Monsters Rampant, I Won't Let You Hide From Me Anymore

It was daytime, yet the sky above the city was shrouded in dark clouds.

The entire city was plunged into darkness.

Demon Creatures surged into the streets like a violent storm, bringing endless destruction and terror.

Their massive forms loomed ominously, their grotesque faces illuminated by flickering flames, making them appear even more horrifying.

They swung their enormous claws, wantonly tearing through everything in their path.

Skyscrapers collapsed like paper under their assault, cars on the streets were overturned and set ablaze.

Debris flew in all directions, thick smoke billowed, and in an instant, the city was engulfed in a sea of fire.

A towering Demon Creature, its body radiating a crimson glow, stood atop the ruins of a half-destroyed building. Its form seemed like a fusion of jagged rock and grotesque biology, covered in sharp spines, with thick limbs and skin as rough and hard as stone.

Its eyes gleamed with an eerie light, as if brimming with boundless malice.

"ROAR!"

The rock-like Demon Creature let out a deafening bellow.

It raised its massive forelimbs and leaped from the building, slamming into the ground with devastating force.

BOOM!!

The impact sent fissures spiderwebbing across the earth, and nearby structures crumbled instantly under the shockwave, dust and debris filling the air.

Amid the chaos, the Demon Creature began to transform.

Right before the eyes of the terrified onlookers, its body split apart, dividing into multiple identical copies.

Though smaller in size, these clones retained the same terrifying strength.

Each one radiated the same murderous intent and destructive power, spreading out to annihilate everything around them.

A surviving citizen watched in horror as the clones surrounded him from all sides, their movements swift and coordinated, forming a nightmarish hunting net.

"Help! Stay away!" he screamed, but his voice was drowned out by the Demon Creatures' roars.

"Damn it! What kind of monsters are these? They’re not even in the bestiary!"

"What do we do? The leader’s gone, the top fighters have evacuated headquarters—we can’t hold them off with just us!"

"Quick! Has anyone called for reinforcements from neighboring cities?"

"It’s too late... even if they teleport in, it’ll take time..."

Nearby, a group of warriors tried to mount a defense, but their attacks barely fazed the Demon Creatures.

Blades sliced through their rocky bodies, only for the sand-like fragments to reform instantly.

Whenever the warriors closed in, the creatures leaped high, splitting into dozens of smaller copies mid-air and attacking from all angles, leaving no room to counter.

Worse yet, the fragments could merge back together, forming even larger and more destructive entities.

"These things can’t be killed!"

One warrior cried out in despair, his sword coated in dust but not a single drop of blood.

The clones continued their rampage, while other Grand Master-level Demon Creatures wreaked havoc unchecked.

The city burned, its flames consuming all hope.

Their roars and the sounds of destruction melded into a hellish symphony.

The air reeked of blood and gunpowder, thick smoke blotting out the sky, drowning the city in fear and despair.

Screams and pleas for help echoed through the night, filled with terror.

Children wept, parents shielded their families, desperately trying to escape the nightmare.

Elderly survivors crawled through the rubble, searching for loved ones.

Blood ran through the streets, staining the once-bustling city crimson.

"Someone, please! Help us!"

A young woman sobbed, her voice breaking with despair as she knelt beside her husband, who lay motionless in a pool of blood.

"Protect the civilians! Stop these monsters!"

The lead warrior shouted, rallying his squad to charge.

"No! Stay back!"

A young boy cowered in a corner, his eyes wide with fear as a Demon Creature advanced, its jagged claws glinting in the dark.

But the creatures were beyond their strength.

The warriors fought valiantly, yet one by one, they fell.

Blood sprayed, screams cut short.

One warrior was torn apart by a single swipe of a claw.

Another tried to save him, only to be pounced on and killed instantly.

Within minutes, the battle was over.

Every warrior lay dead.

The city’s sky was thick with the stench of blood, the ruins illuminated by fire like a scene from hell.

The cries of survivors filled the air, a chorus of grief and hopelessness.

"My God... what do we do now?"

A survivor collapsed to his knees, tears streaming down his face.

The city had descended into chaos, as if the apocalypse had arrived.

Demon Creatures roamed freely through the wreckage, bringing only death and ruin.

Hope had vanished, leaving only darkness in its wake.

In the shadows, Old Gao clenched his fists, watching the carnage unfold.

He sighed, speaking softly to the raven perched on his shoulder.

"Young Master... is this truly necessary? They won’t know they can’t die. Those who survive will only hate you more."

Gu Yan’s voice was calm.

"No explanations. This is part of the plan."

"Young Master..."

Old Gao shook his head.

Was it worth it?

What kind of enemy could justify such extremes?

Reinforcements from nearby cities had been alerted, but activating the teleportation arrays took time.

And in that brief window, the Demon Creatures could slaughter everyone.

The people were furious, bewildered—why had no elite fighters come to their aid?

Why had even the alliance leader, Long Tianyun, failed to appear?

Where had they all gone?

Just as despair reached its peak—

WHOOSH!

A spatial rift tore open.

From it stepped a figure, cold and unreadable.

Leng Qingqiu’s expression was icy, unmoved by the devastation before her.

Her presence alone was like a freezing wind, silencing the chaos in an instant.

Before anyone could react, she moved.

With a mere flick of her wrist, twenty-six psychic blades materialized behind her and shot forward like a storm.

The slaughter began anew.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Sword light streaked through the air like lightning, cutting through the darkness.

Every streak of swordlight was like the scythe of death, mercilessly reaping the lives of the Demon Creatures.

Whether they were towering monstrosities or smaller spawn that split apart, none could survive even a moment beneath that blade.

Wherever the swordlight passed, Demon Creatures burst apart, reduced to ashes.

Those Grand Master-level Demon Creatures, who seemed like gods and demons in the eyes of others, now appeared utterly fragile and powerless before Leng Qingqiu.

Her figure darted across the battlefield like a ghost, her swordsmanship flowing like water—every strike precise and lethally potent.

Her sword energy wove through the air like a vast net, ensnaring every Demon Creature without exception.

"Boom—"

A deafening explosion erupted as Leng Qingqiu's sword energy detonated midair, unleashing a shockwave that instantly pulverized the surrounding Demon Creatures.

For a moment, the entire city seemed enveloped in her sword energy, the air thick with the stench of blood and gunpowder.

The ruins, illuminated by flickering flames, looked like a scene from hell. Yet Leng Qingqiu's presence was a piercing light, tearing through the darkness.

"Who is she?"

A surviving citizen muttered in awe, eyes wide with shock.

"Leng Qingqiu! The head of the Sword Holding Department has come to save us!!"

Another cried out, voice trembling with hope.

Leng Qingqiu did not respond. She simply continued wielding her sword, her energy surging like a storm, sweeping through the battlefield.

Every strike carried boundless killing intent and icy ruthlessness, annihilating every last Demon Creature.

Finally, the glow of a teleportation array lit up as reinforcements arrived—but all they found was a battlefield already cleansed by her sword.

Not a single Demon Creature remained.

Leng Qingqiu sheathed her blade, her cold gaze sweeping over the ruins without a flicker of emotion.

"Director Leng! Thank you for saving us!"

A survivor shouted, voice brimming with gratitude and reverence.

Still, she gave no reply. Instead, she turned, her piercing eyes seeing through walls to lock onto a familiar life essence.

She was about to leave.

"Gu Yan!! You’re not getting away!"

Her fists clenched, and in a flash—she lunged forward.

Meanwhile, on Gu Yan’s end—

He seemed to sense her approach. After sending Old Gao ahead, he transformed into a crow.

"Hummm—!"

A rift tore open before him, and from it emerged a pale, delicate hand—

It seized Gu Yan in his crow form.

Leng Qingqiu’s voice and figure followed instantly: "Gu Yan! What are you trying to do?!"

"You’ve slaughtered so many, destroyed this city."

"Our enemy shouldn’t be them!"

Trapped in her grip, Gu Yan peered through the crow’s eyes at Leng Qingqiu’s life essence.

In his vision… it was just as dazzling.

The next second—

The crow’s body began to swell in Leng Qingqiu’s hand.

Gritting her teeth, she released him just in time.

"Bang—!"

An explosion erupted as the crow shattered into fragments before her.

But Leng Qingqiu had already resolved not to let him escape again.

With a flick of her right hand, a dark aura coalesced in her palm.

She had locked onto Gu Yan’s essence with her spiritual sense—no matter where he fled, even to the ends of the earth, he wouldn’t escape.

"Hummm—!"

Another rift opened, and Leng Qingqiu stepped through.

"Gu Yan! You can’t hide from me any longer!"