241: Chapter 241 Lin Fan

Facing this attack, General Qiu Ya did not turn back, and his pace did not even falter.

The three Demon Soldiers behind him stopped simultaneously. The Gray-Backed Wolf Demon turned back first, his figure flickering to block behind General Qiu Ya.

He raised a claw, and gray-white Demon Power condensed into a ball of light at his fingertips, forcefully catching the Sword Qi.

"Bang!"

The Sword Qi and Demon Power collided, exploding into a ripple of air that blew the remaining wood splinters on the road to the sides, leaving a shallow scorch mark on the bluestone slab.

"A bit interesting."

"This one is still playable, give me one!"

The Iron-Bristled Wild Boar grinned. He stomped his hoof on the bluestone slab, cracking the surface. His dull roar rolled through the empty street before dissipating.

The Black-Striped Leopard Demon did not speak. His claws were already unsheathed, his body lowered like an arrow ready to be released from the string: "Let's see who is faster."

Teacher Zhou Yan's expression changed slightly. "You must be careful!"

The two people behind him had already drawn their swords, each revealing a Magical Artifact—a short sword and a wide-bladed long saber—as spiritual power simultaneously surged into the artifacts.

Teacher Zhou Yan struck quickly, his long sword slashing out. But the Gray-Backed Wolf Demon was faster; his claw pressed onto Teacher Zhou Yan's sword blade, the force causing his wrist to shake. The sword bent, the blade's direction was forced off-course, and it slashed into the nearby door panel, splitting the wooden door in two.

"Not good."

The two people beside him were simultaneously intercepted by the Iron-Bristled Wild Boar and the Black-Striped Leopard Demon. Zhao Qinghe's wide-bladed long saber slashed out a cyan Saber Qi. "Clear Wind Saber: Mountain-Splitting Style!"

"Boom~"

The terrifying Saber Qi landed on the Iron-Bristled Wild Boar's back, leaving only a shallow white mark, like a thin line scratched on the surface of hardwood. "Hmm?"

Seeing this, Li Chongshan gathered his spiritual power and thrust his short sword three times in rapid succession. "Clear Wind Sword: Swift Wind Triple Strike!"

The sword lights crisscrossed, but every strike was dodged by the Black-Striped Leopard Demon, as if he had long since seen through the trajectory of the strikes; not a single one landed on target.

The two men's spiritual light collided with the Demon Power several times, and each time they were heavily suppressed. Teacher Zhou Yan was suppressed even more severely.

Knowing he was outmatched, he immediately spoke. "You all retreat! I have already used a secret technique to send a message to the Sect!"

"Elder Zhou!" Zhao Qinghe's hand gripping the saber paused, as if he hadn't expected him to say those words.

Teacher Zhou Yan did not turn to look at him. He raised his sword again, spiritual light glowing once more on the blade, and slashed at the Gray-Backed Wolf Demon before him. "Green Frost Sword Art: Mountain Breaker!"

This strike was heavier than the previous two; the cyan light on the sword condensed into a wider arc as it was slashed out, as if all his remaining spiritual power had been squeezed into this one blow.

The Gray-Backed Wolf Demon did not dodge. He raised his claw, gray-white Demon Power re-condensing at his fingertips, and pressed it head-on against the sword light.

The sword light and Demon Power collided, emitting a dull cracking sound. The cyan sword light split down the middle, like a thin board being snapped by force, and the fragments scattered into the night wind, quickly fading away.

"Go!"

Zhao Qinghe and Li Chongshan had already turned and run toward the city gate. At this moment.

The Black-Striped Leopard Demon sneered, his figure teleporting, moving so fast that he was almost impossible to see. In the span of a breath, he landed several zhang in front of Zhao Qinghe, blocking his path. "Want to leave? I didn't agree."

The Black-Striped Leopard Demon's claws unsheathed without any unnecessary preamble. "Damn it!"

Just as Zhao Qinghe raised his saber, the Iron-Bristled Wild Boar had already crashed into him from behind. "Hmph~!" "Bang!"

After a heavy, muffled sound, the saber light shattered into two pieces, sliding a distance across the street surface, with the white blade scraping a few long, thin marks onto the bluestone slab.

Li Chongshan had run further, almost to the city gate entrance, but his running speed could not keep up with the Black-Striped Leopard Demon's speed as he swept in from the side. The sound of his tail sweeping through the air was compressed between the eaves into a short, sharp ringing, and immediately after, Li Chongshan's movement was interrupted.

Under the heavy blow, his whole body seemed to have been intercepted by something, his figure swaying before he collapsed beneath the city gate. "Pfft..."

A mouthful of blood sprayed out. Li Chongshan's face was deathly pale; he knew there was no escaping his fate today. "Bang!"

Another boom sounded. Teacher Zhou Yan was also defeated, his long sword propped on the ground. "Clang..."

The Gray-Backed Wolf Demon withdrew his claw, looked down at the sword broken in two on the ground, and then looked at Teacher Zhou Yan, who was half-kneeling on the ground.

He raised his claw, spread his five fingers, and pressed them onto Teacher Zhou Yan's head, tightening his fingers slightly, like squeezing a piece of fruit about to burst.

Teacher Zhou Yan's sword was broken, and his spiritual power was exhausted. He looked up at that claw, neither dodging nor begging for mercy; he simply stared at the Wolf Demon, as if waiting for an outcome.

"This is the end." The Gray-Backed Wolf Demon said, and his claw tips began to tighten.

"Release my Master!" Just then, a voice came from the end of the street, carrying a youthful tone that hadn't yet fully changed.

Teacher Zhou Yan's body stiffened abruptly, as if pulled by that voice. The Gray-Backed Wolf Demon's movements also paused. He turned his head, his gaze crossing over Teacher Zhou Yan's shoulder to land on the figure at the end of the street.

It was a youth, fourteen or fifteen years old, his face still showing traces of childishness, wearing a gray-blue short jacket.

He stood at the end of the street, gripping a half-broken wooden stick in his hand. His gaze was fixed on Teacher Zhou Yan, as if he had just run over from somewhere; his chest was still heaving, and his breathing was kept very low.

"Where did this brat come from?"

The youth did not hesitate. He raised his hand and traced an arc in front of him. A golden " 卍" seal flew out from his palm, wrapped in a layer of violent golden light, and pressed toward the Gray-Backed Wolf Demon.

"Rumble!!"

Wherever the golden light passed, the edges of the residual bloodstains on the ground seemed to be pushed away by something, leaving a clean, arc-shaped trail.

"What!" The Gray-Backed Wolf Demon's vertical pupils contracted. He did not take the hit head-on; he withdrew the claw pressing on Teacher Zhou Yan's head and took two steps back, avoiding the landing point of the golden light, as if he had an instinctive repulsion toward that kind of power.

"Boom!" After the strike, the street fell quiet again. Teacher Zhou Yan was still half-kneeling on the ground. The youth had already stepped forward, crouched beside Teacher Zhou Yan, and reached out to support his arm, his voice breathless.

"Master, are you alright?" Teacher Zhou Yan shook his head.

"Fan'er, why did you come? Quick... hurry away... You are no match for them!"

Teacher Zhou Yan's voice carried a weakness he couldn't sustain; even saying these few words was an effort.

Lin Fan crouched beside him, looked down at Teacher Zhou Yan's arm hanging by his side, then looked at the three figures still lingering near the city gate in the distance. He did not let go; instead, he gripped it even tighter.

"I'm not leaving. Master, trust me; now that I'm here, I won't let you die here alone."

Lin Fan looked up at the direction of the three demons, a flash of determination in his eyes.