Chapter 18: Creating a Second Demon—The Bone of Shadowfire

In the desolate northern woods of the city, Lu Sha stood amidst a pile of corpses, gripping a short blade, as cold and motionless as a stone statue.

Tonight had seen more than enough bloodshed.

But Lu Sha knew—this man had to die.

He called himself a Demon Suppressor, one of those enforcers established by the Great Zhou court to deal with fiends, sinister spirits, and all manner of monsters and ghosts.

Most importantly, he had witnessed the eerie techniques Lu Sha wielded, and even possessed the strength to force back the fox-demon spirit.

Therefore, he had to die.

After slaying the Demon Suppressor with a single stroke, Lu Sha began to search the body.

First time unfamiliar, second time adept. This time, Lu Sha searched the corpse far more swiftly than before.

Before long, he had gathered everything of use: a Demon Suppressor’s insignia, several bottles of healing elixirs, some silver fragments.

And, most notably, a brand-new martial arts manual titled “Dragon Elephant Art.”

Lu Sha skimmed through it, discovering it was a superior-level technique—comprehensive and complete, including not only the method and associated martial skills, but even alchemical recipes for the necessary pills to cultivate this art.

Unbeknownst to him, the Demon Suppressor had only just exchanged military merit for this “Dragon Elephant Art,” and hadn’t even begun practicing before meeting his unlucky end at Lu Sha’s hands.

“What an excellent technique. Now I can finally embark upon martial cultivation in earnest.”

A hint of a smile touched Lu Sha’s lips.

At last, the first good news of the night had arrived.

And as the saying goes, misfortune to fortune reverses.

Soon enough, the second stroke of good fortune reached Lu Sha.

With so many corpses strewn about, Lu Sha had no intention of leaving any unsearched, rifling through them one by one.

On several of the bodies, he received a prompt from the Black Lotus:

[Yin Bone: Bones of a martial artist corroded by sinister energy, can be used as material]

Altogether, three corpses of eerie, pale bone yielded this prompt.

Lu Sha extracted one of these so-called yin bones for closer study.

He found the bone icy cold, like frozen steel, yet exceptionally sturdy—striking stone with a metallic clang.

This reminded him of the third realm of body refinement—Bone Tempering.

A martial artist who had mastered Bone Tempering would possess bones of exceptional density and resilience, beyond the reach of ordinary men.

It seemed likely that these three had been bone-tempering experts, or perhaps even stronger, and only after death could such yin bones manifest.

“A pity about Lin Yuanhu and the Demon Suppressor; had they died sooner, they might have provided some yin bones as well. Now that the fox-demon spirit is gone, it’s probably too late.”

With this in mind, Lu Sha collected all the yin bones.

Once gathered, the Black Lotus within his sea of consciousness suddenly swayed, and a petal slowly unfurled.

Lu Sha’s heart leapt—he knew this signaled he could create a second demon.

His spirit stirred, and he immediately set to work.

Lu Sha placed [Ghostfire] and [Yin Bones] within the space of the Black Lotus, guiding them together with his will, then issued the command:

“Create demon!”

[Materials sufficient, beginning creation]

At the prompt, ghostfire and yin bones fused together!

The ghastly green flames roared, enveloping all the yin bones.

Though he had begun with a heap of bones from three bodies, under the refining flames they gradually melted, shrinking as though being distilled.

The entire process was not slow.

Soon, the pile of yin bones had been reduced to a mass the size of a basketball, shrouded in sinister green fire.

On the freshly-unfurled petal, a line of text appeared:

[Creation successful!]

[Yinfire Bone: Upper ninth grade, can devour yin bones for further enhancement]

“Yinfire Bone?”

Lu Sha repeated the name, and with a thought, the newly-created fiend materialized before him.

As his hand touched it, he instantly felt as if it were an extension of his own body, seamlessly connected.

“Blade!”

At his mental command, the Yinfire Bone melted and reshaped in an instant, transforming into a vicious, razor-sharp bone blade.

It landed in Lu Sha’s hand, still wreathed in eerie green flames—strangely beautiful, yet sinister.

He swung it a few times, marveling at how perfectly it fit his grasp, as if crafted just for him.

Could there be a weapon more suited to Lu Sha?

“Armor!”

After a few swings, Lu Sha gave no verbal command, merely a thought.

Sure enough, the bone blade instantly melted and reformed, becoming a suit of bone armor laced over his body.

The blade was razor sharp, able to slice iron as if it were mud; the armor, unyielding, fending off any attack.

Both would greatly enhance Lu Sha’s combat power.

“What would happen if I struck the armor with the blade?” he wondered, but only smiled at the thought, deciding against trying—likely, both would suffer damage.

But the Yinfire Bone’s utility did not end there.

Lu Sha took a deep breath, and with a thought, the entire suit of bone armor melted into his body.

He shook his arm—and several vicious bone spikes burst forth from his forearm, sharp as a row of daggers.

With a punch, the spikes retracted, morphing into a massive gauntlet around his fist.

Lu Sha experimented further.

The [Yinfire Bone] continued to shift and transform, displaying a multitude of forms and uses.

This demon he had created was truly invaluable!

After a while, however, Lu Sha was drenched in sweat and had to stop, his breathing ragged.

The Yinfire Bone was far stronger than the Hundred-Eyed Ghost, and driving it with his own strength was exhausting—like a child trying to wield a massive broadsword, simply lacking the power to sustain it.

“I must strengthen myself as soon as possible.”

“With the Yinfire Bone, and mastery of the Dragon Elephant Art, my power will surely multiply severalfold!”

The two strokes of good fortune greatly lifted Lu Sha’s spirits.

He made another careful sweep, ensuring he had missed nothing and left no trace, before departing the desolate woods.

Yet Lu Sha did not return to the death cell immediately. Instead, he caught a wild pheasant and tied it with a cord, intending to test the Demon Suppressor’s claim.

Sure enough, after traveling another seven or eight miles beyond the woods, the pheasant walking ahead of him suddenly blurred and vanished without a trace.

The cord tied to it snapped off in midair, the severed end hanging in empty space.

A sharp tug from Lu Sha snapped the rest of the cord—yet the pheasant was simply gone.

Now, Lu Sha could be certain—the Demon Suppressor had spoken the truth.

Wuling County was a trap: those who entered could not leave. Everyone inside was sealed in.

“Fiends, forbidden lands of death... I refuse to believe I can’t escape alive.”

Unruffled, Lu Sha’s eyes grew sharper, his hunger for strength keener than ever.

How could one not wish to experience such a bizarre, splendid world to the fullest?

By the third watch, after a long night’s work, Lu Sha finally returned to the death cell.

Before learning of the spirits and forbidden lands, he could afford to proceed methodically. Now, he had to act swiftly.

He had already made up his mind—to deal with County Captain Zhou Bo within three days.

Lu Sha’s grudge was not mere vengeance; he coveted the man’s wealth and resources.

The Dragon Elephant Art’s alchemical recipes required rare and precious herbs.

How could one proceed without money?

Just as he was pondering this, a sudden chill swept through the cell.

In the dimness, a graceful figure appeared, nine enormous fox tails swaying behind her, bewitching and monstrous.

The fox-demon spirit had come knocking at his door.