Chapter 53: One Person, One Army

Volume 3, Chapter 5: One Man, One Army

“Uncle Qian,” Meng Chuan ordered, “Open the armory and let everyone choose their weapons. All those above the Marrow Cleansing Realm, after selecting their weapons and armor, must immediately head to Mirror Lake Dao Academy.”

“Yes!” everyone replied in unison, their eyes filled with fervent fighting spirit.

The Dao Academies were places that people absolutely had to protect. At this moment, Dongning Prefecture City was under monster invasion, and danger lurked everywhere. Traveling to other Dao Academies or even the ancestral home, more than ten li away, was too far. For the prefecture's guards and experts to traverse such a distance... it would be too difficult; they would likely be wiped out on the way. Mirror Lake Dao Academy, however, was very close to their current location.

“Whoosh.” A figure darted into the Meng residence, rushing straight to the training ground.

“Meng Chuan!” the figure, a black-haired elder, called out repeatedly.

“Fifth Elder,” Meng Chuan immediately recognized him.

“Aunt Immortal has instructed,” the black-haired elder whispered, “Dongning Prefecture is in crisis. You are permitted to act freely. However, please ensure the safety of the three thousand clan members at the ancestral home! The five great Godfiend families will also be prime targets for these monsters. Furthermore... if Aunt Immortal and the others fall in battle and the Demon King triumphs, countless people in Dongning Prefecture will flee. You too must escape, and you must escape alone. You are the hope of the entire Meng family; you must not let yourself be cornered.”

“I understand,” Meng Chuan nodded. His great-aunt’s meaning was clear. The Demon Kings were currently being held back by the Godfiends. With Meng Chuan’s speed, no one could stop him if he wanted to leave. Thus, he was allowed to act freely, even encouraged to protect the three thousand clan members at the ancestral home. But if the Godfiends were defeated, and the Demon Kings were free to slaughter, then Meng Chuan would have to escape.

“I’m heading back to the ancestral home now. Do you want to come?” the black-haired elder asked.

“I need to save Qiyue first. She’s still on her way to Blazing Sun Dao Academy,” Meng Chuan replied. “After I save Qiyue, I’ll go to the ancestral home.”

“Alright.” The black-haired elder turned and left immediately; time was precious.

Meng Chuan also took a step, transforming into an afterimage, leaping directly over the courtyard wall. He moved like a wisp of smoke, traversing the rooftops of many houses in the city, heading straight towards Blazing Sun Dao Academy. His sensory range extended for a full li, so he was confident he could locate Liu Qiyue instantly once he was close.

“Qiyue is only in the Body Transformation Realm, and she’s an archer who isn’t skilled in close combat. If she encounters a large group of monsters, it will be trouble,” Meng Chuan worried, his heart burning with anxiety.

Having grown up together, Qiyue was naturally very important to him. He had to protect her. Although his father and Uncle Liu were also out, both had long since comprehended 'potential' and had extensive combat experience against monsters on battlefields. Together, they were more capable of handling crises. Most importantly, Meng Chuan didn't know where his father and Uncle Liu had gone, so there was no way to find them. However, he knew exactly where Qiyue was headed: Blazing Sun Dao Academy.

“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.” Meng Chuan was moving incredibly fast. Suddenly, he saw something in the distance.

In the distance, indistinct ugly figures were streaking across the streets, some running on rooftops, others flying in the sky. They were generally taller than humans; about ten feet tall was a common sight. Occasionally, massive monsters, two or three zhang high, could even be seen! Various monsters were advancing furiously, heading straight towards Meng Chuan.

“So many monsters,” Meng Chuan’s heart tightened.

“It seems the world entrance is somewhere in that direction,” Meng Chuan speculated. “The monsters are emerging from the world entrance and scattering, assaulting in all directions.”

“The path to Blazing Sun Dao Academy is probably crawling with monsters. There’s no avoiding them. I’ll just have to fight my way through.” Meng Chuan did not slow down, charging directly towards the monster army.

Normally, at the mortal level, individual strength is somewhat vulnerable against an army. However, Meng Chuan was highly skilled and courageous. With his ability to sense within a li and his exceptional speed, he was naturally fearless.

“Hmm?” As Meng Chuan raced on, getting closer to the monster army, he immediately noticed that many of these monsters were already engaged in combat. Human experts were tangling with them.

“Roar.” A wolf monster, entangled in a rope net, let out an angry roar but couldn’t tear free. Immediately afterward, three short spears shot out from within a house, piercing through the wolf monster’s body. With three spears sticking out of its body, the wolf monster instantly collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

“Kill them!” Five monsters immediately charged into the house. Inside, traps had been set, and three human experts were lying in ambush. As soon as they rushed in, two monsters were ensnared by ropes and then swiftly killed by a barrage of short spears! Ropes were easy to acquire, and traps could be set quickly. Thus, setting 'rope traps' was a basic skill for human experts serving in the military. It was clear that many such traps had been laid in that house. However, these monsters were not foolish; after only two fell victim, the two-story house was largely destroyed.

While human experts were highly skilled in combat, capable of setting traps and adept at coordination, the monster race had only one approach: charge and kill!

“It seems the three of us are going to die here,” a one-armed old man said with a chuckle, clutching his blade. A one-eyed woman, with a quiver of short spears on her back, held a short spear in each hand and threw them again. At close range indoors, they posed a significant threat. However, the mantis demon leading the charge easily blocked them. The one-eyed woman also chuckled, “The three of us in the Marrow Cleansing Realm, killing three minor demons—it’s worth it.” “Madam, Uncle Zhang, let’s fight one more time. Every one we take down counts,” a tall, burly man urged, holding a shield and a great axe.

The overall strength of the monster race was far superior to that of humans. For example, among the eighteen thousand monsters dispatched this time, over two hundred could project demonic energy! In contrast, Dongning Prefecture had only about twenty experts who had comprehended 'potential,' and while humans could generally fight two or three monsters at once, the truly strongest members of the monster army were the eighteen Grand Commanders! Each of these Grand Commanders possessed top-tier 'Demon King bloodlines.' Their strength was several times that of ordinary Core Condensation great demons, which was why they could become Grand Commanders. These Grand Commanders could easily crush human Core Condensation experts. Even the weakest minor demons had bodies comparable to those in the Body Transformation Realm, regardless of how crude their fighting style was. Humans in the Marrow Cleansing Realm, the minimum requirement for participation, had to rely on traps and coordinated tactics to stand a chance.

Therefore... even the Godfiends admitted that at the mortal level, the monster race indeed overwhelmed humanity. However, at the Godfiend level, Godfiends were by no means weaker than Demon Kings. If the Godfiends emerged victorious, slaughtering ordinary monsters would be much easier.

“Kill!” The tall man, the one-eyed woman, and the one-armed old man all fought desperately, making their final stand before death. The three monsters, meanwhile, lunged directly at them, intending to tear the three humans to shreds.

“Whoosh.” A blade light flashed. The blade light arced, slicing through the bodies of the three monsters. All three were cut in half, still twitching and crawling on the ground. Meng Chuan’s figure appeared by the house for a moment, then swiftly darted away again.

Staring at the three monsters instantly slain, the tall man, the one-eyed woman, and the one-armed old man were stunned, all seeing Meng Chuan’s distant figure. “It’s Young Master Meng.” “Young Master Meng saved us.” The three of them felt the joy of surviving a catastrophe; if they could live, they wanted to.

“Why is Young Master Meng deliberately charging into the monster army?” the one-eyed woman wondered. “Don’t think about it, let’s go quickly! Let’s go set up at Uncle Zhang’s house,” the tall man urged. The three of them immediately abandoned their current position and moved to the next ambush spot.

With the monster invasion, humanity’s method of response was to utilize the terrain, setting up ambushes throughout the city. This was actually the most efficient approach. A direct confrontation? They truly couldn't match the monster race.

“Humans are resisting there, go deal with them.” The monster army was on the move, and some great demons were leading minor demons, hunting everywhere. Sacrificing one minor demon for one human in the Marrow Cleansing Realm was a trade the monsters could afford. After all, there were only about five or six thousand Marrow Cleansing Realm humans in all of Dongning Prefecture City at the moment.

However, as Meng Chuan traveled, he casually killed monsters one after another with flashes of his blade. Having already slain over ten monsters, he immediately attracted the attention of two nearby monster commanders. “That human is very powerful; he must be a human who has comprehended 'potential.'” “Surround and kill him!” “Kill!” Two monster commanders, each leading a hundred monsters, began to encircle him.

This scene was also noticed by the Black Bear Demon Grand Commander, who was a li away. It stood five zhang tall, much taller than an ordinary multi-story tavern. “Quickly deal with that human, then all of you proceed to Mirror Lake Dao Academy and destroy it!” the Black Bear Demon Grand Commander ordered. It possessed the 'Black Mountain Demon King' bloodline. Normal Core Condensation bear demons were only two or three zhang tall, but it was a full five zhang tall... its strength was several times that of an ordinary Core Condensation bear demon, and its physical body was far more robust. Naturally, it held the position of 'Grand Commander.' It possessed immense strength, and as it walked, a single footstep could crush an ordinary house. Its voice boomed, echoing for one or two li around.

“To Mirror Lake Dao Academy!” “To Mirror Lake Dao Academy!” Many of the monster commanders under its command were bellowing.

“Quickly deal with this human!” The two monster commanders surrounding Meng Chuan, hearing the Black Bear Demon Grand Commander’s order, also grew somewhat anxious, and large groups of monsters converged on Meng Chuan. “To Mirror Lake Dao Academy?” Meng Chuan’s eyelids twitched, and a chilling glint appeared in his eyes. As the senior disciple of Mirror Lake Dao Academy, he had prioritized saving his junior sister Qiyue, and then he still had to rush back to the ancestral home. He already felt he had neglected Mirror Lake Dao Academy. Now, seeing this army of a thousand monsters heading towards Mirror Lake Dao Academy, Meng Chuan’s killing intent soared. “If I kill the Monster Grand Commander, the threat of this monster army will be halved,” Meng Chuan thought to himself.