Volume One, Chapter 97: Surrounded

“What?! A qilin?!” Li Changsheng was stunned where he stood.

Lin Mo, who was crouched in the grass, spoke up immediately, “A divine beast! I’ve seen them in novels, but I never imagined I’d see one here.”

“Jiang Chen, are you telling me we just fought a divine beast? If that were true, would I still be standing here?” Li Changsheng retorted.

This reminded Jiang Chen: if it really were a creature from myth, Li Changsheng would have been dead already. So it couldn’t possibly be the legendary qilin.

Just then, the pendant emitted a voice—the long-dormant Kui Ox spoke up: “This creature isn’t the qilin I know.”

Since its release, the Kui Ox had rarely been awake, spending most of its time asleep, but today it had clearly sensed something unusual and roused itself.

“Is this... Yunmeng Marsh? The mist is so dense,” Kui Ox muttered.

Jiang Chen recalled what he’d read in ancient texts: Yunmeng Marsh was described as a realm beyond the three worlds, an independent space, not so much a place as something that never truly existed. According to the old books, Yunmeng Marsh floated entirely outside the world—you might see it, touch it, but never enter.

Jiang Chen communicated with Kui Ox through his spiritual sense: “So... what you’re saying is, we’re in Yunmeng Marsh?”

Kui Ox rumbled, “No, Yunmeng Marsh doesn’t have such a strong presence. You’re probably in a place similar to Yunmeng Marsh, but I don’t know exactly what. And that creature isn’t a qilin—it resembles one, but isn’t.”

As an ancient divine beast, Kui Ox’s words carried weight with Jiang Chen; there was no reason for it to lie. Yet encountering a mythic realm like this could be quite the headache.

“That’s true. If things from myth descended into reality, this world would be finished.”

He realized he’d fallen into a trap of thought: Kui Ox and the qilin were both legendary beings, and if they truly appeared in the real world, it would spell disaster. So it definitely wasn’t a qilin—and even if it were, it would have been much larger.

“Niu Niu, is it possible this thing was manufactured by someone else?” Jiang Chen asked curiously.

Kui Ox barked in annoyance from the pendant, “How many times do I have to tell you—stop calling me Niu Niu!”

“Alright, Niu Niu.”

“Sigh.”

Kui Ox explained helplessly, “Back when you humans were still monkeys, there were already plenty of mythic creatures, some emerging from Yunmeng Marsh itself. You know the Kun, right?”

Jiang Chen nodded. “It’s quite famous.”

“It once visited Yunmeng Marsh. Afterward, the master of Yunmeng Marsh taught it how to create spaces similar to the Marsh, though much smaller. This place you’re in now fits the bill.”

Kui Ox finished speaking and lay down, clearly unwilling to explain further.

But that was enough for Jiang Chen to analyze the situation.

He concluded, looking at his companions, “This is a man-made disaster. Whoever’s behind it is no weakling. We’d better pick up the pace.”

Li Changsheng and Lin Mo were quick to understand, grasping the situation immediately. Now all they needed was to find the mastermind to resolve the crisis.

“Lin Mo, are you up for it?” Jiang Chen turned to Lin Mo, since he’d already claimed he could handle it before the sudden appearance of the ‘qilin’ interrupted their plan.

Lin Mo nodded. “Yes, I can track the source of the mist by its humidity.”

Jiang Chen said, “Good. Lead us there.”

At that moment, thunder rumbled overhead.

Jiang Chen glimpsed shapes moving within the mist.

He guessed there were other creatures besides the ‘qilin.’

Li Changsheng took his sword and walked ahead.

No sooner had he stepped forward than the qilin dove down from the mist again.

Jiang Chen called out urgently, “Fight without worry! This thing isn’t the true divine beast you imagine—it’s just a defective imitation, easy to defeat!”

He meant to encourage Li Changsheng, since he’d already learned firsthand how absurdly strong the creature was. Jiang Chen could match it in pure strength, but this imitation qilin was also ridiculously fast, could fly, and seemed unbound by visibility.

Li Changsheng pressed onward, nerves taut. Though he was confident he could take the creature on, needless injury or sacrifice before reaching their goal was pointless.

The qilin’s cry was strange—perhaps because it wasn’t genuine. Its voice sounded chaotic, as if many animals were trapped in its throat.

Jiang Chen suspected the thing was still unfinished, not fully refined.

Li Changsheng now stood face-to-face with the qilin. At first, man and beast fought evenly, but as Li Changsheng learned its patterns, he realized the qilin relied solely on its own abilities to keep up with him, its attacks lacking any real technique.

Jiang Chen hung back to cover him, wary of the creatures lurking above. He couldn’t afford to drop his guard.

Li Changsheng fought with increasing vigor, new wounds slashed across his body.

“Been too long since I’ve had a real fight—feels great!” His swordplay was fierce, swift and powerful.

Jiang Chen remembered myths portraying such beasts as nearly invincible, with defenses hard to penetrate. Yet so far, neither side had the upper hand.

Li Changsheng was much stronger than Jiang Chen had expected, surpassing his estimates based on Kui Ox’s power. Mythic beasts varied widely, after all, and this was only a copy.

Sword shadows shredded the mist, leaving chaos in their wake.

But the imitation qilin seemed utterly fearless, completely irrational.

They tangled in midair, both bearing wounds.

Lin Mo closed his eyes and said quietly, “Brother Jiang Chen... I think we’re surrounded.”

Jiang Chen was stunned and turned to him. “Surrounded? What do you mean?”

Lin Mo explained, “There’s more than one creature in the sky. Two others are lurking around us, lying in wait for the perfect moment. I can sense their murderous intent.”

“Can you pinpoint their exact locations?” Jiang Chen asked.

Lin Mo nodded gently, betraying nothing.

Jiang Chen mused, “Hide yourself. Don’t let them find you. I’ve got an idea I should try.”

Head-on confrontation was out of the question, but Jiang Chen could attempt what he did best:

Daoist arts.