Chapter 14 - The Clichéd Hero Saves the Beauty
Li Nan Ke was well aware of his own limitations.
He wasn't afraid of Nightmares in the Red Rain dream, but in reality, with his current abilities, he wasn't quite ready to show off by fighting little monsters.
Staying cautious and not acting recklessly was the wise course of action.
"Roar—"
The Demonic Creature roared towards the sky, its fists slamming heavily into the ground.
The entire courtyard shook.
Countless fragments of railings and broken stones shot out, flying towards the panicking servants.
A scene of blood and flesh splattering seemed inevitable.
At this critical moment, Leng Xinnan took action.
She leaped into the air, her delicate feet lightly tapping the pillars of the corridor, a mass of water vapor imbued with spiritual energy materializing in front of her chest like an unfolding scroll.
With a wave of her slender arms, the water vapor spread out, blocking all the deadly debris.
"Attack!"
While Leng Xinnan protected the others, Iron Ox and Guo Gang charged towards the Demonic Creature in perfect coordination.
Each held a shimmering tendon rope in their hands, relying on their agile movements to dodge the Demonic Creature's attacks. Then, with a slide tackle, they circled behind it.
After several maneuvers, they tightly bound the Demonic Creature.
But before they could celebrate, the Demonic Creature, with its astonishing strength, abruptly snapped the tough tendon rope. The roar erupting from its throat sent shockwaves that made everyone's blood surge and their eardrums buzz.
The Demonic Creature grabbed the broken ropes with each hand and pulled Guo Gang and Iron Ox towards it.
As experienced demon slayers, they immediately sensed the danger and released the ropes, switching to close-range combat.
"Take this!"
Iron Ox waved his folding fan, which instantly transformed into a long sword, thrusting towards the Demonic Creature's forehead.
The sword light was like a rainbow, carrying a strong killing intent.
Guo Gang focused his energy in his dantian. As he took a horse stance, his robes billowed with a powerful gust of wind generated by his internal energy.
With a ripping sound, his upper garment burst into shreds, and his exposed upper body seemed to be coated in gold powder, transforming into an indestructible bronze statue.
The Indestructible Body!
Li Nan Ke, observing the battle from afar, winced.
"Taking off clothes at the drop of a hat, huh?"
Unexpectedly, in the next second, the ferocious Demonic Creature flung Iron Ox away with brute force and smashed its casserole-sized fist directly into Guo Gang.
Guo Gang flew backward like a kite with its string cut, crashing into a room.
Well, taking off his clothes was for nothing.
As the Demonic Creature was about to pursue him, Leng Xinnan, who had safely escorted the others away from danger, dashed forward like lightning, and a barrage of water arrows rained down on the Demonic Creature.
Although these condensed water arrows didn't cause any significant damage to the Demonic Creature, they forced it to stagger backward.
"Sever!"
Leng Xinnan casually reached into the void with her jade-like hand, and countless water droplets condensed into a two-meter-long ice blade, which she fiercely slashed down at the Demonic Creature!
A violent surge of energy erupted like a wildfire.
Even Li Nan Ke, who was taking cover in the corridor, couldn't help but take two steps back.
The Demonic Creature, struck by the ice blade, hadn't expected this delicate-looking woman to be so powerful. It fell to its knees with a thud, drops of black blood splattering from its neck.
However, for the thick-skinned and robust Demonic Creature, it was just a minor injury.
Completely enraged, the Demonic Creature roared like a bell.
Reaching out, it instantly crushed the ice blade into fragments.
Leng Xinnan reacted swiftly, twisting her slender waist and spinning in mid-air. Just as the Demonic Creature was about to get up, she raised her knee and slammed it into its face.
Bam!
The Demonic Creature was sent flying backward, crashing heavily to the ground with a thunderous sound. Cracks spread across the marble floor.
Then, Leng Xinnan leaped into the air and swung her fist, encased in layers of ice, towards the Demonic Creature's face.
Again and again!
She didn't give it a chance to get up.
The Demonic Creature went from struggling fiercely to raging helplessly.
It was a completely one-sided beating.
A friendly greeting from a violent woman.
If nothing unexpected happened, this ferocious Demonic Creature would be easily dealt with by Leng Xinnan.
However,
Something unexpected did happen.
Just as Leng Xinnan was about to deliver the final blow, a sharp pain suddenly shot through her chest. The spiritual energy circulating within her body went out of control, as if it was going to tear her meridians apart.
Even her mind experienced a brief moment of dizziness.
"Damn it!"
Only then did she remember Luo Qian Qiu's warning that, in her current condition, it was best not to engage in combat, as it would aggravate her injuries.
She hadn't expected it to come true.
This brief lapse gave the Demonic Creature a chance to recover.
Its arm, as thick as a tree trunk, shoved Leng Xinnan away, and its fist swung towards her like a collapsing mountain, the surrounding air exploding with a crackling sound.
Leng Xinnan hurriedly raised her arms, forming an ice shield in front of her.
But with her internal injuries worsening, she no longer had the strength to resist. As the ice shield shattered like paper, she was sent flying backward, her wooden hairpin falling from her hair, her long black hair scattering like a waterfall.
Coincidentally, she was thrown in the direction where Li Nan Ke was standing.
Before Li Nan Ke could understand what was happening, he saw a dark figure flash past him, crashing through the railing and then into a pillar, blood spraying from her mouth.
"Sister Leng!"
Iron Ox exclaimed and rushed towards the Demonic Creature with his sword.
The Demonic Creature completely ignored Iron Ox's attack and charged towards Leng Xinnan with a roar, determined to smash the woman who had just given it a beating to smithereens.
Li Nan Ke hadn't expected this turn of events.
Seeing the crazed Demonic Creature rushing towards them, he remembered the brick in a moment of desperation.
The gust of wind from the Demonic Creature's charge made Li Nan Ke, who was already unsteady on his feet, stumble. Due to the remaining ice on the ground, as he pulled out the brick, his feet slipped, and he almost fell.
He managed to regain his balance, but to his dismay, he found himself standing right in front of Leng Xinnan.
Directly facing the oncoming Demonic Creature!
'Damn it!'
Li Nan Ke cursed inwardly.
It was impossible to throw the brick now.
At this moment, Leng Xinnan was in excruciating pain, her internal organs churning. But when she looked up, she saw Li Nan Ke standing protectively in front of her without hesitation.
His tall figure was like a mountain, inexplicably reassuring.
'What is this idiot doing!'
Leng Xinnan wanted to intervene and save him, but the Demonic Creature had already reached Li Nan Ke.
Crack—
The sound of bones breaking echoed clearly in the courtyard.
A figure was sent flying backward.
But it wasn't Li Nan Ke, it was the Demonic Creature!
At some point, a giant brick, taller than a man, had appeared in front of Li Nan Ke, emitting a cold and eerie aura, like a wall cast from molten steel.
The most prominent feature was the large character '德' (dé), meaning virtue.
It shimmered with golden light.
As the Demonic Creature was repelled, the giant brick transformed into a stream of light and landed in Li Nan Ke's hand, returning to its normal size.
All this happened in the blink of an eye, and no one could clearly see what had transpired.
Li Nan Ke was completely bewildered.
Wasn't this a hidden weapon? Did it also come with a defensive function?
It deserved a five-star review!
The Demonic Creature let out a shrill wail.
Its appearance was now even more gruesome. One of its arms was broken from the middle, exposing the white bone, and a viscous liquid mixed with fat and blood dripped down, looking extremely horrifying.
It glared at Li Nan Ke with resentment and a hint of fear.
Realizing that the situation was unfavorable, the Demonic Creature kicked its legs, and its massive body leaped onto the roof, disappearing over the high wall.
"Stop it!"
Leng Xinnan came back to her senses and shouted urgently at Iron Ox and Guo Gang, who had emerged from the room in a disheveled state.
The two quickly jumped over the wall and gave chase.
Li Nan Ke instinctively threw the brick in his hand, trying to stop the Demonic Creature.
Whoosh!
The brick flew over the wall like a shooting star.
Iron Ox, who had just jumped into the air, was knocked down by the brick.
Li Nan Ke stared blankly, glanced at the brick that had returned to his hand, and then nonchalantly put it away.
The Demonic Creature wasn't stopped.
A moment later, Guo Gang, half-naked and covered in dust, returned to the courtyard and said helplessly,
"Sister Leng, the Demonic Creature is too fast. We couldn't catch up. Should we call Little Rabbit and the others?"
Li Nan Ke was speechless.
They let it escape?
Indeed, it was difficult for a king to carry two burdens.
Soon, Iron Ox also returned.
But with a large bump on his head, he was furious and shouted,
"Who the hell was throwing bricks just now? Are you blind? You almost ruined my handsome face!"
Li Nan Ke pretended not to hear and walked over to Leng Xinnan, asking with concern,
"Lord Leng, are you alright?"
"I'm fine."
Leng Xinnan tried to stand up, but a sharp pain shot through her body as soon as she moved.
Her already pale face became even more bloodless.
Li Nan Ke wanted to help her up, but the woman raised her hand to refuse.
"No need, I can do it myself."
She closed her eyes and took a moment to recover, then clutched her chest and endured the pain as she stood up.
The woman's stubborn and strong personality was fully displayed at this moment.
"Why would a Demonic Creature appear here?"
Li Nan Ke asked, puzzled.
Leng Xinnan looked around the wrecked courtyard, her face extremely grim.
Before they could even go looking for the Demonic Creature, it had come to them instead. Especially at this critical time, she had also sustained serious injuries.
It was truly a stroke of bad luck.
Hearing Iron Ox still cursing and grumbling, she said impatiently.
"I threw it!"
Iron Ox immediately switched from complaining to flattering, giving her a thumbs-up.
"Well thrown! To be able to hit something from such a distance without even looking, such power is truly terrifying. Sister Leng, you're amazing!"
"Lord Leng, that Demonic Creature..."
Lin Jiao Yue clutched the doorpost, her beautiful face pale, her voice trembling.
"It's the one that Ying Ying and I encountered... on Cuihong Mountain!"