Chapter 21: As Long as I Stay Calm, It's the Opponent Who Panics

"What is going on? Why is there a smell of blood?"

Yang Qingyuan frowned, keenly sensing that something was wrong. Just then, two Taoist priests wearing the uniform of the Wangquan Manor suddenly appeared before Wangquan Zui.

"Young Miss! A monster of the Little Demon King level has appeared in the village ahead. For the sake of your safety, you should return to the Taoist City immediately!"

"What? A monster?!"

Wangquan Zui exclaimed. She quickly mounted her sword and flew into the air, turning her gaze toward the nearby village. The village, which had been peaceful just a moment ago, was now in total chaos; the wails of children and the screams of adults rang out incessantly. In the center of the village, a wolf demon, drenched in blood, was slaughtering the defenseless civilians. Faced with a monster of the Little Demon King level, how could ordinary mortals, even those wielding weapons, ever hope to stand a chance?

"What is happening? We are so close to the Taoist City, deep within the territory of the Taoist Alliance. Why are there monsters here?"

Perhaps because it was her first time witnessing such a bloody scene, Wangquan Zui’s face turned pale.

"I do not know, Young Miss. However, our eldest brother has already gone to notify the Taoist Alliance’s monster-extermination squad in the city. I believe it won't be long before someone arrives to eliminate this monster."

"By the time they get here, all these villagers will be slaughtered!"

Wangquan Zui gritted her teeth. Even though she felt a natural, instinctive fear, the sense of justice deep within her would not allow her to stand idly by.

"Young Miss! You cannot! Your status is noble; if something were to happen to you..."

"Then you two go and stop it!" Wangquan Zui shouted in distress.

"Apologies, but our duty is only to protect you. Your safety is more important than anything else," the guard said coldly.

"You..."

Wangquan Zui was furious. She drew her sword and moved to rush toward the wolf demon, but the two guards blocked her path from both sides. Seeing this, Yang Qingyuan could not help but sigh with a sense of melancholy. This was the current state of humanity... To these high-and-mighty "Taoist masters" of the Taoist Alliance, the lives of ordinary civilians meant nothing. They only truly cared about their own "kind." Even the prestigious Wangquan family, the world’s foremost family of monster hunters, acted this way—it went without saying how the other families of the Alliance behaved.

Yet, hasn't humanity's advantage over demons always been its numbers? If they relied solely on these aristocratic disciples of the Taoist Alliance to fight the demons, could they handle the onslaught? How many disciples could the Alliance even train? Could they withstand the demons from the four cardinal directions—east, west, north, and south? Oh, wait, three directions; Tushan doesn't count...

Thinking this, Yang Qingyuan gave up on trying to persuade the two Wangquan guards and flew downward himself. Like Wangquan Zui, he could accept it if he were truly powerless. But if he possessed the strength to fight back and yet, out of cowardice, stood by and watched as the elderly and children of the village were devoured, he asked himself: he could not do it. If he did that, what right would he have to inherit the legacy of the True Monarch?

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In the village, the wolf demon had just bitten through the throat of a middle-aged man. Now, it stood with its foot on the corpse, tearing at the flesh with its sharp fangs.

"Daddy..."

Before the wolf demon, a child of only three or four years old stood frozen, terrified by the gruesome scene. He stared blankly at his father being torn to pieces in the demon's maw, forgetting even to run. After taking a few bites, the wolf demon’s mouth was slick with blood. Suddenly, it spat out a piece of flesh and spoke in a human tongue: "Bah! What is this? A child’s meat is far more tender!"

Seeming dissatisfied with the taste of the man, it locked its gaze on the child nearby. It leaped forward, lunging fiercely toward the boy. At that critical moment, a bolt of lightning struck down from the sky!

BOOM!

The lightning hit the wolf demon, causing it to let out a miserable howl. Taking advantage of the opening, a dark shadow flashed past the demon, snatching the child from the ground.

"A human Taoist? Here so soon? Hmm? Wait, why is it just a child?"

It was a testament to the power of a Little Demon King that, despite being caught off guard by Yang Qingyuan’s "Palm Lightning," it suffered no significant damage beyond wisps of black smoke rising from its body. When the wolf demon—whose eyes alone were nearly the size of his entire body—fixed its gaze on him, Yang Qingyuan admitted he was nervous. Judging by the demonic energy radiating from the beast, he knew he was far from being its match. Furthermore, with limbs and carnage scattered across the village floor, it was a testament to his mental fortitude that he could keep a cool head at all.

"You have quite the nerve, killing my fellow humans in the vicinity of the Taoist City. Wolf demon, do you think you can escape today?"

"The Heavenly Eye? You are from the Yang family of the Heavenly Eye?!"

Seeing Yang Qingyuan’s calm expression, the wolf demon grew wary.

"And what if I am?" Yang Qingyuan said faintly. He slowly set down the terrified child, his gaze fixed steadily on the wolf demon as they stood in a silent standoff.

Knowing he couldn't win, what was there to do? One word: Bluff. Two words: Bluff and stall! This was the heart of the Alliance territory. As long as he didn't panic, it was the wolf demon that should be. Even if it were a Little Demon King, any head of a major clan in the Taoist City could easily kill it. It must know that once reinforcements arrived, there would be no escape. With any luck, it would turn and run immediately.

However, to Yang Qingyuan’s surprise, even with his calm demeanor, the wolf demon showed no intention of fleeing. Instead, the bloodlust in its eyes grew even more intense.

"Excellent! Truly, the heavens are merciful to let me encounter a child of the Yang family before I die..."

As the words left its mouth, the wolf demon vanished from its spot.