Seeking Truth with a Sword
Chapter 38 - 37: Bandages

Chapter 38: Chapter 37: Bandages

That was close. Li Ang gasped for air, taking several steps back, distancing himself from the lethal claws hanging before his eyes, the bell in his hand jingling incessantly.

JINGLE JINGLE. The crisp sound of the bell echoed through the cave, in harmony with the rhythmic, heartbeat-like, and powerfully penetrating melodious bell tolls from the foot of the mountain, firmly rooting the Corpse Evil in place.

TAP. Cheng Juxiu landed lightly, having jumped down from above the cave entrance. His expression was composed. His right index and middle fingers formed a Sword technique, and he swung his hand forward with force.

BUZZ— The Longsword vibrated, wrapped in a gale, and pierced the Corpse Evil’s neck. Its momentum unabated, it swept the creature against the wall, half the blade sinking into the rock.

"Glazed Glass Binding Fire," Cheng Juxiu announced, having pinned the Corpse Evil. His expression was as calm as still water. His left thumb pressed against the middle joint of his left middle finger, and his right thumb against the top joint of his right middle finger. Each hand formed a ring; the rings interlocked, suspended before him, creating a hand formation.

WHOOSH! The sparks, scattered when the torches were smashed, were swept up by the gale and drawn into the air vortex before Cheng Juxiu.

All the sparks collided intensely within the increasingly hot air currents. One became two, two became three. They accumulated into a mass, swelling with combustion, and then, with deceptive slowness, morphed into the shape of a Fire Dragon.

Its glow illuminated Cheng Juxiu’s solemn face. The temperature in the cave rose rapidly. A large amount of water vapor steamed out from the sandy soil, turning into a mist that drifted along the ground.

Li Ang had to press himself against the cold cave walls, shrinking away. He recalled the details of the Cloud Patrol Realm’s Glazed Glass Binding Fire Technique while constantly jingling the bell in his hand. This was to prevent the Corpse Evil from struggling and breaking free from the Longsword pinning it.

As the Fire Dragon gradually took shape, amassing its power...

ROAR!!! That familiar, deafening roar once again sounded outside the cave. Another massive Corpse Evil had already been surrounded by the garrison soldiers and driven to the East Cliff Mountain Top. Its body was studded with broken arrows. Whenever the Haotian Bell’s prolonged toll resonated from the foot of the mountain, its body would tremble, tugging at its wounds and splattering foul-smelling blood.

The sound of the Haotian Bell naturally restrained Evil Demons and other demonic creatures. Niu Wenshu noticed Li Ang and the others in the West Cliff cave. Realizing they had subdued another Corpse Evil inside, he didn’t hesitate. He lunged forward, unsheathing his Broadsword to slash at the head of the Corpse Evil before him.

The talisman-covered Broadsword sliced through the night air. According to plan, this blow, aided by the sound of the Haotian Bell, should have decapitated the Corpse Evil by cutting through its already injured neck.

However... THUMP— The expected toll of the Haotian Bell, due in the next moment, ceased abruptly without any warning, as if forcibly interrupted.

This is bad, Niu Wenshu thought. Before shock could fully spread in his heart, he felt a powerful gust charge towards him. The Corpse Evil, no longer suppressed by the Haotian Bell, had regained its ferocity.

Its murky eyes reflected the torchlight as it threw a punch at Niu Wenshu. In a desperate moment, Niu Wenshu shifted from offense to defense. He flipped the Broadsword horizontally to block, angling the blade to deflect some of the incoming force as his body was flung backward.

What’s going on? Why has the Haotian Bell stopped?! The same astonishment and rage rose in the hearts of everyone on the mountain. They had repeatedly warned the villagers when they came: under no circumstances should the Haotian Bell be allowed to stop.

What on earth had happened at the foot of the mountain?

Li Ang desperately shook the nightmare bell. But after the Haotian Bell stopped, the Corpse Evil pinned to the cave wall still began to tremble violently. The nightmare bell alone was no longer enough to fully control it.

What was worse... BOOM!! The ground shook, and dust billowed.

The second Corpse Evil leaped over the cliff and plummeted into the cave, blocking the exit. Its murky eyes, hidden under black hair, stared directly at the two people ahead.

It seemed to sense the threat of the Fire Dragon forming before Cheng Juxiu. The moment it landed, it swung its limbs, digging into the ground. In the blink of an eye, it scaled the cave wall.

Hanging upside down from the roof of the cave, it charged forward. The East and West Cliffs of the mountain were ten zhang apart, so the garrison soldiers couldn’t arrive in time to help. The situation took a sharp turn for the worse, causing even Cheng Juxiu’s breathing to become erratic for a moment.

Although Cheng Juxiu cultivated both Magic and Sword techniques, he had to focus completely on one to unleash its full power; he couldn’t use both simultaneously. The Glazed Glass Binding Fire Technique could completely incinerate a Corpse Evil’s body, but it was effective only in a straight line. There was no more time.

At the East Cliff Mountain Top, Niu Wenshu watched the chasm-like cliffs with great anxiety. Suddenly, he heard the rustling of plants in the grass behind him, followed by a sorrowful child’s cry. "Dad! Mom!"

Under the silent night sky, the call seemed clear and loud. The two Corpse Evils in the cave paused momentarily, their sluggish, dull gazes turning toward the sound. On the East Cliff Mountain Top, a ragged, sallow, and emaciated child burst out of the underbrush. He fell to his knees at the edge of the cliff, tears streaming down his face as he cried, "Dad, Mom, please stop..."

... However, the two Corpse Evils showed no further reaction. Their gazes remained turbid and bloodthirsty. They turned their heads back; one began to sprint, the other to struggle.

Li Ang saw the smaller Corpse Evil accelerating its struggle, about to break free from the Longsword’s restraint. Without time to think, he bowed his head and bit down on the nightmare bell to keep it jingling. He then rushed forward, firmly grasping the hilt of the Flying Sword with both hands.

"Senior Brother!" Li Ang shouted indistinctly, his mouth full. He pushed off the rock wall with all his strength, his palms yanking the sword hilt diagonally. In the final moment, just as the Corpse Evil broke free, he flung it into the middle of the cave. It landed overlapping the second Corpse Evil at the entrance. Li Ang, having drawn out the Longsword, retreated against the cave wall.

Now! Li Ang thought. Without needing any further cue, Cheng Juxiu pressed down hard with his hands, still in their formation. The Fire Dragon shot swiftly out from before him.

BOOM!! The raging blaze was so intense that it illuminated every speck of dust floating in the air. The moisture accumulated within the cave over thousands of years was utterly eradicated.

The roaring Fire Dragon, like an arrow formed of viscous fluid, penetrated both Corpse Evils. It burned their black body hair to ash and scorched most of their bodies to char. With unabated force, it then struck the cliff wall on the east side, scorching a large patch black.

KERPLUNK. The charred remains of the two Corpse Evils fell to the ground. Cheng Juxiu let out a huge sigh of relief. He stepped back half a pace and reached out to support himself on the cave wall, struggling to stand straight. Sheathing the Flying Sword with some effort, he asked, "Risheng? How are you?"

The voice echoed in the cave. Li Ang, as if he hadn’t heard Cheng Juxiu’s call at all, silently squatted. He picked up a random stone from the ground and began to poke at the Corpse Evils’ charred remains.

RUSTLE, RUSTLE. He picked something out from the remains.

There were animal bones, not yet fully digested, from their stomachs, and several small pieces of grey-white cloth. Reflected in Li Ang’s eyes was the shape of the white cloth.

That’s... a bandage, he realized. The plaster bandages that had originally been wrapped around the legs of the emaciated Corpse Evil.