Chapter 24: Do I Seem Human or Divine to You?

Outside, many young children clung to the fence, peeking in as they mimicked swordplay with sticks in their hands. They had all heard the story of how this big brother had slain a zombie with his blade the night before.

Children’s admiration comes swiftly; Ling Chi was not bothered by their spying or attempts to copy his moves. Only the rarest martial prodigies could truly learn from watching others, and if they managed to pick up a single move, it was fortune smiling upon them.

After completing his sword routine and eating breakfast, Ling Chi mounted his horse and followed the traces left by last night’s zombie into the mountains.

The mountain behind Da Huang Village, known simply as the Rear Mountain by villagers, was actually part of the Crane Mountain range. Steep and densely forested, it was rarely visited by people.

Ling Chi’s eyes crackled with lightning; his breathing followed a special rhythm, chest rising and falling as thunderous energy swirled within him. He didn’t need to consciously activate the Extreme Yang Spring Thunder Breathing Technique—the energy vortex rotated on its own, absorbing spiritual energy from the air.

The mountain path grew increasingly difficult. He tied his horse to a tree by the roadside and walked on, hacking at branches with his short blade to clear a way.

After a hundred yards, he switched to his horse-slaying saber, hacking a path through the dense forest with brute force.

This place felt like primordial jungle—sunlight could barely penetrate, casting an eerie gloom. The trail of dark energy disappeared here; whether too much time had passed, or the zombie had emerged from this spot, he couldn’t tell.

The deeper he went, the more sinister the atmosphere became, sunlight vanishing completely. Ling Chi focused his thunder into his eyes; everything around him appeared crystal clear, nothing could hide.

He carried the horse-slaying saber on his shoulder, the short blade tucked at his left side for easy reach. The further he ventured, the more he sensed something lurking, watching him. Still, Ling Chi pressed forward, undaunted.

Reaching a certain spot, the corner of Ling Chi’s mouth curled up. He thought, “Finally, I’ve lured you out.”

His left hand, hidden until now, flipped out—a golden thunder bead, pure lightning condensed, appeared in his palm. He flicked it, and it shot through a tree at incredible speed. Behind the tree, a rotten figure staggered out, struck by the bead and immediately paralyzed.

Demon, I’ll use you to further my cultivation!

Ling Chi’s body erupted with lightning and he leapt, cleaving down.

[Second Son Splits the Mountain]

His blade sliced from head to groin, splitting the corpse in two. It died in bitter defeat, a few strands of spiritual energy absorbed into his vortex.

Ling Chi felt no thrill from the kill; the sense of being watched persisted. Something else was lurking.

Calm as still water, Ling Chi pressed on. After about the length of a stick of incense, the feeling of being watched grew sharper, cold as a blade at his back. Ling Chi gripped his blade, ready to strike at any moment.

When he reached a large tree, Ling Chi suddenly acted, activating his breathing technique—tongue pressed to his teeth, he drew in a deep breath and expelled spiritual energy with a burst of thunder.

[Hum]

A small thunder dragon appeared, sound waves rippling out for hundreds of meters. The hum shattered souls, the ha destroyed spirits.

This move worked well against demons and ghosts, but it didn’t distinguish between friend and foe.

A figure clad in white dropped from the tree. Ling Chi swung his blade, and the figure split into two halves.

Ling Chi sheathed his blade and stood like a mountain, waiting for spiritual energy to descend, but watched as the figure rejoined, restored to its original form.

His attempt at bravado had failed! Thankfully, no one was around to witness it, or he would have died of embarrassment.

The white-clad figure’s body fused back together in an instant. When it raised its head, Ling Chi was startled.

The face was so rotten it looked as though it had been smashed hundreds of times with a hammer; the features were indistinguishable, the skin beneath the white robes decayed and ulcerated. Yet Ling Chi’s thunder eyes endowed him with clear vision, revealing every detail and thoroughly disgusted him.

You look like that and still wear white robes? You’re not just insulting the color—you’re insulting my eyes.

Furious, Ling Chi unleashed golden lightning, striking the corpse repeatedly, as if endlessly.

The corpse was paralyzed, electrified, unable to fight back.

[Nine Palaces Wandering Dragon]

His blade danced like a waterfall, shrieking as it swept over the white-robed corpse, hacking furiously. Let’s see you recover now.

Seventy-seven, four hundred ninety-one strikes—what was already rotten flesh became even more so. Still, Ling Chi was not at ease.

He contracted his abdomen and released a thunderous sound:

[Ha]

The ha destroyed spirits.

Dozens of strands of spiritual energy infused his vortex, its thunder even brighter.

Unaware of the time in the mountains, he decided to finish his work and leave.

A few steps later, a plant by the roadside steaming with heat caught his eye.

“Is this the Yang-restoring Herb?”

The whole plant was tinged red, radiating warmth even deep in the mountains; its touch was soft and hot. He bent down to pick it.

Suddenly, a furry hand landed on his shoulder, sending chills down his spine.

His vortex spun at lightning speed, thunder and Extreme Yang power surging as he sprang forward with all his might.

To approach him so silently—a cultivation level several realms above his own, possibly even at the Sea of Qi stage.

Before he could turn around, his blade was already slashing behind him. Ling Chi glanced back.

A figure wearing a bamboo hat stood not far behind, wrapped in black cloth. The gauze fluttered as a voice called out:

“Do I look like a man or a god?”

Ling Chi’s heart tightened. He had run into the Yellow Fox demanding recognition. If he answered “man,” it would destroy all his cultivation, and he’d bear the consequences.

If he answered “god,” he’d have to worship it for life. If he refused to answer, he wouldn’t be allowed to leave.

“Do I look like a man or a god?” The yellow-skinned creature repeated, seeing Ling Chi remain silent.

“I think you look like a damned fool!”

Ling Chi refused to play its game. He swung his blade, Extreme Yang power coating the weapon. The horse-slaying saber instantly blazed red, the air around him heated, golden lightning enveloped him for several yards.

When he fought, he fought to kill—either his opponent died, or he did.

Ling Chi’s eyes were ruthless; he hated threats most, especially from an animal.

The yellow fox’s black cloth and bamboo hat shattered, revealing glossy, slick yellow fur. Its beady eyes glinted with malice—this youth threatened its cultivation, he could not be allowed to live.

Golden light shimmered from its body as it dove into the earth and vanished.

Ling Chi, facing an enemy adept at burrowing for the first time, was extremely cautious. The thunder vortex inside him spun wildly, dense gold lightning almost forming a blazing white armor over his body.

Suddenly he sensed something. The Extreme Yang horse-slaying saber plunged into the ground before him, like a hot knife into butter. A yellow figure emerged, claws glowing as they swiped for Ling Chi’s throat and heart, intent on ripping out his organs.

Ling Chi refused to comply; the red blade swept a semicircle in front of him, the claws scraping against it with a sizzling sound. The yellow fox howled in agony, unable to retreat in time.

A short blade crackling with lightning flashed—forced to split its attention, the yellow fox grabbed the hilt, kicking out toward Ling Chi’s groin.

Ling Chi raised his left knee to block, his right leg swinging like a steel whip toward its waist—a blow that, if landed, would shatter its liver.

Unfortunately, the yellow fox’s nature was cautious, its sixth sense incredibly keen; its waist twisted at an impossible angle to dodge, then its eyes blazed yellow.

Ling Chi felt as if he had returned to that shattered yacht, enemies shouting and roaring all around him.