After being chosen by the Ice Queen

[Warning: Departed from stable teleportation channel...]

[Coordinate re-anchoring successful...]

[Landing World: Wu-Hai-7711 (Tentatively named: "Dragon and Tiger Edict" World)]

[World Overview: This fruit is in a 'semi-developed' state, and the civilization system is a feudal dynasty (Dragon Tiger Dynasty). Energy level: Low to medium, with a rule-based suppression (against higher-level external energy).]

[Development Status: Not fully explored. Existing fragments of the traveler's exploration log (access decryption in progress):]

-Commenter 'Old Drunkard': Damn it, the liquor in this lousy place is watered down! The monster meat is chewy, but it makes your teeth ache from chewing it.

-Comment by 'Sword Maniac': There are big guys in the deep mountains of the northeast, but I didn't dare to go deep.

-Commenter 'Slacking Off': The scenery is alright, not many tasks, just don't mess with those officials with imperial edicts, they're troublesome.

[Notice: You entered through unofficial channels and have not accepted any regular missions in this world. Please follow the basic principles of the Traveler. You may try contacting local factions to gather intelligence, or wait for further contact from the organization.]

[Environmental Scan: Landing Point—Landing on the border of Qingzhou, Dragon Tiger Dynasty, near Black Wind Gorge. Slight signs of demonic energy and human activity detected.]

The system's notification sound flashed through Gu Yan's mind, and at the same time, the intense feeling of falling was suddenly countered by an upward lifting force.

The two did not crash directly to the ground, but instead fell into a thicket of bushes, getting covered in dew and mud.

Su Wanqing coughed, almost vomiting. Gu Yan wasn't much better off; his back burned with pain. He endured the discomfort, turned over, and knelt down, holding Huiming in his hand, peering out through the gaps in the branches and leaves.

The sky was dark, and mist swirled in the forest.

"Where...where is this? Have we...have we left that awful place?"

"We've arrived in another world," Gu Yan whispered. "Listen, this place might not be safe either. Stay close to me and don't make a sound."

He gestured for Su Wanqing to stay in the bushes, while he quietly parted the branches and leaves to peer out.

They were on the edge of a wooded area beside an official road. The road wasn't wide, a dirt and gravel surface with deep ruts. A sizable caravan was traveling along it. A dozen or so mule carts were loaded with goods, and more than thirty men dressed as guards, armed with swords and bows and arrows, looked around warily, seemingly on guard against something.

Gu Yan's gaze suddenly froze. At the bend in the official road, the fog suddenly churned, and a turbid, earthy-yellow wind swept in. A low, guttural roar came from the wind.

"A demonic wind! It's a beast from Black Wind Gorge! Be on guard! Be on guard now!" The caravan guards immediately tightened their formation, protecting the goods and a luxurious carriage in the middle. Swords were drawn, archers nocked their arrows, and aimed at the source of the demonic wind.

The eerie wind approached, then suddenly dispersed, revealing a colossal creature: a giant dog nearly three meters long, taller than a person at the shoulders, and covered in black, needle-like fur.

"It's a dog demon! A fully-fledged dog demon!" one of the guards exclaimed.

"Release the arrows!"

Seven or eight sharp arrows whistled out, but most of them lost much of their force upon entering the demonic wind. A few that struck the dog demon's body only penetrated an inch before being stuck. This enraged the dog demon even more, and its speed increased instead of decreasing.

"Form ranks! Swordsmen and shieldmen, advance! Protect the young lady and the goods!" The leader roared, brandishing his sword, and took the lead.

Several burly men with shields bravely stepped forward.

The dog demon neither dodged nor evaded, charging straight at him. The shield shattered, and the man holding it screamed as he was sent flying backward. The dog demon followed up with a claw strike, slashing a guard who couldn't dodge in time, who was struck in the waist, coughing up blood and clearly beyond saving.

Although the caravan's guards outnumbered the demons, their strength was far inferior to that of the now-powerful dog demons. Their formation was instantly torn apart, and screams filled the air as their morale collapsed.

After defeating the obstacles, the dog demon's crimson eyes swept across the caravan. Suddenly, it abruptly turned its head and looked towards the bushes where Gu Yan and Su Wanqing were hiding. There were two more "prey" there, their auras completely different from the guards.

The dog demon abandoned its attack on the caravan's core, and, accompanied by a demonic gust of wind, turned and pounced towards the bushes. It wanted to eliminate these two "snacks" first.

"Watch out!" Gu Yan shouted, shoving the terrified Su Wanqing backward before stepping forward to face the oncoming beast.

A foul stench filled the air, and the stench of demonic energy was overwhelming. This dog demon's power far surpassed that of ordinary wild beasts. Gu Yan felt no fear, but rather a surge of eagerness. "Let's see what you're made of, you dog demon!"

With a slight shift in his footing, he dodged like a willow catkin, avoiding the dog demon's attacking claws. In his hand, the obscure light transformed into a cold, gray-white bolt of lightning, aimed directly at the area below the dog demon's exposed throat.

Their offensive was fierce, but their agility was lacking. Gu Yan made this judgment in his mind.

A crisp sound rang out, like metal being pierced. The dog demon's fur and muscles were exceptionally tough, impervious to ordinary swords and blades. But Huiming was no ordinary iron; the tip of the blade, imbued with Gu Yan's pure strength, pierced in about an inch, drawing out a trail of blood.

The dog demon roared in pain, its demonic wind intensifying as it attempted to engulf Gu Yan. At the same time, its giant claw swept across with tremendous force.

Gu Yan dared not take this attack head-on. He drew his sword and retreated swiftly, sensing the demonic power emanating from the blade. The demonic power was mixed and clearly of low quality. With a slight thought, he activated a wisp of Zhuyin's aura.

The profound aura within his body shifted slightly, flowing along his meridians to the arm holding the sword. The dog demon lunged again, and when the demonic wind touched the area around Gu Yan's body, the earthy yellow turbid air seemed to have met its nemesis.

A flicker of fear flashed in the dog demon's crimson eyes, and its movements slowed by a beat.

A glint flashed in Gu Yan's eyes, and he held back no longer. The energy of the Candle Yin accelerated its flow, and he stepped forward, drawing a mysterious trajectory as he cleaved straight for the dog demon's head.

【Candle Shadow - Obscured Light Slash】

This is a move he has initially integrated with the characteristics of the Candlelight Breath, swordsmanship, and the intent to slay evil. Although it is not perfect, its power is already not to be underestimated.

The dog demon sensed a deadly threat and roared as it poured all its demonic power into its head, attempting to withstand the attack.

The grayish-white blade pierced into the dog demon's hard skull, then continued downwards, splitting its massive body in two from head to tail.

Blood and entrails splattered all over the ground. The dog demon's body, split in two, crashed to the ground, twitched a few times, and then lay still. The demonic wind that had been swirling around it lost its source and quickly dissipated into the air.

Inside its cleaved skull, a thumb-sized canine tooth suddenly glowed faintly and flew up on its own. Most of the mixed demonic power emanating from the dog demon's mangled body was drawn towards that canine tooth, while a small portion dissipated into the surroundings.

A buzzing sound suddenly came from the Obscure Blade in Gu Yan's hand. The blade lit up, forcibly pulling the canine teeth and most of the surging demonic power towards him.

The canine fangs touched the blade, melting away like ice and snow, instantly absorbed. The weight of the blade seemed to increase slightly, and the cloud pattern around the hilt was tinged with a very faint yellow hue.

[Note: Your exclusive weapon 'Hidden Light' has absorbed the special demonic power (Earth/Dog Beast) of the Wu-Hai-7711 world. The weapon's spirit has been slightly nourished, gaining the trait 'Demonic Power Devouring (Basic)': Increases damage dealt to demonic beast enemies by 5%, and can slowly absorb some of the demonic power dissipated after defeating a demonic beast, slightly increasing the weapon's own strength and spirit.]