I was the Heavenly Emperor in ancient times

Chapter 6 Demon

Li Jun needed to find a place to rest and then figure out the current situation.

He once again soared over the sea of ​​clouds.

This time, however, he didn't fly for long. After flying out of the city and just approaching the mountains near the sea, he felt somewhat exhausted.

He used a cumulonimbus cloud for cover and followed the drizzle down from the sky, landing in a large mountain.

When he landed, his feet touched the ground lightly, just like a real bird.

He then recalled the records about the Feathered People: "In the Southern Classic of the Great Wilderness, there is a country of Feathered People. Their people are all born with feathers and can fly, but they cannot fly far."

With the help of the Bluebird, he became so powerful that even he felt inhuman and incomprehensible, and he also gained the ability to fly.

but.

These external physical abilities can only be described as physical enhancements brought about by the existence of demons, which is at least understandable.

As Li Jun walked through the mountains, he soon spotted a dilapidated mud-brick house nestled in a valley, which must have been abandoned for a long time.

As his double pupils swept across the area, he had a premonition.

"It should be safe here."

Supernatural powers; attracting good fortune and avoiding misfortune.

This ability is the Bluebird's most extraordinary power, and its most unreasonable aspect.

He walked all the way to the mud-brick house. On the messy floor was a bamboo basket that seemed to have been used by the previous owner to hold chickens. He put the head he was carrying into the bamboo basket.

The head seemed to be a chicken that had truly been terrified of Li Jun, and dared not put up any resistance.

Then, Li Jun sat down on a bench.

He took a breath and focused on his breathing, and the double pupils in his eyes slowly closed and overlapped.

At this moment, Li Jun's body was still shrinking continuously, which was normal. Previously, Li Jun's body had been mutated by the power of the demon, and in his view, the current situation was just a return to the original state.

But gradually Li Jun felt that something was not right.

He sat on the bench watching his mutated body return to normal, the jade feather patterns on his skin gradually disappearing, and his feet shrinking.

But even after it returned to normal, it didn't stop. Li Jun's body continued to shrink, his feet became even smaller than before, and the hair on his legs turned into soft down.

Li Jun found the broken red plastic mirror in the inner room, picked it up and looked at himself in the mirror.

"How could this be?"

He noticed that he looked much younger.

The tattered school uniform he was wearing almost looked like it truly belonged to him.

Li Jun quickly realized that controlling this ability with a human body also comes at a price.

"I don't know if this is the price for using the power of the Feathered People, the price for using supernatural powers, or both."

"Probably the latter."

"But how is this price paid, and why does it manifest in the outside world as me reverting to a youthful appearance?"

Li Jun couldn't confirm the issue for the time being, and he stopped worrying about it. He had too many troubles and problems right now, and he needed to sort things out and prioritize them.

He seems to have two choices: to escape back to a so-called normal life or to face it. But it is clear that escaping will not solve any problems, let alone return to a normal life.

A storm is about to sweep across the world, and he is at the very center of that storm.

"What I need to do is to acquire more information."

"The first question is, why are these woodcutters chasing me, and how can I eliminate this danger?"

"Secondly, what's the deal with those Taoist priests?"

"Thirdly, what exactly is this so-called strange disease, and what about that divine stone from the depths of the universe?"

After organizing his next tasks, Li Jun immediately began analyzing his own capabilities to support him in completing the aforementioned series of tasks.

"First of all, I possess several abilities. One is the supernatural power to seek good fortune and avoid misfortune, another is the ability to transform into a winged person, and the third is the ability to travel to ancient times, which is completely unfathomable."

"Furthermore, I have a wooden craftsman in my possession, from whom I can extract some clues."

Li Jun opened his eyes and looked at the head in the bamboo basket, and immediately saw that the head's teeth were chattering.

"Tell me about it!"

"What exactly are you? Why are you targeting me? Who's behind you?"

The head, terrified, hurriedly revealed its origins and everything it knew, spilling out like beans from a bamboo tube.

"My name is Tao Limin, and I am from Taoshan Island."
-
These are several desolate white buildings.

The entrance to the facility is marked with a long list of signs, including "Unnatural Death Identification Center," "Autopsy Center," "Special Pathological Biology Research Institute," and "Nangang City Ninth Funeral Home," giving it a distinctly unappealing feel.

The bespectacled man hurriedly entered an office with a report in his hand. Upon opening the door, he saw a middle-aged man in a Zhongshan suit sitting inside, reading several documents.

The bespectacled man stepped forward and handed over the report.

"Director, this is the laboratory's analysis report on the body tissues of those twelve attackers!"

The director asked him to give a brief explanation, so the bespectacled man stood up and began to report.

"This is a completely new virus, and the infected individuals are completely different from those infected by the double pupil virus we discovered before. It is very likely that it is the demon recorded in the ancient books passed down by the Longevity Temple!"

"And in view of the special life forms of these twelve attackers, which are almost like plants, we named them."

"Wooden Guest".

This is the first major discovery about demons.

The director asked him, "Lu Gang, can you confirm what exactly a demon is?"

Lu Gang said, "For the time being, we can identify the demons as a new kind of creature that has been modified by a special virus. They are completely different from humans, have their own independent metabolic system, and also possess unique genetic information, and even have the potential to reproduce."

Lu Gang spoke with particular seriousness. Such a creature, different from humans and capable of reproduction, possesses intelligence and powerful special abilities. One can imagine the threat it would pose to humanity if their population were to expand.

The director looked at him: "Can we really conclude that a demon is a creature based solely on a report like this?"

Lu Gang wasn't sure either: "In any case, Li Jun helped us eliminate this creature, which can be considered a temporary solution to a major problem."

The director was not comforted by Lu Gang's words: "The problem is probably not solved, but has become more serious."

Lu Gang sensed something was wrong: "What's wrong?"

The director held up the documents in his hand: "According to the investigation, all twelve people came from Taoshan Island, and the entire Taoshan Island went missing not long ago."

Lu Gang said, "We'll send someone to contact them again."

The director said, "We cannot contact them."

Lu Gang was confused: "You mean the entire island has disappeared?"

You could say the person is out of contact, but the island is there. Even if communication is temporarily cut off, you can just send someone up there. The island isn't going anywhere.

The director leaned forward, his posture appearing solemn.

"Taoshan Island is still there, and it can be seen from satellites, but no one can get close to it or find it."

Lu Gang found it even more incomprehensible; what did it mean to be able to see but not get close?

"How could such a thing happen?"

The director handed over the stack of documents in his hand and told Lu Gang.

"This is our summary afterward, all the things that happened on Taoshan Island before we lost contact."

Lu Gang sat down and began to examine the documents one by one.

The first document.

At the top is a photo of an elderly man named Tao Yougen.

On May 2nd, the Chalu Community of Taoshan Village received a notification that Tao Yougen had gone missing. He suffers from Alzheimer's disease. Three days later, the missing person was found outside the village. It is said that he found the legendary Peach Blossom Spring.

On May 7th, Tao Yougen disappeared again, and his whereabouts remain unknown. However, according to investigators' records, his family stated that a peach tree had suddenly appeared behind their house for unknown reasons, and Tao Yougen's grandson said he would hear his grandfather calling from the peach tree at night.

The second document.

The photo transforms into a child named Tao Shu, and looking down, you can find the name of his grandfather, Tao Yougen, in the family relationship section.

On May 15th, Taoshan Hospital admitted a patient named Tao Shu. He was diagnosed with severe brain damage, resulting in the loss of almost all his memories. However, in his sleep, he kept talking in his sleep, saying he saw his grandfather and that he had become an immortal being.

The third document.

The posters are filled with photos, one of which is a group photo of Taoshan Hospital.

On June 1st, Taoshan Hospital suddenly lost contact. On the night of June 13th, the same night Taoshan Island completely lost contact, Chen Yu, a nurse from Taoshan Hospital, was found on a fishing boat at Qiaozhen Wharf, exhibiting symptoms of mental instability.

According to the report, members of Taoshan Hospital began exhibiting abnormal behavior on the night of May 16th, with everyone showing signs of disorientation and becoming trapped inside the hospital.

Then all the members began to exhibit symptoms of amnesia and forgetfulness, specifically forgetting to go home, important things, and even who they were.

When the symptoms of amnesia become so severe that the person forgets who they are, their body begins to distort and degenerate, with organs such as hands, feet, torso, eyes, and ears randomly growing into different parts of the body.

Next, the document contained a series of messy photos.

Each of these photos is terrifying. You can see that the facial features of some people have been displaced to an unbelievable degree, as if they have been completely turned upside down.

Some people have their hands and feet upside down, with their hands on the left and feet on the right, and they walk like crabs, which is incredibly creepy.

Even more astonishingly, some people's bodies were twisted into a pretzel shape, their limbs stretched out like tree branches, yet they still didn't die. And the fourth document...

These are satellite map images, showing before-and-after comparisons of Taoshan Island.

But when you turn to the end, there's only this one sentence.

On June 13th, Taoshan Island disappeared from everyone's sight; all people on the island lost contact.

Lu Gang carefully examined the satellite map photos and discovered that since June, huge ridge-like structures had begun to appear on the entire Taoshan Island.

These ridges rise up on the surface of Taoshan Island, clinging to the island, and resemble the roots of some kind of plant.

A strange fog permeated the area between those ridge-like structures.

Lu Gang put down the documents, looking somewhat at a loss.

"How did they do that? This is completely illogical!"

"What kind of power could erase an island from everyone's sight?"

Director: "Do you still believe that demons are merely a type of creature?"

Lu Gang: "We need to understand further about this kind of existence that goes beyond common sense."

Director: "In ancient times, all abnormal and strange things or phenomena were called demons. Sometimes we may be able to find some clues in some ancient legends and myths."

He stood up and said another sentence.

"Our institute and other departments have all received notices that we must find a way to rescue the residents of the island, at all costs."

“Lu Gang, you are the person who knows the most about and has the most contact with the Muke species, and you also have experience in field operations. I hope that you can go to Taoshan Island in person as an advisor for this operation.”

"This is a very dangerous mission, I think you should..."

Lu Gang immediately stood up straight: "Chief, don't bother with this. It's giving me goosebumps. How can I not go?"

The director nodded: "Time is running out, you need to leave now."

seaside.

A dilapidated dock.

A group of people were waiting on the dock, including men, women, and children. Some were wearing sun hats, and some had cameras around their necks.

"what happened?"

"Why hasn't the boat to Taoshan Island arrived yet today?"

"Didn't they say there are boats every morning and afternoon? We're already more than an hour late."

At this moment, several uniformed staff members appeared and closed the dock, placing a "Closed" sign at the entrance.

Coast Guard vessels bearing the insignia of the Coast Guard also appeared at sea, sealing off the area.

However, one group of people after another sailed to the location of Taoshan Island. Although Taoshan Island had become invisible to the naked eye, it could still be observed through satellites and some other media.

This time they seemed to be fully prepared and began their plan to land on the island.

The seawater had a fishy smell.

At first, seabirds could be seen, but as we got closer to Taoshan Island, they disappeared completely.

Lu Gang was sitting on an ordinary fishing boat, but he could vaguely see the shadow of a warship in the distance, which gave him a jolt and a strong sense of security.

He went from the fishing boat to a coast guard vessel, where he met the commander of the operation.

"Hello, I am Lu Gang."

"I am Luo Zhen, welcome Consultant Lu."

The ship had reached its destination, but all that could be seen before it was still the vast ocean, nothing else.

But at that moment, Lu Gang picked up a camera and flipped it open to reveal the screen.

immediately.

An island appeared on the screen.

What the naked eye sees is completely different from what the instrument displays.

Those who knew some of the inside information remained relatively calm, but some were startled and exclaimed in surprise.

"What a ghost."

The first group to land on the island was a small team of twenty people, including Lu Gang.

Each of their operatives wore heavy-looking AR glasses, which allowed them to see the island.

The entire team quickly reached the edge of the island by speedboat and then went ashore.

But to others in the distance, the moment they set foot on the island, everyone vanished completely.

coastal.

Lu Gang raised his head.

Looking at this island that had disappeared from the world visible to the naked eye, shrouded in thick fog, one could vaguely see the shadows of houses, buildings, and schools. Perhaps because of the AR glasses, the sky appeared much darker.

In the distance, amidst the thick fog, a "high wall" rises, which is likely what we see on satellite maps.

"Don't take off your glasses. You can use your phone, camera, or other devices in critical moments. Remember to charge them."

"Maintain constant communication. If you lose sight of someone, do not move. Stay where you are and wait for support."

Before setting off, Lu Gang reminded everyone of some important points.

On this island, you can't see anything once you take off your glasses; the naked eye has lost its meaning here.

Once a person falls into it, they will completely lose their way.

Then they lose themselves.

Ultimately, even his body was lost.
-
A roadside noodle stall.

Li Jun was eating noodles, having changed into a stretchy tracksuit and wearing a sun hat.

Several students were sitting next to me, huddled together looking at a mobile phone.

Have you watched the video?

"I took a look."

“That’s awesome!”

Li Jun glanced sideways and secretly looked at the video. The video playing on his phone was of him killing those wooden men in the square yesterday.

The title reads: "School Uniform Hero vs. Undying Man".

What a terrible title.

However, the video was labeled as "suspected AI-generated video" and the most brutal and bloody scenes were cut out.

Not only did it lose its most impactful part, but the labeling also made most people who watched the video just laugh it off.

However, so many witnesses last night understood what really happened, and much of the news naturally couldn't be hidden in this city.

"It can't be real!" one student said, skeptical.

“It’s true, my brother saw it with his own eyes, and that huge pit is still there,” another student immediately retorted.

"Look at this school uniform, isn't it from our school?" the student noticed something.

"Could it be someone from our school?" The students became even more excited.

Later, in their debate to prove the truth of the matter, they even opened various apps, all of which had discussion posts about yesterday's events.

Despite facing countless doubts, thousands of witnesses and various kinds of evidence were uploaded, and because there were so many witnesses, the popularity of the matter showed an unstoppable trend.

One of the most popular photos is the one that has been circulating online.

The scene depicted Li Jun grabbing the head of the undead monster and lifting it up under a streetlamp. Because it was backlit, only a silhouette could be seen, which is why it passed censorship. However, the powerful posture and the trembling Mu Ke formed a stark contrast.

The students were discussing excitedly, unaware that the wooden man's head was lying in a backpack not far from them.

After finishing his breakfast, Li Jun also learned about the situation online through several students' mobile phones.

He picked up his backpack and walked into the alley. When he reached the end where no one was around, he took off his new shoes and put them into his backpack.

With arms outstretched, he transformed back into a winged being.

Its enormous wings whipped up a fierce wind, propelling it into the sky and flying towards Taoshan Island.

At that moment, several students following behind him on their way to school happened to see him take off.

"Look."

"Superman!"

"Who is this? This is the school uniform hero from yesterday."

"Really? Is this a mission to save the world?"

Several students stared excitedly at Li Jun, but by the time they anxiously took out their phones to take pictures, Li Jun had already disappeared into the sea of ​​clouds.

Taoshan Island arrived in an instant, and in Li Jun's eyes, the island was revealed to him without any obstruction.

(End of this chapter)