Chapter 401: Yuán Power VS Home Field Advantage

On this mountain road, the Fufeng City Guard led the procession, with the three delegations nestled safely in the middle. Several merchant teams and other travelers followed behind them. In order, the Shimen merchant team, which had deliberately fallen behind, was sixteenth.

The mountain road was winding, and in its narrowest sections, only two carriages could pass abreast. In the wider hollows, however, there was more space. Consequently, these different groups stretched out like a long centipede.

The Shimen merchant team was at least twenty *li* behind the guard. By now, the guard team had rounded the far side of the mountain, while the Shimen team was still on their side, almost able to see each other across Wind Demon Mountain. If Second Boss Shi could have witnessed this, he might have been moved to tears of relief.

After the tornado left Fan Mountain, it maintained a small tail in contact with the ground. From afar, it resembled an antenna, but up close, it was remarkably thick, continuously drawing energy from the ground and causing its vortex to expand further. Its apparent slow speed belied its actual rapid movement.

At that moment, the merchants and travelers on the mountain road also spotted the approaching Wind Demon. Amidst shouts of alarm, they desperately tried to turn their horses around. However, a dozen horses, spurred too hard and panicked by the narrow path, lost their footing, plunging both themselves and their carriages over the edge. Other horses simply collapsed on the spot, refusing to budge despite repeated whipping. Naturally, many more abandoned their carriages and fled back without hesitation. What good were their belongings if they lost their lives?

The guard team, of course, also spotted the raging Wind Demon. Though startled, they remained unafraid. Before it could reach them, the commanding general quickly ordered everyone to run to a nearby hollow. There, they formed a defensive perimeter, with the delegations protected inside and the guards positioned outside. He knew full well that with nearly four hundred people and a narrow mountain path, outrunning the Wind Demon in such a short time was impossible.

So he drew out a wooden staff, plunged it forcefully into the ground, and bellowed, "United in strength!" Three hundred guards echoed his cry in unison. The wooden staff instantly emitted a deep blue light, conjuring a protective shield that enveloped the entire group. It was carved from a branch of the Sacred Tree King, imbued with a portion of its demonic power and divine abilities.

"'Nock arrows!'" At the general's command, everyone unslung their longbows, drew their strings, nocked arrows, and took aim. The arrowheads, too, glowed with blue light. "'Fire!'" Three hundred arrows were loosed in unison. With such a massive target, missing was impossible.

However, the tornado contained countless debris – rocks, sand, and even rubble from the Ethereal Sect ruins – all moving at high speed, effectively acting as shields. Of the three hundred arrows, more than half struck these obstructions, with only about a hundred penetrating the vortex. The guards witnessed over a hundred blue points of light suddenly flash, exploding like static discharge within clouds, and the Wind Demon let out a furious roar.

Being formless and incorporeal, ordinary blades, spears, and arrows were useless against it. However, the primal energy infused into the arrows was the inherent nemesis of all demonic creatures, and the Wind Demon was no exception. Its agony was comparable to being struck by a hundred arrows. But upon sensing the aura emanating from the wooden staff, the Wind Demon's rage skyrocketed. The Sacred Tree King! Its mortal enemy, who had brought about its ruin over four hundred years ago, hadn't appeared in person, yet had sent this very team. How could it possibly miss such a heaven-sent opportunity for revenge?

With a surge of power, it caused over three hundred arrows to whirl within the tempest for a few rotations before suddenly hurtling back the way they came, whistling towards the assembled group. Their return velocity was even greater than their initial flight from the bowstrings. The blue protective shield shimmered, deflecting every single one.

But at that very moment, the Wind Demon surged up the mountainside and slammed into the rocky outcrop. Those massive boulders appeared formidable, but their bases had long been severely weathered. With a forceful push from the Wind Demon, they immediately tumbled down the steep slope like toppled pillars, gaining unstoppable momentum amidst a deafening roar. Some even split into two, rolling down together. That amounted to hundreds of thousands of *jin* of mud, sand, and rock, and the guard team was directly below, at the base of the slope. Against this cataclysmic assault, the shield appeared perilously thin, and no one was confident it could hold. Several envoys felt a chill to their bones, too terrified to watch, and buried their faces in their arms.

Just as the massive boulders thundered down, the ethereal image of a colossal tree suddenly materialized above the group. Its branches and leaves soared skyward, an exact replica of the Sacred Tree King. Boulders larger than millstones ricocheted off the tree's crown. Only stones of smaller dimensions slipped through the gaps in its leaves, striking the ground below. Members of the guard team swiftly moved to bat away these remaining projectiles. An envoy from the Chiyan Kingdom was struck on the forehead by a piece of shrapnel, leaving a long, bleeding gash. However, the colossal tree's phantom clearly had no intention of intercepting such minor nuisances. Prioritizing the major threats, it wouldn't expend energy blocking every last piece of debris. The guard team's mission was crucial to the reputation of the demon kingdom, and the Sacred Tree King had specially allocated them more abundant primal energy. However, even this power was not limitless.

The tornado paused mid-air, seemingly observing, or perhaps contemplating. Of course, the guard team's volley of arrows quickly reminded it that there was no time for hesitation on the battlefield. A dozen breaths later, it had already swept behind the mountain. With the mountain as a barrier, the humans could no longer target it with arrows.

The general ran vigorously up the mountain ridge, using both hands and feet. Without needing to be told, two of his personal guards followed close behind. They knew that if they continued to be passively attacked, no amount of primal energy would suffice. They had to strike back. The arrows the general loosed even bore a faint red glow, causing immense harm to demonic creatures. However, this was a formidable enemy that had once battled the Sacred Tree King ages ago. Furthermore, the battlefield was the peak of a high mountain, the Wind Demon's absolute home ground, where it could replenish its energy with ease. Even if the Sacred Tree King himself were present, subduing it would be difficult, let alone a few humans.

The tornado disregarded their arrows, having already moved behind the mountain, and mercilessly swept up the merchant convoy there. Amidst screams, people, horses, carriages, and goods were all lifted into the sky. Witnesses paled, and the fugitives on the mountain path only wished they had more legs. The Wind Demon seized these people, horses, and carriages, then turned and hurled them at the guard team.

It's important to remember that the colossal tree's phantom was merely a divine ability, not the Sacred Tree King himself. It would identify incoming boulders and arrows as enemy attacks requiring interception. However, people, horses, and goods falling from the sky were not inherently offensive, so the ancient tree's phantom disregarded them. Nonetheless, these objects, caught in the hurricane's grip, combined with the wind speed and their own weight, descended like cannonballs, their destructive power not to be underestimated.

Unfortunately, hundreds of people were crammed into the hollow, making them a concentrated target for the Wind Demon. With a cacophony of crashes, over a dozen guards and delegation members were crushed into pulp by falling carriages and heavy objects before they could even utter a sound. This maneuver alone demonstrated the Wind Demon's considerable intelligence.

Several porters from the delegation were so terrified they lost their wits, turning to flee into the distance, desperate to escape this killing ground. Under the Wind Demon's gaze, where could they possibly escape? They hadn't run two steps before the storm swept them skyward, leaving them to wonder when, or if, they would ever land. Seeing this tactic's effectiveness, the Wind Demon immediately turned to seize another merchant convoy to hurl. The groups further back had already fled, leaving no one behind. Only hundreds of carriages and horses remained stationary, which the Wind Demon could effortlessly lift and weaponize. It was both a logical and convenient strategy.

It appeared to be thoroughly enjoying itself. After two rounds of bombardment, it moved further back along the mountain path, seemingly intent on collecting more 'tools'. Carriages occupied considerable space; just one or two more throws and the delegations and guards would have no ground left to stand on.

Separated by a few mountain peaks, the Shimen merchant team wasn't entirely clear on what was happening ahead. They only heard the howling wind and perceived what seemed to be a massive tornado swirling in the air. The tornado had drawn in so much debris that its color had turned black, making it appear particularly malevolent. Its path, furthermore, seemed to weave erratically, making it unpredictable. Apart from that, they saw people from the front fleeing back, screaming as they ran at a frenzied pace: "'The Wind Demon is here! The Wind Demon is here!'"

The Wind Demon? The one from the legends of the Ethereal Sect? The merchant team members trembled with fear, immensely grateful they hadn't been closer.

While the guard team was struggling to cope, He Lingchuan, from within the belly of Wind Demon Mountain, focused not on the grim scene across the way, but on Fu Shanyue atop the peak. The main road was in chaos; no one had the time to look up at the main peak of the Ethereal Sect. But just as the Wind Demon slammed into the colossal tree's phantom, a small dark speck burst forth from the mountaintop, taking two strides and then leaping off! Fu Shanyue!

He Lingchuan had been carefully observing Fu Shanyue's movements and quietly approaching the mountain. Now, he rode his rock goat straight up the peak, stopping precisely where Fu Shanyue had stood moments before. This spot offered the best panoramic view of the entire situation. This man had orchestrated such a widespread disaster, then simply watched the chaos unfold from the mountain, observing until this very moment.

Naturally, the distance from the mountaintop to the main road on the opposite side was vast, beyond human reach; only winged creatures could traverse it. However, Fu Shanyue had developed unique capabilities, as if he had sprouted wing-like appendages and specialized feet, allowing him to traverse even great mountains. Strictly speaking, these weren't true wings, but wide membranes of skin stretched between his hands and feet, allowing him to glide forward on air currents like a flying squirrel!

He Lingchuan murmured, "This guy really has all the gear." He had ridden his rock goat, risking his life, traversing dangerous cliffs and rugged peaks, rushing and scrambling to finally make it back to the main road. How could that compare to this fellow's effortless descent from the sky?

However, Fu Shanyue was gliding directly towards the Wind Demon. In less than ten breaths, he was swept into the furious vortex! He was as helpless as a leaf caught in a whirlpool. What was the meaning of this? He Lingchuan watched, momentarily stunned.

But then the Wind Demon began violently smashing things down: carriages, goods, humans... and Fu Shanyue! People rained down from the sky, a bewildering sight. Yet, He Lingchuan's meticulously trained eyesight still managed to pick out Fu Shanyue among the dozens falling simultaneously. Colliding with so much debris within the vortex, and then being violently slammed onto the ground by the Wind Demon, an ordinary person would have been killed or crippled. But this fellow's body truly seemed to be made of iron; after landing, he rolled once and immediately scrambled to his feet, darting left and right to dodge two falling carriages, before rushing straight into the delegation.

"'Fishing in troubled waters?' He Lingchuan squinted. 'Let's see who your real target is!'"

Now, there was no safe spot anywhere in the hollow. It was solely thanks to the guards' agile movements that they managed to protect the envoys, constantly dodging and weaving. Fu Shanyue reached their side in two swift bounds. Normally, if he dared to approach the delegation so closely, the guards would have immediately driven him off. But now, with everyone's attention fixed on the sky, how much vigilance could they possibly maintain against other 'humans'? After all, people were falling from the sky everywhere.

"'Watch out!' Fu Shanyue yelled, tackling the Chiyan Kingdom envoy to the ground."