Chapter 296: The Demon King can’t step down.
The city was engulfed by dark clouds, and the dry desert welcomed rain that washed away life and flesh. The streets were deserted, with no soul in sight. Even the bustling black market, usually open at all hours, had shut its doors and windows.
The wandering cultivators who hadn’t escaped Jade Pass were now holed up in their homes, listening intently to the sounds outside.
The thunderous roar of spiritual energy and the glint of swords, which had lasted for ten days, seemed to have subsided. Yet, no one dared to venture out to assess the situation.
“How’s it looking?” One asked.
“I’m not sure. The monsters outside seem to have gone quiet. I sneaked out earlier and saw that most of the guards in YuGuan City are either dead or injured…” Another replied.
“What should we do? If the monsters breach the city, they’ll surely massacre everyone. And none of us will be able to escape. What about the people from the black market?” The first one inquired.
“I don’t know… When the fighting started, the city descended into chaos. Many people fled. The boss of Sand Pavilion seems to have a way out, but it costs a hundred thousand spiritual stones… which we can’t afford,” Came the response.
The cultivators taking refuge in the inn exchanged worried glances, their faces drained of color. They regretted not leaving the city sooner. When news of the beast disaster first emerged, most dismissed it as mere thunder, not realizing the severity of the situation until it was too late to flee.
The monsters besieged the city from all four gates, accompanied by sand dragons and eagles. In less than a day, Yu Guan City was completely surrounded. The city lord and the guards had exhausted all their resources just to hold out for ten days.
Suddenly, the rhythmic beat of war drums from the west shattered the silence in Yu Guan City.
“Dong-dong dong!!” Echoed the drums.
The cultivators hiding in their houses cautiously opened their windows and peered outside. They saw rows of tiger-like monsters clad in black iron armor, marching in perfect formation through the west gate of Yu Guan City. Their eyes gleamed with murderous intent as they growled at the human cultivators on either side.
Most casual cultivators didn’t recognize these creatures, but some knowledgeable individuals couldn’t help but gasp when they saw the tiger monsters.
“Tiger-headed demons!”
“What are these creatures? They’re not on any charts.”
“These guys aren’t just beasts. They’re genuine demons. Among spirit creatures, the higher their cultivation, the more human they appear. Monsters that can fully transform into human form possess strength comparable to human void realm cultivators. These tiger-headed demons have at least the cultivation of early Nascent Soul stage.”
“So… there are nearly eighty Nascent Soul level demon cultivators here?”
“I can’t believe Yu Guan City lasted ten days. It’s a miracle.”
“Wait, the higher their cultivation, the more human they look? Look at the back of the formation…”
Everyone in the room was momentarily stunned by the revelation and turned to look in the direction the man indicated. Following the line of more than eighty tiger demons, two dragons pulled an extravagantly luxurious sedan chair, so immense that it almost got stuck outside the city gate.
Perched atop the sedan chair was an exceedingly handsome man, leaning casually on the armrest with his left hand supporting his cheek. His ebony-black, vertically slitted pupils remained fixed straight ahead, emanating an aura of supreme arrogance and dominance.
The man, named Hu Mu, was a thousand-year-old fox of the highest cultivation level among the demon clan, equivalent to a human void realm cultivator.
Seated beside the stern man was a little fox demon, playing with a rattle, a stark contrast to the seriousness exuded by Hu Mu.
The rhythmic sound of the rattle filled the air–“Bo dong bo dong~~~”
Veins bulged on Hu Mu’s forehead as he endured the noise for a while before finally snapping, furrowing his brows, and scolding, “Qiao’er, where did this thing come from? It’s so noisy!!”
Xue Tianqiao shook her fox ears atop her head, unfazed by Hu Mu’s furious roar, and calmly explained, “Master, I found it on the way into the city. I’ve never seen it before…”
Hu Mu took a deep breath, and twitched his mouth slightly but said nothing.
Glancing at the human cultivators peering at them from the windows of nearby houses, a flicker of disgust crossed Hu Mu’s face, accompanied by a disdainful click of his tongue, “Tsk…”
A fox clan member beneath the sedan chair heard this and promptly leaped onto the sedan, kneeling before Hu Mu, “Your Majesty, just give the order, and I’ll eradicate the human cultivators here immediately.”
Hu Mu remained silent, glancing at the kneeling fox before looking away. The fox demon looked puzzled, hesitated momentarily, and whispered, “Your Majesty! I’m just waiting for your order…”
Hu Mu sucked in a breath and asked through clenched teeth, “So, looking at my expression, do you think I want you to massacre the city?”
“…,” The fox demon fell speechless.
Sitting beside Hu Mu, Xue Tianqiao observed the bewildered fox demon and said, “What Master means is, don’t massacre the city.”
Hu Mu glared fiercely at Xue Tianqiao and bellowed angrily, “I command all members of the demon clan, unless I order otherwise, do not harm any of the human cultivators here, not even a hair.”
“Ah! Your Majesty… Why?” Xue Tianqiao asked puzzledly.
After contemplating, Xue Tianqiao explained, “Master is afraid of Immortal Danyue pulling his hair.”
Upon hearing this, Hu Mu’s forehead veins bulged even more, and he shot his apprentice a glance that seemed to want to peel her skin off, saying, “She’s not that capable.”
“But when she came to our demon clan’s territory before and pulled your tail hair, Master, how could you just swallow your anger… Wu——” Xue Tianqiao’s words trailed off, interrupted by Hu Mu pinching her mouth shut.
“If you can’t keep your mouth shut anymore, believe it or not, this master will skin you!” Hu Mu threatened.
“Master… You say you want to skin me every few days,” Xue Tianqiao mumbled through her pinched lips.
“…,” Hu Mu fell silent.
The kneeling fox cultivator listened to their exchange with a cold sweat, unsure what to say, and stealthily slipped away from the sedan chair.
Finally, Hu Mu gritted his teeth and said, “At that time, I swallowed my anger out of respect for the elders, not because I was afraid of her.”
“Right…” Xue Tianqiao nodded, then waved her tail behind her and took out a small fox fur belt from her storage bag. “Master, this was given to me by her when she left. It’s made from your tail hair.”
Hu Mu’s eyes twitched slightly at the sight of the lifelike fox fur belt in Xue Tianqiao’s hand. He sighed softly, not wanting to dwell on the topic any longer, and looked around before asking, “Qiao’er, do you sense the aura of the Heavenly Dao scriptures in this city?”
Xue Tianqiao nodded slightly and closed her eyes to sniff the air. “It smells like roast chicken. Master, I want to eat roast chicken.”
“Hiss… hoo…” Hu Mu took a deep breath. “So, it’s gone!”
“Um.”
“Very well—someone is coming!!!” Hu Mu shouted, and several figures jumped onto the sedan chair, kneeling before him.
“Yes! Your Majesty!!” They responded.
“Leave some people to guard Yu Guan. The demon clan will follow me to Tianjin,” Hu Mu commanded.
“Yes!!” They replied in unison.
…