The next morning, the disciples of the Cang Lan Sect continued their sword-flight journey. The closer we got to Jing Mountain, the heavier my unease grew. My grip on Mu Xuan’s robes tightened instinctively until he turned to glance at me.
“Afraid of demons?” he asked.
“Ah?” I looked up at him, startled, and quickly loosened my grip. Only then did I notice how much I had crumpled his robes. Without thinking, I clumsily smoothed them out.
“There’s nothing to fear. They’re just minor demons,” he said calmly.
But that’s exactly why I was terrified—they wouldn’t just be minor demons.
Even as Mu Xuan’s words lingered in the air, a voice from behind suddenly shouted, “That wild boar demon is attacking!”
Mu Xuan turned, his rebuke barely forming when one of the disciples, eager and inexperienced, rushed headlong into the fray. “Foul demon, meet your end!” A few others followed him, landing on the ground to join the fight.
Mu Xuan frowned deeply. At that moment, Mu Jue flew his sword closer to us. “Senior Brother, should I go down to protect them?”
“I’ll go.” Mu Xuan’s reply was curt. Before I could react, he had already tossed me onto Mu Jue’s sword. “Stay here,” he ordered firmly.
I reached out to stop him, but he was already descending. Hovering in the air, the rest of the group watched the unfolding fight below. From somewhere among the group, a snide voice called out, “Senior Brother Mu Xuan doesn’t even invite us to join him in subduing the demons—is he trying to hog all the glory or does he only want to train himself?”
Right on cue, a few more demons emerged from the forest. Without waiting for a word from Mu Xuan, those same disciples plunged into the battle below, swords drawn. One by one, the remaining disciples followed suit.
Idiots. I cursed them silently, my eyes scanning the forest anxiously for Mu Xuan.
It wasn’t until now that I realized an important problem. The Demon Lord had told me to stop Mu Xuan, but he hadn’t explained when or under what circumstances! Was it now? Or later, when the demon clan appeared? Or maybe…
Before I could finish my thought, an eerie energy spread through the forest. My heart sank. I recognized it immediately—it was the unique aura of the demon clan.
Grabbing Mu Jue’s sleeve, I shouted, “Take us down! Now!”
Mu Jue frowned. “Something feels off down there. You don’t have any powers. Going down would just make things worse for your Master.”
Suddenly, the sound of arrows slicing through the air filled the forest. Within moments, two or three Cang Lan disciples had already fallen.
“Where are these arrows coming from?!” Mu Jue exclaimed, alarmed. He looked around in panic, muttering, “It’s an ambush!”
Taking advantage of his confusion, I urged him, “Exactly! Go lower and shout a warning!”
Mu Jue, clearly overwhelmed, immediately took my suggestion to heart. Without thinking, he descended on his sword, shouting at the top of his lungs, “It’s an ambush! Everyone, retreat!”
Meanwhile, my eyes remained fixed on Mu Xuan, who was locked in battle with a demon.
Hearing Mu Jue’s warning, Mu Xuan drove his sword into the demon before him and shouted back, “Get back up!”
In the blink of an eye, a black, poison-laden arrow shot out from the forest, heading straight for Mu Jue. Without thinking, I shoved him off the sword. The arrow missed him but sent me plummeting to the ground.
Landing hard, I barely had time to catch my breath before scrambling to my feet and dashing toward Mu Xuan. No matter what he’s about to do, I have to stop him.
Chaos erupted as a group of black-clad figures emerged from the forest like shadows, clashing violently with the Cang Lan disciples. The disciples were quickly overwhelmed.
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