Chapter 227 - 226: Average
Chapter 227: Chapter 226: Average
WHOOSH—
The Ape Demon’s hairy hand gripped a gleaming steel saber. Its seemingly slender arm unleashed a force of thousands of pounds.
The piercing wound hadn’t slowed its attack. With a sharp whistle, the blade flew straight toward the young man’s neck.
"..."
Faced with the vicious blade coming right for him, Wu Chen neither dodged nor flinched. He made no move to pull his own blade from the Ape Demon’s body to parry.
He simply tightened his grip on the hilt, his arm gradually applying force, and slowly lifted upward.
The Ape Demon’s body was uncontrollably hoisted into the air, its feet leaving the ground.
Then, just before its saber could fall, Wu Chen swung his arm.
SHK!—
Under the immense force, the Ape Demon on his blade was sent flying like a rag doll.
Its tumbling body didn’t stop until it slammed into a withered tree dozens of yards away.
GASP! WHEEZE!
Covered in grass and dirt, the Ape Demon struggled weakly on the ground. Even so, it took only a few breaths for it to push itself back up.
Wu Chen’s throw had torn its chest half open, revealing its heart and lungs, which pulsed and leaked air with every breath.
But even in this state, it wasn’t dead. It just stared blankly at the figure who had appeared before it in an instant, wondering,
’Is this fucking human?’
"..."
Wu Chen couldn’t be bothered with the thoughts of a mere demon.
He looked down, his gaze cold and indifferent, at the creature before him. Then he raised his foot and planted it on the Ape Demon’s head, slowly pressing its raised skull down and into the dirt.
The Ape Demon seemed to realize what was happening and began to struggle frantically, its limbs flailing as it tried to escape its bonds.
But it was useless. A mountain seemed to be pressing down on its head, impossible to move in the slightest.
Wu Chen wasted no more time. With a flip of his wrist, he reverse-gripped his dark blade, point down, and plunged it into the Ape Demon’s back, right through its heart. Then, he gave the hilt a vicious twist.
PFFT!
As its heart was turned to pulp, the Ape Demon went still, lying quietly on the ground.
"The Demon Race is nothing special."
Looking at the Demon Corpse on the ground, Wu Chen offered a simple assessment.
Then, he turned his head to look at the five Silver Wolf Captains nearby.
The five Silver Wolf Captains were holding iron chains, each standing at a different point. The other ends of the chains were wrapped around a Demon Ape’s waist.
The two sides were locked in a stalemate; for the moment, neither could get the upper hand.
Seeing that the five of them were in no immediate danger, Wu Chen looked over toward Sun Yuting.
The Gold Eagle Captain’s own strength was considerable. She was evenly matched against the strongest of the Ape Demons, and it didn’t look like their fight would be decided anytime soon.
’In that case...’
Wu Chen looked toward the path leading down the mountain, the direction in which the Elder of Hidden Wind Valley had fled.
’I should follow him.’
Unhurried, Wu Chen leaped off toward the mountain path. Dealing with the Ape Demon from start to finish had taken him no more than four or five breaths.
The Elder of Hidden Wind Valley couldn’t have gotten far, no matter how fast he ran.
Besides, even though the meridians that had been sealed three days ago were now unblocked, the Elder was running on less than half of his peak strength.
But that was still more than enough to deal with an injured Zhao Deyi.
’But there’s still a problem: If Zhao Deyi isn’t here and has already gone down the mountain, I’ll just have to kill him next time. If Zhao Deyi is still around, I’ll have to make sure this old man doesn’t kill any innocents.’
As he thought this, a ball of chilling energy inexplicably coalesced at his fingertip. It was colorless and formless, yet it carried an unnerving thrum of power.
He didn’t need the Elder of Hidden Wind Valley to take care of Zhao Deyi himself; he just needed the Elder to appear within everyone’s line of sight.
...
HUFF! HUFF! HUFF!
The old man in the gray cloth shirt fled frantically through the woods, his chest heaving as he gasped for air.
’Move, you damn legs! Faster!’
But it was no use.
Though his sealed meridians had begun to circulate again, the speed he could muster was still severely limited.
This also meant he didn’t dare run blindly through the forest, lest he fall into some hidden pit and waste precious time.
After leaping for several dozen breaths, he had finally put some distance between them.
The Elder of Hidden Wind Valley didn’t dare look back, but he strained his ears, listening for any sounds behind him.
’As expected of the Demon Race!’
Hearing no footsteps behind him, he breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Just as he’d hoped, the Ape Demon had stopped the group.
’Even that terrifyingly strong young man was no match for an Ape Demon!’
But even so, he didn’t dare slow his pace in the slightest.
He could only pray now that all the Demon Suppression Guards were at the summit, and that the path from the mountainside down would be clear of them.
Once he was past the mountainside, the terrain would level out, and he would be free as a bird.
"..."
What he failed to notice, however, was an elusive shadow about ten yards behind him, maintaining a constant, steady distance as it followed.
This shadow was, of course, Wu Chen.
Watching the Elder of Hidden Wind Valley scurry down the mountain path like a beaten dog, he, too, let out a small sigh of relief.
If the man had scrambled down the mountain haphazardly, he would have had to consider revealing himself to force him back onto the path.
As it was, that was no longer necessary.
After following for a short while, Wu Chen saw the figure ahead of him suddenly falter.
Just as he was wondering what had happened...
...he heard the faint, familiar sound of someone bragging.
Looking up, Wu Chen saw the familiar tents. It was the injured Zhao Deyi and a group of temporary guards, who had not yet descended the mountain.
It seemed the sight of these people had startled the Elder of Hidden Wind Valley.
’It’s those guys!’
The Elder of Hidden Wind Valley was indeed startled by the appearance of Demon Suppression Guards here. Already on edge, his legs almost gave out from under him.
However, when he saw that every one of the distant guards was injured, his composure returned in an instant.
Squinting, he spotted a familiar figure, and rage instantly surged through him.
’I want this man dead!’
The man was Zhao Deyi, who was amidst the tents, bossing around a group of temporary guards and boasting.
He vividly remembered it all: how Zhao Deyi had led a group of temporary guards to ambush him, how he’d used a Secret Technique to boost his power, and how he’d caught the Elder off guard. He had not only wounded him, but had also killed two of his disciples, cutting off their heads to flaunt his power.
’Can you still use that Secret Technique of yours now?’
The Elder of Hidden Wind Valley stared at Zhao Deyi, his expression grim.
He didn’t rush forward immediately. Instead, he quieted his footsteps and listened carefully one more time to confirm no one was following. Then, his power erupted, and he shot toward the tents without hesitation.
Killing over a dozen temporary guards would be a waste of time. But if he caught Zhao Deyi off guard, killed him, and then left quickly...
The Elder of Hidden Wind Valley was confident it would be no problem.
Besides, the constant running had helped clear his meridians even further. Slaying a single man in an instant would take little effort.
"Die!"
The Elder of Hidden Wind Valley charged straight for Zhao Deyi, his path completely unobstructed.
It was no surprise the temporary guards didn’t react in time.
They had considered the possibility of Hidden Wind Valley’s defeat, but they assumed anyone fleeing would be running for their lives, desperate to escape. Who would stop to pick another fight at a time like this?
Not to mention, further up the path, a Gold Eagle Captain and her team were stationed.
And in that Gold Eagle Captain’s squad was a badass who could capture a barbarian alive!
But it was too late for any of that now!
Zhao Deyi only registered a shadow falling over him. He blinked his small eyes and saw a familiar face. Horror instantly filled his greasy features. He subconsciously reached for his saber, completely forgetting that the injury to his right arm made drawing the blade impossible.
But he was quick to react. He dropped and rolled. It was a pathetic sight, but dodging the attack and staying alive was what mattered most.
However, the Elder of Hidden Wind Valley had come specifically for him. He wasn’t about to let him get away.
With the element of surprise on his side, he gave Zhao Deyi no time to react.
SHK!
A flash of the blade, a spray of blood.
Zhao Deyi’s fat, small-eyed head landed in front of the still-stunned temporary guards and spun on the ground.
"My two good disciples, your master has avenged you..."
The Elder of Hidden Wind Valley let out a long sigh, releasing the frustration that had been building up inside him for so long.
At that moment, he couldn’t help but wonder, ’If that man hadn’t injured me with a Secret Technique and damaged my strength, would I have lost to that young man a few nights ago?’
With this question on his mind, he prepared to leap away.
THWACK!
But just then, a well-defined hand landed on the top of his head, sending a shiver through his body and freezing him in place.
CRACK!
With a gentle twist of the hand, the Elder of Hidden Wind Valley’s head was wrenched halfway around.
He could now see the figure behind him, but with his neck broken, there was nothing he could do.
"..."
The attacker was, of course, Wu Chen.
Without a glance at Zhao Deyi’s body on the ground, he grabbed the corpse of the Elder of Hidden Wind Valley and headed back into the mountains, disappearing in just a few leaps.
He left behind more than a dozen temporary guards, staring dumbfounded at Zhao Deyi’s fat corpse, unable to process what had just happened.
They couldn’t understand how Zhao Deyi had been killed one moment, and how his killer had been killed the next!