Chapter 17: The Banshee

A blade of sword energy nearly ten feet long erupted across the sky, crackling with lightning. Strictly speaking, a sword technique imbued with the intent of lightning, such as "Heaven-Eroding Sword," should no longer be categorized as a common secret skill; it deserves the prefix of "Lightning."

*Crackle!*

The giant lizard had barely landed before it was sliced clean in two at the waist. It offered no resistance whatsoever. This Sixth-Level demonic beast was powerful enough to have slain disciples of the Bright Moon Pavilion, yet under Chen Fan’s lightning intent, it was dispatched with ease.

"Even a powerful Sixth-Level beast is no match for a single strike of my sword..."

Chen Fan let out a sigh of relief. Given the progression of his lightning intent, he estimated he was likely stronger than many veteran grandmasters. While he was still far from the Seventh Level, dealing with Sixth-Level beasts had become effortless.

Nearby, Wan Qing and his companion had been swatted away by a black bear, spitting blood and appearing severely injured. "Chen Fan—!"

Chen Fan transformed into a bolt of lightning, unleashed another arc of lightning sword energy to easily slay the bear demon, and then sheathed his blade. The two men stared at him, filled with shock. Although they had heard rumors that Chen Fan could easily kill Sixth-Level beasts, they had not expected him to dispatch one in a single stroke. They did not know that Chen Fan’s New Year's breakthrough had increased his True Essence by fifty percent, and his secret technique, infused with lightning intent, was his most lethal trump card; it was only natural for it to instantly kill a Sixth-Level beast.

Chen Fan looked at them, his expression icy. "The only reason you are still alive is that the beast deliberately held back, using you as bait... You must have known a stronger beast was lurking in the shadows. Why didn't you fire the yellow signal flare?!"

The moment the question left his lips, Chen Fan clearly saw both men swallow hard, cowering in fear. Chen Fan shook his head. They hadn't fired the more dangerous signal flare simply because they feared that if nearby disciples saw it, they might choose not to come to their aid, leaving them with no hope of survival. The blue flare had the lowest danger rating and was the most likely to attract rescuers.

Chen Fan looked at the corpses strewn on the ground, his face cold. "They died because of you!"

The two men froze. Wan Tianbao gritted his teeth and retorted, "We... we just wanted to survive. What is wrong with that?"

Chen Fan sneered. "If you only wanted to survive, why did you venture so deep into the forest?"

The men flushed red. Although this was still the outer perimeter of Mount Qiyun, they had long since pushed past the designated range for the day. Recent days of easy demon-slaying had caused these people to lose their most basic vigilance. Had they not pushed so far, they would have been able to receive support quickly even if they encountered danger.

Chen Fan shook his head and stepped forward to inspect the corpses, checking for anything of value. Wan Tianbao and Wan Qing looked on, their faces burning with shame. Wan Qing gritted his teeth and looked at Chen Fan. "What about you, Chen Fan? If you were me, in a situation where you lacked the strength, what would you do?"

Chen Fan gave him a cold look. "There are no 'ifs,' and I am not you."

Wan Qing stood stunned, then let out a bitter laugh and gritted his teeth. "When I return, I will volunteer for the border demon-slaying mission..."

Chen Fan did not even glance at him. Had these two not fired their signal flare, other martial arts academy disciples might have passed nearby, and he might have cut them down himself. He leaned over the corpses. They were mangled and dismembered, their faces barely recognizable. Aside from a valuable-looking jade flute on the Bright Moon Pavilion disciple and some restorative pills, there was nothing of worth. Due to the dangerous location, Chen Fan could not possibly carry all the bodies back. He simply collected their identity tokens, ignored Wan Qing and his companion, and walked away.

He had not gone far before he stopped, frowning as he heard a continuous, rumbling sound in the distance—not the thunder of an approaching storm.

He immediately dropped to the ground, pressing his ear to the earth, and felt the ground trembling violently. His expression shifted sharply. He scrambled up a tall tree and saw dust and smoke swirling deep within the mountains, with shadows of beasts flickering behind the trees.

"A beast tide... is it a counter-attack?"

His expression turned grim. He immediately channeled his True Essence, triggered his red signal flare, and then turned to dash down the mountain as a bolt of lightning.

"So these beasts weren't content to be hunted down..."

The number of demonic beasts was finite; if they continued to be hunted this way, they would eventually be wiped out. The intelligent, powerful demons would not sit idly by and wait for death. These beasts were betting everything on a full-scale breakout in one direction.

"No wonder such powerful Sixth-Level beasts were appearing on the outer perimeter of Mount Qiyun. It seems they intended to pour out in full force!"

Although Chen Fan was extremely confident in his strength, he did not have the confidence to face a beast tide head-on.

"Chen Fan! It’s the beasts! Help us, save us—!"

At that moment, Chen Fan heard the desperate cries of Wan Qing and Wan Tianbao behind him. He did not even turn his head, pouring all his energy into his movement, caring nothing for their survival. Lightning crackled around him; he even resorted to "Lightning Flash," though he was worried about the heavy drain on his True Essence and dared not use it recklessly lest he be unable to defend himself later. Even so, his speed was terrifyingly fast, far exceeding that of an average Sixth-Level martial artist. Lightning intent itself favored speed, and Chen Fan had broken through to this level using a movement technique! Furthermore, his Luminous Feather Robe featured a "lightness" formation, increasing his overall speed by another twenty percent.

His speed was immense, and he soon cleared the forest, leaving the rumbling behind him. He breathed a sigh of relief. "With my speed, the tide cannot catch me. I must return to the stronghold to report this."

Just as Chen Fan was about to reach the field outpost, a flash of lightning streaked across the sky. Rain began to fall. Chen Fan slowed to a halt, staring blankly toward the direction of the stronghold.

Above the outpost, red signal flares shot into the sky, warning nearby disciples of extreme danger.

"How can this be..."

Rumbles echoed from the direction he was facing. A sense of extreme unease surged in Chen Fan's heart. He leaped onto a nearby ancient tree, watching the distance, dazed. The place where the stronghold should have been was now a ruin. Fire soared into the sky, and amidst the dust and rubble, a giant wolf demon, standing six or seven yards tall, rampaged, surrounded by other wolves of various sizes.

"A size like that... it must be a beast beyond the Seventh Level! How did it leave Mount Qiyun undetected?!"

The perimeter of Mount Qiyun was surrounded by martial artists from all the major factions of Qinghe County, with dozens of small outposts, each guarded by a grandmaster. It was impossible that such a massive beast could have bypassed the perimeter without a single report!

However, Chen Fan thought of the lizard he had killed earlier, which possessed the ability to turn invisible, and his brow furrowed. "Beasts nearing the Seventh Level develop special abilities. It must have been some kind of demon that masked their traces..." Some powerful beasts could even alter their size.

"These beasts... they actually know how to use tactics to attack our rear!"

Although he did not know what methods they had used, Chen Fan knew the situation was dire. Powerful beasts were not necessarily large, but beasts that were large enough were definitely powerful!

With a beast tide behind him and such a monster at the stronghold, Chen Fan gritted his teeth and bypassed the outpost, heading northeast. Their stronghold had no grandmaster other than Rong Wuchen. With Chen Fan’s strength, intercepting a severely wounded Seventh-Level fox was his limit. This wolf was six or seven yards tall, more than twice the size of the Profound Fire Fox. It was far beyond a standard Seventh-Level beast—it might even be Eighth or Ninth Level. Chen Fan dared not go there to throw his life away.

He transformed into lightning, charging forward. He encountered a few beasts along the way, but they were few in number, so he ignored them and plowed straight through. As he traveled, he saw more and more corpses, many of them fellow academy disciples he recognized. Chen Fan felt a bitter ache in his heart but dared not stop for a second.

Meanwhile, the giant wolf demon rampaging in the stronghold seemed to notice the lightning streak; after letting out a sky-shaking howl, a dozen wolves around it turned into blurs and surged toward him!

To the west, the beast tide was pouring out of the mountain, and the fallback point had been occupied by the Seventh-Level wolf. Chen Fan had intended to bypass the stronghold and head toward the Xu-Zhou Town outpost, a medium-sized base with significantly stronger defenses. He charged forward, discovering more beasts appearing along the way. They were not numerous, but generally possessed Fifth or Sixth-Level strength—they were the elite.

"A small but elite force. These beasts that bypassed the perimeter were indeed executing a raid..."

Chen Fan’s sword light flashed continuously. He practiced his "Jade Rainbow Piercing the Sun" technique, reaping the lives of one beast after another. He had barely managed to get far from the outpost when he saw even more human corpses.

"What is going on? How did these people die?"

His expression grew increasingly grim as he became exceptionally cautious. He hadn't gone much further when he suddenly stopped. His face was filled with horror. At that moment, he felt as if invisible threads had bound his limbs and his entire body.

"What is this?!"

His expression changed drastically, and lightning surged around his body.

*Crackle!*

Invisible threads around him seemed to ignite, flames spreading, and only then did Chen Fan feel his body break free. "The lightning intent can shatter these special bindings!"

Chen Fan had just breathed a sigh of relief when he suddenly felt a terrifying pressure blanket his limbs. Fire spread through the air.

*Hum!*

A woman with the upper body of a human and the tail of a spider suddenly appeared before him. Her entire body was wreathed in flames—evidently, she was also wrapped in those invisible threads. Although this spider had a human upper body, it was utterly hideous; its fangs were sharp and stained a deep, fresh red, and green liquid dripped incessantly from its mouthparts.

At that moment, Chen Fan felt as if a great mountain were pressing down on his heart, and it began to pound wildly.

"This is a demonic beast above the Seventh Level!"