The night wind was bleak and chilly.

Zhu Ju’s figure appeared at the foot of a towering mountain.

It was still some time before dawn, and in the mountain village not far away, wisps of cooking smoke were already rising.

As he drew closer, Zhu Ju’s brows furrowed slightly.

He had been here twice before, observing the village in secret, and had confirmed it was an utterly ordinary place.

The villagers also showed no signs of cultivating Martial Arts.

But now...

Even against the wind, he could smell the stench of blood.

The closer he got, the stronger the smell of blood became, and the wisps of cooking smoke, usually a symbol of tranquility, now seemed abnormal.

"CRACK!"

A dry twig snapped underfoot. Zhu Ju stopped, his eyes fixed on a strange, writhing thing by the corner of a house ahead.

’A rat?’

’How could it be so big?’

A rat the size of a piglet was nosing at the corner of the wall. After hearing the strange sound, its slick, greasy body suddenly froze.

Then, it slowly turned around.

Zhu Ju’s pupils contracted.

The rat wasn’t nosing at the wall—it was gnawing on a corpse, its mouth caked with bits of flesh and bloodstains.

A deathly silent mountain village.

Bizarre, giant rats!

A corpse being devoured by rats!

Everything seemed so utterly wrong.

"SQUEAK..."

Its crimson eyes flickered rapidly. The giant rat let out a strange "SQUEAK SQUEAK" and lunged viciously at Zhu Ju.

The distance between them was more than ten meters, yet it closed the gap and was upon him in the space of a single breath.

Its sharp fangs left no doubt that they could tear open a throat.

"CLANG..."

A long saber materialized in the path of the charging rat. The collision produced a dull, heavy sound.

’So fast!’

’Such immense force!’

Zhu Ju’s expression darkened.

That impact was comparable to a full-force blow from someone at the Perfection in Entering Strength. What in the world was going on in this world?

’How could a mere rat be this strong?’

’Damn it!’

’I shouldn’t have come without my Breaking Army Armor just to try and blend into this world. Something is very wrong here!’

Though his mind was racing, his movements didn’t falter. In a flash, his saber’s gleam streaked across the rat’s head.

"SHLICK!"

The rat’s head, the size of a fist, rolled to the ground as blood spurted from its neck.

Before he could even feel pleased, a series of chaotic rustling sounds arose from all corners of the village.

"SQUEAK SQUEAK..."

"SQUEAK SQUEAK!"

One after another, large, fat rats with black fur and red eyes swarmed out from every corner of the village. In just a few moments, they formed a black tide, surging toward Zhu Ju.

Judging by their numbers,

there had to be several hundred!

No wonder he hadn’t heard a single human voice from the entire village. They had probably all been devoured by these carnivorous rats.

’What the hell?’

His heart pounded wildly as the long saber in his hand moved, leaving behind a trail of afterimages.

His fierce and unrivaled Inner Power flowed along the blade’s edge, tearing apart one giant rat after another and sending them flying in all directions.

"THUD!"

"SQUEAK SQUEAK..."

As the rats’ strange cries continued unabated, Zhu Ju’s figure retreated again and again, gradually becoming surrounded by the swarm.

Although they couldn’t break through the defense of his saber’s light for the moment, the situation was clearly not looking good.

Facing an assault from hundreds of creatures comparable to experts at the Perfection in Entering Strength, even a master capable of Inner Qi Release would flee as far as they could.

"Donor, don’t panic!" 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Just then, a clear, crisp voice called out from behind him:

"This young Monk is here to aid you!"

"Om Mani Padme Hum! Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon! Vajra, vanquish the Demon!"

"Break!"

Following the solemn and majestic bellow, a blinding golden light erupted in the air, instantly enveloping the entire area.

Zhu Ju felt his spirits jolt. His Essence, Qi, and Spirit were instantly replenished and full, while the surrounding rat swarm fell into chaos.

’A technique that uses the Power of Heaven and Earth?’

’An Innate Qi Refiner!’

With no time to think, Zhu Ju seized the opportunity to furiously channel his Inner Qi. The light from his saber flared, scattering the swarm of rats around him.

Casting a sidelong glance behind him, his expression couldn’t help but shift slightly.

He saw that a young Monk, about ten years old, had appeared at the village entrance at some point. He was holding a Zen Staff and dealing with a few of the giant rats.

Compared to the might of the technique that had harnessed the Power of Heaven and Earth, the young Monk’s current skills were even inferior to those of an Inner Qi Martial Artist.

It took him a great deal of effort just to kill a single giant rat.

However, the golden light in the area clearly had a restraining effect on the giant rats. Under its glow, they began to scatter, losing the frenzied posture of wanting to devour everything.

"HUFF... HUFF..."

The young Monk held his Zen Staff, panting for dear life. Seeing Zhu Ju approach, he hurriedly straightened his Kasaya and bowed.

"I am Xinhai, a wandering Monk from Longmen Temple. It is a pleasure to meet you, Donor."

"Master Xinhai," Zhu Ju returned the bow.

"I am Zhu Ju. Your methods are impressive, Master. If not for Master Xinhai’s intervention just now, I fear I would have already perished."

"You flatter me." Xinhai, who had delicate features, rosy lips, and pearly teeth, showed a hint of bashfulness at the praise.

"My skills are poor. After Illuminating Profound Light, I only managed to learn one spell, the Vajra Exorcism Spell. My power is very limited."

"If it weren’t for Donor’s exceptional Martial Arts, we wouldn’t have been able to repel this pack of Human-Devouring Demon Rats!"

’Profound Light?’

’Demon Rats?’

Zhu Ju’s eyes flickered. He cupped his fists and said:

"Master Xinhai, I have never left the mountain since I began my apprenticeship. There are many things I don’t understand. I was wondering if you could enlighten me on a few matters."

"Of course," Xinhai nodded.

"But there are still survivors in this village. We should rescue them first."

’Survivors?’

A look of confusion crossed Zhu Ju’s face. He then saw Xinhai hurry to a courtyard and shout down into the well:

"Can the people inside hear me? The Demon Rats have retreated. You can come out now!"

"RUSTLE RUSTLE..."

Faint sounds came from below, followed by two blurry figures of children peeking out from halfway down the well wall.

’There really are survivors!’

"Master, your hearing is incredible!" Zhu Ju couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.

"It’s nothing," Xinhai said with a humble smile.

"I have just cultivated the Buddhist Sect’s Celestial Ear Technique, so I can hear a bit more clearly. Donor should be able to do it as well."

"Not at all," Zhu Ju shook his head.

"For me to achieve that, I fear it would take at least ten more years of hard training."

’Such sharp hearing would likely require a Physical Body at the Inner Refining Third Realm. Ten years was already an optimistic estimate.’

"How could that be?"

Xinhai, however, looked astonished.

"Donor, you have also opened your Profound Light. A similar Method shouldn’t be difficult to cultivate. Perhaps your Method is just different."

’Profound Light?’

’Profound Light again.’

"Amitabha Buddha!"

Lowering his head, a look of sorrow appeared on Xinhai’s face.

"These two children’s minds have been assaulted by Evil Qi. I’m afraid they remember nothing beyond instinct now."

"Donor, could you please get them out?"

Although he had mastered techniques similar to those of an Innate Qi Refiner, it seemed they came with significant limitations.

"One moment." Zhu Ju scanned his surroundings, found a long rope nearby, and went to the well’s edge, tossing it down gently.

"SWOOSH!"

Under his precise control, the long rope wrapped tightly around the two below, and with a pull of his strength, he hauled them out.

The two who had been hiding in the well looked somewhat similar; they must be a brother and sister.

The older sister was about ten, the younger brother six or seven. Both had vacant eyes, as if they had lost their minds.

"Amitabha Buddha!"

Xinhai once again put his palms together and bowed.

"The shock from Evil Qi is difficult to heal. Fortunately, it hasn’t been long. We must get them to Bamboo Mountain Temple as soon as possible and ask a High Monk to perform a ritual to expel the Evil Qi."

"Donor Zhu, would you be able to accompany me?"

His face was full of hope, and his eyes stared intently.

"I have other matters to attend to, so I’m afraid I cannot go with you." Zhu Ju shook his head. His time in this Otherworld was limited; he could be pulled away at any moment. Moreover, after an incident like this, he needed to think long and hard about how to interact with this world.

"But before that, shouldn’t we bury the bodies here first?"

"Donor, you have a kind and compassionate heart." Xinhai’s face showed a hint of shame.

"You are right!"

Zhu Ju smiled. ’From our brief interaction, this young Monk, Xinhai, seems utterly pure and kind. He might be a good entry point for learning about this world.’