Ji Yang raised his head and looked up along the ravine, catching sight of the brilliant starlight shining through the gap between two walls of rock, unobstructed by trees.
A wave of confusion washed over his heart.
*Brightest star in the night sky, can you hear clearly?*
*The loneliness and sighs deep in the heart of the one looking up.*
After pondering in silence for quite a while, he finally let out a bewildered mutter, "Fuck! What the hell is going on?"
Up until tonight, he had objectively considered himself, if not among the world's first-rate, at least in the very top tier of young cultivators in Jiangcheng City, right?
Even when he ran into a demon he couldn't beat, he hadn't lost confidence. It was normal for the production crew to have some oversights; maybe they had accidentally let in a demon whose cultivation level exceeded the limit.
Yet others had run into it too, and all of them had won with ease. That was what made it bizarre.
He had nearly been insta-killed by that roe deer demon, while that roe deer demon had nearly been insta-killed by Yue Wen. Converting that, wouldn't Yue Wen be able to kill him sixty times over in the time it took to fart?
If the point of comparison had been Liu Yuanjun, he could still begrudgingly accept it. After all, he had heard since childhood that Xuanfeng Temple had a boy with an immortal body. But Yue Wen was just a rogue cultivator! Ji Yang had trained bitterly for so many years in his Shadow Profound supernatural power, only to be walked all over by a wandering cultivator like that—and in front of hundreds of thousands of viewers in the livestream room...
*Maybe I should just die?*
As soon as the thought surfaced, a tremor passed through his heart, as if faintly resonating with someone far away.
Yet he was not someone easily discouraged.
After a moment, he rallied his spirits once more.
Combat was ever-changing, and many factors determined victory or defeat. Perhaps that roe deer demon simply had keen spiritual senses that happened to counter his supernatural power, while Yue Wen possessed some supernatural power that happened to counter the roe deer demon.
Or perhaps while the roe deer demon seemed unhurt during their fight, it had actually sustained severe internal injuries from him, weakening its combat strength a hundredfold.
Anything was possible.
The sample size was simply too small to draw a definitive conclusion.
"Whew—" He exhaled a breath of stale air. "I can't be downcast. I have to prove myself."
Proving himself would be simple enough: all he had to do was slaughter his way forward, crushing every demon beast he encountered into dust, to prove that what happened before was merely an accident.
With that thought, he stepped out of the ravine.
Right then, the new bee insect sent by the show's crew arrived. Its yellow spirit insect wings buzzed rapidly without making a sound as it flew over, carrying a capsule-sized camera.
Remembering that right before the camera cut out, he was being thoroughly battered by the roe deer demon, surely witnessed by countless viewers...
Ji Yang raised his head and pointed a finger right at the lens.
"Ladies and gentlemen, there was a minor hiccup earlier. My apologies for the scare," he said, his expression ruthlessly cold. "Give me another chance, and I will show you my full strength. Younger viewers should watch with parental guidance... because next up is killing time!"
With that, he strode forward with broad steps.
He imagined this clip spreading across the internet, followed by an edited reel of him obliterating demon beasts shortly after.
It would look ridiculously cool.
Only a few steps in, he caught a gust of foul, rank wind blowing from ahead. Leaping onto a high ledge, he saw a half-taking form tiger in a business suit emerge from the mountain path below.
"A tiger demon?" Ji Yang narrowed his eyes.
Although a demon dressed in a suit and leather shoes looked a bit odd, after seeing a roe deer demon in coveralls wielding a wrench, he was hardly surprised anymore. Indeed, some demon beasts in the wasteland zone wore human clothing, as cultivators who died outside naturally had their belongings scavenged by demons.
This suit-wearing tiger demon was Huang Dahu, who was searching for Yue Wen.
Hearing the roe deer brothers' cries in the distance, he had planned to check on what happened. Passing by this spot, he had sensed the aura of a living human and come over to see if it was his target.
Seeing Ji Yang step forward, Huang Dahu realized the man wasn't one of his targets and spoke first: "No offense intended. Let's each go our own way."
"Heh." Ji Yang sneered. "Had I run into you earlier, I might have let you walk. But encountering me right now, you can only curse your bad luck."
By now, his intent to kill was absolute.
The face he had lost for Hidden Dragon Pool had to be reclaimed with his own hands!
With that, he whirled his body, transforming into a sky of fiery rain. The moment he struck, the display was thunderous and grand, pelting down toward Huang Dahu!
Huang Dahu frowned deeply. It wasn't that he feared this human cultivator; rather, based on what he knew of humans over the years, a young cultivator like this likely had a whole string of sects and clans backing him. Killing him rashly would likely trigger that scenario known as "beat the young, and the old comes running."
That was why he had been reluctant to strike.
Yet since Ji Yang attacked right off the bat, Huang Dahu wasn't about to stretch out his neck to be slaughtered. Feeling the rain of fire sweeping in, Huang Dahu assumed a boxing stance and abruptly closed his eyes.
*Bang, bang, bang, bang!*
In the blink of an eye, over a dozen sparks struck him and exploded, instantly shredding Huang Dahu's suit and scorching his striped tiger fur.
Yet only after withstanding that full round of attacks did Huang Dahu suddenly open his eyes, letting out a sharp roar: "Roar!"
*Sizzle, crackle—*
Having gathered power during that brief pause, a raging surge of lightning abruptly erupted around him, spanning a ten-meter radius. Silver dragons slithered within it, leaving nowhere to flee.
The falling rain of fire fell into the field, sparks bursting one after another, until a figure abruptly materialized amid the swirling silhouettes of flame.
Forced out of his form, Ji Yang was momentarily stunned, but his instincts immediately kicked in to retreat and open up distance. This tiger demon actually knew martial cultivation methods! It was even more ridiculous than the roe deer demon before—the roe deer demon had only swung a wrench!
Huang Dahu gave him no such chance. Stamping his right foot, he unleashed his fist momentum, lunging like an arrow loosed from a bow!
*Boom—*
A fist wrapped in electric arcs slammed heavily into Ji Yang's chest, hurling him dozens of meters away and smashing through several large trees!
He crashed into the distance with a thud, kicking up a cloud of dust, his fate unknown.
Huang Dahu cast a glance in that direction, but did not go over to deliver a finishing blow. He had come here to kill Yue Wen and didn't want any unnecessary complications; this bystander was unimportant by comparison.
Having dealt with Ji Yang, he turned around and hurried back toward the direction where the roe deer brothers had shouted earlier.
***
Meanwhile, things were looking dire for the roe deer brothers.
Da Pao was being hunted down by Yue Wen, while Er Pao was being chased by Zhao Xing'er. The two brothers had roared for help at the same time, and as a result, they had managed to meet up.
Only now, their formidable enemies had doubled too.
One in front, one behind, blocking off every escape route.
At a time like this, the importance of high-level language was glaringly apparent. A simple roar was convenient and conveyed basic emotions, but it couldn't describe what kind of enemy one was facing.
Had it been a dragon word, a single syllable could have clearly detailed the enemy's height, weight, and build, and thrown in a suicide note for good measure. If the two brothers had known the other's situation, they might have fled in opposite directions, each retaining at least some hope of escape.
Catching up to Da Pao, Yue Wen found that one roe deer demon had turned into two. Just as he hesitated over whether to engage, dust billowed in the distance, and Zhao Xing'er dashed out.
Only then did he realize that Er Pao had also been chased here.
Seeing the faint red glow around Zhao Xing'er, he instantly felt reassured.
Glancing around, he realized they had rushed so fast that his bee insect camera seemed to have lagged behind, and he wasn't sure if it could catch up. Thus, he didn't rush to attack, remaining where he stood to wait for Zhao Xing'er to approach.
"What do we do, Big Brother?" Er Pao said, tears creeping into his voice. Zhao Xing'er's hammer blow earlier had cracked him all over, terrifying him out of his wits. "This woman is too ruthless! She claimed I disturbed her sleep and smashed me like this with a single hammer strike!"
Da Pao was dripping with blood, though his injuries weren't as severe as Er Pao's. Seeing his brother in this state gave him a sense of the enemy's terrifying strength.
"Don't panic. Let me negotiate," Da Pao said, forcing himself to stay calm and steady Er Pao.
Ignoring Yue Wen for the moment, he stepped forward to intercept Zhao Xing'er as she sprinted toward them.
"Run! Why aren't you running anymore?" Zhao Xing'er skidded to a halt. Glancing up, she saw two roe deer demons and immediately said, "Turns out there are two of these silly roe deer."
She had moved just as fast, leaving the bee insect camera behind her far in the dust.
From the audience's point of view, there was only a patch of wildly swaying jungle, showing just how flustered the little bee insect was after losing its targets, its six wings flapping furiously enough to smoke. It wasn't that they flew too slowly; it was simply that these humans were far too fast.
"Hmph—" Hearing Zhao Xing'er's words, Da Pao's eyes flashed red, and he bared his teeth at once.
"Big Brother," Er Pao immediately whimpered, showing off his wounds.
"Whew." Da Pao took a deep breath and forced a smile. "Hello there, beautiful young lady."
"What's up?" Zhao Xing'er frowned, looking from them to Yue Wen, unsure what was going on.
"I am terribly sorry that my younger brother disturbed your rest. As his elder brother, I apologize on his behalf," Da Pao said, his tone turning surprisingly polite. "We have no desire to make an enemy of you. We only entered this place to kill that man!"
Saying so, he pointed back at Yue Wen. "And his assistant."
"So, would you be willing not to interfere in our personal grudge?"
His plan was simple: talk down one formidable foe first, and the two brothers could gang up on their target.
Situations like this happened frequently in the wasteland zone. When three demon beasts faced off, one had to prioritize and avoid being besieged. Zhao Xing'er struck far harder and had less animosity toward them, naturally making her the primary target to persuade.
Faced with Da Pao's inquiry, Zhao Xing'er showed a puzzled expression behind her mask. "You have a grudge against that man... and his assistant?"
"Of course!" Knowing this was the time to win her sympathy, Da Pao whispered, "Those two are utterly vile! They slaughtered our parents and kin, sparing not even the roe fawns barely a month old!"
"And stole my food! Half a drumstick I had just scavenged from a trash can!" Er Pao chimed in, naming what he considered the most delicious thing in the world.
"And violated my wife, a gorgeous female roe deer!" Da Pao added.
"And sawed off our antlers to grind into powder and sell as velvet antler!" Er Pao said.
"And chopped off the arms of the elderly roe deer, then rubbed itching powder on their backs!"
Zhao Xing'er: "..."
"So, with an enemy like that, we will fight him to the death," Da Pao said, following his show of weakness with a display of toughness. "Even someone as powerful as you wouldn't want to face two enraged demon beasts fighting for their lives, would you? So, perhaps leaving this place is the wisest choice?"
Zhao Xing'er looked at them, a subtle smile playing at the corners of her lips.
Before she could speak, a surprised, delighted shout rang out from the other side.
"You two really are here!" A black-furred tiger demon scrambled up from the woods below. "You scared me half to death! Seeing you puts my mind at ease. Huh? Why do you two look so beaten up?"
Chapter 44