Chapter 110 — Demon Mark

  At nine in the evening, several Fiends drifted past outside, as if this place did not exist.

  Rain pattered steadily against the pale blue protective barrier, sliding down the curved surface in winding streams that left trails of clear water behind.

  Members of the inspection group—people accustomed to towering buildings and lavish halls—now looked up with open curiosity, studying the fantastical sight above them.

  Gray, captain of the inspection group’s guard unit, stood surrounded by several people, patiently answering their questions.

  “This energy barrier can block the rain,” he explained, lightly tapping the inner surface with his finger. “But if too much water accumulates, some areas may still seep through. After all, it isn’t solid glass.”

  A middle-aged man with a balding crown and a prominent beer belly stroked his chin thoughtfully. His mind had clearly leapt to a much larger scale.

  “In that case, the large defensive shield Commander Caelestis plans to activate across the city would have to use an arched structure, correct? Otherwise both pressure distribution and drainage would become serious issues.”

  Gray nodded.

  “In theory, yes, sir. The specific engineering details are classified, but an arched structure does distribute pressure most efficiently.”

  Beside him, a tall, slender man with a scholarly air adjusted his duckbill cap and voiced a more practical concern.

  “If the city is divided by barriers like this, wouldn’t movement between districts at night be completely cut off?”

  “Please rest assured,” Gray replied firmly. “Safe passageways will absolutely be reserved in the planning. Command headquarters already has comprehensive arrangements for scheduling and management.”

  Their conversation gradually drew the attention of more people nearby. Low voices began spreading outward, drifting toward increasingly practical concerns.

  “By that logic, districts closer to the energy towers would be completely safe, right? Property prices there are probably about to skyrocket.”

  “Can the city’s old drainage system even handle a sealed environment like that? What if flooding happens inside?”

  “And how will energy allocation work then? Who gets priority?”

  Rain continued to stream down the barrier, weaving a hazy curtain beyond it.

  Gray struggled to maintain a polite smile. The citizens talked over one another endlessly; he answered them out loud, but his eyes never left the surrounding darkness.

  Earlier that evening, the Commander had already briefed him and the other guard captains.

  So far, everything appeared normal.

  Just a group of… “citizens” who could never stop thinking about business.

  Out of the corner of his eye, Gray noticed that beyond the barrier, the Fiends were still drifting through the mist and rain.

  Yet they had not left.

  ————

  At ten o’clock that night, the camp fell into silence.

  Only the soft patter of rain against the tents and the occasional distant footsteps of the night watch broke the quiet. Damp, chilling mist drifted through the air. Elena carried a small night lamp and carefully slipped out of the medical team’s tent.

  She immediately noticed that the number of guards had clearly increased tonight. In the dim light, several shadowy figures stood silently along the edge of the barrier. Even outside the women’s medical tent, two guards had been posted.

  YiChen’s tent was right ahead, only a few steps away.

  Before she could call out, his voice came from inside.

  “Come in.”

  Inside the tent, YiChen sat cross-legged on a moisture-proof mat. Spirit Force flowed slowly around him, yet a trace of fatigue lingered between his brows.

  When she entered, he opened his eyes and reached out, brushing his fingers gently against her cold cheek.

  “Are you cold?”

  “I’m fine,” she said, kneeling down in front of him. Her eyes searched his face with concern. “Your complexion doesn’t look good. Are the black thorns acting up again?”

  “It’s nothing.”

  He closed his eyes, silently signaling for her to begin.

  Elena placed her warm palm against his chest.

  Pink-gold spiritual flames flowed from her hand, slowly entering his Spirit Meridians like a gentle tide. Perhaps because they had already shared the closest of contact, her purification now reached deeper into his perception than before.

  Wherever the spiritual flames passed, the black thorns dissolved one by one, melting away like frost beneath sunlight. Waves of trembling relief followed in their wake.

  YiChen clenched his teeth. A thin sheen of sweat formed along his temples. Every muscle in his body tightened as he forced down the instinctive reactions rising from deep within him.

  Enemies surrounded the camp tonight.

  This was not the time to lose control.

  When the final wisp of black thorn dissolved into smoke, his body suddenly trembled.

  A muffled groan escaped him, and the tips of his ears flushed crimson.

  “Are you alright?” Elena quickly supported his arm.

  “I’m fine,” he said hoarsely. “You did well.”

  He raised a hand, brushing away the damp mist clinging to the strands of hair at her temple.

  Then his gaze suddenly sharpened.

  “Elena. Tonight, you are not allowed to leave the tent again.”

  She paused slightly.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Promise me.”

  His hand closed around her wrist, firm enough to leave no room for refusal.

  “Stay with the medical team. No matter what you hear, do not come out.”

  Thunder rolled outside the tent. The rain began to fall harder.

  Elena looked at him quietly for a moment.

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  Then she nodded softly.

  “Alright.”

  For the briefest instant, YiChen’s gaze softened.

  Then suddenly, he reached out and grasped the back of her neck, pulling her into a deep kiss.

  The kiss was brief—yet burning hot.

  It carried lingering worry… and an unmistakable possessiveness.

  When they parted, her lips were flushed red, her heart pounding wildly in her chest.

  “Remember what I said,” he murmured, resting his forehead lightly against hers. “Go.”

  The tent flap fell closed, cutting off their shared gaze.

  YiChen slowly clenched his fists.

  A cold killing intent flashed across his eyes.

  —Whoever comes tonight…

  will die.

  ————

  At three in the morning, the rain had still not stopped.

  The faint glow of the barrier spread through the curtain of rain, tinting the drifting mist a hazy blue. The steady footsteps of patrolling warriors echoed rhythmically through the camp, blending with the soft hiss of falling raindrops.

  Inside Derek’s tent, it was pitch black.

  But darkness did not hinder his sight. Through the perception he shared with the Demon, everything appeared as clear as daylight.

  “The patrols haven’t stopped,” Derek said coldly within his mind.

  “They’ve noticed something.”

  The Demon let out a low sneer.

  “These people are not fools. But this lord has his own methods.”

  Following the Demon’s instructions, Derek silently sliced open the canvas at the bottom of the tent with his dagger. He pushed his fingers into the cold, damp soil.

  A strand of chilling demonic aura seeped from his fingertips into the earth—

  like a venomous serpent awakening.

  It quickly coiled around several nocturnal beetles.

  The black aura invaded their bodies. The insects had no strength to resist. A flash of crimson flickered across their compound eyes.

  Then they changed direction.

  Burrowing toward the nearest energy node of the barrier.

  “Tsk… tsk… the scent of fresh souls…”

  The Demon’s voice trembled with greedy anticipation.

  “This lord can already taste it. Once the barrier breaks, this lord will take advantage of the chaos and devour a few more humans…”

  “No.”

  Derek’s voice snapped sharply through the link.

  “Our objective is to replace one warrior. If too many people die, the mission may be canceled and everyone will return to the city. If that happens, everything is finished.”

  The Demon hissed in displeasure, but eventually relented.

  “…Hmph. The boy worries too much. Very well. But once this lord helps you kill that man, his soul and power will belong to me.”

  “Take whatever you want. I only need him dead.”

  Derek’s voice was cold as iron.

  The Demon laughed darkly.

  “In that case, it must be done flawlessly. We replace the identity… and make them believe…”

  “…that the danger has already been eliminated.”

  Outside the tent, the rain intensified.

  One beetle, its body corrupted by demonic aura, quietly reached the barrier’s energy node.

  “Destroying this barrier from the inside is effortless,”

  the Demon murmured within Derek’s mind, his voice thick with bloodthirsty excitement.

  “But there will be only one chance.”

  Derek’s eyes were icy.

  “The things stirring outside… they’re here for you, aren’t they?”

  The Demon snorted.

  “This lord has not yet released demonic aura. They are merely driven by instinct.”

  “Perfect.”

  A cold smile curled at Derek’s lips.

  “Let them rush in and create chaos. We’ll use the confusion to find a target—preferably someone whose spiritual signature resembles mine.”

  Outside the tent, insects corrupted by demonic aura gathered in growing numbers around the energy node. Their compound eyes glowed with an ominous crimson light.

  “Now, boy. Prepare yourself.”

  The Demon growled and released a thread of crimson demonic aura, coiling it around a fat earthworm.

  The worm twisted violently—like a fuse being lit—then drilled frantically toward the barrier node.

  “Heh… this way there’s no obvious trace of demonic release. They won’t be able to track anything…”

  Derek lifted the edge of the tent flap slightly, leaving only a narrow slit.

  Holding his breath, he stared out into the rain.

  Suddenly—

  Crack!

  The energy crystal directly ahead dimmed abruptly, as though its light had been drained away.

  Buzz—

  The node trembled violently. Pale blue barrier patterns rippled outward in a faint wave.

  Then—

  silently—

  a gap split open.

  Within the curtain of rain, hundreds of crimson eyes ignited at once.

  Like a burning sea of stars surging forward.

  Inside his tent—

  YiChen’s eyes snapped open.

  His pupils contracted sharply.

  —————

  【Consciousness Sea】

  Shadowfang’s dragon scales bristled upright. His roar shook the halls of the temple until the air itself hummed.

  “Someone tampered with the barrier!”

  Shixi’s tail flared open in an instant, scattering starlight.

  “The malice… it’s overwhelming!”

  At the same moment, Han Yue—patrolling the outer perimeter—suddenly lifted his head.

  Soulwhisper sprang upright on his shoulder, ears raised, fur standing on end. A low growl rolled from deep in his throat.

  The instant the first Fiend lunged through the barrier, the air seemed to ignite with the stench of blood.

  Its body was twisted, fangs bared. Rain slid down its blackened skin and dripped onto the mud, hissing as it turned to wisps of dark smoke.

  In the next heartbeat, a beastlike howl tore from its throat as it pounced toward the nearest inspection-group tent.

  “Tier-three Fiend!” Han Yue roared. “Hold the node!”

  His blade was already out as he charged toward the breach.

  Soulwhisper leapt from his shoulder, fangs flashing as a savage snarl ripped from his throat.

  Han Yue’s blade snapped through the air.

  Spiritual light burst open in the darkness. The sweeping strike blasted three Fiends backward. His body flickered forward—

  A single silver spark drove straight into a soul core.

  Black blood splattered across the ground.

  Bang!

  A wave of foul black smoke spread through the air. Han Yue did not even frown.

  The second Fiend.

  The third.

  They forced their way through the breach one after another, crimson eyes burning through the rain-soaked mist.

  Then—

  A black shadow fell faster than lightning.

  Shadowfang descended with YiChen like a falling meteor, crashing toward the node. Even before the dragon’s claws touched the ground, the sheer killing intent alone tore open the rain curtain.

  “ROAR—!”

  Shadowfang slammed down with a single claw.

  Three—five—Fiends that had just crawled through the breach exploded instantly into black mist.

  But more corrupted spirits surged in like a rising tide, pouring through the widening gap and charging straight toward the inspection-group tents.

  “Enemy attack! Defensive formation!”

  The furious shouts of the night-watch warriors mixed with the terrified screams of the inspection group.

  Blades flashed.

  Spiritual flames ignited.

  Yet even that could not halt the surging tide of Fiends—

  The breach was still expanding.

  “Kill them!” Logan roared, his war blade sweeping out with explosive force.

  The blade crashed against a Fiend’s shoulder bone. Sparks shrieked from the impact as steel met bone.

  Half the creature’s shoulder was cleaved away—

  Yet it still lunged forward with a feral howl.

  Logan bellowed and drove forward. His body twisted sharply, knee smashing upward in a brutal counterstrike.

  Thud.

  The monster’s skull collapsed inward.

  A scream erupted from the inspection group.

  One of the citizens had fallen into the mud, scrambling backward in blind terror. His fingernails clawed into the ground, tearing open as blood mixed with the wet earth.

  Just as the Fiend lunged down—

  Ryan flashed in.

  “Do I look like I’m still getting paid to babysit you idiots?!” he barked.

  The spiritual blade in his hand flashed coldly.

  One strike sheared away half the Fiend’s face. Black blood splashed across his shoulder.

  Still cursing and laughing, Ryan brought his foot down—

  Crushing the soul core beneath his boot.

  YiChen landed firmly beside the breach.

  Rain drenched his black hair, strands clinging to the side of his face. Lightning flashed overhead, and his pupils shrank sharply in the glare.

  Shadowfang roared as he manifested fully.

  Massive dragon claws swept across the ground. More than a dozen Fiends that had just squeezed through the opening burst apart into black mist. Rainwater splashed across the mud, instantly turning pitch-dark.

  “Wipe them out!” YiChen’s voice cut through the storm, cold as steel.

  “I’ll seal the breach!”

  Shadowfang’s roar shook the entire forest.

  Countless silver spikes rained down like a storm of blades, shredding the Fiends outside the breach into clouds of bloody vapor.

  Seizing the moment, YiChen drew a sigil through the air with his right hand.

  Golden light streamed from his fingertips, weaving itself into a massive character—

  Seal.

  At the same time, his left hand had already pulled a spare energy crystal from his tactical pack. Spirit Force surged wildly into it.

  Clang!

  The crystal was driven violently into the ground.

  Just before it could sink fully into the soil—

  Several insects corrupted by demonic aura suddenly burst from the earth.

  They hurled themselves straight toward the crystal.

  Squelch.

  Their bodies exploded.

  Crimson-black demonic aura surged from the shattered insect corpses, shooting directly toward YiChen’s face.

  YiChen’s pupils contracted.

  “Demonic aura?!”

  His body moved like lightning.

  With a sharp backhand strike, a violent gust of palm force blasted the remaining insect remains into powder.

  But the strand of crimson aura twisted like a living thing—

  Barely grazing his right cheek.

  “—!”

  Pain detonated instantly.

  It felt like countless icy needles stabbing into his skin, yet at the same time like molten iron branding his flesh. Piercing cold and burning agony spread together. Half his cheek went numb, and even his consciousness seemed to shudder under the impact.

  Shadowfang roared in fury.

  “It’s carving a mark on you!”

  ?

  【Consciousness Sea】

  A thread-thin gray mark surfaced beneath the skin of YiChen’s right cheek.

  It resembled an ancient burning curse—

  —or a twisted maggot.

  The thing writhed violently, trying to burrow deeper into his blood.

  Shixi’s nine tails exploded outward.

  Barbed fangs bared, he lunged forward and bit down on the demonic mark.

  “Don’t even think about it!”

  Silver light burst forth.

  The crimson demonic aura shrieked and dissipated.

  A freezing killing light surged through YiChen’s eyes.

  This Demon…

  was far more vicious and cunning than the one at the hydropower station.