in her hand.
I did not look away.
She had probably been lying in ambush here with the others, waiting for prey to pass by. We had merely stumbled into them by chance. But she had not known that this hunt would become her funeral.
Birdsong drifted from afar.
A gray-winged mountain tit landed on a dead branch, lowered its head to peck at its feathers, then flew away. This forest would soon return to silence, as though nothing had happened.
But seven corpses lay on the ground, along with three broken weapons and that bone blade embedded in the dirt.
I flipped the Bronze Seal over.
Two characters were engraved on its back: Demon-Slaying.
So that was its name.
I put it into my storage pouch with great care. This Dharma treasure could only be used three times. I had used its first strike just now, leaving two bolts of lightning. Unless it was absolutely necessary, I could not use it again.
I looked up at the sky.
The clouds were thick, and the sun was hidden behind them, unable to cast even a shadow. It was probably already afternoon, and the wind was growing colder. I had to find a way to leave this place, but I could not go now. The spirit beast was badly injured, and I had no strength to travel. At the very least, I had to wait until it could stand again, or until I could summon even a trace of spiritual power.
I leaned my back more firmly against the stone wall, making myself sit more steadily.
My fingers unconsciously rubbed the edge of my storage pouch. There were still a few low-grade talisman papers inside, all made earlier. Their power was limited. The Qi-Restoring Pills were gone, but I still had a little healing ointment left. Later, I would have to apply it to the spirit beast again.
Suddenly, the grass to my right rustled.
I immediately raised a hand to press down on my storage pouch while my other hand reached toward my waist. A short dagger was tucked there, the first weapon I had acquired for self-defense after transmigrating.
The grass parted, and a lesser demon rolled out.
It was not dead yet. A wound had pierced through its stomach, and half its intestines were spilling out. It crawled across the ground with both hands, moving slowly, its face covered in mud and blood. When it saw me, it paused. Its eyes were cloudy, and its mouth moved as though it wanted to say something.
I did not approach.
It continued crawling forward, convulsing in pain with every movement. When it reached a spot five steps away from me, it finally could not endure any longer and plunged face-first into the mud. One hand remained stretched toward me, its fingertips digging into the cracks in the earth.
I watched it.
It stopped moving.
A few seconds passed. Its fingers twitched, then became still again.
I got up, walked over, and crouched beside it. I reached out and checked its breath.
It was still alive.
Its eyes opened slightly, and its lips trembled as it made an extremely faint sound.
"...Let..."
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