Chapter 239: Chapter 207: If Demon Fiends Aren’t Enough, Cultivators Will Do

They’re all Demon Fiends. Why couldn’t they be working together?

The sudden question left everyone stunned as the realization dawned on them.

’Damn it! We fell for it!’

They had been played for absolute fools. They’d ended up gathering all the Great Demon Fiends in one place, and now they were all heading straight for them.

’Should we run?’

If they ran now, it would mean abandoning the fight. If word of this got back to the Golden Thread Pavilion, not a single one of them here would escape the consequences.

After all, the Golden Thread Pavilion had summoned them for the express purpose of fighting the demon disaster in Celestial Jing State.

At the very least, they had to put on a show. They couldn’t be seen as deserters.

Fleeing now and waiting for the Golden Thread Pavilion to settle the score later would be the real trouble.

A demon disaster in a single State Territory wasn’t nearly enough to threaten the Golden Thread Pavilion’s Overlord Level status in the Treasure Temple Domain.

"Let them come! We’ll meet them head-on! We’re all at the Corpse Transformation stage; there’s nothing to worry about."

Someone spoke up, trying to encourage the others.

In truth, there wasn’t much to fear. They were only hesitant because they didn’t know what the Golden Thread Pavilion’s next move would be. Unforeseen complications were bound to arise, so everyone wanted to conserve their strength and only strike when it truly mattered.

That way, they could reap the greatest rewards with the least amount of risk—the outcome they all hoped for.

However, not everyone thought this way.sad

While some prepared to fight, others were naturally looking for a way to escape.

"Fight? What’s the point! The demon disaster has just begun, and there’s no telling when it will end. Instead of wasting our strength here, we should just cut our losses and go reinforce Ten Directions City!

The people from the Golden Thread Pavilion are there, so it’s guaranteed to be safe. We can even get some credit for helping out."

Everyone had their own agenda. For every person willing to fight, there was a freeloader looking for an easy way out. Even with the Demon Fiends bearing down on them, they continued to argue endlessly.

As they bickered back and forth, it was as if they had completely forgotten the approaching Demon Fiends.

Two massive figures slammed into the ground with a deafening RUMBLE, shaking the very earth.

It was Yang An. He had dragged the two Great Demon Fiends over and hurled them right at the group.

But the Cultivators were no pushovers. They reacted in an instant, scattering in all directions to evade the impact. Then, they turned to glare at Yang An, who had landed in their midst, their eyes filled with malice.

Yang An hadn’t managed to hit anyone, but he just smiled at them.

"Don’t run away! I brought the Demon Fiends to you. Why are you all running off?"

...

The crowd was rendered speechless. But as they stared at Yang An, someone had a sudden realization.

"You’re not a Demon Fiend?"

The flesh and blood draining from the two Demon Fiends wasn’t being devoured by Yang An; it was flowing elsewhere. Instead, the two creatures were utterly suppressed by him, unable to move a muscle, completely at his mercy.

And up close, they finally discovered that Yang An’s aura was not turbid and filthy like a Demon Fiend’s; on the contrary, it was even purer than their own as Cultivators.

...

’Damn it all. It was one thing for the Demon Fiends to mistake him for one of their own, but for this group of Cultivators to do the same...’

Suddenly, Yang An couldn’t bring himself to smile. He felt like a complete anomaly.

’Do I really look that much like a Demon Fiend?’

He glanced down at himself, seeing absolutely nothing in common with a Demon Fiend. ’Are these guys blind?’

He suddenly understood why these Cultivators had deliberately lured the Demon Fiends to him. They wanted to use him to sow chaos so they could swoop in and reap the rewards!

Even though he understood their reasoning, Yang An only grew angrier.

’We’re all Cultivators, so what gives you the right to treat me like a Demon Fiend?’

’What’s done is done. I don’t care about the reason. Not a single one of them is getting away today.’

Yang An no longer answered them, because at this time, the lured Corpse Transformation Demon Fiends had completely closed in, forming an encirclement that blocked all possible escape routes.

Sensing that things were taking a turn for the worse, the Cultivators all turned to look at Yang An.

Yang An didn’t reply, but they were now certain: the man before them was probably not a Demon Fiend. Their own prejudice had led them to the wrong conclusion.

Still, they felt they couldn’t be blamed. After all, whose fault was it that Yang An’s methods were so brutal? He was practically more demonic than the Demon Fiends themselves.

So they had guessed wrong. But was Yang An truly blameless in this?

"Heh, Fellow Daoist, this is all a misunderstanding. We mistook you for a Demon Fiend. It was an honest mistake. Please, don’t take it to heart."

Someone immediately spoke up, trying to defuse the tension.

Many of the others chimed in in agreement.

"Oh, so it was a misunderstanding."

Yang An nodded, as if a great realization had just dawned on him.

"Alright then. In that case, misunderstanding cleared. I’ll be on my way. Take care, Fellow Daoists."

Dragging the two Demon Fiends, Yang An headed into the alley below without a backward glance. After the sound of him smashing through several buildings, he was gone.

...

No one expected Yang An to leave so abruptly. He said he was leaving, and in the blink of an eye, he was gone.

Their senses confirmed that Yang An was truly long gone. The Demon Fiends surrounding them paid his departure no mind, instead focusing their full attention on the group.

Clearly, compared to a small fry like Yang An, this large gathering of Cultivators was the real prize.

Demon Fiends knew how to pick their battles, too.

Besides the Corpse Transformation Cultivators, there were also many at the Visceral Stone and Yuansi realms present.

Seeing that even Yang An had fled, the numerous Low-tier Cultivators panicked and began to scatter, trying to escape in any direction they could.

They were just small fries; they couldn’t possibly interfere in a battle between Corpse Transformation Great Powers. Anyone who tried would die.

Some of the Corpse Transformation Cultivators also tried to retreat. They immediately tried to break through the encirclement of Great Demon Fiends. The first to make a move might be the one to get away.

They might not be able to defeat the Demon Fiends, but escape was still possible. At worst, they’d just have to resort to a few special measures.

As the Visceral Stone and Yuansi Cultivators fled in droves, nothing happened.

But when several of the Corpse Transformation Cultivators tried to follow, a streak of red light suddenly flashed in the distance, appearing before them in the blink of an eye.

It was a long arrow, glowing with an intense red light, and it suddenly exploded.

The red light instantly transformed into raging lightning, unleashing countless crimson bolts that completely cut off the Corpse Transformation Cultivators’ escape route.

Caught off guard, the closest Cultivator took the brunt of the attack. His head was struck by a deluge of crimson lightning, and in the blink of an eye, it was charred black like charcoal. It fell to the ground with a THUD and shattered into a pile of ash.

Fortunately, their physical bodies had extremely powerful regenerative abilities. Within a single breath, flesh and blood writhed on his neck, and he quickly regrew his head.

But the lightning had sealed off their escape route, and the commotion immediately drew the attention of the Corpse Transformation Demon Fiends.

What’s more, it seemed as if more and more Demon Fiends were being summoned. They swarmed in from all directions and soon engaged the fleeing Visceral Stone and Yuansi Cultivators in battle.

Everyone was stopped!

"Damn it! It’s that guy from before!"

Someone realized who had fired the crimson lightning, but dwelling on that now was pointless.

Because those Great Demon Fiends had already begun to make their move.

A cacophony of battle cries and impacts soon erupted in the pitch-black night, the sounds spreading in all directions and echoing across the heavens.

Meanwhile, Yang An had reached the very edge of the city. He looked out at a group of mortals who didn’t even have the strength to truss a chicken.

These were mortals who had survived the Demon Fiend invasion, but had yet to be used as bait by the Cultivators. Now, they stole frightened glances at Yang An, not daring to look at him directly.

The reason for their fear was simple: Yang An was currently dragging two Great Demon Fiends, his body constantly absorbing and devouring their flesh and blood. The sight was utterly terrifying.

The Cultivators had sealed the city gates long ago to ensure none of the mortals could escape. They still had their uses—namely, to lure out Demon Fiends. It was just a pity they hadn’t been needed for that yet.

But not two breaths later, the heavy city gate was pierced by innumerable rays of Golden Radiance and blasted to smithereens, collapsing to the ground with a thunderous CRASH.

Yang An had opened the gate. He let the mortals do as they pleased—flee if they wished, or stay if they chose.

This was the only thing he could do for them: respect their decisions, and their fate.

Besides, whether they stayed inside the city or fled outside, it made little difference. With the demon disaster running rampant, no one was safe. Demon Fiends were everywhere; they were bound to run into them eventually.

Yang An wasn’t compassionate enough to go out of his way to protect them.

Leaving the choice in their hands was the most fitting thing to do.

Soon, many people were running headlong through the gate, heedless of the dangers outside. But a small group chose to remain, their eyes filled with uncertainty.

Perhaps they were the only ones who were thinking clearly.

Yang An paid them no more mind, turning instead to look at the battle raging between the Cultivators and Demon Fiends in the city.

These Cultivators had wanted to lure the Demon Fiends to him, sow chaos among their ranks, and then reap the benefits.

But who could have predicted that in the end, he would be the one to gather both the Demon Fiends and the Cultivators in one place?

The thick stench of blood washed over him from the direction of the fighting. Amidst the pandemonium, the battle was sure to be brutal.

But at this moment, Yang An was extremely excited.

’This is all flesh and blood!’

He had no use for those at the Visceral Stone or Yuansi realms, but the Corpse Transformation level was exactly what he needed.

The Seal remnant was still absorbing the flesh and blood of the two Demon Fiends, but it showed no reaction. It was obvious that this amount was far from enough.

’If two isn’t enough, then I’ll take ten!’

’If ten isn’t enough, I’ll take a hundred!’

’Not enough Demon Fiends? The Cultivators will make up the difference.’

Yang An had no intention of letting this opportunity pass him by, and he couldn’t be bothered to distinguish between friend and foe.

’Friends? What friends?’

’Anyone who stands in my way... isn’t that just another kind of Demon Fiend?’

’Fight! Fight to the death!’

’He was the real fisherman here. Let the snipe and the clam fight it out. Then he’d catch them all in one fell swoop.’