Chapter 78: In the Nick of Time, Turning the Tide, General Bai!

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“That is…”

Watching the colossal, mountain-like body of the bull demon plummet from the sky, Lu Fei unconsciously halted in his tracks. His eyes widened in shock as he murmured, “That voice…”

“Could it be the Black General…?”

Lu Fei could scarcely believe it, but as a leader under the Black General’s command, and having conversed with him several times, he was certain he hadn’t misheard.

Surely it wasn’t just him. At this very moment, every demon from Langlang Mountain on the battlefield must be harboring the same suspicion.

If it were only the voice, perhaps it could be mistaken. But what about that titanic bull demon’s body, as large as a small mountain? How could that be explained?

Among all the demons of Langlang Mountain—save for a handful of new initiates—who did not know that the Black General was a wild bull who had attained demonhood?

Lu Fei’s mind raced furiously.

Just then—

“Boom…”

A thunderous crash shook the entire mountain valley and the surrounding forest, the sound traveling from afar and finally reaching Lu Fei’s ears. In the distance, like a falling meteor, the impact sent countless trees, rocks, and dust soaring half the height of the sky.

Everything he saw and heard made it unmistakably clear to Lu Fei, and to every demon on the battlefield: a demon marshal, a general, had fallen—was dead.

Yet, outside the demons of Langlang Mountain and perhaps some familiar with them from Snakecoil Mountain, the others likely only knew that a great demon of general rank had perished. They could not tell whether it was one from Wild Wastelands Mountain or from Stormridge, nor which general it was.

While Lu Fei was still reeling from this shock, two figures suddenly appeared in the sky. One flew toward the place where the massive bull demon had fallen, the other headed straight for the nearby valley battlefield.

“Those are the two marshals who defeated the Black General… They’re even descending to the battlefield?”

For an instant, seeing those sudden figures, Lu Fei snapped out of his astonishment over the Black General’s death.

“The sky is falling…”

At that moment, seeing the figure descending onto the battlefield, only this thought raced through Lu Fei’s mind. He immediately sped up, running faster toward the direction where the crow demon Redhide was.

“All that talk about rank meeting rank, soldiers fighting soldiers… That generals only deal with one another and disdain to strike at the little ones…”

Those are just stories spun by storytellers for dramatic flair.

But why are some battles truly fought that way, like now? Because if the demon marshals on both sides turned their strength on ordinary soldiers, in the end, neither would have any troops left—just commanders alone.

Generals fight generals to pin each other down, preventing the other from slaughtering their own rank and file. All that nonsense about disdain or honor is just hot air.

Once you’re in the thick of bloody war, do you really think this is about pride? Haven’t you seen demon lords butchering low-ranking demons left and right? Even Lu Fei himself—how many lesser demons had he slain just this half night? He’d lost count.

And for this reason, Lu Fei understood just how grave it was for an unrestrained demon marshal to enter the battlefield. Just as Lu Fei could crush even late-stage demon soldiers almost effortlessly, a demon marshal could dispatch demon lords with even greater ease—a true slaughter across realms.

Without a supreme technique or mighty treasure, facing a demon marshal, a demon lord could hardly even hope to flee.

“This is a disaster…”

“The Wild Wastelands side might very well lose…”

Lu Fei didn’t even have time to consider what the Black General’s death meant for himself or for Langlang Mountain. First, he had to survive this war.

“Big Brother!”

“Big Brother…”

“Chief…”

“Chief…”

At Lu Fei’s arrival, the little demons’ gazes snapped away from the distant forest where the Black General had fallen. Joy lit their faces as they greeted him.

“Mm…”

Lu Fei nodded, striding quickly to the massive bear demon he had pinned to the ground with his spear, and pulled the weapon free.

Alas, the bear was far too large, and his own internal storage ability had not yet been upgraded—it was still at its original size, unable to fit such a huge carcass. Otherwise, late-stage demon soldier bear meat would be a rare delicacy.

That thought had barely crossed his mind when Lu Fei suddenly sliced off one of the bear’s arms with his spear and stowed it in his storage space.

He realized that, on such a battlefield, using his limited storage for corpses and meat was a waste. The various gleaming iron weapons lying around were hard currency among the demons—if he didn’t collect them now, when would he?

As for the bear’s arm, a taste would suffice. At his current level, devouring a body or two was no longer enough to advance.

“Follow me, all of you…”

Lu Fei wiped the blood from his spear on the bear’s hide, scanned the assembled demons, and saw that his three sworn brothers—the crow demon, Redhide, and Huang Gui—were all unscathed. Apart from the initial casualty, the leopard demon Mazi, killed in the crossfire of the two demon kings, the other six new demons had somehow survived.

This surprised and pleased him. Though their deaths would not have troubled him, it was better that they survived. After all, these were the first batch of little demons he had led since becoming a demon lord. If they survived this war, they would undergo a transformation and grow stronger, faster.

“Come with me…”

With no mood or time for further words, Lu Fei turned and left. The crow demon, Redhide, and Huang Gui saw his grim expression and dared not speak; the others followed suit.

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The little demons followed their chief swiftly toward the rear of the battlefield. With Lu Fei in the lead, few other demons dared approach. Of course, there were always those crazed with bloodlust or too muddle-headed to realize the danger, and Lu Fei dispatched them with a single thrust each, leaving his followers dumbfounded.

Before long, he had led his charges to the edge of their side’s territory. Only then did Lu Fei address them: “From now on, kill enemies nearby. If the battle turns, run for that mountain over there…”

He pointed to the forest by the valley. “Run far, and when the fighting’s done, I’ll come find you.”

Hearing him issue instructions like a final farewell, Redhide’s voice trembled with urgency, “Big Brother…”

“Don’t ask!” Lu Fei cut him off. “If I’m not here, you take orders from Redhide. After him, Blackhair…”

Thus, he made the chain of command clear.

Finally, Lu Fei patted Redhide’s shoulder. “Keep your wits about you…”

With that, he turned and strode back toward the battlefield, leaving his bewildered and worried subordinates behind.

“Third Brother, didn’t you say the voice of that big demon who fell just now sounded like our Black General?” Huang Gui whispered to Redhide. “Could that be why Big Brother made these arrangements for us…?”

It was as if a bell rang in Redhide’s mind. His eyes widened in sudden realization.

…

Lu Fei, meanwhile, cared little for his subordinates’ reactions. In making such arrangements for his little demons, he was without doubt one of the most considerate among the eleven chiefs of Langlang Mountain.

Most chiefs had risen with the original Langlang Mountain, and were long used to lording over, beating, or even killing their underlings at whim. On the battlefield, they might save a subordinate's life in passing, but to deliberately arrange for their survival, to protect them—that was unthinkable.

Perhaps this was the difference between Lu Fei, the fake demon, and the real ones.

As for why Lu Fei would venture into ever greater danger—he needed soul power, needed to loot corpses for gear, and had to fulfill his duty as a chief. If only a few little demons slipped away, it might go unnoticed. But if a chief vanished, it would almost certainly be discovered. Especially with his nemesis, the bear chief, present.

If Lu Fei tried to hide now, and the bear chief reported him after the war, he’d be in real trouble. Especially now, with the Black General likely dead. If this reached the other generals or the three great kings, his fate would be sealed—he’d be finished. The wolf commander could not protect him.

So, whether by reason or necessity, Lu Fei could not leave the battlefield. Besides, he didn’t want to.

How often did such a grand battle come, where he could earn soul power and slaughter to his heart’s content?

He’d realized something: though his virtual panel system let him easily learn new divine abilities from other demons, even the best abilities, if low level, were of little use or power. Like the storage spell he’d learned from the she-rabbit of Snakecoil Mountain—he’d been delighted at first, but now, the limited space was far from enough.

Without enough soul power to upgrade his abilities, having more was useless—the effects were far too limited, especially as he grew stronger.

He could, of course, train and slowly master them, but that would take far too long. What he needed now was time.

This was the main reason he hadn't sought out more abilities lately. As he’d once told the snake chief: it’s better to master one weapon than to be mediocre with a hundred. While not perfectly applicable to divine arts, the principle was the same.

Besides, Lu Fei worried there might be a “slot limit” for abilities, as in games. If he filled up his quota with weak skills, he’d regret it forever.

So, for now, he wasn’t in a hurry to learn more; he aimed to upgrade the most essential ones—like “Within a Square Inch,” “Square Inch Step,” and “Earth Escape.”

Of course, if he encountered a truly excellent ability—especially attack, defense, or escape arts—he wouldn’t hesitate to learn it. He was no fool.

“Pfft…”

With a single thrust, he killed a wolf demon, and bent to pick up the heavy-backed saber it had dropped.

Just then—

“Bang!”

A crisp crack sounded. An arrow shot from afar, striking the iron armor on Lu Fei’s chest and making him jump.

“I was careless…”

Looking up, he saw a black bear demon readying its bow to flee. Though annoyed at his lapse, Lu Fei couldn’t help but laugh: “Ha! Even a bear can shoot a bow?”

With that—

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Lu Fei grabbed the heavy saber and, spear in hand, charged after the fleeing bear demon.

…

Above the valley, in the midst of raging winds, the third demon king of Wild Wastelands, Whiteface, and the third demon king of Stormridge, Hou Jun, parted after a fierce clash.

Red-haired Hou Jun glanced down at the battlefield, then at Whiteface, whose face was growing paler by the moment. He chuckled, “Whiteface, your new general didn’t last long, did he?”

Whiteface sneered, “With that treasure you gave him, and an ambush on top of it, it’s remarkable my poor country general held out so long. I only regret I didn’t foresee your treachery.”

“Ha ha ha…” Hou Jun burst out laughing. “Treachery? I don’t see it that way. If you want to blame someone, blame your own stupidity.”

“Actually, I rather admire your luck—you always land on your feet. And in just half a year, you’ve recruited two generals. Lucky I came prepared.”

“Tell you what, your new snake demon general isn’t bad. Hand her over, yield now, and I won’t ask for the child. Nor will I trouble Meiji again. How about it?”

“Heh…” Whiteface sneered. “I knew you never cared about Meiji or the child. All you want is that stretch of mountain.”

Hou Jun replied, “Who says? I also want your brother’s Exquisite Wish Pouch.”

Whiteface retorted, “Dream on. If you want the treasure, beat me first.”

Hou Jun pressed, “Are you sure you won’t surrender? If we keep fighting, your underlings will all die.”

Whiteface coldly replied, “That’s none of your concern. Besides, how do you know I have no cards left to play?”

Before his words had faded, a pure black feather fan with a faint turquoise glow appeared in Whiteface’s hand.

“The Black Feather Azure Wind Fan!” Hou Jun’s face changed instantly. He ground his teeth. “You actually managed to borrow that treasure!”

“If you can lend treasures to your generals, why can’t I?” Whiteface sneered, taking pleasure in Hou Jun’s expression. “Since you know what it is, get lost!”

With that, Whiteface swept the Black Feather Azure Wind Fan toward Hou Jun. Instantly, the surrounding winds howled and converged. Hou Jun felt the world spin, his vision went black, and he lost consciousness.

As Hou Jun’s body was swept from sight, Whiteface’s face lit up with joy—then he coughed up a mouthful of black blood.

With Hou Jun’s strength, he’d be back in at most two hours. Time was short.

Ignoring his injuries, Whiteface turned and flew down toward the battlefield. Hou Jun had dared to lend a treasure to kill his general; Whiteface would make him pay in blood!

If he didn’t kill enough to make up for the price of that borrowed fan, it would not be worth it.

Whiteface, burning with fury, descended upon the battle below.

Meanwhile, at one end of the valley, on Stormridge’s side, a one-sided slaughter was underway.

Earlier, the Wild Wastelands army had the advantage, and the Stormridge troops were in visible decline, pushed back toward their side of the valley. But the tides of war can shift in an instant.

The turning point came when a Wild Wastelands demon marshal fell from the sky, slain. When a Stormridge general appeared on the field, the mighty demon lords of Wild Wastelands began to fall one after another at the hands of the marshal.

The direct result: Wild Wastelands’ morale crumbled, while Stormridge’s soared.

At that moment—

“Boom!”

A white figure crashed down from the sky, smashing into the ground. Immediately after, a dwarfish figure, not even five feet tall, hovered in the air, eyeing the white wolf demon below.

“Kid, you’ve got some skill. I’ve spared your life time and again. If you refuse to serve under me, my patience won’t last forever.”

“Huff… huff…”

Wolf Commander Bai Yunxiao lay gasping in the crater, thoughts racing, demon power churning within him at unprecedented speed. His core was a maelstrom—lightning flashed, thunder roared, a black storm whirled, gathering all his demon power, blood, and divine essence at its heart.

“So close! Just a little more!”

Gritting his teeth, the wolf commander slowly rose and glared at the dwarf above. “You killed my general—this grudge will not go unavenged, or I am no demon!”

With that, he charged upward, wielding a black staff.

“If that’s your choice, then die!” the dwarf general said coldly. He casually tossed a palm-sized axe, which instantly grew to three or five meters across, and swung it at the charging wolf.

“Boom!”

With a deafening crash, the wolf commander was hurled back dozens of meters, smashing into the ground, motionless.

At that moment, deep within him, the black storm finally coalesced.

A demon core, radiating pure black light, floated silently in Bai Yunxiao’s belly.

…

He whose chest holds thunder but face remains calm may be fit to be a great general.

—A Cat Dreaming in the Deep Sea