novelraw Chapter 125 : The Even Darker One Has Arrived
Chapter 125 : The Even Darker One Has Arrived
Chapter 125: The Even Darker One Has Arrived
Rain fell in an instant.
The winter rain carried a bone-piercing wind, turning into a man-eating curtain of water, chilling beyond belief.
Lu Changyuan swiftly brought Qiu Yuehan into the room; not a drop of rain touched either of them.
The heavy rain struck the ground, splashing droplets and dyeing the soil an inky black.
Under the ink-black rain, the entire village appeared strangely eerie and horrifying.
“‘Ancestor Red Luan’s rain. No, is this the Painting Demon?’”
Why would the Painting Demon be here?
Lu Changyuan turned his head and looked toward the dim room. Inside were only a few sparse furnishings: a bench, a wooden table, and a lit candle.
A faint cough came from the darkness.
“‘If you get caught in the rain, it’ll be terrible. The villagers who were caught in the rain all disappeared.’”
Someone revealed his figure from the darkness—dressed in purple, long hair falling to his waist, rouge-red lips, unable to restrain the air of worldliness.
Lu Changyuan frowned: “‘Blood Smoke Rakshasa? Why are you here?’”
Blood Smoke Rakshasa coughed again, his face showing an unknown pallor. Half of his body remained hidden in the darkness: “‘I already severed all ties with the Blood Demon Palace. Toward you… I hold no malice. You don’t need to be wary of me.’”
He saw Lu Changyuan’s Severed Thought, and his gaze shifted slightly: “‘I came here to cultivate quietly. Why have the two of you come to this village?’”
Lu Changyuan spoke coldly: “‘This is my home. Can’t I come back?’”
Blood Smoke Rakshasa gave a bitter smile: “‘This place is your home? The two of you shouldn’t have returned. Now you may face the same calamity as I do.’”
Only then did the former Young Master explain.
At that time, at the inn at the foot of Jade Palace Mountain, Blood Smoke Rakshasa had already returned the token and left with Bai Wei, going far away back to this village.
He had been cultivating in seclusion here.
Originally everything was peaceful—rural tranquility, rising cooking smoke, and a slow life that calmed his heart. He even nearly touched the Fifth Realm. But in a span of just a few months, everything changed drastically.
The village began to rain every few days.
This was not unusual—autumn rains were persistent; every year was the same. The villagers thought the heavens were simply being unkind and did not take it seriously at first.
But no one knew when it began—someone suddenly went missing. First was Carpenter Wang. Most of the village’s benches and tables were made by him.
Carpenter Wang had even joked with Lu Changyuan, saying that when Lu Changyuan got married one day, he would build him a brand new set of furniture. At the time, Lu Changyuan could only refuse with a smile, because Carpenter Wang’s daughter’s waist was one and a half times as thick as his.
A bit terrifying.
The unmarried girls from the nearby ten villages all had their eyes on Lu Changyuan; Carpenter Wang’s daughter was no exception. Where was that “furniture”? That was clearly testing his intentions.
Then came Hunter Li.
Unlike Carpenter Wang, Hunter Li’s disappearance was actually witnessed.
One night, the village was flashing with lightning, and rain was about to fall. Someone at the village entrance saw Hunter Li returning home, carrying a fox. That person greeted him.
Hunter Li lifted the fox and smiled back. But suddenly, heavy rain poured from the sky. The moment the rainwater hit him, in an instant, Hunter Li disappeared.
At first, the villagers thought some monster in the rain had snatched him away, but clearly, that wasn’t the case.
From that day onward, the village began to have inky rain.
A few children, out of curiosity, dashed into the ink rain—and vanished instantly.
The rain ate people!
This terrified the villagers. Except for a few families, the others all quickly fled the village.
Blood Smoke Rakshasa said sorrowfully: “‘Bai Wei—that Bitter Girl you mentioned—she was one of the first who dashed into the rain on that day. I remained here because I am searching for her. But no matter how long I searched, I couldn’t find a solution, and I didn’t dare rashly enter the rain. So I hid here.’”
Heaven only knew what would happen if one entered the rain.
Lu Changyuan frowned: “‘It truly is the Painting Demon. Ancestor Red Luan died—without restraint, it fled. But why did it come here?’”
The Painting Demon hid in this place. Its demonic qi did not show, so even Jiang Jiayi would have trouble detecting it.
Qiu Yuehan thought for a moment and said: “‘Perhaps it is also injured and needs to recuperate here.’”
This also made sense.
Ancestor Red Luan’s strength had dropped drastically upon awakening. The Painting Demon couldn’t be in good condition either.
But the problem now was not what condition the Painting Demon was in—but why it was here.
Lu Changyuan added: “‘This place might have something that can heal its injuries.’”
That seemed the only explanation.
But why did Blood Smoke Rakshasa say returning to the village meant calamity? If worst came to worst, couldn’t they leave like the villagers?
Blood Smoke Rakshasa soon explained. His voice was hoarse and drifting, as if his throat were swollen: “‘Had the two of you come seven days earlier, it might have been fine. But now… you can’t leave anymore.’”
A sound suddenly came from outside the door.
Lu Changyuan and Qiu Yuehan looked over at the same time.
Blood Smoke Rakshasa said sharply: “‘They’ve come.’”
It seemed something wet was squirming on the ground outside. The thudding footsteps grew more numerous.
“‘What things?’”
Expressionless, Lu Changyuan pulled the door open. In the inky rain, all kinds of creatures were gathering. Leading them appeared to be an ink-colored bear, its body several zhang tall, baring its claws as it approached.
Qiu Yuehan spoke softly: “‘Ink Clan. This is the Ink Clan’s ability.’”
“‘Ink Clan?’”
“‘Mm. They have some similarities to our Spirit Clan’s ability, but unlike the Spirit Clan, who summons the thoughts of the dead, the Ink Clan draws the shapes of other living creatures using their own life force, using them as weapons.’”
The Ink Clan and the Spirit Clan both possessed abilities to call upon external aid.
Qiu Yuehan paused: “‘The Ink Clan were eyeless beings shaped like round spheres, white on the left and black on the right, looking like enlarged globs of ink. They were not easy to deal with.’”
Lu Changyuan had never heard of this race, nor seen records of them. Most likely they had gone extinct during the primordial war of the myriad races. Only ancient monsters like Qiu Yuehan would know even a bit.
Moon Fairy lifted her sword: “‘You, or me?’”
Lu Changyuan was slightly surprised, withdrew Severed Thought, and made a polite gesture inviting her.
This was the first time he saw an uninjured, truly peak-state Qiu Yuehan using her sword.
Thirteen Swords of the Jade Palace—Boat Rocking the Moon in Water.
The sword light rippled through the rain, spreading outward in waves, crushing the ink creatures with irresistible force. But it did not end there. The next sword instantly followed.
Xuan Ying!
This was Lu Changyuan’s Winter Sword.
Under the pressure of Little Fairy and Jiang Jiayi, Qiu Yuehan had forcibly mastered the Four Seasons Sword Style.
And since it was winter now, this sword was naturally stronger. Used by Qiu Yuehan, it became terrifying beyond measure—the clouds in the sky were torn apart.
Blood Smoke Rakshasa stared at Qiu Yuehan in disbelief, fear flickering in his eyes.
As the Chief of Jade Palace, she should have been half a step into the Fifth Realm. Even if she had some fortuitous encounters these past months and broke into the Fifth Realm, she shouldn’t be this strong.
What Fifth Realm could slice open the heavens?
Lu Changyuan’s family’s.
Lu Changyuan touched his chin, feeling that even he found Qiu Yuehan’s sword terrifying.
Such a fierce Moon Fairy. Such a fierce sword.
Blood Smoke Rakshasa gave a muffled groan, breathing heavily, looking as if he were about to collapse from illness: “‘The reason I said the two of you can’t leave is that once the rain stops, you should go look for yourselves. The road leading out of the village no longer exists. I tried a few days ago, but no matter how I walked toward the exit… I always ended up back inside.’”
At first, nothing like this boundary existed. But seven days ago, everything changed. Monsters appeared in the rain, and the village path became blurry. By then, Blood Smoke Rakshasa couldn’t leave even if he wanted to.
They didn’t have to wait long.
Perhaps because it was daytime, the inky rain feared the sunlight—or perhaps feared Jiang Jiayi at the peak of Heavenly Mountain—so the rain soon stopped.
Qiu Yuehan said: “‘The rain stopped. Shall we go take a look?’”
Lu Changyuan nodded.
They left Bai Wei’s house. The ink rain on the ground had already begun to fade, gradually dissipating. The snow that had been stained black but not melted slowly returned to pure white.
The heavy rain was clearly the Painting Demon’s technique. Now that the technique lost effect, everything returned to its original form.
Only when they reached the entrance of the village, the Lu family home, did Qiu Yuehan speak lightly: “‘He has death-qi on him.’”