Chapter Sixty-Five: Unmatched Among All Demon Generals

Zhou Yu let out a long whistle and, without waiting for A San to prepare, attacked once more.

A San had no choice but to raise his hands in defense.

"Boom!"

A San was forced back a few steps.

"He actually drove A San back!"

"Could this guy be a demon king?"

"Is he playing the pig to eat the tiger?"

The leopard-headed soldiers whispered among themselves.

"Hmph! I said it long ago, A San is merely a brute. Pure strength alone is never true power," a scarred leopard-headed soldier among the pack said coldly.

In the distance, Zhou Yu had driven A San back step by step. In truth, Zhou Yu was not having an easy time either; A San was indeed formidable, his raw physical strength on par with Zhou Yu's. However, every time Zhou Yu threw a punch, it was immediately replenished, and any internal injuries he sustained were healed almost instantly. Therefore, every blow Zhou Yu delivered was executed with full force.

As for A San, while he had initially been able to trade blows evenly with Zhou Yu, as time dragged on, he began to lose the upper hand.

"Damn you!" A San's eyes were already bloodshot. He had always prided himself on his strength, relying solely on raw power to rank third among the hundreds of demon generals in the Leopard Clan. One could easily imagine just how terrifying his physical might truly was.

Suddenly, all the fur on A San's body stood on end, and white demonic energy surged from him before instantly contracting. A San's entire body grew by a third right before their eyes, and demonic energy actually formed armor over his fists, making it look as though he were wearing gauntlets.

"Go to hell!" A San roared, unleashing a fierce punch directly at Zhou Yu.

"Idiot!" the Leopard Demon King muttered under his breath, a trace of sorrow flashing in his eyes.

A San was a subordinate he favored greatly because A San was both obedient and immensely strong.

Yet the secret art A San was currently employing involved destroying his own demonic core to stimulate his potential. It would be fine if he managed to defeat his opponent in a short time—in that case, the damage to his demonic core would be limited. But if the demonic core's energy were completely exhausted without defeating the foe, death was the only outcome.

Even if he did win, his cultivation and overall strength would plummet drastically afterward.

The Leopard Demon King had already foreseen that once A San used this secret art, his strength would undoubtedly overwhelm Zhou Yu. Yet by that time, A San would likely perish from the total depletion of his demonic energy.

For the honor of the Leopard Clan, the Leopard Demon King could only choose to remain silent.

This punch was earth-shattering, tearing through the air. Before the blow even arrived, Zhou Yu could already feel the chilling gale of its momentum.

Yet he chose neither to retreat nor dodge, opting for a direct, head-on collision.

"Boom!" This time, Zhou Yu was sent flying backward through the air, crashing heavily into the accumulated snow.

A San strode heavily toward him.

Zhou Yu clambered back up from the snow. This guy was truly terrifying; using some unknown method, he had managed to double his strength once again!

Watching the approaching A San, Zhou Yu considered that if he changed his tactics, he could easily defeat this bulky opponent. However, doing so would expose his true strength far too early. Who knew what ranking this fellow held among the leopard-headed soldiers?

Thus, Zhou Yu decided to rely on brute force for a head-on clash once more.

"Boom!"

The two figures—one large, one small—collided fiercely once again.

This time, Zhou Yu was once more sent flying backward through the air, but A San was also forced to retreat several steps!

Climbing out of the snow once more, Zhou Yu rubbed his chest and declared, "That feels wonderful!"

In the distance, the leopard-headed soldiers let out gasps of shock. This guy was an absolute monster! He had actually traded punches blow for blow with A San, and after taking a punch from A San in that state, he was not only able to stand back up, but he even claimed it felt wonderful!

"Ah! You boastful bastard!" A portion of A San's chest had caved inward, clearly indicating broken ribs. Yet, as if completely devoid of pain, he roared and charged forward once more.

A subtle smile tugged at the corner of Zhou Yu's lips, and he sneered inwardly. This was precisely the effect he wanted!

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

Continuous crashes echoed through the air like rolling thunder.

The distant leopard-headed soldiers stared in dumbfounded silence. This fellow was simply too freakish!

A San's chest had completely caved in, and fresh blood poured from his mouth, soaking the front of his body entirely.

As for Zhou Yu, he grew fiercer with every exchange, as though he had sustained no injuries at all!

On one hand, this was due to Zhou Yu's formidable recovery and defensive capabilities. On the other hand, because A San was continually suffering injuries, every subsequent attack he launched grew slightly weaker.

"Boom!"

At last, A San's mountain-like body collapsed.

The Leopard Demon King's fists clenched tightly without his noticing. He stared coldly at Zhou Yu, as if wishing to devour him alive.

"Leopard Demon King! Why don't you step up yourself? These subordinates of yours are utterly trash!" Zhou Yu called out triumphantly from afar.

"Audacious!" the leopard-headed soldiers shouted angrily.

"Great King! Let me take him!" volunteered the scarred-faced leopard-headed soldier, stepping forward.

The Leopard Demon King glanced at him and said in a low voice, "This fellow's strength and defense are immense. You must fight him with speed and rhythm; with your agility and pacing, he will never be able to keep up with you!"

The scarred-faced leopard-headed soldier lowered his head and replied, "I shall strictly heed the Great King's teachings!"

Then, a flash of light cut through the air, and he darted out from among the pack of leopard-headed soldiers like a gust of wind.

Watching the distant leopard-headed soldier drifting toward him like the wind, Zhou Yu smiled coldly in his heart.

Do you think this movement technique of yours is all that impressive? No matter how great it is, it is still no harder than capturing the trajectory of falling snowflakes!

The leopard-headed soldier arrived near Zhou Yu but did not rush to attack. Instead, transforming into a dark gale, he circled continuously around Zhou Yu, searching for an opening.

Seeing this, the Leopard Demon King nodded inwardly.

Zhou Yu stood as unshakeable as a mountain, allowing the fellow to circle around him while narrowing his eyes slightly.

The scarred-faced leopard-headed soldier spun round and round about Zhou Yu until he finally lost his patience and decided to strike. He slipped behind Zhou Yu and took a single step toward his front, but Zhou Yu shifted slightly in response, startling him into hastily leaping back.

Zhou Yu stretched lazily and said, "Have you spun around enough? Aren't you going to attack?"

Upon hearing this, the leopard-headed soldier was nearly infuriated to death. He had thought this fellow could see through his movements, only to realize he was just stretching! Just wait, I'll show you how to behave!

Despite these thoughts, he did not launch an attack immediately. Zhou Yu's strength was terrifyingly high, even surpassing that of the demon general known as A San.

This particular leopard-headed soldier went by the name Storm. He earned this moniker because of his incredible speed, and his attack speed was even faster—sweeping away everything in his path like a tempest.

Storm circled Zhou Yu faster and faster, blurring until he resembled a gale-force wind.

"That punk is a dead man! Brother Storm's speed is like the wind, and when he strikes, it's not just a breeze—it's a true tempest!"

"Nonsense! You're not the only one who has ever witnessed Brother Storm in action!"

"I still remember the year Brother Storm single-handedly took on four of the Eagle King's demon generals. Goodness! The moment Brother Storm made his move, he truly struck like a storm; within moments, three of those demon generals were slain, and the last one fled in terror!"

"Indeed! How else could Brother Storm rank second among our Hundred Leopard Generals?"

The leopard-headed soldiers chattered excitedly, but all of them were convinced Zhou Yu was doomed. The reputation of Storm was well-earned!

As Storm moved, the snow on the ground gradually gathered toward him. Before long, Storm's figure vanished entirely, leaving only a white tempest dancing wildly across the terrain, forming a massive vortex around Zhou Yu that resembled a snow-born tornado.

Colored Monkey sat quietly upon a snowy rock in the basin, watching Zhou Yu slay two demon generals in succession without so much as lifting an eyelid. Although those two demon generals were formidable, compared to Colored Monkey and Zhou Yu—who had once joined forces to slay three demon kings—they were simply lacking.

When experts clash, victory or defeat is often decided in the blink of an eye. A mere hair's breadth of difference was, in reality, a distance of thousands of miles, unless one possessed the freakish durability shared by Zhou Yu and Colored Monkey.

However, this leopard-headed demon general named Storm caused Colored Monkey's expression to grow grave. He wondered inwardly: If I were pitted against him, how would I manage to win?

Though Storm had not yet attacked, Colored Monkey could already tell that Storm was immensely powerful. His speed was akin to the wind, his movements were flawlessly fluid, and every action seemed to step to an elusive, untraceable rhythm.

With such blinding speed and such formidable pacing, Colored Monkey realized that Storm would be terribly difficult to deal with. His speed was so great that any engagement would immediately force one onto the defensive, and his rhythm was so uncatchable that one could only endure a passive beating.

If he were to face him, Colored Monkey thought to himself, he would probably have no choice but to rely on pure physical resilience to absorb the blows, seek out a flaw, and strive for victory with a single strike.

The blizzard generated by Storm's movements gradually closed in around Zhou Yu, completely devoid of flaws while radiating killing intent from all directions. It was impossible to discern from which angle or by what method he would launch his attack.

Two flickers of cold light appeared within the blizzard. These were the twin slender willow-leaf curved sabers at Storm's waist. The cold light flashed and vanished within the white tempest, and the occasional glimpse of that chilling radiance sent goosebumps crawling across the skin.

Zhou Yu gazed at this white wall formed of accumulated snow, his gaze locked onto the intermittent cold light flashing within.

He slowly closed his eyes, relying solely on his mind and spirit to perceive the changes around him as he stood firm as a pine.

No outsider could perceive the situation within, nor could Zhou Yu see what was happening outside. Only Storm could see both the outside and the inside simultaneously.

When he discovered that Zhou Yu had closed his eyes, he instinctively felt it was an excellent opportunity. Yet he did not move, because he sensed a trace of anomaly.

Among his past opponents, none had ever closed their eyes. Even when they failed to clearly track his moves, they would strain their vision, hoping to block his attacks.

Had this fellow closed his eyes because of utter confidence, or was he merely putting on a brave front?

Gradually, Storm ceased hesitating, for he felt that his momentum and killing intent had reached their peak. The strike would happen in the very next instant!

Ever since he had acquired the Du Niang system, Zhou Yu had learned that everything ultimately depended on himself. His enlightenment while watching the falling snow atop the cliff that night had brought his snow-slashing technique to ultimate mastery.

Even with his eyes closed, Zhou Yu could clearly perceive the subtle shifts around him—the microscopic changes produced by snowflakes spinning and rubbing against the air, and the faint sounds they made, all of which registered clearly in his awareness.

Suddenly, two willow leaves sprouted within the blizzard. Born amidst the blinding snow, they were so gentle, growing so slowly yet with such unwavering determination, steadily expanding as they pressed toward Zhou Yu.

Those two tender willow leaves made the snow-trapped world feel as though spring had arrived. They moved as silently as spring rain, poking their heads out timidly like young shoots of spring grass, revealing the chilling light at their tips.

These two willow leaves were leaves of death.

The snow fluttered down, and the storm came to a halt.

The two figures trapped within the blizzard slowly reappeared.

Colored Monkey's jaw dropped in astonishment. Before he could even figure out how that technique might be broken, the blizzard suddenly tightened and then came to a complete standstill.

Although the leopard-headed soldiers knew Storm was bound to win, none of them had expected the battle to conclude so swiftly, vanishing as abruptly as a summer thunderstorm.

Only the sound of the wind remained as absolute silence fell over the entire crowd.