Chapter Nine: The Mandate of Heaven Shifts, Calamity Descends

After the two gritted their teeth and chased for quite some time, both were exhausted, barely able to catch their breath. Bai Mu, whose cultivation was lower, was especially spent, gasping like a weary ox. His persistence was fueled solely by the unwillingness to admit defeat before a beautiful woman.

At that moment, the dream tapir ahead suddenly slowed its pace for reasons unknown, crawling forward at a steady, measured speed. Its trunk expanded and contracted as it breathed heavily, as if probing for enemies. Seeing this, the two felt a surge of hope and pressed on, quietly and cautiously, closing the distance until they were within fifty meters of the dream tapir.

"Dream tapir, you have finally arrived!"

A vigorous and icy voice echoed from the darkness, chilling as a demon’s whisper in the deep mountain night, sending a shiver down the spine.

"Miao… miao…"

The dream tapir shook its tiger-like tail to signal the speaker hidden in the shadows ahead.

"Where is the essence I asked for? Why have you not brought it tonight?" the mysterious figure demanded angrily from the darkness.

Miao…

The dream tapir, like a child wronged, lay flat on the ground, pitifully wagging its small tail. It then lifted a forepaw to point at its own belly and back.

The two watched cautiously from the grass, and under the faint moonlight, realized that the dream tapir bore wounds of varying depths on its back and abdomen—the marks left by Ling Yan’s jade flute earlier that day.

"You are injured?" The mysterious figure’s voice, surprised and urgent, sounded from the darkness.

This time, the dream tapir did not bark. Instead, it raised its head and gazed toward the direction of the speaker, its mouth opening and closing in movements reminiscent of human speech, though no sound emerged.

After a long silence, the dream tapir closed its mouth in defeat and lay still.

"Was it a white-robed youth and a girl in green gauze who wounded you?"

"The white-robed youth had a powerful sword, and the girl in green carried a flute, is that correct?"

Unwillingly, the dream tapir nodded in agreement.

The mysterious figure fell silent, likely pondering the sequence of events.

Ling Yan, hiding in the grass, whispered to herself, "This mysterious person can communicate with such a demon as the dream tapir. Clearly, his power is extraordinary. We must not reveal ourselves lightly, lest we provoke unnecessary pursuit."

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"Understood!"

Bai Mu nodded obediently, but his bright eyes, sharp as cold stars, remained fixed on the darkness ahead, ever ready to strike down this demon who steals human essence.

As the two quietly discussed, the vigorous and chilling voice sounded again from the darkness.

"Dream tapir, since those two are formidable, you must not provoke them further. I am at a critical stage of cultivation and require more human souls to replenish my energy. Do not bring strong adversaries to me."

"In addition, tonight is the full moon, and the coming nights will have waxing moons. The abundant moonlight essence is ideal for my cultivation. So, from tonight onward, you must draw the essence of three people from their dreams each night as an offering. Do you understand?"

Miao…

The dream tapir growled softly, swinging its trunk, its rhinoceros-like horn twitching with agitation, clearly dissatisfied with the command.

"Ling Yan, who is this mysterious figure who needs to absorb human essence to cultivate?"

"I don’t know, but judging by his methods, he must practice an evil art—perhaps from the Nether Ravine!"

"Nether Ravine?"

"What kind of place is that?"

Ling Yan’s eyes flickered as she answered calmly, "That is a long story for another time. Right now, we must stop the dream tapir, or several innocent lives will be lost tonight!"

Miao…

The dream tapir, previously lying pitifully on the ground, suddenly sprang up and dashed southwest with its unique speed, disappearing into the night.

"We must pursue!" Ling Yan rose, preparing to give chase.

"No!" Bai Mu quickly grabbed her, lowering his voice. "If you go out now, you’ll run right into the mysterious figure!"

"Relax, he’s already gone," Ling Yan replied with a gentle smile.

"When did he leave? How do you know?" Bai Mu asked, still confused.

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"Just before the dream tapir left, I could no longer sense his aura. That’s how I know he’s gone."

Without another word to the bewildered Bai Mu, Ling Yan pressed her delicate foot to the grass and, like a phantom, drifted southwest after the dream tapir.

Her flowing green sleeves fluttered in the night wind, and her graceful figure was as enchanting as a fairy descending from the moon palace. The semi-transparent green gauze highlighted her exquisite form, making her look so alluring that anyone watching would blush and lose themselves in reverie.

Bai Mu dared not linger. He channeled all his energy to his feet and sped after Ling Yan and the dream tapir.

After half the time it takes for incense to burn, their pursuit led them to a place where the terrain suddenly opened up.

In the darkness, the outline of a tribe gradually emerged before their eyes. The dream tapir, whom they had tracked so relentlessly, leapt lightly onto the roof of a tile house, hunched, and crawled forward with surprising gentleness.

"What now?" Ling Yan, hiding outside the tribe, watched the dream tapir’s receding figure with a hint of nervousness.

"Isn’t it obvious? We fight!"

"A monster so vile deserves death. We should capture it in the Demon Bottle and let it suffer the pain of dissolution, just as it drains human essence in dreams!"

"No." Ling Yan rejected the idea without hesitation. "Killing the dream tapir is not difficult—I could handle it alone. But have you considered that the dream tapir is just a puppet? The one who truly devours human souls is that so-called 'Protector,' who will stop at nothing to cultivate evil arts!"

Bai Mu paused, realizing Ling Yan made perfect sense. Unless the root of the problem was addressed, slaying the dream tapir would accomplish nothing.

After all, for every dream tapir that falls, countless others would rise. The wastelands are never short of cold-blooded spirits.

Moreover, killing the dream tapir would surely alert their enemy, causing the mysterious figure to flee elsewhere—and more deaths would follow.

At that thought, inspiration struck Bai Mu, and a brilliant plan formed in his mind.

He leaned in and whispered his scheme to Ling Yan. As she listened, her face blossomed with a smile, evidently quite pleased with his idea.

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