Chapter One Hundred and One: The Campaign Against the Dark Yaksha Begins

The lord of Red Moon City, Tamamo Yukihime, vanished without explanation, leaving the monster kingdom without a ruler.

According to the message she had once left behind, the rightful successor should have been the second princess, Oni Lingyuan.

But Lingyuan was a moderate and unsuited to governing, incapable of properly ruling the monster kingdom. None of the monsters had any intention of supporting her.

The eldest prince, Oni Shura, was ruthless and warlike, a hawkish figure, and the monsters naturally leaned toward making him king.

Ignoring the late lord's message, Oni Shura seized power and usurped the throne, acting as temporary ruler. He confined his younger sister in the palace and forbade her from leaving.

He kept the authority in his hands at all times, secretly eliminating dissent within the kingdom, gradually gaining control over both military and civil power.

If nothing unexpected happened, then after some time, Oni Shura would fully control all of Red Moon City.

Thus, if the shopkeeper did not return to Red Moon City with Yukigiri, that ambitious usurper, Oni Shura, would become the new lord.

And then Winterfall City would face an invasion and disaster.

Cheng Feng hoped the shopkeeper would understand the present situation. "Shopkeeper, I know you no longer want to be involved in the affairs of humans and monsters, and only wish to live a quiet life.

"But if Red Moon City launches an invasion against Winterfall City, it will be too late. You wouldn't want to see that happen, would you?"

"Of course I understand how severe the situation is."

The shopkeeper let out a sigh. "It's just that it's not that I don't want to go. It's that I may no longer be able to."

A crack of thunder rolled.

Outside the display window, lightning flashed through the clouds, and heavy rain poured down.

The patter of rain was endless, raindrops striking the clear glass with crisp taps before becoming thin streams of water that slowly slid downward.

The thunderlit glare through the window fell across Cheng Feng's face. "What do you mean?"

"I can't leave anymore. Today may very well be my last day."

The shopkeeper said something cryptic, then reached into his pocket and took out a golden object.

Under Cheng Feng's gaze, the shopkeeper placed the golden item on the dining table and slid it gently toward him. "Guest, please accept this."

It was a golden token, seemingly extraordinarily valuable.

Cheng Feng frowned and picked it up to examine it carefully. On the token was engraved a vivid character for "king."

"What is this?"

To Cheng Feng's question, the shopkeeper replied, "This is the lord's token of Red Moon City. As long as one holds it, one may temporarily act as lord. Within the kingdom, all the countless monsters must obey the holder's commands."

Cheng Feng was startled. "There is such a thing?"

Then wouldn't that mean that as long as someone had the lord's token, even if a cat or a dog held it, they could become lord upon entering Red Moon City? That was far too outrageous.

"This token was given to me by Tamamo Yukihime fifteen years ago, when I was in Red Moon City."

The shopkeeper said with a hint of nostalgia, "She instructed me that if anything were to happen to Red Moon City in the future, after she was gone, this token could be used."

"So it works no matter who holds the lord's token?" Cheng Feng asked in surprise.

The shopkeeper said, "No. To be precise, only when it is held by a member of the royal family or nobility can one serve as temporary lord.

"If held by someone else, they are regarded as a friend of the lord and treated as an honored guest of Red Moon City."

Cheng Feng now understood, though one thing still puzzled him. "This lord's token is so precious. Why are you giving it to me?"

"If you can deliver it into the hands of the Ghost Princess, then you can take back the government from Oni Shura, restore the Ghost Princess to the throne, and there will be no obstacles at all."

Cheng Feng froze. "You want me to go to Red Moon City with Yukigiri."

"Guest, this is beneficial to you as well. The power of your bloodline is gradually eroding you and turning you into a monster."

The shopkeeper explained, "And the only person who can help you is the Ghost Princess."

Cheng Feng hesitated. The rampage of the bloodline power within him was indeed the problem that troubled him most at present.

If he could neutralize that bloodline power, his strength would advance by leaps and bounds. Otherwise, as time went on, he would be devoured by it and transformed into a monster.

Lately, he had been increasingly driven by the urge to drink blood, and that was proof enough.

"Guest, the matter has been laid out plainly. The choice is yours."

Cheng Feng did not understand why the shopkeeper would not go himself. "But, shopkeeper, Yukigiri has been looking for you for so long. Now, as long as you return to Red Moon City, you can resolve the coup, avert a war between humans and monsters. Why make it so complicated?"

The shopkeeper sighed. "As I said just now, I can no longer leave."

As those words landed, Cheng Feng faintly sensed something, and then a sound came from his pocket.

Ring ring ring.

His phone was ringing. Cheng Feng took it out and saw that it was a call from Liu Shiyu.

What could it be at a time like this?

Without much hesitation, he answered and brought the phone to his ear.

Then Cheng Feng's eyes slowly widened.

...

Time turned back to not long before.

Government building, third-floor hall.

Several people were gathered around a round table, holding a meeting.

The chairman rested his clasped hands on the table and said gravely, "The target of this operation is the fourth Abyssal One, Black Yasha, who disappeared fifteen years ago."

A middle-aged man said, "The information was brought by Lu Baiming. After a covert investigation, Black Yasha's identity has been confirmed."

"She erected a barrier in the shop that cut off all traces of her aura, which is why she went undiscovered for so many years. It's terrifying to think about."

"This battle is extremely dangerous. What Black Yasha brought fifteen years ago is still vivid in all our memories."

"The operation to subdue Black Yasha will begin in one hour."

"No one knows whether that monster has recovered to full strength, but we must not be careless. By then, civilians in the surrounding area must be evacuated."

"No, first form the encirclement, and only then evacuate the nearby citizens, otherwise Black Yasha may notice too early."

"That makes sense."

"This battle must succeed."

At eleven o'clock at noon, a large number of Association members mobilized, and the operation to exterminate began in earnest.

In the sky, rain was falling in torrents, like the prelude to a storm.

More than two hundred monster hunters formed a perimeter around the area that was about to become a battlefield, to prevent the monsters under Black Yasha's command from fleeing the shop.

At the same time, civilians began to evacuate from the combat zone.

Liu Shiyu had received the assignment for this operation and was on her way to the battlefield.

The Association had also sent the information to Cheng Feng, but he had not replied.

Therefore, the task of informing Cheng Feng that he needed to join the operation was passed to Liu Shiyu, and she called him.

Maid Cafe.

After hearing from the phone receiver that today's mission was the extermination of the former fourth Abyssal One, Black Yasha, Cheng Feng's eyes widened slightly.

When had the shopkeeper been exposed...

Was it because he had stepped in to save him last night?

The Disaster Association had moved so quickly. Now the situation had become utterly terrible...