Chapter 278: Do Not Harm My Great King!
Chapter 278: Do Not Harm My Great King!
The Ninth Peak had collapsed. Tu Hu searched all around and finally found a wine cup once used by the Toad Demon King in the hands of a minor monster who once served on Ninth Peak.
When they reached the Demon Market, the sky had already dimmed.
Chen Changsheng hesitated briefly. Then he raised his hand, gathering a wisp of Golden Light onto his fingertip. He drew a Talisman in the air, attaching it to the cup.
“Heaven and Earth’s true might, track the demon.”
The Talisman condensed into a beam of Golden Light, taking the shape of a small bird that flew off in a certain direction.
Chen Changsheng then said, “Follow it, and you’ll find him.”
Tu Hu saw it and declared, “I’ll go ahead.”
“Go.”
Chen Changsheng waved a hand and stood to pack up his stall.
Qing Tianyou asked, “Aren’t you going to see?”
Chen Changsheng shook his head. “If this Arcane Spell can truly find that Toad Demon King, I need not go. Tu Hu can settle this.”
Qing Tianyou paused. “What do you mean?”
Chen Changsheng said, “The Toad Demon King once enjoyed the Heavenly Dao’s protection. That’s why he could rival Tu Hu. Now he must be abandoned, otherwise my spell wouldn’t have found him.”
Qing Tianyou understood a little. “The Heavenly Dao protects?”
Chen Changsheng nodded. “This Heaven and Earth seldom gets its main duties done. All it does is meddle.”
He waved his hand and hoisted the cloth bundle onto his shoulders.
“We’re going back.”
Bathed in the sunset’s glow, Chen Changsheng walked toward the valley, carrying the bundle.
Qing Tianyou watched his solitary figure.
He could feel Chen Changsheng seemed deeply lonely, though he couldn’t tell where this loneliness came from.
Was it because of Bai Ziqiu’s death?
But in Qing Tianyou’s view, Chen Changsheng didn’t seem the type to drown in grief over a friend’s passing.
Chen Changsheng seemed odd, perhaps the oddness lay within himself.
…
Tu Hu followed the trail of the spell westward. The further he went, the thinner the Demonic Qi in the area became.
He reached a forest ringed by mountains. There, the spell fizzed like a bubble and vanished.
“Here?”
Tu Hu looked up. All was utterly silent. Not a sound could be heard. His senses detected no trace of Demonic Qi.
“Could the spell have been wrong?”
Just as Tu Hu wondered this, he noticed the silence felt unnaturally heavy.
So he strode forward into the forest ahead.
Suddenly, a barrier blocked his way.
Tu Hu paused, reaching out to feel the invisible obstruction.
“This is…”
Understanding dawned on Tu Hu immediately.
“A Formation Array!”
He’d seen such things before; those three Zhang Ghosts had used one long ago. And here sat a natural Formation Core.
Long ago, a Cultivator had used this place to weave a natural Formation Array for hiding.
Tu Hu clenched his fist and punched it. A colossal boom shook the land for miles.
“BOOM!”
The massive noise jolted Zhu Wuneng awake.
“Who! Who’s there?”
Zhu Wuneng trembled. Sensing trouble, he scrambled frantically toward the cave.
“Great King! Great King!”
The Toad Demon King emerged. “We cannot stay. We must flee. Now.”
“Mmhh!…”
Gou’er struggled, watching the two demons.
At that very moment, a sudden shattering sound ripped through the air.
The natural Formation Array burst apart. The two demons and the human were fully exposed.
“Chan Du! Face your death!”
Tu Hu’s voice boomed across the mountains.
Seeing this, Zhu Wuneng cried out urgently, “Great King, run!”
He lifted a hand, and a Long Saber by the cave entrance flew into his grip.
Without hesitation, the Toad Demon King’s body vanished on the spot as he sought to escape.
Tu Hu saw a pig demon lunging to cover the retreat.
Frowning, Tu Hu unleashed a wave of Demonic Qi, roaring, “Out of my way!”
“HRAAAAAAGH!!”
Zhu Wuneng swung the saber, but the wave of Demonic Qi blasted him away.
THUD.
He slammed onto the ground, spitting blood. Staggering to his feet, he charged again.
“Do not harm… my Great King!”
Zhu Wuneng, his mouth dripping blood, blocked Tu Hu once more.
Tu Hu’s brow knotted. He threw a punch.
THWACK…
Blood spurted again. Zhu Wuneng’s internal organs shifted violently. The single punch forced him back into his original pig form. The Long Saber clattered to the side. He couldn’t rise…
“Great… King…”
“Run! Get away!”
Zhu Wuneng shrieked hoarsely.
But the Toad Demon King was already far gone, vanishing into the distance.
Zhu Wuneng’s breath grew faint. He fell unconscious.
Tu Hu ignored the pig demon and raced after the Toad Demon King’s fleeing direction.
“You won’t escape!”
Silence reclaimed the woods.
Gou’er lifted his bound hands, heart pounding at the residual Demonic Qi. Seeing the pig demon unconscious, he shuffled to a large rock nearby and began rubbing the ropes binding his wrists against its jagged edge.
Finally, the rope snapped. Gou’er ran.
“Puh!”
He spat out the wad of grime from his mouth, quickly untied his ankles, took a few gasping breaths, and sprinted recklessly away without looking back. He had no idea where he was going, only that staying was death.
…
Gou’er ran until exhausted, diving deep into a dense patch of forest in a secluded spot. He panted, gulping air like a survivor.
His face was deathly pale.
His throat burned with thirst. Spotting a trickle of mountain springwater, he plunged his face into it, gulping greedily until he choked.
Only after calming slightly did he take in his surroundings.
He felt lost. Every corner of the Demon Realm screamed danger. Where could he go now?
The Faceless Mask given to him by Chieftain Song for disguise had been destroyed by the white fox. As a living human roaming here, survival seemed impossibly bleak.
“What to do…”
Just then, a rustle came from behind him.
Gou’er froze. He spun around.
“Hssss!!!”
His pupils shrank to pinpricks. A third-stage Snake Demon loomed behind him, jaws gaping wide enough to swallow him whole.
Venomous fangs filled his vision. Reflex kicked in. Gou’er summoned every shred of Blood Qi he had and threw a desperate punch.
“AHH!!!”
The impact vibrated the air. His fist tore through the Snake Demon’s skull. Life vanished instantly.
Blood drenched Gou’er. His arm shook violently. His whole body went limp.
…
Tu Hu poured Demonic Power into his pursuit.
The Toad Demon King knew he stood no chance. He dared not stop.
The Heavenly Dao had abandoned him. How could he possibly face the tiger demon now?
He fled blindly, leaping over dozens of mountains, until he found a pool of toxic sludge ahead.
His eyes lit up. He dove in headfirst.
Tu Hu reached the pool moments later. The Toad Demon King was gone. He searched for over an hour, then finally let out a sigh.
This time, his prey had slipped away. Next time, catching him wouldn’t be so easy.
“Hmph.”
Tu Hu grunted in frustration and turned back.
Arriving again at the earlier mountainside, he found Zhu Wuneng still clinging to a sliver of life.
“Still breathing?!”
Tu Hu frowned. “Thick-skinned pig, indeed.”
He grabbed the pig demon’s neck and hauled him toward the Thirty-Six Caves.