Chapter 37 - 36: The Cave
Li Ang felt a light breeze wrapping around his feet, making his body feel much lighter; the thick leather armor he wore no longer seemed so heavy.
"I’m not very good with talismans. This Featherweight Talisman was made by a friend of mine. It can last for three quarter-hours. Let’s go."
Cheng Juxiu also applied a Featherweight Talisman to himself, took hold of his sword scabbard, and began to climb the cliffs on the west side.
Li Ang quickly followed, holding a torch in his left hand and tightly grasping the Nightmare Bell in his right, pressing his finger against the tiny metal hammer inside to avoid accidentally ringing it and freezing Cheng Juxiu beside him.
That would be really awkward.
"Corpse Evils are Class Five Demons. They are usually formed from corpses that died unjustly, filled with a strong resentful aura. These corpses are buried in Gathering Yin Lands and, after absorbing Yin Qi and baleful Qi for ten to decades, are animated. The more baleful Qi they accumulate and the deeper their resentment, the more powerful they become. Once they appear, they must be eradicated immediately. Otherwise, if it consumes too much Blood Meal, the hair on its body will fall out. It then evolves from a Corpse Evil into a Class Four Corpse Demon, capable of flying through the sky and burrowing underground. At that point, it no longer fears fire or light and becomes very difficult to deal with."
Cheng Juxiu spoke rapidly, "The good news is that Corpse Evil has only recently emerged and will be naturally suppressed by the Haotian Bell. As long as the bell tolls continuously, it will struggle to move freely."
"Evolve into a Corpse Demon?" Li Ang asked doubtfully. "Can demons also evolve?"
"Some can," Cheng Juxiu explained. "Just like Martial Artists practicing Body Refinement, who can temper their muscles and sinews through Medicine Baths. Some demons can also enhance themselves in their own ways. For instance, by feeding on Blood Meal, absorbing moonlight, or drinking from pools in stalactite caves that have accumulated for ten thousand years..."
"Is that story about Fox Demons seeking investiture true?" Li Ang asked curiously. "You know, when a person is walking down a road and suddenly, a fox jumps out of the bushes wearing a hat and a robe, raising its hands above its head and asking, ’Do I look like a person to you?’ If the person answers yes, then the demon fox can transform into a human."
"Where did you hear that from?" Cheng Juxiu’s eye twitched. "You must respect the laws of heaven and earth. A fox weighing seven or eight catties, how can it instantly turn into a living human weighing seventy or eighty catties?"
"It can’t?" Li Ang sighed with some disappointment. He had been hoping for a Fox Demon to seek investiture from him, so he could immediately say, "I think you look like an engineer who could produce the three acids and two alkalis for me, achieving the foundations of modern chemical engineering!"