Author: 梦溪石 / Meng Xi Shi
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 170
Although Dong Zhi was still temporarily confused, wondering why they were previously inside a book and now suddenly seeing a dragon—and Long Shen, who was originally on a mission to find the book’s owner, had unexpectedly appeared here—the most pressing issue at the moment was not to seek answers but to deal with the dragons before them.
Apart from the dragon that was entwined with Long Shen, there were nine other shadow dragons formed from light, acting as the primary dragon’s avatars, all of which were swooping down on them. Clouds move with dragons, and winds with tigers. The dragon’s motions stirred the clouds into huge whirlpools, creating even bigger waves, blocking everyone. Blades of wind covered the sky, slashing countless marks on them.
The power of the shadow dragons was unexpectedly strong. Comparing them with past enemies, Dong Zhi realized they were on par with the heavenly demon avatar that Song En tried to resurrect. Although Dong Zhi was now much more powerful than before, he was still facing multiple shadow dragons. Chang Qing took on three, while Dong Zhi was left to deal with the remaining six.
As for Kan Chaosheng…
A big yellow cat was bobbing in the water; its front paws clutching Xiao Zhao’s collar, while its hind legs and tail flailed desperately. Only because he wasn’t an ordinary cat could he drag along a grown man’s body. Still, it was quite a struggle, with the cat grumbling constantly.
Kan Chaosheng had an obsession with the fact that a jiao was inferior to a dragon; every time a dragon appeared, he refused to transform back into his sea serpent form, just like the last time on Changbai Mountain.
Despite the vast size difference, the dragon in combat with Long Shen couldn’t kill him. Furthermore, Long Shen seemed unafraid of the huge waterspouts, slicing through them effortlessly with his sword. Over time, the silver dragon grew impatient and transformed into a tiger-like beast, attempting to strike Long Shen from above—a momentary gap in his sword’s defense.
A massive force bore down, dimming the radiant sword light. Looking over, Dong Zhi could barely make out the combatants, both swallowed by the swirling waves. As he was momentarily distracted by looking at Long Shen, a shadow dragon lunged from behind, passing directly through his body.
A chill surged in Dong Zhi’s heart; a metallic taste rose in his throat. His sword, bereft of its protective aura, dimmed instantly. The other five shadow dragons, seeing their vulnerable prey, swiftly closed in, seeking to tear him apart.
While Long Shen was dealing with the main dragon and Chang Qing still had two shadow dragons to fend off, with Kan Chaosheng being of no help, Dong Zhi realized he had to save himself.
In the eyes of the six shadow dragons, Dong Zhi was as good as dead, his soul seemingly more appetizing than previous prey.
Yet, this “easy prey” resisted. Six talisman fire shot from mid-air towards the shadow dragons. At the same time, clouds rolled in the sky, lightning struck, and amidst the brilliant flashes, the shadow dragons writhed and howled, instantly losing all their momentum.
Chang Qing, initially considering aiding Dong Zhi, was taken aback seeing him summon lightning. He realized he had underestimated Dong Zhi’s capabilities and remembered how Dong Zhi had spared him back in the office.
He once felt inferior due to his half-demon nature. Later, after acquiring skills, his inferiority gradually transformed into arrogance. However, once he ventured out, he realized that there are always people better than oneself, and there’s always a higher sky beyond the sky.
However, Dong Zhi stumbled upon a peculiar issue.
True dragons wouldn’t fear heavenly thunder, as such thunder was only effective against evil and malevolent beings. Considering the shadow dragons were heavily affected by the thunder to the point of near-death, it suggested that the dragon fighting with Long Shen wasn’t a true dragon either.
If it wasn’t a dragon, then why was Kan Chaosheng just now intimidated by its presence and dared not transform into his jiao form?
Under the heavenly thunder, the shadow dragons were enveloped in thunderous light, their figures gradually turning transparent as they wailed in agony. At that moment, the beast fighting Long Shen also let out an angry roar, abandoning Long Shen to pounce towards Dong Zhi!
The beast was incredibly fast. In less than two seconds, it had moved from several meters away to right in front of Dong Zhi. It was then that Dong Zhi noticed that the beast, which resembled a tiger, had a face that looked human.
The lightning illuminated the facial hair on the beast’s face, but its eyes were filled with human-like resentment. Moreover, a smile appeared on its face, making it look exceptionally eerie. It was such an unsettling sight that Dong Zhi felt it was even worse than any zombie or other hideous creature he had ever seen.
Compared to it, although the Heavenly Demon was terrifying, no matter what its true form looked like, it at least had a face that could enchant people. However, the monster in front of him seemed to embody the greatest malice in the world. Just one glance from it was enough to make someone despair to the point of wanting to do nothing and even prefer death.
When the monster’s shadow approached, Dong Zhi had just lifted his Changshou Sword when immense pressure bore down on him. His wrist was forcibly bent downward, making it impossible to raise his sword. In a matter of seconds, not only did the monster’s claws reach out for him, but its vividly red, thick tongue also licked towards his face. Dong Zhi could already feel a stinging pain on his face, as if it were being scratched by needles.
The gusting wind abruptly stopped!
The beast was swept up by a ray of light. Dong Zhi found himself embraced by Long Shen, as waves of water gushed over him, blocking his breathing. However, Long Shen quickly tightened his grip, and Dong Zhi could feel the breath coming through Long Shen’s mouth.
Huh?
Dong Zhi struggled to open his eyes, feeling a bit dazed due to his earlier injuries. He allowed himself to be embraced by Long Shen, who shielded him from the surging waves with his body. Subconsciously, Dong Zhi embraced Long Shen’s back; although weak, their entangled bodies seemed perfectly in sync to the onlookers.
“Fuck, when did the boss get so open about his feelings? Public displays of affection can kill you! Why do I have to save him? He’s so heavy. What does he eat, rocks?”
The big yellow cat looked up and was dumbfounded for a few seconds before pushing Xiao Zhao toward the shore, mumbling to itself in meows that no one understood.
Xiao Zhao couldn’t respond either.
Another spectator, Chang Qing, didn’t have the energy to worry about Dong Zhi at the moment. As soon as he saw the beast thrown into the air, he leapt up to engage it in battle.
Weakened by Long Shen, the creature was nowhere near as strong as before and couldn’t even transform back into its dragon form. But while dodging Chang Qing’s attacks, it glared at him with eerie green eyes and spoke human words.
“Why do you help humans kill me when you are a demon? I can give you power and make you stronger.”
“I despise demons,” said Chang Qing coldly, slashing down mercilessly. The creature screamed and fell heavily to the ground, attempting to flee but was quickly surrounded by a ring of fire.
“Let me go! Tell me what you want, and it’s yours. You’re after the murderer, right? I know who it is! Just let me go!” it wailed.
At that point, Dong Zhi and Long Shen walked over.
“Isn’t this thing a dragon?” Kan Chaosheng said, having never seen such a pathetic dragon.
Long Shen replied, “It’s a half-dragon, a mix of a dragon and an Aoyin*.”
*Monster found in Chinese mythology commonly believed to attack and devour humans. It has a long tongue and likes to eat human brains.
The Aoyin was documented in the “Classic of Mountains and Seas”, a mythical creature that resembled humans, fed on them, and was good at deceit and illusion.
Dong Zhi found that the information he had crammed for the Special Administration exam actually came in handy. At least he didn’t need further explanation from Long Shen and immediately understood the origin of the Aoyin.
Being a half-dragon, it inherited the dragon’s mighty power, but it couldn’t fully eliminate the cruel and bloodthirsty traits of the Aoyin. Ultimately, to most powerful non-human beings like dragons and the Aoyin, fragile humans weren’t to be protected. Just as humans could dispose of the lives of animals like cats, dogs, rabbits, and turtles at will, humans were also just disposable animals to these mythical creatures.
Only beings like Long Shen and Tang Jing, who were created by human hands and imbued with the spirit of heaven and earth, would consider it their duty to protect worldly peace, possessing a great love even more noble than most humans.
As for Kan Chaosheng, Dong Zhi suddenly understood why Long Shen had kept him in Group 2: to watch over him and prevent him from straying off the path, unlike the Aoyin, who acted recklessly until it met its match.
As the Aoyin tumbled through the flames, ghostly qi wafted out from the fire, hastily dispersing in all directions.
Dong Zhi looked at these ghostly qi in surprise, roughly understanding the situation.
This Aoyin, with half-dragon bloodline, might be seeking the power to survive, or perhaps it wanted to become stronger. But under the constraints of modern societal rules, where it couldn’t freely kill and eat, it devised a method. Through a blank book, it allowed those who browsed the book to glimpse their deepest desires, then slowly corrode them. Like Su Huan, it would lure her soul completely into the book, then produce Shadow Ghosts to kill her, either to eat her heart and brain or to devour part of the dead’s soul. In any case, this would satisfy its hunger, and then it would leave the soul of the deceased to lure the next victim.
Before Su Huan, others had already died. And before their discovery, who knew how many crimes the Aoyin committed in secret, resulting in so many spirits now escaping in haste.
After all, the world was vast, and the Special Administration Bureau wasn’t omnipotent. There were always oversights.
But the heavens were just. The Aoyin couldn’t escape forever.
Long Shen waved his hand, and the majority of the wailing souls were sucked into a peculiar mirror. A small portion managed to flee quickly and soon disappeared from sight.
At first glance, the mirror seemed familiar to Dong Zhi. He quickly remembered it seemed to be Tang Jing’s magic weapon.
He wanted to inquire about Tang Jing’s well-being, but now wasn’t the time. Chang Qing slashed down with another sword, piercing through the Aoyin. The flames spread, turning this monster into ashes.
Long Shen didn’t stop it, for considering the Aoyin’s killing spree, even if brought back to the bureau, the outcome would be the same.
Dong Zhi looked around and found they were by a large lake. There was no sign of human activity or even buildings around. It likely was some nature reserve, which was why their earlier commotion went unaddressed.
It was still dark, with a grayish-blue hue covering the sky, even eerier than the complete darkness of night.
Yet, in the distance, there was the sound of iron chains rattling. It seemed like someone was dragging a long chain across the ground.
Dong Zhi felt a stir in his heart and was about to speak when Long Shen silenced him.
Looking at Chang Qing and Kan Chaosheng, both man and cat were intently listening to the sound of the chains with a solemn and silent expression.
Xiao Zhao, lying on the ground, stirred and finally came to his senses.
“Where is this… It’s so cold,” he murmured weakly.
It was no surprise that, for a detective with skills superior to an average person, facing monsters like the Aoyin and fierce spirits like Su Huan rendered him useless. Furthermore, Su Huan swapped bodies with him and confined him to a shadow, making him drenched in water like a drowned rat. Only now has he escaped the danger.
Dong Zhi was relieved to see Xiao Zhao awaken.
“You’re okay…”
He stopped mid-sentence. Earlier, Xiao Zhao’s soul was forced out by Su Huan and they had captured it. But amidst their chaos battling the shadow dragons, they hadn’t been able to attend to Xiao Zhao’s soul, unsure if it returned to his body.
How could they be sure that this Xiao Zhao was the real one?
Seeing everyone staring at him, Xiao Zhao sneezed and looked uneasy.
“What’s wrong?”
The sound of chains grew closer, and no one could pretend to ignore it.
Long Shen furrowed his brow. Dealing with the Aoyin hadn’t caused such a reaction, but now he genuinely felt it was a tricky situation.
“Master?”
“Someone from the underworld is here,” Long Shen stated.
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