Chapter 22: The Battle Against the Little Demon King

At the moment the wolf demon vanished, Yang Qingyuan’s pupils suddenly contracted. Holding the child, he transformed into a silver streak and disappeared from the spot.

Boom!

Just as Yang Qingyuan vanished, a massive wolf claw slammed down fiercely where he had just stood, smashing the ground and creating a huge crater.

“What terrifying brute strength… Is this the combat power of a minor demon king?” Yang Qingyuan glanced back with lingering fear, then carefully placed the young boy into a concealed corner to hide him.

Carrying the child greatly limited Yang Qingyuan’s mobility. If things went awry, not only would he be unable to save others, but he might lose his own life as well.

What Yang Qingyuan couldn’t understand was the wolf demon’s intent. With its cultivation at the demon king level, its intelligence was no less than a human’s. It should have known the consequences of slaughtering humans around the Dao City.

Yet, despite Yang Qingyuan openly announcing his presence and feigning reinforcements from Dao City about to arrive, the wolf demon showed no sign of retreating.

Wait, something was off!

If it knew this was the Dao Alliance’s heartland, it wouldn’t have acted so conspicuously. Would it really risk its life just to devour a few ordinary humans to satisfy its appetite?

That made no sense. Moreover, seeing the Daoist disciples of the One Qi Dao Alliance, it neither fled nor hesitated but instead launched an even fiercer attack — even more unreasonable!

“Could it be that this wolf demon deliberately exposed its position? To be discovered by the Dao Alliance? But for what purpose?” Yang Qingyuan pondered.

Before he could think further, the wolf demon’s enormous, razor-sharp claw struck again from behind.

Boom!!!

Yang Qingyuan bent down to dodge as a nearby house was shattered by the wolf’s slap. Amid the scattering dust, he scrambled out awkwardly.

“Damn it, my first real battle and I encounter a minor demon king-level opponent. Even if I were Second Master at eight years old, I wouldn’t stand a chance...” Yang Qingyuan gritted his teeth. Without any magical treasures to rely on, he had only his body and spiritual power.

Was he really going to try and block the wolf’s claws with his bare fists?

That would be a death sentence...

At that moment, from the sky, the voice of Wang Quanzui suddenly rang out.

“Yang Qingyuan, catch the sword!”

Whoosh!

A streak of sword light flashed before Yang Qingyuan’s eyes, and the next moment, a slender sword was thrust into the ground before him.

It was Wang Quanzui’s sword — Illusion Dream.

Yang Qingyuan picked up Illusion Dream and glanced up at Wang Quanzui, still held back by her guards above, forbidden from descending.

He knew she wanted to fight alongside him, but her two bodyguards would never permit it.

“Thanks,” Yang Qingyuan smiled faintly, then took a deep breath and fixed his gaze once more on the wolf demon before him.

“You’re a demon from the Northern Mountains, aren’t you?”

“Young one, you have sharp eyes. Indeed, I am Guang Yu, the Heavenly Demon Wolf King under the chief of the seventy-two caves of the Northern Mountains, Maoridong,” the wolf demon boasted proudly, raising its head.

“Heavenly Demon Wolf King? Never heard of you. But daring to wreak havoc so blatantly in the territory of the One Qi Dao Alliance? Seems you’re not very smart,” Yang Qingyuan retorted, channeling his spiritual power into the blade of Illusion Dream, its edge aimed squarely at Guang Yu.

“Hmph! Yang family scum, all of you speak with such insufferable arrogance!” Guang Yu snorted coldly, gathering his demonic power into his wolf claw.

“Broken Moon Slash!”

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!

With a sudden swipe of his claw, three crescent-shaped slashes of light shot swiftly toward Yang Qingyuan.

Yang Qingyuan retreated while swirling sword flowers with Illusion Dream, dispersing each of Guang Yu’s Broken Moon Slashes.

Then, with a strong kick off the ground, his body shot forward like a cannonball.

“Seeking death!”

Seeing Yang Qingyuan boldly charge with a sword, Guang Yu’s eyes flashed with fierce light.

Humans are wise but weak; demons are strong but lack wisdom.

Thus, in battles between humans and demons, direct close combat is always avoided.

Human bodies are fragile; demons can endure many hits. A single mistake by a human could lead to total defeat.

Therefore, most Dao Alliance disciples rely on their magical weapons or formations to kill demons before they can close in, never giving demons a chance to get close.

But exceptions exist, like the Mu family, whose cultivation methods are unique within the Dao Alliance.

Abandoning external aids like magical weapons and formation talismans, they focus all their energy on strengthening their bodies.

Hence, the Mu family’s fighting style is bold and unrestrained, preferring to clash head-on with demons, fighting with fists that strike true.

Because Yang Qingyuan practiced the profound Ninth Mystery Skill, his physical constitution far exceeded that of his peers.

Yet, he had never tested his body strength in a real brawl with a Mu family member, so he wasn’t sure exactly how strong he was.

Seeing that his Five Thunder Technique seemed to have little effect on the wolf demon, Yang Qingyuan decided to throw caution to the wind and test his own limits.

He didn’t aim to kill—just to hold the wolf demon off a little. Once reinforcements from the Dao Alliance arrived, it wouldn’t matter if the wolf demon sprouted wings—it wouldn’t escape!

Ding!!!

With a fierce clash between Guang Yu’s claw and Yang Qingyuan’s Illusion Dream, a clear metallic ring echoed far and wide.

But Guang Yu’s expected scene of slapping Yang Qingyuan away like a fly never happened.

Instead, though Yang Qingyuan was forced to retreat a few steps, he actually blocked the wolf demon’s claws with the sword in hand!

“How… is this possible?” Guang Yu’s pupils contracted sharply, his eyes flashing with shock.

“Isn’t this the Yang family with the Heavenly Eye? How is his strength greater than a Mu family member’s?”

For a moment, Guang Yu even thought Yang Qingyuan was deceiving him.

But when he noticed the Heavenly Eye on Yang Qingyuan’s forehead was still inactive, his doubts vanished instantly.

In the sky, Wang Quanzui, who had been terrified when Yang Qingyuan charged at the wolf demon, turned pale.

Yang Qingyuan wasn’t a Mu family member. A frail Daoist fighting a demon in close quarters—that was courting death.

Yet, just as she was anxiously about to rush down to save him, what she saw next left her mouth agape.

“What… is happening?”