Chapter Fourteen: "Make You Howl"

At this moment, a swift and decisive victory was essential; if the old toad arrived, all previous efforts would be for naught.

With a sudden burst of speed, Yu Ge’s arms, empowered to double their strength, swung the Demon-Cleaving Blade down once more, slicing through the air with a shrill whistle. As he closed in on the Mountain Wraith, he twisted his wrist, this time aiming for the creature’s vulnerable neck.

A guttural howl erupted from the Mountain Wraith as its body slumped, pain contorting its features. Its black, iron-like claws struck downward, the chilling wind scraping across Yu Ge's chest and raising goosebumps on his skin.

Yu Ge retreated swiftly, his left hand brushing his waist; in a flash, a dagger slipped from its sheath into his grip, and with a sudden forceful movement, he hurled it forward.

Augmented by its unique properties, the dagger tore through the air at a terrifying speed, a cold gleam that made the heart race.

Like the legendary Flying Dagger of Li, it never missed its mark.

A direct hit.

Yet, to Yu Ge’s astonishment, the next instant was met with a jarring metallic clang that grated on the teeth. The black iron dagger was deflected, sent spinning into the undergrowth, vanishing from sight.

Damn, even that part is this tough?

Yu Ge stared in disbelief.

Provoked one too many times, the Mountain Wraith’s body became shrouded in surging black mist. With a furious roar, it charged at him.

Time was slipping away; Yu Ge, growing ever more anxious, danced around the beast, his agility allowing him to strike again and again at the same spot on its neck.

Each blow was savage and powerful.

And he did not relent.

With every strike, the wound on the Mountain Wraith’s neck widened, exposing the black, viscous matter and blood within—a repulsive, horrifying sight.

“That’s for blocking the door!”

“For befriending the wrong company!”

“Roar all you want!”

Driven by grim determination, Yu Ge pressed the attack. At last, a crisp crack rang out—the final strand of iron-like flesh at the Mountain Wraith’s neck snapped, sending its massive head flying into the nearby bushes.

The rest of the body collapsed with a thunderous thud, at last yielding and admitting defeat.

All was quiet again, and Yu Ge felt a profound sense of relief.

With the Mountain Wraith vanquished, the toad posed little threat; if anything, Yu Ge now worried the creature might flee without a fight.

He dragged the Mountain Wraith's corpse into the temple, secured the shattered wooden doors, and concealed himself in a bush outside, biding his time.

He did not have to wait long before the mutated toad appeared at the edge of his vision, leaping from the distant woods and approaching the temple with suspicious, cautious glances.

Yu Ge expected it to come closer, but the toad proved exceedingly wary; not seeing a trace of the Mountain Wraith, it cast a single glance at the temple and then bounded away at full speed.

He tried to give chase, but it was already too late.

Not eliminating the threat at its root left him with a sense of regret. The creature seemed to possess some way of tracking his location, and being targeted by such a toad left him uneasy.

After another half-day's vigilant waiting in the undergrowth, he was convinced the toad had truly departed before emerging from his hiding place.

He found his black iron dagger on the grass, returned it to his belt, and glanced at the sky above the dense forest—the sun hung high overhead; he felt time was slipping away.

Returning to the temple, he immediately sank his consciousness inward, examining the mental landscape left by slaying the Mountain Wraith.

At first glance, he saw that the previously dim and lifeless astral body in his mind was now radiant and resplendent.

It shone with dazzling brilliance.

For a moment, Yu Ge was stunned; then a satisfied smile appeared on his face. After waiting so long, he had finally triggered a major achievement. Could true strength be far behind now?

Achievement: "Demon-Slaying Exorcist"
Completion condition: In a world beset by fiends and monsters, how can one not take up the task of exorcism? Slay any supernatural creature ten times. Progress: 1/10.
Reward: Unknown.

Clearly, the difficulty of this achievement was far higher than previous ones, but he could easily imagine that the reward would be correspondingly generous.

Steeling himself, Yu Ge checked the light outside, drew the Demon-Cleaving Blade, and brought it down hard on the head of the Mountain Wraith’s corpse inside the temple.

A series of grating cracks rang out as he struck the head again and again.

Even Yu Ge couldn’t help but marvel; it took several blows from the razor-sharp Demon-Cleaving Blade just to break through the Mountain Wraith’s defenses—ordinary weapons and common folk wouldn’t even scratch it, let alone survive a confrontation.

No wonder Zhao Ziming had warned him to flee at the sight of a Mountain Wraith.

With a final, forceful chop, the tough skull was split in two, its innards spilling black, viscous fluid across the ground.

Suppressing his revulsion, Yu Ge poked through the ooze with a stick, soon fishing out a black, gleaming bead the size of a soybean—round and smooth, like a glass marble.

This was a Nether Pearl.

Except for the most minor mutated spirits, any ordinary ghostly creature would possess such a bead, formed from the condensation of its yin energy—a concentrated source of all its vital power.

These pearls were highly valuable; even his own Demon-Cleaving Blade, worth thousands of silver taels, contained Nether Pearls as a forging material.

Pawned, such a pearl would fetch a handsome sum.

Yu Ge tore off a strip of cloth, wrapped the Nether Pearl, and tucked it away. Then he stepped out of the temple, oriented himself, and set off at a run along the path by which he had come.

It was already well into the afternoon; any further delay and he would not make it back to town before dark.

Lingering in this perilous forest was the last thing he wanted—beyond the threat of the mutated toad, there was no telling what else might emerge.

Yet the sign-in achievement still puzzled him. Whether inside the temple or out in the woods, the progress had not budged.

He even scrawled “Handsome Ge was here” on the ground, trees, and walls, but the achievement’s progress remained unchanged.

After a few more attempts, he gave up, not wanting to waste more time.

Wiser now, Yu Ge stayed alert for any further tricks from the old toad, but his fears proved unfounded; the journey back was uneventful.

At last, he emerged from the redwood forest and, passing over a hillside, spotted a large boulder jutting from the earth. He walked over, intending to rest, and as he sat down he froze in surprise.

Achievement: "The World Is Vast"
Completion condition: The world is vast—don’t you wish to see it? Sign in at five notable locations. Progress: 1/5.
Reward: Unknown.

Somewhat taken aback, Yu Ge looked back at the slope below the boulder, which stretched for miles into the distance, ending in the faint, towering silhouette of a mountain range touching the clouds.

The Great Wu Mountain.

So, the redwood forest’s reputation was too minor—Great Wu Mountain was the real landmark.

Staring at the distant peaks, Yu Ge suddenly understood. He’d fallen into the trap of thinking places like the redwood forest and the temple were sufficient.

He hadn’t realized it referenced such grand sites as the Great Wu Mountain.

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