Ch-5 - The Sword Flight and the Princess Carry...

It was a shellfish...that was taller and larger than the tavern.

Yes, it looked like a shellfish.

The shellfish demon opened its bloody mouth, there were no glittering pearls inside, only a tongue that occupied half the mouth cavity and was coated with revolting saliva. Each time it moved, it emitted a chewing sound, and it was pretty obvious by now that what Bai Fanlu heard earlier was this creature.

Bai Fanlu also quickly recognized from the demon's unique appearance, that it was one of the four magical beasts described in the book—Nie Yu, and it was most adept at eating and drinking. It did not have eyes, and it ate whatever it could catch with its large tongue. Its shell was hard and invulnerable to attack.

But this creature only appeared after the book’s Bai Fanlu succeeded as a Demon Lord and started a war among the three realms. Why is it here now?

Even the Elder of the Demon Clan should come out first and then this creature as his pet. Yet, it had now appeared, disregarding the sequence of the plot line. Bai Fanlu had an ominous feeling.

He had always been accurate in his premonitions, and as expected, the massive shellfish demon really did come his way with a jump and a hop, and every time it landed, the ground shook and trees in its proximity collapsed.

Of course, Bai Fanlu did not want to be crushed into a meat pancake, but he was well aware that he did not have the capability to tame this giant pet at present, and it would likely to gobble him up first. He felt that it was his best bet to recite an incantation and get out of here.

But just as he was about to recite it, he heard a child's cry from his side.

Turning his head, he saw the same little beggar boy sitting on the ground, a little further back from where Bai Fanlu had originally let him gently land. He now had two meat buns in his hands, one nibbled on and one intact.

Why hasn't he run away?

Bai Fanlu thought he had already gone, but didn't expect the boy was still there. He probably stayed to pick up the buns that fell on the ground before turning back. Now, he wanted to run after seeing the monster, but his legs were weak from fear and he could only cry.

Oh no! Nie Yu was already right before them.

That boy...

Tsk! Bai Fanlu couldn't bear seeing children crying the most, and his emotion preceded all reason as he dodged the creature and leapt over it.

Boom! That demon was like a mountain, crashing down towards them.

Bai Fanlu snatched up and carried the little beggar boy to the side wall, and was about to take off on his sword when he suddenly felt that he stepped on something and looked down. He saw a gloopy puddle which was sticky, pale green and transparent, it gave off a fishy stench and it seemed to be...

Gross! Bai Fanlu felt a wave of nausea rise from his abdomen to his throat. At that moment, the same liquid suddenly dripped from above, followed by a huge gravitational current sweeping in.

Nie Yu’s jaws were wide open and aimed at Bai Fanlu, the pitch black mouth cavity behind its massive tongue was gaping like an abyss waiting to swallow everything.

Fixation spell! Bai Fanlu channelled spiritual energy to his feet and they steadied his body, preventing him from being sucked in by the vacuum, but not the child in his arms.

“Brother—!” The little beggar boy cried out and was sucked out of Bai Fanlu's embrace.

Bai Fanlu frantically reached out to grab him but could only briefly touch the boy’s leg before he slipped away. Without hesitation, he halted the spell and rushed up with the current to pull the boy back into his arms.

But at the same time, they were swallowed up whole by Nie Yu.

Bai Fanlu could not clearly process his thoughts. He was just attacked by his fellow demon and now he was swallowed into the belly of his future demonic pet. A salted fish role is really not that easy to play, so were all the villainous characters forcing him to awaken?

"Brother..."

In the darkness, Bai Fanlu felt the little beggar boy grab his lapel extremely tightly, like he was afraid that he would leave him behind. Bai Fanlu said in a soothing voice, "Don't be afraid, gege will bring you out."

In the book, there were tricks to deal with this Nie Yu creature. However, this had happened much later in the plot, with his current cultivation level, this creature was not necessarily easy to handle.

If he had known this disgusting thing was here, he would have teleported to a bigger city and stayed hidden.

But his luck was not to blame. Who would have thought that even a salted fish character could come across such a rare breed of demon pet?

It felt like too much of a coincidence…Or could this be the fate of the villain?

Bai Fanlu spent a moment ridiculing himself, then channelled spiritual energy to light up his surroundings. The cold light revealed what seemed like muscle tissues, with a thick layer of mucus. Every step he took felt like stepping on flesh, it was slippery, tough and elastic.

Forcing back his goosebumps, Bai Fanlu sensed his way around and moved forward little by little.   

"Brother, it hurts...", the little beggar whimpered.

“Where does it hurt?" Bai Fanlu remembered that the boy should not have been injured.

He frantically shone the light onto the little beggar boy and saw that his small body was curled up, and he was slightly trembling and cowering. He seemed to be in such pain that he could no longer speak, only cry.

Bai Fanlu then hurriedly examined him and it was only until he reached his thin and grimy inner arm, did he see a burn-like spot near his elbow. The skin appeared to be blistered and it was obvious that he had just gotten this injury.

Bai Fanlu immediately understood and quickly activated his spirit shield to protect them both. At that moment, a drop of light-green liquid came from above their heads, landing on the shield with a ssss sound and emitting white smoke.

It must be the digestive juices of the Nie Xu, and it was extremely corrosive.

The spirit shield technique consumed a large amount of spiritual energy, and Bai Fanlu did not know when they would be able to get out, so it would be a big problem if he ran out of spiritual energy.

"Gege, are you an immortal?"

When the little beggar boy saw Bai Fanlu cast the spell, he seemed not to be in pain nor afraid anymore, and even asked him in a dazed and adoring tone. That little face was dirty and filled with the tear-stains, it was such a silly and comical look.

Being habitually soft to children, Bai Fanlu said, "Yes, so don't be afraid, gege will protect you."

Bai Fanlu quietly controlled his spirit shield and shrank it until it only enveloped the little beggar boy.

Bai Fanlu’s immortal body also had demon blood, so he could still handle this digestive liquid, while saving some spiritual energy in case they broke free and he had to subdue this big shellfish.

Although that was what he thought, the constant dripping of digestive fluid on his body was an unpleasant sensation. Not to mention that his feet were also in contact with it.

He had to find its weak spot quickly.

At the same time, Bai Fanlu used his spiritual consciousness to send a message, but he didn't know how far he was from the Immortal Sect, so he sent the message without harbouring much hope.

In order to conserve his spiritual energy and to find his target faster, Bai Fanlu extinguished his illumination spell and tried to move around in the darkness. In the book, the only person who was swallowed by Nie Xu was Yun Zhan, and he was now using Yun Zhan's methods.

Bai Fanlu was nervous about getting his bearings, and the little beggar boy didn't say a word. With the promise of ‘protection’ from Bai Fanlu, he relied on it wholeheartedly, and his harsh childhood allowed him to mature quickly and understood not to cause trouble for Bai Fanlu now.

Gradually, there was a faint light coming through the darkness, and the further they went, the more concentrated the foul, fishy stench became until it was difficult to keep their eyes open.

Bai Fanlu forced himself to endure the discomfort and finally reached the light source, which was a core buried in thin layers of flesh. This was the heart of Nie Yu, as written in the book. The demon had two vitality points, and apart from this, the other was a dark pattern on its outer shell.

In the original story, Yun Zhan was able to escape by piercing through its heart when he was accidentally swallowed by Nie Yu when he was in combat with Bai Fanlu who had become a Demon Lord.

As for dealing with the dark pattern on its outer shell, it was a technique taught to Yun Zhan by Ling Qingzi before the battle. This technique could not inflict damage to enemies, but could immobilise Nie Yu.

Bai Fanlu took out his Flying Sword and stabbed as hard as he could into Nie Yu's heart.

It pierced into its flesh!

Ke... Ka cha...

Sinuous cracks appeared on the Flying Sword and it broke into several pieces.

This...Bai Fanlu’s sword was so brittle?

The ground on which he trod suddenly trembled, and began to shake violently in the next moment.

The wind whistled in his ears, and it sounded much like the air currents when they were being swallowed by Nie Yu, and an idea flashed in Bai Fanlu’s mind. He quickly turned back.

As if on cue, a horizontal ray of light appeared in front of his eyes. Nie Yu really was opening up its mouth!

With his arm around the little beggar boy, Bai Fanlu leapt up to the top of the current but a violent one hit him and he could no longer maintain balance and was swept away by it.

The light was restored in his field of vision and they were out!

Bai Fanlu recited an incantation and landed on the ground. When he looked up, he first saw Nie Yu, and was about to deal with it with another spell. But then he also saw that it was motionless. Its tongue was rolled out, and its body was limp between two shells. The black fog around it was also gradually dispersing.

Huh?

Although my sword was broken, did hitting the vitality point work?

But after a brief moment of joy, Bai Fanlu's gaze swept across to a young man in a blue robe who was standing opposite of him at the other end of the street, and he was overcome with mixed feelings.

All he could do was sigh, "Shidi..."

Yun Zhan didn't respond to Bai Fanlu's call, the magic weapon Bi Luo was still spinning in his palm, the original form of his magic weapon was a flame, a turquoise flame, which transformed into a turquoise sword. It was now struck deep into the head of Nie Yu.

As soon as he gestured, Bi Luo returned to his side, shrinking into an invisible point of light at his waist.

Bai Fanlu then understood that although his sword had opened Nie Yu's mouth, it was still half-dead thanks to Yun Zhan’s efforts.

But how could Yun Zhan have known where its vitality point was, and subdued it with a single blow when it was not supposed to appear until later in the plot?

Or was it common knowledge and Yun Zhan already knew about this?

Bai Fanlu finally saw the stark contrast between a main lead and a cannon fodder character.

If that was the case, then Bai Fanlu was willing to admit defeat, "Shidi, good skills."

You've come at the ‘right’ time. If you were later, I would have beaten this thing to death and disappeared!

Yun Zhan looked at Bai Fanlu without saying anything. His gaze then fell on the little beggar boy in his arms.

"Oh, I happened to rescue him."

Bai Fanlu noticed Yun Zhan’s line of sight and quickly explained. He put the little beggar boy down and saw a bulge in his tattered robe. It turned out that he had been carrying the buns all the way, not being able to bear to tossing them.

Bai Fanlu took out the only remaining silver pieces from his money pouch and intended to give them to him.

But he heard Yun Zhan say, "This will only cause more trouble for him."

"What then?"

Although Bai Fanlu was not a saint, the plight of such a young child tugged a string in his heart, and he wanted to help a little. Otherwise, after these two meat buns were eaten, then what?

Yun Zhan took out a few copper coins and handed them to the little beggar boy, saying, "Take this, there is a place for you to stay at the Ziyue Inn in Wanhua City located in the South."

Wanhua City? Ziyue Inn? This was not in the book, so what is that place?

The little beggar's grimy face showed an expression of joy, "Thank you, immortal!"

After saying this, he turned and bowed deeply towards Bai Fanlu, "Thank you, immortal brother!"

The little beggar boy waved his hand and turned to leave, when Bai Fanlu called out to him, "Wait."

Yun Zhan looked over at the same time.

Bai Fanlu then took out a small container from his bundle. When he opened it, a whiff of herbal fragrance came and he dipped his fingers to scoop up a small amount, squatted down and gently pulled the little beggar boy's arm over, pressed on the area that had just been burned, and then secretly channelled a small amount of spiritual energy over.

"There, safe travels."

The little beggar boy's eyes became slightly red and with a sniffle, he said, "Immortal brother, you are so kind."

He reached out and put his arm around Bai Fanlu's neck, before running away half-crying, half-laughing.

Bai Fanlu stood up and let out a long sigh of relief, but when he turned around, he found that Yun Zhan seemed to be looking at him, his gaze was a little ambiguous, it was not clear what he was looking at and he was obviously deep in thought.

But it was only for a brief moment before he returned to his normal self and said indifferently, "Shixiong."

Now that it was just the two of them remaining, Bai Fanlu was still very reluctant to face this man alone, and calmly said, "Why has Shidi come here? Could it be that you received my message?"

Although he did want to avoid Yun Zhan, earlier he was forced to receive help from him and he honestly did not expect the message he haphazardly sent out was heard by the Immortal Sect. Bai Fanlu was really surprised.

"...En." Yun Zhan stole a glance at Bai Fanlu.

"What do we do about this creature?" The demonic qi was dispersed, but Bai Fanlu could sense that the thing was still alive.

"Take it back and leave it to Shizun."

Yun Zhan said, then raised his hand to release a transparent ball of water, enveloping Nie Yu in it, and then with another wave, it was gone.

Bai Fanlu was not surprised, and even wanted to say, Shidi, I will not go back for the time being, I shall take my leave first.

However, Yun Zhan asked him, "Shixiong, do you feel any discomfort?"

Discomfort? Bai Fanlu carefully felt around and other than feeling a little itchy, his feet...seemed...

Bai Fanlu looked down and his two feet had somehow turned darker than black paint, and when he tried to move his toes, he could not feel anything from his ankles down.

"Decayed by the digestive liquid." Yun Zhan pointed out in a flat tone.

Bai Fanlu's first thought was that his limbs were going to have to be amputated, his heart panicked, but he looked up to see Yun Zhan’s calm and nonchalant expression...

"Is Shixiong still going back?" Yun Zhan asked.

Bai Fanlu was in a hurry, and did not have the time to process and understand the meaning behind Yun Zhan's words. He clenched his teeth and said, "Yes."

Yun Zhan nodded his head, "Very well."

With a light tap on his feet, he stepped steadily onto his sword, his blue robes flowed like water with his movements as he flew away.

Bai Fanlu ignored him and sat down on the ground, meditating and adjusting his breathing. He was trying to understand the current condition of his body.

With his energy core not intact, teleportation was not a good idea. His sword was also broken, his feet could not move, so flying on his sword was also out of the question.

Newbie has miserably encountered a late stage boss at a village, this sucked.

But why did Bai Fanlu not have a sturdier weapon at this stage? Even if it's not comparable to the main lead, it should not be so bad that it would break after a single slash, right?

Thinking of Bi Luo at the waist of Yun Zhan, the difference between the protagonist and the cannon fodder villain was too obvious.

Am I supposed to beg Yun Zhan?

No, I must not bow down to that scumbag.

Perhaps after resting for a while, I could use some healing spells. If it does not work, I can send a message to Wang Chongyu. There are so many ways, I don't believe...

Bai Fanlu suddenly felt faint and crashed into a wall which was oddly hard and soft at the same time.

When he looked up, Yun Zhan's face was above him, his hair brushing against Bai Fanlu's face in the whistling wind, bringing a strange and faint fragrance of green grass.

Bai Fanlu shuddered, Hold on...he was now being held by Yun Zhan as he flew on his sword?

There was an arm around his shoulder and another behind his knees.

It was actually the legendary—princess carry?!

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