Chapter 3: Heavenly Demon Scroll
In excruciating pain, Ning Xuan’s mind suddenly stirred. He quickly plunged the dagger, which he had been about to use on the Bear Demon, into himself.
At that moment, a line of red, bloody text appeared before his eyes.
[Three of Ten]
*Thwack!*
The dagger pierced his throat.
It hurt.
But nowhere near as much as being gnawed by the bear.
Ning Xuan gave a violent twist, and the sharp dagger sliced through his throat as easily as cutting tofu.
He lay on the ground, blood gurgling from his neck, his consciousness quickly fading.
When he opened his eyes again, he was much calmer.
He instinctively touched his neck. It was as good as new.
He lay on his back on the bed, looking at the hanging white gauze curtain, then slowly sat up.
The room was still entirely gray.
He murmured to himself,
“If suicide works, then at least it can alleviate the suffering of being eaten by the bear.”
“But what is ‘Three of Ten’?”
After a moment of silence, he sprinted out of the room, went to the guardhouse, retrieved his dagger and saber, and quickly placed the dagger against his throat.
Crimson text reappeared:
[Four of Ten].
He focused and looked. After [Four of Ten], another line of small text slowly appeared: If you fail after seven times, the ending will be irreversible, and the Nightmare will never wake.
So, “Ten” was the maximum number of reincarnation cycles, and “Four” represented the current cycle number. When he intended to commit suicide, this information would appear, warning him against foolish actions.
A sense of powerlessness washed over Ning Xuan.
He couldn’t imagine how he would succeed in the remaining seven cycles.
“At the very least, I have to injure that Bear Demon first.”
Ning Xuan thought, then practiced with his saber under the moonlight.
At first, his saber was dull and clumsy, but soon it became agile. With one swing, it erupted with the unique “splendor” of a trained martial artist.
He moved as lightly as a swallow, then struck with a sudden slash, unleashing a splash of saber light like snow. As he retracted the blade, he drew a beautiful arc, like the path a graceful flying swallow leaves in the air as it soars.
This was the “Swallow Chasing Wind Saber.”
Ning Xuan had transmigrated to this world and once thought there might be supernatural powers. He had pursued and searched for them but found nothing, so he had dedicated himself to martial arts. He didn’t aim to become a great master, only to be able to protect himself.
He had mastered the three core stances of the “Swallow Chasing Wind Saber.”
First Stance: Flying Swallow Chasing Wind. It emphasizes speed. If one can kill with speed, why would they need a second strike?
Second Stance: Swallow Piercing Raging Waves. It emphasizes ferocity. Building on the speed from the first stance and combined with qi channeling techniques, this strike becomes exceptionally powerful and forceful, like a swallow piercing through raging waves.
Third Stance: Skillful Swallow Soaring. It emphasizes retreat. Although retreating, it still conceals a killing intent, like a “turning horse’s head” counter or a “dragging saber” feint. While retreating, the saber is counter-attacked, making it impossible to guard against.
He spent half an hour reviewing this saber technique that he had almost forgotten, reactivating his “muscle memory,” and then hung the saber at his waist.
Ning Xuan remembered that there was another expert in the manor. He was an old man with kind eyes, yet the fierce guards showed him great reverence, a reverence evident on their faces.
He recalled for a moment, then went to the old man’s room and ransacked it.
After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, he held a dark, cold metal tube in his hand. He had found it in a secret compartment beneath the old man’s bed.
The bottom of the black tube had a simple strap, clearly meant to be secured to the arm. The mechanism was at the top, indicating it could be triggered with one hand.
Ning Xuan secured it to his left arm, then bent his arm slightly, flexed it, and continued to adjust until he was sure it was completely safe.
“It’s still not enough.”
Ning Xuan recalled his previous attempts.
The first time, without any weapon, the Bear Demon began to gnaw on him immediately.
But since the second attempt, when he took a weapon, the Bear Demon always gnawed on him from behind.
The Bear Demon’s hide was incredibly thick, like heavy armor, making it difficult for even blades and spears to penetrate. Even if the metal tube contained potent hidden weapons, they likely wouldn’t be able to pierce it.
The young man stood in the courtyard in the night wind, deep in thought. He looked up and saw that the moon had passed its zenith, and dawn was not far off.
Suddenly, he had an idea.
At least he could try it.
In the hanging basket…
Ning Xuan stood quietly.
He had changed into a robe with wide sleeves.
He had done his utmost to calm himself and conserve his energy.
His eyes were sharp, focused, bloodthirsty, and wild.
There was great terror in the face of life and death, let alone having died three times!
Not just died, but been eaten alive!
Three times!!
The sky slowly brightened.
The pale, fierce sun cast a pale light, making the mountains and sea of fog all pale.
A drop of foul-smelling bear saliva dripped from above.
Ning Xuan tilted his head up, meeting the Bear Demon’s mocking grin.
The next instant, the Bear Demon grabbed the rope of the hanging basket, and Ning Xuan jumped out of it.
*Whoosh!!*
The Bear Demon yanked the basket up fiercely. The empty basket flew backward like a stone hurled by a trebuchet.
Ning Xuan moved his left hand, plunging the dagger into a rock crevice. The dagger was extremely fast; he had tested it repeatedly and confirmed the crevice.
Man and demon faced each other again from a distance.
The Bear Demon’s mockery froze, turning into rage.
Ning Xuan, on the other hand, gripped the dagger with one hand, suspended in mid-air.
The next moment…
*Crack!*
The empty basket landed. The Bear Demon hunched its body, its legs entwined around an old tree, its claws reaching down like it was trying to scoop the moon. It was about ten feet tall and should have been able to reach Ning Xuan.
Unfortunately, this time Ning Xuan’s basket was much lower.
He had lowered himself down the cliff, seemingly with no intention of returning.
However, if he wanted to return, he only needed to leap into the cliff face.
The Bear Demon, it seemed, did not know this.
It reached down several times but couldn’t catch Ning Xuan.
The man and the demon met eyes again, swaying precariously.
The Bear Demon said, “Such a clever mind must be delicious, and such a strong body must be chewy.”
Ning Xuan reminded it, “This cliff is very deep.”
The Bear Demon asked, in a surprisingly human-like manner, “How deep?”
Ning Xuan replied, “You’ll know if you jump down.”
Just then, the Bear Demon suddenly leaped. It plummeted downward headfirst, its sharp claws suddenly extending, several inches long, like fitted steel claws.
*Hiss!!*
The claws dug into the cliff face.
The Bear Demon re-stabilized itself, hanging upside down on the cliff like a large gecko. It was now very close to Ning Xuan.
“Fool, bears can climb trees. I’ve cultivated into a spirit; how could I not climb such a mountain?”
With that, it quickly climbed towards Ning Xuan.
Its massive, stout body, like armored plating, exuded a terrifying pressure. Its face drew closer, its eyes flashing with cold light.
And those eyes were getting closer and closer to Ning Xuan’s suspended hand.
When they were close enough,
Ning Xuan suddenly released his left hand.
The Bear Demon was momentarily stunned. Not wanting its prey to escape, it quickly reached down with both claws like it was scooping the moon.
Its face drew even closer. Ning Xuan, facing upwards, his sleeve rolled back, revealing the dark, cold metal tube pointed directly at the Bear Demon’s face, or rather, the Bear Demon’s face lunged towards his left hand.
He triggered the mechanism.
In an instant, like a sudden summer downpour, a barrage of linked long and short needles swept upwards overwhelmingly. These were specially made Pear Blossom Needles, now transforming into a sudden, torrential rain, engulfing the entire face of the Bear Demon.
The Bear Demon had no time to close its eyes. Both of its pupils were pierced by the needles.
But Ning Xuan’s waist also took a heavy blow from the Bear Demon’s grasp.
The sharp claws dug into his flesh.
Ning Xuan grunted in pain, then in his right hand, he grabbed his saber and swung it, striking the Bear Demon’s face heavily.
The Bear Demon cried out in pain and roared, wisps of black smoke emanating from the wounds and reaching Ning Xuan. The Bear Demon itself seemed to have weakened slightly.
Its claws loosened, allowing Ning Xuan to fall further down.
*Bang!*
Ning Xuan landed back in his bedroom.
His waist burned, but he was astonished to find his arms had thickened by a circumference, transforming from a “pale-faced weakling’s” skinny arms to the muscular arms of a “strong man.”
“The Bear Demon’s strength was transferred through the black smoke. As long as I can injure it, I can plunder its strength. Although I don’t understand what this is, this Nightmare reincarnation was already strange. This… must be the key to breaking the cycle.” Ning Xuan realized.
At this moment, an angry roar sounded from a distance.
The house began to collapse, the walls to shatter. The dark Bear Demon, like a black whirlwind, charged from afar, crushing everything in its path.
Ning Xuan gripped his saber tightly, walked out of the bedroom, and stood in the courtyard.
His speed and strength were far inferior to the Bear Demon’s.
However, he at least had the will to fight to the death.
“Flying Swallow Chasing Wind, Swallow Piercing Raging Waves!”
He charged towards the Bear Demon, swinging the most fierce and destructive blow of his saber towards death.
This saber, empowered by the strength he had just gained, actually let out a thunderous roar in mid-air.
[Five of Ten]
On the bed, as Ning Xuan plunged his fingers into his neck, text flashed before his eyes.
He glanced sideways at his thick, strong arms.
The enhancement he had gained from the Bear Demon’s blood seemed to have not disappeared after the reincarnation.
Then,
Lines of information suddenly appeared before his eyes:
[Ning Xuan]
[Heavenly Demon Scroll: Mountain Crushing Bear (7/100)]
[Life (Constitution): 1]
[Temperament (Spirit): 1]
And at this moment, the “1” in the [Life] column slowly moved forward, changing to “1 (1.1)” with a note: “Extra increase from Heavenly Demon Scroll.”
(End of Chapter)
