Chapter Fifty-Nine: The Three Monsters-The Last Demon-Slaying Immortal(Jesting with ease, commanding every conversation)

In the previous chapter, Murong Yan and Ye Feng, accompanied by the cheers of the people, led their troops forward. As they marched, the reins of Murong Yan’s horse were suddenly pulled tight by someone. Glancing down, she saw it was Lu Youxiong.

Murong Yan chuckled and asked, “General Lu, what brings you to halt my horse? Is it because I asked you to stay behind, and you still cannot accept it?”

Lu Youxiong clasped his hands respectfully and replied, “Marshal, you ordered me yesterday to remain and defend the city. When I returned home, my father was displeased. He has traveled here today; he has something to say.”

Murong Yan frowned slightly, uttered an “Oh!” and said, “So the elder has come as well. At his age, it is no small effort to be here—he must be weary.”

Lu Youxiong pointed ahead. “Marshal, please look—he’s right over there!”

Following the direction of his finger, Murong Yan saw an old man leaning heavily on his cane, his steps trembling as he approached. Murong Yan hurried forward, supporting him with both hands, and said, “Elder, you have come all this way at great effort. I feel uneasy about troubling you. If there is something on your mind, please speak directly—I am all ears.”

The old man clasped his hands and bowed. “Marshal Murong, your words honor me far too much! I have raised a son who has been neither loyal nor righteous, committing many misdeeds. Thanks to your forgiveness, his crimes were pardoned. But to restore his honor, he must rely on his own efforts. Now, as you lead your army on an arduous campaign, you need every man. Take him with you!”

Murong Yan was touched, but she comforted the old man, saying, “Elder, General Lu was once forced against his will by Xiang Buer. Now, having seized Yunyang City through cunning, he has already washed away past disgrace and earned the highest merit. Besides, he has family to look after you. Guarding the city is also a vital duty; he can achieve new merits by defending Yunyang.”

The old man remained adamant, pleading, “Marshal Murong, please take him! He has done much wrong under Xiang Buer, offending many people, and he cannot show his face. Take him along, let him slay more of the demon soldiers, and restore our family’s honor. We are well provided for, and servants attend to us, so he need not worry about us.”

Seeing that she could not decline, Murong Yan sought another reason. “General Lu could join us, but he knows the city’s situation best. If he leaves, who will defend it?”

Lu Youxiong was overjoyed and stepped forward, saying, “Marshal, my deputy, Fan Jingzhong, has helped me guard Yunyang for many years. Before leaving this morning, I entrusted him with all matters. He can defend the city in my stead—you need not worry!”

Murong Yan nodded. “In that case, General Lu, hurry and mount your horse!”

Hearing this, Lu Youxiong grinned broadly, brought forth his steed, and bid farewell to his family one by one. The people escorted them for ten miles beyond the city before returning.

The army marched onward; after a hundred miles, suddenly a fierce wind swept through, darkening the skies with a foul stench. Ye Feng sensed something unusual and cried, “All troops, prepare for battle!”

No sooner had his shout faded than a giant serpent appeared in the clouds, accompanied by two enormous dragons, one red and one black. The serpent stretched over twenty yards, thick as a cart wheel, its iron-blue scales glinting ominously. The two dragons were equally extraordinary: the red blazed like fire, the black shone like polished obsidian. Each was over ten yards long, thick as a drum, baring their fangs and claws as they menaced the soldiers.

“Loose arrows!”

The command rang out urgently. The soldiers hurriedly drew their bows, firing at the monstrous beasts. Yet the arrows merely clanged against their hides, sparking but causing no harm; the beasts remained unscathed, and the arrows fell to the ground.

Enraged, the three monsters swept their massive tails, toppling scores of soldiers. With a wave of their claws, more men were sent flying and crashed heavily to the earth. Their cavernous mouths opened wide, swallowing several soldiers whole.

Ye Feng cursed furiously, “Wretched fiends!” He took up his treasured eagle-bow, drew three feathered arrows, poured his spiritual power into them, nocked the bow, and released.

“Whizz!...”

The three arrows shot forth like lightning toward the monsters.

A guttural howl rang out.

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“Aaargh!”

All three monsters howled in agony, driven mad by their wounds. Ye Feng quickly drew three more arrows, ready to fire. But the monsters, terrified by the pain, leapt skyward and vanished without a trace. In an instant, the wind ceased, the clouds parted, and bright daylight returned.

Murong Yan hurriedly summoned Lu Youxiong. “General Lu, where did these monsters come from?”

Lu Youxiong reported, “Marshal, I do not know their origin, but they are clearly not of the Myriad Demons Kingdom. They have haunted this region for ten years. I have led my troops against them many times, but we could never find their lair.”

Murong Yan was astonished. “We have been campaigning here for over a month; how is it that we have not encountered these three monsters?”

Lu Youxiong explained, “Marshal, Xiang Buer offered six boys and girls in sacrifice each month, so the monsters ceased their rampage. Now, with the war halting the offerings, they must have grown hungry and attacked our army again.”

Murong Yan nodded and commanded, “Halt the army; make camp here.”

Lu Youxiong asked urgently, “Marshal, why stop now?”

Murong Yan bit her lip and declared firmly, “Until these monsters are slain, the army shall not advance!”

Lu Youxiong protested, “Marshal, our troops’ morale is high; we should press forward before the enemy can react and reclaim lost ground. How can we linger here?”

Ye Feng smiled faintly. “General Lu, why do we fight the demon soldiers and recover our lands?”

Lu Youxiong answered, “To rescue the people from suffering and give them a better life!”

Ye Feng nodded. “Exactly! Now that the people are harmed by monsters, how can our righteous army ignore their plight?”

Lu Youxiong understood at last.

Murong Yan nodded in approval. “Deputy Commander Ye knows my heart well!”

Ye Feng immediately requested, “Marshal, remain with the army; leave the task of slaying the monsters to me.”

Lu Youxiong stepped forward and volunteered, “Marshal, I will accompany Deputy Commander Ye. I know this terrain intimately and can assist him.”

Murong Yan agreed, dispatching five thousand troops under their command.

Ye Feng and Lu Youxiong followed the monsters’ blood trail eastward for fifty miles to Donglin Mountain, where the trail ended. Ye Feng ordered the troops to spread out and encircle the mountain, searching every inch. The soldiers obeyed, scouring every bush and tree. Yet the monsters seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving no trace.

Ye Feng commanded, “Expand the search—search all nearby peaks. We must find the three fiends!”

The soldiers moved out to search the other mountains. Ye Feng, lingering behind, pondered: All three monsters were wounded by my arrows, and the blood trail ends here—how can they have disappeared?

He retraced his steps, hoping to find clues in the blood. As he approached the end of the trail, his foot sank into a patch of grass, and suddenly, the ground gave way beneath him. He plunged downward into a pitch-black cavern.

It was impossible to tell how deep the cave was. Wind whistled past his ears as he fell, his body leaden, plunging endlessly, until—

Splash!

He landed in water.

The water quickly engulfed him, pulling him deeper. Ye Feng paddled frantically, kicking his legs to halt his descent. At last, a counterforce thrust him upward.

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Ye Feng surfaced, but all around him was utter darkness—nothing could be seen. The water was icy cold, stabbing deep into his bones like a thousand needles. He thought, “With water this cold, I cannot endure for long!”

He summoned his strength, swimming forward. He could not tell how long he swam, until his hand finally grasped soft, muddy earth—he must have reached the shore. Ye Feng stood, feeling the sticky mud beneath his feet. Relieved, he continued forward and soon found higher ground, where he sat to catch his breath.

His clothes were soaked and clung to him, making him even colder. He stripped them off, wrung them dry, and put them back on. Gazing around, he saw nothing but darkness, not a single glimmer of light.

Ye Feng grew anxious: Where am I? How do I get out? Having fallen in, how would Murong Yan and the troops ever find me and rescue me?

After much pondering, he realized rescue was hopeless; he would have to find another way out himself.

His strength restored, Ye Feng stood, took a fire-starter from his pouch, and lit it for illumination. He walked slowly onward.

Not far ahead, he noticed a faint light in the distance. Perhaps it was an exit! Overjoyed, Ye Feng quickened his pace. Yet the light flickered, always seeming both near and far, never quite attainable. He realized it was a trick of the eye; the light was there, just farther away.

Indeed, after walking further, the glow brightened, and he saw someone had lit an oil lamp. Who could be hiding here? Surely monsters or demons—it could be nothing else!

Cautiously, Ye Feng slipped into the shadows, creeping up to a stone door. Glancing down, he saw several small human bones in the corner—clearly those of children.

Ye Feng was now certain that fiends lurked here, preying on innocents. He instinctively reached for his waist, only to find it empty; when he fell, his two nine-section steel whips had been lost in the pool. There was no hope of retrieving them.

Now empty-handed, his only chance to defeat the monsters was to launch a surprise attack.

He gently pushed open the stone door, preparing to slip inside, when suddenly voices echoed from within.

A man’s voice said, “Who was that brat? So formidable—he pierced our iron armor and wounded us!”

A woman’s voice, sweet and seductive, replied, “Second Brother, could it be Ye Feng? I heard the righteous army has arrived. Today, the soldiers we devoured were different from those before—they kept their composure even in danger, not easy prey. Especially those three arrows... ordinary archers could never imbue their arrows with such power! It must have been Ye Feng!”

The first man spoke again, “Big Brother, damn it! Let’s pledge ourselves to the Myriad Demons Kingdom’s King, the Great Golden Ape. If we join him, we can stand against Ye Feng and avenge today’s wounds!”

“Rubbish! We’ll pledge ourselves to no one. If we submit to another, once they learn our true forms, we’ll just be meat on the chopping block—waiting to be butchered!”

This time, the speaker was a man, his voice rough and booming—surely a burly giant.

Ye Feng listened, nerves taut. The three monsters were indeed here. Alone, unarmed and separated from Lu Youxiong and the others, he knew it would be difficult to confront them.

Suddenly, he recalled a maxim from the Art of War: “In warfare, if you outnumber the enemy tenfold, encircle them; fivefold, attack them; equal numbers, divide them; if fewer, retreat; if weaker, avoid battle.”

A flash of inspiration: Why not divide them and deal with each separately—outwit and slay all three?

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