Realizing he had been discovered, Chen Mu's heart sank.
It was not that he feared these demons.
Without anyone weighing him down, he was confident he could slip away with ease even if Yan Qing stood right before him.
But Everlasting Prosperity Town lay behind him, and his master and A-Ning were both inside.
He had nowhere to retreat.
Still, this was no time for reckless bravado.
Without pausing for even a moment, he turned and left, intending to return to town and raise the alarm.
The true enemy had arrived!
At that same moment, within the ranks of the Blackwater Mystic Serpent Army.
Three enormous snakes filled the broad river.
Nearly a hundred elite demon soldiers stood on the back of the foremost snake.
Yan Qing stood atop its head with a sword on his back. His indifferent gaze swept over the waves rolling toward either bank, catching a distant glimpse of Chen Mu's retreating robes.
"Running? Do you think you can escape?"
He smiled faintly. Rather than pursue, he set down his Wine Gourd and barked an order to those beside him:
"Pass down my orders. Surround the town at once."
The demons behind him immediately answered in unison, "Yes!"
Every one of these personal guards from the Demon Manor could actually speak human language!
Not a single one was below the seventh tier!
Those standing directly behind Yan Qing had all attained partially human forms.
Some were mighty demons with bull heads and human bodies; others were Serpent Generals flicking their forked tongues.
Each held a weapon, demonic energy surging around them. They were all a mere hair's breadth from complete transformation.
Upon receiving Yan Qing's command, a Serpentfolk Commander immediately went back to relay it.
Several piercing whistles rang out from the densely packed ranks behind