Swallowed by the Phantom

Ji Ning stood upon the surface of the water, looking around.

All was silent. Only the wind blew across the lake, stirring up layer after layer of ripples.

“This great demon, the Winged Serpent, is even more cautious and careful than I anticipated,” Ji Ning mused, frowning. “Not only does it stay at the bottom of the lake, but even when I—its great enemy—appear, it doesn’t dare to attack me.”

Luring the Winged Serpent out was incredibly difficult.

If it weren’t, the five prefectures of the Ji Clan would have long since dealt with it. The fact that Ji Ning had broken through to become a Xiantian lifeform was still a secret, known to very few. Naturally, the Winged Serpent was unaware of it. In its eyes, Ji Ning was likely still an eleven-year-old child with exceptional footwork—harmless. Yet even so, it had still held itself back from attacking.

“Hm?” Ji Ning’s brow furrowed slightly.

He could vaguely see a few heads poking out of the lake in the distance.

“Lesser demons,” Ji Ning said. A large bow appeared in his hand—the one he had taken from Tie Muzhan—and four arrows. He quickly drew and fired.

Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!

The four arrows tore through the air, terrifying the aquatic lesser demons, who hurriedly dove underwater to take cover. But how could they escape arrows shot by Ji Ning? A chorus of miserable screams and howls rang out; one large fish tail even slapped against the surface, leaving a patch of blood behind. The lesser demons all fled deep into the water.

“Winged Serpent.” Ji Ning held the large bow, shouting, “I never imagined that a mighty great demon like you would be forced to send out only lesser demons. You truly make me despise you.”

“Ji Ning.”

A deep,低沉 voice suddenly emanated from the bottom of the lake.

Ji Ning’s heart filled with joy. The Winged Serpent had finally spoken.

“Cease your despicable schemes. Do you think I do not know your father and the others are hiding in the vicinity?” the low voice echoed from the water. “You are merely a child at the Houtian stage. How could you possibly come here to seek death?”

“Hahaha! Houtian?” Ji Ning laughed loudly. A faint halo of light appeared around his body. He casually pointed a finger at the lake surface, and a sword beam shot directly from his fingertip, plunging into the deep water. “Open your snake eyes and see clearly!”

Boom!

The sword beam bored into the deep water, causing a massive shockwave.

“Splash…” A black shadow emerged from the water several li away, half a head bobbing up to stare into the distance. His eyes were filled with shock. “Xiantian? You’ve already reached Xiantian?”

“Do you dare to fight?” Ji Ning shouted. “If you’re worried about an ambush, choose any spot on this hundred-li-wide Winged Serpent Lake—on the water or on an island! We’ll fight, one on one! Do you dare or not?”

The Winged Serpent stared at the youth standing on the water from afar, hesitating.

Just how many places could Ji Yichuan and the others possibly have set up an ambush?

“You humans are treacherous and cunning! For a mere child like you to have already become a Xiantian lifeform, there is no way the Ji Clan would send you to die. There must be some scheme I do not know of.” The Winged Serpent sank back into the deep water, letting out a furious roar. “If you have the guts, come to the bottom of the lake! I will definitely fight you then! The surface? I will never fall for such a bait!”

On the lake’s surface, Ji Ning swore in anger, “Cowardly as a mouse!”

Swoosh!

Ji Ning turned and left in a huff, walking across the waves until he reached the island at the center of Winged Serpent Lake. He leaped directly onto the shore.

“To be such a coward…” Ji Ning was momentarily at a loss. He was not arrogant enough to believe he could dive into the water and fight a Xiantian,圆满-level great demon of the aquatic race.

…

At the bottom of the lake.

“Great King! Great King! That human youth has gone onto the island,” several lesser demons reported.

“He went to the island?” The black-robed man was seated as well, barely suppressing the rage burning in his heart.

“Father King! Silverfang and the others are all on the island,” a snake demon suddenly cried out in alarm.

“Silverfang?”

The black-robed man was jolted with shock.

He remembered. Ever since the negotiations at Poison Vulture Ridge with the five prefectures of the Ji Clan, he had been extremely cautious, staying at the bottom of the lake the entire time. He had not even dared to return to his lair on the island! However, his children and the other lesser demons had not been as cautious. They would still often go to the island. After all, in the past, that island was the true lair.

“How many? How many of my children are on the island?” the black-robed man roared.

“Only Silverfang, I believe. But there are still several hundred other lesser demons,” the snake demon hastily replied.

The black-robed man’s expression shifted dramatically. “Immediately send lesser demons to warn them! Tell Silverfang to return at once!”

“Yes!”

…

Ji Ning was, after all, a human. Standing on the surface of the water required him to constantly maintain his spirit in a state of Unity with Heaven and Earth. Since he could not force the Winged Serpent out for the moment, he decided to come to this island to rest for a while.

“This island… it used to be the Winged Serpent’s lair,” Ji Ning murmured, sweeping his gaze around. “For the past thousand years, this has been the demons’ territory. Since I can’t lure the Winged Serpent out, I might as well take a good look at this island.”

Ji Ning began to stroll leisurely.

Each step he took was as if he were riding the wind; he was ethereal and fast as a puff of smoke. He walked along the muddy shore that encircled the island. The island was nearly ten li in circumference, a sizable piece of land with small hills and streams.

“Roar…” A massive, crimson crab, about the size of a millstone, waved its huge pincers and stared at Ji Ning.

“An aquatic lesser demon.” Ji Ning casually kicked a stone. The stone shot through the air with a swoosh, slamming into the crab demon’s body with a clang! The giant crab rolled over a few times before lying still. Only after Ji Ning had walked far away did it flip back over and scuttle sideways into the lake.

This place had been the Winged Serpent’s lair, after all, so even if the Winged Serpent was not present, there were still quite a few aquatic lesser demons living on the island. Some of the demon beasts that saw Ji Ning attempted to attack him. The weaker ones he simply disciplined; but those that were at the Houtian,圆满 level, he did not show any mercy.

“Hm?” Ji Ning suddenly spotted a silvery serpent slithering out from a distant, massive cave. Other aquatic lesser demons, several zhang in size, were beside it.

These lesser demons were all quite large.

They must all be at the Houtian,圆满 level.

“Swoosh!” Ji Ning took a single step and shot forward instantly.

“Quick, go!”

“Move!”

“That human youth is a Xiantian lifeform.” These Houtian,圆满 lesser demons growled to one another, not a single one daring to attack Ji Ning. They scattered in all directions, rushing for the distant lake.

Ji Ning produced his large bow and four arrows, drawing and firing immediately.

After four arrows, another four!

Swish! Swish! Swish! Volley after volley of arrows shot out…

In an instant, more than ten of the largest, Houtian,圆满 aquatic lesser demons were slain. Only the weaker ones managed to escape into the water.

“Ji Ning! You have slain another one of my sons! I will kill you! I will definitely kill you!” A furious, low roar emerged from the distant depths of the lake. Standing at the entrance of the lair’s cave, Ji Ning was stunned.

“Another son? Just how many children does this ancient demon have?”

Puzzled, Ji Ning glanced around. Among the Houtian,圆满 aquatic demons he had killed with his arrows, three were snakes. Which one had been its child? Ji Ning did not know that the Winged Serpent had originally had ninety-two children. Over the years, many had been eaten by other demon beasts or killed by humans. Only sixteen remained alive.

Now, Ji Ning had killed two more.

However, the Winged Serpent’s most beloved child was still Cinnabar, that great serpent with the Fiendgod bloodline.

“Winged Serpent! You can only shout with your mouth. There might be more of your children in this lair. I’m going in to kill them.” Shouting, Ji Ning entered the cave.

…

This lair was where the Winged Serpent had lived for over a thousand years. It was deep, winding, and mysterious.

Ji Ning walked forward, Northsea sword in hand.

Within the lair, he constantly encountered aquatic demon beasts that rushed out at him. Some were vicious, some were bizarre. They saw the human youth as a delicacy upon sight, each one wanting to devour him. The very weak ones Ji Ning casually sent flying with a shockwave—whether they died or were simply knocked unconscious, he did not care.

But any Houtian,圆满 aquatic demon beasts, he eliminated.

“This lair is truly deep and unfathomable.” Ji Ning followed the winding tunnels deeper and deeper into the cave complex. Suddenly, in the dim grotto, a vague, massive beast shadow appeared. It was the faint silhouette of a bear’s head. The giant spectral head of a bear opened its mouth wide and descended directly toward Ji Ning.

Ji Ning’s expression shifted dramatically.

He also realized that he could not move. He could neither advance nor retreat.

“This… this is… an ancient relic!” The word flashed through Ji Ning’s mind.

On this boundless land, from the age of the Primordial Fiendgods until the present day, countless powerful beings had existed over the endless years. There were an untold number of immortal’s grotto ruins, Fiendgod ruins, and the like. Humanity had spread across this land, and people would often unwittingly enter these ancient Fiendgod ruins. Some would gain a few advantages and rise to prominence.

But far more died in these immortal’s grotto or Fiendgod ruins. Just from the books he had read, Ji Ning knew of several famous, ancient ruins that had devoured countless lives.

“I’ve stumbled into a relic. I have to live. I have to find a way out, no matter what!” Ji Ning’s heart burned with an intense desire. He understood that, in the face of these relics left behind by ancient powers and Fiendgods, a mere Xiantian like himself had absolutely no power to resist. He could only obey and then find a way to escape.

The enormous, spectral bear’s head swallowed Ji Ning in a single gulp.

The phantom dissipated.

Ji Ning had vanished without a trace.

The tunnels of the Winged Serpent’s lair continued on as peacefully as ever, as if nothing had happened at all.