22 Daemon and god calamity
Stunned at the amazing sight of several people frozen in fighting postures, Li Chen's eyes narrowed.
He saw fire frozen in midair, the claws of a possessed cultivator about to dig into a woman's abdomen, and a spear about to shatter as it couldn't break through a possessed metal cultivator's impregnable skin.
He calmly watched a tablet, a table, and a cushion drawn by an invisible force. Li Chen walked past the set and tried to shift the woman to avoid her imminent death but his hands phased through her.
His irises dilated and he turned his head back towards the set. 'So I can't do anything other than draw in moments like this.'
Staring at the claws, which had already opened tiny wounds in the woman's abdomen, Li Chen sighed, walked back, and sat down.
The moment he sat, his demeanor changed. He gracefully picked up the ink pen, his eyes burning bright gold like the first time Xiu Ying saw him!
'First, what will be the outcome?' He thought, looking around. He saw villagers being slaughtered by those who had been possessed while the cultivators struggled to fend for themselves.
Kids were about to be ripped apart by the cultivators, who were controlled by daemons—beings of absolute madness and rage.
The sun was bright, and the village looked beautiful but the scene pierced deep into his soul. They were his creations.
[What do you want me to draw here? They'll eventually die.]
His voice, laden with helplessness, rang. Suddenly, he turned and found the innkeeper paused mid-air. In her arms were her daughter and the red-headed kid!
She jumped from the upper floor to avoid the possessed cultivator, who lunged toward her like a hungry lion.
It was the same woman who screamed for help earlier!
Not willing to wait for a response, Li Chen turned back to Old Li and saw the old man facing a stout man.
The man had cat ears, long fangs that his lips couldn't hide, fiery eyes, and a long tail. He stood atop a roof, looking down at the massacre with an aloof expression.
[No wonder it all erupted like this. They're led by a god.] Li Chen's tone grew solemn.
Calamities had two personalities: daemons were those that made a cultivator go berserk, while gods had prideful characters, sometimes rational thoughts, and control over the cultivator's knowledge.
'It's a peak immortal Daoist-level Calamity!'
Tightening his grip, he quickly drew the god calamity dead with blood all around him but the scene was erased.
'Well, that was anticlimactic.'
He quickly noticed open spaces to act on and began drawing once again. This time he made a cultivator slam a daemon against his carriage, shattering it and sending Old Li's sword flying.
Drawing the two frightened Ferghana horses disrupting the balance of the battle at his right, Li Chen stared at his sketched work in silence. His eyes located a dog and he drew a scene of it rushing to save kids and dying in their place.
Noticeably leaving space for him to fill in, he completed the work, and the tablet, cushion, and table vanished.
The moment time resumed, Li Chen grabbed a piece of wood from the destroyed carriage and threw it.
Infused with sword intent, the small piece of wood became a deadly weapon as it streaked through the air.
It pinned the possessed woman to the wall and Li Chen grabbed the innkeeper before she could hit the ground.
Before she could speak, he flickered away. His eyes flashed as he saw a brown dog rush in front of a daemon and be ripped apart.
With arms covered in blood, the possessed cultivator, who was controlled by the Daemon, grabbed the kids.
Suddenly, alarm bells rang in his head but the gleam of a sword was already before him. Piercing through the cultivator's heart, Li Chen swiftly removed his sword and kicked him against the wall of a building.
He stared at the sobbing kids and the dead dog for a short while before leaving.
With the aggressive daemons focusing on the horses, the cultivators killed them and went to help the villagers.
"You will be my meal." The god calamity snickered at Old Li. His smile revealed his white set of fangs!
"What level is my sword intent again?" Old Li muttered to himself, counting with his fingers.
"You dare ignore me, you pitiful human!" The god-calamity growled and jumped.
"Devouring flames"!
Flames spewed from his lips but Old Li casually stomped the ground and a wall of earth rose.
At that moment, his sword flew towards him and he grabbed the hilt.
SHING —!
A sword radiance left the silver sword, cleaving through a tree after the god calamity dodged. His brows knitted when he noticed Old Li wasn't like the rest he feasted on.
"Fire Body Technique"!
"Wheels of destruction"!
Flames billowed off the calamity and two 1.5-meter-tall wheels made of fire spun above him. The temperature rose drastically, causing Li Chen, who watched the fight, to frown.
'What's that old man doing?!'
"You think that with just great success in mortal-grade techniques, you will be able to compete with a great master swordsman with 6th-level sword intent." Old Li blabbered about, grabbed his gourd, and filled his mouth.
"DIE!" With a great roar, the god calamity bolted toward him yet Old Li flickered away, avoiding the path that was devoured by flames.
Without looking back, a sharp light flashed through Old Li's eyes and his grip tightened.
SLASH—!
His blade whipped backwards and a hundred sword radiances filled the air. With powerful momentum, they split the god calamity into several parts.
The scene left Li Chen in great awe. Watching those brilliant sword lights move in synchronized harmony, he found himself yearning to grasp the intricate secrets within that technique.
As the battle dwindled, Li Chen walked back to the inn and saw the Daemon he pinned to the wall about to free herself.
The second she left the wall, she found her small head within a strong palm.
BAM —!
Li Chen lifted her and slammed her against the ground.
BAM—!
He slammed her against the hard wooden wall, causing her to twitch.
"Pftt!" The big-eyed girl, who had shed tears a moment ago, struggled to keep a straight face. The red-headed kid was already holding his stomach, laughing to his heart's satisfaction as Li Chen kept slamming the poor daemon against the ground.
"You can't get rid of a daemon like that." Walking into the scene, Old Li shook his head.
BAM—!
This time, a black smoke left the woman and Li Chen constrained it with his energy. "Look, I just got rid of it."
