The night sky held a crimson moon, making the surroundings appear all the more eerie.
A chill crept up from behind. Ling Xi pulled Shen Yueru to the side, and the colossal creature rushing towards them lunged into empty air.
Shen Yueru stumbled a few steps, staring in terror as a swarm of giant leeches surrounded them. Unlike leeches, these monsters were headless, with fangs protruding from their severed ends, and their numbers were astonishing.
Ling Xi took out the beast-controlling powder from his waist, leaped into the air, and scattered it towards the giant insects. The powder bloomed like fireworks, falling precisely onto the giant worms, instantly immobilizing the demonic beasts.
"Senior Brother Ling, what are these monsters?" Shen Yueru looked at the motionless giant worms, feeling a wave of nausea. Despite having exterminated demons for so many years, she had never encountered such disgusting creatures.
"Deathworms," Ling Xi uttered a few words indifferently, his gaze darkening as he looked at the stunned worms.
His Hundred Beast Pouch contained hundreds of divine beasts, but never a deathworm. The reason was simple: their sheer repulsiveness.
Deathworms were boneless, resembling leeches, and could swallow a person whole before spitting out their bones intact.
"Is this also part of the exam? Has it become this difficult?" Shen Yueru's eyes widened, a shiver running down her spine.
Previous Immortal Examinations featured mere demonic beasts. But this year, it was either mountain demons or deathworms. Rumor had it that the difficulty of the subsequent stages would escalate progressively.
Ling Xi remained silent. How could past Immortal Examinations use such ferocious and repulsive demonic beasts as part of the test? It was likely someone was using the martial examination to stir up trouble.
After a roar, the giant worms began to writhe. A mass of viscous green fluid sprayed from their mouths, the sticky liquid slithering in mid-air as if alive.
Ling Xi's beast-controlling powder was extremely limited, hardly enough to deal with so many worms. The powder had finished its catalyst effect, and the worms' consciousness should have reawakened.
"Junior Sister, move aside." Ling Xi pushed Shen Yueru away, snatched the sword from Ling Zhao's hand, and cut down a worm. He then sprinkled more powder on the advancing beasts, re-immobilizing them. He then took out a new Hundred Beast Pouch and collected all the giant worms.
Just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, the mountain demon he had previously subdued with a demon-suppressing talisman suddenly rose again, mustering its remaining strength for a desperate attack, spewing a black mass towards his chest.
He couldn't dodge in time and was pierced through the shoulder by the black viscous liquid. A piercing pain shot through him, and blood immediately gushed out, the wound rapidly decaying.
Ling Xi clutched his wound, raised the sword in his hand, and slashed at the mountain demon until it fell dead. He quickly took out a handkerchief to cover his wound.
"Junior Brother!"
"Senior Brother Ling!"
Ling Zhao and Shen Yueru were startled and rushed forward to support him.
"Don't touch it, the wound is highly toxic." Seeing Shen Yueru reach out to wipe the blood from his wound with her handkerchief, Ling Xi pushed her away.
His lips were already pale, and sweat beaded on his forehead, yet his expression remained calm, his gaze as deep as the sea.
"There's an inn nearby. Help him over there first, then treat the poison," Ling Zhao commanded calmly.
Shen Yueru nodded, flustered, and helped Ling Xi up. The three of them walked intermittently towards the inn.
-
The bright moon hung high in the sky.
"You lost again." Ye Ziling placed a black chess piece down and glanced at Mu Heng, who was dozing opposite her. Seeing him rub his forehead in thought, she stopped playing.
"I'm not playing anymore. You win every time, so it makes no difference whether we play or not." Mu Heng glanced sideways, rubbed his wrist, and stretched lazily.
"The Palace Lord seems to be quite skilled at chess," Mu Heng raised his eyebrows, looking at her intently.
"Average." Ye Ziling didn't look at him, her fingertips caressing a chess piece as memories flooded her mind.
"Average? So, you're saying my chess skills are lacking?" Mu Heng sighed, then his eyes suddenly lit up. "Crazy girl, I heard you were from the Holy Doctor Clan. Why didn't you participate in the Immortal Examination and take up a medical position?"
Ye Ziling pondered, remaining silent.
Now, her hands were stained with countless drops of blood. Even in her dreams, she feared her parents would scold her for being unfilial, for not engraving the words "aid the world and save people" that they had taught her day and night onto her heart.
If not for that massacre, she would probably have been like her clansmen, opening an ordinary clinic in the mortal realm and living a peaceful life.
Mu Heng was no different. Due to his low status, he endured humiliation in the Demon Capital. His parents were slaughtered by their own kind, leaving not even their demon cores. He wanted revenge, but he didn't even know who his enemies were.
He was eventually ostracized by the other demons and driven out of the Demon Capital.
The mortal realm also discriminated against demons. If he hadn't hidden himself well over the years and had the support of Jiuling Palace, his demon core would have been taken long ago.
The two fell into a long silence before deciding to clear the table and retire to their respective rooms.
After washing up, Ye Ziling lay down on her bed and had just closed her eyes when a sudden commotion outside the door disturbed her, preventing her from sleeping.
Damn it, what time was it? Weren't those Immortal Examination disciples supposed to be sleeping? For the sake of a mere martial examination, was it necessary to hunt demons in the middle of the night?
She got up from the bed, her hair half-loose, and put on her cloak before heading out.
She would kill all the demonic beasts and take all their demon cores. Then they would have nothing to fuss about.
Outside, Shen Yueru held Ling Xi with one hand, her face filled with anxiety as she watched Ling Zhao being brutally beaten by three celestial dogs. But she was powerless to help, only able to guard the dying Ling Xi.
Ling Zhao's body was covered in countless dog paw marks, yet he still fought valiantly.
The celestial dogs surrounding him were not in a hurry to feast; instead, they encircled him like prey, savoring his futile struggles.
In desperation, Ling Zhao released his divine beast, but soon the cat-like beast was bitten to death, lying lifeless on the ground.
"Junior Sister, I still have some beast-controlling powder on me... Quickly, sprinkle it on those celestial dogs," Ling Xi panted, his voice low, his lips frighteningly pale. The black blood had already soaked his handkerchief and was seeping through his fingers.
"Senior Brother Ling, what will you do if I take it?" Shen Yueru knew this was the last of his beast-controlling powder. If she took it, those brutes would surely tear him apart, leaving not even a bone fragment.
Ling Zhao, covered in wounds, finally couldn't hold on and collapsed to the ground. Three celestial dogs, their fangs bared and drooling, advanced towards the two remaining prey.
"Senior Brother Ling... what do we do..." Shen Yueru cried, her tears falling like pearls from a broken string.
"Take the beast-controlling powder..." Ling Xi gasped, his weak voice like a blow to cotton, lacking any strength.
Shen Yueru, too afraid to make a sound, trembled as she took the last bit of beast-controlling powder, closed her eyes, and flung it towards the celestial dogs.
However, her strength was too little, and not a single speck of powder landed on the demonic beasts. Seeing no longer a threat, the celestial dogs licked their lips and advanced towards the two.
Ling Xi gasped lightly and let out a cold laugh.
He never expected to die at the mouth of a demonic beast. A top beast tamer dying at the mouth of a demonic beast—it would surely be a laughingstock if word got out.
He suddenly recalled his master's words when he was alive.
His master had said he was a savior in three lifetimes, atoning for someone in each life, and destined to sacrifice himself for the common people in every life.
He couldn't remember his past lives, but his master had said that in this life, his destined one would appear and help him save the world. Yet, as he was about to be devoured by the celestial dogs, he hadn't even met his destined one. He felt unwilling.
He had thought the beast in his mind would come to his rescue, but after summoning it countless times, he received no response. Perhaps it was due to his own weakness.
Suddenly, several icy-tinged bee stings whizzed through the air, instantly freezing the advancing celestial dogs and shattering them into pieces. Their crimson demon cores floated in mid-air.
A gentle breeze carrying the faint scent of balloon flowers blew. Ling Xi looked up and saw a figure leaning lazily on the eaves. Her back was to the moonlight, and she casually held fallen petals, bringing them to her nose to sniff, smiling leisurely.
Her face was too stunning; even the full moon behind her couldn't compare.
Ye Ziling met his scorching gaze and saw a man and a woman hunched nearby, one weeping dishevelledly, the other pale-faced, yet still smiling calmly at her.
Ling Xi? He wasn't dead?
How strange.
Ye Ziling leaped down from the eaves, stuffed the demon cores of the celestial dogs into her pouch, and cast a faint glance at the two. "Greetings."
Shen Yueru stopped crying and haphazardly wiped the tears from her face. Her tear-streaked face looked somewhat pitiable.
Seeing Ling Xi in such a near-death state, Ye Ziling estimated she wouldn't need to act herself.
She didn't care about Shen Yueru's life at all. This girl was doted on by Shen Qingfeng. She still needed to collect demon cores to repair her spirit. Killing her would likely lead to trouble later. Besides, this fool wouldn't last long in the subsequent stages. They would probably both perish before the martial examination ended.
Ye Ziling didn't wish to linger and turned to leave. Just then, Ling Xi's weak voice called out from behind her. It wasn't loud, but it was clear.
"Miss Ye."
The few words drifted lightly into Ye Ziling's ears. She paused slightly, her eyes placid, and turned to look at him calmly.
"I have something to tell you," Ling Xi raised his gaze. The moonlight illuminated his pale face, his eyes unfocused. Perhaps due to his extreme weakness, his gaze was gentle, as if looking at a lover.
"You don't need to say thank you." Ye Ziling glanced at him, her gaze still cold, looking at him as if he were already dead.
This was the first time Ye Ziling had seen Ling Xi like this. His former arrogance had vanished, and he looked like a delicate invalid, leaning on others for support, so weak he seemed as if he would fall with a gust of wind.
"I have something you care about most on me," Ling Xi's eyelids felt as heavy as a thousand pounds. His lips moved, but his words were barely audible. Ye Ziling had to move closer.
"Senior Brother... Don't die, what will I do if you die..." Shen Yueru sobbed uncontrollably, feeling his body growing heavier in her supporting hand, ready to collapse at any moment.
Ling Xi broke free from Shen Yueru's grasp, propped himself up, and walked towards Ye Ziling. He leaned close to her ear and said, word by word, "I'll exchange it with the Sun and Moon Divine Lamp..."
"The Sun and Moon Divine Lamp is, is..."
Ye Ziling's ears perked up, but she didn't hear the complete answer.
His faint breath tickled her ear, his voice extremely low. His stray hair brushed against her cheek, a faint tickle.
Before Ye Ziling could respond, a weight landed on her.
His chin rested on her shoulder, his face buried near her ear, collapsing onto her.
"..."
He could have at least finished speaking before collapsing.