Chapter 123: The Demon Lord's Secret Art and the Elite Forces of Two Nations

"Heh-heh, boy, it seems you are about to engage in illicit affairs with this old hag, only to have your male essence drained dry until you are nothing but a shriveled husk!"

"It's you! How are you...?" Han Chong’s mind reeled. Truly, it never rains but it pours; misfortunes never come singly!

"Heh-heh, indeed, it is I. I must thank you, boy. You have brought forth so many stunning beauties that I was lost in indulgence. It is not that I could not leave, but that I did not wish to. Now that my only chance for possession has been wasted on you, and I have nowhere else to go, I am forced to reside outside your spirit center. Boy, how about we strike a bargain?"

"A bargain? Between you and me? Why would I, Han, associate with a demon?"

"Hmph, who says we cannot have a deal? I observe that your temperament is three parts similar to my own—you only follow your heart, regardless of right or wrong, and care not if the world burns. You encounter injustices, repeatedly defy your superiors, and strike down evil. You even leveraged the desert locust swarm to wipe out four hundred thousand souls in one blow. In my day, I never achieved such a feat; I cannot help but feel a shred of admiration for you!"

"It is true that I, Han, follow my own heart, but your so-called 'heart' is merely selfish desire. I, however, stand on the side of the suffering masses; I follow the will of the people!"

"Fine, have it your way. Here is the deal: I can help you escape this web, and even assist you in slaying this spider-demon hag. There are even greater rewards awaiting you in the future."

"Hmph, what do you really want? Don't tell me you’ve suddenly found a conscience and want to act like a righteous hero." Han Chong sneered inwardly as he asked.

"Heh-heh, you truly suit my temperament; blunt and direct. You are right—I help you because I want something in return. You must assist me in defeating my enemy in the future!"

"Hmph, help you take revenge? You think too highly of yourself. You just said we both act according to our own hearts. You know well that I would rather die than do something against my conscience."

"Gaga, haven't you always wanted to know the true identity of the Master of the Specters? Of course, I won't tell you now, but my enemy is none other than that wretch! In that case, killing them would hardly go against your principles, would it?"

"Oh? Is that true?"

"Good. If your enemy is indeed that person, I would be happy to do it, provided it is within my power."

"That goes without saying. Rest assured, boy, this will be the wisest decision you have ever made. Now, urinate on the spiderweb, and you shall break free."

"What nonsense are you spouting!"

"Hmph, this web is woven from the spider-demon’s life-bound silk. It is impervious to axes, immune to water and fire, and seals off all energy. Yet, it fears filth above all else. Do as I say, and you will surely escape."

Han Chong thought to himself that this old demon was either spouting madness or possessed profound knowledge. He decided to put it to the test. He turned around, and the moment he acted, a shrill scream of agony erupted from ahead.

The spider-demon hag was forced into her true form—a white, translucent spider, two zhangs in size. Her entire body was covered in ghostly white eyes, yet her delicate human face remained, perched atop the hideous spider head, a sight that made one want to retch. Thick, white smoke hissed from her massive abdomen, and the web binding Han Chong recoiled as if shocked by lightning.

"You shameless brat! How dare you defile my spirit silk! Today, I will surely suck you dry until you are nothing but a husk!" With that, she lunged.

"Han, boy, the spider-demon is about to unleash her Ghost Eye True Light. Close your eyes and use the Demon-Slaying Sword Technique!" the old demon warned in a telepathic transmission.

Han Chong’s heart tightened. He closed his eyes instantly, the Heaven Sword in his hand, and struck toward the spider based on his intuition.

Screeches and wails echoed, followed by the constant clanging of metal on metal. The spider’s sharp, long legs were no match for the might of the Heaven Sword, and she suffered heavy wounds. She was secretly terrified—not only did this brat know how to break her life-bound silk, but he could also close his eyes in time to dodge her Ghost Eye True Light. Could he actually foresee the future?

A spider’s physical form is naturally fragile, and with her abdomen wounded, she could no longer manifest her life-bound silk for the time being. As the boy’s sword skills were formidable, she feared she would be hacked to death if this continued. Having no choice, she scurried into her lair and vanished.

Han Chong opened his eyes, ready to pursue, but was stopped by the old demon.

"Boy, do not chase a desperate foe. That cave is filled with traps. You might have the life to enter, but you won't have the life to come back out!"

"Oh? Didn't you just say you could help me slay her?"

"That was in a one-on-one duel outside the cave. Killing her would be easy then. But her lair has been painstakingly fortified and is now a den of dragons and tigers. Not even a cultivator at the Void-Return stage would dare to rashly enter!"

"Fine. I owe you my thanks today; otherwise, I would have struggled to escape that wretch’s web."

"Hahaha, now you finally know the extent of my power. If not for the fact that I lost both my physical body and my cultivation, and was forced to reside within this Demon-Slaying Heaven Sword with less than one percent of my strength, would I have been so easily suppressed by a brat like you?"

"Stop blowing hot air." Han Chong thought to himself that this old demon was always prone to exaggeration—seven or eight out of every ten things he said were tall tales. He ignored the chatter and the boasting.

He retreated along the path he came. Anxi Prefecture had indeed been occupied by enemy forces, though a thousand or two civilians remained, captured as laborers and slaves, suffering under brutal treatment. Han Chong could do nothing for them for now and had to prioritize finding whether Commander Lei had survived; his safety concerned the entire northwestern front.

Following the trail of corpses of the Da Feng soldiers, he deduced that General Lei must have led the remaining troops to break through toward Beiting Prefecture, which eased his mind slightly. He did not need to rush to find them; since the two nations had taken Anxi, they would surely plot against Beiting. If he could scout their troop distribution and intentions, it would be of great benefit.

However, he did not expect that two days later, massive armies would begin to pour in from the north and south of Anxi, roughly estimated at thirty thousand each! This was not all—since Shule and Bilu were both great western powers, mobilizing a million troops was normal. With Anxi fallen, the Da Feng dynasty was clearly too weak to provide reinforcements, making this the perfect time for a full-scale invasion!

But each army possessed a strange, elite force of about twenty thousand men. The Shule elite were tall, heavily armored cavalry mounted on wild black oxen, each as large as an elephant! The mere sound of their marching, like an earthquake, was enough to shatter the enemy's will. A charge of ten thousand oxen could flatten a small city in an instant.

The Bilu elite were even more terrifying; their mounts were giant eagles with tiger heads, blotting out the sky, capable of launching attacks from above. They were nearly impossible to defend against, as arrows could barely touch them.

Beast Cavalry!