118: Chapter 118 The Demon General Returns

Three days after the battle, The Rift suddenly fell silent.

That silence was more unsettling than any previous day. There was no churning of Devilish Qi, no growth of black threads, no demon soldiers crawling out. That blood-red fissure lay quietly across the horizon, like a closed eye.

But everyone knew it hadn't closed. It was waiting.

Waiting for something stronger to emerge.

Lu Mingyuan stood at the edge of the ruins, gazing at The Rift. He had been standing there for a full hour.

Bai Ze lay at his feet, also silent.

Zhang Qingyuan stood at a distance, holding the heart lamp, not daring to disturb.

The sun rose from the east to its zenith, then descended to the west. Dusk fell, and a red glow spread across the sky. This glow reflected on The Rift, dyeing the entire fissure an eerie color—like blood, yet also like fire.

Bai Ze suddenly stood up.

Its ears pricked up, its nostrils twitched slightly as it stared deep into The Rift.

"They're coming."

Lu Mingyuan's heart tightened.

"What?"

Bai Ze did not answer.

It just stared at The Rift, the light in its eyes growing brighter and brighter.

Deep within The Rift, three points of light suddenly ignited.

Those three points of light were not ordinary brightness. It was the kind of brightness that chilled one's heart at a single glance—cold, spiteful, hungry.

They rose from the depths of The Rift, drawing nearer and nearer, growing larger and larger.

Finally, Lu Mingyuan saw them clearly.

Three General-level Demons.

He recognized the one in the middle.

Bone-Eroding.

In Chapter 84, he had encountered it for the first time at the edge of The Rift. Back then, it had just taken form and was driven back by him. In Chapter 102, it returned with demon soldiers, was held back at great cost by Bai Ze, and was ultimately slain by him.

Now, it was alive again.

And stronger than before.

Its body was a third larger than before. On that featureless face, eyes were now faintly discernible—two hollow eyes, fixed on him.

Beside it were two new General-level Demons.

The one on the left had a slender body, like a snake. It had no limbs, only a massive mouth that split from the top of its head all the way down to its abdomen. The mouth was filled with sharp teeth, layer upon layer, like a meat grinder.

The one on the right had a stout body, like a bear. Four thick, short legs, a mouth full of fangs, and countless black spines grew on its back. Those black spines writhed as if alive, their tips gleaming with a dim light.

The three General-level Demons rose from the depths of The Rift and landed at the edge of the ruins.

Behind them, deep within The Rift, countless demon soldiers were pouring out.

Not hundreds, not thousands.

Tens of thousands.

Lu Mingyuan's heart sank.

"Enemy attack—!"

Zhang Qingyuan's shout shattered the silence of the ruins.

Those who had been resting instantly sprang to their feet.

Taoists from Longhu Mountain grabbed talisman paper, martial monks from Shaolin seized their staffs, Confucian scholars from Yuelu gathered together, swordsmen from Qingcheng drew their longswords, and the Loose Cultivators gripped their respective weapons.

Over four hundred people assumed their combat positions within ten breaths.

Zhang Lingyun rushed to Lu Mingyuan's side, his face pale.

"Three General-levels? Tens of thousands of demon soldiers?"

Lu Mingyuan nodded.

Zhang Lingyun looked at him.

"Can we win?"

Lu Mingyuan was silent for a moment.

Then, he shook his head.

"We cannot."

Zhang Lingyun's hand trembled slightly.

But he tightened his grip on the talisman brush and straightened his posture.

"Even if we cannot, we must still fight."

Fa Ming walked over, his body still covered in unhealed wounds, yet he stood straight.

"Amitabha Buddha. This humble monk can still fight."

Li Haoran walked over, his face still pale, his Noble Spirit as weak as a candle flickering in the wind.

"I can fight too."

Yue Wushuang walked over, "shouxin" held horizontally before his chest. His face was even paler than Li Haoran's; in the battle two days prior, he had nearly exhausted himself to death. But his eyes were brighter than ever.

"I can fight."

Jiang Yichen walked over, holding that broken sword. A piece of torn cloth was tied to the broken sword—he had torn it from his own clothes, wrapped it around the sword to serve as a hilt.

"I can fight."

Zhang Qingyuan stood behind them, holding the heart lamp.

"Master, the lamp is lit."

Lu Mingyuan looked at these people, at the expressions on their faces.

No one was unafraid.

But no one retreated.

He suddenly smiled.

"Good."

He turned, looking at the three General-level Demons, at the tens of thousands of demon soldiers, at that blood-red fissure.

"Then we fight."

Bone-Eroding stared at Lu Mingyuan.

Its eyes—those newly grown eyes—gleamed with an eerie light in the darkness.

"We... meet... again..."

Its voice was clearer, more coherent, more human-like than before.

Lu Mingyuan looked at it.

"You've died twice."

Bone-Eroding nodded.

"Died... twice... Lived... twice..."

A crack suddenly split open on its featureless face.

The crack ran from the top of its head all the way down to its chin, filled with sharp teeth.

It was smiling.

"You... cannot... kill... me..."

Lu Mingyuan remained silent.

He knew Bone-Eroding spoke the truth.

These General-level Demons used the same core of resentment. Slain, they could regenerate. Slain again, they could regenerate again. As long as the core of resentment remained, they would never truly die.

He looked at that cluster, the core of resentment.

It was still deep within The Rift, pulsing slowly.

That was the true enemy.

Bone-Eroding followed his gaze.

"Want... to... kill... it?"

It laughed.

"You... cannot... reach... it..."

Behind it, the two new General-level Demons simultaneously took a step forward.

The snake-like one on the left opened its enormous mouth and emitted a sharp shriek.

The shriek pierced everyone's ears like a knife. Some immediately covered their ears and crouched down. Others fell to the ground, bleeding from all seven orifices.

The bear-like one on the right shot all the black spines from its back at once.

Those black spines shot towards the crowd like arrows.

Fa Ming rushed forward, using his body to block those black spines.

The black spines pierced his body, creating over a dozen bloody holes. He gritted his teeth, not retreating a single step.

Lu Mingyuan's eyes turned red.

He tightened his grip on his sword, his Wanxiang True Qi circulating wildly.

"Zhang Lingyun!"

Zhang Lingyun responded:

"Here!"

"Use Talisman Arrays to trap as many demon soldiers as possible! Trap as many as you can!"

"Yes!"

"Fa Ming! Lead the others to hold them back! Don't let them break through!"

Fa Ming was covered in blood, but he nodded.

"This humble monk... will do my utmost..."

"Li Haoran! Protect everyone! Keep your Noble Spirit up for as long as you can!"

Li Haoran's face was deathly pale, but he straightened up.

"I'll do my best."

"Yue Wushuang! Jiang Yichen! Follow me!"

Yue Wushuang gripped "shouxin," Jiang Yichen raised his broken sword.

The three of them charged towards the three General-level Demons simultaneously.

Bone-Eroding watched the three charging figures, something flashing in its eyes—was it mockery?

It raised its hand, black mist coalescing into a giant claw that grabbed towards Lu Mingyuan.

Lu Mingyuan sidestepped, slashing his sword at the claw.

The claw was severed, dissolving into black mist. But the mist did not dissipate; instead, it coalesced again, reforming into a claw.

It could not be severed.

It could not be killed.

Lu Mingyuan's heart sank.

Yue Wushuang's sword struck the snake-like demon, leaving a deep wound. But the wound healed instantly, as if it had never been injured.

Jiang Yichen's broken sword stabbed into the bear-like demon's eye. The demon let out a shriek, but its other eye remained fixed on him.

The three General-level Demons were stronger than before.

The three of them could not win.

But they could not retreat.

Behind them were over four hundred living people.

Behind them was The Rift.

Behind them was the place bought with the lives of those who had already died.

Lu Mingyuan gritted his teeth and struck out with another sword slash.

This slash landed on Bone-Eroding's face.

That crack—that mouth—was cut even deeper.

Bone-Eroding took a step back, staring at him.

"You... have... weakened..."

Lu Mingyuan did not reply.

He had indeed weakened.

He hadn't recovered from the expenditure of the battle two days ago; his Wanxiang True Qi was only at thirty percent.

But that thirty percent was enough for him to fight a while longer.

Fight a while longer, just a while longer.

In the distance, Zhang Lingyun's Talisman Array was taking shape.

But there were too many demon soldiers.

Tens of thousands of demon soldiers surged forth like a tide. His Talisman Array trapped one batch, and another batch went around it. He trapped one batch, and yet another surged forward.

When he ran out of talisman paper, he used cinnabar to draw on the ground.

He drew one layer; it was trampled by demon soldiers. He drew another layer; it was trampled again.

Blood began to seep from the corner of his mouth, his vision began to darken.

But he kept drawing.

Fa Ming led the martial monks, blocking the demon soldiers that broke through the Talisman Array.

But they were too exhausted.

They hadn't recovered from the battle two days ago. Fighting again now, they simply couldn't hold.

One martial monk fell, two martial monks fell, three martial monks fell—

Fa Ming was covered in blood, indistinguishable whether it was his own or the demon soldiers'. His fists had gone soft, his legs trembled, his vision blurred.

But he kept fighting.

One punch, two punches, three punches—

Each punch used all the strength in his body.

Li Haoran's Noble Spirit had weakened to a thin mist.

The Confucian scholars stood behind him, desperately channeling their own Noble Spirit to him.

But their Noble Spirit was sparse to begin with.

One Confucian scholar fell, two fell, three fell—

Tears streamed down Li Haoran's face, but he dared not stop.

If he stopped, that thin mist would dissipate.

If it dissipated, those who were fighting desperately would be overwhelmed by the demon soldiers.

He gritted his teeth and continued to hold on.

Zhang Qingyuan stood at the very back, holding the heart lamp.

His hands shook, his legs shook, his entire body shook.

But that lamp was steady.

The thin smoke rose straight up, drawing a fine line in the night sky.

He looked at those people, at those who were fighting desperately.

Then, he suddenly spoke.

"Master, the lamp is lit."

Lu Mingyuan heard it.

He did not turn his head.

But he knew that lamp was lit.

As long as it was lit, there was a way.

Lu Mingyuan struck out with another sword slash.

This slash landed on Bone-Eroding's chest.

Bone-Eroding's body swayed, but it did not fall.

It looked down at the wound, at the black mist that was already healing.

Then, it laughed.

"You... are... finished..."

It raised its hand, reaching to grab Lu Mingyuan.

Lu Mingyuan wanted to dodge, but he couldn't move.

His legs were weak, his body wouldn't obey.

That claw drew closer and closer.

At that moment, a sword light descended from the heavens.

That sword light was brighter than the sun, faster than lightning.

One slash severed that claw.

One slash struck Bone-Eroding's face.

Bone-Eroding let out a shriek, staggering back.

Lu Mingyuan looked back.

On the horizon, people were arriving.

Many, many people.

There were Taoists, monks, Confucian scholars, swordsmen, Loose Cultivators—just like three days ago, but this time, there were more.

At least a thousand people.

He recognized the person at the very front.

It was the Old Taoist from Longhu Mountain who swept the floors.

He looked at Lu Mingyuan and smiled.

"Kid, we're here again."

Behind him were Shaolin's Jingchen, the old Confucian scholar from Yuelu who swept the floors, Qingcheng's Pavilion Keeper, and many others he didn't recognize.

Those people landed on the ruins, landing beside those who were fighting desperately.

A new battle began.

Lu Mingyuan stood there, looking at those people, at those lights.

Then, he smiled.

A very faint smile, but there were tears in his eyes.

Bai Ze walked to his side.

"Crying again?"

Lu Mingyuan shook his head.

"No."

Bai Ze smiled.

"Stubborn."

It looked at those arriving people.

"With so many people, it should be enough to fight, right?"

Lu Mingyuan nodded.

"Enough."

He looked at the three General-level Demons, at the tens of thousands of demon soldiers, at that blood-red fissure.

"Today, we'll kill them again."

He tightened his grip on his sword and charged forward.

Behind him, over a thousand people attacked simultaneously.

In the night sky, countless beams of light ignited.

They illuminated the ruins, illuminated The Rift, illuminated those who were fighting desperately.

And they illuminated that lamp.

That lamp was still lit.

It remained lit.