Chapter 68

They had too little information to be sure. Ling Qingxiao said simply, “Let’s figure out the reason later. Right now, saving lives comes first.”
Luo Han agreed. The Zhao family had all been affected by the mist. Zhao himself was conscious but weak; the others were deeply unconscious. They had an antidote, looted from the demons, but Luo Han was hesitant to use it.
Holding the vial uncertainly, she asked, “Do you think this is real?”
Ling Qingxiao wasn’t sure either. After a moment of thought, he turned to Zhao and said, “Uncle Zhao, this was taken from the attackers. We can’t guarantee it’s genuine. We’ll need the village chief to inspect it before giving it to anyone. Please bear with us for now.”
Zhao nodded. “No problem. That’s wise. I’m okay. You go help the others.”
Ling Qingxiao placed a bottle of the antidote within Zhao’s reach—just in case. If the demons returned and they weren’t around to help, at least Zhao would have a chance.
Then the two of them stepped out into the pouring rain once more. The storm raged on, the world dark and eerily silent. They stopped at a crossroads, surveying the village.
Luo Han couldn’t help but voice the fear in her heart: “Has the whole village been knocked out?”
Rain poured down around her, yet not a drop touched her. The water split around her like an invisible dome. Ling Qingxiao raised his hand to shield her further. “This mist is strange. Stay alert.”
Luo Han nodded. She closed her eyes and extended her awareness, summoning her divine power.
It wasn’t stable yet—sometimes responsive, sometimes absent—but today it came through. The world around her vanished into grayscale, replaced by a glowing map of pure energy.
In this dimension, everything reduced to essence. Among the vibrant lights of the village, the demon auras stood out like black flames.
There were eight demons still active. Counting the four they’d already dealt with, there were twelve in total. Luo Han located their positions quickly.
But the situation was worse than she’d expected. The villagers weren’t just asleep—they’d been drugged. Normally, even in peaceful times, people wouldn’t sleep so deeply during a storm. In a war-torn village like this, caution should have been instinctive.
“They used sleeping agents across a wide area,” Luo Han said. “Twelve demons came in total. Eight are still alive. Most of the village is unconscious. But...not the chief’s house.”
The village chief was a veteran of many battles and highly skilled in medicine. It was a rare stroke of luck she hadn’t succumbed to the mist.
“How’s the situation at her place?” Ling Qingxiao asked.
“Her husband and son are holding off the demons. She’s using the chance to wake neighbors. But two more demons are heading there now. They’re already outnumbered—and they have to protect unconscious villagers. They won’t hold out long.”
“Got it,” Ling Qingxiao said. “Since they’re still alert, they should last a bit. Let’s eliminate the other four first.”
“Understood.”
.
Two demons silently landed by a window, slowly prying it open. Hearing no movement inside, they exchanged a nod and prepared to strike.
Just as they drew their blades, the courtyard door flew open with a bang.
Startled, they froze. That shouldn’t have been possible—between the mist and the storm, no one in the village should have been awake.
Ling Qingxiao and Luo Han burst in. Neither side wasted a single word—blades met in a flash.
The storm howled around them. The demons wore all-black night gear and used stealth techniques to vanish. In an instant, they seemed to disappear.
Ling Qingxiao remained calm. He turned his head slightly and said to Luo Han, “Be careful.”
Luo Han nodded. The demons’ stealth was useless against her. As long as they had energy
Ling Qingxiao unsheathed his sword. His movement was lightning-fast, the tip slicing cleanly through the curtain of rain.
That slash left behind a shimmering water trail that froze instantly, beads of ice dropping like broken pearls and splashing softly in the puddles below. His sword aura cut through the night and rain like a streak of moonlight, striking directly at the demons’ hiding place.
Forced to abandon stealth, the two demons leapt out—only to be met with a burst of swordlight. Ling Qingxiao moved like a diving hawk, swift and elegant, and once drawn into his momentum, escape was impossible.
Dressed in white, Ling Qingxiao stood out starkly against the dark rain. While the demons wore black stealth gear and melted into the shadows, Ling Qingxiao was a blur of white, striking through the gloom like a phantom. Every sweep of his sword left ice in its wake: freezing rooftops, pillars, even the ground itself.
The clash of blades drew more attention. Two other demons, lurking nearby, exchanged a silent signal before quietly creeping closer to the fight and releasing more of the misting drug.
They didn’t know why the swordsman wasn’t affected by the earlier mist—but that didn’t matter. The storm gave them cover. If it didn’t work once, they’d try again. No point in fighting someone head-on if you could drug them unconscious instead.
Once inhaled, the mist would paralyze the body even if it didn’t knock someone out. That was more than enough to deal a fatal blow.
Having already taken the antidote, the demons stood by, waiting for the mist to work.
But...it didn’t.
The swordsman’s strikes remained as precise and deadly as ever.
One of the demons frowned. “What’s going on? Didn’t we use enough?”
He never got to finish the thought.
A flash of movement—then a cold needle of ice shot past his face. Had he not dodged in time, it would’ve buried itself in his skull.
From the shadows, Luo Han sighed, “Well, so much for the sneak attack.”
The two demons froze, eyes wide. Another one?! Where did she come from?!
They had hoped to play dirty, but so had Luo Han. Why go head-on when you could just ambush someone instead?
Though her first attempt failed, she wasn’t discouraged. Her hand shifted into another sign, and a subtle energy pulsed outward. The rain seemed to slow.
Thousands of raindrops hovered midair, suspended for just a breath of a second—time frozen, if only briefly. Then suddenly, every drop sharpened into a needle of ice.
The air filled with flying ice, like a hailstorm of arrows.
Each needle was fine and fast—not deadly alone, but in such overwhelming numbers, they filled the space like a web. The demons flinched, unable to dodge fast enough.
One hissed, “Who are these people?! Why haven’t we heard of them before?”
The demons and the immortals had been at war for years. Both sides knew each other’s strengths. Qingshan Village was known for medicinal herbs and poisons, and the village chief was considered noteworthy—but that was it. No one had ever mentioned people like these.
That man’s swordsmanship was monstrous. And the girl—she was even stranger. No detectable aura, no signs of cultivation. And yet she cast massive-scale magic with eerie ease.
One demon gritted his teeth. “There’s nothing about them in the records. Qingshan Village must have changed. Stay sharp.”
He didn’t get the chance.
A real ice needle—camouflaged among the harmless ones—slipped through his half-open mouth and pierced his brain.
Despite their defenses, a demon’s mouth was a weak point. The needle skewered his mind, ripping through bone with terrifying precision. The demon crumpled, still forming the words, “Stay sharp.”
That death shattered the remaining demon’s composure. Luo Han knew the element of surprise wouldn’t work twice, so she summoned the rest of her hidden ice needles. They shot through the air in waves, indistinguishable from the storm.
The last demon was trapped in a web of needles, dodging desperately. But then—
Ling Qingxiao, having just finished off his own opponent, flicked out a blade of pure swordlight.
The demon saw it coming but couldn’t move.
He died with eyes wide open.
Luo Han traced a final sigil. Her ice needles, like soldiers returning from battle, zipped through the storm and lined up neatly before her before slipping back into her needle box.
She turned to Ling Qingxiao. “Let’s go. We need to support the chief.”
“Right.”
When they arrived, two demons already lay dead. The remaining pair saw backup arrive and immediately turned into plumes of black smoke to flee. Ling Qingxiao intercepted one; the other escaped into the storm.
He sheathed his sword slowly. “One got away.”
“It’s fine,” Luo Han replied calmly. “They were clearly prepared. We couldn’t stop everything. At least we have one alive. That’s enough.”
The village chief exhaled in relief when she saw them. “I didn’t expect you two to arrive first. Are you all right? Did the mist affect you?”
Luo Han shook her head. “We noticed something off and pretended to fall for it. Then we ambushed the two who broke into our house. When we saw the bigger picture, we rushed out. Good thing we did—it could’ve been much worse.”
The chief nodded, clearly reassured. “Where did you go after?”
“We went to Zhao’s house, then to the southern part of the village. All eight demons outside have been dealt with—aside from the one that escaped, there shouldn’t be any more.”
When the village chief heard they had taken down eight demons, she was visibly startled.
“Just the two of you...killed eight demons?”
Luo Han nodded casually. “That’s right.”
The chief blinked, clearly taken aback. She glanced at Luo Han, then at Ling Qingxiao, and suddenly realized she might need to reassess the image she had of the two.
Up until now, Ling Qingxiao had been quiet and reserved due to his injuries—more like a breathtaking figure from a painting than a cultivator. Luo Han, meanwhile, had accompanied the chief on her herb-gathering rounds, full of bright smiles and youthful cheer. The chief never would have imagined that when it came to fighting, the two of them were so...ruthless.
The revelation rattled her. She pressed a hand to her chest, took a moment to gather herself, then said, “As long as things are safe now. The demons are truly despicable—to ambush like that. The villagers are still unconscious. We need to start detoxifying them at once.”
Luo Han and Ling Qingxiao exchanged a glance. Ling Qingxiao reached into his storage and pulled out a small bottle.
“This was on one of the demons,” he said. “It might be the antidote. Take a look.”
The chief took it, examined it carefully, and brought it to her nose for a sniff.
“It’s the antidote, no doubt. Having a sample will make things easier. I’ll get started right away.”
She frowned slightly.
“This miasma is...strange. I’ve worked with medicine for decades, but I’ve never seen anything like it. With this kind of rain, the scent should’ve been too diluted to spread so far. How did they manage to knock out so many people without anyone noticing?”
Luo Han pondered a moment, then offered her theory.
“Most sleeping incenses we’ve seen spread through the air. But that’s not the only delivery method. Earlier, when I was lying in ambush, I overheard the demons talking. They said today’s heavy rain would help spread the mist. I think this particular incense disperses through water.”
Realization dawned on the chief, and everything clicked into place—why no one sensed anything amiss, why the fog had spread so far.
Of course. If the rain served as a carrier, there would’ve been no way to guard against it.
Now that they knew both the cause and had a sample of the cure, the chief felt more confident. Demons often carried a small dose of antidote on them in case of self-contamination, but it was nowhere near enough to treat the whole village. She’d have to mix more herself.
She quickly called for her son and recited a long list of ingredients, sending him off to prepare them. Then, stepping under the eaves, she gave a deep, solemn bow to Luo Han and Ling Qingxiao.
“If not for you two, today could’ve ended in disaster. Qingshan Village owes you a great debt.”
Luo Han rushed to stop her.
“Please don’t say that. You took us in, treated our injuries, and gave us medicine. Protecting the village is the least we could do. Anyone else in our place would’ve done the same.”
The chief shook her head quietly. She knew it wasn’t the same. What Luo Han and Ling Qingxiao had done far outweighed any aid she’d given. But there was no point in arguing about gratitude right now. She simply etched the debt into her heart and instead turned to ask about what Luo Han had seen.
Where had those demons come from? What were they after? No one knew.
Luo Han told her everything she’d witnessed on the way there. As for the demons’ ultimate goal—she couldn’t say.
The chief frowned in worry.
“It’s fortunate no one died. That alone is a blessing. But I can’t help feeling that this attack wasn’t just a random raid. Qingshan Village isn’t wealthy or resource-rich. Why would the demons go to such lengths to strike here? I fear they’re after something more.”
Ling Qingxiao suddenly had a thought. While Qingshan Village wasn’t rich, it did produce a great many herbs. More importantly, its location was key—it stood as a bulwark for the frontlines. If the demons weren’t aiming for treasure, perhaps they were targeting the war front itself.
He turned to the chief.
“The demon you captured—where is he?”
She blinked in surprise and pointed. “This way.”
One demon had fled. The other had been captured alive—now tightly bound in the woodshed by the chief’s husband. When they arrived, the demon glared at them with eyes full of venomous hate. Ling Qingxiao reached out and with a flick of spiritual energy, removed the cloth gag in his mouth. The moment his tongue was free, the demon began hurling curses.
Ling Qingxiao didn’t even bother listening. He raised his hand, and the demon’s voice cut off instantly, stuck in his throat.
After the great wars of the Middle Era, the dragon race rose to rule the heavens, replacing the gods as celestial governors. Over countless years, the celestial court grew into a complex and sophisticated system. Within the dragon clan itself, entire branches of imperial art were codified and passed down—including interrogation techniques.
Among those techniques was one specifically designed to extract truth. With no need to consider morality—especially when it came to demons—Ling Qingxiao went straight for the fastest and most brutal method. He seized the demon’s spiritual sea with a secret art and asked coldly:
“Why are you here?”
The demon struggled violently, but it was useless. He could only watch as his mouth opened against his will, and a voice not his own answered:
“To drug the village. Kill everyone in Qingshan.”
The words were short, but soaked in blood.
The chief had been curious how Ling Qingxiao could use such a technique, but now her blood ran cold. Kill the entire village? She trembled, fury rising.
“Why?! What do you monsters want?!”
But the demon didn’t respond. The chief realized only Ling Qingxiao’s questions would work.
He repeated: “What is your objective?”
“To clear Qingshan of all bystanders...pave the way for the Demon God.”
Luo Han’s expression changed. “Demon God?”
The Demon God...It must be a figure of worship among the demons. And if that’s the case—then “paving the way” could only mean one thing: someone—or something—divine was about to descend.
The chief’s spine turned to ice. She dared not imagine the implications.
Even Ling Qingxiao’s face darkened. This had escalated far beyond a mere village skirmish.
“What does the Demon God intend to do?”
But this time, the interrogation spell failed—no answer came. Matters concerning divinity were beyond the reach of even celestial interrogation arts. He changed his approach.
“When will your reinforcements arrive?”
There must be attendants by the demon god's side. Since they couldn’t question the god himself, they went around and questioned the accompanying demons. Sure enough, the demon couldn’t resist this question and answered honestly,
“Midnight tonight. We can’t delay the demon god’s arrival.”
Luo Han was startled. Midnight? He’s arriving today?
She was just about to speak when she suddenly sensed something and lifted her head to look at the boundless sky above.
Ling Qingxiao and the village chief also looked up at the same time. They too had felt that divine pressure.
The sky was as black as ink, endless and bottomless. Countless silver threads dangled down from it like a waterfall, veiling the world in a boundless curtain. Just then, a thunderclap exploded across the sky, and a deep, majestic voice echoed over the mountains, clear in everyone’s ears: “Mere ants, and yet you dare harm my followers?”
The voice came from far away, yet sounded as if it were right beside them. What was worse, Luo Han could feel it—the voice’s owner was rapidly closing in.
So this was the classic trope: beat the small fry, and the boss shows up? And this one came way too fast.
Luo Han felt as if facing a formidable enemy. Aside from residual divine consciousnesses, she had never encountered another god before, so she’d never really understood the difference in power. But this time, even without seeing the person, she already felt the overwhelming gap.
The divine pressure was crushing. And worse yet, this god was one worshipped by the demons—he stood on the demon tribe’s side.
That meant the life and death of the immortals and humans meant nothing to him. In fact, he probably wished they were all dead. With the immortals gone, all resources of the two realms would belong to the demons. The more the demon race thrived, the more faith he would receive, and the stronger he would grow.
Luo Han, on the other hand, stood on the opposite end of the spectrum. She was the Heavenly Dao, the one who received the prayers of all six realms, the one who upheld balance and kept all things in motion. From a judgment standpoint, she should be absolutely fair and impartial—but from a personal standpoint, she leaned closer to the Heavenly Realm.
She was literally called “Heavenly Dao,” after all—of course she leaned toward the heavens. Plus, only the human and heavenly realms practiced rites of worship. The demon and beast realms had their own gods—they had nothing to do with Luo Han.
But unlike the demon god, who wanted to see the immortal race wiped out, Luo Han didn’t wish destruction upon anyone. Her power wasn’t connected to the demon or beast realms, but she still hoped they could live in peace and continue their legacies. Ideally, everyone would just focus on building a better economy, growing their populations, and stop trying to cause chaos. Let the six realms run in harmony.
Unfortunately, she might want peace, but the other side clearly didn’t.
The other god had come with hostile intent. Luo Han instantly tensed. The immortals and demons were already fighting over resources—what about the gods?
Worse yet, if she really stretched the possibilities...Could gods devour one another?
Ling Qingxiao’s expression turned grave like never before. He hurriedly cupped his hands to the village chief and said, “This matter started because of us. If we leave, the demon god may not trouble you further. We’ll go first. Take care, Chief.”
The village chief didn’t have time to respond before she saw Ling Qingxiao grab Luo Han. In the blink of an eye, they vanished into the night.
She stood there in a daze for a long while. Her son came out from the house with some freshly ground herbs. Stepping out into the courtyard, he blinked in confusion and asked, “Mom, why are you out here alone? Where did those two go?”
The chief sighed. “They left.”
“What?” Her son gaped. “They just left? Are they coming back?”
The village chief shook her head slowly. She didn’t know either.
This parting might be the last they ever saw of them. Or, come dawn, she might see the two of them casually strolling through the village again. Whether they would meet again—only the heavens knew.
Ling Qingxiao carried Luo Han into the dense forest. Qingshan Village was surrounded by mountains for ten miles in all directions. It was hard to track anyone through such terrain.
But that difficulty only applied to mortals, immortals, and demons. For gods of higher dimensions, place and distance made no difference.
Luo Han had experienced this firsthand. When she was tracking the demons earlier, they’d hidden themselves extremely well. But once she opened her energy vision, their concealment was laughable.
Luo Han grabbed Ling Qingxiao’s arm and said, “No need to waste the effort. This is my problem. It has nothing to do with you. You should leave—I’ll deal with this.”
She didn’t want to drag him down with her. She even tried to sound casual, comforting herself—maybe the demon god wasn’t actually so cruel?
But before she could finish the thought, Ling Qingxiao had already ignored her and pulled out a few puppets from his storage space. “Find a place to hide. I’ll use these to replicate your aura. They should buy us some time.”
Just hearing that made Luo Han’s eyelids twitch. “What are you planning?”
“Don’t make a fuss,” Ling Qingxiao said, face cold. “Just go.”
“You’re the one being ridiculous!” Luo Han snapped, her eyes blazing with anger, almost lighting up with fury. “Do you know who he is?”
A flash of lightning lit up the sky, briefly illuminating both their faces. They stared each other down—neither backing off.
Never in their time together had they spoken with such harshness. Luo Han turned away, unable to keep looking. After the lightning, thunder rumbled slowly across the sky, deep enough to shake the earth.
Listening to the thunder, Luo Han suddenly froze. She lifted her head to the heavens.
Ling Qingxiao noticed the change. “What is it?”
“Heavenly thunder…” Luo Han murmured, a realization dawning. Lightning—wasn’t this her domain?