Chapter 5 Night of Fear
The cold night wind howled across the mountains as a streak of light shot through the darkness at terrifying speed.
Zan Yunxiao moved like a phantom beneath the moonlit sky, his figure flickering across the forest faster than mortal eyes could perceive. Trees blurred past him one after another while spiritual energy surged wildly beneath his feet.
For the first time since obtaining cultivation, true panic had appeared within his heart.
Tianming…
His fists unconsciously tightened.
Please be safe.
The mountains at night were no place for ordinary children. Even seasoned hunters rarely dared to venture too deeply after sunset, especially now that rumors of monsters had begun spreading throughout the surrounding villages.
And yet his son was inside that forest.
Every second that passed only deepened the anxiety within Zan Yunxiao’s heart.
Meanwhile, deep within the mountain forest, a faint trembling sound echoed from inside a dark cave.
Four children were huddled together in fear.
Their clothes were dirty and torn from running through the forest, while several scratches covered their arms and legs where sharp branches had cut into their skin. One child quietly cried while hugging his knees, another repeatedly muttered that he wanted to go home, and the remaining children wore expressions filled with terror and helplessness.
Outside the cave, distant growls occasionally echoed through the forest.
Every time the sound appeared, the children instinctively trembled.
Among them, Zan Tianming sat near the cave entrance while gripping a broken wooden stick tightly in his hand. Compared to the others, his condition looked slightly worse. Bruises could be seen across his arms and face, and dirt covered most of his clothes as though he had struggled fiercely against something earlier.
Yet despite his injuries, he still forced himself to remain calm.
One of the younger children looked at him fearfully.
“T-Tianming…” the child whispered shakily, “is the monster still outside?”
Zan Tianming clenched the stick tighter before carefully peeking toward the darkness outside the cave.
The cold wind brushed against his face.
But he could not see anything.
“…I don’t know,” he admitted quietly.
The cave immediately became even more silent after hearing that answer.
Another child suddenly began crying harder.
“I want to go home…” he sobbed while shaking. “M-My mom said monsters eat children…”
Hearing this, fear immediately spread among the others once again.
Even Zan Tianming’s face became slightly pale.
After all… he was still only a child.
No matter how brave he tried to act earlier, after being chased through the mountain forest by a monstrous creature, fear had already begun creeping into his heart as well.
Still, as he looked at the terrified children around him, he gritted his teeth and forced himself to stay strong.
“D-Don’t cry,” Zan Tianming said firmly despite the trembling in his own voice. “Our parents will definitely come to save us.”
A low growling sound suddenly echoed from the darkness outside the cave.
The sound was deep and savage, causing the terrified children inside to instantly stiffen.
Then panic erupted.
Several children immediately began crying loudly, their small bodies trembling uncontrollably as fear spread through the cave like cold water. Even Zan Tianming’s face turned pale as he tightly gripped the broken wooden stick in his bruised hands.
The growling became closer.
Closer.
Then slowly, a figure emerged from the darkness beyond the cave entrance.
Under the dim moonlight, its appearance finally became visible.
It resembled a wild dog, but far larger and far more terrifying. Dark fur covered its body, its claws were sharp like blades, and its scarlet eyes glowed with hunger as saliva dripped from its exposed fangs.
The moment the monster appeared, the children nearly collapsed in fear.
One child buried his face while crying loudly.
Another kept muttering that they were going to die.
Even Zan Tianming’s legs trembled violently.
Yet despite the fear consuming him, he still forced himself to step forward and stand in front of the others.
Because behind him…
Were children even more terrified than he was.
The monster lowered its body slightly.
Then suddenly.
ROAR!
It lunged directly toward Zan Tianming.
At that instant, Zan Tianming’s mind went blank.
The overwhelming fear caused his feet to stiffen completely, as though his body had already given up resisting death.
But just before the monster could reach him.
A miserable cry suddenly rang out.
It sounded like a dog being strangled.
Zan Tianming’s eyes widened.
The monster had stopped in midair.
No.
Someone was holding it.
A figure stood silently before him beneath the moonlight, one hand tightly gripping the monster’s neck as though restraining nothing more than a helpless animal.
The savage creature struggled wildly, clawing and growling in madness, yet it could not move even an inch.
The familiar figure slowly turned his head.
“Tianming.”
The moment Zan Tianming saw that face, the fear within him instantly collapsed.
“…Dad…”
His voice trembled faintly.
“You’re here…”
The tension supporting his exhausted body finally disappeared, causing his vision to blur as his legs gave out completely.
Before he could fall, Zan Yunxiao immediately caught him with his free arm.
After confirming that his son’s injuries were not life-threatening, Zan Yunxiao slowly lifted his gaze toward the other frightened children nearby.
They were bruised, scratched, and trembling in fear.
The moment he saw their condition, the temperature around him seemed to drop.
Then his eyes slowly shifted toward the struggling monster still trapped in his left hand.
A cold fury quietly surfaced within them.
This creature…
Had dared hurt his son.
Without a word, Zan Yunxiao’s grip gradually tightened.
Crack.
The monster’s struggles immediately became violent.
Crack—!
Its bones began breaking one after another beneath his fingers.
Finally.
SNAP.
Its neck twisted unnaturally before the body instantly went limp.
Zan Yunxiao casually released his hand.
The monster’s corpse fell heavily onto the ground, lifeless.
Dead just like that.
The cave became completely silent.
The terrified children stared blankly at the scene before them, their tear-filled eyes filled with shock and disbelief.
To them, the terrifying monster that nearly killed them…
Had been crushed effortlessly by Zan Tianming’s father.
Zan Yunxiao adjusted the unconscious Tianming in his arms before looking toward the remaining children.
“It’s alright now,” he said calmly. “I came to take all of you home.”
The moment those words were spoken, the children finally stopped crying.
One by one, they carefully stepped out of the cave and moved closer to him, instinctively grabbing onto his robe as though holding onto the safest thing in the world.
At that moment, to those frightened children.
Zan Yunxiao looked no different from a guardian descending from the heavens.
Meanwhile, back in the village, chaos had already spread.
Parents anxiously gathered near the entrance while discussing the missing children in panic. At the same time, whispers about Zan Yunxiao’s earlier disappearance continued circulating among the villagers.
“Did you see it earlier?”
“He vanished like an immortal…”
“Could Yunxiao really be a cultivator?”
The atmosphere was restless and tense.
A figure appeared at the village gate.
The discussions immediately stopped.
Everyone turned toward the entrance in shock.
Under the moonlight stood Zan Yunxiao, carrying the unconscious Zan Tianming in one arm while several frightened children followed closely behind him.
For a brief moment, silence covered the entire village.
Then the children suddenly burst into tears and ran toward their parents.
“Mom!”
“Dad!”
The villagers hurriedly embraced their children while crying in relief.
At the same time, Xueyun rushed toward Zan Yunxiao with reddened eyes.
Without hesitation, she tightly hugged both him and Tianming, her body trembling from lingering fear.
“What happened?” she asked anxiously. “What happened in the mountains?”
Zan Yunxiao looked at her quietly before speaking in a calm voice.
“I’ll explain tomorrow.”
Xueyun nodded weakly after seeing the exhaustion hidden in his expression.
Soon, the family quietly returned toward their home together.
As for the villagers, although countless questions still filled their hearts especially regarding whether Zan Yunxiao was truly an immortal cultivator none of them spoke further tonight.
Because compared to everything else…
The safe return of the children mattered most.