"Venerable! Be patient, don't attack!"
Just as swords were drawn and bows bent, a voice came from below.
An enormous, powerfully built black bear strolled out with his hands behind his back.
Venerable Fire Crow, the black bear spirit, and that thousand-year-old female ghost had all come to Banyan Tree Slope tonight.
The black bear spirit looked ferocious, yet his voice was quite gentle, creating a striking contrast.
He raised his head and cupped his hands toward Chen Jin. "Why not put away your sword and come down to talk?"
After a brief moment of thought, Chen Jin pushed off with both feet and jumped straight to the ground. But he still held his ritual sword, ready to strike at any moment:
"Talk about what?"
The black bear spirit studied him, inwardly marveling:
He had heard Madam Ghost describe Chen Jin's appearance, but seeing him in person now, he immediately felt that her description had been mistaken.
In particular, the Corpse-Suppressing Talisman between his brows was gone, forcibly erased.
He truly was someone with ability and means.
Of course, they had known this before coming.
After all, making Madam Ghost suffer a setback and return defeated was enough to prove his extraordinary strength.
Otherwise, why would they have been so accommodating?
They would have attacked at once and swallowed Chen Jin alive and flayed him raw.
Then, recalling the magnificent sight of Chen Jin drawing in the essence Qi of the moonlight, the black bear spirit could not help burning with envy. If he could learn such a method, he would surely become a great demon...
He chuckled, trying hard to seem approachable, but that bloody maw of his was impossible to look at no matter what he did. "Actually, we came tonight to summon Vanguard Monkey. We happened to see you displaying your Divine Ability, devouring the moonlight, and couldn't resist coming to make your acquaintance. Please forgive the intrusion."
Chen Jin sneered inwardly. "Summon Vanguard Monkey?"
"That's right."
The black bear spirit said, "After deliberation, the Demon-Ghost Alliance has decided to take the initiative and attack the Yan Household Great Stronghold!"
Chen Jin paused, then understood.
It seemed these demons had some brains after all. Unwilling to sit and await death, they had chosen to strike first, and might even catch the Yan Household off guard.
With the Three Giants here, they must have brought their other subordinates too. There was no telling where they were assembling.
According to Huang Yu, the mountain spirits and wild monsters in these mountains numbered in the hundreds, great and small, making for quite an imposing force.
If Chen Jin had to face so many demons and ghosts alone, his scalp would certainly prickle, and fleeing would be his best course.
He said expressionlessly, "Vanguard Monkey isn't here. He went out to visit friends."
The black bear spirit smiled. "No matter. As long as he's in the mountains, we can find him."
He changed the subject. "May I ask what you are called?"
Chen Jin answered with a stiff face, "I escaped from the defiled earth and no longer remember my past life's origins."
Hearing this, the black bear spirit secretly rejoiced. "In that case, how about we call you 'Mr. Corpse'?"
Chen Jin: "..."
He nodded. "Whatever."
The black bear spirit continued, "Mr. Corpse, you've been staying here for some time. Presumably, you find the mountains agreeable and intend to settle here for the long term to devote yourself to cultivation."
Chen Jin had no reason to deny it. "That is indeed my intention."
"Then that's settled!"
The black bear spirit beamed. "With your abilities, Mr. Corpse, why live beneath another? I can make the decision to allot you a stretch of land. You could claim your own territory and rule as king-wouldn't that be delightful?"
Chen Jin had no such inclinations and refused. "No need. I find this place quite good."
The black bear spirit said readily, "That works too. I'll have Vanguard Monkey move his nest elsewhere, then."
In his view, corpse monsters preferred quiet, while the monkey troop was far too noisy for the two sides to live together.
Chen Jin lowered his eyes. "If you have something to say, say it directly. There's no need to beat around the bush."
The black bear spirit laughed heartily. "Straightforward! Since you're staying here for the long term, Mr. Corpse, shouldn't you contribute?"
"What do you mean?"
"The Yan Household has now established the Demon-Slaying Alliance, intending to catch us all in one net. Humans are full of treachery, greedy and bloodthirsty. They want our flesh and hides, Essence Blood, inner cores, and such to make medicines that increase their cultivation. Naturally, we cannot simply let them slaughter us. So we should unite and attack the Yan Household Great Stronghold together. Here, I ask you just one question: will you go or not?"
By the end, his gaze blazed and his tone turned chilling.
At the same time, gaze after gaze bore down on him.
Those were the gazes of Venerable Fire Crow, Madam Ghost, and the other demons and ghosts. If Chen Jin refused, they would swarm him and kill him.
Madam Ghost even hoped Chen Jin would refuse, giving her the chance to fly into a rage and avenge that sword strike.
Chen Jin's eyes flickered, as though he had anticipated this. He said slowly, "I was already planning a trip to the Yan Household Stronghold. We might as well go together."
He wanted to enter the Yan Household Stronghold to seek an answer. Before, alone and lacking strength, he had had no opportunity.
Now was just right.
The black bear spirit was overjoyed. "With Mr. Corpse joining our Demon-Ghost Alliance, we are like a tiger given wings. Our attack on the Yan Household Stronghold tonight will surely bring victory as soon as our horses arrive. We mustn't delay. Let's set out at once."
With that, the bear took the lead.
Whoosh!
A sinister wind swept past. Madam Ghost concealed herself in the darkness, like flowing ink, and soon vanished into the night.
"Caw!"
Venerable Fire Crow issued his orders, and flocks of crows flew ahead like dark clouds sweeping across the sky.
The moon emerged, its light cold and clear.
Chen Jin walked in the moonlight with his ritual sword on his back.
Come to think of it, this was his first time traveling far from Banyan Tree Slope, and he felt surprisingly calm.
Thud, thud, thud!
Powerful footsteps rang out as Yuan Bai came sprinting over.
"Immortal Master, are you going to attack the Yan Household Great Stronghold too?"
Chen Jin nodded. "There are some things I must go and settle."
Yuan Bai was delighted. He felt honored to have the chance to fight shoulder to shoulder with the Immortal Master.
He had turned back not to summon the monkey troop, for this battle might be exceedingly dangerous. Sending the monkeys into battle would only send them to their deaths for nothing.
He had returned simply because he no longer wanted to be that blasted vanguard officer, choosing instead to stay by Chen Jin's side and serve as a fighter in his capacity as an attendant.
As for the Yellow Immortal Clan led by Huang Yu, they had been conscripted as scouts, responsible for gathering all sorts of information.
The Demon-Ghost Alliance had poured out in full force this time, but in truth, it had no tight organization. It amounted to an uprising launched on a whim.
They became even more undisciplined and chaotic on the road.
The Three Giants could not be bothered to restrain or command them either, because in their understanding, the outcome of a battle never had anything to do with those minor demons and monsters.
Yuan Bai's retreat on the eve of battle did anger the black bear spirit, but since Yuan Bai had gone to join Chen Jin, he could hardly lash out. He silently marked it down; there would be time to settle the score later.
He immediately appointed General Wolf as the vanguard, responsible for charging through enemy lines at the front.
With such a tremendous commotion, the Yan Household Great Stronghold quickly noticed.
Clang, clang, clang!
Clack, clack, clack!
Bronze bells rang and wooden clappers sounded urgently. Lanterns and torches lit up like fiery dragons.
Someone stood atop the gatehouse on the towering stronghold wall, ringing a bell and shouting, "Demons are attacking! Everyone, hurry up here to slay the demons and vanquish the monsters!"