Roaring Dragon-Chapter 20: A Demon Cultist?

Inside Sanhe Tower, the racket of gambling filled the air, but in the back compound, an entirely different atmosphere loomed.

Autumn sunlight spilled across tiled rooftops. A few servants bustled about the washhouse, while the residence where the owner lived remained utterly silent.

Following the faint, abrupt cry from earlier, Xie Jinhuan moved deeper into the courtyard and soon reached a secluded compound.

White walls and dark tile—this house was clearly separate from the tower proper. But the servant who had gone to fetch the powder had vanished inside, and now a faint stench of blood wafted from within.

It was subtle—barely noticeable beneath the moist scent of mildew—but Xie Jinhuan could tell: it was human blood, with a sickly undertone.

His brow tightened. Slipping inside the courtyard, he quickly realized this wasn’t a residence, but a small-scale apothecary workshop.

Beneath the eaves, stacks of empty boxes were piled up. Strange herbs hung out to dry. Inside a side room, he saw grinding tools, weighing scales—standard equipment for medicine making—but not a single person in sight. The smell of blood flowed from the main building.

Pressing close to the wall, Xie Jinhuan advanced silently. As he neared a window, he heard faint chewing sounds from within—like some beast gnawing on meat.

“Chrk... chrk...”

...?

His expression darkened. Hand resting on the Tiangang Mace, he crept along the wall toward the door and peered through the crack.

The room appeared to be an office. A desk and bookshelf lined the interior. Several large boxes rested against the wall, each filled with neat rows of small black bottles—almost certainly filled with Ascending Immortal Powder.

Beside the boxes lay a corpse. Judging by the attire, it was likely the steward. His head had been crushed open, brains spilled across the floor. The body had been half-devoured.

The servant who had gone to fetch the drugs—his throat shredded and blood pouring—was being dragged by a hunched figure into the corner of the room.

The figure’s hair was wild and tangled, his brocade robe soaked in blood. Crouched in the shadows, he gripped the servant’s arm and tore into the flesh with savage bites.

“Grrr... gulp...”

Xie Jinhuan’s eyes narrowed. He’d thought this might’ve been some martial arts madness-induced cannibalism—but now it was clear this thing was something else. Something far worse.

He began to withdraw quietly, intent on alerting Yang Dabiao and the others, when suddenly—whoosh—the sound of something cutting through the air came from behind.

He twisted around. A striking, cold figure landed lightly atop the courtyard wall—Linghu Qingmo, scanning the scene below.

“Shhh—”

Xie Jinhuan immediately raised a finger to his lips, signaling her to stay quiet.

She had come searching for him after catching the faint scent of blood. Seeing his reaction, she immediately lowered her breath and gave him a questioning look.

But the creature crouched inside... wasn’t just idly feeding.

Like a wild dog, it sniffed the air and slowly turned its head toward them.

Only then did Xie Jinhuan clearly see the face.

Or what remained of it.

The nose was reduced to twin vertical slits. Cheekbones jutted out, covered in coarse yellowish fur an inch long. The eyes were blood-red, no whites visible. Its mouth, stained with blood, bristled with fang-like teeth.

Its fingers were thick and deformed, more like the forearms of a beast than any human hand.

Holy—

He had assumed this was a madman driven insane by cultivation. But this—this thing was nearly a full-blown demon.

Xie Jinhuan, who had grown up fearing the horrors of the demonic realm, didn’t hesitate. He flung himself backward with a shout:

“Get clear!”

BOOM—

A thunderous crash erupted from the room.

The beast, like a twisted frog, launched off the ground with terrifying force. Its legs punched twin craters into the floor as it crashed through the window in a blur, lunging straight for the courtyard wall.

Crash—!

Linghu Qingmo had only just begun her descent when the beast shot toward her. Heart leaping, she unsheathed her sword in a flash of lightning, slashing toward its neck.

Swish—

But her body was still recovering. The demon’s inhuman strength was overwhelming. It caught her sword mid-swing, claws locking on the blade. Its brute strength forced her back, toppling her off balance and knocking her toward the hallway.

Face-to-face with this monstrous visage, Linghu Qingmo paled. She tried to break free—but before she could—

Whoosh!

Xie Jinhuan shot forward, intercepting her mid-fall. Arm around her waist, he whisked her aside as the beast lunged.

Thud!

The demon crashed into a basket of drying herbs, skidding several feet before smashing into the far wall. But it sprang up immediately, red eyes flashing, snarling low and deep:

“RAAAH—”

It was fast—terrifyingly fast. Xie Jinhuan had just landed, shielding Linghu Qingmo, when that gaping maw closed in again.

But he was faster.

Bracing his legs, he rammed the Tiangang Mace into the ground, body grounded in the stance known as “Coiling Dragon Crossing the Ridge.”

Though it had no apparent intelligence, the {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} demon’s charge was monstrous in force.

Linghu Qingmo, having just felt its earlier strength, feared Xie Jinhuan wouldn’t hold up. She reached out to steady him—

But the beast slammed full-force into the mace.

Xie Jinhuan didn’t budge.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

The ground beneath his feet shattered, but he stood like a statue, unmoving.

BOOM—

The force rebounded. The beast was hurled back like it had struck a city wall, flipping violently before crashing to the ground.

Linghu Qingmo was stunned. That wasn’t just raw strength—that was mastery.

Even so, no time to admire it.

She quickly regained her stance, channeling lightning into her arm and slamming her palm to the ground.

“Thunder!”

CRACK—

A bolt of thick blue lightning erupted, snaking from her hand to the beast’s feet.

It convulsed once—then shook it off, leaping back up with another feral howl.

Still unharmed?!

It lunged again—but this time, Xie Jinhuan was already moving.

With one fluid motion, he drew the full length of the Tiangang Mace, channeling every ounce of internal force into its 36-section spine.

FWISH—

With a roar of compressed energy, he launched forward.

BOOM—

The mace roared like a tornado, a blur of blinding motion tearing through the courtyard.

The demon, unthinking, charged headlong.

But fearlessness is not immunity.

The moment the mace struck, its chest caved inward. The blow blasted through the ribcage and erupted out the back in a spray of gore.

The force didn’t stop there. It tore through the workshop wall, scattering bookshelves and boxes, even punching a hole in the far wall.

BANG—

Crashhh—

Xie Jinhuan landed lightly, stepping back to guard Linghu Qingmo.

She had been readying a spell—but stared in shock as the beast collapsed in a mangled heap.

Still, to be sure, she pressed her hands together and unleashed two more lightning strikes.

CRACK CRACK—

The courtyard lit up in flashes of blue-white. The beast’s scorched body convulsed—then stilled, burned black and crumbling to ash.

It lay flat on its back, jaw agape in a grotesque death mask.

Thump—

Silence returned.

Huff... huff...

Linghu Qingmo exhaled, warily eyeing the charred corpse. Once she was sure it wouldn’t rise again, she let out a breath of relief.

Xie Jinhuan’s ears were still ringing from the thunderbolts. He grumbled:

“You sure you needed to zap it that much? Guy was already toast.”

She stood, unamused. “Warriors can’t kill phantoms. We can’t risk it harboring some lingering evil.”

Fair enough.

Xie Jinhuan approached the corpse, frowning.

“What was this guy?”

Linghu Qingmo joined him, inspecting the remnants.

The fine silk robe was unmistakable—this had once been a man.

“Most likely someone corrupted by something unholy—some evil force that twisted his form,” she muttered. “We’ll need a full examination to confirm. Are you injured?”

Xie Jinhuan shook off the blood from his sleeve. “Please. That thing was barely a warm-up.”

“..."

She opened her mouth to respond—then just sighed, unsure what to even say.

Just then, the sound of movement on the rooftops:

Swish swish—

Liu Qingzhi and Yang Dabiao arrived, landing beside them. One look at the scene turned their faces grim.

“Lord Linghu—what happened here?” ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm

“There was a demonic entity hiding in the compound,” she said curtly. “Alert the guards and yamen. Lock down the area. Don’t let anything escape.”

“Yes, ma’am—”

Liu Qingzhi ran off to begin the sweep.

Yang Dabiao raised a signal firework from his belt.

Fwoosh—BOOM—

A crimson flare soared into the sky, its tail streaking fire through the clouds.

All of Danyang saw it.