Liaozhai: Immortality Begins with Becoming Yan Chixia's Apprentice

Chapter 151 Whispers of the Heavenly Demon

After a moment of silence, its voice became cold and low.

"I'm waiting for the right moment. The day when the shackles of the laws of Heaven are completely loosened. That day is not far off."

Zhou Ning said, "Then I'll wait for that day."

The Heavenly Demon sneered, "You won't live to see that day. Before it comes, I will destroy your will. Your Dao heart, your beliefs, your courage... I will destroy them all, bit by bit. Once you're just an empty shell, I will descend to the mortal realm."

Zhou Ning took a deep breath and suppressed the anger in his heart.

He knew that the Heavenly Demon was trying to provoke him and make him lose his mind.

He can't be fooled.

"Are you done talking? If you are, I need to rest."

The Heavenly Demon remained silent for a moment, his voice tinged with surprise.

"Aren't you afraid?"

Zhou Ning said, "I'm afraid. But I won't let you destroy my will. Because behind me are people I need to protect."

The Heavenly Demon remained silent for a long time before letting out a low sigh.

You'll regret it.

The words were spoken, and then the sound disappeared.

Zhou Ning opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his hands trembled slightly.

The whispers of the demon were more terrifying than he had anticipated.

The sound seemed to penetrate all defenses and pierce straight into the depths of the soul.

If his Dao heart hadn't been so firm, it probably would have already been corrupted.

"Young Master Zhou, are you alright?" Han Wei's voice came from behind.

Zhou Ning shook her head: "It's nothing. I'm just a little tired."

Han Wei walked over to him and handed him a cup of hot tea.

Zhou Ning took the teacup, took a sip, and the warm tea flowed down his throat, dispelling some of the chill.

"Lord Han, you should go and rest. I'll stay here and keep watch."

Han Wei hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay. Be careful."

He turned and left the city wall.

Zhou Ning sat alone on the city wall, gazing at the black fog to the north.

Moonlight filtered through gaps in the clouds, spilling across the wasteland and bathing everything in a pale, ethereal glow.

In the distance, the dark figures were still writhing, emitting low growls.

They seemed to be waiting for something, or perhaps testing something.

"Extraterrestrial demons..." Zhou Ning murmured.

He closed his eyes and focused his mind into his dantian.

The nascent soul sat cross-legged in the center, its hands forming a mudra, radiating a purple-gold light.

The light was warm and resolute, as if telling him, "Don't be afraid, you still have me."

Zhou Ning smiled slightly and opened his eyes.

"I'm not afraid."

For the next few days, Zhou Ning meditated on the city wall every day to resist the whispers of the Heavenly Demon.

The Heavenly Demon comes almost every night, sometimes saying a few sarcastic words, sometimes letting out a low laugh, and sometimes remaining silent.

But no matter what it did, Zhou Ning remained unmoved.

His resolve to follow the Dao grew stronger with each trial.

On this day, he was meditating on the city wall when he suddenly felt the communication jade talisman in his arms getting slightly warm.

He took out the jade talisman and infused it with a wisp of true essence.

Yan Chixia's voice echoed in his mind.

"Zhou Ning, the rift in the southern border has been sealed. I'll be back in a few days. What's the situation in the north?"

Zhou Ning responded with his divine sense: "Master, the North is temporarily at peace. But the Heavenly Demon comes to harass me every night, trying to destroy my Dao heart."

Yan Chixia was silent for a moment, then asked, "Can you hold out?"

Zhou Ning said, "This disciple is capable."

Yan Chixia said, "Alright. Wait for me to come back."

The jade talisman's light dimmed, and Yan Chixia's voice disappeared.

Zhou Ning put away the jade talisman and continued meditating.

Just then, the black fog in the north suddenly surged violently.

Countless dark figures emerged from the mist and rushed towards Qingfeng City.

They emitted sharp, piercing cries, as if countless steel needles were simultaneously piercing the eardrums.

Zhou Ning suddenly opened his eyes and drew his Qingfeng sword.

"They're here!"

He flashed and leaped down from the city wall, rushing into the group of dark figures.

"cut!"

A streak of purple-gold sword energy shot out from the tip of the sword, like a giant purple-gold dragon, heading straight for the group of black shadows.

Wherever the sword energy passed, the dark figures screamed in agony and vanished into black smoke.

Zhou Ning unleashed sword strike after sword strike, the purple-gold sword energy weaving into a net in the air, slaying the dark figures approaching the city wall one by one.

On the city wall, the guards also raised their weapons and fought against the black shadows that rushed up.

Han Wei stood at the front, brandishing his long sword and cleaving a dark figure that lunged at him in two.

His body was soon splattered with black blood, but he didn't care and continued to fight bravely.

The battle lasted for about an hour before the shadowy figures were finally all eliminated.

Zhou Ning sheathed his sword, panting heavily, and looked around.

On the city wall, several guards were wounded, but no one died.

This is already the best possible outcome.

"Lord Han, what are the casualties?" Zhou Ning asked.

Han Wei said, "Five were injured, but none died. Young Master Zhou, we are very grateful to you."

Zhou Ning shook his head: "Lord Han, you're too kind. This is a collective effort."

He walked to the city wall and looked north.

The fog was still thick, but the dark figures had temporarily retreated.

"They will come again," Zhou Ning said.

Han Wei nodded: "I know. But we're not afraid."

Zhou Ning smiled slightly and patted him on the shoulder.

"Well said. We are not afraid."

After the shadowy figure disappeared, a brief silence fell over the walls of Qingfeng City.

Zhou Ning stood by the city wall, gazing at the rolling black mist to the north, remaining motionless for a long time.

The night wind blew by, whipping his robes and making them flutter.

He still held the Qingfeng Sword in his hand. The purple-gold light on the sword gradually dimmed, but the sword spirit's low hum still echoed in his heart, like a silent comfort.

Han Wei walked over to him and handed him a clean cloth.

Zhou Ning took the sword, wiped the black bloodstains off it, and then sheathed it.

"Lord Han, have the casualty statistics been released yet?" Zhou Ning asked.

Han Wei nodded: "Seven were injured, none of them died. Li Yuan was scratched by the shadowy figure and got a cut on his arm, but it's been bandaged up. The others only have minor injuries, nothing serious."

Zhou Ning breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good. Let everyone rest; they probably won't be coming again tonight."

Han Wei hesitated for a moment, then said, "Young Master Zhou, you should go and rest too. You've been sitting on the city wall for several days now; if you continue like this, your health will collapse."

Zhou Ning shook his head: "I'm not tired. You go and rest, I'll keep watch for a while longer."

Han Wei knew he couldn't persuade him, so he sighed, turned around, and left the city wall.

Zhou Ning sat cross-legged on the bluestone of the city wall, closing his eyes to regulate his breathing.

He focused his divine sense into his dantian, sensing the state of his nascent soul.

The nascent soul sat cross-legged in the center of its dantian, its hands forming a mudra, radiating a warm, purplish-gold light.

The light was brighter than it had been a few days before, and the nascent soul's features were clearer.

He could sense that the power contained within the Nascent Soul was slowly increasing, and the bottleneck of the late Nascent Soul stage was showing signs of loosening.

"Give me some more time, and I should be able to break through to the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm," Zhou Ning thought to himself.

Just then, that deep voice rang in his mind again.

"Zhou Ning..."

It's the Heavenly Demon again.

Zhou Ning opened his eyes and said calmly, "You're here again."

The Heavenly Demon laughed, his laughter filled with mockery:

"Your defenses are as fragile as paper. I only sent a small wave of minions today, and you're already struggling so much. If I send out the real demon army, how long can you hold out?"

Zhou Ning said, "We'll hold out for as long as we can. Even until the very last moment, we won't let you set foot in Qingfeng City."

The Heavenly Demon's laughter grew even louder.

"You think you can stop me? Your guards, your monks, are nothing but ants in my eyes. I can crush them as easily as crushing an ant."