Liaozhai: Immortality Begins with Becoming Yan Chixia's Apprentice

Chapter 142 Humanoid Shadow

Yan Chixia waved his hand, about to say something, when suddenly he frowned and took out a communication jade talisman from his sleeve.

He infused a wisp of true essence into it, and Han Wei's anxious voice rang in their ears.

"Master Yan, Young Master Zhou, something terrible has happened in the North. The rift north of Qingfeng City has reappeared, and this time it is several times larger than before."

"And...and a humanoid shadowy figure emerged from the crack! Our men can't hold it off; several have already died. Requesting backup! Requesting backup!"

Zhou Ning felt a chill run down his spine and looked at Yan Chixia.

Yan Chixia's expression was solemn as he said in a deep voice, "A humanoid black shadow? That's an avatar of an extraterrestrial demon, with strength comparable to a Nascent Soul cultivator. Han Wei and the others can't stop it."

He put away the jade talisman and looked at Zhou Ning.

"You just repaired the Azure Edge Sword, so you can use it to test your skills. I'm going to the Southern Frontier, where the cracks might start to move as well. I'll leave the Northern Frontier to you."

Zhou Ning nodded: "Disciple understands. Master, rest assured, disciple will definitely guard the North."

He took out several pills to restore his true essence from his bag, and also took the life-saving jade talisman and the jade slip of the "Transformation God Technique" given to him by Yan Chixia.

With everything prepared, he left Lanruo Temple and sped northwards.

From Qingyun Mountain to Qingfeng City, it's a distance of a thousand miles.

Zhou Ning traveled day and night, pushing his mid-Nascent Soul cultivation to its limit, his figure like a purple-gold lightning bolt.

The people of the North are suffering, and he must get there as soon as possible.

The next day, he arrived in Qingfeng City.

The sight in the city made his heart sink.

The streets were deserted, with few pedestrians and most shops closed.

A suffocating atmosphere permeated the air, as if something was pressing on one's chest, making it hard to breathe.

On the city wall, the guards of the Demon Suppression Division stood ready, their eyes warily fixed on the north.

Their faces were etched with exhaustion and fear, and some of them were wounded, with dried and blackened blood seeping from under their bandages.

Han Wei was waiting at the city gate when he saw Zhou Ning and hurriedly went to greet him.

His face was pale, his left arm was wrapped in bandages, and blood was still seeping out; he was clearly injured.

"Young Master Zhou, you've finally arrived!"

Han Wei's voice carried a hint of anxiety.

"The crack is ten miles north of the city, and it's several times larger than last time. That dark figure... it's no longer a shadow, but a humanoid monster."

"It was completely black, had no facial features, but it could talk. It said... it said it had come to take over the human world."

Zhou Ning gripped the Qingfeng sword tightly, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"Take me to see it."

Han Wei led him to a high ground in the north of the city.

From afar, one could see a huge black rift suspended in mid-air, about twenty feet long and ten feet wide, like a giant vertical eye watching over the world.

Directly in front of the crack stood a human-shaped dark figure.

It was about ten feet tall, completely black, with no facial features, only a pair of blood-red eyes that gleamed eerily in the darkness.

In its hand, it held a black spear with strange runes engraved on the tip, emitting a faint black light.

"An avatar of an extraterrestrial demon."

Zhou Ning took a deep breath and drew his Qingfeng sword.

Han Wei grabbed his arm: "Young Master Zhou, it's too dangerous for you to go alone. I'll go with you."

Zhou Ning shook his head: "Lord Han, you stay here and protect the people. If anything happens to me, lead the people south to find my master."

Han Wei's eyes reddened, and he wanted to say something, but Zhou Ning had already rushed out.

The purple-gold sword light was particularly striking in the darkness, and Zhou Ning's figure shot straight towards the humanoid black shadow like a shooting star.

The shadowy figure seemed to sense his presence, turned around, and stared at him with blood-red eyes.

"You're Zhou Ning?"

The shadowy figure's voice was hoarse and deep, like a broken bellows.

"Our master once said that your and Yan Chixia's righteous spirit is the greatest threat to our clan."

"Especially you, Zhou Ning, it's rumored that you've surpassed your master. Today, I'm going to kill you."

"Then why don't you give it a try?"

Without wasting any words, Zhou Ning unleashed a direct sword strike.

A purple-gold sword aura shot out from the sword tip, like a giant purple-gold dragon, heading straight for the black figure's chest.

Wherever the sword energy passed, the air seemed to be torn apart.

The dark figure snorted coldly, raised his black spear, and thrust it out.

The black gun aura collided with the purple-gold sword aura, producing a deafening explosion.

The two forces remained locked in a stalemate for a moment before dissipating simultaneously.

"You do have some skill; I underestimated you."

A hint of surprise flashed in the shadowy figure's eyes.

"No wonder Master wanted me to take action personally; you're worth it."

It formed a mudra with its hands and chanted incantations.

The ground began to shake, and countless black chains surged from underground, wrapping around Zhou Ning.

The chains were thicker and stronger than those they had encountered before, covered with eerie runes, and exuded a strong aura of death.

Zhou Ning was prepared and used his lightness technique to weave and dodge among the chains.

At the same time, he slashed out with his sword, and the purple-gold sword energy severed several chains.

But there were too many chains, and they kept coming in, seemingly endless.

"This can't go on."

Zhou Ning gritted his teeth, concentrated all his Nascent Soul power at the tip of his sword, and unleashed the "Demon Slayer Technique".

A dazzling purple-gold light shone on the Qingfeng Sword.

The light grew stronger and brighter, like a small sun, dispelling all the surrounding darkness.

He poured all his power from the mid-stage Nascent Soul realm into this sword strike.

"cut!"

A massive purple-gold sword aura shot out from the sword tip, heading straight for the dark figure.

Wherever the sword energy passed, the black chains snapped and dissipated into black smoke.

The shadowy figure's expression changed, and he raised his black spear, conjuring a black light shield in front of him.

"boom!"

The sword energy struck the light shield, unleashing a deafening roar.

The light shield trembled violently, and countless cracks appeared.

The dark figure was forced back several steps, spitting out a mouthful of black blood.

"Such powerful sword energy! Is this kid's trump card?" The shadowy figure's eyes were filled with shock.

Zhou Ning gave it no chance to breathe and unleashed another sword strike.

This time, he combined the "Demon Slayer Technique" and the "Sky-Splitting Slash," splitting the sword energy in the air into two, then into four, transforming into four sword energies that attacked the shadow from four directions simultaneously.

The shadowy figure couldn't dodge in time and was struck by two sword energies, leaving two deep wounds on its body from which black blood gushed out.

"what!"

The dark figure let out a scream and staggered backward.

"Damn it, although this power is not fatal, the power of this righteous energy has the ability to restrain my clan. I was careless."

Its blood-red eyes stared intently at Zhou Ning, filled with resentment and malice.

"You wait, when the master arrives, he will not let you go."

It suddenly crushed a black token, which turned into a wisp of black mist and disappeared into the air.

The cracks began to shrink, twenty zhang, fifteen zhang, ten zhang...

Finally, the crack closed completely and disappeared into the sky.

Zhou Ning sheathed his sword, slumped to the ground, and gasped for breath.

Large beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. Nearly 90% of his Nascent Soul power had been consumed, but a sense of satisfaction welled up in his heart.

"It's a success."

Han Wei rushed over and helped him up: "Young Master Zhou, are you alright?"

Zhou Ning shook his head: "It's nothing, I'm just depleted of my power and need some time to recover."

He stared in the direction the shadowy figure had disappeared, his eyes filled with solemnity.

"This guy is just the beginning. The true form of the extraterrestrial demon will descend soon."