Chapter 116: Demons Attack, Lin Qi’an Summons the Light of Literary Brilliance!
The Wenchu Emperor had set up three trials in the secret realm, with a clear purpose in mind: he wanted to leave his inheritance to a fellow traveler—someone who, like him, would enter the Dao through literature, standing on the shoulders of immortal poets and writers.
If someone else were to obtain the inheritance but couldn’t comprehend it, it would be wasted. In that case, it was better to let it remain forever sealed.
However, the fourth trial wasn’t left by the Wenchu Emperor. This trial had demons. Something had interrupted the path of his inheritance with these creatures.
Why? Perhaps it was because the Wenchu Emperor’s Nine-Character Mantra had a powerful suppressing effect on demonic and evil forces, provoking certain dark entities. If they could permanently sever his legacy, it would eliminate a major threat to them.
To obtain the inheritance, everyone present had no choice but to venture deeper into the danger. This time, it wasn’t just a test of knowledge but a life-or-death struggle.
…
“What should we do? There are demons ahead. Should we keep going?” someone voiced their concern.
“Why would there be demons in the Great Emperor’s secret realm?”
“I’m not going any further. Demons are terrifying—who would want to face them head-on!”
“We’ve come this far; if we give up now, all our previous efforts will have been for nothing!”
In front of the glowing gate, the group began to split into two factions, one ready to advance and the other wanting to quit.
Lin Qi’an spoke calmly, “The path to the Dao is a personal choice. If you want to continue, stand on the left. If you’re turning back, stand on the right.”
“I’m going,” Lu Miaoyin said, standing beside Lin Qi’an without hesitation. She was determined, and nothing could make her retreat now.
“I’m going too!”
“Count me out…”
Soon, people began choosing sides. About twenty individuals, including Zhao Qingmeng, Mo Shuiqiu, and others, chose to move forward.
“You’re going too?” Lin Qi’an asked, looking at the little princess.
“Of course! No one can use spiritual power in the secret realm, so we’re all equal here. I won’t hold you back.”
“Wait a minute—if we can’t use our powers, how do we fight these demons?” someone asked, realizing the looming danger.
“Don’t worry. The demons won’t be able to use any extraordinary powers either. The secret realm suppresses everyone, including them, so this is actually our chance,” Mo Shuiqiu explained.
“Then those who wish to leave, please do so,” she added.
Most of the group left the secret realm, reducing their numbers to around twenty. Of course, Ji Bai, the protagonist of fate, stayed. After all, moments like this were when he thrived, and he wouldn’t miss such a golden opportunity.
“I’m going ahead!” Ji Bai declared, stepping through the glowing gate and disappearing from view.
“We should go too,” Lin Qi’an said, and the rest of the group followed through the gate.
…
They arrived in a desolate place—an endless forest of dead trees. The withered trees looked like skeletal remains, adding to the eerie, barren landscape.
As soon as they entered, regret washed over some of the participants, but there was no turning back. They either had to push forward or perish here.
No one noticed that Ji Bai had already quietly separated himself from the group.
“Something’s coming…” someone whispered in alarm as shadows appeared in the distance.
Everyone tensed up as the dark figure slowly became clearer.
“It’s a demon!”
The creature had a triangular head, no legs, but the torso and arms of a human. It crawled on the ground using a long tail, its body covered in black and red scales with bulging veins and dark marks crisscrossing its hide.
As soon as Zhao Qingmeng saw the creature, her body began trembling uncontrollably. Her lips turned pale, and her face drained of all color.
“What’s wrong?” Lin Qi’an asked her gently.
“It’s… it’s a Dark Yin demon!” she stammered, her voice shaky with fear.
This particular demon awakened deep-seated terror within her. In her past life, when she had been ambushed, these demons had been among her attackers. If bitten by a Dark Yin Demon, any creature would be turned into a mindless puppet under its control, attacking its allies without hesitation.
During the war, tens of thousands of people had been turned into these corpse puppets, spreading the infection among themselves like a nightmare.
What made it worse was that these demons could hide their presence, moving like shadows, striking before anyone realized what was happening.
“Quick… run…” Zhao Qingmeng whispered in terror.
“Don’t worry. I’m here.” Lin Qi’an reassured her, already sensing how formidable this demon was.
“It’s coming… What do we do?” someone cried out.
“Everyone, this place feels strange. The literary energy in us seems to be resonating with the environment!” someone else noticed.
“Wait! This is the Wenchu Emperor’s secret realm. Even though we’re all suppressed, we can still draw on the Wenchu Emperor’s power!”
“The greater the resonance we create with the environment, the more power we’ll gain!”
Quickly, everyone realized the secret of this strange land. They began reciting poems, their voices filling the air with power. Soon, clear light began to shine from their bodies—the light of the Wenchu Emperor’s literary brilliance! This light could be used to fight off the demonic creatures.
Among them, the light from Lu Miaoyin and Mo Shuiqiu shone the brightest. They looked like immortal beings descending to the mortal world, their brilliance so overwhelming that it was hard to look directly at them.
“Come on, let’s fight our way through together!”
“As long as we work together, we might be able to make it!”
With united hearts, the group invoked the power of their literature to draw on the might of the Wenchu Emperor. The whole team was bathed in the radiant light of literary energy, and their collective strength made the Youyin demon hesitate, causing it to retreat a few steps.
“It’s working!”
“Don’t stop! Keep going, everyone, push forward!”
The group began to slowly push forward. In the Wenchu Emperor’s secret realm, literary talent was their greatest weapon. Each person, being a talented scholar or noble, was able to invoke the power of the realm.
However, as they delved deeper into the forest, they encountered more and more demons. Initially, there were only one or two, then three or four, and eventually as many as seven or eight appeared!
In the shadows, Ji Bai was watching and laughing to himself.
“This is my perfect stage,” he thought, his expression dark with glee. “All the humiliation I’ve suffered, I’ll repay today!”
With the Wenchu Emperor’s notes in his possession, Ji Bai found it easy to manipulate the power of the secret realm. At this moment, he was intentionally attracting nearby monsters and directing them toward Lin Qi’an’s group!
Once they were overwhelmed, he would swoop in as the hero, saving Lu Miaoyin while leaving the others to fend for themselves.
In one move, he could get rid of Lin Qi’an, win the affection of the beautiful saintess, and claim the Wenchu Emperor’s inheritance for himself.
His plan was flawless. The more demons, the better!
…
“What do we do? There are more and more demons surrounding us…”
“How much farther until we’re through this dead forest? I can’t hold on much longer!”
“Everyone, hold on! Don’t stop moving!”
As the number of demons increased, so did the pressure from the surrounding demonic energy. Although they were able to keep the demons at bay with their literary powers, the black demonic aura was constantly gnawing at the light they had summoned.
The pressure was immense, and even Lu Miaoyin, with her usual composure, was starting to sweat, her pale neck glistening.
Invoking their literary energy to resonate with the secret realm was draining everyone’s stamina, and it seemed likely that some would collapse from exhaustion before they reached the end.
Suddenly, more demons rushed at them! These ones were no longer keeping their distance—they were charging aggressively, launching an all-out attack on the protective light surrounding the group.
“I… I can’t keep going!” One of the men collapsed to his knees, blood trickling from his nose and mouth.
Just like that, a tiny crack had formed in the dam, and the balance of the group’s defense began to fall apart.
…
The protective light began to dim, almost entirely overwhelmed by the encroaching demonic energy. With the demons closing in from all sides, a sense of hopelessness gripped the group. Despair and helplessness weighed heavily on their hearts.
“Heh, finally, they’re at their breaking point,” Ji Bai thought with a cold smile. He was confident that he could keep himself safe. The moment for his grand entrance was near. He would soon step in and shock everyone with his heroism.
But then, a powerful voice rang out through the forest, interrupting his plan.
“Heaven and earth possess righteous energy, it manifests in many forms!”
In an instant, a blinding burst of golden light erupted from within the group, shining as brilliantly as the sun. The demons recoiled in terror, driven back by the intense radiance.
“Crown… Crown Prince?” someone muttered in disbelief, staring at the source of the light.
Yes, the source of the brilliant golden light was none other than Lin Qi’an.
“It descends to mountains and rivers, and rises to the sun and stars. In man, it is called the grand spirit, a mighty force that fills the universe!”
As Lin Qi’an recited the next lines, his body became encased in divine light, as if he were a deity descending to earth. Everyone stood in stunned silence, watching him in awe.
The resonance he had invoked with the secret realm was beyond anything they had ever seen.
Lu Miaoyin immediately felt the pressure on her ease. She exhaled a sigh of relief, looking at Lin Qi’an with admiration and wonder in her eyes.
“The Crown Prince’s literary brilliance alone might be enough to save us all,” someone whispered.
Lin Qi’an was reciting from The Ode to Righteousness! This particular poem invoked the powerful force of righteous energy, which was highly effective in suppressing demons and evil entities.
As he continued, the surrounding demons retreated further, and the weaker ones even collapsed to the ground, trembling.
“Follow the Crown Prince! Let’s go!” someone shouted.
Lin Qi’an led the way, his radiant light clearing a path forward. The rest of the group followed closely behind, with not a single demon daring to approach.
Even Zhao Qingmeng, whose fear had previously paralyzed her, now felt a wave of relief. Her small hand clung to the edge of Lin Qi’an’s robe, as if drawing comfort from his presence.
“This… this can’t be happening…” Ji Bai’s face turned ashen as if he had been struck by lightning.
His carefully laid plan had been shattered. Worse yet, the demons he had attracted toward Lin Qi’an now avoided him entirely and instead began to turn their attention toward Ji Bai himself!
The once-confident Ji Bai now found himself facing the horde of demons, which were closing in fast.