Chapter Twenty-Nine: Battle with the Demon Guardian

"Wei Xikun, you scoundrel! Let go of Nian’er!" Liu Lingshuang shouted as she saw Wei Xikun undoing the buttons on Nian’er’s clothes—one, two, three...

"Sword Rain Art—transform swords—Heaven’s Wrath, eightfold, unleash!" Eight blades of Heaven’s Wrath burst through the door, forcing Wei Xikun back several steps in terror. The swords closed in, instantly surrounding him. Ye Sansi entered, cast another spell, and declared, "Heaven’s Wrath, divide!"

Sixteen swords now encircled Wei Xikun, leaving no escape. Li Taiyi stepped in next, untying Lingshuang and Nian’er. Seeing both Taiyi and Sansi alive, Lingshuang laughed through her tears, rushed forward, and threw her arms around Ye Sansi, pounding his back. "You wild man! You’re so annoying! I thought you were really dead—so hateful!"

Lin Nian’er stood up, straightened her clothes, wiped her tearful eyes, and smiled brightly. "Young Master Ye, Young Master Li, I’m so glad you’re both unharmed."

Li Taiyi approached the trapped Wei Xikun and said, "Don’t even think of forcing your way out. These are Heaven’s Wrath swords—do you know what that means? The ultimate instruments of cold and yin. If they so much as graze you, your soul will scatter, never to reincarnate!"

Wei Xikun screamed, "How dare you! Who do you think you are, to kill me? I am the Crown Prince of Qingjian Creek, Wei Xikun! Kill me, and there will be no place for you in this world! Guards, arrest these assassins!"

Ye Sansi laughed. "Weren’t your guards supposed to be highly skilled? I dealt with them all in a matter of moments."

Wei Xikun was stunned. "You were drugged! How could you possibly be awake? Did you prepare for this in advance?"

Earlier that day, before noon...

"Evil Thought, Transform!"

"What do you mean, Brother Sansi?"

Ye Sansi coughed, signaling Taiyi to join him in a secluded corner. He whispered, "Taiyi, do you sense any demonic aura here?"

Taiyi furrowed his brow, concentrating. "Now that you mention it, there’s nothing. What are you thinking?"

Ye Sansi bit his lip. "I suspect the demon is none other than the Crown Prince himself."

"What? Wei Xikun? That doesn’t seem right. He’s just a spoiled brute with a murderous glare—but that makes him a thug, not a demon. And there’s no demonic aura on him."

Sansi replied softly, "It's just a theory, but hear me out. First, the demon’s aura only appears at night and vanishes by day—suggesting he’s not a demon by nature, but someone who practices demonic arts and only emits the aura while doing so. Second, I noticed the stationmaster’s corpse was found far from the post station. Either the demon killed him and dragged him away—which seems unnecessary—or he was sent away by someone."

"Wei Xikun?"

"I believe so. And when the station guard reported the death, Wei Xikun’s expression shifted suspiciously—from shock, to composure, to rage—then he struck the doorpost. It was all too deliberate, like a bad actor’s performance."

Li Taiyi frowned. "But we still have no evidence. Besides, he’s a crown prince—offending him could bring enormous trouble. Last night, I sensed that demon was powerful. Coupled with all his guards, there’s no way we could handle him alone."

Ye Sansi grinned. "But I have a plan..."

...

Wei Xikun wanted to break free, but Heaven’s Wrath was not something he could resist. Even without touching the blades, the chilling cold was unbearable. He shouted, "Damn you! How did you know the demon was me?"

Ye Sansi circled the room, saying, "You’re truly diligent—practicing demonic arts even right after lunch. Once you left, I signaled Taiyi to sense the aura, and soon enough, the dense demonic energy you released was detected. You can’t hide that from Taiyi’s nose!"

Wei Xikun cursed in frustration. "Then how did you avoid being drugged?"

Li Taiyi found a stool and sat down with a laugh. "You still rely on those petty demonic arts, but how could they compare with the celestial arts? My family’s Eight Treasures Art wards off all poisons, resists mundane fire and ice, repels blades and arrows, accelerates the body, and lets me discern evil auras. Your little drug was nothing to us!"

Ye Sansi added, "If you were truly a demon, you’d have tried to kill us yourself. I decided to play along, letting your men serve us food and giving you a chance to act indirectly. Once we confirmed you were the demon, I practiced the Eight Treasures Art in the afternoon—just in case. We waited for you to reveal yourself, handled your men first to reduce complications, then trapped you with the Sword Rain Art when you least expected it."

Liu Lingshuang clapped her hands, made a face at Wei Xikun, sat beside Ye Sansi, and said, "Sansi, I never expected it. You’ve grown so clever and cunning after just a few days away from the mountain—the foolish boy I knew is gone!"

Ye Sansi scratched his head with a sheepish grin. "Not really. Back on Nameless Peak, I used plenty of tricks hunting wild boars—all thanks to Uncle Shu’s teachings and my own tinkering."

"I’m amazed a wild child could learn so much from hunting boars. I’ll have to think more highly of you from now on. So does that mean Wei Xikun is even dumber than a wild boar?"

Ye Sansi laughed. "At least with boars, I sometimes go hungry if I fail!"

Wei Xikun shouted, "You insolent peasants dare mock me? I am the Crown Prince of Qingjian Creek! This is unforgivable!"

Li Taiyi drew his sword, pointing it at the prince. "You’re a demon—a murderous one at that. Not only will we imprison you, but we’ll destroy you for the stationmaster’s sake."

Wei Xikun laughed. "How ridiculous! The stationmaster was my family’s servant. His life and death are mine to command. I was hungry, so I used him for my arts—what of it? Busybody peasants!"

Ye Sansi slammed the table, furious. "You wretch! Killing and justifying it so shamelessly. Every life belongs to itself, not to anyone else. All beings are equal—no one is born to serve you. You’re nothing but a demon who preys on others—a creature to be reviled and trampled underfoot!"

Wei Xikun snarled, "You think you can defeat me? This cage can’t hold me. I’ll take all four of your lives, then use your flesh and blood to perfect my supreme art!"

As he began to cast his spell, the already dim sky darkened further, moonlight vanishing. The room grew shadowy, the candles toppled, doors and windows rattled. Wei Xikun’s eyes glowed red-black; fangs sprouted, claws extended, even his hair bristled into spikes. He was no longer a prince, but a monster incarnate.

Liu Lingshuang wrinkled her nose. "This demon is hideous—utterly disgusting."

Lin Nian’er worriedly asked, "Young Master Ye, Young Master Li, this creature seems terrifying—can you defeat him?"

Ye Sansi called urgently, "Lingshuang, take Nian’er somewhere safe. Taiyi and I will deal with the demon. Go!"

"Be careful, Sansi!"

"Take care, both of you!" With that, Lingshuang led Nian’er out of the post station.

Wei Xikun tried to break free, but underestimated the power of Heaven’s Wrath. In human form, he might have endured, but as a demon, the swords radiated blue ice, each blade filled with killing intent—within this cage, it was as if a thousand icy needles pierced his heart. If struck, his blood would freeze and his soul be lost. He dared not move recklessly.

Though they had him trapped, Ye Sansi did not kill him at once. The sixteen swords formed an array; disturbing one would disrupt the whole spell, giving Wei Xikun a chance to escape.

Li Taiyi said, "Sansi, my father gave me some divine talismans—I’ll use divine fire to end him."

Ye Sansi stopped him. "No, Taiyi. Divine fire and Heaven’s Wrath counter each other. If it fails, he might escape."

As they spoke, Wei Xikun found a weak spot and began pounding the floor with all his strength. Ye Sansi realized, "He’s trying to dig his way out!"

Before they could stop him, the demon smashed through the floor, leaped down, then up again, breaking another hole. Sansi summoned the swords, but the demon struck first, sending him flying. Only by stabbing his sword into the ground did Sansi halt his fall.

The demon turned on Taiyi, who dodged, transformed talismans into shields, and unleashed divine fire with his sword—but the demon’s hide was too tough; fire and steel alike could not harm him.

Taiyi’s sword was knocked away, and he was struck by a claw, but reacted swiftly, raising a shield just in time though he was thrown back a hundred paces. Sansi rushed in, wielding Heaven’s Wrath in the Thirteen Blazing Steps, finally gaining the upper hand, forcing the demon back. Yet every slash was blocked by those deadly claws.

Li Taiyi called out, "Sansi, I’ll help you! Let’s finish this monster together!"

Sansi glanced back and saw a sword wreathed in divine fire had landed near him, setting the station ablaze. The flames spread rapidly. "Taiyi, don’t worry about me—there are still guards and servants inside! Save them, I’ll handle the demon!"

"All right, Sansi—hold on!" With that, Taiyi dashed into the burning station to rescue the others.

Sansi finished his Thirteen Swords, but the demon lost only six claws—his flesh unscathed. Sansi circled behind, aiming for a fatal blow, but Wei Xikun, trained in martial arts since childhood, reacted instantly, dodging and counterattacking with both claws.

They exchanged more than twenty blows, neither able to wound the other. Wei Xikun began to gain the upper hand—he had memorized Sansi’s swordplay, and now every move was anticipated.

Sansi, out of tricks, could only dodge.

After Taiyi rescued everyone, the station was engulfed in flames. Sansi drew the fight onto open ground a hundred paces away, where Taiyi joined in. Together, they gradually regained the advantage, but Taiyi’s sword could not pierce the demon’s hide, and Heaven’s Wrath, while dangerous, was anticipated and evaded.

At that moment, Liu Lingshuang ran up. "Sansi, Taiyi, let me help!"

Sansi panicked. "Lingshuang, why are you here? It’s dangerous! Go! I can handle this!" In that instant, the demon landed a heavy blow, sending him back ten paces. Taiyi countered with his family’s three forms, but to no avail.

Lingshuang exchanged a glance with Sansi—he understood. Rushing the demon, he feinted, while Taiyi was struck again, his sword shattered, sent flying a hundred paces before collapsing.

Sansi couldn’t help him—he had to finish the demon first. He unleashed the Thirteen Blazing Steps. Wei Xikun, confident now, recognized the move, readied his own counter, and saw an opening.

He struck—yet Sansi, as if foreseeing his attack, dodged just before Wei Xikun committed. The demon, unable to pull back, was caught off guard.

"Universe Lock!" Lingshuang cried, freezing the monster for a heartbeat. In that blink, Sansi leaped forward, sword aimed at the demon’s head. But Wei Xikun dodged—his right arm caught the blade, instantly frozen, the icy poison coursing through his veins.

Wei Xikun reacted swiftly, slicing off his own arm, which shattered to ice on the ground. He roared, "The technique of Fangcun Immortal Isle? So you’re from Fangcun! I won’t play with you any longer—you’ll regret this!"

Before Sansi could react, the demon sprang away in a single bound, moving so swiftly that pursuit was impossible. Li Taiyi called after him, slowly getting to his feet. Sansi hurried over to help.

Clutching his chest, Taiyi said, "Sansi, the demon has fled—there’s no catching him now. But with Heaven’s Wrath in his veins, losing an arm won’t save him. He has less than an hour left. I’m wounded and need to rest; I can’t give chase."

Lin Nian’er rushed over, asking softly, "Young Master Li, are you all right? I have medicine—let me fetch it for you."

Li Taiyi waved her off. "It’s nothing, just a scratch. I’ll be fine after a short rest. Besides, look at the post station—it’s all up in flames, nothing left but ashes."

Ye Sansi’s face changed. "Damn!" And with that, he dashed into the inferno...