Chapter 397: “Why Don’t You Dare Look Me in the Eye!”

At Mingyue Cottage in Qingmu County, Li Yanchu, who had been sitting cross-legged in meditation, suddenly opened his eyes as his heart was stirred by a subtle premonition.

The front gate rippled like the surface of water, and from within emerged Daoist Shou Yi, his temples grayed with age.

“Fellow Daoists,” Shou Yi announced with a bow, “the Wrath Lord has just sent word that the uprising begins

today.

All you need do is spread slaughter and chaos throughout the region. When the deed is done, each of you shall receive a Transformation Pill as reward.”

Li Yanchu had at first assumed that Shou Yi was merely a messenger, but gradually he realized that this man was no errand-runner; he was one of the White Marsh Demon Kingdom’s own members.

Otherwise, why would such a vast secret space be entrusted to his care?

“Is everyone here?” Li Yanchu asked icily.

Ling Fengzi was in charge of the teams, but even he did not know the total number of participants, which was further proof that Shou Yi was a trusted insider of the Demon Kingdom.

“There is still one fellow Daoist on the way,” Shou Yi replied, bowing.

As he spoke, the gate rippled again like disturbed water.

Through it stepped a middle-aged scholar, refined and calm, his expression carrying the gentle grace of a teacher.

“Shou Yi, I am late,” he said pleasantly. “Greetings, fellow Daoists! Greetings, Senior Ling Fengzi!”

He gave polite bows all around.

Li Yanchu’s eyes gleamed with spiritual light; as he gazing at the newcomer, he saw through the illusion instantly. This “scholar” was in truth a white ram spirit, and the power surging in him did not belong to his own cultivation.

“I’m sitting here,” Li Yanchu’s voice suddenly thundered, cold and commanding, “and you dare not even offer me a greeting? How

dare

you!”

Chaos was ensuing! The gathered demons felt a strange excitement. This domineering aura... was familiar.

BOOM!

Li Yanchu’s fist smashed straight into the scholar’s chest, sending the man crashing into the wall with a dull thud.

The suppressed demonic aura in his body was forcibly triggered, barely cushioning the devastating blow. Yet even so, the backlash was tremendous. The scholar coughed blood, his demon power surging chaotically.

“P–please forgive me, Senior! I—I have only just arriv...”

Before he could finish, Li Yanchu’s body flared with surging blood and qi.

Another fist roared forth, fierce and unstoppable, its power shattering the white ram’s protective demonic aura in an instant.

Just then, the scholar’s face went pale with shock. That aura had come from the Wrath Lord himself, a protective charm capable of resisting a powerful attack. And yet... it was just smashed apart by a single punch from this seemingly young Daoist.

He never expected that this young Daoist-looking monster could so easily shatter his protective charm.

Over the past few days, Li Yanchu had carefully built up the persona of a cold, ruthless, domineering powerhouse who killed without hesitation. The gathered demons had already grown accustomed to it.

But Daoist Shou Yi suddenly stepped forward to intervene.

“Senior Cao Cao, that man was one of the Wrath Lord’s...”

Before he could finish...

BOOM!

The middle-aged scholar’s head exploded, Li Yanchu’s crushing fist punching straight through his skull. It was a clean, decisive kill.

“What did you just say?” Li Yanchu’s icy gaze turned on Shou Yi.

The Daoist’s face stiffened; the situation had turned dangerous in an instant. He forced a smile and hurriedly said, “He’s merely one of the Wrath Lord’s lackeys... If he’s dead, then so be it!”

Li Yanchu snorted coldly.

In truth, Shou Yi had wanted to say that the scholar was actually the Wrath Lord’s son, sent into the Kingdom of Qian to atone for his crimes. But the moment he met those sharp, merciless eyes, he realized that if he spoke that truth now, this cold-blooded, tyrannical Cao Cao would kill him on the spot to silence him.

A chill ran down his spine, and he changed his words immediately.

However, to his horror, Li Yanchu’s razor-edged gaze fixed directly on him again, sending a prickling numbness through his scalp.

“S-Senior Cao Cao...”

Li Yanchu’s expression remained indifferent. “Since when did

you

have the right to comment on whom I kill?”

Daoist Shou Yi’s heart seized; icy dread welled up inside him. “S-Senior, I...”

Li Yanchu didn’t let him finish. He simply swung another fist!

The surging, fiery blood-qi in his body roared outward, heating the chill in the sealed chamber until it felt like a furnace.

BOOM!

A massive figure suddenly lunged forward, meeting Li Yanchu’s blow with one of his own. The two forces collided, and a violent shockwave blasted through the room. Yet somehow, the formation woven into the walls held firm, and not a single tile was disturbed.

“Cao Cao!” bellowed the black bear spirit, his voice thunderous. “You and I are both of the bear clan, so let me give you some advice, restrain your killing intent, or one day it will bring your own doom!”

The black bear roared, barely keeping his temper in check.

Damn it!

he thought furiously.

The uprising hasn’t even begun, and this lunatic is already slaughtering people left and right! He’s too arrogant!

His outburst stunned the other demons into silence.

Bear clan!?

They were all stunned, caught completely off guard.

Before anyone could react, Li Yanchu suddenly placed his hand on the Jiaoslayer.

Clang!

A flash of blinding blade light cut through the air.

The massive black bear spirit, famed among demons for his invincible strength and unyielding body, was cleaved cleanly in two, and blood splattered everywhere. The demons’ eyes turned scarlet with excitement.

This Senior Cao Cao is... insanely fierce!

And if they devoured that bear’s flesh, the boost in demonic power would be tremendous.

None of them doubted Li Yanchu. To them, such brutality was perfectly normal among demons. Every one of them had killed and eaten humans, some had even come up with elaborate recipes.

It was only that this time, the victim happened to be one of their own kind.

A few among them, however, felt a chill of real fear creeping into their hearts.

“This guy is too hot-tempered!”

Ling Fengzi’s mouth twitched uncontrollably. This Senior Cao Cao really didn’t even blink when slaughtering fellow demons. Why would such a bloodthirsty fox spirit even care about the White Marsh Demon Kingdom’s affairs?

Could it be...

A terrifying thought flickered through his mind.

Could this Cao Cao actually belong to another ancient beast faction, one trying to found its own demon kingdom in the human world?

Before he could think further, something even more shocking happened. Li Yanchu’s figure blurred, vanishing from where he stood. In the next instant, he was already standing before a hulking brute: a wild boar spirit, a creature born with immense strength and thick hide.

The boar spirit’s heart went cold, and then, before he could even flinch, he saw his own headless body still standing upright. The scene froze for a moment in the stunned gazes of every demon present.

Li Yanchu raised the saber and struck, killing him with a single slash.

“You dared not even meet my gaze,” Li Yanchu said coldly. “With such malicious intentions, you deserve death[1].”

The demons trembled, not daring to breathe too loudly.

Before, at least there had been

some

sort of reason for the killings... But now this Senior Cao Cao seemed to have lost himself completely in bloodlust!

One by one, they straightened their backs, forcing themselves to look directly at Li Yanchu.

“What are you staring at!? Do you have a problem with me!?” Li Yanchu’s voice cracked like thunder.

Though, the demons did not respond.

Clang!

The blade flashed again. Li Yanchu swung down his saber, and a wolf demon’s head flew clean off, the cold edge of the blade slicing through flesh with a heavy, muffled sound. Blood flowed across the floor, pooling in crimson rivers.

The orange cat stared, eyes wide in shock, then couldn’t help but let out a faint, amused smile. “This kid... he’s actually kind of entertaining.”

But the man-eating demons bound by resentment didn’t share that sentiment. They stumbled backward in utter panic, faces pale with fear.

“What’s going on with the White Marsh Demon Kingdom!? They actually recruited a monster like

this

!?”

Slash! Slash! Slash!

Li Yanchu moved like a tiger among wolves, with every swing of the blade splitting flesh and bone alike.

In the blink of an eye, the entire room had become a massive slaughterhouse. Blood sprayed in every direction, and the air was filled with the screams of dying demons.

The survivors, terrified beyond reason, hurriedly began casting spells, trying to break through the walls and flee.

But Li Yanchu had already scanned the place with his divine sense earlier. He knew this room was sealed with a powerful formation barrier, one that could not be broken in a short time.

1. ‘其心可诛’ means that a person’s motives are malicious and hateful, to the extent that one feels they deserve severe punishment (even execution). The phrase originates from the ancient concept of ‘punishing the heart,’ which focuses on condemning a person’s ill intentions and sinister mindset, even if they have not yet taken any actual action, because the thought itself is already extremely reprehensible. ☜