Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Nightmare Earth Demon!

Qinghe Town is nestled between two mountains, with a shallow stream flowing through it; it should be a peaceful and tranquil place.

However, as soon as Fang Li stepped into the town, she keenly sensed an indescribable sense of oppression and panic permeating the air.

There were very few children playing at the entrance of the town, and all of them were being watched closely by adults.

Although the shops on both sides of the street were open, most of the shopkeepers and employees looked anxious and kept glancing nervously outside.

Passersby hurried along, their voices hushed, their eyes filled with fear and worry as they exchanged glances.

The entire town seemed to be shrouded in an invisible gloom.

Fang Li went straight to the town's guardian monk.

An elderly man with gray hair and a cultivation level of only the fifth level of Qi Refining, surnamed Wang.

Upon hearing that Fang Li was a disciple sent by the Sword Sect to investigate the missing persons case, Old Man Wang grasped at a straw and was so excited that he almost burst into tears.

"The Immortal Master has finally arrived!" Old Man Wang led Fang Li into his simple dwelling, his voice trembling. "This is the sixth one in the past two weeks! They are all children under ten years old. They sleep peacefully in their rooms at night, but disappear without a trace at dawn! The doors and windows are intact, and there is not a sound. It's as if... as if they were taken away by something out of thin air!"

His face was full of self-blame and helplessness: "I am incompetent. I patrolled day and night, but I couldn't find even the slightest clue. The people in the town are in a panic. They all say... say that a powerful evil spirit has appeared!"

Fang Li listened calmly and asked, "Do the missing children have anything in common? For example, their birth date, gender, or address?"

Old Man Wang thought carefully and shook his head, saying, "There are both men and women, and their family circumstances vary from rich to poor. They also live scattered throughout the town. As for their birth dates... many children in the countryside don't remember their exact time, so it's really difficult to verify."

"Take me to the last missing persons site."

The last person to go missing was an eight-year-old boy who lived at the west end of the town.

Her parents looked haggard with sunken eyes. Seeing Fang Li was like seeing their last hope. They cried and led Fang Li to the room where the child was sleeping.

The room was small and simple, and the bedding on the earthen bed remained exactly as it had been that night.

The windows and door latches were intact, and there were indeed no signs of forced entry.

Fang Li dismissed everyone else, closed her eyes, and slowly spread out her enhanced divine sense, like the most intricate net, carefully filtering every inch of air and every grain of dust in the room.

The air was filled with a faint scent of children, the smell of earth, and a barely perceptible fishy odor.

The scent was extremely faint, almost completely masked by other smells, but Fang Li keenly detected that subtle anomaly.

She opened her eyes, her gaze sharp, and squatted down, her fingertips gently brushing the floor beneath the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).

Several faint scratches, the marks are strange, not like those caused by cats or dogs, with a unique hook shape.

She carefully examined the window frames and exterior walls, and finally found a mark on the muddy ground near the corner of the wall that had been almost completely erased by the wind and rain.

The mark resembled a claw but wasn't quite a claw; its outline was blurry, but it was clear that it was no ordinary beast. It was the size of an adult's palm, with what appeared to be a forked tip, exuding an eerie aura.

“Old Wang,” Fang Li stood up, her expression grave, “it wasn’t a simple disappearance, nor was it the work of an ordinary person. There’s a very faint demonic aura left here, and these claw marks… the one who abducted the child was probably a powerful demon, and extremely adept at concealing its tracks.”

Upon hearing this, the old man's face turned deathly pale: "A demon...a demon?! What are we going to do?!"

“Although the demonic aura is faint, it has left traces, so there are clues to follow.” Fang Li’s tone was calm, carrying a reassuring power: “I will continue to pursue it.”

Without further delay, she followed the lingering demonic aura and the occasional strange claw marks on the ground, chasing them out of the town and into the dense forest to the west of the town.

The deeper we went into the mountains and forests, the darker the sky became.

The towering ancient trees blocked out the sun, and the light in the forest quickly became dim. The surroundings were so quiet that only the rustling of the wind through the leaves and the sound of her footsteps could be heard.

The traces of demonic energy came and went, pointing towards the depths of the mountains and forests.

The air gradually became cold and damp, and the layer of fallen leaves underfoot grew thicker and thicker, emitting a putrid smell.

Fang Li was completely focused, her mind highly concentrated, and dared not be careless in the slightest.

The fact that this demon could abduct children so stealthily, without even alerting a fifth-level Qi Refining cultivator, shows that it was no ordinary creature.

Just as Fang Li tracked down to a rocky slope, the faint trace of demonic energy seemed to disappear completely.

A deathly silence.

Suddenly, a very faint rustling sound came from the depths of the dense forest on the left.

The faint sound, like something dragging a heavy object, rubbing against fallen leaves and bushes, seemed particularly abrupt and eerie in this excessively quiet environment.

Whoosh!

The ground beneath her feet suddenly collapsed!

A monstrous hand covered in dark brown scales, with several sharp, claw-like appendages at its tip, shot out from the ground like lightning, carrying a pungent, earthy, and putrid stench, and viciously grabbed at her ankle!

How insidious!

Fang Li was prepared. The moment the foot moved, she retreated like an arrow! At the same time, her right hand formed a sword shape with her fingers together, and a line of crimson fire shot out!

"Burning Flame Finger!"

laugh--!

The fire struck the monstrous hand precisely at its wrist! The burning scales emitted a piercing sound and a burnt smell!

"Squeak—!" A sharp, painful screech came from underground! The strange hand, in pain, jerked back!

Before Fang Li could catch her breath, the scene before her suddenly changed!

The once gloomy woods have disappeared, replaced by a warm and peaceful farmhouse!

The familiar King was standing at the courtyard gate, anxiously waving at her: "Immortal Master! Come back quickly! The child has been found! He's inside!"

The voice was filled with urgency.

Fang Li was speechless... This demon seemed to think she was an idiot!

"Break!" Fang Li's words thundered, and the power of her divine sense in her sea of ​​consciousness trembled violently!

Pop!

The farmhouse in front of me shattered like a soap bubble, revealing a dark and terrifying forest once more!

The moment the illusion shattered, a gust of evil wind swept in from the right, and another identical hooked hand tore through the air with a piercing shriek, aiming straight for Fang Li's temple! The angle was cunning and vicious!

Fang Li had just broken free of the illusion, her old strength gone and new strength yet to be generated, when the deadly claw was about to pierce her!

A life-or-death situation!

She gritted her teeth and leaned back at an incredibly flexible angle, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow!

*Swoosh!* Sharp claws grazed her shoulder, leaving a trail of blood and torn fabric!

A sharp pain shot through her, and Fang Li groaned. Using the momentum, she spun around, channeling spiritual energy into her left leg, and lashed out like a steel whip towards the direction from which the claws were attacking.

Bang!

A dull thud, and leaves scattered everywhere!

An ugly figure, resembling a combination of a pangolin and a gopher, was violently shaken out of the ground!

It was about half a person's height, covered in dark brown scales, with short, thick limbs ending in sharp claws, and a long, thin tail that thrashed restlessly.

The most bizarre thing is its head, which has no eyes, only a gaping maw covered with fine fangs and a slightly wriggling tumor!

Nightmare Earth Demon!

Fang Li instantly recognized this troublesome monster.

They excel at burrowing, hiding, creating illusions to confuse their prey, and then launching a sneak attack with their claws!

No wonder the children disappeared without a trace!

"Squeak!" The Nightmare Earth Demon was shaken off the ground, letting out an angry screech. Its long, thin tail lashed out, and its body spun like a top, carrying powerful centrifugal force and sharp scales as it slammed into Fang Li!

At the same time, the tumor on its head began to wriggle again, and an even stronger mental fluctuation spread out!

Fang Li felt a wave of dizziness, and the scenery before her eyes blurred and distorted again! It was another hallucination!

"Get out of the way!" Fang Li shouted, using all her strength to resist the dizziness. At the same time, she dared not take the spinning scale top head-on, so she stomped her feet and retreated rapidly to dodge!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Nightmare Earth Demon spun around and smashed several small trees as thick as bowls, sending rubble and dirt flying everywhere!

When its first attack failed, it immediately tried to repeat its old trick and burrow underground!

"Trying to run?!" A cold glint flashed in Fang Li's eyes. You think you can just run away after hitting me?!

She endured the pain in her shoulder and the intense depletion of her spiritual energy, her hands rapidly forming hand seals, and the fire spiritual energy within her surged forth like boiling magma!

"Fire Prison! Imprison!"

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Several crimson chains of flame appeared out of thin air, carrying scorching heat, and wrapped around the Nightmare Earth Demon's body as it was about to burrow into the ground!

The flames scorched the scales, producing a sizzling sound and a burnt smell!

"Squeak—!" The Nightmare Earth Demon let out a shrill scream and struggled frantically, but fire counters earth, and the chains formed by the pure and condensed fire spirit power had a strong restraining effect on it!

The burned areas are precisely the joints where its defenses are relatively weak!

Fang Li's eyes flashed with murderous intent! She charged forward, pouring the last bit of spiritual energy she had left into her right fist without reservation. Crimson flames condensed on her fist: "Die!"

Boom!!!

Pfft!

Like a ripe watermelon bursting open! Thick, foul-smelling liquid and brain matter splattered everywhere!

The Nightmare Demon's screams abruptly stopped. Its frantically struggling body suddenly stiffened, then it slumped down, twitched a few times, and remained completely still.

The chains of flame dissipated.

thump!

Fang Li collapsed to one knee, panting heavily, as if all her strength had left her.

Sweat mixed with the blood seeping from his shoulders soaked his back.

His spiritual energy was almost completely depleted, and his meridians were throbbing with pain.

His sea of ​​consciousness also felt a faint stinging pain from continuously resisting the illusions and unleashing his full power.

She struggled to her feet, intending to treat her wounds and then collect the monster's corpse to take back and report.

Three hundred contribution points... It's not much to deal with this monster, but at least it's something.

However, in the instant she bent over...

A powerful and unfamiliar aura rapidly approached from the side of the mountain forest without any concealment!

Fang Li froze, looked up abruptly, and her heart sank to the bottom.

At this moment, in this place, such a powerful aura has appeared!

Are they enemies or friends?