Chapter 13: Mastery of Both Magic and Martial Arts

The large hammer was currently being besieged by several men. I hurried over and separated them, saying, “Let’s talk this out. There’s no need for violence.”

“Hmph! Mind your own business, or I’ll beat you up too!” snapped a young man who looked barely out of his teens.

“Lan Suo, what’s going on?” I pulled the large hammer aside and asked.

As it turned out, a few days earlier, the large hammer and his two companions had robbed this man of his money. That was why he had brought people to confront the large hammer for repayment. But the large hammer didn’t have any money on him, which had led to the current situation. “How much? I’ll cover it,” I asked.

“Five taels of silver,” the young man replied.

I took out five taels of silver and handed it to him, preparing to leave with the large hammer. But the young man added, “It was five taels, but shouldn’t there be at least five taels interest as well?”

“Don’t push your luck!” the large hammer retorted. “I only owe you five taels, and besides, I wasn’t even the one who robbed you. Go after that fat bastard if you want your money.” At this, a middle-aged man beside us interjected, “We can’t have come here for nothing. If you don’t hand over the five taels today, neither of you is leaving.”

He lunged at the large hammer, swinging a fist, but I caught his punch in mid-air and pushed him back several steps. If I hadn’t held back, his hand would have been crippled.

“If you know what’s good for you, get lost,” I said with disdain. Apparently, the group realized I wasn’t someone to be trifled with, and they hurried away. Truly, this was an era where strength spoke louder than words!

The large hammer lived near Lan Yue’s house, in a simple wooden hut. He insisted I join him for a drink. On the way, I bought a roast chicken and a pound of white liquor, then followed him into an alley. Lan Yue approached from ahead, saying, “Sir, where have you been? I was just about to look for you.”

“What’s the matter? I just went to the market. Ah! I forgot to buy the martial arts manual again.” I slapped my forehead.

“I have a martial arts manual at home,” the large hammer offered.

“Sir, why are you with him? Come home and have a meal,” Lan Yue urged.

“It’s a long story. You two go ahead and eat. I’m going to have a drink with the large hammer.” I raised the wine jug to show her.

“What’s wrong with walking with me, Lan?” the large hammer said. “I’ve turned over a new leaf. I’ve decided to stop robbing people and join this young brother in hunting monsters.”

“You’re going to the desert? I want to go too!” Lan Yue exclaimed.

I could only smile wryly and agree—when it came to beautiful women, I was powerless to say no. But I couldn’t guarantee everyone’s safety. It seemed we’d have to practice a bit around the desert’s edge first; it would be a good experience for both the large hammer and Lan Yue. After seeing Lan Yue off, I followed the large hammer to his humble hut. He produced his martial arts manual for me to see, and as I glanced at it, I was stunned into silence.

It was the Demonic Heaven Manual. The very same Demonic Heaven Manual! My hands trembled as I took it and flipped it open—no mistake, it was indeed the Demonic Heaven Manual. The manual was divided into three volumes: upper, middle, and lower. I had the upper volume, and now I’d found the middle. Unfortunately, my body was currently incapable of cultivating the Demonic Heaven Technique.

Elder Xiaoxiang once said the Demonic Heaven Manual was extremely difficult to master. Even that martial artist of the Heavenly Path back then had only reached the seventh level. If one could train to the ninth, they would be omnipotent, able to travel the heavens and the earth unhindered. I asked the large hammer where he’d gotten the book. He said he’d stumbled upon it by chance. I stowed the manual in my spatial ring. The large hammer’s eyes widened in disbelief as he saw the book vanish from my hand.

“Is that a spatial ring?” he asked, staring at my finger as if he couldn’t believe it.

“I’ve heard spatial rings are ancient divine artifacts, rarer than rare. How did you get yours?”

“An old man gave it to me,” I replied simply.

He didn’t press further. After a few rounds of drinks, I was feeling tipsy. The large hammer suggested we head to the desert together the next day. I nodded drowsily and, seeing the sky was nearly dark, bid him farewell and headed back to Lan Yue’s home. Just as I reached the door, I saw Lan Yue standing there, and she hurried forward to steady me as I staggered in.

“Had too much to drink, haven’t you? If you can’t hold your liquor, you should take it easy!”

I smiled and assured her I was fine and didn’t need her help, but she insisted on helping me inside, settling me onto the bed and covering me with a blanket. Her care warmed my heart, and I couldn’t help but think of Liu Tingting. Lan Yue closed the door and left, and as I thought of Liu Tingting, a tear slipped down my cheek. When I woke, night had fully fallen. It must have been close to midnight. I lit a candle and took out the Demonic Heaven Manual to read.

As expected, the manual was not easy to train in—at least not for someone at my current level. I returned it to the spatial ring, blew out the candle, and went back to sleep. At dawn, Lan Yue woke me. She said she wanted to go to the desert with me and had risen early to make sure I didn’t leave her behind. She went off to make breakfast, and I followed to help.

“Let me do it,” I said.

“Sir, you know how to cook?” Lan Yue looked at me in surprise.

“It’s no trouble. And call me Li Yunfei,” I replied.

After breakfast, we tidied up and prepared to set out.

“The large hammer isn’t here yet. That’s odd,” I remarked.

“No need to wait for him. The two of us can go,” Lan Yue said mischievously.

I still decided to check on the large hammer. After all, this was an adventure, not a holiday—the more, the merrier. He was still asleep when I found him. I gave him a shove, and he woke groggily—he must have drunk almost as much as I had last night. After a quick bit of preparation, the large hammer joined us for the trek to the desert. He brought a short sword, I carried a dagger, and as for Lan Yue, she was really just along for the fun—it was a bit exasperating. The morning sun shone over the endless sands, the breeze stirring the air, lending the desert a unique charm.

But it wasn’t long before the sun grew scorching. We walked for half a day without even seeing a single centipede.

We pressed onward. Just as I took another step, I suddenly felt my body sink—half my body was swallowed by sand.

“Oh no, quicksand! Lan Yue, get back!” the large hammer shouted, reaching out to grab me. But before he could grasp my hand, I was pulled under.

I felt myself sliding downward until I was suddenly wedged tight. Opening my eyes, I found myself stuck within a rocky crevice. Ahead of me yawned a vast cavern, and through the crack I could see countless giant centipedes and cockroach-like creatures. Since I was wedged in the fissure, I couldn’t squeeze forward into the cave, nor could I retreat—the stone behind was solid. I was truly trapped.

Sand covered my head, and I could only breathe through the narrow gap. I wondered if I could break through the stone, but even if I did, I’d land in the middle of the monsters’ lair. At a loss, I suddenly remembered the Demonic Heaven Manual mentioned a long-range flame attack—Netherfire.

Without hesitation, I stretched out my right hand and gathered a ball of flame. Strangely, the fire in my palm didn’t feel hot at all. Channeling my internal energy, the flame grew fiercer, enveloping my hand in fire, yet I felt no pain or heat. I flung the flame at a centipede in the cave; as soon as it touched, the creature ignited.

When the fire burned out, the centipede was reduced to a heap of black ash. Simultaneously, I felt a surge of energy rush into my body, filling me with an invigorating sensation. Why hadn’t I felt this when killing those lizard monsters? I couldn’t figure it out, but decided to wipe out all these low-level creatures first. Wave after wave of flame surged into the cave, and with each blast, invisible energies flowed into me. Before long, my fire grew weak, dwindling like a dying oil lamp. By then, the monsters in the cave had noticed me. Without the flames holding them back, the centipedes and cockroach-like beetles began crawling toward my position.

I had no choice but to fight. Clenching my fists, I smashed open the cave wall and leapt to the ground, dagger in hand. Any monster that came close was slain one after another. These mindless beasts were helpless against me. The more I killed, the stronger I felt, as if I had endless strength. After an hour, the cave floor was littered with corpses. Only then did I take a good look around.

The place where I’d fallen in wasn’t high above the ground. Monsters must have left themselves an exit route, and sure enough, in a corner of the cave was a sloping tunnel leading upward. Crawling through the narrow passage, I emerged to find the large hammer still digging frantically in the sand, while Lan Yue sobbed helplessly nearby.

“It’s all your fault, large hammer! If you hadn’t brought Brother Li, none of this would have happened!” Lan Yue complained.

“You admit it was an accident! It’s not my fault!” the large hammer retorted.

“I’m not dead yet,” I said, walking over with a laugh.

They both turned in surprise. Seeing I was unharmed, Lan Yue broke into a relieved smile, while the large hammer, still bewildered, said, “You’re a lucky one. How did you get out?”

I recounted what had happened in the cave.

“I can’t believe it! You really can practice both martial and demonic arts?”

“Both martial and demonic arts?” I echoed in confusion.