Chapter Forty-Six: The Fiend!

Fatty was dragged to the edge of the lake, his face brimming with anticipation as he looked at Tang Fei and asked, “Brother, is this water drinkable?”

“It is,” Tang Fei nodded.

At once, Fatty flopped down with a splash, pressing his mouth straight to the lake and gulping down the water in great swallows.

Once he’d drunk his fill, Fatty wanted to fill his canteen. They’d brought two along, just in case they couldn’t find any potable water in the wild.

Tang Fei grabbed his arm at once. “No rush. Have you forgotten what we came out here for?”

Fatty was momentarily stunned. “What did we come for?”

Tang Fei’s expression darkened, and Fatty quickly forced a grin. “Brother, I remember! We’re here to find the grand tomb.”

“As long as you know,” Tang Fei said. “For a moment, I thought you actually believed we were just out here eating and drinking for fun.”

“Brother, if we find the tomb, we’re here to rob it. If we don’t, then we’re just here sightseeing.”

Tang Fei shot Fatty a look of surprise; there was a certain shrewdness in his words, as if he’d seen right through the ways of the world.

A plan to advance or retreat, depending on the situation.

Tang Fei clapped Fatty on the shoulder. “Looks like we’re here to rob a tomb, after all.”

“Brother, did you find the ancient tomb?” Fatty glanced around. “Weren’t you looking for Crescent Gorge? Where is it?”

“The mark on the map—doesn’t it indicate a place called Crescent Gorge?” Tang Fei asked.

“It does.”

“But we’ve wandered these mountains for days and haven’t found any crescent-shaped gorge. All the gorges run straight through—none of them shaped like a crescent.”

“Right,” Fatty agreed, falling into parroting mode.

Tang Fei pointed to the moon’s reflection on the lake. “Then what do you see here?”

“A crescent...”

Tang Fei drew a large circle in the air. “And what is this place?”

“A gorge.”

Fatty’s eyes widened as he looked at Tang Fei. “Brother, so Crescent Gorge means the gorge with a crescent in it?”

“Isn’t it simple?” Tang Fei asked.

“It is simple,” Fatty said, then shook his head. “But not really. If it were up to me, I could drink this lake dry and never realize the crescent was in the water’s reflection...”

“That’s true.” Tang Fei acknowledged Fatty’s self-assessment.

Some things that seem complicated are actually simple. But the simplest truths are often the hardest to see.

The map they had marked a crescent-shaped gorge, so naturally they’d searched for one. But unless you had a genius’s mind, who would think the answer lay in the lake’s reflection?

Fortunately, he was a genius.

“We’ve explored every gorge in these mountains. Only this one has a lake. So I’m certain—the tomb is here.”

“Under the water?”

“Of course,” Tang Fei nodded. “It couldn’t be more obvious.”

“Is it?” Fatty stared at the lake for a long moment. “Brother, I don’t see anything.”

“Come on, get ready to go in,” Tang Fei said, beginning to equip his weapon.

A pulse gun was a must—who knew what might lurk inside an ancient tomb?

“Alright!” Fatty agreed eagerly.

Even if he didn’t understand, it was enough that his big brother did. He’d do whatever he was told.

Most importantly, he got to play with a gun.

They packed their gear, tied the horse to a tree, not knowing if they’d find anything, but needing the horse for the return trip regardless.

Fully armed, each of them cradled a pulse gun as they cautiously approached the lake’s center.

Tang Fei headed straight for the moon-shaped glow in the middle, and Fatty, clueless but trusting, followed closely.

The moment they stepped into the moonlit circle, there was a sudden splash—and both vanished on the spot.

In the blink of an eye, Tang Fei and Fatty found themselves before an ancient, imposing black gate.

Fatty felt his clothes and exclaimed, “My clothes are dry! But they were soaking wet just a second ago...”

“Keep it down,” Tang Fei warned.

This must be some kind of barrier or formation set by a master. Find its core, and you’re transported to the tomb’s entrance.

The massive gate soared several meters high, wide as a hall, neither metal nor bronze—its material was a mystery.

On either side crouched fierce, imposing guardian beasts. After a careful look, Tang Fei identified the left as a Taotie, the right as a Qiongqi.

Grotesque and savage—even though hewn from stone, they exuded a vicious, world-weary aura.

Tang Fei and Fatty exchanged glances, both realizing the owner of this tomb was not to be trifled with.

As the saying goes, judge a master by his dogs.

From the look of these guardians, you could tell the master was no kind soul...

“Brother, what now?” Fatty asked.

“No matter how skilled, a man fears a kitchen knife,” Tang Fei said, patting the pulse gun at his chest. “Man or ghost, I’ll blast them all the same.”

“Right, blast them!” Fatty echoed, fired up by Tang Fei’s mood.

Tang Fei reached out to push the door, but the black gate didn’t budge.

“Brother, let me handle the heavy work,” Fatty said.

He handed his pulse gun to Tang Fei, placed both palms on the doors, and with a shout, threw all his weight forward.

Rumble!

The ancient gates creaked open.

“Brother, it wasn’t locked,” Fatty reported.

Tang Fei couldn’t care less if it was locked or not—a single shot would break any lock. His real concern was whether there were traps or hidden weapons...

Fortunately, there were none.

Without a word, Tang Fei stepped inside, pulse gun at the ready.

Fatty, though sturdier and tougher than Tang Fei, lacked his cultivation and quick reflexes. If anything dangerous lay ahead, it was better for Tang Fei, adept at channeling energy, to take the lead.

Fatty understood and silently followed.

Inside, the cave was pitch black—neither could see a thing.

Tang Fei had expected this, and as he reached for a light from his pack, a cold, overwhelming aura suddenly locked onto him.

Like a mountain crashing down. Like a flood bursting through.

It surged, boundless and wild.

Boom!

From the first sense of danger to being pinned by that aura was the work of an instant, as if both happened at the same time.

A chill shot up Tang Fei’s spine, his hair standing on end, rage flaring in his heart.

He wanted to fight back, but found his body frozen in place.

The more he struggled, the heavier the oppressive force grew; the harder he tried to resist, the more terrifying the backlash became.

With a sickening sound, Tang Fei, unable to withstand that godlike power, took the full brunt and vomited a mouthful of blood.

“Brother, are you alright?” Fatty shouted in alarm.

He too was pinned by that aura, but had never thought to resist...

So his symptoms were much lighter than Tang Fei’s.

Hearing his brother cough up blood, Fatty’s heart pounded with worry. He had no idea what kind of injury Tang Fei had suffered, and feared some hidden assailant...

Above the cave, a gigantic head appeared.

It was so vast that it seemed to stretch into the deepest shadows, too enormous for the cavern to contain.

A leopard’s head, ringed eyes, an iron face bristling with whiskers. In its sockets blazed two blood-red eyes, as if blood boiled within them, ceaselessly churning.

The cavern was dark, nearly impossible to see. Even with a cultivator’s extraordinary sight, this place was hard to navigate.

Yet under the glow of those bloody eyes, red phosphorescence filled the space, throwing everything into stark, sinister relief.

The monstrous head looked even more hideous and evil.

“What miserable little wretches dare trespass in the lair of the Demon God?” the head roared, opening its massive jaws in fury.

Tang Fei and Fatty both felt that with a single bite, this being could swallow them whole...

“I am Lu Yu!” Tang Fei shouted. “Who are you?”

Demon God? He’d never heard of such a deity.

But the power was real—unimaginably strong.

It was as if a finger pressed down could crush him and Fatty to dust.

No fighting this one. Not a chance.

The Demon God gave no reply, only grew more enraged, bellowing, “Begone at once and I’ll spare your lives!”

“Alright, alright...” Tang Fei agreed instantly. “We’re leaving right now...”

“Lift your aura and we’ll withdraw this instant—we won’t disturb your rest again.”

Tang Fei was a man who knew when to advance and when to retreat; if he couldn’t win now, he’d find another way. But if there was no way, then escape was the only option.

He would have rolled out of there in three hundred and sixty different ways if that’s what it took.

When it came to running away, he was a professional.

“Damn you!”

The Demon God seemed not to hear Tang Fei’s plea, muttering to himself as he hefted a massive skull-headed hammer and swung it down at Tang Fei and Fatty.

Boom!

A tidal wave of yin and yang energy swept over them.

Within it churned all manner of negative emotions—bloodlust, slaughter, despair—as if intent on annihilating heaven and earth.

(ps: I am the Demon God, very fierce indeed. This is a robbery—hand over your votes!)