Chapter 129: Mountain Demon

Cui Ya had just returned to her bed and was about to close her eyes for a brief rest when a sudden, violent banging erupted against the doors and windows, sounding as if someone were striking them with heavy clubs. Though Cui Ya had no desire to involve herself, thinking the Taoist priests of the Fufeng Temple would handle the disturbance, she could not help but glance toward the commotion.

That one look caused her pupils to constrict.

Ghostly shadows were swarming the doors and windows, and the corridors were teeming with grotesque, spectral figures. As she looked, the doors and windows rattled even more violently.

*Bang.*

The doorframe splintered.

A massive, jet-black demon with skin the color of an old melon rind bowed as it stepped inside. Upon straightening up, its eyes flashed with a sinister light; its head brushed the ceiling beams, and its footsteps rang out with a metallic clanging, like gold striking jade.

Cui Ya dared not move, holding her breath as her hand silently reached for the double-edged dagger hidden beneath her pillow.

The great demon paced the room, circling until it reached the bed and spotted the motionless Cui Ya. It suddenly opened its cavernous maw, revealing sparse, jagged teeth, each over three inches long.

It let out a guttural, rattling growl that echoed off the walls, vibrating so intensely that it made Cui Ya’s ears ache and her heart pound wildly. Realizing that if she did not fight back, death would be her only fate, she decided to take a stand.

*Clang.*

Cui Ya suddenly whipped out her dagger, lunging directly at the demon’s abdomen. The blade struck, but it merely left a spark-filled scratch across the creature’s skin, failing to penetrate even an inch.

Seeing her strike fail, she did not linger. She retracted the blade and rolled off the bed, narrowly dodging a furious grab from the demon.

The beast’s claw tore through the empty bedding, shredding it to pieces, as it bent down to hunt for the woman who had rolled beneath the frame. But Cui Ya had already seized the moment to crawl through the gap between the demon’s legs and escape the room, desperate to find the priests.

Yet, the moment she stepped into the corridor, her heart trembled at the sight of the strange beasts roaming the hall.

These creatures were headless and humanoid, but they possessed a small, pale hand growing from their necks, a pair of glowing green eyes embedded in their stomachs, and a sharp, ravenous mouth situated within their navels.

There were nearly a hundred of them.

As soon as Cui Ya appeared, the beasts lunged at her. She raised her dagger, instinctively slashing at the nearest one. The creature suddenly expelled a gust of foul wind from its navel-mouth, forcing her arm to swerve, and her blade struck nothing but empty air.

The creature leaned forward, revealing the fine, needle-like teeth within its maw, and snapped at her arm. Cui Ya pulled back just in time, leaving the beast to bite at thin air.

*Snap.*

Cui Ya watched with wide eyes as the teeth the creature had bitten off fell to the ground, instantly transforming into translucent, rice-sized grains.

She glanced back at the massive demon ravaging her room; it was clearly beyond her ability to defeat. And while these smaller beasts appeared unintelligent, she was unable to wound them either.

Cui Ya retreated until her heels hit the threshold, and she gathered her strength.

She vaulted into the air, leaping lightly off the small hands growing from the necks of the beasts and pushing off the corridor pillars, finally flipping onto the roof of the temple.

Cui Ya looked up at the night sky. The full moon had been swallowed by thick, dark clouds, and the pitch-black night was illuminated only by the sparse light of the distant stars.

Icy winds howled.

Cui Ya exhaled a shaky breath, looking down at the Fufeng Temple.

The entire complex was devoid of light; all the halls and chambers were shrouded in darkness, with only the faint starlight revealing the tattered lanterns scattered across the courtyards and corridors.

"Where have the priests gone?" she muttered, her brow furrowed in confusion.

In her memory, there were several priests at Fufeng Temple—besides Abbot Yin and the Taoist Lu, there were two others, along with numerous young acolytes. How could they have all vanished so suddenly? And the young girl… she hoped she was safe.

Cui Ya thought of the beautiful girl whose name she never learned, and a sense of foreboding washed over her. When Taoist Lu had urged the girl to stay, she had sensed he harbored ulterior motives.

*But surely he wouldn't dare lay a hand on a girl with such an impressive background?*

Uneasy, Cui Ya glanced toward the quarters where the girl had gone to rest—the chambers reserved for the priests. Just as she prepared to move closer to investigate, she felt a massive, crushing force slam into her back.

It felt as though a thousand-pound hammer had struck her.

The blow sent her flying instantly, and she tumbled like a broken kite, crashing heavily into the main courtyard of the temple.

Dust billowed into the air.

Cui Ya coughed up a great mouthful of blood, her eyes wide as she stared at the figure perched on the roof. Unfortunately, the dimness of the night prevented her from seeing who it was.

The immense force had shattered her spine, leaving her sprawled on the ground like a pile of mud, unable to move.

*Is this the end?*

Her vision began to blur. She watched as the pack of strange beasts and the great demon emerged from the room to close in on her, feeling a pang of regret.

Death had never felt distant or particularly frightening to her before.

She only felt regret.

She had not yet fulfilled the promise she made to the young mistress.

But after waiting a long time, Cui Ya felt no sensation of her body being torn apart, nor the bone-crunching pain of teeth sinking into her flesh.

She slowly opened her eyes and realized the beasts were merely circling her. The hands growing from their necks reached out as if to rend her, yet they hovered exactly one inch from her skin. Even the great demon, with its cavernous mouth agape, paced in place, its clanging footsteps shaking the earth.

"Abbot, it’s a disaster! The mountain spirits and the *yiguo* beasts are about to break into the guest rooms and devour the innocents inside!"

A voice filled with panic rang out from the rooftops, shattering the silence of the Fufeng Temple. Lights flickered on in various rooms, followed by the sound of frantic, hurried footsteps.

Strangely, even with the sound of rushing feet, the people only hurried through the corridors; no one paid any mind to Cui Ya, who remained trapped and surrounded by the *yiguo* beasts and the mountain demon.

Cui Ya opened her mouth to call for help, but only blood welled up and spilled from her throat. She no longer had the strength to speak.

Suddenly, a flash of azure light erupted.

Then came the chime of bells and a clear, sharp shout.

"What demons dare to poison human lives!"

Fan Xuanyue descended from the sky, her "ten-thousand-ghost" star-patterned dress fluttering behind her. She rode upon a massive black gourd, and a green vine extending from the gourd’s mouth slammed downward with immense force.

As the vine descended, it expanded to more than ten times its original size.

Yet, the beasts and the mountain demon seemed to have anticipated the move; they scattered in unison, leaving only the bloodied, immobile Cui Ya exposed in the center of the courtyard.