Chapter 100 – Demon Mountain

A desolate night.

A crescent moon.

In a dilapidated village courtyard, a Divine Servant of the Crow Deity, completely shrouded in a dense black aura, stood silently twenty meters away from Lu Yuan.

Under the moonlight, the black aura around the Divine Servant surged violently.

It suddenly extended, shooting towards Lu Yuan like tentacles.

“Stop!”

Lu Yuan pressed the “Pause Button” abruptly.

The scene before him instantly froze, everything coming to a halt.

With a thought, Lu Yuan’s consciousness immediately entered the body of the Divine Servant of the Crow Deity.

“Whoosh.”

A strange yet powerful feeling welled up within him.

His vocal cords felt as if they had been slashed, and his throat was blocked by a stubborn phlegm he couldn’t cough up.

His limbs were deformed, with bones growing twisted in many places, making the experience extremely unpleasant.

Enduring the discomfort, Lu Yuan slowly released the “Pause Button.”

He still maintained “Slow Motion.”

Carefully, he sensed the feelings brought by the surging black aura in this body.

The overwhelming death energy seemed to surge from the depths of the flesh and bones.

In the areas where the death energy emerged, there were nodes.

While releasing the death energy, they also continuously absorbed it from the surroundings.

“Storage!”

A word popped into Lu Yuan’s mind.

Suddenly, everything became clear.

His consciousness quickly returned to his own body. After freezing the Divine Servant of the Crow Deity, he tried to activate [Death Energy Entanglement].

Strands of black aura gathered into Lu Yuan’s palm.

Some of it came from his own production, but most of it appeared out of thin air.

“When I activate the skill, the summoned death energy mainly comes from the natural residual death energy in the surrounding environment, which is fundamentally different from the Divine Servant of the Crow Deity.”

Lu Yuan’s mind raced as he quickly analyzed.

The Divine Servant stored death energy within its body, drawing directly when needed.

He, on the other hand, temporarily called upon it.

His body didn’t need to stay in constant contact with the death energy, naturally avoiding the possibility of being contaminated and mutated.

“It’s like the professional panel removes the side effects of this extraordinary power. The trade-off is that the efficiency of mobilizing death energy is slightly slower.”

With a leap, Lu Yuan approached the frozen Divine Servant of the Crow Deity, taking a deep breath.

Level 3 [Absolute Concentration], Level 1 [Special Exertion], and the killer move [Crane Shadow Float] were activated simultaneously.

In an instant, his arm swelled and thickened, veins bulging out like the heads of giant pythons.

Unlike before, this time the blue-black pythons were also entwined with strands of black death energy.

“Bang!”

This punch landed squarely on the chest of the Divine Servant of the Crow Deity, sinking his entire fist into it.

Unfortunately, the Divine Servant was frozen, reacting like a wooden stake, only being jolted back several meters by the force.

After Lu Yuan released the force of the punch, he examined the Divine Servant again.

He found that the thick death energy on the Divine Servant’s chest had been punched open to the size of a bowl, with the flesh underneath caving in, likely breaking several bones.

“My death energy can neutralize others’ death energy, so I can finally hurt him.”

A smile appeared on Lu Yuan’s face, satisfied with the power of his punch.

He didn’t need the death energy to gather quickly because his fundamental reliance was still on his own martial arts prowess.

The death energy was merely an additional layer of enhancement.

It added effects like “corrosion” and “armor-breaking” to his attacks.

“When I threw that [Crane Shadow Float] punch, the crane shadow vision in my mind seemed to change a bit.”

Lu Yuan suddenly recalled and started to reflect.

When he threw the punch, the crane shadow vision naturally appeared in his mind, and the scene from the crow dream he had experienced before also flashed briefly.

Then, the [Crane Shadow Float] punch underwent some subtle changes.

He couldn’t quite describe it, but it was definitely there.

“Could it be that I’m actually on the right path?”

Lu Yuan pondered, standing still and quietly savoring the moment.

“I won’t need this for now.”

Carefully, Lu Yuan removed the last peephole surveillance camera installed downstairs at his home and put it into his backpack with some sentiment.

A few stray cats circled around his feet. Lu Yuan smiled, took out a few sausages originally intended for feeding crows from his backpack, tore open the packaging, and fed them to the cats.

After personally finishing off the second Cavern Rat Monster, Lu Yuan felt a significant weight lift off his shoulders.

The heavy stone that had been pressing on his chest vanished, and even his breathing seemed smoother.

“Coo… Coo…”

From the road outside the front yard came the sound of someone feeding pigeons. With his enhanced hearing, Lu Yuan instantly recognized it as his mom, Zheng Qiuling.

With a slight change in expression, he grabbed his backpack and headed out of the yard.

As soon as he stepped onto the road, he saw his mom standing at the entrance of their shop, holding a handful of millet and cooing as she fed a few pitch-black crows!

“Mom, do you know what kind of birds these are?”

Lu Yuan walked up and pointed at the crows pecking at the millet, looking puzzled.

Zheng Qiuling glanced at him, “Crows, duh. Do you think your mom is an idiot?”

“Aren’t they considered inauspicious?”

“You’re still young and a top student in senior high school, yet you’re as superstitious as an Old Lady.”

Zheng Qiuling clapped her hands, shaking off the millet grains stuck between her fingers, and then mysteriously beckoned Lu Yuan over.

“Come here.”

Curious, Lu Yuan stepped forward, only to be pulled into the shop by his mom.

She then quietly opened a drawer behind the counter.

Lu Yuan took a glance and saw several shiny gold ornaments and a large diamond ring.

“These…”

“They brought all of this.”

“For the past few days, I’ve been finding things at the door every time I open it.

At first, it was broken glass and scrap metal, but then it turned into gold and diamond rings.

I checked the surveillance, and guess what? It was all thanks to these little guys.

They’re not just crows; they’re like black birds of fortune!”

Zheng Qiuling beamed with joy.

Lu Yuan was stunned but quickly realized.

Of course, crows love collecting shiny things.

With a bunch of crow assistants under his command, why not have them search for gold in the sewers and crevices?

It’s a great way to make money.

Why hadn’t he thought of this before? Those 14 intelligence points really seemed wasted.

Lu Yuan felt both sentimental and happy.

He immediately decided to have his crow assistants bring valuable items to his mom every now and then.

It could help improve the family’s financial situation in a roundabout way.

However, they could only pick up items, not steal them Lu Yuan still had that principle.

“But you’re right, having so many crows gathered at the front door every day isn’t great. We don’t mind, but others might. It could affect business. Maybe we should find a way to lead them to the back?”

Lu Yuan found Zheng Qiuling’s “wanting both ways” attitude amusing.

He casually reached into the drawer, took out the diamond ring, and rubbed it lightly between his fingers, instantly reducing it to a small pile of transparent crumbs.

“Fake, glass, worthless.”

Lu Yuan explained to Zheng Qiuling and then asked, “Where’s Dad?”

“He went to the police station.”

“What’s he doing at the police station?”

Lu Yuan tensed up instinctively, but Zheng Qiuling said, “Good news. Your dad called the police last time and provided clues that helped solve a big case. The city wants to give him an award!”

Such a thing happened?

Lu Yuan blinked, suddenly realizing something.

But he couldn’t be sure.

After chatting with his mom for a while, a customer came to buy cigarettes, so he grabbed his backpack and headed upstairs.

He planned to sell the cameras he had taken down later, either for a refund or second-hand.

He probably wouldn’t need them anymore.

Just as he was thinking this, his mobile phone suddenly rang.

Someone was initiating a video call.

Lu Yuan took out his phone to check.

Seeing the caller ID on the screen, he was slightly stunned.

Lu Jing?

In the bedroom.

The blinds were slightly closed, and the air conditioner at the bedside was blowing cool air, bringing a refreshing feeling.

Lu Yuan sat at his desk, holding his phone with his right hand, and focused on the screen.

The connected video showed Lu Jing’s face.

“Oh my god!”

Wrapped tightly in a dark green hunting outfit, Lu Jing’s eyes widened in exaggerated surprise.

“Xiao Yuan, what happened to you? You’ve gained so much weight!”

Lu Yuan snorted, moved the phone slightly up to cover his muscular chest, and retorted, “It’s not weight, it’s muscle! And don’t talk about me, you don’t look like yourself either!”

This should have been the usual banter between Lu Yuan and Lu Jing.

But to Lu Yuan’s surprise, Lu Jing’s expression froze upon hearing this.

She didn’t say a word, suddenly falling silent.

“What’s wrong?”

Lu Yuan noticed the sudden change in Lu Jing’s mood and couldn’t help but ask.

“Nothing.”

Lu Jing shook her head, her voice so soft it was almost drowned out by the sound of the wind and sand around her.

Lu Yuan couldn’t help but frown.

In fact, he had wanted to say something as soon as the video call connected but held back.

Compared to the last video call, Lu Jing had changed a lot.

She looked extremely thin and dark, her hair was dry and yellow, her face haggard, and her skin lacked any luster.

She seemed like someone who hadn’t slept for days and nights.

Her expression carried an indescribable anxiety, as if even the slightest disturbance would make her jump like a startled rabbit.

Lu Jing was in a very bad state!

“Lu Jing.”

Lu Yuan took a deep breath and called her full name seriously.

“What exactly happened? Tell me.”

“Really nothing, Xiao Yuan.”

Lu Jing smiled, trying hard to act normal in front of Lu Yuan.

But her eyes kept darting around, as if she was on guard against something.

The mobile phone screen was only palm-sized, so Lu Yuan couldn’t see much of Lu Jing’s surroundings.

He could only notice some glimpses of the background behind her—

It seemed to be a board covered with various photos and some hastily written, unclear words.

Just as Lu Yuan was looking, he suddenly heard Lu Jing speak again, “I’ll be back after a while.”

“What?!”

Lu Yuan was stunned and refocused on Lu Jing.

“Didn’t you say this project would take a long time, at least half a year, maybe even a year?”

“It ended earlier. There’s just a bit of finishing work left. The project team’s professor saw that I’m a girl and let us come back early.”

Lu Jing tried to sound relaxed, but her eyes kept flickering.

Lu Yuan thought for a moment and asked, “What about the follow-up on the dead bodies under the temple you mentioned last time? I want to know.”

“I can’t tell you about that.”

Lu Jing shook her head, “That’s classified project information, and you mustn’t tell anyone else.”

Lu Yuan couldn’t help but frown but quickly calmed himself.

He asked calmly, “When exactly will you be back?”

“Next month. I’ll be coming back with a few friends. Just remember to pick me up at the airport.”

“Alright.”

Lu Yuan nodded, wanting to ask more.

Suddenly, there was a loud “bang” from the mobile phone screen.

The screen went black instantly, as if the phone had fallen.

Faintly, he could hear someone screaming in the distance.

“Lu Jing! Lu Jing! Are you there?!”

Lu Yuan grabbed his phone and quickly stood up from the desk, feeling a surge of tension.

Please, let that clichéd disaster not happen to me!

Unable to contain his anxious emotions, Lu Yuan punched the wall, creating a small dent near the desk. White plaster fell off the wall with a rustling sound.

“Xiao Yuan!”

Lu Yueping’s questioning voice came from outside the room.

Lu Yuan’s eyes flickered, and he reached up to grab the anime poster on the wall. With a swift pull, he tore it down to cover the dent he had just made.

“Nothing, just knocked over the chair.”

Lu Yuan replied calmly.

“Oh, be careful.”

The footsteps at the bedroom door turned and gradually faded away.

Lu Yuan took a deep breath and picked up his phone.

His eyes instantly relaxed.

Fortunately.

Lu Jing’s image reappeared on the screen.

She seemed to have stood up, leaning against the wooden board behind her. The photos and words on the board were clearly visible to Lu Yuan.

“It’s nothing, just a sudden cave-in of a pit. It startled everyone, but luckily no one was hurt.”

Lu Jing explained to Lu Yuan, trying to appear calm.

But Lu Yuan noticed her lips were pale from being bitten.

“Alright, alright, I need to get back to work. Talk to you later.”

Before Lu Yuan could ask, “Do you want to video chat with Grandpa?” the call was already disconnected from Lu Jing’s end.

The air conditioner hummed, and the small room fell into an inexplicable silence.

Lu Yuan stared at Lu Jing’s chat avatar on the mobile phone screen for a while without saying a word.

Suddenly.

Lu Yuan put down his mobile phone and sat back down at his desk.

Then he turned on his computer and quickly started searching online.

Occasionally, he would reach for the books beside him to flip through them.

Thinking, muttering to himself, taking screenshots, and drawing.

Twenty minutes later.

All the work in Lu Yuan’s hands stopped, and his gaze fell on the open notebook in front of him.

On the clean, flat page, a pure black sketch depicted a bizarre symbol.

And beneath this symbol was a line of scribbled, strange text.

Below that text was a neatly written translation in Lu Yuan’s handwriting.

“Black soil of eternal rift, He will use blood to paint every stone of the Demon Mountain.”

These symbols and words.

Were the secrets Lu Yuan had just glimpsed behind Lu Jing.