Chapter 101: The Hunt Begins, a Journey of Feasting
Chapter 101: Chapter 101: The Hunt Begins, a Journey of Feasting
’A fight broke out?’
Zhu Ge wore a peculiar expression as he watched Liu Jianjian run in from outside.
’I had just said I hoped they would start fighting, and they actually did?’
"Master, I heard the Yuan Yang City Lord was injured again in the latest clash—severely this time! But the Plague God Sparrow was wounded too!"
Liu Jianjian’s face was full of glee. "And now the Yuan Yang City Lord has ordered a purge of all Demons, Ghosts, Spirits, and Monsters within Red River Prefecture, while the Plague God Sparrow and the Red River Dragon Python have ordered the extermination of every member of the Human Race in the prefecture!"
’The great war is starting this soon?!’
Zhu Ge was shocked.
But considering the circumstances, he understood.
The Yuan Yang City Lord was already injured. If he were the Plague God Sparrow and the Red River Dragon Python, he would have definitely chosen this moment to fight.
What he hadn’t expected, however, was that even with the Plague God Sparrow, a great god, and the Red River Dragon Python, a Great Demon, joining forces, they still couldn’t take down the Yuan Yang City Lord.
"The Yuan Yang City Lord is severely injured, and demons are running rampant throughout Red River Prefecture..." Zhu Ge shook his head and sighed. "It looks like those villages are doomed."
The outcome was easy to imagine.
Stronger villages, like Mengla Slope Third Village, might be able to put up some resistance under the protection of a Mechanism Master.
But weaker ones, like Jianshan Village, would face an impossible struggle.
In the end, it was estimated that less than one percent of the Human Race in Red River Prefecture would survive this catastrophe.
Some villages and small towns might even be completely annihilated.
Besides Yuan Yang City, there were thirteen other cities in Red River Prefecture.
Those cities were the backbone of the resistance against the Demon Race’s onslaught.
’Thankfully, my valley has the Fungus God Destruction Array.’ Zhu Ge felt a little more at ease.
Otherwise, even as a Body Refining Martial Artist, he would die of exhaustion amidst a countless tide of Demon Beasts.
’But I wonder when my sworn brother will make his move?’ Zhu Ge thought of True Monarch Minmian.
In Zhu Ge’s opinion, True Monarch Minmian had the power to suppress the entire Nanyue Mianhuang region.
The main question was when he would act.
An existence like True Monarch Minmian surely had his own calculations.
True Monarch Minmian and those of his caliber would surely have their own considerations, such as when to act for maximum benefit and whom to target to save the most members of the Human Race.
Of course, Zhu Ge knew about this matter, but whether he could profit from it would depend on the perfect alignment of timing, location, and opportunity.
After all, those beings were on a completely different level!
’But...’
’Since the demonic creatures gathered by the Plague God Sparrow have returned to their own territories, I can finally get started.’
A cold glint flashed in Zhu Ge’s eyes.
’I was planning on killing Demon Beasts for their meat anyway.’
’Now that I’m up against the Plague God Sparrow’s order to exterminate the Human Race, I have even less reason to hold back.’
The Plague God Sparrow wanted to slaughter the humans of Red River Prefecture, so Zhu Ge would hide in the shadows and slaughter the Demons, Ghosts, Spirits, and Monsters!
"I’ll kill them on sight!"
"Liu Jianjian, go out and blend in with the other Demon Beasts. Mark the valley as your territory, and don’t let any others get close!"
"Zhu Sisi! Little sis, we’re going out to hunt demons!"
"The hunt... has begun!"
...
It was a dark, windy night under a full moon.
Holding a silver staff, Zhu Ge kept his body low as he moved with incredible speed.
He could sense the aura of a Transformed Demon Beast not far away.
He didn’t bother hiding his aura; as a mere Anger Realm Martial Artist, he posed no threat in the perception of a Transformed Demon Beast.
Therefore, his swift approach didn’t attract the Transformed Demon Beast’s notice at all.
However, when he got within about a kilometer, the Transformed Demon Beast finally noticed him.
After all, Zhu Ge was sprinting straight toward it, making it obvious that the Transformed Demon Beast was his target.
"Who dares trespass in my territory!"
A massive Hua Bao leaped up from afar and roared at Zhu Ge.
Zhu Ge’s expression was cold. Without a word, he tightened his grip on his right hand, infusing the silver staff with Blood Qi from his arm.
"Not talking? Then I’ll just eat you!" the Hua Bao roared. Golden Demon Qi flared from its body, shimmering against its orange-yellow fur.
The Transformed Hua Bao didn’t even bother to use its demon core, clearly not taking Zhu Ge seriously.
Seeing this, Zhu Ge stopped running forward. Instead, he sank his weight and dropped into a horse stance.
Waist and Horse Skill!
BOOM!!!
The Hua Bao condensed Demon Qi into its sharp claws, which then slammed into Zhu Ge’s upward-swinging silver staff, unleashing a powerful shockwave.
Zhu Ge’s body didn’t move an inch, but his feet carved long tracks into the dirt.
"For a Hua Bao, you’re surprisingly focused on strength," Zhu Ge said, shaking his head. "Too bad. I don’t like eating leopard meat. It’s too gamey."
As he spoke, Zhu Ge swung the silver staff with incredible speed, bringing it crashing down toward the Hua Bao’s head.
Although it was a staff, when Zhu Ge swung it, it moved as if it were a teapot, with the tip of the staff acting as the spout.
Tea Swordsmanship!
"Arrogant human whelp!"
The Hua Bao roared, its demon core thumping in its chest. A continuous stream of Demon Qi surged forth as it blocked Zhu Ge’s staff with a single paw.
But it was immediately followed by a relentless series of attacks.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Combining his Tea Swordsmanship with the principles of the Vajra Palm, every strike was powerful and heavy. The surrounding trees were all shattered, and the ground looked as if it had been plowed.
ROAR!!!
The Hua Bao roared in fury, but it was helpless against Zhu Ge.
The first strike had let the Hua Bao know that while this human before it was only in the First Realm, his true strength was far beyond that.
But who could have known that even after it activated its demon core and its power multiplied, it was still being utterly suppressed.
"Perfect! The Plague God Sparrow will reward me for killing a human genius! I’m going to take your head and claim my reward!"
The Hua Bao knocked Zhu Ge back with a powerful swipe of its paw, and the circular spots on its fur began to glow one by one as its Demon Qi surged.
’An innate ability?’
Seeing this, Zhu Ge raised an eyebrow. He took two steps back, staff in hand, and lowered his stance.
Waist and Horse Skill!
He was preparing to defend!
It was a known fact that Demons, Ghosts, Spirits, and Monsters all had unique traits.
Certain traits allowed them to awaken innate abilities even while only in the First Realm.
However, not all of them could evolve their traits into innate abilities.
Zhu Ge hadn’t encountered many with innate abilities.
Hua Liusha was one; her unique trait allowed her to enter the Second Realm after marrying him.
The Fungus God was another; those whose spirits it seized continued to exhibit mechanical behavior, similar to being parasitized by a cordyceps fungus.
The Tiger God counted as well; all of His Believers were transformed into Chong Ghosts.
Other than them, neither Liu Jianjian nor Zhu Sisi had their own innate abilities.
The fact that this Hua Bao clearly had an innate ability was something of a surprise to Zhu Ge.
The next moment, a series of squelching sounds, SPURT, SPURT, SPURT, came from the Hua Bao’s fur as arrows of blood shot out from its spots.
However, these bloody arrows didn’t target Zhu Ge, but instead splattered onto the surroundings.
The Hua Bao let out a pained howl. "Human whelp, you forced me to use my innate ability! I will imprison your soul and torture it for a hundred years!"
SWOOSH!!!
As the wind rustled the grass, the splatters of blood on the ground and tree trunks coalesced into individual spots, resembling the ones on the Hua Bao’s body.
The next instant, Demon Qi surged from the spots on the Hua Bao’s body and the spots formed by the blood, creating streaks of golden light.
Their target was none other than Zhu Ge!
Zhu Ge’s pupils contracted. He swung his staff to block, but the golden lights passed right through the silver staff and entered his skull.
"Hahaha! This is a soul attack! It targets the soul directly—it’s impossible to block!"