Chapter 294: A Sip of Wine, to Send Me Off

Heavy rain poured from the sky.

Thunder rumbled incessantly.

Upon the Desolate Plain outside the city walls, the din of battle never ceased.

Blood washed down with the rain became streams, and the corpses previously left uncollected now emitted a foul stench of decay.

“Boom!”

Amidst dazzling flashes of lightning,

the clangor of weapons rang to the core.

Every stroke of blade and sword sprayed crimson light.

The ill-tempered Manager had learned her sword art from the scar etched into the table.

Her purpose for being here now mirrored Song Gudao’s intention.

She came only seeking death.

After thrusting her long sword into the chest of a Third-Realm Great Demon with her frail frame, demon blood splashed onto her. As she turned, unseen fangs suddenly ripped towards her neck.

“BOOM!!”

A spear thrust pierced in, blocking the demon’s fangs.

Du A’niang collapsed unconscious.

Mu Cang rushed forward and caught her, shouting, “Take her back!!”

“Leave it to me.”

Lao Bazi responded, swiftly carrying the unconscious Du A’niang back to the City Tower.

After setting her down, he brandished his sword and charged back into the demonic horde.

…

Mazi’s blade had pierced several Sixth-Realm Great Demons, its edge severing the heads of two or three Seventh-Realm ones.

He knelt on the ground, utterly spent.

His lean frame was propped up by the long sword planted in the earth, starkly outlined by the intermittent lightning.

“Mazi!!”

Seeing this, Mu Cang charged forward.

He shielded Mazi, repelling the demons closing in.

“Get up!” Mu Cang roared hoarsely.

Mazi had not an ounce of strength left. He smiled self-deprecatingly. “Can’t stand…”

“A sip of wine, to send me off.”

Mu Cang paused, stunned. He turned to look at Mazi, then cursed vehemently, “Screw your mother! Where the hell am I supposed to find wine?!”

Mazi suddenly laughed. He laughed three times, only to be interrupted by violent coughing.

Blood flowed freely from his wounds as he mumbled weakly, “None… then never mind…”

“Dragged a few down before the end… This worthless life… was worth it…”

After he finished, his body slowly sagged forward. The long sword, deeply embedded in the ground, held him upright, preventing a collapse.

“Mazi! Lv Chengfu!”

Mu Cang lunged forward, trying to pull him up. But no matter how he yelled, the man didn’t move. His breathing ceased right there and then.

“AHHH!”

Mu Cang swept his spear wide, repelling every demon before him.

His eyes reddened, tears and snot streaming freely down his face.

But mercifully, under the pouring rain, no one could see how violently he wept.

“Screw! Your! Mother!”

Mu Cang spat the words one by one. Hatred surged in his eyes; his killing intent reached its pinnacle at that very moment.

“Beasts! Die!”

His spear danced constantly in his hands, ceaselessly reaping the lives of the demons before him.

Lao Bazi swung his blade relentlessly. His grip had already cracked from the impact. After cleaving through a ring of lesser demons, he fixed his gaze on a single Seventh-Realm Great Demon.

“Taste your grandpa’s prized blade!!”

Lao Bazi leaped high, charging straight at the Seventh-Realm Great Demon.

Chaos reigned supreme across the Desolate Plain.

Only the incessant spray of blood and earthshaking battle cries filled the air.

“Thump!”

Suddenly, a sound echoed from behind.

“The Blade Master of Southern Wilderness Path, Bai Chengyun, comes to aid!!”

“The Swordsman of Northern Cloud Path comes to aid!”

“Jin Bin of the Golden Saber Sect comes to aid the Divine Domain!!”

“Gan Jiazhi of Tea Valley Path comes to slay demons!”

…

Countless figures surged forth from the city gates.

“Kill!!”

Without exception, they were all Mortals, yet their Qi and Blood was astonishingly potent.

They came from everywhere under heaven, from the Mortal World, from the Jianghu.

Faced with this sudden tide of reinforcements, the Cultivators on the battlefield were momentarily stunned.

Turning around, they beheld uncountable figures rushing towards them.

“We have a chance!!”

“The one surnamed Song didn’t lie to us!”

“Kill them! Slaughter these beasts!”

Beyond the tens of thousands of battling demons, stood two Eighth-Realm Great Demons.

One of the Eighth-Realm Great Demons had a wrinkled face and concealed a rat’s tail behind him. He silently observed the bloody spectacle.

“Mortals?”

The Eighth-Realm Rat Demon sneered contemptuously. “The Divine Domain is truly at their wits’ end. Second Peak Lord, it seems neither of us needs to intervene.”

Beside him stood another demon radiating the aura of the Eighth Realm, his features hidden behind a Wooden Carved Mask, a heavy stench of blood clinging to him, unwelcoming enough to make others instinctively recoil.

Gou’er, forced into a flattering smile, nodded slightly.

Beneath the mask, his jaw clenched tight, his body trembling faintly as if battling some internal force.

The stench of blood on the field grew ever thicker. The stronger it became, the harder it became for him to retain control.

With the influx of thousands of martial-artist Mortals, the battle situation abruptly shifted.

The heavily pressed humans now unexpectedly gained a moment to catch their breath.

And from behind the city gates, streaks of Mortal human martial artists continued to surge out unceasingly. In the blink of an eye, their numbers reached thousands once more.

Watching this development, the Eighth-Realm Rat Demon frowned, murmuring, “These Mortals… are unexpectedly troublesome.”

Seeing him prepare to move, Gou’er spoke quickly, “Likely just a temporary surge?”

The Eighth-Realm Rat Demon shook his head. “Hard to say. Best I personally clear them away, lest matters be delayed.”

As the words fell, his figure vanished from sight.

Gou’er clenched his fist. He yearned to step forward, but in that instant, a figure unexpectedly vaulted upwards from behind him.

A familiar wave of Demonic Power abruptly surged forth, striking towards the Eighth-Realm Rat Demon!

“Who?!”

Startled and frowning, the Rat Demon whirled around.

He saw the silhouette of a graceful figure clad in white silken robes, fox tails swishing behind her. Her chillingly clear eyes radiated an aura that instinctively provoked dread.

The Eighth-Realm Rat Demon recognized her at once and chuckled. “So, it’s you!”

Hu Shilan stared back coldly. “Shu Lie!”

A glacial look hardened Shu Lie’s eyes as he demanded, “What do you want?”

Hu Shilan met his gaze. “I am only here today to settle the debt from years past!”

Shu Lie snorted coldly. “A Demon King, yet you fell for a human Cultivator? Our Demon Race has no place for a treacherous wretch like you!”

“Back then, all I begged was to spare his life! Even the Mountain Lord agreed! Yet you set a trap and framed him! If not for you, how could his head have been severed? How could I have come to this state?”

Hu Shilan retorted with equal venom. “You preach camaraderie within the Demon Race, yet you conspired to sentence me to death? Utterly absurd!”

“I’ll clear the Demon Race of this treacherous stain first!”

Shu Lie spat, then unleashed a terrifying wave of Demonic Qi, surging towards Hu Shilan.

“Shriek!!”

A piercing fox cry tore through the air.

Multiple fox tails fanned out behind Hu Shilan. The overwhelming pressure of an Eighth-Realm Great Demon blasted forth. In an instant, numerous Demonic Power-formed ice spikes materialized, screaming towards the Rat Demon.

The Rat Demon expelled a plume of black gas. With a wave of his hand, a wall of toxic vapor erupted.

Hu Shilan lifted her arms, her Demonic Power effortlessly forming a shield that blocked the toxic gas. She surged past it, engaging Shu Lie in a fierce whirlwind of battle.

Gou’er watched the clash, his lips slightly parted, his mind roiling with chaotic turmoil.

He lowered his eyes back to the seemingly endless slaughter unfolding below.

He knew with painful clarity what the consequence would be if he lost control. He dared not gamble at all.

Gou’er hesitated, wracked with indecision, but the Demonic Blood within him surged violently, its call increasingly fierce. His consciousness began to blur.

“Not yet… not yet…”

Gou’er balled his fists tightly, teeth grinding together as he fought desperately to hold himself together.