Misstep

Huh?

The middle-aged soldier was full of shock. He had not expected Chen Xian to discover him, much less block his subtle spear radiance.

"Zhong Lian, are you courting death?!"

Chen Xian roared and charged at the middle-aged man.

At a glance, he recognized the man as one of those who had killed the Black Tiger King alongside Pei Menglong last time. Disguised as a black-armored Demon Slayer Soldier, his purpose was to kill Chen Xian and Ding Chen.

Chen Xian had not thought so at first, but when Peng Lianqing appeared, suspicion had already begun to stir within him.

To the west of Blood River Forest, Pei Menglong's soldiers guarded the due north, while other junior generals held the east.

Chen Quanwu was not the only commander under Pei Menglong. Even if reinforcements were needed, it would not have been Zhong Lian's men's turn.

The instant the middle-aged man struck, Chen Xian understood everything.

Zhong Lian froze slightly. He had not expected Chen Xian to call out his name. He swept Chen Xian a cold glance, raised his spear to block Chen Xian's, and barked, "What are you doing?"

Chen Xian did not waste words. He launched a savage attack, sending Zhong Lian flying several zhang away with one spear strike and making him spray out a mouthful of blood.

"Are you insane?!"

Zhong Lian roared, wiping the blood from his lips as he drove his vital energy into his spear and blasted toward Chen Xian.

"Li Sheng sent you to wipe us out, didn't he?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Quit fucking pretending!"

Chen Xian struck out with his palm. The subtle Great Tablet Smashing Hand instantly slammed into Zhong Lian's chest, sending him reeling back as he vomited blood again and again.

"Subtle?"

Zhong Lian was greatly shocked. Then he shouted, "You're just a Cook Soldier! You don't kill demons on the battlefield, yet you dare attack and kill me? Are you seeking death?"

"Die!"

Killing intent churned in Chen Xian's eyes. Though he had saved Ding Chen, the power of that spear had not injured Ding Chen alone. Wang Yan, Qin Fei, Luo Ying, and the others—he did not know whether they were dead or alive.

That strike should have been meant to kill him as well, but Zhong Lian had never expected him to block it.

"Hahaha... lowly humans, they're fighting among themselves! Kill them all!" The Demon Lord laughed triumphantly as he suppressed Chen Quanwu with all his strength.

Chen Quanwu was somewhat dumbfounded as well, because the middle-aged man fighting Chen Xian was truly Junior General Zhong Lian.

Why was he dressed in black armor?

"General Zhong, save me! Save me first!" Chen Quanwu shouted. His vital energy at Minor Success in Jade Sea had not been abundant to begin with, and after fighting the Demon Lord and five Demon Men for half an incense stick, he had long been unable to hold on.

More than thirty wounds covered his body, blood flowing without cease.

The lieutenants and sub-lieutenants under him were blocked by greater demons and lesser demons, unable to charge in at all.

Even if they could break through, they would not be able to save him.

Zhong Lian's expression was incomparably ugly. That idiot Chen Quanwu could have recognized him, but why did he have to shout it out in public?

Hmph!

Zhong Lian snorted coldly, unleashed the Ox Demon Body Refinement, blocked Chen Xian, then sprang into the demon horde.

Afterward, he leaped repeatedly into Blood River Forest.

He appeared to be pursuing the demons, but in truth, he used Blood River Forest as cover to flee at top speed.

Chen Xian raised his spear, preparing to pursue Zhong Lian, but then he remembered that Zhong Lian had brought a thousand mounted Demon Slayer Soldiers with him. He immediately restrained himself from going after him.

While slaughtering demons, those thousand mounted Demon Slayer Soldiers watched Chen Xian, Ding Chen, and the others with cold eyes.

Boom!

Chen Xian charged into a cluster of demons. With one spear strike, he blasted apart more than ten demons and rescued the heavily wounded Wang Yan, Qin Fei, and Luo Ying.

Ding Chen, meanwhile, saved Xue Qishan.

The uninjured Cook Soldiers swiftly rushed forward, picked up Wang Yan, Qin Fei, and the others, and fought their way out while carrying them.

"Go to Black Wind Valley!" Chen Xian shouted.

The thousand mounted Demon Slayer Soldiers who had come with Zhong Lian accepted no one's command. As they fought, they rescued Peng Lianqing's men and gradually vanished into Blood River Forest.

Chen Xian swept them with a cold glance. He did not care whether Chen Quanwu lived or died. After breaking out of the encirclement, he had Ding Chen protect the others as they headed for Black Wind Valley.

He alone charged back toward the mass of demons.

Within Blood River Forest.

Zhong Lian's expression was incomparably grim. He had been utterly confident in that strike; it should have been enough to kill Chen Xian, Ding Chen, and the demons. Even if it had not killed them, the severely wounded humans would have been surrounded and slaughtered by the demon horde, buried in demon bellies.

Yet he had miscalculated!

Now his identity had been exposed as well.

"That idiot Liu Dingchun—was Chen Xian at Minor Success in Jade Sea?" Zhong Lian was furious beyond measure. How could someone at Minor Success in Jade Sea possibly injure him?

Before long, his trusted soldiers rushed over. An eagle-nosed man asked, "General, are we going back to kill them?"

"Kill my ass. We're fighting our way back east!" Zhong Lian said coldly.

Having missed his first strike, Chen Xian would now be on guard with his strength. It would be impossible to kill him again.

At once, the group quietly fought their way back toward the eastern side of Blood River Forest.

As they passed through the center of Blood River Forest, Nangong Yan and the others, who were fighting demons, spotted Zhong Lian.

"Junior General Zhong?"

Nangong Yan frowned slightly, about to speak.

But Zhong Lian led his iron cavalry through the demons and headed east.

At the foot of Seven Mile Peak.

Pfft!

Chen Quanwu rolled across the ground, vomiting blood.

He had thought Zhong Lian had brought men to reinforce him, yet Zhong Lian had only appeared briefly before vanishing.

The retreating demons had charged back.

Of the thousand soldiers under Chen Quanwu, two hundred had already been lost.

The Demon Lord possessed mid-to-late-stage strength and was stronger than him. The five Demon Men were all Late Stage Perfected Spirit Demons.

There were over fifty greater demons and more than two hundred lesser demons.

The other demons were not much to fear, but there were too many of them, making them hard to kill.

"Save me!"

Chen Quanwu vomited blood and roared.

At last, one lieutenant fought his way in, intending to save Chen Quanwu, only to be stopped by two Demon Men.

Then another lieutenant charged in.

The other three Demon Men rushed up to block him.

Even so, Chen Quanwu had exhausted his vital energy. Even after taking an Essence Replenishing Pill, it could not be restored so quickly. Facing the Demon Lord alone, he was still no match.

"Chen Xian, you fucking...!"

Chen Quanwu was furious beyond measure. Chen Xian was right within reach, yet he simply would not come save him.

As he cursed, the Demon Lord drove a blade through his sunken chest.

Blood gushed wildly from his back.

"Commander Chen!"

Chen Xian shouted loudly. He leaped over from afar and appeared before the fallen Chen Quanwu. "Why didn't you hold on a little longer?"

"I... urrgh... you..."

Chen Quanwu glared with unwilling fury. He raised a hand, wanting to point at Chen Xian and curse him, but blood foam streamed from his mouth. He could not utter a single word. His head tilted to the side, and he died.

"Brother Wu!"

"Commander!"

The surviving lieutenants and sub-lieutenants under Chen Quanwu all cried out.

Yet the demon horde's attacks only grew fiercer, leaving them no chance to break away.

"Chen Xian!"

One lieutenant was furious beyond measure. With an enraged roar, he charged at the demons.

Chen Xian glanced at that lieutenant. He was the same lieutenant who had fought Wang Yan in the military camp before.

"Lowly human, die!"

The Demon Lord swung his blade at Chen Xian.

Chen Xian did not even look at him. He thrust out his spear, and a flash of dark-golden spear radiance streaked past.

Pfft! It pierced through the Demon Lord's chest, blood shooting from his back.

The Demon Lord was instantly dumbfounded.

He held his blade up stiffly, lowered his head, and saw the bloody hole in his chest.

Three breaths later.

Bang! The spear radiance churning within the bloody hole exploded in an instant, tearing the Demon Lord into pieces as blood sprayed down like rain.

The five Demon Men and more than a thousand demons attacking nearby were instantly stunned!

He had killed a Demon Lord with one spear strike?

The demon horde stared at Chen Xian in utter horror.

The Demon Slayer Soldiers were also filled with bewilderment and shock!

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!...

Chen Xian flashed forward repeatedly, his spear dancing in his hand. The heads of the five Demon Men burst apart like watermelons.

"Retreat!"

At last, one greater demon came to its senses and roared.

But in the next instant.

A streak of spear radiance pierced through its chest. It crashed dozens of meters away with a thud, dead on the spot.