Chapter 1142: Unquiet Night

It appeared that these were the demon-slaying teams invited by Julu Kingdom.

Someone from the team ran out and called to He Lingchuan, "Mr. He!"

Everyone looked and saw that it was surprisingly Wang Gesheng!

The young man had several injuries on his body, and the bowstring on his back was broken, but he hadn't lost any limbs.

He Lingchuan asked curiously, "Why are you in the mountains too?"

"We chased the rampaging demon beasts, fighting them all the way from the town to here," Wang Gesheng said excitedly. "Besides the demon-hunting teams, the King also dispatched General Long with nine thousand troops to encircle the White Bear King! The scene was magnificent! It's a shame you didn't see it."

"The army and the demon-slaying teams killed over a thousand wolves and more than three hundred giant bears. The corpses of demons and beasts piled up into mountains behind the town!"

Hu Min interjected, "Nine thousand troops? Where did they mobilize so many people from?"

Julu Kingdom was a small country, and there was still a war in the west, so it was not easy for them to muster nine thousand troops domestically.

Wang Gesheng was taken aback by the question. "Uh, I'm not sure about that, but there really were that many people! There was a vast crowd, and torches lit up the sky. The old soldiers all said it was the first time there had been such a large-scale demon-slaying operation since Julu Kingdom was founded."

The King of Julu was truly bold; seizing the opportunity of the White Bear King coming down the mountain, he went all-in with all the good cards he had. It seemed he was truly determined to eradicate the White Bear King, this scourge.

"So, what about the White Bear King?"

"That great demon is truly formidable," Wang Gesheng said, still with lingering fear. "It alone killed over three hundred people. Even two of General Long's most capable officers were killed by it."

Menban interjected, "Killing enemy generals among nine thousand enemies?"

Among the people he knew, only General Hong was so valiant. And she had to lead the Great Wind Army to charge; one person couldn't do it alone.

"No, no, the White Bear King also understands the art of war, its feints and realities," Wang Gesheng said. "While sending its subordinate demons to attack the army, it played hide-and-seek with General Long. General Long is a great general who accompanied the King on campaigns across the land, always commanding with composure on the battlefield, yet it still managed to escape him."

"This Bear King is quite cunning. Did it escape into the mountains?"

"General Long wasn't sure," Wang Gesheng said, "so he divided the main army into several units, searching all the way into the mountains. The Bear King was also heavily wounded, so everyone is very motivated."

He pointed to the bow on his back and said proudly, "The White Bear King's left eye was blinded by my arrow!"

He Lingchuan was a bit surprised and gave him a thumbs up. "It didn't pounce on you?"

Bears are known to be very vengeful creatures.

Wang Gesheng scratched the back of his head, looking a bit embarrassed. "There was a mountain gully between it and me, and soldiers were in front and behind it. Though it was furious, it couldn't get to me."

Menban chuckled and chided, "Good lad. With the credit for this arrow, your position in the army will be secure from now on."

He Lingchuan nodded. At that moment, he could see that Wang Gesheng understood how to assess the situation and seize opportunities better than ordinary young men. No wonder he would later become a pioneering figure.

"The one who finally kills the White Bear King, that will be an unprecedented feat."

While they were chatting, the demon-slaying team had already moved on.

Fearing he would be left behind, Wang Gesheng quickly said goodbye to He Lingchuan and the others and hurried to catch up.

He Lingchuan also continued his journey.

Along the way, they encountered two more demon-slaying teams, each also consisting of three to five hundred people.

Facing the demon hordes in Whitefur Mountain, humans had to group together to enter.

Occasionally, there were sounds of signal arrows and flashes of fireworks in the sky. Those were signals for demon slayers who had encountered tough opponents, calling nearby teams for help.

He Lingchuan remembered Wang Gesheng saying just now that two red fireworks as a signal meant the White Bear King had appeared!

Until dark, he didn't seem to have seen any double red fireworks.

But with the mist so thick, who knew if other teams in the distance had had that "honor"?

Hu Min returned from scouting ahead and shook his head. "I don't know how much further it is to get out of the mountains. Otherwise, should we make do here for the night?"

As outsiders, they were unfamiliar with this large mountain. It was not advisable to continue traveling after nightfall, lest they get more and more lost.

Old Liu was already too tired to walk and was slumped on the back of a Coiling Dragon Guard. Hearing this, he quickly looked up and exclaimed, "What? That's too dangerous!"

There were still so many demons in the mountains; how could they dare to spend the night here?

Hu Min surveyed the surrounding terrain, too lazy to even glance at him. "How about you leave first?"

Old Liu grumbled. These few thousand taels of silver were truly not easy to earn, risking his life for them.

Whitefur Mountain had many demons, and it was a special period now. Everyone felt it was safest not to light a fire, and ideally not to sleep on the ground.

So He Lingchuan and the others chose several towering giant fir trees and hung their hammocks under their thick branches.

The trunks of these fir trees grew vertically like pencils, reaching heights of nearly twenty-five *zhang*, looking like towers from a distance. Even in any other forest, they would stand out.

Since they were spending the night in the forest, He Lingchuan wanted to have an excellent view.

The hammocks they brought were all made from cave spider silk, light but sturdy.

At this height, they could avoid disturbances from the ground, and even mosquitoes were almost nonexistent, but it was not friendly to those with acrophobia. Old Liu only glanced down once, and his face turned pale.

Everyone sat in their hammocks, ate some dry rations and drank water, then began cultivating their internal energy, leaving only one person on guard.

As night deepened, the mist had dispersed at some point.

Not long after, an explosion suddenly echoed in the distance.

He Lingchuan opened his eyes, quickly climbed to the treetop, and stood high to gaze into the distance.

From his height, the treetops in the night forest looked like an ocean of dark ink, thousands of tree crowns swaying with the wind, rising and falling like waves.

This was the origin of the term "sea of trees."

This kind of scenery is rarely seen by ordinary people in their lifetime.

He Lingchuan could even see a white ribbon cascading down a nearby mountaintop.

That should be a waterfall.

However, in this ocean of forest, bright fireworks now rose.

Two fiery red fireworks!

The person setting off the fireworks was probably afraid other teams wouldn't see them, and casually fired two more, *bang, bang*.

He Lingchuan and the Coiling Dragon Guards were all moved. According to Wang Gesheng, this meant someone had discovered the White Bear King, summoning other teams to quickly come to help!

Had the White Bear King finally been caught?

What kind of encirclement and battle were hidden beneath this sea of trees?

The evening breeze blowing over seemed to be filled with blood and chilling intensity.

Not long after, red fireworks were also set off from the ground, but the location had changed.

It was clear the battlefield was also moving. It was unclear whether the army was pursuing the White Bear King or if the White Bear King was chasing humans.

Such fireworks were set off five times within four hours, and their locations kept changing.

Hu Min silently noted these changes and said to He Lingchuan, "It seems to be coming our way."

He Lingchuan's stance was just four words: "Remain still."

Their mission was to retrieve and escort the Bright Lamp, not to kill bears.

The White Bear King was not their problem.

They were spending the night at the top of a giant fir, so far from the ground. The great demon being hunted wouldn't climb trees just for fun.