Midnight Schemes
Night had fallen, and Chen Huaian was fast asleep, tossing and turning in bed.
“Mmm… Qingran wasn’t bullied in the new sect, was she?”
Half-awake, he grabbed his phone, lazily glanced at the screen, and saw Li Qingran practicing in the game.
Satisfied, he tossed the phone aside and continued sleeping.
On the windowsill, Baji, curled up in a ball, was soaked in cold sweat.
Only when he was sure Chen Huaian was asleep did he finally exhale, releasing a faint, sinister aura that spread through the room.
A dark, twisting mass of black tendrils emerged from his body, reaching toward the Nine-Turn Linglan and Moonlight Grass on the windowsill.
The air hummed with eerie energy.
“That big black fish is really lucky.”
Baji sneered, glancing at the black fish resting in the basin.
A Growing Shadow
In this era, spiritual energy was scarce.
To live under the same roof as a powerful being, surrounded by rich spiritual energy, was a rare privilege.
Baji had already pieced together bits of information from TV broadcasts whenever Chen Huaian was out.
Now, it understood more about this world.
The iron beast that almost crushed it earlier?
That was called a semi-trailer truck—not a weapon, but a vehicle.
True human weapons were things like guns and cannons, long-range killing tools similar to hidden weapons.
This only reinforced Baji’s belief.
“This big guy… he must be here to realize the Dao.”
The Hidden Power of a Mysterious Master
Baji’s theory was simple:
Chen Huaian was a supreme powerhouse, traveling through countless worlds, sealing his strength and memories to experience different laws of existence.
This was the ultimate path to enlightenment.
But a true powerhouse would never leave themselves defenseless.
So, he must have a backup plan.
And that backup plan was his mysterious phone.
Unlike ordinary human smartphones, Chen Huaian’s phone was completely black—showing things only he could see.
“That phone must be the key to his enlightenment!”
At first, Baji was greedy, wanting to investigate further.
But once he saw the terrifying power of the Purple Thunder Talisman, he immediately gave up.
He knew his place.
“I’d rather not die.”
A Demon’s Gift
Looking at the black fish, Baji’s eyes gleamed with cunning.
“The boss must have kept you on purpose.”
“Since the boss has chosen you, I’ll give you a chance.”
As a descendant of Taotie, one of the Four Ancient Fiends, Baji had the power to bestow enlightenment on other creatures—turning them into monsters or even higher beings.
A single drop of dark red blood essence seeped from his claws, sinking into the forehead of the black fish.
The fish trembled, its eyes flashing with intelligence for a split second.
“If things go well, in two months, this black fish will become a demon.”
Baji withdrew his claws, eyes full of calculated intent.
A newly transformed demon fish would surely attract Chen Huaian’s attention.
By then, if there were any suspicions, the black fish would be the scapegoat—drawing focus away from Baji.
“Heh! I’m a genius!”
Disturbance in the Night
“What the hell is that cat doing in the middle of the night…”
Chen Huaian groggily threw a pillow, then instinctively grabbed his phone.
In the game, Li Qingran was still training.
A pop-up notification appeared:
[Your remaining lifespan: 57 days]
[Today’s fortune: Minor Blessing—Suitable for Marriage]
Chen Huaian: “…”
“I’m dying in 57 days, and this stupid thing is telling me about marriage?!”
Demon Slayer Division Headquarters—Tianfu City
At the Demon Slayer Division, Lin Lingling stood before a bearded man, her expression serious.
He stared at her in disbelief.
“Are you telling me a mysterious powerhouse casually made seven or eight talismans that can summon thunder and fire… and is living with a demon?!”
His temples twitched.
“Are you sure you’re not just making up fairy tales?”
Lin Lingling, now bandaged up, leaned on a spear for support.
Although she wasn’t officially part of the Demon Slayer Division, she had proven her reliability before.
“Brother Wu, you know I wouldn’t make something up like this.”
She paused, her face turning grim.
“Besides… I suspect this demon isn’t just Class A—it could be a true demon!”
The bearded man‘s face darkened.
A Dangerous Possibility
The Demon Slayer Division classified non-human entities as follows:
- Monsters: Newly born under the influence of spiritual energy.
- Demons: Evolved monsters that devour flesh and blood for power.
- Greater Demons: Highly intelligent beings, often stronger than humans.
- Demon Lords: Beings at the apex of demonic power, nearly unstoppable.
Class A demons were already a nightmare to deal with.
If it was truly a Greater Demon, the Demon Slayer Division of Province C was completely unprepared.
Their strongest fighters were only Division-level A-Class—far from soldier-level experts.
If they engaged carelessly, it would be a massacre.
The bearded man took a deep breath.
“Wait. You said this demon is living with a mysterious cultivator?”
Lin Lingling nodded.
“And this cultivator can use thunder talismans?”
“Yes. I tried probing him, but… he doesn’t seem to know much about the Demon Slayer Division.”
She frowned in thought.
“I have two theories.”
Who Is Chen Huaian?
Theory 1:
- This cultivator is a wild awakened, someone who gained power without training.
- But if that were true, how could he control his power so precisely?
Theory 2:
- He might be a secret agent of the Demon Slayer Division or another hidden organization.
- If so, he was deliberately ignoring her attempts to test him.
But then the bearded man dropped a third possibility.
“Have you considered… that he might be out of control?”
Lin Lingling froze.
Chen Huaian’s video account flashed in her mind.
That goofy, clueless expression.
His utterly harmless demeanor.
Could someone like that really be a threat?
A Risky Mission
“How could someone out of control have such a confident and composed aura?”
Lin Lingling dismissed the idea immediately.
The bearded man, however, wasn’t so quick to rule it out.
People could pretend.
“Listen, this situation is serious!” The bearded man slammed his fist on the table, staring intensely at Lin Lingling.
“You’re the only one who has had direct contact with this mysterious resuscitator, and so far, he hasn’t attacked you. That means you still have a chance to keep an eye on him.”
Lin Lingling blinked. “You want me to spy on him?”
“Not just spy—monitor everything. If he or that demon shows any signs of abnormality, you report to me immediately!” The bearded man leaned forward. “I’ve already applied for a soldier-level Demon Slayer to be transferred here. Your job is to stall for time until they arrive.”
Lin Lingling’s face twitched.
“You want me—a White-Level A-Class—to stall a potential powerhouse?”
“Don’t worry, after this mission, I’ll promote you to Master Level.”
The bearded man clasped his hands together, flashing a tempting smile.
“You know how short-staffed we are. Most of the civilian demon slayers are just arrogant thugs. But you—you’re different. You’re brave. You just have to hold out until the soldier-level Demon Slayer arrives.
“If you do this, I’ll not only promote you, but I’ll also make you an official employee!”
Lin Lingling raised an eyebrow.
“Isn’t Master Level automatic after enough missions?”
The bearded man chuckled, then reached into his desk drawer, pulling out a sealed document.
“This is different.”
He unrolled the document dramatically.
“This is the latest breathing technique developed by the Demon Slayer Division Headquarters. If you become an official employee through me, you’ll get access to the first three volumes!”
A Game-Changer: The Breathing Technique
Lin Lingling’s calm demeanor cracked.
Her eyes flashed with desire.
“The breathing technique… has finally been developed?”
She instinctively gripped the spear strapped to her back.
“Deal!” She agreed without hesitation.
But then she frowned. “I’m broke. I’ll need to take on a simpler demon-killing task first.”
“That’s fine.” The bearded man gestured toward the task board, covered in missions of varying difficulty.
“Pick whatever you want!”
The Future of the Demon Slayer Division
Once Lin Lingling left, the bearded man leaned back in his chair, propping his foot up on the desk as he lit a cigarette.
When he first arrived this afternoon, he had been anxious about their lack of manpower.
But after receiving documents from headquarters, he felt at ease.
The monsters were getting stronger—but so was the Demon Slayer Division.
The Key to Strength: Spiritual Energy Control
The breathing technique was a breakthrough.
Unlike traditional internal energy cultivation, this method focused on absorbing high-energy particles from the air, converting true energy into spiritual energy, and reinforcing the body and attacks.
The effect was far beyond the internal force techniques of ancient martial arts—at least a hundred times stronger.
The headquarters called these high-energy particles “spiritual energy.”
It had taken ten years to develop, but now, at last, they had it.
And that changed everything.
A Shift in Power
Before this, the Demon Slayer Division had struggled to compete with civilian demon slayers.
- The government wanted resuscitators to join them.
- But the resuscitators only cared about money.
“What else do you guys even offer?” They would ask mockingly.
But now, the game had changed.
With the breathing technique, the Demon Slayer Division finally had something irresistible.
The resuscitators would fall in line.
And once they did, there would be only one true authority left.
“As long as humanity unites, what are those monsters?”
The bearded man smirked, exhaling a puff of smoke.
A New Hunt Begins
He stood up and ripped down a mission from the top of the task board.
[Task Location: Kuanzhai Street Sewer]
[Task Difficulty: First-Class Monster]
[Threat Level: A mutated stray dog, suspected to have turned into a monster. Its saliva causes “madness” in infected victims. So far, 17 people have died—including two White-Level civilian demon slayers.]
“Damn monster…”
The bearded man’s eyes darkened.
“Tonight, I’ll complete my first level of the Guiyuan Breathing Technique… and I’ll test its power on your head!”
