Chapter 159: Invitation from the Temple of the Witch God

He Chang'an's strength had greatly increased, and it seemed that ordinary beasts and demons could do nothing to him. Only then did the old white ape feel somewhat relieved, expressing his intention to return to the city walls of Sword Gate Pass.

The truth was that the spiritual energy in this lawless land was far too chaotic. Staying here for long was more than the old white ape's frail constitution could withstand.

Looking back every three steps, Girl A-Ran also bid her farewells and departed.

She practiced Daoist techniques, which demanded even higher purity of spiritual energy, making this place truly unsuitable for a prolonged stay; otherwise, it would damage her Dao foundation.

Even though, in her heart, she would actually have preferred to stay and hunt alongside He Chang'an...

Watching his two friends leave, He Chang'an stood still for a long time.

Strictly speaking, he had quite a few friends, but it seemed that none of them could stay by his side for long. Ultimately, this was not because he was ill-fated and brought misfortune to his friends, but because his strength was insufficient to even protect himself—let alone talk of staying together with friends for long.

He Chang'an was well aware of this. Therefore, upon the departure of the old white ape and Girl A-Ran, he merely let out a slight sigh and said nothing more.

After standing outside the small wooden cabin for nearly half an hour, he turned and headed south.

Over there, it was said, lay a vast grassland, alongside forests and deserts, where the beasts and demons were not of very high rank, making them just right for practicing swordsmanship.

"Sword cultivator..."

Tsk!

Joy stirred within He Chang'an's heart, yet his actions remained extremely cautious. Like a leopard, he walked with his body bowed, weaving through the tall grass and scattered rocks, avoiding places that looked particularly treacherous for fear of running into powerful beasts and demons.

However, after traveling dozens of miles until he reached the vicinity of a vast, dark forest, he still had not encountered any formidable beasts and demons, which made him feel slightly more at ease.

On a sun-facing hillside, He Chang'an chose a spot with favorable geomancy and dug himself a dugout shelter, setting up a few traps, sharpened bamboo stakes, and other "little gadgets" around it.

These were all basic operations. Although they probably wouldn't be of much use, they had already become a survival habit.

"According to what the old white ape and Girl A-Ran said, I should now be considered a rather formidable practitioner; third-tier beasts and demons pose no threat to me. The problem is, which beasts and demons count as third-tier..."

He was truly suffering the consequences of lacking cultural knowledge.

He Chang'an sighed with emotion.

By dusk, he sneaked to the edge of the dark forest to scout around and discovered that deep within the forest, there seemed to be several powerful auras—not overwhelmingly strong, but not weak either.

He Chang'an reckoned that in a one-on-one fight, there should be no danger.

What he feared most right now were those monsters that swarmed out across the mountains and plains. Even if they were first-tier or second-tier beasts and demons, if they came in the thousands, no matter how much stronger he became, it would be of little use.

When fighting at the northern border, he had witnessed with his own eyes how hundreds of ordinary soldiers from a Ghost tribe clan managed to grind a fifth-tier martial artist expert to death through sheer numbers...

After scouting, He Chang'an did not return the way he came. Instead, he made a wide detour, exploring the surrounding dozens of miles until he had a general idea of the terrain in his mind. Only then did he return to his dugout.

That night, he did not dare to light a fire. He simply huddled in the underground hole, gnawing on dried meat, and didn't even dare to drink any wine, terrified that some monster might suddenly pop up.

The first half of the night passed without incident.

The second half of the night also passed without incident.

Seeing the eastern sky turn pale and dawn approaching, He Chang'an felt a bit drowsy and planned to catnap for a while before heading out.

Suddenly, a wave of palpitation struck his heart.

It seemed as though something was slowly approaching his dugout.

He gave a start and quietly projected his divine sense, discovering a humanoid "beast-demon" sneaking toward him from about three miles away to the southwest.

That "humanoid beast-demon"...

Seemed to be female, quite stunningly bare without even a fig leaf, immediately giving away its demonic nature.

He Chang'an muttered inwardly. The world of beasts and demons was indeed extraordinary, and completely shameless too. In the middle of the night... ahem, early in the morning, why was it running around in such a state of undress?

Indulging in such wild thoughts, he used his divine sense to observe the "humanoid beast-demon" without batting an eye, feeling somewhat startled and uncertain.

A demonic entity? A ghost? Or a human?

None of them seemed quite right.

Mainly because the aura felt off.

During his time at the Demon-Slaying Office, He Chang'an's strength hadn't grown by much, but he had become quite familiar with the attributes, auras, and distinct characteristics of demons, ghosts, and monsters.

This "humanoid beast-demon" did not match any type he had previously encountered, which left him deeply puzzled.

Of course, the reason he dared to probe so boldly was still because he felt his current strength should be enough to handle it...

The "humanoid beast-demon" walked very cautiously, moving carefully through the grass much like a hunting tigress. Her steps were extremely light, her snow-white bare feet treading upon the grass making virtually no sound at all.

What particularly astonished He Chang'an was the aura emanating from this creature...

"The young hero ahead, which sect do you belong to?" The "humanoid beast-demon" suddenly spoke, her voice crisp and exceptionally pleasant, sounding as though she were only sixteen or seventeen years old.

"This humble maiden is Xueyao of the Witch God Palace. Might I ask which sect the young hero is from?"

He Chang'an: "..."

The "humanoid beast-demon" could speak human language, was completely naked without a single fig leaf or patch to her name, and was still just a "young girl"...

She definitely wasn't human.

Or rather, she wasn't a person.

Yet she was by no means a demon girl or a monster girl, nor did she possess any chilling evil aura. What kind of existence could she possibly be?

He Chang'an vigilantly probed with his divine sense while keeping his physical body hidden, retaining the caution becoming of a cultivator.

According to the old white ape's account, apart from those demons, ghosts, monsters, and scruffy Daoist priests who came to subdue them, no humans existed in this lawless land. So what was the deal with this "humanoid beast-demon"?

This [Witch God Palace]... just the name sounded less than reputable.

"Young hero, do not misunderstand. We of the Witch God Palace are friends with the human race and will not harm you." The "humanoid beast-demon" continued to speak, her voice suffused with a soft, sweet candy-like tone that actually tempted He Chang'an quite a bit.

However...

The humanoid beast-demon looked around vigilantly, weaving her "seduction" while slowly drawing closer to He Chang'an's location.

Suddenly, a black shadow lunged forward at lightning speed, a pitch-black bone knife in its grip abruptly thrusting toward the neck of the "humanoid beast-demon."

He Chang'an felt a slight jolt in his heart.

He saw that the black shadow was shaped like a civet cat with a human face, while the rest of its body was covered in pitch-black scales, and a semi-transparent, pitch-black membrane stretched between its two legs.

With a sideways dodge, the humanoid beast-demon evaded the monster's assassination attempt. Seemingly quite annoyed, she casually picked up a stone from the ground and hurled it...

A bizarre, miserable scream rang out.

The civet-faced monster rolled on the ground holding its head ten-odd yards away, its entire head and face covered in black bodily fluid, making He Chang'an feel a wave of nausea.

"How annoying, looking so hideous and yet still running out to make a fool of yourself!" The humanoid beast-demon spat in disgust, then turned her face toward He Chang'an's hiding spot and said with a radiant smile:

"Young hero, fear not. This human-faced civet has been beaten to death by a stone of mine..."

He Chang'an: 'So fierce.'

It seemed he had nowhere left to hide; she must have discovered his hiding spot long ago. He might as well just stand out in the open.

Judging from the attitude of the humanoid beast-demon, she didn't seem to harbor any ill intentions toward him for the time being.

Then again, it was hard to say...

People said that many demons, ghosts, and monsters could transform into human shapes.

Among them, major fiends loved to make themselves look fierce, swaggering around with three heads, six arms, and green faces with tusks, putting on a menacing air—when in truth, they were just harboring inner insecurities and trying to frighten their opponents' appearances first.

As for great demons, nether-ghosts, and sprites, they loved nothing more than transforming into the likeness of young maidens, specifically to lure and deceive young human men, all for that breath of primordial yang energy...

When he first encountered the bizarre entities of this world, He Chang'an had indeed been terrified.

Naturally, he was mostly afraid of dying.

Later on, after being kept for a period by a nether-ghost entity and experiencing numerous unbelievable events, he had actually grown somewhat immune to it.

He wasn't afraid of ghosts putting on airs; he only feared when those putting on airs were terrifyingly powerful.

"This... maiden, hello." He Chang'an crawled out from the dugout, cupped his fists in a salute, and tried his best to make his demeanor as gentle as possible.

"Oh, you really are quite good-looking," the humanoid beast-demon hurried over, treating He Chang'an not like an enemy at all as she said with a radiant smile, "My older brothers all said you looked quite nice, but I didn't believe them, so I came over to see for myself."

He Chang'an: "..."

He had been checked out by the older brothers of this "humanoid beast-demon"?

"What's your name?"

"Uh, my name is He Chang'an."

The moment he spoke his name, He Chang'an instantly felt a twinge of regret.

Because he felt a wisp of his spiritual mind vanish imperceptibly.

It was as if a single strand had been stealthily drawn out from a large bundle of threads...

'Damn it, demon magic?' He Chang'an was slightly stunned.

"Heehee, He Chang'an, don't worry. I think you're a lot of fun, and I want to make friends with you." Xueyao, the humanoid beast-demon, lifted her chin and said with a cheeky smile.

Looking closely, He Chang'an noted that this humanoid beast-demon who called herself "Xueyao" looked much like a human, with quite delicate facial features. The biggest difference lay in her eyes.

Xueyao's eyes were outwardly almost identical to a human's, except they appeared somewhat more slender, her eye shadow was quite prominent, and faint golden light flickered within her pupils, looking exceptionally unearthly.

"Don't be nervous. We of the Witch God Palace are not enemies to your human race." Xueyao looked He Chang'an up and down, appearing quite bold and even a bit mischievous.

"Let's go. Come play in our tribe." Xueyao walked over and reached out to grab He Chang'an's arm.

He Chang'an casually sidestepped to avoid her hand.

They weren't enemies, but they weren't friends either.

In this lawless land, could there really be friends of the human race? He Chang'an found it hard to believe.

He felt a slight urge to make a move.

On second thought, though, he decided against it.

Because he sensed two gazes deep within the forest that left him utterly powerless to resist, staring at him from afar and making it hard for him to breathe.

Sword cultivator A-Fei had once told He Chang'an that snuffing out a rookie like him was, for a true expert, nothing more than a glance...

The two gazes from deep within the black forest gave He Chang'an precisely that feeling.

He deeply regretted his habitual caution; knowing full well that crises lurked everywhere in this lawless land, he had still strayed far from the city walls of Sword Gate Pass...

He must have lost his mind.

"He Chang'an, this is not your fault. Our chieftain said that you were simply bewitched by a ghost." Xueyao grinned, revealing a row of sharp teeth that gave He Chang'an a major fright.

What terrified He Chang'an the most, however, was that his inner thoughts... seemed capable of being seen right through by that existence deep within the forest?

'This is too unbelievable. How can they possibly see through my inner thoughts?' He Chang'an thought with a touch of resentment.

"Why wouldn't our chieftain be able to see through your inner thoughts? Hmph!" Xueyao said with a hint of disdain, "Our chieftain gave the order for me to invite you to our tribe as a guest.

Rest assured, He Chang'an, our chieftain truly harbors no malice toward you; otherwise, the moment you stepped into the holy domain, you would have been dead as a doornail."

Filled with doubt and suspicion, He Chang'an had no other choice.

"Very well, I'll go with you." He Chang'an said.

Following the "humanoid beast-demon" Xueyao, He Chang'an kept his guard up against his surroundings at all times, and even more so against the person right in front of him, fearing she might suddenly fly into a rage and attack.

Of course, in his heart, he also knew he was being overly cautious.

If that existence deep within the forest wanted to annihilate him, He Chang'an, at such a short distance, it would probably only take a glance or two...

...

He had scouted this forest during the evening, and back then, he hadn't discovered any further bizarre presences; probing with his divine sense had revealed everything to be completely normal, just like an ordinary primeval forest.

Only now, walking into it following Xueyao, did he realize there were profound mysteries hidden within.

This was no mere forest!

It was practically an immortal mountain range of the legendary overseas realms, wasn't it?

At the break of dawn, the eastern sky glowed with a golden hue. Although the sun had yet to rise, the sky had already grown thoroughly bright, bordering the wisps of white cloud high above with golden halos.

A colossal mountain range, resembling an ancient azure dragon, lay quietly and peacefully across the earth.

Dozens of towering peaks, precipitous and verdant, pierced straight into the clouds.

Beasts roared, apes howled, and cranes cried clearly.

"This is..." He Chang'an asked hesitatingly.

"This is our Witch God Palace. What you saw outside was merely the mountain-guarding grand array." Xueyao bounded along like a bare little fawn, her slender legs looking remarkably springy, causing He Chang'an not to dare look too long.

"The rumors outside calling this a lawless land are actually all misunderstandings," Xueyao continued. "Those scruffy qi-refiners of your human race are thoroughly wicked; they come sneaking in to launch sneak attacks at the drop of a hat."

"They truly are wicked." He Chang'an was very fond of hearing this.

Following a crystal-clear stream as it meandered upward, passing through a grand canyon and arriving before a gigantic peak, Xueyao pointed into the distance: "He Chang'an, the chieftain is up on the mountain; you can go up by yourself.

My status is insufficient, so I'm not qualified to ascend the mountain."

With that, Xueyao looked He Chang'an over once more with great care, as if wanting to memorize his appearance, let out a cheeky giggle, and turned to leave.

With a few agile bounds resembling a nimble tigress, she vanished into the boundless sea of peaks.

He Chang'an felt rather helpless.

This whole experience felt like a dream.

Glancing back at the cloud-piercing peak, he shook his head and sighed, though much of his tension had dissipated.

As the saying goes, men are the knife and chopping board while you are the fish and meat. Since they could use powerful divine sense to concoct a "ghost's bewitchment," making him obediently leave the vicinity of Sword Gate Pass and deliver himself right to their doorstep, wanting to snuff him out would only take a flick of their thoughts!

'Little friend, do not worry; this old man harbors no malice.'

Suddenly, a voice echoed in his mind, giving He Chang'an a great start. However, no expression of terror showed on his face; instead, he offered a calm smile.

He did not speak.

Mainly because... he didn't know how to speak using divine sense.

'You are rather interesting, and I like you very much,' the grand voice resounded in his divine sense once more. 'Follow the mountain path up, and I will teach you peerless swordsmanship.'

He Chang'an: '...'

Wait a minute... why did the tone and phrasing of this "senior expert" sound somewhat familiar?

He Chang'an froze in place.