Chapter 3: Beset by Perils

As Liejin flew out of the valley carrying Chiyang, he ran into Silver Flame, who had been tracking them by scent. Then, he heard a sharp, shrill voice shouting and screaming. Although the voice was unfamiliar, the two words "Shi Jun" stirred something in his heart. Without a moment's hesitation, he immediately flew toward the direction of the voice.

To his surprise, upon drawing near, he saw nothing more than a small, clawing, and fanging golden dragon with a palm-sized tiny person sitting on its head, shouting in a piercing voice. The moment the tiny creature caught sight of him, it stopped yelling and simply grinned, looking him up and down with an assessing gaze.

Although Liejin did not recognize Shi Buyi, he certainly recognized Xiaotian. He asked in a deep voice, "Who is making a ruckus here?" His gaze swept over and landed on Shi Buyi.

Shi Buyi grinned broadly, a look of utter smugness on his face as he said, "I remember you! You're that big guy's formidable elder uncle, right? Who said I was impersonating Shi Jun? I hadn't finished my sentence! What I said was that I was sent—by Shi Jun!"

As the two parties exchanged these words, the inner and outer circles of snakes had already completed their encirclement.

The enraged mass of snakes crammed the entire base of Yearning Mountain densely. More winged snakes joined the fray, gliding and dancing through the sky, glaring hostilely at everyone's movements, ready to teach these villains—who had wantonly disrupted the ecosystem of Yearning Mountain and engaged in rampant slaughter—a lesson they would never forget.

Liejin's face sank, but he heard Xiaotian say, "My boss is Shi Jun's, that, that..." Before he could finish, he received a heavy punch right on top of his head. Shi Buyi angrily scolded, "Who asked you to flap your jaws?" Then, with an immensely proud and overbearing expression, he looked at Liejin and declared, "To put it simply, I am Shi Jun's—that big guy's—avatar! My name is Shi Buyi, at your service!"

With that, his eyes fixed intently upon Chiyang. "What happened to her?"

"She's injured," Liejin replied simply, wondering to himself: When did Shi Jun acquire yet another avatar? However, seeing how obediently Xiaotian behaved beneath him, it didn't seem like a trick. He said, "Whatever we have to say can wait until later. Let's get out of here as fast as we can. Chiyang's injuries are severe; delays will only invite disaster!"

Shi Buyi immediately grew anxious, letting out a loud cry: "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

"Where to?" Liejin asked abruptly.

Shi Buyi answered without even thinking: "The big guy went to the Crying Tree Forest and told us to meet him at Jiamu Pass!" Only after saying it did he realize what he had done, pointing an accusing finger at Liejin. "Oh... You were testing me! You don't trust me!" An expression of utter indignation instantly surfaced on his tiny face.

Liejin smiled faintly. "Let's go."

***

Just as they rose into the air, preparing to head deeper into the valley, they noticed the swirling flocks of cranes suddenly scatter. The air currents churned as two wave-like ripples of force manifested right before their eyes, one after the other.

Shi Buyi looked over in astonishment, only to see the faint figures of Yacha and Xuanshi suddenly materialize in the air—

The two stood side by side, their gazes carrying a trace of gratitude as they smiled and cupped their fists toward the group.

Deep within everyone's minds, Yacha's deep, resonant voice suddenly rang out: "Many thanks to you all for slaying those three traitors and avenging this bloody vendetta for the two of us! Tell Chiyang that her older brother can no longer take care of her, and she must take good care of herself. Also, no matter what, do not return here to court danger for the time being!"

As the voice grew fainter and fainter, the residual spirit projections of the two vanished abruptly along with the undulations of the water-elemental force field!

"Court danger? Traitors?" Shi Buyi rolled his eyes, then suddenly cried out, "Oh no!" Without offering any explanation, he immediately directed Xiaotian to carve a bloody path through the serpent swarm and charged back to where Huangsha and the others had been. To his dismay, all three corpses had completely vanished—devoured down to the last bone by the emotionally volatile horde of snakes. He could not help but curse his own misfortune: "That Yacha really had the most perfunctory last words in history! If I'd known, I would have left one of them alive!"

"Stop chattering and move quickly, or you'll get entangled with these leather-skinned snakes again!" Liejin ordered, holding Chiyang as he took the lead and soared into the sky.

Seeing this, Shi Buyi wailed, "Wait for me! So are we heading straight for Jiamu Pass or what?"

Liejin answered without a moment's hesitation: "To the Crying Tree Forest first! None of you little fellows know the immensity of heaven and earth. Do you really think the Demon Realm is a place you can stroll into and out of as you please?" With that, he took the lead and flew toward the Crying Tree Forest.

Silver Flame immediately unfurled his broad wings and followed closely behind. Upon hearing this, Shi Buyi stuck out his tongue and said no more. While quietly sending a telepathic message to Shi Jun, he urged Xiaotian to follow right behind, cutting a bloody swath through the winged serpents that had deployed in the sky to block their path.

The two groups finally merged into one. Enduring the fierce, storm-like onslaught of both snakes and cranes, they swiftly carved out a path of blood and sped away in the direction of the Crying Tree Forest.

Seeing that Liejin and the others had left the sphere of influence of Yearning Mountain, the serpent and crane tribes ceased their pursuit. After patrolling and scouting the perimeters of their territories a bit longer, they dispersed.

***

Shi Jun was blocked at the edge of the Crying Tree Forest and had no choice but to halt. He carefully studied the two demons before him, utterly baffled as to where his disguise as Biyuan could possibly have slipped up to be recognized so instantly.

At that moment, the golden eagle let out a cold laugh, laying bare the truth of the matter with a single remark: "The demon spirit Biyuan is tyrannical and fickle, wantonly slaughtering the innocent of the Demon Realm. She was just recently placed under strict arrest by secret decree of the Four Great Elders. Could the Underworld Catcher possibly be unaware?"

Huang Lang's head twitched nervously from side to side, his nose sniffing incessantly. "Such a strong human stench! I haven't tasted human flesh since I left the Human Realm..."

So it was the aura on his body that had given him away. Shi Jun laughed heartily, dropped his disguise, and stepped forward. "The Left and Right Envoys of Soul Sorrow?" He raised an eyebrow, his eyes scanning the golden eagle and Huang Lang. "Are you two the things?"

The golden-furred Huang Lang felt completely ill at ease under Shi Jun's scrutiny, instantly feeling grossly insulted. He let out a strange squawk: "What the—we are not things! We are not things!" The words had barely left his mouth when the golden eagle, who possessed two large wings on his back, gave him a gentle pat. "Brother, don't fall for it. This brat is toying with us."

Shi Jun chuckled dryly. "Although I've long known you are nothings, there's no need to shout it so loudly."

Huang Lang blinked. Though his wits were slow and he couldn't quite fathom how Shi Jun was toying with him, seeing this Underworld Catcher—whom Lady Hongshuang had labeled a traitor—looking at him with such amusement, a causeless anger suddenly flared up within his chest. He roared, "Who says I fell for it? What did I fall for? You dare toy with me? Why are you toying with me?" He bellowed almost every sentence at maximum volume, repeating each one several times over, as if terrified that others wouldn't understand him.

Shi Jun couldn't be bothered to entertain a mentally deficient demon like him. His eyes swept across the surroundings, taking in all the figures who had surrounded him—aside from the golden eagle and Huang Lang, there were around a dozen or so lavishly decorated demons, all clad in battle armor and brandishing sharp weapons, glaring at him with murderous intent. Judging by the demonic energy radiating from them, they were individuals of considerable rank among spirits and demons. He couldn't help feeling a bit puzzled: How on earth did these demons know of me as this so-called "Underworld Catcher"? Could my reputation really be so resounding now that even the Demon Realm knows my name?

Of course, he didn't believe such absurd nonsense, but the golden eagle's immediate identification of his background gave him genuine cause for surprise.

Right at that moment, a ray of morning light suddenly pierced through the dense foliage, dispelling the heavy curtain of night. Shi Jun raised his head in slight surprise, his eyes narrowing against the sudden glare of the rising sun.

At that very instant, the golden eagle waved his arm grandly, drawing a pair of sharp shears from beneath his ribs as he let out a resounding battle cry: "Charge!" The tips of the shears gleamed with a chilling light as he took the lead and hurtled toward Shi Jun.

Once again, they meant to fight and kill without a word of explanation! Simply outrageous!

An irrepressible wave of anger surged swiftly within Shi Jun's heart. The smile had not yet faded from his face when two clusters of "Galloping Thunder Breaks" were already materialized in his palms, which he flung outward without a moment's hesitation. The rapidly spinning energy spheres hurtled with incomparable speed straight toward the golden eagle's face. With a deafening boom, the moment the golden eagle's long shears made contact with the light sphere, he lost his grip entirely as the weapon was blasted high into the sky.

"Clang, clang, clang, clang!" Following closely behind, Shi Jun spun sharply, the temperature around him plunging instantly to freezing point. With a fierce roar, a flurry of small, hard ice blades condensed out of thin air, transforming into a ceaseless torrent of hidden projectiles that shot out in all directions simultaneously.

A square-faced, large-eared stone demon charged forward first, his body instantly riddled with countless gashes by the ice blades. Yet these denizens of the Demon Realm possessed extraordinarily resilient physiques and seemed completely unconcerned with these injuries. With a thunderous roar, he bellowed, "Brat, take this old man's staff!" The gilded club in his hand swept out like lightning, and a giant spiritual palm—tightly clenched into a fist—shot out from the tip of the staff, looping rapidly through the air to assault Shi Jun directly from behind.

By this time, Shi Jun was also fighting with eyes bloodshot. Uttering not a word, his left and right hands swept forward and backward in half-circles. A flash of red light illuminated the scene as two long swords (the divine weapons left to him by Nisu) abruptly materialized in his hands. With a flick of his wrists, both swords shot forth with a fury. The emerald radiance of the two blades blazed brilliantly, accompanied by endless dragon roars. One sword pierced straight into the gaps between the giant fist's fingers, while the other slashed horizontally at the gilded club, severing it cleanly at the waist.

Shi Jun moved with the swiftness of a ghost, striking out with a distant palm print. The stone demon roared madly, coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood, and tumbled backward through the air.

***

Through the light of the dawning day, Shi Jun finally realized that beyond the dozen or so figures who had surrounded him, there were another twenty or more immensely powerful great demons standing like rigid javelins within the surrounding tree shadows. Among them, various types of stone demons—exceptional in both offense and defense—made up a small half. Clad in naturally formed heavy stone armor and wielding sharp weapons or magical treasures, they glared at him with tense, enraged, and vicious eyes.

Sensing that the situation was turning against them, Huang Lang and the golden eagle let out a sharp whistle. The demons who had been lingering along the perimeter instantly scattered like a startled flock. A burly brute who appeared to bear some direct genealogical relation to a brown bear looked the most impatient of all. His copper-bellied eyes nearly popped out of his head, and upon hearing the whistle, he eagerly lunged forward, his silver spear erupting with fierce radiance as it thrust toward him like a venomous dragon.

"Everyone attack together! Great Elder Yuan Hao gave the order: we must slay all traitors who disrupt the order of the Demon Realm!" the golden eagle shouted at the top of his lungs.

Hearing this, the demons hesitated no longer. They swarmed in, hurling curses: "Little bastard, how dare you run over to our territory to make trouble? You've got a death wish!"

"That's right, finishing him off is a piece of cake!"

"Yeah, isn't he the precious pet that wicked old hag Biyuan took a fancy to? Bah, I spit on him!"

"That woman is a lunatic! She actually killed her own people just for him? Hmph, a person like that must never be left alive!"

"Kill him! Kill him..."

Surveying these frenzied demons, a chilling intent to kill swiftly boiled within Shi Jun's blood. Although he had never been fond of using violence to resolve matters, when confronted with a mob incapable of telling right from wrong, shouting at the top of their lungs, and hell-bent on putting him to death, reasoning was clearly futile. Power alone was the deciding factor. At this thought, he took a deep breath, and the fighting spirit buried deep within his heart was infinitely stimulated. His blood surged, and with a hearty laugh, he silently chanted an incantation. A rolling shroud of misty fog instantly spread outward from around him, swiftly engulfing everyone within its embrace.

Taking advantage of the fog that blinded the demons to their surroundings, Shi Jun sneered and willed the Blue Souls to file out of his treasure pouch. Reunited with Shi Jun and in high spirits, the little fellows were thrilled to be called out for a fight. Without waiting for instructions, they spontaneously divided into four small groups—East, South, West, and North—to pin down the demons, while Shi Jun brandished his twin swords and plunged straight into the fray.

***

...The longer the battle dragged on, the more anxious Shi Jun became.

Aware of the terrifying deadliness of his twin swords, the demons swiftly altered their tactics, shifting from close-quarters skirmishing to ranged attacks. Instantly, hidden weapons of all sizes—poisoned and unpoisoned alike—rained toward him in a concentrated barrage, intermittently punctuated by the sneak attacks of long-range weapons and magical treasures. Even with Shi Jun's protective barrier up, he found himself constrained and unable to unleash his full strength when bombarded by such bizarre and endless onslaughts. While utilizing Demon Realm spells was most effective against these wood-attribute entities, facing a group meticulously handpicked for their formidable defensive capabilities meant that although he could inflict heavy wounds on a few, the overall effectiveness was limited.

These demons were clearly elite members of the Demon Realm. Even if they couldn't compare to that lunatic Biyuan, they were certainly not comparable to ordinary, unevenly skilled members of the demon clans. Crystal demons, stone demons, tree demons, spider demons, vultures... Whether judging by the weapons and magical treasures in their hands or the demonic aura overflowing from their bodies, Shi Jun could deduce that these were top-tier experts hailing from different tribes and races. Why, then, had they gathered here in unison? Was it solely to deal with this so-called Underworld Catcher? Weren't they overestimating him just a bit?

Catching a glimpse of the golden eagle and Huang Lang resting and conserving their strength on the outer fringe of the battlefield, Shi Jun thought to himself: Those two great demons are obviously the ringleaders at a single glance. The golden eagle is quick-witted, while Huang Lang is a brawny simpleton with all brawn and no brains. Perhaps I can pry some information out of that fellow.

With his mind made up, Shi Jun issued a telepathic command to the Blue Souls to use an interception tactic to fracture the demons' encirclement ring. At the same time, while continuing to "enthusiastically greet" the ferocious monsters surrounding him with spells, he shifted imperceptibly toward the pair step by step.

The golden eagle quickly perceived that something was amiss. Though he hadn't figured out Shi Jun's exact intentions, he knew that once the encirclement was broken, Shi Jun would have a prime opportunity to escape. He hurriedly bellowed, "Everyone, do not panic! Restore the encirclement!"

Huang Lang also flared his nostrils and shouted, "That's right! Dammit, we can't let this scoundrel escape, and absolutely must not let him breach the barrier to rescue anyone!"

Shi Jun laughed heartily to himself, thinking: Huang Lang, you truly haven't failed my expectations! With a loud roar, he leaped into the air and suddenly chanted out loud a string of immortal-realm incantations he had learned from Chiyang—"Falling Heaven Sound"—while his body elevated higher still in midair without any external leverage, springing like a string-released arrow to vault straight into the barrier!

Metal overcomes wood.

This time, Shi Jun had finally found the right method. While the destructive power of sonic attack spells like "Falling Heaven Sound" was not particularly high, the bewildering and mind-disrupting power contained within them was truly astonishing. Coupled with the fact that these demons possessed incredibly strong physical bodies but generally fragile minds, they had practically zero resistance against such direct mental attacks.

Before Shi Jun's figure had even completely vanished, over forty large and small demons—including the golden eagle and Huang Lang—collapsed flat on their backs in a deep, heavy slumber, casting their weapons and magical treasures everywhere as they began to snore loudly and contentedly.

***

Though delayed by their respective encounters, Liejin and Shi Jun were still on their way to the Crying Tree Forest, but Zisheng was already beginning to feel somewhat overextended—he wasn't overly concerned for his own safety. Despite sustaining a few minor injuries, escaping safely under his own power was entirely feasible. The real problem lay in how to safely escort Tianmu and the others out as well. If this endless cycle of wheel-style combat continued, the danger facing Fuyao and the others would only escalate. Moreover, everyone sitting upon the high platform was a top-tier expert of the Demon Realm; they were currently standing by merely because they believed he lacked the strength to pull off a rescue, coupled with their vigilance against external threats. If these experts were to cast aside their status and swarm him all at once, the consequences would truly be unthinkable...

At this thought, Zisheng—who had remained utterly fearless even when facing thousands of murderous opponents—could finally no longer suppress a trace of worry. Amidst his hectic defense, he cast a glance toward the high platform and was instantly shaken to his core!

Within the great restrictive barrier jointly cast by the Four Great Elders, Fuyao was curled up dumbfounded beside Elder Tianmu, while A Li, who had accompanied them the whole time, had transformed into a cloud of mist...

That dense, dark cloud of mist slowly churned, gradually taking on a human shape and growing increasingly concrete and real. In the end, it finally transformed into an extraordinarily tall man with two pairs of enormous wings sprouting from his back.

Standing tall within the shrinking barrier, the man slowly straightened up, while the grand restrictive barrier—hailed as "blocking all and severing mortal ties"—was now completely incapable of restricting any of his movements. The outer perimeter rippled with a dull, fish-belly-like luster, on the verge of shattering under his overwhelming pressure!

Rings of heavy, water-like ripples emanated around his body—clearly the water-elemental force field of the Underworld. He was clad in dark battle armor, with green hair cascading down past his shoulders. Two pairs of enormous, gem-smooth black wings supported the barrier forcefully, and on both of his wrists were dark, heavy metal rings. His muscles were exceptionally well-defined, exuding a leopard-like murderous aura.

This sudden turn of events left even Fuyao dumbfounded, scarcely believing her own eyes. For a moment, she forgot all her terror, staring blankly for a long time before calling out in a dazed, trembling voice: "A-A Li..."

Due to the suddenness of the transformation, the gazes of everyone on the high platform had only just converged upon the barrier where Fuyao was, each wearing an expression of utter astonishment. Meanwhile, the people below—either bogged down in combat or intensely focused on the fierce battle—had yet to notice the anomaly on the platform.

Gazing blankly at that sharp-eyed, astonishingly handsome face, Fuyao read a sense of closeness and protectiveness within the gaze he cast toward her. She was certain she had never met this man before, yet under such an inconceivable set of circumstances, Fuyao felt not a shred of fear, only staring blankly at the shadow of the man growing increasingly real before her eyes, her mind a complete blank...