Dual Cultivation: I Summon Villainesses of Mythic Era-Chapter 49: The Devourer of this era...

< Arts : Thorny Lotus >

With a simple palm gesture, she projected shockwaves that literally pulverized the five-horned Rakshasas. The monsters did not even have time to project their Khao lasers.

A massive Rakshasa tried to charge her, but with a backhand, lotus petals sliced its torso clean through, releasing a spray of black and fetid blood that evaporated on contact with her purifying Qi.

She moved with grace, felling her opponents with disconcerting ease.

Meanwhile, three four-horned Rakshasas had detached from the melee to swoop down on BaiShe, judging him an easy prey. The young scholar did not move his hands from behind his back.

< Arts : Illusory Swords >

In an instant, dozens of translucent blades materialized in the air around him.

With a single thought, the swords shot forward like silver lightning. The first blade pierced the mask of the first Rakshasa, exploding its skull into a gray mush of brain matter.

The other two were literally dismembered by a rain of projectiles, their arms and legs cleanly severed before their heads rolled on the ground.

Zhi Mei finished off the last monster with a punch that exploded its chest, then turned toward BaiShe.

"You handle yourself quite well." she admitted with an involuntary hint of respect.

"I am a Law Master, you did not need to underestimate me, Miss Mei," replied BaiShe.

"However, these creatures were only distractions. Look more carefully at the ruins a bit further ahead."

They advanced toward a small clearing where the remains of an ancient pavilion were collapsing.

There, the spectacle before them was very different from the remains of their fight. Several corpses of human cultivators, probably mercenaries or passing explorers, lay scattered. Beside them, the carcasses of several two-horned and one-horned Rakshasas completed the picture.

What was striking was not the death itself, but the way it had been administered. The bodies were not dismembered or crushed. They were grayish and dried up, emptied of all substance.

There was a total absence of Qi or Khao in the remains; everything had been sucked out to the last drop.

Zhi Mei crouched near a human corpse, her eyebrows furrowing. She brought her fingers close to the victim’s abdomen, where the spiritual core had once been.

"These are the marks of the Devourer."

"It looks like your prey passed through here recently," commented BaiShe in a neutral tone, masking his jubilation. "See how even the Khao of the Rakshasas was absorbed. This being makes no distinction between good and evil, Miss Mei. It seeks only power."

Zhi Mei stood up, her blue eyes burning with resolution.

"It is here, somewhere in these ruins. We cannot let it continue like this," she declared firmly. "If such an entity reaches maturity, it will devour not only this kingdom, but everything that exists."

"In that case, Holy Templar... let us continue our hunt."

...

They followed a trail of dried Rakshasa corpses, the remains of a feast whose taste BaiShe knew well.

Suddenly, in the center of a clearing, a silhouette appeared.

The person wore a dark hooded cloak that completely hid their features, standing motionless in the middle of the carnage.

Zhi Mei reacted with lightning speed. Her azure blue Qi exploded around her, cracking the ground under her feet as she prepared to launch a devastating assault.

"Halt!" she thundered.

But before the Templar could strike, BaiShe extended an arm, blocking his companion’s path.

"Wait, Miss Mei," he intervened, his silver gaze fixed on the silhouette. "Look more carefully. Miss Hue Qing? What are you doing here, in such a inhospitable place?"

The silhouette twitched violently and pulled back her hood, revealing a pale face and long dark green hair. She seemed to have been caught red-handed, her dull black eyes wandering nervously.

"I... I... Actually..." stammered Qing’er, her hands trembling.

"There is soon a meeting between the young generation of the sect... I just wanted to train a little, test my limits away from prying eyes... and I got lost."

Zhi Mei narrowed her sapphire eyes.

"Training alone in an area infested with high-level Rakshasas?" asked the Templar in an icy tone.

"Your explanation is singularly lacking in logic, young girl. It so happens that we are searching for the Devourer, an entity that leaves behind exactly the kind of debris we see here. Since you are in the vicinity at such an opportune moment... I hope it will not be a problem for me to search your Dantian."

Hue Qing’s heart skipped a beat. She paled even more, a drop of sweat beading at her temple. If an expert of Zhi Mei’s level penetrated her Dantian, she would instantly discover the devouring hunger she was hiding.

"What are you talking about, Miss Zhi Mei?" intervened BaiShe with an amused sigh, adjusting his monocle.

"At her Spiritual Core level, a brutal intrusion of your Overlord Qi into her Dantian would only irreversibly weaken her foundation. Do you really want to break the future of a talented young woman over a simple intuition?"

"I am quite expert in the matter, BaiShe," retorted Zhi Mei as she turned toward him, her pointed ears twitching with annoyance. "It will not happen if I control my flow."

"It is unnecessary," cut in BaiShe with quiet assurance. "I know her personally, and I can assure you that she is not the Devourer at all."

Zhi Mei narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing BaiShe. She knew he possessed the Third Eye art, a divine perception technique of the Xuan family capable of piercing the secrets of the soul. If BaiShe vouched for her, her doubt no longer had a solid basis.

"Well... if you vouch for her," she finally said as she released her spiritual pressure. She cast one last suspicious glance at Hue Qing before turning away. "I will check this side, where the Khao traces seem to branch off."

Leaving the two young people alone.

Hue Qing let out a long sigh of relief, her shoulders slumping. She was still very nervous.

"The Devourer is nearby, Hue Qing," said BaiShe in a suddenly softer voice. "This place is no longer safe for you. You should return to the sect as quickly as possible."

"Yes... yes... you are right. And... thank you, Young Master," she murmured as she bowed hastily before fleeing through the trees.

"Take care of yourself," called BaiShe.