“Damn Demon Snake! I will never rest until you’re destroyed!”
He Yuancheng wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, leaned on the Wanhun Banner, and shakily got to his feet.
His heart ached to the point of breaking.
As a ghost cultivator, his main reliance was the ghosts under his control.
That main soul, with Foundation-building mid-stage cultivation, was his greatest support.
Now, with the loss of this main soul, his strength was instantly reduced by more than half.
What’s more, he had already accepted payment from the Yang Family—an entire village’s worth of lives—but now the task remained unfinished, and he hadn’t brought back the Demon Snake’s soul. There was no way he could give an account to the Yang Family.
Words alone were useless; he was empty-handed. How could he prove to the Yang Family that the Demon Snake had already been killed?
If that Foundation-building mid-stage main soul was still in his hands, he wouldn’t be so worried. He could have simply left.
After all, Yang Zhen was only at Foundation-building early stage, unable to stop him or do anything about him.
But now that he had lost his greatest support, and his own abilities were insufficient, the remaining ghosts in the Wanhun Banner were all minor creatures in the Qi Refining stage—no match for the Yang Family.
He Yuancheng calculated silently, planning to hide the fact that he had failed in his mission.
He picked up the Wanhun Banner, recalled the ghosts waiting at the four corners, destroyed the Youming Blood Teleporting Phantom Soul Array under his feet, and, pretending nothing had happened, calmly pushed open the door and walked out.
He had just stepped out when he saw Yang Zhen standing in the courtyard, giving him a half-smiling, half-serious look and asking, “Brother He, how did it go?”
He Yuancheng coughed, face unchanging, and said, “That Demon Snake has been slain by me. Brother Yang, you can rest easy now.”
Yang Zhen replied, “Oh? Then do you have any token to prove she has truly been killed?”
He Yuancheng snorted coldly, glaring, “What, Brother Yang, you don’t trust me?”
Yang Zhen laughed, “After all, words alone mean nothing. Without seeing proof, how can I know whether the villagers of Xiping Village in Xichuan County died for nothing?”
He Yuancheng put on a tough front, bluffing, “If I say she’s dead, then she’s dead. Believe it or not, that’s up to you.”
With that, he swung his robe, lifted his foot, and prepared to leave.
He bet that Yang Zhen would be wary of his Wanhun Banner and wouldn’t dare to stop him.
But then he heard Yang Zhen laugh, “Brother He, I’m afraid you won’t be able to leave.”
He Yuancheng instantly sensed something was wrong.
He detected a faint trace of danger.
With a wave of Yang Zhen’s hand, over a hundred clansmen instantly sprang out from hidden spots around the courtyard, surrounding it completely.
These Yang Family members all wore the uniforms of the Demon-Slaying Bureau, standing in a formation.
Each had an array flag at their waist, held weapons in hand, and looked at He Yuancheng with unfriendly eyes.
He Yuancheng’s eyes widened in anger as he demanded, “Yang, what’s the meaning of this?”
Yang Zhen said, “Brother He, you know well that you’re a wanted demonic cultivator on the Demon-Slaying Bureau’s bounty list. As long as I capture you and hand you over, my Yang Family will receive great merit. If the higher-ups are pleased, perhaps they’ll even reward us with another Foundation-building Pill.”
“This time, inviting you to deal with the Demon Snake was only secondary. The main purpose was to borrow your head to exchange for a Foundation-building Pill with the higher-ups.”
“Brother He, this place is the auspicious ground I’ve prepared for you. You can set your mind at rest and be on your way.”
He Yuancheng was both shocked and furious.
Now he realized that the real target wasn’t the Demon Snake, but himself.
He raged, “Ridiculous! You think your motley crew of Yang Family trash can stop me?”
With that, he circulated his spiritual power and turned into a black escaping light, soaring skyward.
Although his abilities were now weak, he was still a Foundation-building cultivator and could transform into light to come and go freely.
But just as he rose about two zhang, a barrier of light appeared overhead, like a giant bowl inverted over the courtyard.
He Yuancheng crashed headlong into the barrier and fell heavily to the ground.
On the barrier, currents of electricity snaked and twisted, faint arcs of lightning forming, like serpents probing about, ready to strike at any moment.
He Yuancheng scrambled up in embarrassment, looking at the light barrier above with shock.
Yang Zhen laughed heartily, saying, “Perhaps you didn’t know that the Demon-Slaying Bureau has special arrays to deal with you demonic scum.”
“This is the Tianlei Fumo Formation, specifically designed to counter ghost cultivators like you. Brother He, there’s no need for pointless struggle. Accept your fate and be reborn sooner rather than later.”
He Yuancheng seethed with rage.
He slammed the Wanhun Banner onto the ground and gave it a fierce shake.
One by one, grim-faced, sharp-toothed, resentful ghosts flew out of the banner, baring their fangs and claws as they pounced at the Yang Family members all around.
After all, arrays needed people to function.
He resolved to kill a few and break the formation, then take the opportunity to escape.
But he watched in despair as bolts of lightning struck down from the light barrier, targeting every ghost he had released.
Lightning naturally restrained ghosts.
In the blink of an eye, the hundred ghosts he’d sent out were all blasted to ash on the ground.
The Wanhun Banner, once swirling with ghostly shadows and brimming with deathly energy, was now nearly emptied of ghosts.
Its mist grew thin and sparse, making it almost indistinguishable from an ordinary banner.
Seeing the labor of his lifetime destroyed, He Yuancheng suffered a rush of blood and spat out a mouthful of it.
Blood at his lips, he charged through the bolts of lightning toward Yang Zhen, eyes wide with fury, glaring fiercely, roaring, “Yang, I’ll take you with me, you beast!”
Yang Zhen retreated behind his clansmen and waved his hand.
Dozens of Yang clansmen raised their Zhu Yao Lian Nu, “whoosh, whoosh, whoosh”—arrows inscribed with talismans shot toward He Yuancheng.
He Yuancheng was instantly pierced like a hedgehog.
He struggled for a moment, then collapsed, his face twisted with hatred, his reddened eyes fixed on Yang Zhen, dying with his eyes open.
……
Inside Luoyun Cave.
Lang Qianxing leaned against the cave wall, sitting on the ground, while Elder Huai tended to his wounds.
His wounds had already turned black, clearly infected with Corpse Poison.
Lin Xue used the Wood Spirit Detoxification Technique, generating several wooden needles to expel the poison for him.
Hong Yanzhi and Lang Buping had both recovered from the ghost’s shriek by now.
Lang Buping trailed beside Hong Yanzhi, fussing over her, his face filled with earnest concern.
At this moment, Hong Yanzhi no longer had her former arrogance.
Now, with only late-stage Body Tempering cultivation, she was no longer the overbearing young lady she once was.
Moreover, after half a month of severe hardship, her pride had been thoroughly crushed.
Lang Buping must have heard of what she had gone through, but showed not a trace of disgust.
And Lang Buping and his father had come to the cave as much to help her as to settle a score.
So she gave Lang Buping a rare, gentle look.
Lang Buping was overjoyed, grinning like a fool.
Lang Qianxing glanced at his son’s hopeless expression, sighed, and looked over at Lin Xue, who was detoxifying him.
Lin Xue had already moved the Serpent Core outside her dantian, all her spiritual power gone, and had reverted to a peak Body Tempering little demon.
During the earlier battle, she had accidentally discovered a special property of the Blood Fiend’s Blood Mist: it could conceal the cultivation level of those within it.
Because when Lang Qianxing and Lang Buping entered the cave and saw her, she was in the Blood Mist.
So the Lang father and son failed to see her brimming with spiritual energy, already at Foundation-building early stage.
After the battle ended and she saw that the Langs harbored no hostility, she returned to her demon form and hid her Foundation-building stage cultivation, then put away the Blood Mist and returned the Blood Fiend to the ring.
She did not wish for more people to know her secret: that she could cultivate human techniques.
Lang Qianxing was amazed that Lin Xue, though only peak Body Tempering, could fight alongside him and face that ghost just now.
Seeing Lin Xue easily extract the Corpse Poison from his body with a few wooden needles, he was even more impressed.
After treating his wounds, Lang Qianxing explained his intentions to Hong Yanzhi.
It turned out that, ever since Shu Da had taken over Luoyun Cave, Lang Buping had been restless and anxious every day, unable to eat or sleep, constantly muttering about rescuing Sister Yanzhi.
Lang Qianxing and his wife had only one son, whom they doted on.
Seeing their son so spiritless, Lang Buping’s mother urged Lang Qianxing to come and kill that overreaching Shu Da and rescue Hong Yanzhi.
It just so happened that Lang Qianxing had recently advanced in cultivation, so he brought his son to Luoyun Cave to deal with Shu Da and take back their mountain.
After explaining the reason for their visit, Lang Qianxing asked Hong Yanzhi if she would be willing to marry Lang Buping.
He promised that as long as she was willing to honor the marriage agreement made by Hong Lao San and marry Lang Buping, she could stay in Xixia Mountain, and the Lang Family would devote all their resources to help her become a great demon again.
And after she and Lang Buping had children, the first son would bear the Lang surname, but the others could take her Hong surname and continue the Hong Family line.
Hong Yanzhi looked at Lang Buping’s expectant face and didn’t answer.
She was no longer so resistant to marrying Lang Buping.
Although Lang Buping was weak and talentless, he was at least sincere toward her.
But the decision was not hers alone.
Now she was Lin Xue’s demon slave, and needed Lin Xue’s permission.
She turned to look at Lin Xue, her gaze seeking approval.
Lin Xue was somewhat speechless.
With Shu Da and Shu Er dead, she was no longer anyone’s second mistress.
Just now, she had claimed to the Langs that she was Hong Yanzhi’s maid.
What lady ever needed her maid’s permission to get married?
Through the bond between master and servant, she told Hong Yanzhi to decide for herself.
Only then did Hong Yanzhi turn her head, face blushing, and agree to marry Lang Buping.
Lang Buping was so happy he nearly fainted.
Though Lang Qianxing found it odd that Hong Yanzhi would seek Lin Xue’s opinion, seeing her agree, he was satisfied.
He immediately decided to leave Lang Buping and two hundred Yellow Wind Mountain demon soldiers in Luoyun Cave to back up Hong Yanzhi.
Then, after reminding Lang Buping of a few things, he returned to the mountain to prepare for his son’s wedding.
Luoyun Cave was, for now, back in Hong Yanzhi’s hands.