Chapter 42: The Pursuit

The old manor lord collapsed onto the ground, his face eerily calm, showing not the slightest ripple of emotion. He stared dazedly at his own hands, a look both laughing and crying, tinged with madness, flashed across his face. Suddenly, he sprang to his feet.

With a howl, his aura surged, manifestations appeared around him, shifting from shadow to substance. The baleful energy whirled as he struck toward Hongyun.

“Send forth the Moonlight Command! Within a radius of five hundred miles, every living thing outside the city—exterminate them all!”

This is bad!

Hongyun and Fuyue watched the oncoming attack, their expressions shifting in unison. Fuyue wasted no time pondering the cause, for in a moment of life and death, he transformed into a swarm of bats. A purple bat-shaped phantom enveloped him:

“My father is the Violet-Winged Bat Demon King. I am Fuyue of Pure Crystal Mountain!”

The purple phantom lasted only three breaths before dissipating. Yet it was enough to halt the onslaught.

Because Hongyun stood so close, the old lord took him for an ally and redirected the attack elsewhere. A cultivator hiding in the shadows was crushed instantly, his manifestation as fragile as paper, reduced to pulp.

“Tonight’s events—I do not wish to hear a whisper of them outside these walls. If you dare, even as the son of a Demon King, I will cut you down!”

Hongyun felt the other’s aura; though feeble in his own estimate, it was enough to threaten him with death in his current state.

Just moments ago, Hongyun had prepared to use his Calamity Points to forcibly enhance his power and escape.

“Remember this, boy. Today’s events will not be spoken of to outsiders.”

Fuyue finished, then sent a transmission to Hongyun, and with tacit understanding, they both slipped away.

Behind them, the old manor lord’s ruthless slaughter resounded.

...

They fled far, not leaving immediately but instead detouring into the Moonlight Manor.

Once Hongyun had bundled up the sleeping Chai Xiaoyue and placed her in his wooden chest, the two set off together, heading north.

As they moved farther from the Moonlight Manor, the tension in their hearts eased considerably.

Fuyue had guessed Hongyun had other motives for visiting the Manor, but never imagined it was for such a little demon.

After sensing carefully and realizing it was a half-demon, he understood at once:

Just by this alone, the companion’s demon rank could not be low.

He pondered for a while, growing more eager to befriend him, “I still don’t know your name, fellow traveler?”

“Just call me Yun,” Hongyun replied carelessly, though he was still puzzled by the old manor lord’s reaction and voiced his question:

“I wonder, why did the old lord of the Yinshade Moon Rabbit clan, after failing his tribulation, act so? Why would he contemplate such slaughter?”

“No need to overthink it—it’s perfectly normal,” Fuyue replied, repeating Hongyun’s name and speculating about his origins as he spoke with little concern, “That old rabbit of the Yinshade Moon Rabbit clan, as far as I know, has lived nearly four hundred and eighty, maybe ninety years. If he succeeded in his breakthrough, he’d be reborn and gain another five hundred years;

But if he fails—even if he doesn’t perish in the lightning tribulation—he becomes a half-step metamorphosis demon, his cultivation comparable to metamorphosis, but his lifespan doesn’t increase.

The Yinshade Moon Rabbit clan has enemies. If word spreads that the old lord has only a few days left, their future will be grim.

But it matters little. Now, the old lord is a mad dog—half-step metamorphosis is still metamorphosis, only lacking longevity. Still, he’ll make enemies wary. When the time comes, they’ll likely come to kill him, seeking mutual destruction...”

As he spoke, Hongyun sensed something, raised his hand to halt him, and handed his wooden chest to Fuyue, his expression grave:

“Someone is coming. Guard her for me.”

Someone approaching?

Fuyue took the chest with confusion and scanned the surroundings. After a while, he sensed a figure and was startled:

The person before him was far stronger than he’d imagined.

In his perception, an armored manifestation of a Moon Rabbit appeared, racing toward them.

The Yinshade Moon Rabbit clan—hadn’t they let them go? Why come after them now?

With these doubts, as the figure drew closer, Fuyue wanted to question him, but seeing Hongyun, he swallowed his words:

It’s just as well. Now he could gauge Hongyun’s true cultivation.

...

Upon the Moon Rabbit manifestation, a man clad in silver armor merged completely with it. He fixed his cold gaze on Hongyun, his voice icy:

“I sensed it was you long ago. I didn’t expect you’d actually survive.”

Hongyun, seeing him, tensed to the extreme:

“You must be joking. We’ve never met. Why pursue me so relentlessly?”

“No more words. The aura on you cannot deceive me!”

With that, the silver-armored man dropped the pretense. His massive sword gathered power and slashed downward.

“I couldn’t unleash my full strength before. Now, let me test you!”

“In that case, let me see your skills as well!”

As the attack came, Hongyun raised his sword to meet it. The clash rang out, a tremendous vibration, and they separated instantly.

Boom!

A thunderous crash echoed as Hongyun landed gracefully, his manifestation catching him. Feeling his arm numb, his expression grew frosty:

“I came here merely to wander. Since you show no mercy, I must return the favor!”

With these words, baleful energy flowed, the sound of water arose. Hongyun tossed his sword aside, and a river materialized from thin air, encircling him.

Calamity Points—raise my cultivation by one realm!

Hongyun recited in his heart, watching as forty Calamity Points vanished, feeling a pang of regret. His cultivation rose to mid-Nirvana. His gaze chilled, fingers flicked, and the river surged forth with sword energy.

“Sword Energy of the Great River—Descend from the Heavens!”

With that low cry, every drop of river water transformed into a long sword, surging forward.

The silver-armored man hadn’t expected Hongyun to wield such power. He thrust his sword into his manifestation, conjuring a barrier to block the sword energy.

But the sword energy seemed endless—within moments, the barrier trembled, about to collapse.

These two...so strong.

In the distance, Fuyue formed a sonic barrier with his own manifestation, isolating the sounds, but he was stunned.

Each of their powers seemed to reach at least the peak of mid-Nirvana, perhaps even late Nirvana—comparable to the top three under his father, the Demon King.