Ch 387: Ping’an Town
Liu Ke’s pupils constricted. This Demon’s regeneration ability far exceeded his imagination. He didn’t have time to think; he exerted force on his feet, his body retreating like an arrow from a bow, simultaneously sweeping his long sword, drawing a Golden Light Arc to force back Lu Jing’s pursuit.
“This thing is wrong!” the Mantis shrieked from his shoulder, “Its atmosphere is more ferocious than before, as if it’s been angered!”
Before the words fell, Lu Jing pounced again. This time it no longer relied on teleportation, but on its explosively increased size, opening its giant mouth full of barbs, aiming straight for Liu Ke’s face.
A foul wind rushed towards him, carrying a nauseating stench.
A cold light flashed in Liu Ke’s eyes, his left hand quickly condensing a mark.
This time it wasn’t defense, but the power of the Four Nuo Seal concentrated at a single point. “Break!” he shouted, the golden mark like a concentrated sun, exploding suddenly in his palm, transforming into a sharp light beam shooting towards Lu Jing.
The beam struck Lu Jing’s giant mouth; it let out a shrill scream, its body actually pierced with a hole.
But before Liu Ke could breathe a sigh of relief, the flesh around the hole surged like a tide, instantly filling the gap, even thicker than before.
“It’s absorbing power!”
Liu Ke’s heart sank. He realized the crux of the problem—ordinary attacks not only couldn’t hurt it but would make it stronger.
Just then, the Blade Catcher’s token at his waist suddenly turned hot; a faint red light flashed.
Liu Ke had a flash of inspiration; he flung the token into the air. The token rotated in the air, emitting a faint crimson aura, actually forming an invisible barrier around Lu Jing.
Lu Jing collided with the barrier, like hitting a wall of bronze, emitting a dull sound.
It roared angrily, repeatedly ramming its body against the barrier, but the crimson aura remained motionless.
“So this is how the token’s attack ability is used!” Liu Ke was delighted, then used the seal again. This time he didn’t hold back, pouring all his power into it. “Five Nuo Seal! Open!”
Five golden marks descended from the sky, merging with the crimson barrier. Lu Jing was trapped within, unable to escape no matter how hard it struggled. Its eight eyes stared fixedly at Liu Ke, full of resentment.
Liu Ke took a deep breath, tightening his grip on the long sword. The blade erupted again with dazzling light. This time, the light was no longer golden, but with a hint of crimson. “It’s over!” he shouted, leaping up, the long sword transforming into a stream of light, slashing at the trapped Lu Jing.
This strike concentrated all his strength, also leveraging the suppression of the token’s barrier. Lu Jing let out a desperate roar, but could no longer dodge.
The long sword fell, precisely striking its head. This time, its body didn’t regenerate but turned into countless black fragments, dissipating into the air.
The barrier disappeared, the token flying back into Liu Ke’s hand. He caught the token, finding that the crimson aura had vanished, leaving only a trace of warmth.
“Finally solved.” Liu Ke breathed a sigh of relief, his whole body feeling weak.
The Mantis jumped down, sniffed the ground, and said, “This thing’s atmosphere has completely disappeared. But why did it appear here? Could it be related to Bloody Rain Village?”
Liu Ke looked towards the distance, where Bloody Rain Village lay. He was silent for a moment, then said, “Regardless, we must go and see.”
Having said that, he leaped onto his horse, taking the Mantis and the chicken, continuing to rush towards Bloody Rain Village. In the setting sun, his figure gradually disappeared into the distant mountains and forests.
Liu Ke sped along, finally arriving at a small town called Ping’an Town. This town had a sparse population, deserted streets, giving a desolate feeling. However, Liu Ke didn’t care; he had no interest in this place, only wanting to leave as quickly as possible.
Without hesitation, he slapped the horse’s rear hard. The horse, as if startled, immediately accelerated, galloping like an arrow from a bow. Liu Ke was secretly pleased, thinking he had successfully left the town.
However, something unexpected happened. Before long, Ping’an Town reappeared before him, as if it were an inescapable nightmare.
Liu Ke was startled, and couldn’t help but wonder, “Did I encounter a Ghost Wall?”
He decided to take some measures to figure out the situation. So, he quickly rolled up his sleeves, preparing to use the mysterious eye on his arm to observe the surroundings.
However, strangely, this time the eye was slow to appear.
Liu Ke’s unease grew, and he began to doubt whether he could still rely on this eye to solve the predicament.
“What’s going on?” Liu Ke muttered to himself.
Full of suspicion, Liu Ke decided to enter the town to investigate. He found that the town wasn’t large, with an estimated population of less than eighty, and mostly elderly people.
The whole town looked dilapidated, and combined with the gloomy weather, it gave an eerie and mysterious feeling.
As Liu Ke was looking around the town, an old man slowly walked towards him.
This old man was about eighty years old, leaning on a cane, his steps faltering.
He stopped in front of Liu Ke, and asked, “Young Man, can you read?”
Liu Ke was somewhat surprised by the old man’s question, but still nodded slightly, indicating that he could read.
A faint light suddenly flashed in the old man’s cloudy eyes. He slowly raised his wrinkled hand, pointing to a mottled earthen wall at the corner of the street. “Go and look at the words on it; perhaps you can understand something.”
Liu Ke looked in the direction he pointed, and saw that the earthen wall had been washed out by rainwater, with a few lines of words written crookedly in charcoal: “Easy to enter, hard to leave the town, don’t open your eyes when the sun sets, don’t open the door when the gong sounds at three, blood rain waters the flowers, souls can’t return.”
“What does this mean?” Liu Ke asked, frowning, instinctively touching the token at his waist.
The old man sighed, “This is a rule passed down from our ancestors. Once you enter Ping’an Town, you must abide by it.
Don’t open your eyes when the sun sets; it’s to avoid seeing what shouldn’t be seen; don’t open the door when the gong sounds at three; when that gong sounds, those outside aren’t living people; blood rain waters the flowers, souls can’t return; if the blood rain from Bloody Rain Village falls on this place, soiling flowers and plants, those plants will become spirits and harm people.”
Liu Ke felt a chill in his heart. Just as he was about to ask again, suddenly the sky darkened, and the sun quickly set.
The old man’s face changed. He said, “The sun has set, close your eyes quickly!”
Saying this, he closed his eyes tightly. Although Liu Ke was suspicious, he closed his eyes as instructed.
The surroundings were terrifyingly quiet; only his heartbeat could be heard. After an unknown period of time, he heard the old man’s voice, “You can open your eyes.”
Liu Ke slowly opened his eyes, but found the old man gone. He became alert and decided to find a place to rest first, and then find a way out of town after figuring out the situation.
At this time, a gong sounded in the distance, “Dong Dong Dong,” particularly harsh in the quiet night. Liu Ke remembered the words on the wall, tightened his grip on his sword, guarded the door, watching to see what secrets Ping’an Town still held.
