Chapter 77 The General Falls! [First Update, Please Vote for the Monthly Ticket]

Within this vast valley, on the great battlefield where thousands of monsters clashed in chaotic combat, the death of one or two monster generals was hardly remarkable. The fifteen-meter-long corpse of a serpent fiend, amid a landscape strewn with bodies ranging from one to twenty meters in length, garnered nothing more than a few extra glances from the surrounding creatures—because its flesh promised abundance.

As the serpent's body collapsed, the monsters nearby hesitated, unwilling to approach Lu Fei, let alone provoke him. Lu Fei grasped the golden scale tightly. Though its purpose was unknown, its appearance alone declared it a treasure. Yet treasures required refining; only after being refined would they truly belong to him.

There was also the ring that radiated a soft, pale glow—a treasure as well, no doubt. If it were a storage ring, it likely contained the serpent's hoard. The battlefield was perilous; Lu Fei cast a swift glance and, with a thought, stowed the golden scale and the white ring in his mystical storage space.

This serpent, leader of the so-called Cloudwind Ridge, was surely wealthier than Lu Fei, who had only just ascended in rank and remained impoverished. The spoils were excellent, and Lu Fei was in good spirits.

Amidst the chaos, as monsters resumed their frenzied attacks, Lu Fei remembered the three brothers—the crow fiend, Redskin, and Huang Gui—and the handful of new recruits. He quickly searched the battlefield and spotted them in the distance: Redskin, the crow fiend, and Huang Gui were leading the new monsters in an assault against a formidable rhinoceros monster.

On closer inspection, he saw that Huang Gui, in his first battle, coordinated well with Redskin and the crow fiend, using his earth-burrowing skill effectively. The five or six new recruits under his command seemed timid but performed adequately, especially Blacktooth the ant fiend and the cat fiend—both newcomers to battle—whose efforts were commendable. The rhinoceros fiend would not escape unless something unexpected occurred.

And when things are expected, that’s when the unexpected happens.

Lu Fei was about to shift his gaze when he noticed two striped tiger fiends, each four or five meters tall, and a black bear fiend, slightly smaller, charging toward the crow fiend and Redskin's position. One tiger’s eye socket was bloodied—blind in one eye.

Even so, the three monsters, all at least late-stage fiend soldiers, posed a dire threat to the crow fiend, Redskin, and the new recruits; his fresh recruits were likely doomed. Without hesitation, Lu Fei picked up the serpent’s halberd and stowed it. He searched for the serpent’s twin spears but found none and moved on.

It wasn’t mere thrift that drove Lu Fei to sweep up battlefield spoils before the conflict was over—warriors here were simply destitute.

Compared to the monsters of Langlang Mountain, whose poverty was rooted in their rustic origins, the monsters of Wild Desolation Mountain, though organized and numerous, fared no better. The lesser fiends carried only a single weapon with no armor, far inferior to human soldiers, who were clad head to toe in armor. As for the Black General’s forces, they were even worse off—some had no weapons at all.

This was why Lu Fei coveted the serpent’s armaments. If the Black General wouldn’t provide, then Lu Fei would earn them himself to equip his brothers and subordinates.

After stowing the halberd, Lu Fei strode toward the crow fiend, Redskin, and their group, long spear in hand. He saw the two tiger fiends and the bear fiend targeting his subordinates. He wondered why these three sought out the crow fiend and Redskin—then noticed the blinded tiger and recalled the crow fiend’s penchant for aerial attacks and eye-gouging, which perhaps explained their vendetta.

But whatever the reason, Lu Fei resolved to kill them.

He advanced swiftly, impaling two frenzied, reckless monsters who crossed his path. The battlefield was confusing, with monsters nearly indistinguishable—no armor to mark friend from foe. The monsters of Wild Desolation Mountain all carried an aura that allowed their own kind to sense allies from afar, likely a mark placed by the Third Lord. Lu Fei suspected the monsters of Cloudwind Ridge used similar means; otherwise, chaos would reign.

“Kill!” A bear fiend, mindless with rage, charged at Lu Fei, eyes bloodshot. Lu Fei thrust his spear, piercing the bear fiend’s chest clean through. He pushed harder, driving the entire spear through, then retrieved it as he stepped past the dying beast.

By then, the two tigers and the bear had breached his subordinates’ lines. Lu Fei quickened his pace, raising his spear to throw.

“Redskin, left side!” he shouted. “Everyone move!”

Soaring through the air, the crow fiend had intended another assault on the rhinoceros but suddenly spotted the three tiger and bear fiends sneaking up and shouted a warning below.

Redskin, Huang Gui, and the recruits, engaged in hunting the rhinoceros, heard the crow fiend’s alarm and turned to see the approaching threats. The sight of the one-eyed tiger made it clear these fiends sought vengeance. Yet, despite the early warning, the three enemies had approached from different directions; reckless flight meant certain death.

Only Redskin and Blacktooth, whose shell seemed sturdy, stood a chance of surviving a direct assault from these powerful foes. The others would perish if they attempted escape. The three fiends clearly intended to wipe out the group.

“Let’s see how you escape this time! Where’s the crow fiend? Where’s the weasel? Where have they gone?” the one-eyed tiger snarled, face twisted in malice, closing in step by step, herding the seven recruits together.

Redskin, caught in the center, breathed heavily but kept his composure; the others were nearly paralyzed with terror, faces pale with despair.

Suddenly, a black spear plummeted from the sky, impaling the bear fiend with deadly force and pinning it to the ground.

Instantly, the expressions of all the monsters changed. Redskin’s side, after a moment of shock, was filled with ecstatic relief—hope restored. The remaining two tiger fiends, however, were seized with terror, staring wide-eyed at the approaching white wolf.

Without hesitation, the two tigers turned in unison and fled.

At that moment, a furious, dying roar echoed from the sky, resounding through the valley. Countless monsters looked up to see a colossal bull fiend, as massive as a small mountain, plummeting from the heights.

Boom—dust billowed, the earth shook.

—Dreams of the Cat in the Deep Sea