Seeking Truth with a Sword-Chapter 467 - 418 Shadow Demon

Chapter 467: Chapter 418 Shadow Demon
"Shadow Demon!"
Gongsun Changyi burst through the broken wall into the prison cell, his voice echoing like a booming bell. "Bring up the bright lights, don’t let it escape!"
According to the classification standards for Mutated Objects (Demon, Monster, Strange, and Deceit), it is often only those who were originally human, then fell into the Demon Path, who can truly be called "Demon."
But the Shadow Demon’s origin was particularly special. When a Great Practitioner suffered severe blows, their mind twisted and unable to suppress the burgeoning demonic thoughts, there was an exceedingly small chance that their shadow would transform into a demon.
That is to say, a second-class demon, designated as number two-seven-five: the Shadow Demon.
Such Mutated Objects could shuttle through shadows, possessing a part of their host’s abilities and usually following the host’s commands to some extent.
Once the host died, the Shadow Demon would not perish immediately. Instead, it would wander near the corpse for a while until, under the blazing sun, it gradually shrank and vanished.
Before vanishing, if someone stepped on the Shadow Demon, they would become its new host. This was not a good thing, as the Shadow Demon could reverse-control a weaker host, making them continuously search for new victims and devour souls to grow stronger.
During the Yu Chu era, the Academic Palace had dispatched three Masters to jointly exterminate a Shadow Demon hidden deep in the mountains, which was nearly evolving into human form.
According to post-event deductions, that Shadow Demon was nearly five hundred years old. It was estimated that after devouring a few more victims’ souls, it could transform into another form never before seen by the world.
War and chaos were the main factors in the birth of Shadow Demons.
Only in the most brutal and cruel wars, where even Great Practitioners could not protect themselves and their families, was there a chance for such demons to be born.
The world had been mostly peaceful for over two hundred years, and the number of newly born Shadow Demons was countable on one’s fingers, yet their notoriety remained high.
Almost the instant Gongsun Changyi shouted out the demon’s name, the men from the garrison hidden in the neighboring cells reacted.
Some cast a Micro Light Talisman to illuminate the corridor, others pulled torches from under their beds and lit them, while some pressed their palms together to release magic, making the dungeon as bright as daylight.
The Shadow Demon obviously hadn’t anticipated this. Under the bright light, its previously indistinct outline became incredibly sharp.
Xiong Tuohai’s Thunder Long Whip shot out and wrapped around its left arm like a venomous snake.
With a sharp CRACKLE and SIZZLE, sparks flickered ceaselessly, and wisps of black smoke rose from the Shadow Demon’s body.
The Hell Daoist, Ji Ruida, whom it held, was also caught in the lightning, instantly charred to a crisp.
The process of soul consumption was interrupted. The Shadow Demon dropped Ji Ruida’s corpse. Roughly where its face would be, a mouth-like crevice split open, facing the charging Gongsun Changyi.
"OM—"
The membranes on either side of the Shadow Demon’s mouth vibrated as it roared out a grand Buddhist chant.
Immediately, all the vicious criminals in the dungeon, who were being held as "backups," began to bleed from all orifices. They were shaken to death on the spot.
Even the Cultivators stumbled, their minds muddled, as visions of tranquil and joyful Pure Lands appeared before them. It was as if voices were tempting them, whispering in their ears that if only they laid down their weapons, they could attain the carefree tranquility of the Pure Land.
Many looked dazed, holding blades to their necks in their confusion.
Li Ang also heard the phantom sound, but he quickly used the Mo Si within his body to plug his ears, shutting out his hearing. With his now free hands, he helped cover He Fanshuang’s ears.
Sui Yi, who also remained in the room, struggled against the phantom sound—she covered her ears and mumbled to herself, trying to stay lucid.
Li Ang read her lips. She was actually reciting lines from a novel.
"Li Ying Shang·Ning Yubing, do you know what my shortcoming is? It’s a shortage of you."
"Your Highness, don’t complain, hold me."
Li Ang’s eyes twitched; he wasn’t sure what to make of it.
Meanwhile, deep in the dungeon, the Jianquan Monk slightly pursed his lips, formed a Buddha Seal, and shouted, "Release!"
The solemn Buddha Seal swept through the dungeon. The garrison’s soldiers quickly came to their senses, hastily dropping their blades and pulling back those comrades still lost in delusion and unable to extricate themselves.
The Shadow Demon was evidently a puppet of the Shixing Monk, possessing a portion of his abilities as a Zen successor. However, with Master Jianquan providing support from the rear, there wouldn’t be any major issues.
Gongsun Changyi sneered viciously. His jade thumb ring emitted a flowing light, which solidified into the shape of boxing gloves over his fists. The pills he had just swallowed had also merged into his bloodstream, unleashing a continuous surge of his body’s potential. This forcibly elevated his Qi Blood from an Innate Martial Artist’s realm to a level comparable to that of a Martial Arts Grandmaster.
The Qi Blood of a martial artist, honed by a thousand hammers and a hundred refines, is fiercely yang and violent, capable of intimidating demons.
Gongsun Changyi threw a punch. The hot waves emanating from his boxing gloves parched the straw on the dungeon floor, causing the damp and cold thatch to curl up.
With nowhere to hide, the Shadow Demon didn’t dodge or retreat and threw a punch as well.
BOOM—
Scorching air currents swept through the dungeon, sending dust and sand flying. Nearby insects were torn to shreds in mid-air by the blast.
Gongsun Changyi still maintained his punching posture. The ground beneath him cracked with web-like fissures. His arm was covered in fine lines of blood, and the limb itself was slightly bent, emitting the sickening crackle of fracturing bones.
The Shadow Demon fared no better. Its shadow-constructed arm burst apart. The scattering fragments of shadow, caught by the surrounding bright light, melted away as swiftly as snow under the blazing sun.
"’Tianshu Earth Mechanism, Yang Thunder Yin Thunderbolt. Pivot Yin Mechanism Yang, Thunder good, Thunderbolt evil...’"
Xiong Tuohai chanted the Thunder Technique incantations. Electricity coursed through his sleeves and between his fingers, brewing a force powerful enough to utterly annihilate the Shadow Demon.
Meanwhile, the Jianquan Monk held a paper lantern, beat a wooden fish, and recited Buddha Sutras. He used his own Buddhist chant to counter the pervasive, insidious whispers that accompanied the Shadow Demon’s appearance.
Caught off guard by a well-prepared enemy, the Shadow Demon was immediately thrust into a dire situation. Gongsun Changyi and the others had a simple plan, relying on the exceedingly close connection between a Shadow Demon and its host.
Should the host perish, the Shadow Demon would inevitably weaken. Conversely, if the Shadow Demon was injured and destroyed, its host would not fare well either. Coughing up a liter of blood would be a light consequence; more severe cases could lead to an imbalance of the Qi Sea and a plummet in cultivation.
If they could capture or eliminate the Shadow Demon here, its host would surely be exposed. The garrison would no longer be operating in the dark, and they could apprehend the culprit within minutes.
However, the Shadow Demon lunged forward, its whole body leaping towards Gongsun Changyi. Its head rapidly shrank in mid-air, and like a snake, it dove beneath Gongsun Changyi’s robe.
It was a desperate gamble, a move to find life in the jaws of death. Gongsun Changyi was the Deputy Commander of the garrison, a man of high status and great power. Xiong Tuohai couldn’t risk killing him by insisting on launching the Thunder Technique.
Xiong Tuohai indeed hesitated. It was this brief moment that allowed the Shadow Demon to find refuge in the shadows beneath Gongsun Changyi’s clothes, stretching out again.
SHLICK—
The Shadow Demon’s sharp fangs and claws, tearing upward from below, sliced off Gongsun Changyi’s entire arm from the armpit.
Blood splattered, and the severed limb soared through the air.
Cold sweat beaded on Gongsun Changyi’s forehead, visible to the naked eye. Yet, he forcefully suppressed the excruciating pain of his severed arm and pounded his chest with his remaining left one.
RIP—
His clothes burst open, revealing a muscular body scarred all over.
The Shadow Demon, which had been hidden in the shadows beneath the clothes, was exposed once again. This time, Xiong Tuohai wouldn’t hold back. He transformed the lightning in his hand into a long spear and hurled it violently at the Shadow Demon.
In that lightning-fast moment, the Shadow Demon climbed along Gongsun Changyi’s body, burrowing into the raw stump of his shoulder.
Even Gongsun Changyi, with his will as strong as steel, couldn’t help but let out a piercing roar of agony. His body, however, was already beyond his control. It first swatted away the incoming Thunder Long Whip, then stomped on the ground. With one punch, it shattered the rock layer above the dungeon, preparing to break free and flee.