Chapter 116: When the Tree Falls, the Monkeys Scatter

"Jie, jie, jie, jie—"

As the demon flag unfurled, deep green light erupted from within, tracing intersecting arcs through the air.

Accompanied by this piercing laughter, the arcs manifested into their true forms upon hitting the ground. Standing behind Ye Yan, they created the distinct atmosphere of a chaotic dance of demons and a nocturnal parade of a hundred ghosts.

The number of flag demons was immense, numbering at least several dozen. Leading them were commanders like Ma Laowu and Jin Erpeng, while the shadowy figures behind them were ordinary flag demons gathered within the world of the flag.

These ordinary flag demons, mostly composed of humans or beasts, varied in height, physique, and condition—some empty-handed, others bearing fangs and claws—creating a powerful and unsettling visual.

This vast legion was not something Ye Yan had brought with him when he crossed over. They were gathered bit by bit after his arrival in this world.

The origin of these flag demons was primarily wandering outcasts or naturally occurring spirits. Of course, the largest source was the small graveyard in the backyard of Ye Yan’s home. Most of the outcasts who had died violent deaths there were transformed by Ye Yan into members of this rank-and-file, filling the empty spaces within the demon flag.

Ye Yan called this force the Spirit Banner Brigade, which, along with his funeral entourage, formed the two trump card units under his command. However, because Ye Yan rarely engaged in such large-scale activities, the Spirit Banner Brigade seldom made an appearance and was rarely seen.

Today, however, was the perfect opportunity.

Among the many ordinary flag demons, there were some familiar faces. For instance, Bian Min standing behind Jin Erpeng, the vacant-eyed Shangguan Daidao in the corner, and Zhang Youquan, whose soul and physique were far weaker than the others. They were all recycled spoils of war.

The sudden appearance of so many flag demons instantly packed the narrow mountain road. The misty-bodied demons and the suited members of the Wang family stood in stark contrast, turning Ye Yan—who had come alone to the banquet—into the organizer of an ambush, reversing the situation in an instant.

"How is this possible?"

With their numerical advantage overturned in an instant, Wang Ba, standing in the distance, could not close his mouth in shock, unable to believe what he was seeing.

Ye Yan ignored him. Instead, he stared coldly at the Wang family members before him and waved his hand gently. "Break their line."

Before the words had even faded, the massive Lu Dashan had already moved, charging into the crowd.

"Boom, boom, boom—"

Like a heavy tank speeding along a mountain road, it slammed into the Wang family members, knocking them to the ground and scattering their formation. A few unlucky souls, standing too close to the guardrail, were knocked directly off the cliff, leaving behind only screams of terror.

With Lu Dashan leading the assault, the flag demons behind Ye Yan were not to be outdone; they lunged at the Wang family, engaging in a fierce melee. In an instant, the mountain road descended into chaos, echoing with discordant shouts of slaughter.

Ye Yan held Xia He in his arms, standing still. He did not believe the Spirit Banner Brigade would lose. After all, this was the trump card he had kept hidden, intended for use against the Wang family at a critical moment. Because he was still in a weakened state after his previous outburst, he had been forced to deploy this trump card ahead of schedule.

But it didn't matter. After all, he had new cards to play.

The sounds of battle came and went quickly. In just a few minutes, the once-numerous Wang family members had been whittled down to a mere handful. The entire mountain road was shrouded in a thick, bloody stench.

Because they did not enter the cycle of reincarnation, the flag demons had no concept of life or death, fighting with ferocious intensity and no fear of injury. Faced with such opponents, how could ordinary people, who feared death and pain, possibly cope?

Death was merely a matter of time.

Wang Qi and Wang Ba, as the leaders of the group, possessed considerable strength, but they were powerless to turn the tide against such a one-sided slaughter. After landing a heavy punch that sent an ordinary flag demon flying, Wang Ba began to contemplate retreat.

"Damn it, we have to pull back."

The battle was a lost cause. If they didn't escape now while the cannon fodder was still being slaughtered, it would be impossible to get away later.

"Yeah."

Wang Qi, standing back-to-back with him, nodded, clearly agreeing with the proposal.

Wang Ba gritted his teeth. "The encirclement isn't tight yet. Lao Qi, hold them off for a moment. I'll see if I can use a Crushing Fist to clear a path for us."

"Alright."

Wang Qi agreed immediately, trusting Wang Ba unconditionally.

"Get ready!!!"

Seeing the ring of flag demons closing in, Wang Ba roared, causing Wang Qi, who stood at the front, to tense up, knowing the most critical moment had arrived. Whether they could escape depended on this next move. All he had to do now was buy Wang Ba a little time.

Just as Wang Qi was thinking this, Wang Ba's cold, hard voice came from behind him.

"Sorry, brother. To ensure my safe escape, I have to sacrifice you."

As soon as he spoke, Wang Qi felt a massive force shove him from behind, sending him flying forward.

"How could you..."

As his body flew uncontrollably, Wang Qi's eyes widened. Though he hadn't seen exactly what happened, those words were proof enough. He had been betrayed.

"Pfft!"

Wang Qi's body tumbled into the mass of flag demons. Before he could even hit the ground, a misty blade pierced his heart, running him through.

He collapsed, his life extinguished cleanly. Even in death, his eyes remained wide, filled with shock.

After shoving Wang Qi into the fray, Wang Ba didn't even glance at his brother. Taking advantage of the moment the demons were distracted, he turned and sprinted toward a weak point in the encirclement.

But he hadn't gone two steps when a sharp, piercing shriek rang out.

Wang Ba stumbled mid-stride, his expression suddenly vacant, as if his consciousness had been snatched away.

At some point, a bizarre flag demon with a bird's beak and a long tongue had blocked his path. The source of the shriek was that very demon: Jin She Langjun.

The shriek didn't last long, controlling Wang Ba for only a split second. But on a chaotic battlefield, one second was enough to change everything—like being surrounded and cut off.

Looking at the closing circle of flag demons, despair gradually filled Wang Ba's eyes.

...

Beijing.

Inside the Wang family mansion, Wang Ai, leaning against a landscape painting while feeding a canary, felt uneasy.

Just then, the guest room door was pushed open from the outside, and a middle-aged man with slicked-back hair stumbled in, nearly tripping over the threshold.

Seeing the man's state, Wang Ai's right eyelid twitched uncontrollably. But as the head of the Wang family, he had to maintain his dignity. "What is the meaning of this? Panicking like this, what a disgrace..." Wang Ai scolded.

Seeing Wang Ai's reaction, the man swallowed hard and said slowly, "It's bad, sir. The team we sent to capture the Four Madmen has been completely wiped out."

"Wiped out?"

Wang Ai's heart trembled. His old face was filled with disbelief. "How did this happen? Explain yourself clearly." They had sent elite forces to use Xia He as leverage; there was no way they shouldn't have been able to handle a group of exhausted outcasts.

"It... it was Ye Yan!"

Seeing Wang Ai's face turn as black as ink, the man’s teeth chattered as he stammered out the answer.

"Ye Yan?"

At the mention of that name, Wang Ai could no longer maintain his composure. The canary cage he was holding was crushed in his grip. The little canary he loved so much was instantly pulverized into a spray of blood.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes..."

"Damn it! How did he wake up so soon?"

Hearing this earth-shattering news, Wang Ai’s face turned ghastly. The man trembled even more.

"Sir, I have a photo of Ye Yan here. Would you like to see it?"

The man pulled a fresh photograph from his pocket with trembling hands and handed it to Wang Ai. Wang Ai took it, glanced at it, and his expression turned rigid.

It was an aerial photo taken on a mountain road. By the side of the road, the corpses of the Wang family members in black suits were piled into a small hill. Beside the pile, written in dried blood, were the crooked words: "Old dog Wang Ai, wait for me to take your life."

There was no need for a signature. At a single glance, Wang Ai knew who had left it—Ye Yan.

Seeing the crooked handwriting, Wang Ai felt the world go dark, his blood pressure soaring. He swayed and collapsed into the wooden chair behind him, looking as though he had aged decades in an instant.

*Heaven is destroying my Wang family!*

This was the only thought in Wang Ai's mind. The repeated failures had made him realize that the Wang family no longer had the capital to play against Ye Yan. He had lost—lost completely.

After sitting in a daze for a long while, Wang Ai lifted his head, his eyes dull as he asked the middle-aged man, "How is the young master? He's on the flight tonight, right?"

"Yes, sir."

Wang Ai waved a hand weakly, like a dying old man. "Wang Sheng, you are the only person I can trust now. I entrust the task of getting the young master abroad to you. Once you are abroad, take good care of him..."

Wang Ai's sudden gentleness left Wang Sheng stunned. As a distant relative of the Wang family, he had served Wang Ai for most of his life, but this was the kindest expression he had ever seen on the man.

"But sir, if I go abroad with the young master, there will be no one left to look after you. What will you do?"

"Me?" Wang Ai smiled. "I'm an old man with one foot in the grave; I'm not worth worrying about. Besides, I am the head of the Wang family. An old man finds it hard to leave his homeland. If I must die, I will die here."

"Go."

Wang Ai's eyes held an indescribable bitterness. He turned his back to Wang Sheng and waved him away, his silhouette looking forlorn and aged.

"Don't worry, sir. Once abroad, I will take good care of the young master."

Wang Sheng’s eyes were firm. He bowed three times to Wang Ai’s back before turning to leave.

...

Beijing.

In the suburbs, Lu Ci pushed a bicycle, strolling slowly toward a small forest. Not far behind him, the younger member of the Lu family, Lu Gong, followed respectfully.

The old and the young walked on in silence.

After a while, Lu Ci stopped and asked, "Do you know why I brought you out today?"

Lu Gong shook his head. "Great-grandfather, I do not."

Lu Ci looked at him expressionlessly, his voice cold. "I brought you out today to let you witness a grand drama, the likes of which are rare in the world of outcasts."

"A grand drama?" Lu Gong tilted his head, confused.

Just as he was wondering, the headlights of a car flickered in the woods ahead, and a black business vehicle pulled out. Seeing the car, a flash of complexity appeared in Lu Ci's eyes, though it vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

The vehicle stopped before them. A man with slicked-back hair stepped out and approached, bowing to Lu Ci.

"Elder Lu."

Seeing Wang Sheng, Lu Ci nodded blankly. "Did you bring him?"

"Yes, he is in the car," Wang Sheng replied nervously.

"Understood." Lu Ci nodded, pulled a small slip of paper from his pocket, and handed it to Wang Sheng. "The address and the contact information for the person to meet are on here. Just deliver him, and someone will take over from there."

Looking at the note, Wang Sheng hesitated. "Elder Lu, are you certain that as long as I bring Wang Bing to you, you will ensure my safety? You wouldn't lie to me, would you?"

Lu Ci waved his hand impatiently. "No one cares about the lives of ants. As long as you don't provoke people you shouldn't, even if the Wang family falls, it won't implicate you."

Though the words were harsh, they gave Wang Sheng a sense of security. He thanked Lu Ci profusely and drove the black business vehicle away.

After Wang Sheng left, Lu Gong asked, puzzled, "Great-grandfather, wasn't that man the butler for Elder Wang? Why would he... be here?"

Lu Ci looked up at the sky, his voice as indifferent as ever. "It is nothing. When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. The wind is starting to blow for the Wang family."