Chapter 761: A True Hero Recognizes the Situation and Acts Accordingly

"A demon?"

The moment the Dragon Dancer was taken, Chu Liang reacted instantly. As the strongest cultivator present, he became a gust of wind, darting after the fleeing figure.

The shadowy figure moved swiftly, gliding through the alleys of the City of Azure Waves like a wisp of black smoke. In mere moments, it had already escaped beyond the city walls, leaving behind a faint trail of demonic qi.

However, Chu Liang had already closed the distance. Seeing the shadowy figure right in front, he raised his Demon-Slaying Sword high!

As he was scared that he might accidentally hurt the Dragon Dancer, Chu Liang slashed with only twenty percent of his true strength.

This strike might not kill the Dragon Dancer, but it would be fatal for the black demonic entity ahead!

A brilliant arc of sword light tore through the night sky, striking the target in an instant. A burst of blood erupted from within the swirling black mist, and the figure plummeted from the air, crashing into the dense forest below.

By now, they had left the city far behind. The wilderness stretched endlessly beneath them, shrouded in darkness. Chu Liang descended swiftly, following the lingering trail of demonic qi. Within moments, he caught up to the culprit again. However, there was no sign of the figure and only a blood-stained demon core lying on the ground.

Chu Liang immediately understood the situation.

No wonder his Demon-Slaying Sword hadn’t reacted as it would against a demon. The target turned out to not be an actual demonic creature but a human.

This person had killed a demon beforehand and carried the demon core in their mouth while kidnapping the Dragon Dancer, creating the illusion of a demon abducting a human. If needed, they could discard the core mid-flight, throwing off any pursuers.

However, unfortunately for the culprit, he didn't expect Chu Liang to catch up so quickly and strike with such fierceness and decisiveness.

If Chu Liang hadn’t been here today, the kidnapper would have gotten away with it. By the time the cultivators of the City of Azure Waves arrived, they would have found nothing but the demon core, while the real culprit would have long escaped an unknown distance away.

Chu Liang spread his divine sense, scanning the surroundings. However, he couldn't find any traces of the culprit. Chu Liang was certain that the kidnapper hadn't gone far so where could he be?

Even if he was human, he would have needed to use his foundational qi to activate a divine skill and flee. If he hadn't, then he simply wouldn’t have had enough time to escape beyond reach.

After a brief moment of thought, Chu Liang retrieved a bright red helmet, shaped like the oversized head of a shrimp.

This was the Crimson Devil Helmet. Although its design was rather embarrassing, its power was undeniable.

Without hesitation, Chu Liang wore the Crimson Devil Helmet, transforming into a shrimp-headed man.

The divine sense of a seventh-realm cultivator, now greatly amplified by the helmet, surged outward once more. Instantly, his perception expanded, sweeping across the entire mountain. He could sense everything—even the gaps between tree roots.

Boom!

Like a tidal wave, his divine sense flooded every crevice, probing deeper and deeper until at last, he detected faint traces of a blood-stained aura beneath a nearby mountain fissure. The depths of the crack were shrouded in darkness, revealing what appeared to be an underground cavern.

It seemed the culprit had made thorough preparations.

As Chu Liang pursued the kidnapper, he couldn't help but wonder—why was it that every time he left home, trouble seemed to follow? No matter his destination or purpose, he always found himself wrapped up in some unexpected crisis.

Was he the unlucky one? Or were the bad guys simply too unfortunate to run into him?

Boom!

Slashing forward with the Demon-Slaying Sword, Chu Liang cut a clear path through the mountain fissure and into the underground cavern.

The passage stretched deep and long, yet it was dry and clean—signs that someone had been maintaining it. Apart from the lingering demonic qi, fresh droplets of blood had begun to appear on the ground—proof that the person ahead was seriously injured.

His swordlight illuminated the darkness as he pressed forward swiftly. Before long, he spotted them.

A shadowy figure strode ahead, side by side with the Dragon Dancer, whose vibrant robes stood out in stark contrast. The two were approaching a faint opening of light in the distance and were just a few steps from escaping. The moment they heard the approaching sword qi, both figures visibly tensed.

𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"Where do you think you're going?!" Chu Liang’s voice rang out like thunder.

He raised his longsword, its sharp edge crackling with power.

This time, even if he held back and used only twenty percent of his strength, there was no way the injured kidnapper could escape again!

Yet, just as he was about to strike, something unexpected happened. The Dragon Dancer suddenly turned around and cried out, "Nooo!"

…

Just as Chu Liang was about to strike down the kidnapper and rescue the Dragon Dancer, she suddenly turned around.

She lashed out with her palm to intercept his attack, clearly blocking the sword for the kidnapper.

Chu Liang's sword froze mid-swing, stopping just before it could land the finishing blow.

Chu Liang barely reacted to her strike. With her cultivation level, likely in the fourth or fifth realm, and her focus on the Dao of Dancing, she posed no real threat to him. Even if he stood still and let her hit him as much as she wanted, she wouldn’t leave a scratch.

However, to prevent his Jiuli Soul Armor and transcendent form from reflexively injuring her, he flicked his wrist and threw the Demon-Binding Rope.

Whoosh!

With a flash of light, the Demon-Binding Rope shot forward, wrapping around the Dragon Dancer in a tight tortoise-shell restraint before she collapsed to the ground.

Chu Liang turned back toward the crevice, but the culprit was already gone. Even as he extended his divine sense, searching for any lingering traces, he found nothing—the kidnapper had completely vanished.

Chu Liang glanced down at the Dragon Dancer, still bound on the ground, but made no move to go after the kidnapper.

What had seemed like a straightforward kidnapping was clearly far more complicated than he had assumed. With how she reacted to the attack, the situation was clearly not as simple as it seemed. Since he didn’t yet understand the full situation, he chose not to act recklessly.

At the very least, he had managed to rescue the Dragon Dancer safely and that was enough.

And yet…the way she looked at Chu Liang was of fear and trepidation. She looked even more afraid than when she had been taken away by the kidnapper.

“There’s no need to be afraid,” Chu Liang reassured her. “The bad guy is gone.”

However, the Dragon Dancer's pretty eyes remained fixed on his face, and her expression clearly conveyed her thoughts:

I’m not sure who the real bad guy is here…

"I'm not a bad guy. I'm a disciple of Mount Shu… Chu Liang. You might have heard my name before," Chu Liang introduced himself, hoping that his reputation would put her at ease.

But the moment he said his name, the Dragon Dancer looked even more scared!

"You're the disciple of Di Nufeng, the Great Devil of Mount Shu? That little monster, Chu Liang?!" she stammered, her voice trembling. Her slurred words made it clear that the Demon-Binding Rope's toxins were beginning to take effect.

“Where did you hear such nonsense? Miss, don’t worry. We disciples of Mount Shu are righteous and upstanding. How could we possibly be the bad guys?”

As Chu Liang spoke, he reached into his robe and pulled out the Poison-Expulsion Whip to remove the toxins from her body.

Seeing this, the Dragon Dancer's eyes welled with tears as she choked out, "And you still claim you're not!"

In the pitch-black cave, she lay bound in an embarrassingly awkward position, while the man before her—claiming to be a good person—pulled out a whip.

He's not a bad guy. He's a pervert!

Chu Liang quickly explained, "Miss, please don’t misunderstand. This is to remove the poison from your body."

"You even poisoned me too?!"

As soon as the Dragon Dancer said this, her vision darkened, and she fainted.

"

Haaaaa

," Chu Liang sighed, just about to begin the detoxification process when sudden noises echoed from outside the crevice.

Multiple flashes of light descended, illuminating the surroundings as figures moved into position, encircling the area.

A familiar figure appeared at the entrance of the crevice, peering into the cave. It was a woman with neatly cut short hair. Her sharp gaze pierced through the darkness and her expression was utterly cold and indifferent.

She was none other than Han Lingshuang, a high-ranking official of the Royal Wave Bureau from the Fuyao Kingdom’s royal family, who had previously appeared at the Assembly of Immortal Sects.

She yelled into the cave, "Demon inside! Listen up! We have you surrounded. Escape is impossible. If you know what’s best for you, release the Dragon Dancer and surrender immediately!"

Seeing that it was someone familiar, Chu Liang shouted back, "Esteemed Senior Han, I am Chu Liang of Mount Shu! I am not some—"

"Chu Liang!"

Han Lingshuang’s eyes swept across the cave and her gaze grew colder, her killing intent surging.

The scene before her was disgusting. A woman lay bound in an embarrassingly twisted position, while a man stood over her, holding a whip. It was an unbearable sight.

Even though it was hard to believe that a prodigy of an immortal sect would do something like this, if it was Di Nufeng’s disciple from Mount Shu… it suddenly seemed very possible.

Without hesitation, she raised her voice again. "I urge you not to ruin your future! Release the Dragon Dancer immediately and surrender! This is not Mount Shu. You cannot do as you please here! Stop resisting pointlessly! And stop hoping for a lucky escape…"

She paused for a moment before adding, "You should know the old saying of the Yu Dynasty. 'A true hero recognizes the situation and acts accordingly!'"

GLTD Alternate Universe's Thoughts

Translator: GT