I changed the world.

The next moment, a light seemed to flash across the sky!

A protective shield, faintly glowing red, appeared around the monster, but it shattered very quickly...

Immediately following was a piercing wail, a sound that seemed to be the wailing of countless creatures from the depths of hell, extremely eerie.

Immediately afterwards, countless cyan sword beams exploded from the middle of the monster's body, which was bound by lightning chains, and flew out in all directions like raindrops, tearing the monster's huge body to shreds!

"boom!!!"

At the same time, a powerful shockwave spread outwards from the monster...

However, these shockwaves were blocked by an invisible barrier before they could reach Zhang Jing, which also protected the area at the top of Chaoyang Mountain below.

Even more miraculously, none of the monster's scattered body fragments actually fell to the ground; they were all absorbed by the enormous array plate spread across the heavens and earth, like a spider web.

"Refining!"

The lightning chains that had bound the monster instantly transformed into streaks of fire, chasing and scorching the scattered fragments of the monster's body on the array plate. Strangely, many of these fragments, after being burned, began to writhe and twitch, like living insects.

However, all of this was eventually reduced to ashes by the electric flame.

However, soon, a huge phantom emerged from the void, vaguely resembling the image of the monster from before. But this time, the monster seemed to be pulled by some force. Although it struggled and twisted desperately, it was still dragged in front of Zhang Jing and finally thrown towards his chest...

With a soft whistle, a streak of light flew from the sky and disappeared into the scabbard at Zhang Jing's waist.

The next moment, all the strange phenomena in the world vanished, leaving only the thick clouds in the sky.

The incandescent lightning in Zhang Jing's eyes slowly dissipated, and then, his body felt light as he plummeted from the sky...

....................................

On the other side of Chaoyang Mountain, next to a protruding rock.

"Yan Yan, wake up! Wake up!" An Huiling was carefully patting Luo Yan's shoulder. When the shockwave hit, both she and Luo Yan were thrown against the rocks. Luo Yan fainted on the spot, but Luo Yan was much luckier. Apart from feeling a little dizzy, she was miraculously unharmed.

However, Luo Yan seemed to have hit her head. An Huiling patted her head for a while and pinched her philtrum, but there was no reaction. She didn't dare to shake her too vigorously because she didn't know exactly where Luo Yan was injured. If the injury was in a bad spot, shaking her could easily cause further injury.

An Huiling lowered her head worriedly and listened to Luo Yan's chest for a while. Fortunately, she heard a strong heartbeat, which reassured her a lot.

She looked up at the sky. The scene of lightning and thunder had completely dissipated. Both the monster and the immortal had vanished, and even the raging wind was subsiding.

Has the matter...been over?! An Huiling felt somewhat lost, and for some reason...she also felt a little disappointed...

Now how to do?

She felt in her pocket; her phone was still there. Thankfully, she took it out and checked the signal. The signal, which had just dropped to zero, had somehow returned. This delighted her, and she quickly dialed a number.

"Hey, Lingling, you thought of calling your dad?" A deep, warm male voice came from the other end of the line, tinged with amusement.

"Dad... Waaah..." Hearing her father's voice, she couldn't hold back her tears before she could say anything. No matter how composed she usually appeared, she was still just a girl who hadn't graduated yet, and faced with such an event, she couldn't control her emotions.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Hearing the crying, the voice on the other end of the phone immediately became serious, but he still patiently comforted her, saying, "Don't cry, tell Dad what's wrong. Did someone bully you?!" At this point, his voice had a hint of sternness.

"No, no, it's like this..." An Huiling hurriedly explained that she and her clubmates had gone on a trip, and it took her a while to convince her father that she wasn't joking, but had really encountered a story that only happens in myths and legends. Finally, after confirming her location, An's father told her to go to the nearest landmark, the ancient tower, and wait for rescue, saying that it would be there soon.

An Huiling put down the phone, feeling a little relieved. She tried to wake Luo Yan again, but still failed. Not daring to move her under these circumstances, she stood up and walked towards the ancient tower in the distance, intending to wait for the rescue team to arrive before moving Luo Yan.

....................................

Holding a light gray scarf that she planned to wave as a signal, An Huiling carefully approached the ancient tower, cautiously observing her surroundings as she walked, afraid that something might suddenly appear.

Fortunately, nothing unexpected happened in the end. On the open ground next to the ancient pagoda, the students were lying scattered all over the place. An Huiling walked over and found that the ground was charred black, as if it had been scorched by some kind of flame.

An Huiling carefully observed for a while, focusing her attention mainly on her classmates. She found that they were all breathing and had not died, so she breathed a sigh of relief.

Then he started patting each of the students one by one, trying to wake them up, but after trying for a while, he found that he could not wake any of them.

When she checked on Tang Jingyuan, who was in the very center, she was horrified to find that she seemed to have stopped breathing, her body had begun to stiffen, her face was deathly pale, and she had a strange smile on her face.

An Huiling's legs went weak, and she almost collapsed to the ground. Her heart pounded, and she instinctively backed away, trying to get away from the area that made her feel uneasy.

However, when she retreated to the other side of the ancient tower, a figure lying on the ground not far away, near the railing of the viewing platform, caught her attention.

Ah! That's... An Huiling covered her mouth. Isn't that the "immortal" who was standing high in the sky just now?

An Huiling's heart began to pound. She hesitated for a moment, then cautiously walked over, feeling both apprehensive and expectant. When she got closer to the figure, she realized that it was a man.

The man lay on his back, seemingly unconscious. He wore a bronze mask, revealing only his eyes and part of his nose. His hair was loose, and he wore a blue feather robe. This type of clothing was quite popular among the gentry, in addition to Taoist priests. Many people wore it casually, feeling it added a touch of carefree and reclusive elegance to their appearance. Therefore, An Huiling was quite familiar with it. Hmm... the style of this man's robe seemed rather nice...

Her skin is delicate and fair... Hmm... Judging from her exposed features, she doesn't seem very old. However, it's said that immortals' ages are impossible to discern, so I wonder how old she really is...

Some were curious about what the "immortal" actually looked like... However, since the other person was wearing a mask, it was probably because they didn't want their identity to be exposed. Regardless of their purpose, An Huiling's consistent upbringing and rationality made her understand what she shouldn't do.

Chapter 134 Immortals?

Is he injured now?

Seeing the rise and fall of his chest, An Huiling knew that the "immortal" in front of her had probably just fainted, but she didn't know the specifics of his condition.

Her mind was in turmoil, and she tried to distract herself from her emotions by having random thoughts. Her heart was pounding wildly, and she didn't know what to do. Should she try to wake him up?

An Huiling rubbed her head, which was slightly dizzy from nervousness, and after calming herself down, she finally decided to try to wake him up.

So she crouched down and tried calling out from the side, "Wake up, wake up, please wake up..."

....................................

"Wake up, please wake up..."

"Hmm..." Who is it? It seems someone is pushing me...

Zhang Jing's consciousness was rapidly returning to his body. He felt as if his body had been thrown into a washing machine and churned up, every part of him aching. It was absolutely terrible.

He tried to circulate the "Qi" within his body, but it was also severely depleted...

The only good news is that my body is finally under my control again, so it seems there wasn't any mishap like possession after all. However, the bad news is that every part of my body feels like it's being cut with a knife, and even moving a little is difficult.

Zhang Jing struggled to open his eyes, and in front of him was a blurry figure, indistinct, but he felt as if she was anxiously calling his name.

He gritted his teeth and tried with great effort to prop himself up, but after a brief attempt, he gave up. In his current state, he simply couldn't sit up on his own.

"Help me up..." His voice was so hoarse that even he could hardly recognize himself.

However, the woman clearly understood and quickly helped him up. During this process, Zhang Jing vaguely sensed that the woman's strength seemed weak, suggesting she was probably a woman.

He steadied himself, gritted his teeth, and stretched out his right hand to his chest. He touched it and found a hard little pot in his hand, which calmed him down a bit.

I took it out, and the lid came off by itself. I removed the lid, and using my sleeve as a cover, I inserted the spout of the pot under my face. A warm flow entered my abdomen, just like water nourishing parched land, and my whole body began to recover rapidly.

After taking two sips, Zhang Jing realized something was wrong. The Demon Refining Pot was surprisingly heavy; when had it filled so much?!

However, at this moment, he had no time to think about these things. He put the Demon Refining Pot back in and began to close his eyes and regulate his breathing, using the remaining "Qi" in his body to help the medicinal power dissolve.

As the medicinal effects dissipated, Zhang Jing took a preliminary look at his body, which was indeed in terrible condition. The level of power he had just experienced was clearly beyond what his current body could withstand. Therefore, even a short burst of power had caused considerable damage to his body. Using power beyond his capacity resulted in his body being like a broken piece of Ge ware porcelain, riddled with wounds. Fortunately, the spiritual liquid in the Demon Refining Pot was truly effective, especially since it contained a strong life force, which was extremely effective in repairing injuries. Otherwise, he might have been bedridden for a year or two.

About five minutes later, Zhang Jing, having recovered slightly, endured his discomfort and opened his eyes. This time he could finally see clearly that the person squatting beside him was a young woman with long black hair, an oval face, willow-leaf eyebrows, and almond-shaped eyes that seemed to hold two pools of clear water. Her lips were pursed, and she looked somewhat nervous.

Although her hair was a little messy at the moment, she still gave Zhang Jing a stunning impression at first glance. However, upon closer inspection, Zhang Jing felt something was amiss; the girl's skin was too pale, as if she had no blood.

Golden flames instantly ignited in his eyes. Under the gaze of "True Fire Refining Eyes," Zhang Jing discovered a faint layer of deathly gray aura shrouding the girl, enveloping her entire body. Zhang Jing frowned. He had possessed the True Fire Refining Eyes technique for quite some time, so this state was not unfamiliar to him. He had seen it in hospital wards before; it was likely a symptom of some kind of illness, and judging from the situation, it was serious enough to be life-threatening.

However, what also caught his attention was that, in addition to the deathly gray aura surrounding the girl, there was a yellowish-green light emanating from between her collarbones, which was faintly integrated with her overall aura.

This girl has had a miraculous encounter?! Zhang Jing confirmed this almost instantly. The girl should be wearing a pendant or some kind of treasure on her chest, and the quality of this item is quite high.

In Zhang Jing's memory, his Demon Refining Pot was roughly yellowish-green in color, and only the "Heavenly Punishment Sword" was of a higher level.

Furthermore, this treasure should already be in a "triggered" state, or, in the words of the novels from my previous life, it should have "recognized its master." The biggest characteristic of such treasures that have already recognized their masters is that their aura is connected with that of their master. Taking Zhang Jing as an example, this is true for his Demon Refining Pot, as well as his longsword, jade pendant, and arm shield.

It's just unclear whether the girl herself is aware of this, or what the purpose of this treasure is.

However, Zhang Jing naturally had no urge to kill and steal treasure, after all, this was not a novel from his previous life, and it certainly did not suit his temperament.

In a short moment, countless thoughts raced through her mind. But before Zhang Jing could say anything, the girl was clearly startled by the flame burning in his eyes. However, she still managed not to back down, though her hands, gripping the hem of her dress, betrayed her feelings.

Realizing he might have frightened her, Zhang Jing put away his secret technique, cupped his hands and smiled, "Don't be alarmed, I meant no harm, and I should thank you for your help earlier."

"Sir, you are too kind. You saved my life. I am An Huiling and I have not yet had a chance to thank you." The woman was An Huiling. She stood up and bowed respectfully to Zhang Jing.

Zhang Jing, now able to move freely, stood up from the ground and accepted the bow without hesitation. He knew that two women had been hiding in the distance during the battle with the monster, and this woman before him was one of them. He just didn't know where the other one was.

“My classmate and I were hiding to the side when she was hit and knocked unconscious. I came over to wait for help, and that's when I ran into you, sir.” Before Zhang Jing could ask, An Huiling explained the situation herself. Then, with a hint of expectation, she asked, “Sir, some of my classmates are unconscious over there, I don’t know…”

"You mean those cult members? They were your classmates?" Zhang Jing's eyes narrowed slightly upon hearing this. He had naturally already noticed the young people lying on the ground nearby.

This was the first time he had dealt with such a situation. Although these people were suspected of summoning an evil god, he couldn't just kill them all indiscriminately...

“No, we are not cult members…” Zhang Jing’s serious expression clearly made An Huiling a little nervous. At the same time, from Zhang Jing’s tone and expression, she also keenly sensed that “cult members” could not be a good identity. She quickly shook her head and explained, “We are students of Tianfu University. We are all members of the school’s ‘Pendulum Society’…”

Then, she explained how the Pendulum Club was established, how its president, Tang Jingyuan, demonstrated some extraordinary qualities, and how her classmates, including herself, hoped to learn "magic."

Finally, she said, somewhat dejectedly, "I never expected it to end like this..."

While listening to An Huiling's narration, Zhang Jing went to examine the young people. Under the gaze of the "True Fire Refining Eyes" secret technique, the aura on these young people was pitifully weak, as if it had been drained by something, and the aura on them was completely different from that of ordinary people.

The one in the very center of the magic circle was completely devoid of light and color, clearly indicating that it was already dead.

..............................

“According to you, your president has clearly deceived you.” Zhang Jing shook his head and sighed, “From the beginning, she probably wanted to establish a beacon for the descent of demons, not some kind of spiritual awakening.”

After thinking for a moment, he added, "Since ancient times, summoning demons has rarely ended well. Especially when mortals use their power to establish a beacon of the Way, how could it be without a price..."

An Huiling opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she didn't say anything, and her eyes finally dimmed.

"Why...why did she lie to everyone? Why did she do this..." she murmured to herself, then covered her mouth with her hand, trying her best to suppress her emotions, but her voice still trembled.