Chapter Fifteen: Dawn Has Broken

Right now, Shen Chang’an could sum up his feelings in a single word: numb.

He was giving it everything he had, but at best all he could manage was to smash a few withered old vines with his alloy staff. But perhaps because he was in the heart of the enemy’s lair, these vines, after being broken for a short while, would somehow slither back up to the giant tree. No matter how hard he fought, he just couldn’t finish them off.

“What the hell is this? Weren’t you supposed to eat me? Why switch targets now?”

Shen Chang’an felt his scalp tingle. This was a flag officer from the Demon Purging Division—if he were to die here, there was simply no way Shen Chang’an could explain himself.

Back when he was with the old Daoist, he’d already heard plenty about the Demon Purging Division’s methods. After he set out on his own, their reputation only became more deeply ingrained in his mind. The people who joined the Division were a motley crew from all walks of life. Some, like the flag officer who’d tried to kill Shen Chang’an for the reward, still managed to get in—so one could well imagine what kind of people they were.

Yet this very group was the court’s own bloodhounds, which made them all the more unreasonable in their actions. Outside of the emperor’s authority, they cared little for anything else, and anyone who got in their way would face a severe investigation. If nothing was found, so be it; but if something was uncovered, the charges would be severe.

In such circumstances, to call the Demon Purging Division arrogant would be putting it mildly—they barely regarded others as human at all.

In an era of peace, they might have been kept in check. But now, in these chaotic times, the royal family relied on them heavily, so their lawlessness was even more pronounced.

If this flag officer died here, Shen Chang’an would likely have to make a trip to the Division himself, and there was no way he’d come out of that unscathed.

Shen Chang’an had no desire to deal with the Demon Purging Division. Not to mention he’d already killed one of their own, and none of these people were clean themselves. Getting tangled up with them would only bring endless trouble.

“Damn it, always causing me problems.”

Shen Chang’an’s expression darkened as he reached into his robes and pulled out a Qingping Demon-Banishing Talisman.

He’d thought his cultivation was now formidable, his soul guarded by powerful magic, so he wouldn’t be afraid of the tree demon. But unexpectedly, the tree demon was clever—it deliberately excluded him and instead seized Wang Yue’s soul.

Wang Yue was a cultivator too. If the demon devoured his soul, who knew how powerful it would become. By then, using the Qingping Demon-Banishing Talisman might be too late.

Shen Chang’an didn’t care about losses anymore and was about to activate the talisman. But at that moment, the tree demon let out a strange, piercing wail, then suddenly shattered to pieces.

“Huh? Committed suicide?”

Shen Chang’an was baffled. How did this creature suddenly lose all its vitality?

Just then, Wang Yue leapt down, drenched in cold sweat and gasping for breath.

“Daoist Shen... I didn’t let you down…”

Shen Chang’an stared in surprise. “You killed it?”

Wang Yue nodded, still catching his breath. “The thing underestimated me. I, Wang Yue, have read the books of sages, and nurtured a spirit of righteousness. It thought it could trap me with a soul illusion, but that was impossible.”

After a few moments, Wang Yue had more or less recovered.

Shen Chang’an nodded and said, “Since that’s the case, Flag Officer, let’s leave this place quickly.”

Wang Yue hesitated, then replied, “We can’t. There are still so many civilians here—I can’t just abandon them.”

Shen Chang’an gave a dry laugh. “That’s none of my concern, Flag Officer. Do as you please.”

With that, he turned and walked off without a backward glance.

Wang Yue was stunned. Just moments ago, this Daoist Shen had risked his life to save others, even using his soul as bait to lure the tree demon. But now, after the rescue was complete, he simply turned and left. Wang Yue couldn’t understand why.

As he pondered, people around him began to stir. Realizing they were at the bottom of the tree pit, one of them flew into a rage. “What’s going on? Who dares abandon me here?!”

Another got up, surveyed the scene, and shouted, “How dare you treat me this way? Are you all mad?!”

“Hmph, you certainly went to great lengths to deal with me.”

“Devil, prepare to die…”

Wang Yue was dumbfounded. Suddenly, he understood why Shen Chang’an had left.

These people had been trapped in the tree demon’s illusion, endlessly lost in the pleasures of their dreams, unwilling to return to reality—ruling and dominating in their fantasy worlds. Now that they’d returned to reality, this was the result.

But since he was the one who stayed behind, he couldn’t very well walk away now. Bracing himself, he said, “Everyone, you’ve woken up—don’t lose yourselves in dreams again…”

“Who are you supposed to be?”

“Hah, just a lowly flag officer, and you dare raise your voice to me?”

“Insolence…”

They berated and mocked Wang Yue, their arrogance overwhelming, leaving him dizzy and frustrated.

Meanwhile, Shen Chang’an had already strolled out of the pit.

“Hey, Daoist, you’re back! How’s everything down there?” Zheng Xin had been waiting above for some time, and hurried over when he saw Shen Chang’an return.

Shen Chang’an chuckled, “It’s taken care of. Flag Officer Wang is still below, calming the people. I won’t be joining him.”

He hadn’t seen everything that happened below, but could guess most of it.

He’d encountered people trapped in dreams before—usually due to strange plants, wicked spells, or being haunted by vengeful spirits. These people were either terrified out of their wits, or so immersed in their pleasant dreams that they refused to wake up.

Some, upon having their dreams shattered, even leapt up and chased after Shen Chang’an, wanting to beat him.

Seeing the smiles on the faces of those still dreaming, Shen Chang’an could guess how the tree demon had dealt with them. It allowed them anything they wished for within their dreams, granting every desire, wearing away their will to resist, drawing them ever deeper into the fantasy.

Shen Chang’an had no wish to interact with these people. He feared that if he heard a few more words, he wouldn’t be able to resist waking them up with more physical means.

Since the flag officer was so eager to take on the burden, Shen Chang’an was happy to leave it all to him—and hoped he wouldn’t get too much of a headache.

A faint golden light descended from the horizon. Shen Chang’an instinctively inhaled, and a surge of pure purple energy followed, causing a faint smile to spread across his lips.

“Daoist, what are you smiling about?” Zheng Xin asked.

Shen Chang’an chuckled. “It’s nothing important. Dawn is breaking. Let’s get going—we need to reach Fangcheng as soon as possible.”