Chapter 108: The Great Battle at the Demon-Hunting Gate Begins

"Buzz..." A sudden flash of purple and yellow light sliced through the sky, lunging toward Monks Wusheng and Wude, who stood guard before the Demon Hunting Gate.

"Scoundrel!"

"Senior Brother, watch out!"

"Junior Brother, watch out!"

*Boom!* A flash of purple and yellow light erupted suddenly against the chest of the grim-faced Monk Wusheng. His body flew backward high into the air, tracing a long arc before he crashed heavily to the ground, clutching his chest.

"Scoundrel!" The bare-chested Monk Wude slammed his palms together. His tattered Buddhist robes billowed without a breeze, and a faint golden light radiated from his bald head...

*Whoosh!* Two massive golden swords lunged toward Monk Wude's chest as he was focusing his strength.

"Hah!" Monk Wude bellowed. He leaped into the air, spinning his body as he swept his robes. A flurry of clanging sounds rang out, and the two massive golden swords were repelled one after another, leaving streaks of golden light in the air.

...

*Thud!* The flat of one of the golden swords struck Monk Wude squarely in the chest. Facing two opponents at once, both of whom were at the Great Perfection of Qi Condensation, Monk Wude was ultimately outmatched.

*Spurt!* Monk Wude spat out a mouthful of blood, his body tracing an arc as he flew far backward.

"You bastards of the Golden Flame Sect... Lu Tiannan..." Before he could hit the ground, Monk Wude was caught by Monk Wusheng, who had leaped up through gritted teeth. Supported by Wusheng, Wude clutched his chest and cursed angrily, glaring at the Golden Flame Sect disciples with two golden swords hovering above their heads, and Lu Tiannan, who held a massive golden sword of his own.

From Jiang Yan spotting the light of Lu Tiannan's sneak attack, to Monk Wusheng being ambushed, to Monk Wude being wounded, everything had transpired in the blink of an eye. By the time Monk Wukong could react, Monk Wude was already being supported by Wusheng, shouting curses.

"Buzz..."

Holding his golden sword, the blade shimmering with brilliant light, Lu Tiannan pointed it at Monk Wude and said coldly, "Monk Wude, shut your trap. I don't want to kill you right now and offend Huasheng Temple. Harming you this time was a matter of necessity. Don't force my hand."

Sweeping his golden sword in a circle, Lu Tiannan pointed the blade toward the distant Jiang Yan and projected his voice, "Jiang Yan, Sect Leader Jiang! It is time to settle the score between us. Your Huashan Sect killed two of my Tianshan Sect's disciples one after another. Yesterday, you caused the death of Elder Bai's son from the Golden Flame Sect in the Demon Hunting Battlefield, and led Senior Brothers Huang and Liu, two experts at the Great Perfection of Qi Condensation, to their deaths in the Cannibal Flower Valley. You think you're quite something, don't you? Today, I want to see how you will deal with this field of cultivators."

"Listen up, all cultivators! Only by slaying Jiang Yan will you be allowed through the Demon Hunting Gate. Otherwise, you'll have to crawl under my blade!"

Lu Tiannan swung his sword, pointing it at the crowd of cultivators. The threat in his words was unmistakable.

The Golden Flame Sect disciple surnamed Song stepped forward. Pressing his fingers together like a sword, he gestured sharply toward the ground. His golden sword sliced through the air and struck the earth with a deafening *boom*, blasting a deep crater. "Unless Jiang Yan is dead, no one shall cross this pit!"

The other Golden Flame Sect disciple also took a step forward without a word, his long sword hovering high above his head, pointing at the gathered cultivators.

*Uproar...* The crowd of cultivators instantly erupted into a frenzy.

With Lu Tiannan and the two Golden Flame Sect disciples—a total of three cultivators at the Great Perfection of Qi Condensation—guarding the Demon Hunting Gate, passing through would indeed be extremely difficult.

Among the crowd of cultivators, the unranked and first-grade sects were not even worth mentioning. Among the second-grade sects, only the Xishan Sect had two cultivators at the Great Perfection of Qi Condensation, and the Blood Shadow Sect had one. While a few other sects also had some Great Perfection cultivators, and they might have stood a chance in a direct clash of equal realms, they hesitated to act when facing the Golden Flame Sect.

Lu Tiannan's Tianshan Sect was the leading second-grade sect in Linqing Prefecture, and the two Golden Flame Sect disciples were even more formidable. They didn't even need to make a move; the mere reputation of the Golden Flame Sect was enough to terrify the cultivators. After all, the Golden Flame Sect was a powerhouse that possessed Foundation Establishment cultivators.

*Clack.* The two Golden Flame Sect disciples tossed two cosmos bags onto the ground.

"Slay Jiang Yan, and the beast cores inside these cosmos bags will be yours to divide." The disciple surnamed Song sneered arrogantly at the hesitating cultivators.

*Gasp...* Red light gleamed in the eyes of several cultivators. Beast cores were incredibly valuable; a single one could fetch eight hundred to a thousand spirit stones. How could they not be tempted by two entire cosmos bags filled with them?

"All we have to do is kill that obscure Huashan Sect Leader to get these beast cores." Zhao Shuo of the Blood Shadow Sect stared at the two cosmos bags, his eyes flashing with a bloody light, clearly tempted.

"Cosmos bags belonging to Golden Flame Sect disciples must contain a vast number of beast cores," Weng Putian, the leader of the Xishan Sect, thought to himself. Involuntarily, he took a step toward Jiang Yan.

*Murmurs...* The crowd of cultivators began to shift collectively toward Jiang Yan.

"Everyone! The Azure Hookwood stabilizing the Demon Hunting Gate belongs to Layman Jiang Yan. If you anger him and he withdraws it, the gate will collapse, and none of you will ever return to Linqing Prefecture! Young Master Song, Sect Leader Lu, if you have a grudge against Layman Jiang, you can settle it after returning to Linqing Prefecture. To hold everyone hostage using the Demon Hunting Gate—do you, as disciples of a great sect and a sect leader, feel no shame?"

Monk Wukong's handsome face flushed red with anger as he questioned them. He was the one who had just accepted the Azure Hookwood from Jiang Yan. He had never expected that stabilizing the Demon Hunting Gate would lead to everyone turning on Jiang Yan. He glared at them in fury.

"There is no need to be angry, Master," Jiang Yan said, looking at Lu Tiannan and the Golden Flame Sect disciples in the distance. Behind his back, a faint azure glow began to gather in his palms.

Now that Lu Tiannan had laid his cards on the table, determined to put Jiang Yan to death, and the Golden Flame Sect disciples had offered the beast cores as bait, the cultivators were already swayed. Jiang Yan had only two choices: either flee deep into the Azure Wood forest, or launch a fierce assault on Lu Tiannan and kill the three of them to secure a way back to Linqing Prefecture.

Fleeing into the depths of the Azure Wood forest was immediately ruled out. The Huashan Sect lay beyond that Demon Hunting Gate. Only by pressing forward and killing Lu Tiannan could he return home. As for offending the Golden Flame Sect, he would have to survive the trip back to Linqing Prefecture first before worrying about a solution. Right now, Jiang Yan had only one thought: in for a penny, in for a pound—he would kill Lu Tiannan right here and now.

"Sect Leader Lu," Jiang Yan said, his eyes flashing with brilliant light as he looked at the distant Lu Tiannan. "Your sect has repeatedly harassed my Huashan Sect, and you, Lu Tiannan, personally murdered my master. It seems we must settle this blood feud today."

"So there is a blood feud of a murdered master between them..." The cultivators whispered among themselves.

"A blood feud of a murdered master? How interesting." Weng Putian glanced at Jiang Yan, then at Lu Tiannan. He found it strange; both being second-grade sects, how did they end up with such a deep grudge?

*Buzz...* In Jiang Yan's hands, fifteen Azure Wood Arrows had already materialized, ready to be unleashed at the flick of his wrist.

Standing behind Jiang Yan, Tang Wan stared intently at Lu Tiannan. With her hands behind her back, fifteen Azure Wood Arrows were also slowly taking shape between her fingers.

"Heh," Lu Tiannan sneered, his sword pointing at Jiang Yan as he gloated, "Kid Jiang Yan, you'd better figure out how to deal with these people first. With several Great Perfection cultivators..."

*Whoosh! Whoosh!* While Lu Tiannan was laughing triumphantly, Jiang Yan struck without warning. Fifteen Azure Wood Arrows tore through the air, hurtling toward the gloating Lu Tiannan.