Chapter 17: Demonic Spirits and the Forbidden Land of Death
In the midst of trembling, the sphere formed by fox tails released a pink mist, filling the entire space. The illusions within the small building gradually faded away...
Bang!
No one knew how much time had passed. Lu Sha, naked, fell from the air and crashed onto the ground. He looked up to see a graceful figure slip into the void, vanishing in the blink of an eye—so swiftly it almost seemed a hallucination.
During their recent struggle, Lu Sha had injected the power of the Black Lotus into the fox demon’s body. Yet this creature was exceptionally strange, resisting his attempts at suppression. After a fierce entanglement, they separated; she fled in panic, and all around, the illusions dissolved.
Now, as he looked again, the opulent little building with its lights and flowers was gone. Only a barren wasteland remained, littered with corpses!
At a glance, there were thirty or forty bodies, with only a few barely clinging to life. All of these people had been bewitched by the fox demon, their vital essence drained, leaving them shriveled husks.
Especially just now, as she fought Lu Sha and resisted the intrusion of the Black Lotus, the fox demon desperately drew out their essence. For example, Lin Yuanhu—she had not intended to kill him immediately, hoping to use him to bring more victims. But at the critical moment, she could not afford to be picky. The once robust giant, over eight feet tall, was now a shriveled skeleton—Lu Sha barely recognized him.
At last, Lin Yuanhu regained consciousness.
“What happened to me? What happened to me?! Ahhh!” He looked around at the terrifying scene, recalling his strange behavior over the past nights, and let out a series of despairing screams.
The fat Taoist’s words echoed by his ear: If Commandant Lin ever sees ghosts and demons with his own eyes, he must be careful.
The truth was even more dreadful than the Taoist had warned. Lin Yuanhu encountered monsters with death already counting down.
Lu Sha glanced at him, then ignored him. His essence and blood were drained; even his last breath would not last long. Within half an hour, he would become another dried corpse.
...
“Such skill, young man! Even this evil spirit was forced to retreat!”
Lu Sha had just found his trousers and pulled them on when a feeble voice sounded nearby. Turning, he saw a curled-up husk of a man. Yet his condition was much better than the others—he seemed likely to live a while longer.
Lu Sha observed him: he wore a black Flying Tiger uniform, hinting at some background.
Having caught Lu Sha’s attention, the man hurried to continue, “Sadly, no matter your skills, you’re soon to die.”
Lu Sha frowned. “What do you mean?” He sensed this was not mere rambling.
“Not just you—everyone within Wuling County is doomed!”
“Do you know? Wuling County is being transformed step by step into a forbidden zone!”
The dried man’s sunken eyes locked onto Lu Sha; his voice was chilling.
“A forbidden zone?”
Lu Sha narrowed his eyes, feeling he was touching upon some crucial secret.
His reaction surprised the man, who hadn’t expected Lu Sha, with such abilities, to be unaware. But he quickly continued his explanation.
“Centuries ago, celestial demons and evil spirits fell from the void, creating death zones in this world.”
“A death zone is a place no living being can enter—those who go in never return, only death awaits!”
“I am a Demon Suppression Guard of the Grand Zhou, tasked with confronting celestial demons and the problems they spawn.”
...
“Half a month ago, multiple mysterious disappearances in Wuling County alarmed the Demon Suppression Bureau. They sent several of us to investigate.”
“We thought it was merely monsters causing trouble—who could have foreseen the revival of an evil spirit?”
“Wuling County is gradually becoming a death zone!”
These words shook Lu Sha to his core.
Tonight, he had only intended to eliminate Lin Yuanhu, weakening the County Guard’s strength. He never dreamed events would spiral so wildly! First the bizarre fox demon and fleeting spring wind, then this shriveled survivor, speaking horrifying secrets!
...
“These beings from the void are called celestial demons or evil spirits.”
“They are similar to monsters, but their level of existence is higher.”
“Some possess terrifying power, akin to deities.”
“Most importantly, evil spirits cannot be killed—only suppressed.”
“Some fools worship evil spirits as gods, offering devotion and even gaining power from them.”
“Moreover, evil spirits differ drastically from one another; it’s normal for them to be utterly distinct.”
“For example, some celestial demons immediately form forbidden zones upon arrival, persisting for centuries.”
“Others slumber for years before emerging and creating forbidden zones.”
“Wuling County’s case is the latter.”
The dried man rambled on.
Lu Sha’s expression remained unchanged, but his heart was in turmoil.
Celestial demons, evil spirits, death zones.
This world was far more complex and dangerous than he’d imagined!
“So, you’re saying an evil spirit has awakened, sealing Wuling County and turning it into a forbidden zone?”
Lu Sha asked.
“Exactly!”
“But there are two evil spirits in Wuling County. The fox demon you just saw is one of them.”
“That makes this place even more perilous!”
“I estimate the anomaly began several months ago.”
“At first, only a few disappeared, swallowed by the abyss as they tried to leave, creating the illusion of missing persons.”
“Now the forbidden zone has formed—entry is possible, escape is not!”
“The tens of thousands in this county are nearly all doomed.”
“Even if they survive, they’ll become things neither human nor ghost—living will be worse than dying!”
“Then, this place will become a hell on earth!”
His voice grew ever colder, painting a horrific picture.
Lu Sha’s expression darkened, silent. His intuition told him the man was likely telling the truth.
“If you want to live, save me!”
“The first group of Demon Suppression Guards is all dead except for me. The court will soon send another team to investigate and rescue.”
“Relying on the Guards is your only hope for survival!”
As Lu Sha pondered, the dried man struggled over, clutching Lu Sha’s trouser leg, gazing up at him.
After all his revelations, his motive was finally exposed.
“Save you?”
Lu Sha looked down, eyes narrowing, his expression unreadable.
“Yes, save me!”
“If you do, I can take you out safely!”
...
“Take me into the city, help me with a prescription—I can live, I can live!”
The dried man’s sunken eyes shone, his skeletal hand gripping Lu Sha’s trouser leg.
...
The shriveled Demon Suppression Guard had spoken so many shocking secrets for one purpose: to tell Lu Sha that Wuling County was extremely dangerous, and everyone’s death was imminent. If he wanted to survive, he had to save him—he was Lu Sha’s only hope of escape.
For most, receiving so much terrifying information at once would leave them stunned, dazed and almost certainly clinging to this slim hope and saving the man.
But after his brief shock, Lu Sha quickly regained composure. He mentally replayed their conversation, then calmly asked:
“You said earlier I have impressive skills?”
The dried man’s heart skipped—a sudden sense of doom rising.
Lu Sha reached for the short blade at his waist, continuing:
“And you said the fox demon was an evil spirit manifested.”
At this, the man’s expression changed drastically. He released Lu Sha’s leg, crawling backward, desperately protesting:
“No, no! You heard wrong—I never said that!”
Lu Sha smiled, striding forward with his blade, and posed a final question.
“You saw what I could do, didn’t you?”
“So, what am I, if I can drive back the evil spirit’s avatar?”
At these words, the dried man’s face turned ashen, despair flooding his features.
What was Lu Sha? He did not know—he was terrified. Fused with monsters, able to wield their powers, even able to force back an evil spirit! What kind of bizarre, frightening existence was this?
But he had no choice! He was dying, needing someone to help him. Here, only Lu Sha remained.
When the man discovered Lu Sha knew nothing about celestial demons, evil spirits, or forbidden zones, he’d unloaded as much information as possible, hoping to frighten him. Yet Lu Sha had grasped the crux of the matter!
Lu Sha smiled.
“See? You don’t even know what I am.”
“As a Demon Suppression Guard of Grand Zhou, aren’t people like me supposed to be your targets?”
The man shook his head frantically.
“No, no—I…”
Swish—
A cold gleam flashed. Before he could finish, a thin red line appeared on his neck.
With a guttural sound, his shriveled head fell to the ground.
Thus, the Demon Suppression Guard died at Lu Sha’s hands, without the slightest resistance.
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