Volume One, Chapter 96: The Return of the Mythical Creature

With both nostrils stuffed with cotton balls, Lin Mo looked utterly ridiculous... Yet Jiang Chen couldn’t bring himself to laugh. From this moment onward, Lin Mo had truly stepped into the world of cultivation, becoming one of the chosen. The only difference was that his lifespan had been cut nearly in half.

“You made your decision rather quickly,” Jiang Chen said, both comforted and slightly pained.

Lin Mo rubbed his nose. “Actually, I’d already decided as soon as I realized I wasn’t ordinary. I just didn’t know how to tell my sister—she wouldn’t have let me, but today she couldn’t stop me.”

Aside from a handful of cultivators, many people had been entranced by the strange mist. The phone lines to Institute 509 were dead, indicating their situation was no different from that of ordinary people.

Jiang Chen asked, “Other than you, have you seen anyone else as clear-minded as we are?”

Lin Mo replied, “Brother Li Changsheng is awake, too. I asked him to help settle my sister before I came.”

Jiang Chen crouched by the roadside, baffled by the sudden emergence of the mist. It had grown so dense that from a distance, he could barely see Lin Mo.

“Damn, this mist is thick! Jiang Chen! Jiang Chen! Lin Mo! Lin Mo! Where are you?” Li Changsheng soared overhead on his flying sword, wishing desperately for a headlight on the wretched thing—otherwise, he wouldn’t have lost sight of everyone mid-flight.

“Brother Changsheng! Over here!” Lin Mo called out.

Hearing the voice, Li Changsheng stumbled down from the sky, cursing under his breath.

“Unbelievable, who’s behind this? We barely had a few days of peace and now this mess. If I catch them, I’ll slice them up with my sword!” Li Changsheng was clearly furious, likely having crashed while flying blind.

“Enough. Let’s figure out what to do. Tell us what’s happening on your end,” Jiang Chen said calmly, turning to Li Changsheng.

Li Changsheng recalled, “Only a few at Institute 509 are still conscious, but they can’t get out. There’s something suppressed inside, so I’m the only one able to act.”

“The situation is dire,” Jiang Chen sighed.

Now only the three of them could move. The key was, they had no idea where the problem lay. They were like headless flies, utterly clueless.

“Brother, can you tell us what you plan to do?” Lin Mo interjected suddenly.

Jiang Chen looked at Lin Mo, realizing that Lin Mo was not just a child, but also one of the chosen—a brain-type chosen, the strongest in mental capacity.

“We need to find the source of the mist,” Jiang Chen said bluntly.

Given the current circumstances, all they could do was take things one step at a time. The fate of Qingcheng now rested entirely on their shoulders—a heavy burden indeed.

Lin Mo closed his eyes, sensing everything around him. After a moment, he spoke slowly, “I think I know where it is. But... something is coming toward us. It’s huge, really huge.”

No sooner had he spoken than Lin Mo dove into the bushes opposite.

Before anyone could react, Li Changsheng felt a gale rush toward him.

He didn’t have time to draw his sword, so he could only block with his hands.

The next second, a creature at least ten meters long, bearing both dorsal fins and scales, its tail serpent-like yet not quite, struck him.

The blow hurled Li Changsheng straight into the flowerbed beside the road.

“Ow, damn...” Li Changsheng stood up, clutching his waist, trying to get a good look at whatever had hit him. But the thing, as if only making a single strike, vanished back into the mist.

Jiang Chen had caught a clear glimpse, but the creature differed so much from anything in his memory that he was left uncertain.

Li Changsheng asked, “Did you see what attacked me?”

Jiang Chen wanted to nod but hesitated. “I have a suspicion, but I’m not certain.”

Fuming, Li Changsheng drew his sword. “Damn it, if it shows itself again, I’ll cut it to pieces!”

Since Jiang Chen wasn’t sure if it was the kind of creature he suspected, he suggested, “Let’s lure it out. Then you can see for yourself.”

“Yes, lure it out—that’s a plan. What do you suggest?” Li Changsheng perked up, ready to listen.

Jiang Chen replied, “You act as bait. When it appears, I’ll clear the mist around us, so you can see what it is.”

“Why am I the bait?” Li Changsheng protested.

“Because you just got hit—you have experience. Or, if you clear the mist, I’ll be the bait. I’m not opposed.” Jiang Chen shrugged.

Li Changsheng was exasperated—he was a sword cultivator, not versed in fancy tricks. His solution to problems was usually one stroke, maybe two if necessary. Asking him to play these games was really pushing it.

“Fine! I’ll do it!” Li Changsheng gripped his sword, ready and alert.

Jiang Chen crouched low—the mist didn’t spread over the ground, so by lowering himself, he could observe a few things.

“It’s coming!” Jiang Chen warned.

Li Changsheng didn’t sense anything unusual, but Jiang Chen suddenly shouted, “Careful! Above you!”

Li Changsheng had been watching his surroundings but had let his guard down toward the sky.

Five fleshy claws, covered in scales, shot toward him at lightning speed.

Though unprepared, Li Changsheng’s years of battle experience allowed him to twist his waist just in time.

Jiang Chen pressed his palm to the ground, a talisman already in hand. Instantly, the surrounding mist was absorbed, forming a vortex in his palm.

Soon, the creature was fully revealed before the three.

Li Changsheng had no time for words; his sword danced defensively as he retreated. The creature attacked swiftly, pressing him hard—he could feel himself being overpowered.

Among the younger generation, Li Changsheng considered very few his equal—he could count them on one hand. Yet now he was being suppressed by this four-legged monster.

Li Changsheng was thoroughly overwhelmed. Jiang Chen rushed forward, grabbing the beast’s tail.

“Get out of here!”

With a loud crash, the two forced the creature back, locking it in a stalemate.

But the monster seemed intelligent—it didn’t struggle against Jiang Chen and Li Changsheng, but instead broke free and vanished into the mist with a guttural roar.

Jiang Chen exclaimed, “It looked so much like it—really, you’d think so too if you saw it.”

Li Changsheng, battered and breathless, protested, “Come on, just tell me—what was that thing? I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Of course you haven’t... Even I’m only guessing... Because the thing we just fought was a qilin...”