The old ranger tossed a few pieces of firewood into the fire, sat beside it, and gazed outside, sighing, "This weather is truly unpleasant. It rains for half the year, making the air and clothes damp. I've heard tell of a place where it rains every single day, pouring down like tipped buckets. Yet, strangely, the place never floods. It's quite astonishing."
"Could Senior be referring to Rainmarsh?" Liang Yuan asked upon hearing this.
"Rainmarsh?" Several people showed curiosity.
"Rainmarsh is located in the Mirage Sea, where torrential rain never ceases. It's said a Crimson Dragon resides there, capable of stirring winds and waves in the Mirage Sea. Few can reach Rainmarsh, and even fewer know of it. It's normal you haven't heard of it. I only stumbled upon it once in a book at the academy," Liang Yuan said, adding a few more pieces of firewood.
"You might not know, but dragons also haunt the Cloudmarsh. Legend says the ancients saw dragons soaring in the lands of Cloudream, their bodies like mountain ranges, layer upon layer, causing heaven and earth to overturn in their wake. Thus, Cloudream's wild marsh, Cloudream, comes from the dragon. But few can see a dragon. Legend has it that the entire Cloudmarsh is merely a dragon's illusion, though no one knows for sure."
"…" The entire Cloudmarsh is an illusion.
Silence fell, and everyone stared at the fire, lost in thought.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa—"
Lu Huaimin tiptoed to the window, long saber gripped tightly, cautiously peering out to survey the surroundings.
"Indeed, there's a resemblance," Jiang Wen remarked with a sigh.
It truly made one feel horrified.
"Hush," Lu Huaimin gestured for silence. Besides the crackling of the firewood, only the soft breathing of the group could be heard.
Summoning his courage, Lu Huaimin slowly approached the head, preparing to investigate.
"Haha, Brother Jiang is a true man of character!" The old ranger, having escaped danger, was in good spirits and even joked with the group.
The hundred-meter-long demonic resentment shrieked as it wrapped around the house, lifting it entirely, scattering dust and wood chips, burying their original resting place.
Liang Yuan watched Jiang Wen and Yan Gongli whispering to each other, a hint of curiosity in her eyes.
Suddenly, a head hung down from the eaves, and he retreated several steps, staring at the disheveled-haired head in shock. He held his long saber before him, watching warily.
"This demon likely has nearly a century of cultivation. You must be careful," Liang Yuan said to the group, looking at the enormous demon.
As she spoke, the entire house began to shake, tiles falling continuously, cracks gradually spreading across the walls, engulfing the entire structure.
Jiang Wen sensed the corrosive aura of the demon but didn't pay much attention.
Although this un-transfigured demon was extremely dangerous to mortals like Lu Huaimin, it was not a big deal to him.
Yan Gongli, wearing a cloak, lay asleep on Jiang Wen's lap. The old ranger, being old, couldn't withstand the past few days' ordeal and rested with his eyes closed.
"Swish, swish!" Two arrows were nocked and shot straight at the demon's front. The demon howled in pain, its hatred focused on the old ranger as countless human hands crawled, mouths agape, to bite at him.
Back then, Li Yunshang was only a Lamp-Lighting Realm cultivator and severely injured. Yet, she could fight the four-hundred-year-old hag. There was no reason why a cultivator from the Langhuan Academy wouldn't have some tricks up their sleeve.
On that body with the head, a huge mouth dripped with saliva, leaning forward and looking down at the people inside.
"Brother, what's wrong—"
Before the demon could turn around, several arrows struck it, piercing its oily body.
The horses tied inside the house neighed in terror, breaking free from the shattered wooden beams and scattering in all directions. Seeing the situation, several people quickly fled out the door, disregarding the items left inside.
The movements were instantaneous, a reaction honed through countless trials. Both defense and offense were executed with ease.
"Brother Jiang, what is this?" Lu Huaimin asked, somewhat speechless, looking at Su Wen, who was still getting dressed.
Jiang Wen finished dressing, then smiled at the group, who were all soaked, and said, "I thought I wouldn't be needed for the time being, so I put on my clothes first."
Liang Yuan held her long sword, looking outside.
"Aren't we going to help?" Yan Gongli gave Jiang Wen a look.
Leaving behind a pile of rubble, it was uncertain if their spare items had been crushed.
They saw countless arms grabbing the eaves, crawling into the house from the roof.
He wasn't in a hurry to act, wanting to see what would happen. Yangzhou was, after all, a major commercial province, gathering trade from all over the world. How could demonic creatures frequently appear?
This couldn't help but remind Jiang Wen of Journey to the West. The closer one got to the Spirit Mountain, the more unrestrained the demons became. Moreover, each had a background, invincible to ordinary people.
The demon leaned over the roof beams, peering at the group, its winding body extending out the window.
Countless faces with different expressions surfaced on its body, as if coated with a thick layer of grease.
"Heh heh, hahahaha."
Jiang Wen looked at Liang Yuan's back and thought to himself, judging by the spells she had just displayed, even if she was an ordinary cultivator, she should be able to subdue this demon with only a century of cultivation.
Guard Lu Huaimin frowned, his years of intuition telling him that something was wrong with this village. He nudged Wang Yong and quietly gripped his saber.
"Clang—" Lu Huaimin drew his long saber, the pure jade-like blade reflecting the light of the fire, streaks of crimson flashing across the surface, making people praise it as a fine blade.
The group stood up and drew their weapons. The sleeping Yan Gongli squinted and hid in Jiang Wen's arms.
The head suddenly opened its eyes, its empty, pupil-less sockets staring blankly into the house, a mouth splitting open, revealing a tongue more than an inch long.
"It's coming!" As the two chatted, they heard Chi Gong shout.
Could these demons be related to that so-called God-Worshipping Society? After all, even Taicang City had been corrupted, and this even more prosperous city of Suzhou was likely not spared.
She closed her eyes tightly, letting the wind blow through her hair.
"Now, the enemy is in the open, and we are hidden. It's better to hold back unless necessary. Moreover…"
"What are you looking at!" Two figures rushed towards the leaning demon. A cold light pierced the night, striking the demon's sharp fangs, sparks flying.
After a long while, the head seemed to have no reaction. The swollen cheeks made it clear it was a middle-aged woman.
However, the appearance of this demon was strange. Jiang Wen always felt that someone was behind it.
Having suffered such damage, the demon painfully pushed away Lu Huaimin, who was propping up its fangs, and retreated rapidly outside, wailing.
The demon shrieked, and countless arms firmly grabbed the house, lunging down like a spinning chain, shaking the entire structure.
The people in the house had different thoughts. The sound of the raging wind outside, with its sobbing and wailing, had a terrifying, haunting quality.
Wang Yong and Lu Huaimin cleared the way, their heavy cleavers creating gusts of wind, chopping off several of the demon's human arms, splattering dark green liquid onto the surrounding walls.
"It's better to observe the situation," Yan Gongli nodded in agreement. "Don't you think this scene is quite similar to that wolf demon?"
"Grab your belongings; this thing is probably coming. The visibility is poor at night; don't get lost."
It sounded like a thousand horses trampling through puddles, disappearing after a long while outside. Such urgency made one think of a multi-legged creature crawling on the ground, the friction causing goosebumps.
Although the wind was strong outside, one could faintly hear the sound of hurried splashing.
The place where they had been was now a pit caused by the Nightmare Demon, with mud swirling back onto the eaves.
"I know," everyone responded, staring at the demon, wondering how many people it had eaten.
Jiang Wen was somewhat suspicious, perhaps something had happened to the Supreme God Palace in Suzhou, leading to this situation.
"Don't worry, I feel like something is wrong," Jiang Wen reassured. "This demon is no ordinary creature; someone must have deliberately placed it here."
The old ranger rolled aside to dodge the monster's attack, stabilized his swaying steps, and focused his energy, drawing his bow to its full extent.
The old ranger woke up the moment he drew his saber. He reflexively rolled to the side, drawing his longbow to its full extent.
Like the faint cries of a baby from before, it always disappeared when people focused their attention and reappeared when their thoughts wandered.
"Don't be too happy; this demon probably won't let it go."
"It's a demon!" Chi Gong roared.
"This beast! How detestable!" Several people hadn't had time to put on their clothes and stood naked in the night rain, cold raindrops falling on their bodies, flowing down their strong muscles. "I wonder if we'll be able to find our things tomorrow morning."
"Probably," Jiang Wen said with a smile, putting on his raincoat after dressing. No one could see his expression; the rain didn't touch him.
His expression was hidden in the deep darkness of the night.
