Chapter 22: The Vanishing Monster

The monster let out a low, guttural roar, its crimson eyes burning like ghostly flames. The black chains clanked eerily as they swung through the air, echoing through the underground tunnel. Its massive, twisted body writhed, a swirling mass of trapped souls fused together, exuding an unspeakable sense of dread.

Chen Jing and Lucifer stood on high alert, weapons in hand, ready to strike.

However—

Just as the monster was about to lunge at them, it suddenly froze mid-motion, as if an invisible force had stopped it.

"Huh?" Chen Jing blinked, her peachwood sword already raised for a strike, but the monster's form trembled violently, like an old machine about to collapse.

Its grotesque mouth split open further in a silent scream, but instead of attacking, its body began to fade, as if something was forcefully peeling away its existence layer by layer.

"…What's happening?" Chen Jing frowned, instinctively stepping back to create distance.

Lucifer's gaze darkened. The black flames in his palm flickered, but he didn't act—he was observing.

Dark mist seeped out of the monster's body, dissipating into the air. Its massive frame shrank, unraveling like a threadbare tapestry, while the chains binding it clattered onto the ground, lifeless.

And then—

"Shhhkk—"

In the blink of an eye, the monster vanished.

No struggle.

No resistance.

Not even a trace of lingering ghostly energy remained.

All that was left was the cold, stale air and a few broken chains lying on the ground.

A strange, unsettling silence filled the tunnel.

"…?"

"…?"

Chen Jing stared, still gripping her sword in a battle-ready stance, yet there was no longer an enemy before her.

Slowly, she turned to Lucifer, her tone filled with confusion.

"So… it just… disappeared?"

Lucifer narrowed his eyes, the black flames in his hand swirling restlessly. His gaze swept across the tunnel, his posture tense.

That's when his brows furrowed.

"We didn't kill it," he murmured.

"I know that." Chen Jing rolled her eyes. "But how did it disappear? Did it suddenly decide to repent and reincarnate?"

Lucifer didn't answer immediately. Instead, his fingers moved slightly, picking up a severed chain from the ground. Black flames licked at its surface, examining it.

A moment later, his expression shifted.

"…It was forcibly erased."

"Forcibly erased?" Chen Jing repeated, her brow furrowing. "What do you mean?"

Lucifer stood up, his gaze fixed on the dark tunnel ahead.

"Something else eliminated it—before we could."

Chen Jing sucked in a sharp breath.

"…A higher-level entity?"

Lucifer remained silent. He slowly lifted his head, his eyes scanning the endless darkness beyond the tunnel. His expression was colder than ever.

Something felt off.

There had been no detectable spellcasting, no recognizable energy signature. And yet—the monster had been erased.

Meaning—

A presence so powerful, so subtle, that even he hadn't noticed it, had stepped in before them.

This realization made Lucifer's frown deepen.

A new variable had entered the game.

Chen Jing, too, felt a growing unease. The tunnel was too quiet, almost artificially so. No wind, no sound—yet she couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching them.

Her voice dropped to a whisper.

"…So, what now?"

Lucifer remained silent for a beat.

Then, in a low voice, he said:

"We leave."

"Agreed." Chen Jing nodded without hesitation.

Just as they turned to go, a familiar voice rang from the depths of the tunnel—

"Oi! Are you guys dead yet?!"

Chen Jing: "..."

Lucifer: "..."

Within seconds, a familiar figure came barreling toward them, panting from exertion, yet grinning from ear to ear.

It was—Xuanqing Zhenren.

"Whew! I took a little detour to map out the terrain—didn't want to abandon you two, so I came back to check!" Xuanqing thumped his chest, looking downright self-righteous.

Chen Jing squinted at him, her tone cold.

"You said you ran off because you forgot to seal your pickle jar."

Xuanqing waved her off.

"Misunderstanding, misunderstanding! Tactical retreat!"

Lucifer glanced at him impassively.

"…You conveniently returned just in time."

"But of course! I'm a professional." Xuanqing smirked. "So, where's the ghostie?"

"Gone," Chen Jing muttered.

"Wait, what?!" Xuanqing's eyes widened. He glanced around and spotted the broken chains, but no trace of the monster.

He groaned.

"No way! I was hoping to swoop in and land the final hit for some extra karma points!"

Chen Jing facepalmed.

"Dàshū, what is wrong with you?"

"What do you mean?" Xuanqing looked offended. "Do you know how much a sealed spirit of that level would sell for on the black market?"

Lucifer's voice turned icy.

"Enough."

Without another word, he turned away, beginning to walk.

"Let's go."

"Hey! Wait up!" Xuanqing scrambled after them.

As their silhouettes disappeared into the shadows, an unseen force remained, watching.

Silent.

Unfathomable.

And… interested.

Returning to the Surface

The moment they emerged from the underground, a cool night breeze swept past, replacing the suffocating stillness with the scent of fresh air.

Chen Jing stretched, taking in a deep breath.

"Damn… finally! I'm alive!"

Xuanqing Zhenren patted his stomach, looking thoroughly pleased.

"Whew! Another thrilling adventure! But after all that, we need to celebrate."

Chen Jing rolled her eyes.

"Celebrate? You ran first."

Xuanqing grinned shamelessly.

"Tactical retreat! If you two died, wouldn't I have to collect your corpses?"

"Collect your damn head."

Chen Jing's stomach growled, and she sighed.

"…Actually, I'm starving."

Xuanqing's eyes lit up as he pointed excitedly down the street.

"Hey! There's a night market over there! How about we grab some food?"

Lucifer and Chen Jing exchanged looks.

After a brief pause, Lucifer simply said:

"…Do what you want."

With that, the three of them headed toward the brightly lit street stalls, the heavy tension of the underground slowly fading into the background.

But deep in the shadows—

Something still lingered.

Chapter 22: The Vanishing Monster (Continued)

The night market buzzed with life, its smoky aroma thick in the air. The glow of street lamps illuminated food stalls lined up along the road, the scent of grilled meat blending with the fragrance of deep-fried delicacies, making one's mouth water.

Chen Jing had already abandoned all sense of decorum as she rushed toward a barbecue stall.

"Boss! Five lamb skewers, three sets of grilled chicken wings, and an eggplant on the grill!"

"Add two beers!" Xuanqing Zhenren waved his hand grandly, planting himself onto a stool with self-satisfied ease.

"Tonight, we feast in honor of our glorious victory!"

Chen Jing glanced at him, then at his earlier display of cowardice in the tunnels, and smirked.

"You really have no shame, do you?"

Unfazed, Xuanqing Zhenren grinned cheekily, then turned toward Lucifer.

"Hey, brother, what are you eating? Drop the cold, distant act—this is the true essence of human cuisine!"

Lucifer shot him a calm, indifferent glance, casually flipping through the menu. After a brief pause, he pointed to a single item.

"…A crepe."

"..."

Chen Jing stared at him.

"A crepe? Seriously?"

Lucifer replied with his usual deadpan tone.

"Compared to your excessive amounts of cumin and chili powder, a crepe is far more suitable."

Xuanqing Zhenren burst out laughing and ordered a huge plate of spicy crawfish.

"Who cares? Let's eat like there's no tomorrow!"

Over Drinks and Secrets

A while later, the stall owner brought over a large tray filled with sizzling skewers and roasted snacks. The three of them sat around a low wooden table, the oil and smoke of the night market lingering around them. The earlier tension from the underground ordeal gradually faded.

Chen Jing bit into a lamb skewer, savoring the taste as she sighed in satisfaction.

"Ahh… Being alive feels great."

Xuanqing Zhenren, busy peeling crawfish, suddenly narrowed his eyes mischievously.

"Say… don't you two find it odd that the monster disappeared so suddenly?"

Lucifer remained silent, eating his crepe as if he hadn't heard the question.

Chen Jing paused, chewing thoughtfully.

"Yeah… It doesn't make sense. That thing was strong—we were just about to fight, and then poof, gone."

Xuanqing Zhenren grinned, lowering his voice mysteriously.

"Hehe… I might have noticed something right before I ran out."

Chen Jing rolled her eyes.

"Spit it out. Stop acting mysterious."

Xuanqing Zhenren cleared his throat, glancing around before continuing.

"When I left the tunnels, I… felt something. It was like…"

"…Something was watching us."

Chen Jing froze for a second.

"Watching?"

"Yeah," Xuanqing Zhenren made a vague gesture, "not something visible, but you know that feeling? Like when someone scans you with their eyes, but you can't see them?"

Chen Jing's expression darkened.

"…And you didn't think to tell us sooner?"

Xuanqing Zhenren replied matter-of-factly, "Of course not! You guys were still in the tunnels—if I told you, you'd drag me back down there. Wouldn't that be suicide?"

"..."

Chen Jing looked like she wanted to strangle him. Meanwhile, Lucifer was deep in thought, his brows furrowing slightly.

After a moment, he murmured,

"In other words… there may be a higher-level entity that eliminated that creature before we could."

Xuanqing Zhenren snapped his fingers.

"Exactly! You finally get it."

Chen Jing's frown deepened.

"But who? There aren't many beings strong enough to erase something that powerful."

Xuanqing Zhenren grinned slyly, his tone turning playful.

"Hehe… Maybe it was Heaven's will, or some old monster watching for fun."

Then, his gaze sharpened.

"Or maybe… that thing was never meant for us to begin with."

Chen Jing blinked.

"…What do you mean?"

Xuanqing Zhenren licked the seasoning off his fingers, smirking.

"Think about it. Did we just stumble into someone else's 'clean-up' operation?"

Chen Jing's expression shifted.

"…You're saying… that monster was meant to be erased from the start?"

"Possibly." Lucifer finally spoke, his voice low and cold.

"If that's the case, then our involvement was purely accidental."

Chen Jing chewed on her lip, processing the implications. She picked up a grilled chicken wing, muttering,

"If we were just a random factor, then that means… the real target wasn't us."

Lucifer gave a nonchalant nod, casually finishing his crepe.

"Most likely."

Xuanqing Zhenren, meanwhile, was leisurely peeling another crawfish, sucking the juices off his fingers.

"Relax, relax. No need to get all paranoid. We're alive, the monster's gone, so why not change the subject?"

Chen Jing shot him a suspicious look.

"…Change it to what?"

Xuanqing Zhenren grinned devilishly.

"Let's talk about romance."

"PFFT—!!"

Chen Jing almost choked on her beer, coughing violently as she slammed her hand against her chest.

"WHAT is wrong with you?! Why the hell would we talk about that?!"

Xuanqing Zhenren snickered, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

"C'mon, it's tradition! Every great adventure leads to some deep emotional realization—y'know, 'I actually liked you all along' kinda thing."

"Scram." Chen Jing shot him a death glare.

"Oi, don't be so cold~" Xuanqing Zhenren turned to Lucifer.

"How about you, brother? Got someone you like?"

Lucifer didn't even look up.

"No."

Xuanqing Zhenren looked genuinely shocked.

"No way. With your looks and aura, you could make countless women fall for you."

Chen Jing let out a mocking scoff.

"Hah. If he ever falls in love, the sun will probably rise in the west."

Lucifer finally looked up, his cold gaze locking onto her.

"You seem very interested in my personal life."

"Uh—" Chen Jing's expression froze.

She frantically waved her hands.

"NO, NO, NO! Not interested! Definitely not!"

Xuanqing Zhenren chuckled, stroking his chin.

"Hmm… So, do you not understand human emotions, or just never experienced them?"

Lucifer's eyes narrowed dangerously.

Xuanqing Zhenren grinned.

"Ohh, struck a nerve, huh?"

Ignoring him, Lucifer picked up his cup of tea, taking a slow sip.

Chen Jing, seizing the chance to change the subject, turned to Xuanqing.

"What about you? You ever had a great love story?"

Xuanqing Zhenren's smirk widened.

"Of course."

"Bullshit."

"No, really." Xuanqing Zhenren leaned back, sighing dramatically.

"There was once a woman—brilliant, stunning, the smartest I'd ever met…"

Chen Jing raised a brow.

"And?"

Xuanqing Zhenren grinned like a fox.

"And then… she scammed me out of 200,000 yuan and stole my family's heirloom compass."

"…???"

Chen Jing was silent for a second, then—

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" She burst into laughter.

"Serves you right! You got SCAMMED?!"

Lucifer glanced at him, voice flat.

"You got fooled?"

Xuanqing Zhenren shrugged.

"Eh, happens to the best of us."

Chen Jing shook her head, still laughing.

"Damn, you're a special kind of idiot."

Just then, the barbecue stall owner came over, carrying a plate of freshly grilled beef skewers. He set them down on the table with a smile and asked, "You folks are out this late for a barbecue? You don't look like locals."

Chen Jing casually replied, "We're just here for a trip."

The owner nodded and chuckled, "Well, you're lucky. This area's been haunted recently—almost no one dares to come out at night. It's rare to see people eating here so fearlessly."

All three of them froze mid-bite.

"Haunted?" Chen Jing raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

The owner sighed and lowered his voice. "The past few nights, people have seen strange black shadows moving around. Sometimes, you can even hear whispers, like… something is speaking, but you can't quite make out the words."

Xuanqing Zhenren took a bite of his beef skewer, his eyes glinting with intrigue. "Oh? That sounds interesting."

The owner continued, "A few nights ago, a taxi driver was passing through. He swore he saw a tall man in black standing under a streetlamp. But when he looked back a second later, the figure was gone."

Chen Jing felt a chill creep up her spine. "That… does sound pretty creepy."

"That's why business has been so bad lately. Almost no one comes out at night anymore," the owner sighed. "You folks better be careful and don't stay out too late."

With that, he turned and walked off to tend to other customers.

The three of them exchanged glances, none of them speaking for a moment.

After a brief silence, Xuanqing Zhenren licked the seasoning off his fingers and grinned mischievously. "Looks like we've stumbled upon something interesting again."

Chen Jing rolled her eyes. "Please, don't go looking for trouble."