Fooled Again!
Urgh… I got tricked again! 1
“Y-you rotten bastard! How dare you hide your true identity!”
The hastily improvised exorcism struck Old Man Jeong square in the face. He let out a miserable scream and revealed his true form. His body looked like a withered, rotting tree, limbs twisted and grotesquely elongated in a way that made one’s stomach turn just looking at it.
“Krrraaah…! I was so close…!”
Old Man Jeong—no, the tree ghost—raged in frustration. So he really had been trying to lure me in and eat me! Sorry, but your acting was way too obvious! Besides, the forum said it was a “simple” exorcism technique… yet the effect was this powerful!
Grateful for the unexpected help, Lin turned to the Daoyeongbang viewers and struck a cute pose.
“Yongyong~ Thank youuu!”
Come to think of it, at the very end a pattern had glowed on his forehead and added some strange power. Maybe the blessing from the beast god had helped somehow? It did feel like solar energy, so it probably worked well against ghost cultivators. Well, whatever! The important thing was that my attack had landed and I could actually fight this guy now!
Even setting aside the ghost path, he was a wood-attribute cultivator. My fire-attribute techniques—Flame Art and Extreme Yang Heavenly Flame—had perfect compatibility against him.
“Since it’s come to this, I’ll finish you right here! I don’t know how a mere Qi Condensation beast is using flame arts, but you’re nothing but a low-grade demon! You can’t possibly defeat me, a Foundation Establishment ghost cultivator!”
Kyaaaaak—!!
The trees in the forest suddenly screamed and stretched out their withered branches in every direction. They flew at Lin from all sides, each branch tip radiating an eerie chill thanks to the ghost path’s power.
However, the elemental disadvantage was simply too severe. No matter the gap in cultivation, Lin’s main technique was the Extreme Yang Heavenly Flame, the fierce heavenly flame. On top of that, she carried Ju A-ran’s true-name flame feather from a late-stage Soul Formation cultivator and an inexplicable blessing from the solar beast god, the Golden Crow. Even a Foundation Establishment wood cultivator from some nameless mountain couldn’t possibly stand against her.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
Extreme Yang Heavenly Flame — Fierce Flame
In an instant, the hand seal Lin formed became a massive wall of fire that blocked the incoming branches. The moment they touched the wall, the branches began to burn. Even as they thrashed like living creatures, the flames clung stubbornly and refused to go out.
“What…! My Ghost-Transformed Rotten Wood Hands, defeated so easily…! You, weren’t you supposed to be a Qi Condensation low-grade demon?!”
“I am Qi Condensation! Maybe you’re just weak?”
“How dare you…! I was going to spare you because you looked like an unusual beast and turn you into an elixir instead!”
Properly provoked, Old Man Jeong abandoned his disguise entirely and transformed into his full wood-ghost form to capture Lin. But Lin could also change into a non-human shape. In fact, her dragon form was closer to her true body. Not only did her physical specs rise, her smaller size made it easier to dodge attacks.
Shuk— Shuuk—!
After dodging every strike in the blink of an eye, she closed in and sank her teeth into the back of his neck. Of course, she didn’t forget to infuse her fangs with fierce flame energy at that moment.
Then—
“Krrraaaaak—! Hot! It’s too hot! What kind of ridiculous flame is this!!!!”
Realizing he couldn’t endure any longer, the ghost cultivator cast aside even his Foundation Establishment pride and began begging.
“This humble one failed to recognize a great personage! If you had revealed earlier that you were a senior hiding your cultivation, I-I would have shown proper respect from the start!”
“Hmph! So you attacked because I looked easy to bully? Rotten bastard!”
“T-that’s not it…! This humble one merely…!”
The tide of battle had completely turned. With his nape bitten like this, he was at Lin’s mercy. He hadn’t even formed a core yet, so if this body died, he would die for real. Yet Lin didn’t finish him off immediately. Instead, she kept her flame-charged fangs at his neck and continued questioning him.
“P-please spare me! If you let me live, I’ll serve you for the rest of my days!”
“Hmph! I don’t really want to spare you, but… if you answer a few questions honestly, I’ll consider it. I’m new to this area, after all.”
“Of course!! Ask anything! If it’s something I know, I’ll answer with all my heart…!”
There were things she wanted to ask. Information about Ju Nation, among other curiosities. Besides, as a Foundation Establishment cultivator he was bound to be old and knowledgeable—at least more than Lin.
“First question. Why did you target me??”
“T-that’s…! Because you looked like an extremely special beast…! Beasts or spiritual creatures born with unusual bloodlines are always useful for all sorts of things…”
In other words, he tried to eat me! This despicable bastard! Lin bit down harder on his nape in irritation.
“Krrraaak—!!”
“Shut up! Just answer the questions. How did you even know I was a beast cultivator? I’ve been maintaining human form with flame arts this whole time…”
That was what she really wanted to know. Ever since she started streaming on Daoyeongbang, she had kept her flame-transformed state active while acting cute. How had he figured out she wasn’t human?
“W-well… Most beast cultivators below the Core Formation stage have some flaws when using transformation arts. Even if their appearance is perfect, they usually can’t hide their demonic aura or presence. Ah, of course, I’m not saying your transformation is lacking…”
“Hmm, is that so?”
So her demonic energy was leaking. She hadn’t considered that. She thought a perfect human appearance would solve everything. Yet there was a way to detect beast cultivators like this! This was a problem she needed to think about seriously. Once she entered Ju Nation and met human cultivators, she had to hide her identity completely. Otherwise she’d end up treated as a living elixir again, just like now.
“I see. So that’s how it works…?”
She had gained valuable information. Think of it as getting a preventive shot early! After that, Lin asked every question she had been curious about. Things like the local situation, the border between human and demon territories, and the detailed route to Ju Nation. Fortunately, as an old monster who had lived a long time, he knew quite a lot about humans and Ju Nation. The answers lifted Lin’s previously gloomy mood considerably.
“The way to Ju Nation, you ask…? That’s not difficult at all! In fact, this area is already considered Ju Nation territory! Though it’s still the outermost border touching demon territory… If you follow the direction I told you, you should be able to reach the capital safely!”
“Really?? Is that true?”
“O-of course! How could this humble one dare lie before a senior as lofty as the heavens…!”
“Then, just in case…”
Lin also asked about the two great sects supposedly located somewhere in Ju Nation—Byeok-un Sect and the Clear Void Sword Sect. Unfortunately, as a wandering cultivator unaffiliated with any sect, he didn’t know much about the major factions.
“Well… I think I’ve heard enough. Now, what should I do with you…”
“P-please spare me! If you let me live, I swear I’ll only do good deeds from now on! I’ll never harm anyone again!”
Lin turned her head slightly and asked the viewers. Could she really trust this guy’s words?
‘What should I do? Can I really let this guy live?’
Yeah. Even considering other people nearby, she couldn’t let him go. And more importantly—
“Seriously! I didn’t think he’d try it right until the very end!”
“Kuhak! How…!”
Taking advantage of Lin being distracted by the forum, he had once again tried to sneakily attack her from behind with branches. At this point, Lin no longer needed to hesitate.
In that instant—
Fwoooosh—!!
The pure, purifying flames of the sacred Extreme Yang Heavenly Flame engulfed him completely. As expected of a wood cultivator, he burned quite well.
“Whew! What a persistent guy! Are all demonic cultivators like this?!”
Old Man Jeong met a glorious end. Thus, the fierce battle against the ghost cultivator came to an end. Lin picked up the low-grade spirit stone scattered among his ashes. It was once again time for the heart-pounding loot box opening that never failed to excite her.
“Hehe! Let’s see what I got this time~”