The slight dizziness of spatial temporal displacement instantly receded, and Cheng Mo's feet were already on solid ground.
The damp scent of grass and earth immediately filled his nostrils, replacing the slightly stuffy air of the basement.
He quickly scanned his surroundings.
He was on the edge of a small grove, and not far away, he could see sparse lights, which outlined the town he vaguely remembered, nestled against the snowy mountains.
"Time Anchor Confirmed: Night."
"Location: Outskirts of the town, not far from the entrance to the mountainous area where the Kamado Family resides."
Almost simultaneously, a strong sense of urgency, like ice water, washed over his entire body!
Night!
This timing?
Tanjirou should be heading home after selling charcoal; he would most likely stay overnight due to old Man Saburo's persuasion, or he was currently on his way home!
And Kibutsuji Muzan... the root of all evil, might have already appeared or was about to appear in that mountainous area!
Saving lives was the highest priority; he couldn't delay!
But to fight that monster head-on to the death?
Even with Cheng Mo's current strength, it would be meaningless, almost equivalent to suicide.
After all, he had only been exposed to Chakra and the Lightning Release Armor for too short a time, and the duration he could maintain combat was extremely limited.
Without any hesitation, his figure flickered, and he glided like a phantom into a dense thicket nearby, avoiding any potential gazes.
He had to confirm his current speed!
The core of the plan was "rescue + evacuation"; his speed advantage was his only reliance!
Taking a deep breath, Thunder Breathing was fully activated, his lungs expanded sharply, and the familiar lightning energy instantly filled his limbs, bringing an explosive sense of power.
Then—zzt!
With a soft crackle, azure electric arcs burst from his body, rapidly moving like living things, forming a thin yet tough energy outer layer—the Lightning Release Armor!
The moment the two forces of lightning overlapped, an explosive sense of power almost ripped through his body.
The surrounding air emitted a faint hum.
Now!
Cheng Mo stomped his foot—
Boom!
Leaving a shallow pit and scattered dust and grass clippings, his figure had already transformed into a blue-white electric flash, almost imperceptible to the naked eye, tearing through the night and surging along the mountain path.
His speed was so immense that it even generated a low, thunderous roar of rushing air!
Cheng Mo felt as if his body had lost all weight, and the surrounding scenery blurred into streaks of color behind him.
The trees in the forest seemed non-existent, as he effortlessly swept past them by mere millimeters, the strong gusts of wind he created causing branches and leaves to shake violently, even producing snapping sounds!
Trees on both sides blurred into streaks of color as they flew past, and the strong wind lashed at his face; if not for the protection of the Lightning Release Armor, his skin would probably have been cut.
In an instant, he had covered several hundred meters!
Cheng Mo abruptly stopped before a giant tree, his movements clean and effortless.
"Enough!"
Cheng Mo's heart settled, and he instantly dispelled the Lightning Release Armor and the full concentration Breathing Technique, stopping his steps, his breath slightly ragged.
Even this brief burst of extreme speed consumed a significant amount of Chakra and stamina, but the effect was astonishing!
This speed far surpassed any Pillar-level warrior!
It was enough to complete the rescue and evacuation before Kibutsuji Muzan could react.
Just as he was about to head straight for the mountains, the myriad realms compass in his mind suddenly vibrated slightly, with a warning connotation.
Almost instinctively, he instantly activated his Eye of Truth.
His vision suddenly changed.
From the direction of the town, a gigantic golden halo, like a warm sun, was slowly moving, its luck so dense and pure that it illuminated half the night sky!
The Child of the World, Tanjirou Kamado!
And almost at the same time, deep within the dark mountain forest in the distance, an extremely faint, yet cold, viscous, and utterly malicious and destructive dark-red evil aura, like ink dropped into clear water, began to quietly spread.
Although still far away and the aura faint, the inherent "evil" and "strength" of it made Cheng Mo's hair stand on end instantly!
Kibutsuji Muzan! He had already arrived!
He couldn't wait any longer!
Cheng Mo's eyes sharpened, and he instantly looked in the direction of the moving golden halo.
Target locked—
Cheng Mo took a deep breath, pushing the power of Thunder Breathing and the Lightning Release Armor to the current limit he could control.
The ground beneath his feet exploded into a small pit.
The next moment, his figure completely vanished from where he stood.
On the edge of the town, Tanjirou, carrying a day's harvest, was bowing to the kind old Man Saburo, bidding him farewell: "Thank you, Grandpa Saburo, but I still have to go back, otherwise my family will worry..."
Old Man Saburo was still worriedly persuading him: "Tanjirou, it's already dark, and the mountain is really not peaceful at night. Listen to your grandpa's advice..."
Just then—
Boom!!!
A dazzling azure lightning bolt, like a sharp blade tearing through the night sky, accompanied by a brief and violent thunderclap, descended at an unimaginable speed.
It didn't truly come from the sky, but rather surged from the side at a speed beyond the limits of human perception, slamming violently into the open ground in front of the two.
The ground trembled slightly, dust billowed, and tiny electric arcs danced and leaped in the air like spiritual snakes, emitting a hair-raising crackling sound.
The powerful airflow made Tanjirou and old Man Saburo almost unable to open their eyes, staggering back several steps.
As the dust settled slightly, a figure was revealed within.
The person was tall and straight, wearing a dark haori, with faint electric arcs still lingering around his body, not yet fully dissipated. His dark hair fluttered slightly from the earlier extreme speed, and his eyes were cold and sharp, as if containing lightning.
His manner of appearance defied logic, bringing an unparalleled visual and psychological shock to the two.
Tanjirou's eyes widened, and his nose instinctively twitched, his face filled with shock and bewilderment—this person's scent... so strange!
It had the scent of a thunderstorm, and also... a very strong, very calm scent? But there was no malice.
Old Man Saburo next to him turned pale with fright, trembling as he pointed at Cheng Mo: "You... who are you?!"
Cheng Mo completely ignored him, his gaze like electricity, fixed on Tanjirou, his words extremely fast yet crystal clear: "I tracked an extremely dangerous 'anomaly' here; its aura appeared here just now, and now it's heading towards that mountain at an extremely fast speed!"
He pointed in the direction of the Kamado Family's location, deliberately avoiding the word "demon" to prevent unnecessary explanations.
"Extremely dangerous... going up the mountain..."
Tanjirou's face instantly turned ashen, and old Man Saburo's words from earlier flashed through his mind—"There are man-eating things in the mountains at night..."
Immense fear and panic instantly engulfed him like a cold tide.
"Man... man-eating monster! The one from the legends!"
The old man's face was deathly pale, and he suddenly grabbed Tanjirou's arm, his voice trembling: "Tanjirou! He's telling the truth! You can't go up the mountain at night! Your family... your family, they!!!"
"Family?!"
Tanjirou was struck as if by lightning; his mind instantly replayed old Man Saburo's repeated warnings from earlier, as well as the inhuman speed and urgent tone displayed by this mysterious person.
He suddenly looked at Cheng Mo, his previous slight wariness replaced by immense anxiety and a plea for help, almost screaming: "Sir! Please! Take me! Take me to my home! I must go back!!!"
This was exactly the effect Cheng Mo wanted.
He needed Tanjirou, the "Child of the World," to be present. This was not only about saving lives but also about the future direction of the plot and his deep entanglement with this world.
"Grab me."
Cheng Mo spoke concisely, without any superfluous words, directly extending his hand.
Tanjirou didn't hesitate, gripping Cheng Mo's arm tightly.
The next moment, Cheng Mo's thoughts stirred, and the azure Lightning Release Chakra instantly spread out.
It wasn't used to stimulate himself, but to form a relatively gentle energy field, enveloping Tanjirou as well, to reduce the burden of high-speed movement.
"Thunder Breathing!"
"Lightning Release Armor!"
The dual amplification was activated once more!
Boom—!
A sonic boom even more violent than before erupted!
The two instantly transformed into a lightning flash almost imperceptible to the naked eye, tearing through the night, and surged towards the Kamado Family's home on the mountain!
Left behind was only old Man Saburo, who had been thrown to the ground by the intense airflow, and the lingering smell of burning and scattered electric arcs in the air.
"So... so fast!!!"
Even with Cheng Mo's Chakra protection, the intense wind pressure made it almost impossible for Tanjirou to breathe, and he could barely open his eyes, the surrounding scenery completely distorted into blurry lines.
This speed, far beyond human imagination, filled his heart with dread, but the urgency to save his family overwhelmed everything else.
Cheng Mo pushed his speed to the limit, his mind highly focused, his Eye of Truth fully activated, locking onto the increasingly clear and dense evil aura in the distance, while simultaneously avoiding trees and rocks along the way.
Faster!
A little faster!
He could feel that the evil aura had already lingered at the Kamado Family's location for a short while!
However, the closer they got, the more suffocating the cold, dead, and intensely bloody evil aura became.
In the end... were they still a step too late?
The lightning flash abruptly stopped!
Cheng Mo, with Tanjirou, appeared as if teleported outside the familiar courtyard of the Kamado Family's home.
The scene before them was like hell.
The wooden house's doors and windows were shattered, the walls splattered with dark red blood, and the air was filled with a nauseating, heavy stench of blood.
On the ground, fallen figures could vaguely be seen... And right in the center of the courtyard, a black-haired man in Western-style clothing, with a cold and cruel demeanor, stood with his back to them.
One of his hands had mutated into a grotesque tentacle, slowly reaching towards a figure on the ground that was still weakly struggling—it was Nezuko, her head bleeding, her eyes somewhat unfocused from fear and anger, yet still instinctively trying to resist!
The tip of that tentacle, imbued with terrifying power, was about to pierce Nezuko's body, injecting the deadly demon blood!
"Nezuko!!!"
Tanjirou saw the tragic scene before him, saw his sister about to be poisoned, and let out a heart-wrenching scream.
His mind went blank; he was almost about to faint.
Cheng Mo's pupils constricted!
Still half a step too late!
But... there was still time to prevent the worst outcome!
Without any hesitation, the moment he stopped, Cheng Mo had already pushed Tanjirou to a safe spot nearby, and at the same time, his right hand was already on the hilt of his Nichirin Blade, jingzhe (awakening of insects).
Clang—!
The clear ringing of the blade echoed through the silent mountain forest!
The golden Nichirin glow and the dancing azure electric arcs simultaneously entanglement the blade!
"Your opponent, is me."
Cheng Mo's voice was cold as iron, carrying undisguised killing intent, locking onto the source of all tragedy who had just slowly turned around, disturbed—
Kibutsuji Muzan!