Crashing into Daylight

As if agreeing with this statement, loud thumping sounds came echoing from outside of the tightly shut door of the box. Even more members of the petrol squad came flooding in from outside the auction hall and headed straight for the second floor. Xu Yinian cursed out loud. 

Without any forewarning, the enthusiastic racket of bidding happening downstairs was cut to an abrupt end. All of the guests that had placed a bid earlier had their necks abnormally twisted to the same direction in unison, like ears of wheat in an open field that had been toppled over by a vicious gale.

“… They’re dead?” The bystanders muttered, “How did they die?”

Corpses with contorted necks collapsed to the ground with a thud, and terrified shrieks sent the entire auction hall into utter chaos. Dumbfounded, Xu Yinian stared across the hall. In the shadows, by the side of a certain Ghost was a floating soul. As they were standing too far apart, Xu Yinian couldn’t manage to clearly see what ability that soul represented.  

Two pairs of eyes met. 

Yu Huai’s eyes narrowed as his gaze swept past Xu Yinian’s face. It was as though the former was a god casting a condescending glance from above. 

He’d killed them.

Xu Yinian thought.

All those guests who had placed a bid had been killed by Yu Huai. 

The Wolf demon’s expression shifted slightly. He was uncharacteristically silent, a trace of astonishment flashing in his eyes. 

Nan Zhi looked in the direction of Yu Huai’s gaze. Xu Yinian was looking towards them in a daze, his jet-black eyes spilling with radiant light and overflowing brilliance. Before him, the lights in the entire room were reduced to insignificant extras. 

Nan Zhi caught on quickly, asking in jest. “Boss, why did you make a move?”

“It was dragging on for too long, I couldn’t stand it.” Yu Huai’s expression remained unchanged.

Amidst the commotion, the auctioneer’s voice echoed across the auction hall. “Contact the elders! Now!”

The petrol squad outside of the box aggressively rammed the door open, and a whole slew of patrol personnel flooded in, encircling Xu Yinian completely. He pressed a knife against the Wolf demon’s neck. “Nobody move.” 

Feeling the pulsating electricity running through the tip of the knife, the Wolf demon shivered. He was dragged up against the wall by Xu Yinian. Due to the hostage situation, the petrol squad did not dare to make any careless movements. Grabbing onto the Wolf demon, Xu Yinian jumped down without any hesitation!

Before he landed on the ground, a surge of electricity gathered beneath Xu Yinian’s feet and cushioned the impact. Tugging along the Wolf demon, he rushed towards the crowd, reuniting with Chen Ran and the others, all of whom were currently fighting with the other petrol personnel. When the auction hall had first descended into disorder, Chen Ran had already rescued Su Tang. Presently, the both of them were back to back. Chen Ran’s eyes narrowed, and raging flames rose from the ground; numerous concealed members of the petrol squad were forced to expose their identities. 

Xu Yinian repeated his same stunt, seizing the Wolf demon by the arms and shouting, “if you don’t want him to die, then step back!”

The petrol squad halted their movements, slowly retreating while keeping their eyes locked on the demon in his hands. From beginning to end, Xu Yinian hadn’t seen his other team member. He asked, “Where is Gu Xiaodong?”

With her eyes rimmed with red, Su Tang shook her head. Chen Ran spoke up, “the group behind the underground auction is very likely to be the Illusory demons’ Hall of Elders. We don’t have enough manpower, if we wait for reinforcements to arrive, things won’t look good for us.”    

Xu Yinian fell silent for a moment, composing himself. “Let’s go, we’ll talk after we get out of here!”

Gripping the Wolf demon by the neck, he retreated towards the exit with Chen Ran and Su Tang flanking him. The demons from backstage followed closely; the petrol squad did not dare to pursue too closely and could only match their pace and approach slowly. With the atmosphere unbearably tense, Wolf demon who had previously been keeping silent suddenly laughed. He leaned towards Xu Yinian’s ear, whispering at a volume only the both of them could hear. “There’s no use in taking me hostage.”

The abrupt change in temperament sent a shiver down Xu Yinian’s spine. The Wolf demon seemed to have become a completely different person, sounding complimentary as he spoke. “But you’ve made more of a scene than I’d expected.” 

The end of his sentence seemed to trigger some sort of command for the pursuing petrol squad behind them. They no longer bothered with the Wolf demon’s life, instead lunging straight for them. Xu Yinian made a prompt decision and tossed the now worthless Wolf demon towards the enemy. “Run!” 

Slam—!  The heavy slam of a shut door sounded at the same time.

“Crap,” Chen Ran halted his step. “It’s too late.”

Thud, thud!

The opportunity to escape was within reach, but of the four main doors, three slammed shut one after the other. A group of Illusory demons crowded into the main hall from the final door. They were all uniformly clothed in the black robes of their clan, and from afar formed a file of treacherous shadows.  

Behind this dense shadow, numerous pure white figures stood juxtaposed against them. Chen Ran stood frozen for a moment, as though he thought his eyes were deceiving him.

This was… the Demon Slayer Bureau’s uniform!

Xu Yinian’s eyes betrayed his astonishment. “Incredible. The Qihai branch is actually revolting?” 

“The Qihai City Demon Slayer Bureau is colluding with the Illusory demons; they’re also involved in this underground auction.” Chen Ran’s expression was grave, “The fact that they dare to show up openly… they’re here to get rid of the evidence.” 

When the chaotic fighting had commenced, most of the guests either ran or hid away. Looking across the hall, over half of the auction hall was being occupied by that deep black clan robe. Large swaths of illusions rapidly spread across the room like a poisonous fog and the demons that were closest to the entrances let out ear-piercing screams one after the other. Their vision had collapsed and their facial expressions were rigid, as though they were bearing witness to the most terrifying sight in the world.  

Demons who were trapped in illusions were powerless and could neither fight back nor resist; they were at the mercy of the illusion. Flames blazed beneath Chen Ran’s feet, and at the same time, electricity that jumped in an arc of a Jacob’s Ladder1 sprung from Xu Yinian’s fingertips. Chen Ran asked, “See that guy over there? He’s the one leading them.”

“Most of the illusions are created by him.” Xu Yinian stared fixedly at the horde of Illusory demons; among them, there was one boasting a burly figure and a pair of red irises that resembled coagulated blood. No matter the distance separating them, Xu Yinian was still able to vaguely feel the demon’s tremendous demonic power.   

Chen Ran was certain about his verdict. “With him around, we won’t be able to get away.”

Lightning suddenly gathered in Xu Yinian’s hands. Chen Ran turned his head guardedly “What are you planning to do?” 

“To capture the bandits we have to first capture the ringleader2. Kill him!” 

Before Chen Ran even had the time to react, a clap of thunder reverberated through the main hall. Seeing Xu Yinian dashing straight for the red-eyed Illusory demon, Su Tang’s face morphed into an anxious mess. “Team leader!”

Chen Ran’s decision was resolute. “Help to hold off the others! Don’t let them get in Xu Yinian’s way!” 

Backed into a corner with no way out, the demons were stirred by the potential for bloodlust, bellowing as they grappled with the enemy. With a trail marked by sparks of electricity, Xu Yinian fought his way to the back of the red-eyed Illusory demon. He viciously smashed a fist wrapped in lightning at the Illusory demon’s head, and the resultant electric current crackled from the point of contact and traveled down his spine. The red-eyed Illusory demon had been electrocuted till his face was purple and his eyes were bulging. His hillock-like form collapsed onto the ground with a loud thud.  

Xu Yinian stepped forward.

“Hahaha… Hahahahahaha…!” The red-eyed Illusory demon abruptly burst into loud laughter, slowly raising his face as he did so. Xu Yinian stopped walking, his expression changing slightly.

All of the cuts on the Illusory demon’s face had disappeared! It was not only the bloodstains, but the scorch marks from the lightning had also vanished without a trace. 

“Trying to fight me single-handedly? Pretty brave, huh, little imp?” The red-eyed Illusory demon’s smile distorted, the way he stared down Xu Yinian akin to watching a person about to die. “Go ahead and try. Do you think you’re tough enough to kill me a second time?”

… It was an illusion. 

Xu Yinian’s brows gradually knitted. He only wavered for a moment before lightning gathered in the palm of his hand again. 

Seeing that the situation was not going well, Chen Ran held back the rampage of Illusory demons, simultaneously discussing plans with Su Tang as he did so. “We won’t be able to last long if we just meet force with force. Can we try to lure all of the enemies into one place and trap them with a barrier?”

Su Tang was a little conflicted. “If the both of us work together, constructing a barrier isn’t an issue. But we won’t be able to keep it up for a long duration.” 

Chen Ran bent down to avoid a sneak attack, shouting his response as he parried the attack. “Just a few minutes is fine. As long as it buys us enough time to escape!”

Confined in the illusion, Xu Yinian gasped for air as he half-knelt on the ground, his back soaked with sweat.

No matter how he struck at it, the illusion held steady, an impregnable fortress with no sign of faltering. Even if the neck of the red-eyed Illusory demon was snapped, it would be able to recover in the blink of an eye. If he didn’t manage to find the epicenter of the array, the first one to be drained of energy and fall would definitely be him. Xu Yinian forced himself to stay calm; amidst the frantic chaos3, he suddenly noticed a little bloodstain under the Illusory demon’s eye.   

It seemed that from the very beginning, the cut under the Illusory demon’s eye had not recovered at all.

Unless…!

Xu Yinian formed a rough idea of what was going on. Lightning came crashing down like a waterfall, tearing apart a corner of the illusion as he pounced at the Illusory demon with the force of a thunderbolt! As he moved too quickly, the red-eyed Illusory demon could do nothing but suffer the brunt of the blow. Without waiting for him to react, Xu Yinian kicked him hard in the stomach.  

The Illusory demon spat out a mouthful of blood. Thud! He crashed heavily against the wall. His body jerked for a second and his head drooped. Without an ounce of hesitation, Xu Yinian’s fingers brimmed with electricity as he jabbed it into the eyes of the Illusory demon! 

The Illusory demon’s blood-colored eyes constricted slightly, but he could not escape in time. Following the fresh blood that spurted out of his eyes, the entire space seemed to have been ripped down the middle by a pair of rough hands. In the middle of this illusory space, the red-eyed Illusory demon was no different from a weak and fragile paper doll, forcibly torn into two by that pair of invisible hands!  

Sure enough, even if the illusion morphed a thousand different ways, the epicenter of the array would remain the same.

Xu Yinian wiped off the blood on his cheek, finally returning back to reality. 

After the red-eyed Illusory demon had been taken down, most of the illusions disappeared. The demons that had been trapped gradually regained consciousness, and the Illusory demons who had initially held the upper hand seemed to lose their backbone as the tides turned in their adversary’s favor. With the cooperation of everyone present, the majority of the enemies were lured towards the stage. Through the Shared Heart Incantation, Chen Ran urged Xu Yinian, the only person who was still left within the boundary of the barrier. [Hurry up and get out!] 

Glancing at the charm in Chen Ran and Su Tang’s hands, Xu Yinian immediately surmised what their plan was. In the exact instant that he rushed out of the vicinity of the stage, a pale blue barrier rose rapidly, trapping within it the Illusory demons, the petrol squad, and the Demon Slayers from the Qihai branch.  

“Not bad.” Xu Yinian landed next to Chen Ran.

“Run, this can only hold for five minutes!” Chen Ran yanked Xu Yinian in the direction of the only exit that remained. A couple of demons ran alongside them, not forgetting to send affirmative looks in Xu Yinian’s direction despite all sporting battered faces. “Not bad, you managed to take out their leader all by yourself!”

“I thought you were courting death. I didn’t think you would be reaping a harvest!”

Upon receiving an unexpected compliment, the corner of Xu Yinian’s lips rose. “It was nothing. It wasn’t that difficult to handle.” 

Chen Ran couldn’t help complaining, “You even have the time to chat?”

One demon took a close look at him, then suddenly shouted in astonishment. “Holy shit, are you Xu Yinian??”

Xu Yinian was about to answer when a sudden gust of wind blew by, slamming the final exit heavily shut. A figure stood obstructing their escape route; Xu Yinian and Chen Ran instinctively stopped walking, and the demons behind them also followed and came to a sudden halt. “What’s wrong? Why did you stop?”

Upon seeing the uninvited guest that stood before them, the demon who had been speaking only assumed that that person was blocking the way and did not recognize him yet. “Just one person? Let’s get rid of him!” 

Before Xu Yinian could stop them, numerous demons had already charged forward. A massive, looming barrier suddenly rose from the ground, causing all the demons to slam hard into the translucent barrier and grimace in pain. Taking notice of the spirit that was floating in the air, the expression of one of the demons in the crowd slipped instantaneously and convulsed with fear. “He, he’s….!” 

The translucent barrier was akin to a prison cell, firmly impeding their way out. Their original plan had been ruined in a flash. Chen Ran did not look too well; he stared fixedly at that figure, his entire demeanor on the offensive. 

The demon blocking their way was tall in stature, his features sharp and handsome. His expression was teasing and playful as he observed their unfruitful attempt to escape. It was as though he was watching ants go in circles inside a glass jar.

Even though he stood there alone, the oppressive aura that emanated from him was leagues above that of the Illusory demons that filled the room. Sensing that person’s detached gaze land on him, Xu Yinian’s breathing stalled. It was as though he was being clutched beneath the sharp claws of a fierce beast and unable to move an inch.  

Yu Huai seemed to find his tightly strung self very amusing. His eyes narrowed very slightly, his tone inordinately laced with danger.  

“Trying to run right after you make a mess, what kind of place do you think this is?”

Author’s notes:
The villain makes his appearance.

Translator’s notes:
Switched Phantom demons to Illusory demons, thought it was better suited. 

 

See fancy video here.擒贼先擒王 Qín zéi xiān qín wáng: comes from the sixth prose of 前出塞九首 by 杜甫 dù fǔ, a Chinese poet and politician from the Tang dynasty. To solve any issue you have to get to the root of the problem.电光火石间: Originally a Buddhist saying, one that describes the metaphor of the fleeting and instantaneous passing of something. Also used to describe quick action, which is the meaning I leaned towards.