Chapter Seventy: Please do not use the word genius to erase my efforts!

The page count is ignored.

Chapter Seventy: Please do not use the word genius to erase my effort!

"Men! Move out!" At Tianlang's command, the horde of demons surged forward, each baring fangs and drooling as they charged at Zhou Yu.

The demon race was unlike the spirits of Lingjing; they had no means of storing food. So when they first entered the Mountain of Endless Slope, they merely gorged themselves once, each hanging a bit of meat on their bodies before beginning the climb.

By now, their provisions had long since run out. Along the way, they had even begun gnawing on tree bark. Suddenly seeing a human, the demons were naturally seized by wild excitement. In their eyes, this was meat.

Zhou Yu pushed his speed to the limit, fleeing madly up the mountain, while Tianlang trailed behind the demon horde as if taking an idle stroll, like a traveler ascending to admire the snowscape.

Watching the fellow who had once humiliated him now in frantic flight, Tianlang began to feel excitement rising. He did not strike to kill Zhou Yu at the first instant, because he had said it before: he would repay him tenfold.

Just imagining Zhou Yu kneeling before him and pleading for mercy, then having his flesh cut away slice by slice, forced to watch as it was eaten before his eyes, made Tianlang feel that the scene would be exquisite indeed.

The demons, meanwhile, kept up the pursuit and seemed to be thoroughly enjoying this game of hunt and chase. The boredom and gloom of many days were swept away. Watching the human ahead flee in disgrace, they were reminded of the humans who had slaughtered their brothers and kin on the battlefield, and their minds shifted subtly as they gradually accelerated.

Zhou Yu kept accelerating as well. Under the threat of death, especially with the prospect that if he failed to run he would be eaten alive, he had already exploded with all his potential. His frantic dash stirred up a white dragon of snow behind him.

Before long, the demon horde had driven Zhou Yu to the summit of the snow mountain, where a vast snowy plain opened suddenly before their eyes. The dozen or so leopard-headed beasts at the front were extraordinarily fast and were already almost upon him.

Tianlang kept his gaze fixed on Zhou Yu, fearing that this slippery brat might try some trick. The demon orb in his hand was ready to fire at any moment.

Zhou Yu ran slower and slower. A leopard-headed beast just behind him let out a roar, drove all four legs at once, and sprang forward. It thrust out its forelimbs, claws sharp as knives, tearing through wind and snow as it reached for Zhou Yu's back.

Suddenly, Zhou Yu's body vanished from the beast's sight. The leopard-headed beast twisted in midair with remarkable agility and saw Zhou Yu suddenly collapse onto the ground. It then lashed out with its steel-rod tail, whipping fiercely toward Zhou Yu.

With no choice, Zhou Yu rolled left and narrowly avoided the attack. By the time he staggered back to his feet, he was already surrounded on all sides by the demon beasts.

Looking at the beasts' eyes, each different in size yet all brimming with bloodlust and cruelty, and breathing in the stench pouring from their mouths, Zhou Yu suddenly went weak in the knees and collapsed onto the cold snow.

Though the demon horde was all starving, stomachs pressed to their backs, they still restrained themselves. None reached out a claw toward Zhou Yu, all waiting for Tianlang to divide up this scant morsel of meat.

Tianlang strode forward slowly, and the horde parted to make way.

"Why aren't you running anymore?" Tianlang said with a mocking smile.

"You... so many of you, so many demons bullying just me... what kind of thing is that?" Zhou Yu said fearfully from the snow.

Tianlang thought to himself: this brat clearly has guts enough to spare and has never feared death. Why has he suddenly become so terrified? Could there be a trick?

"Aren't you not afraid of death? Didn't you say you'd never die? Then why are you still so afraid of me?" Tianlang asked cautiously.

Zhou Yu swallowed and, after forcing himself to calm down, said, "Not being afraid of death doesn't mean I'm not afraid of being eaten! There are so many of you that I wouldn't even be enough for a bite each. Worse still, you might start fighting over who gets to eat me first. That would just spoil the peace. Better not to eat me at all."

Hearing this, Tianlang burst into laughter. What he wanted was Zhou Yu's fear, Zhou Yu's begging for mercy.

"I, Tianlang, have always valued loyalty and righteousness. The brothers who follow me, I will never favor one over another or treat any of them badly. Though your flesh may be little, I will still make sure every brother gets a taste. You needn't worry about that."

After speaking, Tianlang deliberately stepped back. The demons immediately closed in, staring at Zhou Yu with burning eyes.

The crafty Tianlang had not forgotten the electric shock Zhou Yu had used before, so he was convinced this time Zhou Yu would have another such trick. That was why he did not stand too close. Though he was confident he could avoid Zhou Yu's ambush, Tianlang had always been cautious, especially after already suffering once.

"One bite each. Not more, not less."

"Magnetic Tiger Clan, your mouths are too big, so you are only allowed a single sip."

"Earth Ox Clan, you must all take a bite. Whoever doesn't is disobeying military orders! And if anyone dares speak to me of vegetarianism again, I'll kill him on the spot!"

Tianlang kept giving instructions behind the horde, word by word. He said them all on purpose for Zhou Yu to hear, hoping to see something even more interesting on Zhou Yu's face. But he was disappointed.

Because Zhou Yu was actually smiling.

There are many kinds of smiles: foolish smiles, infatuated smiles, cold smiles. But what Tianlang saw now was a smile of extreme cunning. It had no fixed expression; it was merely a feeling.

Tianlang's instincts had always been sharp, and this time was no exception. By the time he sensed something was wrong, it was already too late.

The snow beneath them suddenly shuddered with energy. Dozens of multicolored beams shot skyward, and any beast touched by them let out pitiful screams at once.

Some were burned, some frozen, some bound in place.

With a thought, Tianlang moved swiftly back, avoiding a white pillar of light that had suddenly erupted beneath his feet, while shouting, "It's a formation!"

In the confusion, Tianlang did not forget to glance at Zhou Yu. When he saw Zhou Yu struck by the white pillar and his body disperse, everything became clear: that was nothing but a clone!

Energy surged. Vast demonic qi swelled from Tianlang's body, shielding the horde. The demon generals within the ranks also unleashed their own power, covering their bodies to resist the formation's attacks.

Those elite beasts that had not yet reached the level of demon general, however, were already suffering heavy losses. Some were consumed by blazing fire, some frozen to death by ice, some cut apart by wind blades through their astonishingly tough bodies, dark red blood spraying everywhere.

Hearing the constant screams and watching beast after beast die before his eyes, Tianlang was driven to fury. He threw back his head and howled like a wolf, his silvery white hair bristling as all the demonic power in his body surged forth, forcibly suppressing a portion of the energy produced by the formation.

The demon horde were all battle-hardened elite beasts. In that instant, they seized the chance and forced their way toward the edge of the formation with all their strength.

Just as they were about to break through, dozens of humans suddenly appeared all around them, each holding several talismans.

The travelers activated the talismans distributed by Hua Queyue according to his instructions, hurling them at the beasts as if they cost nothing. The demon horde erupted once more in piteous cries as severed limbs, broken legs, and blood flew through the air.

"This battle is ours!" Hua Queyue said, watching the scene. "But that wolf demon is troublesome indeed. He can actually suppress dozens of formations with his own power. He must be Tianlang Demon King, one of the five great demon kings!"

Zhou Yu stood to one side with his greatsword in hand, nervously watching the horde. Excited, he said, "Throw them! Hurry up and throw more! Just smash this entire pack of beasts to death with talismans, and then we'll pick up the demon cores."

Hua Queyue gave him an exasperated look. "Do you really think talismans are free? Do you really think formations are so easy to set up? If that were the case, how could the demon race have broken in so easily? Why not just do as you said and smash them all to death with talismans?"

Zhou Yu asked in surprise, "Are you saying these things are hard to make? But you've clearly brought so many."

"It's not merely hard; it's extremely hard. The only reason I brought so many is because this mission is of the utmost importance. One fifth of all the talismans in Lingjing have been brought here. In total, there are only five hundred. Though these beasts are powerful, they clearly aren't enough to invade Lingjing. So this must only be the vanguard; the main force is still behind them. Do you think we can smash them all at once?" Hua Queyue explained.

Zhou Yu swung his greatsword a few times. "They're not dead yet. By your logic, it looks like we'll have to go in and fight hand to hand!"

Hua Queyue swept one hand through the air, and the travelers surged in from all sides toward the demon horde.

Inside the formation, Tianlang ground his teeth in hatred. That slippery human youth, when had he gotten mixed up with Lingjing? And he had even learned the art of clones!

Thinking it through carefully, Tianlang understood where the problem lay: the plan to ambush Lingjing must have been leaked. But right now, the most important thing was to break out. Looking around, he saw that two of the ten demon generals were dead, while the other eight had already broken through the formation. More beasts had died, and the total number still capable of fighting was barely forty. Before they had even truly engaged Lingjing, they had already lost half their force. Tianlang's heart cramped.

The beasts, incited into a frenzy, charged forward recklessly. After several rounds of talisman attacks, the survivors all broke out of the formation in a short burst and lunged fiercely toward the travelers. Seeing the moment had come, Tianlang withdrew his demonic power and, with a sway of his body, escaped the formation as well.

Across the snowy plain, a chaotic melee began. A giant bear was struck in the face by A Buli's extended iron fist. Bones shattered, half its skull caved in, yet the bear still charged madly toward the travelers. Only when A Buli finally blew its head apart did it collapse dead to the ground.

Jack assumed his vampire form and kept killing the beasts from the air. He specialized in striking their eyes, throats, and other vulnerable spots, and before long he had slain two beasts.

The demon generals immediately identified the two strongest among the travelers. The nearest generals each engaged A Buli and Jack.

The other demon generals pounced on the remaining travelers. However, because the beasts had suffered so many casualties, the battlefield was such that two travelers were almost always facing one beast.

Although the travelers' combat experience was far inferior to these beasts, the beasts were nearly halved in number and most were wounded. In a very short time, casualties began to appear among the beasts again. The battle was almost one-sided, and the demon generals were each tangled up with three travelers apiece. Merely protecting themselves was already difficult, let alone helping the other beasts.

Tianlang stood among the horde, staring fixedly at Hua Queyue.

Hua Queyue stood behind the travelers, staring fixedly at Tianlang as well.

"Hua Queyue of Lingjing?" Tianlang asked.

"Tianlang of the demon race?" Hua Queyue replied.

The man and the demon faced each other from afar, neither making a move. Hua Queyue wanted to strike but could not; still, he had to appear composed and could not let Tianlang see through him.

As for Tianlang, he had no mind to fight Hua Queyue at this moment. First, suppressing the formation had consumed too much of his demonic power. Second, Hua Queyue of Lingjing had a formidable reputation, and Tianlang feared he might not be his match. Since the other side had no intention of acting yet, was Tianlang supposed to rush in like a fool and provoke him?

In Tianlang's view, Hua Queyue was not moving because he felt no need to move. But if Tianlang himself attacked the people of Lingjing, Hua Queyue would certainly take action too, and that would only hasten the destruction of this already battered force.

The demon-general chapter count is now three.

Tianlang's strange, pale-dark eyes flickered constantly. In truth, he had been watching the battle and devising countermeasures all along. Yet as time passed, the situation worsened and worsened. The beasts were about to be unable to hold out. By this point, Tianlang had no choice but to grit his teeth and shout, "Contract!"

At his command, the horde all gathered toward him. In moments, they had assembled around Tianlang.

"Break out and fall back!" Tianlang roared, charging at the two travelers at the front. He fired two demon orbs, blasting those two travelers to death on the spot, and led the horde in forcing their way out of the travelers' encirclement.

"Follow in pursuit, but do not block them head-on!" Hua Queyue immediately ordered, so that no more travelers would be killed for standing in front of Tianlang. Since he could not act himself, there was truly no one present who could do anything to Tianlang.

Tianlang led the horde in a floodlike retreat. Under pursuit by the travelers, after leaving behind several more beast corpses, they finally shook off their chase.

Looking back at the group, now all wounded and reduced in total to little more than twenty beasts, Tianlang broke out in a cold sweat. It was fortunate Hua Queyue had not acted; otherwise, he himself might have perished here.

A voice rang down from the summit of the snow mountain: "We won't see you off."

"That damned brat! I swear I will tear you to pieces and grind your bones to dust!" Hearing Zhou Yu's voice, Tianlang's eyes turned red with rage.

He ordered the group to rest where they were, but he could not swallow the anger in his chest. Turning around, he climbed the mountain alone.

After being ambushed by that brat twice in a row and now mocked besides, Tianlang, who had always been known for his calm and caution, was finally enraged.

Watching Tianlang ascend the mountain alone, Zhou Yu stepped back a few paces and gave an awkward smile. Turning to Hua Queyue, he said, "Sorry, I think I provoked him. What do we do now?"

Hua Queyue felt his head ache. Which of the five great demon kings was easy to provoke? In good health, he would naturally not fear Tianlang. But now he could not even form hand seals, and after finally frightening Tianlang into retreat, Zhou Yu had gone and provoked him back up the mountain.

"I told you to keep your mouth shut! Now, of course, the only thing left is to greet him with talismans!" Hua Queyue cursed angrily, clutching tightly at his waist token, clearly loath to part with those talismans.

"Brat! If you've got guts, come fight me one on one!" Tianlang stopped half a mile away.

"Has he been scared stupid? He actually wants me to duel him?" Zhou Yu said in disbelief, staring with wide eyes.

Hua Queyue shook his head and let out a long breath. "He's not stupid. He's just angry and came up looking for face. If he were to charge up here alone, that would be stupid."

Zhou Yu nodded. "I understand."

Then Zhou Yu stepped forward very impressively, one hand on his hip, the other gripping the greatsword as he pointed it toward Tianlang from afar and shouted, "Why kill a chicken with an ox-cleaver? I'll just send out my little brother and he'll handle you!" As he spoke, he shamelessly pointed at Hua Queyue beside him.

Tianlang was startled so badly that he trembled, but then he thought of Zhou Yu's cunning and understood that Zhou Yu was bluffing. After a moment of silence, he said, "I admit you've improved greatly. You've already learned the art of clones, and it would not be an exaggeration to call you a genius. But I will still kill you with my own hands!"

At this, Zhou Yu said solemnly, "Please do not use the word genius to erase my effort! Your life, I will take!"

Tianlang looked at Zhou Yu, then turned and went down the mountain.

Hua Queyue remained silent for a long time. Looking at the setting sun and the sky full of falling snow, he sighed and said sincerely, "What you just said was excellent!"

Seeing no response beside him, Hua Queyue turned back in confusion. Only then did he see Zhou Yu and the travelers fighting over the demon cores dug from the beast corpses. He was instantly enraged. "All of you stop at once! Do you people have no discipline at all?"

Still snatching a corpse aside while he worked the demon core loose, Zhou Yu said without turning his head, "Can discipline be eaten?"

A man carrying a large iron case stood not far away, watching everything. His face held no expression; no one knew what he was thinking. The entire battle had fallen within his eyes, yet neither side had noticed his presence.

He had always stood there. He simply did not wish to be seen, and so he would not be seen.

Suddenly, he moved, stepping forward once as his gaze fixed straight upon the travelers.