chapter 16 “Strange Place”
Lu Yan's eyes narrowed as he studied the map glowing faintly in his hands. The air around him was still, unnaturally so, as if the world itself had paused to watch his next move. He had followed the path exactly as the map dictated, yet he found himself standing in the same place where he had begun. No matter which direction he walked, it always led him back here.
A test? An illusion? Or something far more dangerous?
His fingers tightened around the crystal as he extended his Qi, probing the energy around him. It felt… layered. Like a thin veil of reality stretched over something else. He took a step forward, then another, pushing deeper into the strange sensation. His Qi fluctuated, and for a brief moment, he felt as if his entire body was weightless.
Then, the world collapsed around him.
The trees, the ground, the air itself shattered like glass. A force pulled him downward, like he had stepped off the edge of existence itself. The sensation was unlike anything he had ever experienced—his body felt as if it was being unmade and then rebuilt, stretched beyond comprehension.
Then, all at once, it stopped.
Lu Yan's feet hit solid ground. He staggered forward, breath unsteady, his body tense and ready for battle. The air was thick—too thick—almost suffocating. A strange, coppery scent lingered, sharp and unfamiliar. His eyes adjusted to the dim light around him.
He was no longer in the forest.
The sky above was an unnatural shade of red, swirling with black clouds that moved as if alive. Jagged, towering spires of obsidian-like rock pierced the land, their surfaces cracked and glowing faintly with eerie crimson veins. The ground beneath him was dark, almost volcanic, rough beneath his boots.
Lu Yan's pulse quickened. Where the hell am I?
A deep, guttural roar rumbled through the distance, and the land itself trembled in response. His senses sharpened. This place was alive—pulsing with energy, but not the kind he was familiar with. It wasn't just filled with Qi. It was filled with something else, something older. Something hungry.
His fingers tightened around the crystal. The moment he did, the voice returned, colder than before.
You have entered the Demon Realm.
Lu Yan's breath stilled. Demon Realm? That wasn't possible. The Demon Abyss was sealed long ago—nothing should be able to cross into the human world, and no human should be able to step foot into theirs. Unless…
This isn't the Abyss.
His eyes flickered across the horizon, scanning the land. He had read about abyssal demons—the monstrous entities that crawled from the depths of the void. They were grotesque, malformed creatures, with limbs too long and mouths filled with jagged, unnatural teeth.
But what he saw now was different.
Figures moved in the distance—humanoid in shape, but undeniably demonic. Some had the features of beasts—elongated ears, sharp claws, thick fur running along their arms or legs. Others had skin ashen-gray, with curved horns protruding from their foreheads, their eyes burning with an inner light. They walked upright, wearing old Chinese hanfu.
These were not mindless goblin like demons.
They were something else entirely.
Lu Yan moved swiftly, his steps light against the rough, volcanic ground. The city in the distance pulsed with an eerie glow, but he had no intention of approaching it—not yet. He needed time. Time to understand this world, to assess the dangers lurking in the shadows. He was in enemy territory, and until he knew more, every movement had to be calculated.
He crouched behind a jagged rock formation, watching as a small group passed by. Five of them—tall, humanoid figures clad in dark robes, their features a blend of man and beast. One had the head of a wolf, its silver fur glinting in the crimson light. Another had scaled skin, sharp horns curling back from its forehead. Their energy signatures were strong, but not overwhelming.
Mid-tier threats. Around Level 15.
Lu Yan held his breath, keeping his Qi restrained, making himself one with the shadows. The demons spoke in a language unfamiliar to him, their voices low and guttural. He caught fragments of their conversation—words that felt like rough stone scraping against metal. Then, just as quickly as they came, they moved on, their figures disappearing into the distance.
Only then did he exhale.
They didn't notice me.
Good. That meant their perception wasn't refined enough to detect hidden Qi.
He could use that to his advantage. But he couldn't stay exposed for long. The landscape was too open, too vulnerable. If he was going to survive in this realm, he needed shelter. Somewhere defensible. Somewhere he could observe without being seen.
He wasn't just in another realm.
He was in their territory.
And so, he moved.
Lu Yan walked....
and walked
The world around him was vast, endless, a land untouched by anything human. The cracked ground beneath his boots pulsed with a quiet, unnatural heat. The air, thick with energy, pressed against his skin, seeping into his bones. It wasn't Qi. Not exactly. It was something older, something foreign.
He kept moving.
His instincts screamed at him—Don't stop.
The mountains in the distance were jagged and vast, rising like blackened spires against the blood-red sky. Between them lay valleys of shadow, places where even the strange red glow of this world did not reach. He would need shelter before nightfall. If this place even had a night.
Lu Yan exhaled. He pushed forward.
The silence stretched, broken only by the faint crunch of his boots against the cracked earth. No wind. No rustling leaves. No distant hum of insects. The emptiness felt like a void, swallowing every sound before it could fully form.
Then—
A flicker.
His senses sharpened. His Qi coiled within him, ready to strike.
Something moved.
Lu Yan stilled. His eyes scanned the terrain, his muscles tensing, ready to react. The feeling was faint, a ripple in the air, like a stone disturbing the surface of still water. His grip tightened around the hilt of his blade.
Then, from the edge of his vision—
They appeared.
Three creatures emerged from the mist-like haze of the land, their forms shifting as they moved. Their bodies were low to the ground, sleek and fluid, almost feline in movement. But they were not cats.
Their eyes burned with Qi, their fur shimmering in the dim red light. Their limbs were long and lean, their tails flicking behind them, leaving trails of glowing symbols in the air. Their presence sent a jolt of recognition through Lu Yan's mind—these were not abyssal demons.
No, these were Beastkin.
Spirit beasts born of Qi. Creatures that thrived on energy, absorbing the world's essence to evolve, to grow stronger.
Lu Yan exhaled slowly. They were low level. He could feel it. Their energy was raw, unrefined—young. Perhaps Level 2, at most.
Not a threat.
Not yet.
But beasts, no matter how weak, were never to be underestimated. Especially not ones with Qi flowing through their veins.
The three creatures circled him, their movements cautious, measured. Their eyes locked onto him, glowing embers in the dark. Their Qi pulsed in waves, testing him, analyzing him.
Are they hunting me?
No.
If they were, they would have attacked by now.
They were curious.
They had never seen something like him before. A human. A foreign entity in their world.
Lu Yan didn't move. He met their gazes, unshaken, his Qi tightly restrained. To beasts like these, power was everything. If he flared his Qi, they would see him as a threat. If he showed weakness, they would see him as prey.
So he remained still.
Waiting.
The largest of the three took a step forward. Its fur shimmered in the dim light, its body shifting between solid and ethereal. A spirit beast on the verge of evolution.
Its eyes narrowed.
Lu Yan knew what was coming.
A test.
In a single, fluid motion, the beast lunged.
Fast.
But not fast enough.
Lu Yan moved like lightning. His body shifted at the last possible second, his footwork effortless, his Qi flowing in perfect sync with his movements. The beast's claws slashed through empty air where he had stood just moments before.
Then—
Bang!
Lu Yan struck.
His palm met the beast's side, a controlled burst of Qi rippling through his fingers. The creature yelped, its form flickering like a flame in the wind, before it tumbled back, landing gracefully on all fours.
The other two tensed. Their Qi flared, instinct demanding retaliation.
But then—
The leader let out a low, rumbling sound.
Not anger.
Acknowledgment.
The tension faded. The two smaller ones relaxed, their tails flicking in the air, the glowing symbols dissolving like mist.
Lu Yan exhaled slowly.
They accepted him.
Not as prey.
Not as an enemy.
But as something equal.
The leader of the beasts tilted its head, watching him for a moment longer, then—without another sound—it turned and leapt into the distance, its body fading into the mist-like haze. The other two followed, their forms dissolving into the red light of this strange realm.
Gone.