Chapter 286: United Battle

The sizes of the malevolent entities vary greatly, so this "Feast of Furies" must accommodate the needs of all present.

Wild Boar Fang's body is large, and so is its appetite.

Its bowls and plates are the size of washbasins.

The dishes served this time were precisely one platter of "Simmered Eyeballs" and one of "Live-Cut Pups."

The Corpse Crow dropped both its Longzhu Waidan into the "Simmered Eyeballs."

Then it flew back.

Xu Yuan nodded to it: "Good. You'll be rewarded later."

The Corpse Crow's pale eyeballs glowed: "Can I peck at those living humans?"

Upon hearing this, my lord immediately shoved it back into the carriage.

"Squawk—"

A few more feathers drifted down.

Xu Yuan waited quietly.

Outside Tianpeng Gorge, the Barber waited too.

He and the Old Black Dog were both sixth-rank.

But he guessed this wild boar was at least fifth-rank!

The Barber's method included a special herb, designed to target the brain.

After consuming it, the mind becomes perfectly clear, but the connection between brain and body is severed.

The victim loses all capacity to resist, forced to watch helplessly as the Barber peels back the scalp, opens the skull, and does as he pleases with the brain.

The Old Black Dog had been hidden nearby, watching coldly as all the malevolent entities consumed the drugged food.

His ability, strictly speaking, was not invisibility, but "integration."

Like a shepherd dog perfectly blending into a flock of sheep.

But it could only last half a minute.

The Old Black Dog observed all the malevolent entities; aside from the wild boar, none here were above sixth-rank.

The spirits acted like humans, simply dumping food into their mouths.

Those of the yin-soul type opened their mouths and inhaled.

They sucked out the "vital energy," and the food rapidly rotted and spoiled.

The herb's potency was drawn in along with the vital energy.

Some blood-sucking trees and man-eating flowers extended their roots, coiled around the food, and absorbed it clean.

If the herb's power failed to reach a "brain," it would paralyze the entire body.

The Old Black Dog waited until they had consumed the herb, silently counting in his mind.

The malevolent entities' movements grew slower.

The once boisterous Feast of Furies at Tianpeng Gorge fell silently into stillness.

Only the wild boars in the muddy mud by the water still grunted.

And the lesser malevolent entities serving the guests.

They carried the next round of dishes, still bringing them to the feast, when suddenly they noticed everyone had stopped moving.

The Old Rat frowned: "Eat! Why isn't anyone eating?"

As he spoke, he subtly signaled his kin and began backing away.

Something's wrong… Run!

"Woof!"

Suddenly, a dog's bark struck the Old Rat's mind, sending him reeling.

The Shepherd Dog's ability activated—not only could it herd humans, but other creatures too.

Though the effect was weaker.

But today, the rats were Fu Daxiong.

After a wave of confusion and dizziness, the Old Rat's eyes blazed with murderous intent—he was about to tear off his whiskers—when a paw suddenly pinned him to the ground.

The Old Rat's spirit instantly crumbled.

Dog catches rat!

Though it was meddling, dogs truly could catch rats.

Hiss—

The Old Black Dog's paw ripped open its throat.

Stinking blood gushed out.

The dog's tail, like an iron bar, swept in—CRACK! —crushing the rat's skull to pulp!

The Barber moved too, dashing in, his razor glinting coldly as he slit the necks of the giant rats one by one.

In his other hand, a red-hot pair of tongs—he clamped them once, and the lesser malevolent entities serving the guests vanished in smoke.

Xu Yuan watched from the cliffside, muttering: "These two are no slouches."

The Old Rat, Fu Daxiong today, offered no resistance and was killed beneath the Black Dog's paw.

The Old Rat's death had one advantage: his trick was lifted.

Miao Yu and the others should regain movement.

The Barber and the Old Black Dog finished clearing the malevolent entities and stood together outside the cave, watching warily inside.

Inside, all was silent.

The old partners exchanged a glance—the Wild Boar Fang was too powerful.

Once inside, if you can take the stone coffin directly, don't engage the Wild Boar Fang.

The man and the dog had just taken one step forward when a heavy black shadow suddenly shot out of the cave with a "wooo."

The barber swung his pole horizontally and clashed with the shadow with a boom.

The barber retreated several large steps, breathing like a bellows, his arms trembling.

And the heavy black shadow thudded to the ground—it was a stone axe the size of a millstone.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Wild Boar Fang stormed out of the cave, scanned the entire Tianpeng Ravine, and let out a roar to the sky.

"Dare to cause trouble on my turf? You seek death!"

Wild Boar Fang was furious.

Today's wedding was stood up, he had to force himself to host a bloody banquet, and now someone had disrupted it!

It snatched up the stone axe on the ground, its bristles standing straight like needles of steel.

Without hesitation, it swung the axe at the old black dog.

The old black dog dodged nimbly, but Wild Boar Fang swung axe after axe, swift as thunder; after a few evasions, the old black dog was on the brink of death.

"Woof!"

It barked sharply at Wild Boar Fang, but the boar was utterly unaffected; it swung the axe sideways and sent the old black dog flying.

"Wah—"

The old black dog spat out a mouthful of blood, mixed with fragments of internal organs.

The barber suddenly appeared, his razor slicing across Wild Boar Fang's back.

Sssssss…

The blade scraped sparks from the bristles, yet Wild Boar Fang remained unharmed!

It spun around and smashed the axe at the barber, who still held his pole in his other hand.

He hastily raised the pole to block.

Crack!

The pole bounced back and struck the barber's shoulder.

His shoulder collapsed instantly, every bone shattered.

"Aah—"

The barber screamed.

Wild Boar Fang turned and punched the barber's head.

If that punch landed, the head would shatter.

The old black dog gritted its teeth, its body swelling instantly to several times its size—now as large as a water buffalo—and bit down on Wild Boar Fang's leg, yanking hard backward.

Wild Boar Fang lifted its leg, and the old black dog flew through the air.

Wild Boar Fang raised the stone axe and slashed down at the airborne old black dog.

The old black dog barked wildly in midair, finally distracting Wild Boar Fang slightly, slowing its motion just enough—the axe grazed its body and sliced off half its tail!

"Aah!" The old black dog screamed again.

The barber swiftly shifted position, standing shoulder to shoulder with the old black dog.

Behind Miao Yu slowly regained mobility; he had been watching the battle with Wild Boar Fang all along.

Suddenly, he saw a malevolent spirit slinking down from the side of the cliff.

The malevolent spirit spotted Behind Miao Yu, its face flickered—and Behind Miao Yu's heart leapt with joy: Brother Xu!

Xu Yuan made several hand gestures; Behind Miao Yu understood, and remained perfectly still.

Beside him, Qin Ze suddenly moved; Behind Miao Yu whispered sharply: "Don't move!"

Wild Boar Fang raised the stone axe and charged at the barber and the old black dog, smashing it down between them with a boom—a massive crack split the ground instantly.

The barber noticed sharply: "It's slowing down."

"My medicine is working!"

The two immediately put distance between them, coordinating like hunter and hound, harassing and restraining from front and back.

Wild Boar Fang roared, swinging the axe repeatedly—then suddenly staggered, its legs tangled, and crashed to the ground with a boom.

(End of Chapter)