Chapter Sixty-Nine: When Old Acquaintances Meet, Better to Kill Than Greet!

The mountain was terribly high, so high that human traces were almost nonexistent—human, here, meaning cultivators.

From this alone, it was clear that climbing Mount Lost was no easy matter. Even Hua Queyue had not been idle enough to take a casual stroll up it, so the only one who could lead the way was Zhou Yu, who had been there before.

Perhaps the route Zhou Yu chose was not the shortest, but it was certainly the one that could bring them safely to the summit. Thus, though perilous, the travelers under his lead repeatedly skirted death by a hair and, braving a wind as cold as one blown from a frozen northern land, reached the peak in a comparatively short time.

Snow was still falling. The traces of the fierce battle once fought there with Tian Lang and his men had long since been buried under the endless white drift, and not a trace remained.

Returning to an old haunt, Zhou Yu could not help but sigh inwardly. Remembering how he had nearly died there, he felt a twinge of fear. Tian Lang’s eerie black-and-white eyes, his close-fitting black clothes, and his head of silver hair all rose again in Zhou Yu’s mind.

“If we meet again, I will never let you butcher me as you did last time!” Zhou Yu vowed silently.

What Zhou Yu did not know was that he would indeed encounter the Demon King Tian Lang again before long. For the same reason, although the demon army contained countless powerful beasts, the only one both formidable and familiar with Mount Lost was Tian Lang. Thus the vanguard of several hundred elite demons was naturally led by him.

To Tian Lang, Mount Lost stirred an indescribable feeling. When had the lofty Tian Lang, one of the five great Demon Kings, ever been made to look so miserable? If his opponent had been an equal, that would have been one thing. But the other side had been only an old man and two children. True, the old man and the child of the Liu clan were not weak, but compared with Tian Lang, they were still far inferior.

Looking at the snow-laden summit, the killing intent in his heart kept rising. Had he not received the prior order forbidding him to lay a hand on Liu Yueming, the only son of the Liu clan, Tian Lang would have certainly slain all three that day. At times he had even regretted it, thinking that at the desolate summit of Mount Lost, even if he had disobeyed the order and killed them, no one would have known, and the Demon Emperor White Bones and Weeping would not have pursued the matter.

But a hypothetical remained only a hypothetical. Tian Lang knew himself well enough to admit that he truly lacked the courage to defy the Demon Emperor’s command. Even if he had had the nerve, he still had to think of his people. Among the five great Demon Kings, Tian Lang came from the humblest beginnings. He had been a wild wolf, forged through endless battles and cultivation. In that process, he naturally fought side by side with his kin and hunted together with them. Unlike the other four Demon Kings, who had all been born from noble demon lineages, Tian Lang’s feelings for his clan were impossible to sever. He always regarded them as family. Thus he became the most powerful wolf-tribe Demon King in history, elevating the wolf clan, once lowly among all demon races, into one of the five most powerful and sought-after clans of the present age.

Facing such glory, Tian Lang knew that beyond his own relentless effort and the unity of his people, the favor shown by the Demon Emperor White Bones and Weeping had been crucial. Back then, White Bones and Weeping, who had defeated the Old Demon of Black Mountain to seize the throne of Demon Emperor, chose the wolf clan while cultivating his own power in order to fully subdue the demon race. Because of that, the wolf clan had what it did today. Otherwise, no matter how hard Tian Lang strove, no matter how much blood he spilled, in the demon world where the strong ruled all, the rise of any one race would only invite endless challenge and danger.

So Tian Lang was deeply grateful to the Demon Emperor White Bones and Weeping. He obediently became the fiercest and most dutiful hound under White Bones and Weeping’s command. In turn, White Bones and Weeping granted Tian Lang immense trust and support.

Suddenly, a miserable howl rang out. Tian Lang turned to look and saw that a foolish bear had accidentally stepped onto a hollow patch of snow; losing its footing, it pitched forward and began rolling down the mountain.

In an instant, Tian Lang became a streak of white. The white line flashed, and before the rolling bear warrior of the bear clan could plummet into the abyss, its tumble was stopped.

With one hand, Tian Lang supported the enormous bear, his own body standing as firmly as a pine tree rooted in a sheer cliff.

The giant bear wheezed out great clouds of white breath. As bear warriors were the largest of the demon race and, in their lower ranks, the strongest in raw power, they were in fact a rather timid lot, and this misstep had shaken the giant bear warrior to the core.

Tian Lang carried the bear warrior to a safe patch of snow and set it down. Without a word, he walked to the front of the line and continued leading the party onward.

Although he had once climbed Mount Lost, that journey had not begun from the Sword-Riding Gate side, so for Tian Lang there was no clear route this time. He could only rely on instinct, carefully avoiding the deadly stretches as he advanced toward the summit. As a result, the later-departing band of travelers, led by Zhou Yu, actually reached the peak earlier than the demon vanguard.

After a careful survey confirmed that the demon forces had not yet reached the summit, Hua Queyue finally let out a long breath. Mount Lost was high and vast, but all around it were nearly sheer cliffs; only the foothills running east to west were relatively gentle. This was the principal reason Mount Lost served as a natural barrier separating the demon race from the human world. Therefore, if the demon army wished to strike the Spirit Realm, they had to ascend the summit.

Since they had reached the top before the demons, they had time to make some preparations. Without any rest or delay, under Hua Queyue’s orders the travelers split into groups of three and immediately dispersed to scout farther east.

Only after everyone gathered at the eastern ridge and, looking down at the boundless white snow below, still found no trace of any demon beast did Hua Queyue order them to rest briefly.

“You have rendered a great service this time,” Hua Queyue said as he walked toward Zhou Yu.

Zhou Yu was eating food taken from his waist token while rolling his eyes. “A great service means nothing if I don’t make it back alive. Who knows how many demon beasts we’ll run into?”

Hua Queyue fell silent. After a while, he sighed and said, “You must believe that righteousness will prevail over evil.”

This time Zhou Yu did not even bother wasting an eye-roll. “There you go again. Keep on bluffing.”

Hua Queyue smiled awkwardly. “Though I’m not fully certain, holding them off for a while should not be too difficult.”

At that moment, Abu Li and Jack also came over. Since everyone had consumed the Snow Fox demon pills distributed by Spirit Realm, none of them feared the cold. Jack, who loved nothing more than posing as a macho man, was actually wandering about bare-chested.

“What do we do next?” Abu Li asked Hua Queyue.

Hua Queyue said, “Next I’ll have everyone set up some formations. Then we’ll lure the demon army into them and strike through the formations. That will greatly reduce our pressure. But someone must go draw the enemy in.”

Zhou Yu suddenly noticed that after Hua Queyue mentioned luring the enemy, Jack, Abu Li, and Hua Queyue all looked at him. A chill rose instantly along his spine, and he hastily waved his hands. “Something this technical, something that could earn such a huge merit, really isn’t fit for me.”

Hua Queyue sighed. “Excessive modesty is no virtue.”

Jack grinned wickedly. “Zhou Yu, you’re the sneakiest of us all. This job is made for you.”

Abu Li laughed and said, “I also think Chinese Zhou is the most suitable for this.”

Zhou Yu hurriedly said, “No, no, what modesty? Look at my frail little frame—how could I shoulder such a heavy burden?”

Hua Queyue said with some irritation, “Frail? If you were truly frail, could you eat so much?”

Zhou Yu sounded somewhat weak. “Can we not make everything about eating? Even if I eat a lot, it only proves I’m some brainless glutton. How does that make me cunning?”

Jack patted Zhou Yu on the shoulder. “When have we ever seen you suffer? When have you not left yourself a back door?”

Abu Li was equally sincere. “I’ve long heard that the Chinese are very clever. After meeting Chinese Zhou, I believe it even more. Chinese Zhou, you can do it!”

Looking at Abu Li’s pure, earnest eyes and his encouragement, Zhou Yu could only spread his hands. “Fine, you win.”

After a short rest, Hua Queyue guided the travelers in arranging formations with talismans they had prepared long ago. After an entire night, more than ten formations were finally completed. Once he had arranged for the travelers to familiarize themselves with the escape routes from each formation, Hua Queyue took out a talisman and wiped away all traces.

Hua Queyue could now use his hands normally, but because his meridians had not been fully opened, he could not form seals. This did not affect his use of talismans, however, so his waist token contained nothing but food and talismans.

Looking up at the snow clouds growing thicker and thicker, Hua Queyue turned toward the eastern foothills and said softly, “Now it is up to you.”

Led by Tian Lang, the demon vanguard had encountered several perilous stretches along the way, but not a single casualty had been lost.

Looking up at the summit now right before them, Tian Lang exhaled deeply. By his experience, the most dangerous terrain was already behind them. From here on, it was time to accelerate with full force.

He issued the order for the entire force to advance at top speed, and then Tian Lang shot out first, like a straight white streak.

The demons cheered, and after a round of ghostly, wolfish howls, they too surged ahead at full speed.

Zhou Yu, who had been hiding beneath a snow-covered rock, drinking a little wine and eating roast chicken, was startled by the sudden racket. He immediately knew the demon army had arrived. At the fastest speed possible, he stuffed the food into his waist token and said, “Divine Sister!”

A green wave of light swept from his watch toward the mountainside below. Soon after, Divine Sister replied in Zhou Yu’s mind: “The demon army is approaching. Distance: five kilometers.”

Zhou Yu climbed out of the snowdrift, brushed the snow from his body, and said, “Damn it! They’re this fast? I told you to scout earlier and you refused, saying it was cold. You—if it weren’t for these stupid demons screaming like mad, they’d have been in front of you before you knew it!”

With that, Zhou Yu turned and dashed uphill.

Since he was leading the force, Tian Lang slowed after a while of reckless sprinting, moving forward while waiting for the demon generals and soldiers behind him.

Just as they were about to reach the summit, Tian Lang suddenly stopped. He looked toward a snow-covered rock concealed beneath the drift, his eerie eyes full of suspicion and vigilance.

The snowdrift exploded, and a figure leaped out from within it. “Stand! This road was opened by me! This tree was planted by me! If you want to pass, leave the toll!”

The demons looked at one another, not understanding what was happening, unable to comprehend why a human would suddenly leap out here—and why, facing so many “people” on their side, he still dared to try robbery!

Tian Lang stared fixedly at the man, then suddenly showed a faint smile. “So it is you.”

After leaping from the snowdrift, Zhou Yu landed in a dashing pose. After shouting the long-famous bandit line, he looked up.

He first looked at Tian Lang, then at the several hundred bizarrely shaped beasts behind him, all of them either fierce or lean and wiry, and then back at Tian Lang again. Zhou Yu gave an embarrassed smile and said, “So it’s an old friend’s reunion. I see you’ve got urgent business to attend to. Since we’re all acquainted, let’s call it even this time. I still have things to do, so I’ll be on my way first.”

Tian Lang threw back his head and laughed, gazing toward the direction where Zhou Yu had turned to flee. “An old friend’s reunion is not as good as killing each other!”