# Chapter 1: Cold Wind Old Demon
The two monsters weren’t lying; Cold Wind Cave was indeed not far from where the Dark Feather Crane had landed. After around twenty minutes of walking, an entrance to an underground cave, nestled among the trees, appeared before the group.
The Dark Feather Crane didn’t follow, choosing to rest in place under Lin Nan’s orders.
Little Drill Wind and Old Drill Wind exchanged glances, their eyes sparkling with undisguised glee at the sight of her all alone.
When they first spotted her by herself, they had planned to snatch her up and present her to the Great King. But then that weird giant bird had crashed in like a bull in a china shop, leaving them sprawled on the ground. Now, with the bird gone and just this delicate little beauty left, how could she possibly stir up any trouble?
At the entrance of the cave, two Crab Monsters stood guard. Upon seeing Little Drill Wind and Old Drill Wind return, they couldn’t hide their envy, saying, “Wow, didn’t expect you two to actually bring back a woman.”
Old Drill Wind puffed out his chest in pride. “Of course! It’s all thanks to my charm. Once I’m promoted, I’ll definitely look out for you two!”
Little Drill Wind chose to remain silent.
Lin Nan could hear their cheerful chatter, but she maintained her calm demeanor, silently following the two Catfish Monsters as if accepting her fate.
The Crab Monsters opened the door, revealing a dark, winding tunnel leading underground.
Little Drill Wind looked back at Lin Nan, saying, “Don’t worry, beauty, just stick with us!”
He had started calling her “beauty,” and in the eyes of the two monsters, she was now basically trapped. Once inside the cave, even if that big bird returned, it certainly wouldn’t dig its way in. They couldn’t believe how foolish this woman was to cut off her support; she was just as clueless as Old Drill Wind.
Inside the tunnel, torches were spaced far apart, casting long, flickering shadows of the two monsters.
Lin Nan, dressed in a black dress, seemed to blend into the darkness. If Little Drill Wind hadn’t turned around every few steps, you’d think she had vanished.
“Great King, Great King!” As soon as they entered the brightly lit large cave, Little Drill Wind couldn’t help but shout loudly.
Old Drill Wind darted over to the stone table and benches in the cave, desperate to claim credit.
Lin Nan followed leisurely, taking in the sights around her.
To her surprise, the lake below was a whole different world, wide enough for eight carriages to pass side by side! No wonder the monsters had claimed this place as their own.
On either side of the path lay some fairies still fast asleep, and the strong smell of alcohol filled the air, as if a party had just wrapped up last night. There were remnants of food scattered across the ground.
A rotund figure lurked behind a curtain at the end of the cave. Hearing Little Drill Wind shout, he snapped back, “What are you shouting about? Don’t you see I’m busy?”
Peeking through the curtain, Lin Nan caught a glimpse of a couple of women gasping amidst that large figure.
Wow, the lord of a cave really was something else; no wonder all the monsters wanted his position.
Old Drill Wind quickly dashed to the curtain, dropping to his knees. “Great King! I’ve brought you a stunning beauty, and it was all my doing, not Little Drill Wind’s!”
The figure’s fat head emerged from behind the curtain, and in the dim light, he immediately spotted the breathtaking black-clothed woman following Little Drill Wind.
He suddenly found the two transformed Carp Spirits snuggling in his embrace to be dull in comparison. “Get lost, all of you!”
The Carp Spirits, their bodies still adorned with scales, huffed in discontent, glancing outside to realize a stunning human woman was there, their unsatisfied expressions only deepening.
Little Drill Wind beamed, “Great King, look!”
Old Drill Wind was kicked aside by Cold Wind Old Demon with a yelp of, “Ouch!”
Lin Nan watched with mild curiosity as the rotund man strutted his stuff. This demon wasn’t low-tier; he had completely transformed, with no hint of his original form left.
“Indeed a rare beauty!”
Cold Wind Old Demon’s eyes lit up, and he stepped forward, unable to resist getting a little handsy with Lin Nan.
Lin Nan subtly stepped back, eyeing him coldly. “So, you’re the Great King here?”
Cold Wind Old Demon laughed. “Of course! In this area, I call the shots. Beauty, don’t be afraid. Stay here with me, and I’ll make sure your youth is eternal.”
Little Drill Wind wisely stepped aside.
This time, presenting a beauty would surely make Cold Wind Old Demon exceedingly happy—he might even reward them with some experience pills to boost their strength. In this day and age, a demon without strength was relegated to being a lackey, just like the two of them.
Unfortunately for Old Drill Wind, he now found himself on the receiving end of two irate Carp Spirits.
“Bringing a woman back? Let’s see if we can’t beat you to a pulp!”
“Ouch! This wasn’t my idea; it was all Little Drill Wind’s fault!”
“Didn’t you just claim it was all your brilliance? Don’t run away!”
Lin Nan maintained her cool demeanor, “What river delicacy did you transform from, Great King? I’ve seen quite the menagerie of river monsters on my way here—Catfish, Crabs, Carp, Turtles, Grass Fish. With your girth, are you perhaps a Pufferfish?”
Cold Wind Old Demon squinted his eyes.
He had once encountered humans brought into his cave who’d generally faint at the sight of monsters, unable to move, or even cry and beg for mercy.
Yet this woman was standing before him with a calm demeanor, as if she hadn’t been forcibly brought here at all.
Wait a second, she was also carrying a black scabbard on her back, and that ancient-style and intricately patterned sheath suggested she wasn’t just carrying any ordinary sword.
Cold Wind Old Demon was clever enough not to underestimate her like the lesser demons.
Was she hiding another identity?
Seeing him silent, Lin Nan pointed at the cave and said, “This place is nice; I’m fond of it.”
“You’re fond of it?” Cold Wind Old Demon laughed dryly, as if hearing the biggest joke of the century. “Well then, with you keeping me company, this cave is yours!”
“No, I am the sole master here.” Lin Nan looked at him as if stating the most everyday thing.
“Cold Value +20.”
Cold Wind Old Demon was immediately furious. “Woman, don’t think that just because you have a pretty face I won’t dare lay a hand on you! Come on, let’s see what you can do to speak so boldly!”
He casually picked up a stone stool from the ground and hurled it at Lin Nan.
Lin Nan slightly tilted her head and didn’t retaliate; instead, she took a few steps back.
She had activated her second skill, “Flowing Wind”, her speed so swift that even Gongsun Ding, the chief Inner Door Disciple of Thousand Bird City, couldn’t catch up, let alone these aquatic spirits.
Cold Wind Old Demon kept tossing stone tables and stools at Lin Nan. His brute strength was indeed formidable; throughout this barrage, he showed no signs of perspiration or distress.
But when he gleefully glanced at his target, his expression froze in disbelief. There stood Lin Nan, elegantly perching on a tilted stone stool, her sword still sheathed—his attack hadn’t even grazed the hem of her garment.
The many little monsters lying around, snoring away, were jolted awake by the tumult; some poor souls even had stone stools dropped squarely on their heads, meeting an untimely demise.
All of them huddled in fright against the walls, watching as the black-clothed woman floated gracefully, dodging the heavy projectiles raining down around her as if she were a ghost.
The demons were astonished. Cold Wind Old Demon’s natural power had always terrified them, but they never expected such an aggressive attack would fail to land even a flush against the opponent.
Old Drill Wind seized this opportunity to scurry over to Little Drill Wind. “Little Drill Wind, you’ve doomed me! After we clean up that woman, the Great King is definitely going to take it out on us!”
Little Drill Wind, however, remained surprisingly calm. He hid behind a crumbling stone table, staring at the back of the black-clothed woman, ignoring Old Drill Wind’s complaints entirely.
Lin Nan, with a stony expression, gazed at her opponent. A cool breeze swept through the cave, and as the flames flickered, her black dress and flowing hair took on a life of their own, blooming in the dimness and spreading outward.
The monsters gawked, utterly mesmerized.
Such unmatched grace was beyond the experience of these little demons, who had languished in the depths for ages.
“Cold Value +10.”
“Cold Value +10.”
“Cold Value +10.”
“…”
Before long, her Cold Value had soared to 100.
As another stone hurtled towards Lin Nan, the skill “Black Snow” activated.
In an instant, she appeared before Cold Wind Old Demon, and the moment the black wind sword was drawn, the entire room fell silent for 1.5 seconds.
As the tip of the sword brushed against his neck, bl**d erupted forth.
Cold Wind Old Demon, in disbelief, clutched at his neck, gasping, his eyes bulging in shock.
This… how could this happen? Was he… really going to d*e?
Before he could grasp what had occurred, his consciousness faded to darkness.
The giant mass of his body crumpled to the ground without a sound, sending shivers down the spines of the observing little monsters.
Was it all over?
Cold Wind Old Demon had been slain in a single attack by the black-clothed woman. Who was she to possess such incredible strength?
Old Drill Wind, just as he was thinking about escaping the cave, was stopped by Little Drill Wind’s hand. “You idiot, do you want to d*e?”
As Lin Nan gently blew the bl**d droplets off her sword blade, she suddenly sensed an unprecedented danger closing in on her.
“Illusory Sea!”
She swiftly swung her black wind sword, cutting a swift current through the air.
However, an unexpected bolt of lightning sliced through her powerful gust, striking directly at her.
Just as the impending lightning was about to fry Lin Nan to a crisp, dozens of decaying hands erupted from the ground, forming a wall before her, absorbing most of the electric current.
Yet, a slight residual wave still hit Lin Nan, causing her to shudder as pain shot through her fingertips.
Fortunately, her cool demeanor remained unaffected.
Neither side had seen this coming.
“You truly are the real Cold Wind Old Demon!”
Lin Nan coldly eyed the Carp Spirit not far away, its hands crackling with flickering electricity.
The other Carp Spirit, startled, clamped its mouth shut, unable to believe that the companion it had served alongside the “Great King” was, in fact, the true master of this cave.
“Heh, yes indeed. That guy was merely my scapegoat. However, it’s unusual for you to dodge my lethal lightning at the last moment.” The Carp Spirit smiled slightly.
“Could it be you transformed from an Electric Eel?” Lin Nan realized, her mind racing.
“…”
Just then, the swarm of zombies Lin Nan had summoned crawled up from the ground, ready to pounce on Cold Wind Old Demon with outstretched claws.
