Chapter Sixty: The Outbreak of War

"Don’t be so arrogant. Just you wait until our king arrives; you’ll be sorry then."

The speaker was Fox Laughter. Earlier, Yuan Wuji had handed Fox Laughter and Fox Three over to Duoli, but Duoli didn’t want two foxes following him around, so he assigned them to stand guard. Today, it was Fox Laughter’s turn.

"You’d better hope so."

The burly man’s cultivation was indeed much higher than Fox Laughter’s, yet he was astonished to find someone of the demon-pellet realm relegated to mere sentry duty. The only major demon who had returned was Duoli; the rest were all lesser beasts and spirits. Because of this, they had prepared a backup plan against Duoli. Now, seeing Fox Laughter, they suspected there was more than one demon-pellet level demon in the Firecloud Cave.

Still, just in case, they had brought a few extra tricks. The burly man couldn’t believe all the demon soldiers in the cave were of the demon-pellet realm; he figured Fox Laughter was just a fortunate exception.

While Fox Laughter and the burly man exchanged threats, Yuan Wuji had already appeared outside the Firecloud Cave, with Duoli naturally following behind.

The burly man, one of the leaders, had reached the perfected inner-pellet realm, much higher than Fox Laughter, but still far below Duoli. When Duoli appeared above him, the burly man didn’t even notice.

Seeing Duoli above the burly man, Fox Laughter knew Yuan Wuji had arrived. The tension vanished from his face, replaced by joy.

The burly man hadn’t realized Fox Laughter’s change in expression, but was alerted by those around him.

"Chu Han, be careful above!"

As Chu Han looked up and saw Duoli, he immediately fled the spot.

Duoli scanned the crowd below—only a few were of the celestial realm, and none stronger. How could they dare cause trouble in Firecloud Cave? Had the human cultivator they’d released reported incorrectly?

In a flash, Duoli appeared above Chu Han, who now believed him to be the king of Firecloud Cave.

"You must be the king of Firecloud Cave. Today, we cultivators have come to rid the innocent people of Howl Mountain of your monstrous scourge!" Chu Han declared righteously.

There were indeed many villages near Howl Mountain. In the past, True Immortal Ruyi had wanted to wipe them out, but Fox Three had vehemently opposed it, and so the plan failed. Later, Firecloud Cave became a den of foxes, who were too busy with internal strife to bother with the villages.

After Duoli took over Firecloud Cave, he didn’t manage the villages either. Having spent years among humans, Duoli understood that killing too many could bring consequences he couldn’t bear. Even if they were mere mortals, quantity could turn into quality. Duoli dared not gamble his life and took an almost hands-off approach to the villages.

He even forbade his followers from entertaining any improper thoughts toward the villages.

"Justice—a lofty excuse, as always," Yuan Wuji interjected.

Having witnessed too much in his past life, Yuan Wuji most despised this posturing of mankind. In this world, might made right. The burly man’s display of righteousness before Yuan Wuji kindled a spark of anger in his heart.

Chu Han hadn’t expected another powerful demon to appear, one who seemed even stronger than Duoli—Yuan Wuji, who truly looked like the king of Firecloud Cave.

The gear Yuan Wuji wore was unlike anything Chu Han had ever seen—what kind of demon king could possess such things?

It was clear now that the situation in Firecloud Cave was far from simple, and the highest-ranking cultivators among the group grew visibly grave.

The aura emanating from Yuan Wuji was far beyond what an inner-pellet cultivator could withstand; Chu Han recoiled in terror, his body trembling uncontrollably.

Fortunately, an old man appeared behind Chu Han, stopping his retreat.

"Old man, are you from Mount Shu?" Duoli asked, recognizing the old man’s attire.

Having lived among humans for years, Duoli knew much about Mount Shu and its great sect. The old man’s cultivation was on par with Duoli’s—such strength would earn high status in Mount Shu, one of the foremost sects in the mortal realm.

"I used to be."

The old man had once been an elder of the Discipline Hall in Mount Shu but had fled by night after becoming involved with matters related to the Demon Suppressing Tower.

Now, the old man found himself in a dilemma—even Duoli alone would be difficult to handle, let alone Yuan Wuji, who appeared even more formidable.

Unable to withstand Yuan Wuji’s oppressive aura, the old man asked, "Great King, with your strength, why remain in a mere Firecloud Cave?"

"That’s none of your concern," Yuan Wuji replied curtly, signaling Duoli to attack.

At his command, Duoli lunged at the old man. Meanwhile, the crowd clashed with the demon soldiers of Firecloud Cave, the sounds of weapons clashing echoing everywhere.

The humans held an overwhelming advantage. Unlike the disorganized demon soldiers, the humans’ uniform weaponry and powerful formations utterly crushed their opponents.

The demon soldiers below were routed, but Yuan Wuji showed no concern—beasts and spirits were expendable. His attention was fixed on Duoli’s duel with the elders.

Fox Laughter was now being pummeled by a group of inner-pellet human cultivators, forced to flee without hope of striking back.

Among the elders battling Duoli, the Mount Shu elder proved the most formidable, his swordsmanship repeatedly wounding Duoli, whose body bore most of its cuts from the old man’s blade. The other elders served mainly to restrain Duoli; their strategy was clearly tailored to counter him.

Duoli was forced into a desperate struggle, unable to spare attention elsewhere. The sharp sword aura from the Mount Shu elder kept him at bay, leaving him helpless.

Yuan Wuji was keen to observe if the Mount Shu elder would display any remarkable techniques. Many sword immortals in Heaven hailed from Mount Shu—any mortal sect capable of producing true immortals must have its own unique methods.

Originally, Yuan Wuji thought Duoli might just edge out the Mount Shu elder, given Duoli’s prime age as a demon. If he could keep pressing the old man, perhaps Yuan Wuji would witness some great sword technique. But it seemed the humans had no intention of fighting one-on-one, and if Yuan Wuji didn’t intervene, Duoli would soon be done for.

In a flash, Yuan Wuji soared above the battlefield, where Duoli and the elders fought. Channeling his magic, he conjured a massive energy hand, seizing an opening and bringing it down in a straight arc, cleaving a line through the fray.

With Yuan Wuji’s aid, Duoli broke free from the Mount Shu elder’s attacks. The other elders, who had been restraining Duoli, were unable to escape in time and were instantly smashed into a bloody mist by the giant energy hand.

"Old Wu! No!" Some young cultivators, locked in combat with demon soldiers below, screamed furiously at the mist, clearly deeply affected.

The battlefield between Duoli and the Mount Shu elder was now separated by Yuan Wuji’s intervention. Cold sweat beaded on the elder’s brow—he had been truly shaken by the appearance of the giant energy hand and dared not pursue Duoli, choosing instead to retreat.