Chapter Thirty-four: Demon Nezha

"Chen Fan, grab it! Hurry! This creature is called a Li Li—it can take us out of here!"

To be honest, Chen Fan had zero confidence in this plan, but since Zhao Gu said so, she must have her reasons.

"Little Piggy, Brother Chicken, don't worry—I won't hurt you."

Carefully, he inched toward the Li Li, which was lying on the ground, dazed and panting.

Just as his hand touched its fur—

"Woof! Woof!"

A loud bark nearly scared the soul out of Chen Fan. He yanked his hand back instantly, stumbling a few steps as his face turned pale.

"Zhao Gu! What the hell is this thing?!"

The startled Li Li suddenly bolted, dashing frantically around before spotting the hole the two had entered through. Without hesitation, it charged straight in.

"Hey, Piggy! There are a ton of giant spiders in there!"

Before Chen Fan could finish his sentence, the Li Li had already disappeared inside.

"Woof! Woof! Woof!"

A series of urgent barks echoed from the tunnel. Then, a dense, dark mass emerged from within, writhing and shifting—it didn't take a genius to guess what it was.

There's an old saying: "A pig climbing a tree is a rare sight."

But today, Chen Fan not only witnessed a pig climbing a tree, he even saw it—fly.

He watched in stunned silence as the Li Li soared gracefully through the air, tracing a perfect arc. His mouth hung open before he finally blurted out:

"What the hell… even pigs can fly these days?!"

"Less talking, more running!"

Zhao Gu, having regained some strength, grabbed Chen Fan and leaped into the air, latching onto one of the Li Li's paws.

Just as the Li Li steadied itself, it suddenly realized something was wrapped around its legs. Eyes wide with panic, it barked a few more times before diving straight into the earth!

And then—chaos.

Dirt and debris flew everywhere as Chen Fan found himself violently dragged through solid ground.

He tried to struggle, but the moment he opened his mouth—grit and soil flooded in.

"Pfah! Pfah! Slow down! Slow down!"

The Li Li paid him no mind, digging furiously through the earth.

Soon, Chen Fan stopped begging altogether. Every time he tried, his head would just slam into more dirt. His forehead had long since become intimately acquainted with the soil.

"Fine, fine! Just go ahead and run! Pretend I'm dead already! My head? Take it! It's yours now!"

The Li Li continued its wild tunneling. Thanks to Zhao Gu's spell, Chen Fan wasn't actually hurt, but the amount of dirt he had swallowed? Probably more than all the water he had gulped down while learning to swim.

"Great. Just great. At this rate, I'm gonna get lung disease from all this dust. One more run like this, and I might as well be a coal miner."

He had no idea how long they had been tumbling through the tunnel. The monster chasing them had long been left in the dust, but the Li Li showed no signs of stopping.

"Zhao Gu! Zhao Gu! This crazy thing has no intention of slowing down! What do we do?!"

"Don't worry. We're moving faster, which means the soil is getting thinner. We should be close to the surface."

Just as she finished speaking—gravity vanished.

And then—they plummeted.

"Shit—!"

THUD!

They hit the ground hard. Not enough to break bones, but enough to make them see stars.

Chen Fan groaned, pushing himself up. He took a deep breath, then turned to glare at the Li Li with a chilling smile.

"So, Li Li, right?"

Raising his axe, he took a mighty swing at a nearby stone pillar.

CRACK! Fragments of rock shattered and flew.

"You think my head is made of dough, huh?!"

The Li Li yelped twice before immediately burrowing into the ground again.

"Get back here!"

"Chen Fan, let it go." Zhao Gu pulled him back. "We need to find Master before they start worrying."

The rest of the journey was surprisingly smooth. A few weak beasts appeared along the way, but Chen Fan chopped them down with a single swing, relishing the rare experience of bullying weaker creatures.

Eventually, they arrived back at the six-way intersection. The one-eyed giant from before lay motionless on the ground—dead beyond dead.

"Master! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." The old man, Ge Weng, nodded. "That Renfei was a tough one. Zhao Gu, are you hurt?"

"Master, I'm fine." Zhao Gu smiled before turning to glare at a certain chubby, shifty-eyed bird.

"Little Flying Elephant. Come here."

"Eh-heh… Gu, what's up?" The plump bird awkwardly rubbed its wings together but refused to move an inch closer.

Zhao Gu narrowed her eyes. "You think I don't know? We share a bond, you and I. So tell me—when I was in danger, why didn't you fly over to help?"

"Ah! Gu, you've got it all wrong! You're my best friend! I totally wanted to help, but, uh… but my stomach was acting up! I had to… relieve myself!"

"Oh?" Zhao Gu smirked, her expression deadly.

Jiang Liuyu, another disciple, casually added, "Wait, that's weird. Weren't you just playing background music for Master a while ago? When did your stomach start acting up?"

Little Flying Elephant's smile froze.

Zhao Gu chuckled. "Stomach issues, huh? Alright. Just to make sure it never bothers you again, we'll get rid of that belly. It's ruining your image anyway."

"NOOO! Gu, please! Without my belly, how will I eat all the beautiful soul bugs?! My life as a bird would be meaningless!"

Zhao Gu ignored it and walked ahead. The chubby bird flapped after her, desperately spewing flattery.

…

With Ge Weng's guidance, the group made quick work of the Six Paths, Seven Caves, and Nine Turns formation, bypassing all the traps.

Just as they were about to advance—

"AAAAAH!"

A blood-curdling scream tore through the silence!

From a nearby chamber, a group of people came sprinting for their lives, clearly being chased by something.

"Master, those are Kaiyun Sect disciples." Zhao Gu immediately recognized their uniforms.

"Hah! I knew it! A bunch of brainless brutes who rely on brute force instead of skill." Zhou Yihe sneered at their sorry state. "I bet they stirred up something nasty."

Chen Fan glanced over the panicked group but saw no sign of Master Yun, Xiong Yibao, or that girl called Xiaoyao. Then again, it made sense—those higher-ups would never risk themselves. They had probably fled long ago.

As the Kaiyun disciples grew closer, their pursuer finally came into view.

A towering, faceless creature with three heads and six arms.

With each swipe of its hand, a person was instantly reduced to ashes. The air filled with the acrid stench of burning flesh, and wherever the creature stepped, a corrosive liquid dripped from its body, sizzling as it ate through the stone floor.

Ge Weng's expression darkened.

"Mózhà… This tomb's owner was truly formidable."

He turned to his disciples.

"All of you—get on the flying kites! This is not something you can handle."

…

At that moment, a voice echoed through the tomb:

"The road is long, but I shall roam free~"