Tang Dynasty Demon Suppression Division

This strike contained all his power.

The Black Feather Demon King clearly hadn't expected Li Yuan to dare to fight head-on. It let out a sharp cry and suddenly folded its wings together, forming a black barrier in front of it.

"boom--!"

The moment the blade collided with the black barrier, a deafening roar erupted, black feathers flew everywhere, and silvery starlight and crimson flames intertwined and burst forth.

The black barrier shattered under Li Yuan's full-force attack.

"cracking!"

The Black Feather Demon King let out a painful shriek, its massive body staggering in the air, scattering a string of blood droplets. A deep, bone-revealing knife wound appeared on its chest.

While you are sick, I will kill you!

Liu Huang and Han Kuo seized the opportunity instantly, one on the left and one on the right, their swords and blades slashing simultaneously at the Black Feather Demon King's vital points.

The Black Feather Demon King let out a reluctant shriek, then flapped its wings and soared into the sky, avoiding the two men's fatal attacks.

It hovered high in the sky, glanced down at the wound on its chest, then at Li Yuan on the ground, a hint of resentment flashing in its eyes.

"cracking!"

It opened its beak and let out a high-pitched, long howl.

Upon hearing the howl, the lesser demons who were fighting with the demon-hunting guards fled into the depths of Luoyan Peak.

The Black Feather Demon King glanced coldly at Li Yuan, turned around, flapped its wings, and flew into the distance, quickly disappearing into the horizon.

The battle is temporarily over.

Li Yuan leaned on his knife, panting heavily. That last strike had almost exhausted all his strength.

His arm was still trembling slightly, and the web between his thumb and forefinger was split open, with blood dripping from the hilt of the knife onto the ground.

Liu Huang and Han Kuo were in no better condition; both were covered in sweat and breathing rapidly.

Ji Fanghua quickly walked to Li Yuan's side, glanced at his bleeding hand, and frowned: "You're injured?"

"It's just a superficial wound, nothing serious." Li Yuan shook the blood off his hands, took out a strip of cloth from his pocket, and casually wrapped it around his neck a few times. "The Black Feather Demon King has escaped, but it certainly won't let this go. We need to get to Snow Peak Mountain as soon as possible and meet up with Lord Lou."

Liu Huang nodded, his expression grave: "The Black Feather Demon King's appearance here indicates that the Crowned Vermilion Demon Emperor's former subordinates are more active than we anticipated. The road ahead will likely be far from peaceful."

In the battle at Luoyan Peak, the Black Feather Demon King fled in disarray, and the lesser demons either died or escaped, leaving a mess on the mountain path. After everyone cleaned up the battlefield and counted the casualties, fortunately only a few demon-hunting guards were injured, and no one died.

"That was exhilarating!" Liu Huang sheathed his soft sword, walked up to Li Yuan, and patted him heavily on the shoulder, so forcefully that Li Yuan staggered. "Lord Li, you truly live up to your reputation! That strike even cleaved through the Black Feather Demon King's defenses. I am truly impressed!"

Li Yuan winced as he was slapped, and quickly said, "Lord Liu, you flatter me. It was just luck. If you and Brother Han hadn't distracted it, I wouldn't have had the chance to strike."

"It's good for young people to be humble, but excessive humility is arrogance." Liu Huang laughed heartily, his eyes full of admiration. "No wonder Ye Hongyu has become more and more assertive in the headquarters these past few years, having someone like you under her command."

After a short rest and treating their wounds, the group continued on their way. Having learned their lesson from Luoyan Peak, they dared not take the side paths again and instead followed the main road. Although the journey was longer, it was safer.

Along the way, Liu Huang recorded detailed information about the Black Feather Demon King, preparing to report to Lou Junbo after arriving at Xuefeng Mountain. Li Yuan, on the other hand, silently adjusted his breathing and recovered as he traveled.

That last strike had drained a lot of his energy, and he needed to recover to his best condition as soon as possible.

A day later, the group finally arrived at the outer edge of Xuefeng Mountain.

As soon as they entered the mountain pass, a group of knights in black armor came to greet them. The leader was a wiry captain who dismounted and clasped his hands in a salute to Liu Huang: "Sir Liu, Lord Lou has ordered me to wait here for a long time."

Liu Huang returned the salute: "Commander Luo, you've worked hard. How is the situation in the mountains?"

This Captain Luo, whose full name is Luo Wei, is a captain under the General Commander of the Demon Suppression Division, and is subordinate to Lou Junbo.

Li Yuan had met him a few times. Although they weren't close, he recognized him. Luo Wei's gaze swept over everyone, lingering on Li Yuan for a moment before he nodded slightly as a greeting.

"The situation is not optimistic. The four demon kings have gathered around the main peak, each occupying advantageous positions and forming an encirclement. They seem to be waiting for an opportunity to launch a simultaneous attack."

"Moreover, the seal's aura is becoming increasingly unstable. Lord Lou estimates that in at most seven days, the seal will show obvious cracks."

Liu Huang's face darkened: "Seven days... that's too short a time."

Luo Wei continued, "Lord Lou has invited Lu Guangling, a leading figure in the cultivation world of Jiangnan, and Dao Jing, the Celestial Master of the Celestial Master's Mansion. The two seniors are on their way and are expected to arrive the day after tomorrow. Their mission is to suppress the Demon Emperor and repair the seal. Lord Lou will personally oversee the operation and be responsible for stopping the four Demon Kings."

"But we just received the latest news that a new demon king is on its way from overseas and is expected to arrive from the direction of Guangzhou in three days. Lord Lou's idea is to send people to intercept it and make sure it does not join up with the other demon kings."

Liu Huang immediately recounted the ambush by the Black Feather Demon King at Luoyan Peak. After listening, Luo Wei's expression turned even more grim.

"The Black Feather Demon King has also appeared? Adding the one overseas, there are four already in place, and two that haven't shown up yet... In other words, all eight demon kings under the Crowned Demon Emperor have likely been mobilized."

He immediately took out a communication talisman and quickly reported the news of the Black Feather Demon King's appearance to Lou Junbo.

A moment later, Lou Junbo's deep voice came through the communication talisman: "The Black Feather Demon King has also appeared... Including the one overseas, that makes six. The whereabouts of the remaining two are still unknown. Liu Huang, take men to intercept the overseas Demon King and make sure to prevent it from landing."

"As for the Black Feather Demon King..."

Lou Junbo remained silent for a moment, seemingly considering a solution.

Li Yuan suddenly stepped forward and said, "Lord Lou, your subordinate Li Yuan is willing to go."

Everyone was taken aback and turned to look at him.

Li Yuan remained calm and continued, "I slashed the Black Feather Demon King at Luoyan Peak, and its injuries were quite severe. Given its personality, it will never let this go after suffering such a great loss."

"It will likely find a place to heal its wounds and then seek revenge once it has recovered. This is a good opportunity to eliminate it. I am willing to go alone to track down the Black Feather Demon King and kill it to prevent future troubles."

Luo Wei subconsciously shook his head and said, "Lord Li, it's too dangerous for you to go alone. Although the Black Feather Demon King is injured, it is still a demon king-level being, and its flight speed is extremely fast. Even if it is injured, it is not something that one person can deal with."

"I'm confident." Li Yuan's gaze was firm. "I've already injured it once, so its momentum has weakened. Moreover, it doesn't understand my swordsmanship. I'm confident I can injure it again."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the communication talisman, then Lou Junbo's voice came through: "Let him go."

Luo Wei was taken aback: "Lord Lou, this..."

"Give him a token from the Chief Commander so he can access the intelligence network of the Demon Suppression Bureau along the way."