Chapter 23:
The moment Wen Heng’s fingertips touched Lian Wushang’s pulse, an uncontrollable craving surged through his body. His stomach cramped violently. Hunger—he wanted to eat. He longed to devour Lian Wushang whole, raw and alive, using his flesh and blood to silence his body’s desperate cries.
But how could he possibly consume Lian Wushang? Lian Wushang was a living, breathing human being. Wen Heng forced himself to endure. Then, a cool sensation washed over his brow, something flowing downward from his forehead, suppressing his body’s craving for flesh and blood. The sensation was unbearable, and Wen Heng’s hands trembled with the effort of holding back.
Two forces battled within him, and the price was a gush of blood from his nose. Lian Wushang was startled. Surprised, he reached out to wipe the blood for Wen Heng, who shyly dodged his hand.
“Ah Heng, you’re all fired up, huh?” Gouzi handed him a dirty rag. “Wipe it off quick. Must’ve been from rushing all day without drinking water. I’ll make some mushroom soup later—drink plenty of it.”
Wen Heng took the cloth awkwardly, wiping his nose in a fluster. “Yeah, overheated.”
Lian Wushang’s brow furrowed slightly as he stepped closer. “Are you okay?”
Wen Heng waved his hands frantically, backing away. If he lost control and truly hurt Lian Wushang, he’d regret it forever. “I’m fine, I’m fine. Just overheated.” Then he was dragged off by Gouzi to be forced to drink water.
Lian Wushang leaned against the cart, staring at the tiny speck of blood on his fingertip—a trace he’d picked up from Wen Heng’s nose moments ago. The blood had a dark red hue. He pinched it between two fingers, and the speck fell away, looking as if it had been dried for ages.
Gouzi’s mushroom soup was merely passable, but it represented the culinary peak of this trio and one leopard. Gouzi drank until his belly was round as a ball. Wen Heng took a few token sips of soup. As for Lian Wushang—sorry, but nausea overtook him. He’d climbed onto the cart long ago to meditate.
Gouzi nodded his head, swaying slightly. “I can’t help but feel like we’ve had so much food lately. Old Wen would be overjoyed if he saw all this good stuff.”
Even with just a pinch of salt, Gouzi ate with great satisfaction. As long as there was a bite to eat, he could endure. Besides, Wen Heng and Lian Wushang didn’t eat much; it was practically as if he was cooking just for himself.
On the cart, Gouzi lay at the very edge, his head turned inward. Wen Heng hugged his begging staff, guarding the cart door. Beside him, Lian Wushang sat cross-legged, while Baozi lay curled up by Gouzi’s legs. The cart was packed to the brim.
Wen Heng shifted closer to the entrance. Without a straw mat, a tattered cloth hung there, barely shielding them from the wind. Lian Wushang opened his eyes: “Should we lie down?”
Mortals slept soundly when lying down, but Lian Wushang didn’t mind. After all, he was a cultivator—sleeping wasn’t essential.
Wen Heng shook his head. “I’m fine without sleep too.” Since waking up, he hadn’t managed a single moment of rest. “Why don’t you lie down and rest for a bit? How’s your health holding up?” Wen Heng felt Lian Wushang needed rest more than he did.
Lian Wushang replied, “I’m a cultivator, after all. Going without sleep for a month or two isn’t a problem.” Hearing this, the leopard snorted. He rolled over, presenting his rear to the two pretentious individuals.
“Well then, let’s talk,” Wen Heng began. “Where is Qinglian Continent?” Lian Wushang replied calmly, “Qinglian Continent lies in the distant Yuanling Realm.”
“The Yuanling Realm?” To Wen Heng, whose horizons extended no further than Xiaoyan Town, the Yuanling Realm was utterly beyond comprehension.
“We’re currently in the Yuling Realm, which neighbors the Yuanling Realm.” The Yuling Realm was a gathering place for human cultivators, while the Yuanling Realm was home to demonic cultivators. Compared to the ancient Yuanling Realm, the Yuling Realm had only developed into a world less than a thousand years ago.
Lian Wushang didn’t elaborate further, but Wen Heng filled in the gaps himself. He imagined the relationship between the Spirit Realm and the Primordial Spirit Realm was similar to that between Xiaoyan Town and the Qingcheng Town they were about to reach.
“And you? What did you do before?” Lian Wushang was even more curious about Wen Heng. He had stayed precisely because he couldn’t fathom Wen Heng.
“When I woke up, I remembered nothing. Only that I crawled out of the earth, clutching my begging staff.” Wen Heng pulled out his over-meter-tall begging staff for Lian Wushang to see.
“You don’t remember anything from before?” Lian Wushang asked. The leopard’s ears twitched. That bastard Lian Wushang was actually hypnotizing Wen Heng.
“No, I can’t recall anything no matter how hard I try. Wushang, sometimes I feel like I might not even be human.” Wen Heng found himself inexplicably drawn to Lian Wushang. “My body is stiff yet incredibly strong. I don’t eat or drink, yet I never feel hungry. My heart barely beats. Only when I’m with you…”
Lian Wushang grasped Wen Heng’s pulse, finally holding this object of his concern in plain sight. His divine sense probed into Wen Heng’s sea of consciousness as spiritual energy flowed through his wrist, circulating within Wen Heng’s meridians.
Suddenly, Lian Wushang’s divine sense and spiritual energy were blocked by something. He snapped his eyes open to discover that the barrier obstructing his perception was a piece of wood. Pitch-black, seemingly lifeless wood. This piece of wood resided within Wen Heng’s sea of consciousness, blocking his meridians. Had he not witnessed Wen Heng running and moving with his own eyes, Lian Wushang would have thought he was taking the pulse of a piece of wood.
Who was Lian Wushang? In this world, there were very few pieces of wood he didn’t recognize. Yet the wood in Wen Heng’s sea of consciousness left him momentarily stumped. It carried an inexplicable sense of familiarity. The pitch-black wood extended a tentacle, swaying as it reached toward Lian Wushang.
Lian Wushang attempted to channel his spiritual energy into the wood. The moment the energy entered Wen Heng’s body, the roots within his meridians immediately stirred with agitation.
“Wushang… stop…” Wen Heng’s suppressed voice echoed. Lian Wushang opened his eyes to see Wen Heng’s face turning pale, his pupils a deep crimson. Two sharp fangs had even emerged at the corners of his lips! Wen Heng’s hand gripped his begging staff tightly as he fought to suppress his instincts: “I can’t accept your spiritual energy… I’ll devour you…”
Lian Wushang withdrew his hand, staring at Wen Heng in shock. He believed he had finally confirmed Wen Heng’s true nature.
Wen Heng was a drought demon. Yet he was also a unique one.
When humans die and are buried in the earth, ordinary corpses begin to decay and decompose, eventually leaving only skeletal remains. However, some bodies resist decay. When buried in a place where Yin energy congregates, the corpse remains intact. Over time, the body transforms into a zombie.
Zombies could be further classified into ‘White Zombies’, ‘Black Zombies’, ‘Jumping Corpses’, ‘Flying Corpses’, and ‘Drought Demons’. [Note: Refer to Baidu Encyclopedia entry for ‘Drought Demon’]
White Zombies were covered in white fur. These zombies moved slowly and were extremely afraid of sunlight, water, fire, chickens, dogs, and humans. Even ordinary people could handle them.
Black Zombies are an upgraded form of White Zombies. If a White Zombie feeds on the essence and blood of cattle and sheep for several years, it sheds its white hair and grows black hair several inches long. It still fears sunlight and intense fire and moves slowly, but it no longer fears chickens or dogs. Generally, Black Zombies avoid humans and dare not fight them directly, often feeding on human blood while people sleep.
Jumping Zombies represent a higher stage. After consuming sufficient essence and blood, the Black Zombie gains mobility—though it advances by leaping. At this stage, the zombie no longer fears humans. Ordinary mortals are powerless against it, necessitating aid from cultivators. Some disciples in cultivation sects undergo trials specifically to confront these Jumping Zombies.
When it reaches the Flying Zombie stage, things become truly alarming. These zombies could take to the skies, possessing the uncanny ability to siphon human essence and blood from afar without leaving a trace. Even Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators would be forced to kneel before such a flying corpse.
The Drought Fiend represents the ultimate evolution of the flying corpse, currently the most formidable zombie variant in existence. Legend holds that they “can slay dragons to bring drought to the land and summon plague gods to spread pestilence, thus unleashing famine and disease.” Wherever a drought demon appears, the land withers for a thousand miles.
This means that if a drought demon infests an area, not a single drop of rain will fall within a thousand-mile radius. Persistent droughts in any region are most likely caused by such demons. Only the most powerful cultivators can subdue them.
In the cultivation world, practitioners of demonic arts routinely manipulate corpses and such—nothing unusual. But never had anyone heard of a cultivator controlling jumping corpses, flying corpses, or drought demons. If such control were possible, the Yuanling Realm would be turned upside down.
It was said that when the drought demon appeared, it would leave a thousand miles of barren land in its wake. Yet Lian Wushang clearly remembered that Xiaoyan Town had recently received several rains. There were even times when this drought demon ventured out into the rain to gather herbs in the forest. He moved like a man long afflicted by illness, eloquent and quick to defend his own… Were it not for his appearance—a green face with sharp fangs—Lian Wushang would never have dared to confirm his true identity.
Lian Wushang was the first spark of vitality crystallized into a blue lotus in all creation—the very embodiment of life itself. Yet drought demons were born from the world’s darkness and filth. The proper form of a drought demon should radiate malevolence so potent it could be sensed from miles away.
Or perhaps Wen Heng was a different kind of drought demon. While ordinary drought demons carried violent, dark miasma within them, Wen Heng’s body held the roots of a towering, heaven-piercing tree.
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