Chapter Forty-Nine: Half a Step

Liuchou and the warriors of Tianshan Dun joined the battle at the rear wall. Leading Mowun and Guanlan, they seized a section of the ramparts and engaged in a desperate struggle against the demons scaling the wall.

The rear wall of the mountain villa was not a single, continuous structure but a series of short, rugged wall segments interspersed with countless jagged rocks. This terrain made the ascent difficult for the typically massive demons, which gave the soldiers more opportunities to strike and resulted in fewer casualties compared to the full-frontal assault.

Liuchou lunged at a massive bear-demon. The creature was exceptionally formidable; as it climbed, soldiers showered it with spear thrusts and arrows from above. Yet, its thick hide was like heavy armor—most arrows bounced off, and those that pierced only sank to the arrowhead, falling away as the giant body shook. These soldiers were not novices; they knew that demons like bears often coated themselves in pine resin, making their skin as tough as iron. To kill one, they had to strike the eyes or mouth, but the bear kept its head low as it climbed, making it impossible to target.

Finally, the bear reached the top. With a sweep of its giant claws, it sliced two soldiers in half, sending their bloody remains tumbling down. It then let out a heaven-shaking roar and charged along the wall.

Just then, Liuchou arrived. With a light leap, he vaulted over the retreating soldiers and appeared directly in front of the bear, his iron staff nearly poking the beast's nose. The demon roared in alarm and swung its claw at the staff, but it was too late. Liuchou landed, slid between the bear’s armpits, and emerged behind the beast, his stature appearing like a mere toy compared to the giant.

The iron staff, like a massive serpent, struck the bear’s rear, tearing through the sphincter and plunging deep into its body. The demon let out a cataclysmic howl and tried to turn, but Liuchou was faster. After twisting the staff, he withdrew it and brought it down in a powerful arc upon the bear’s head. Under the tremendous impact, the demon’s skull shattered, and its massive body toppled backward before being kicked off the wall.

As the bear’s corpse hit the ground, still twitching, Liuchou vaulted back up to target other demons. This time, he chose a lithe deer-demon. The creature had a human-like frame and wielded a long sword, keeping its human appearance save for two twisted horns on its forehead. As Liuchou looked at it, the demon stared back coldly, shook its sword to dislodge a corpse, and charged with a hiss.

As the deer-demon leaped into the air, Liuchou moved like a ghost. Before the demon could land, he appeared beneath it with incredible speed. Though the iron staff seemed too short for the reach, the deer-demon suddenly felt a surge of dread. It looked down to see Liuchou holding the staff in one hand while the other leveled a heavy, dark-glistening hand crossbow, its bolt mocking the demon’s recklessness.

The deer-demon shrieked, its body enveloped in swirling black demonic energy that coalesced into gray-black armor. It collided with the bolt and was sent flying backward like a puppet struck by a giant fist, spraying blood as it crashed into the thick of the fray.

The battle had descended into chaos. Everywhere, inside and outside the villa, men and demons were locked in a tangled melee. Aside from the final division held in reserve, the entire Yingyang Army had been committed to the fight, yet the demons had breached the line in several places, forcing the last division to be split into companies and battalions to plug the gaps.

Liuchou did not intend to let the injured deer-demon escape. He charged after it, sweeping aside any lesser demons in his path. He specifically targeted 5th or 6th-rank demons—the "scouts" of the demon ranks—knowing well that to capture the enemy, one must first strike the leader.

The deer-demon struggled to its feet. Its left arm was pierced by a fist-sized hole from the crossbow bolt; had it not been for the protection of its innate demonic arts, the limb would have been severed. Facing the oncoming Liuchou, the demon panicked and lunged with its sword.

Liuchou flipped in mid-air, his iron staff clashing against the blade. Using the momentum, he landed behind the demon. Before their weapons could lock again, the deer-demon stumbled and fell—Liuchou’s tail had lashed out, snaring the demon’s hind leg and yanking it to the ground. Liuchou’s staff struck mercilessly, piercing the demon’s vulnerable abdomen and pinning it to the earth, churning the metal until the internal organs were reduced to pulp.

He withdrew immediately to avoid a desperate counterattack. A moment later, a yellow glow erupted from the demon’s mouth—a blast of demonic energy that shattered a nearby cluster of human and demon soldiers into a mist of blood. Liuchou dodged, feeling a chill; that yellow light was clearly the demon’s inner core. Suddenly, a massive force struck his back like a heavy hammer, sending him flying.

Pain flared in his back. He stood and looked around, but the space where he had been standing was empty. Looking upward, he saw several crab-shelled insect-demons hovering in the air, hissing in confusion—they could not understand how such a small, unimposing human could withstand such a blow without breaking bones or dying on the spot.

This was not Liuchou’s area of expertise. He cast a cold glance at them and turned to run back toward the wall, vaulting over it and dropping into the villa. The insect-demons swarmed after him, ignoring the human soldiers, their compound eyes scanning for his trail.

But the battlefield was too chaotic. Suddenly, the insects felt an extreme sense of danger. They turned to see Liuchou behind them. He leaped into the air and scattered a substance with a pungent, strange odor—it was black fire oil, the very thing the insect-demons feared most.

The insects scattered, but it was too late. Many were coated in the oil. Liuchou landed on the wall and kicked a large brazier into the air, showering the area in burning charcoal. In an instant, several insect-demons caught fire, turning into balls of flame that wailed as they plummeted to the ground, where they were trampled to death. The survivors fled, never daring to provoke him again.

Liuchou did not pursue. He knew his role was to eliminate high-ranking threats to secure victory, not simply to slaughter. The remnants could be handled by the regular soldiers.

The front lines were fully engaged. Ahead, the battle between Pihan and Liegang had paused; as expected, Pihan was wounded. However, the ten thousand soldiers at the front had been wiped out. Mechanical beasts, roaring as they charged, replaced them. Constructed of steel and wood, their ten-thousand-pound bodies smashed into the demon ranks.

These mechanical beasts were different from the ones Liuchou had seen before; they were covered in thick iron plating and spikes. Some had giant blades mounted on the front to sweep and cleave, others had retracting spears, and some were even equipped with massive shears that snapped with a thunderous sound.

The demon army had committed all their forces. Despite their strength, they were losing the numbers game. Facing fifty thousand elite human soldiers, they were struggling, and their casualties were rising exponentially.

Yet, the human situation was hardly better. All reserves had been deployed. Human soldiers were organized into small squads of ten, hunting the demons that had infiltrated the villa. These squads were clearly highly trained; their coordination and precision far surpassed the front-line fodder, allowing them to slay 3rd or 4th-rank demons in a matter of seconds. These were the veterans of the Yingyang Army, using specialized tactics to combat demons. The front-line soldiers were merely annual recruits—if they survived, only then were they considered for the elite ranks.

Without the mechanical beasts, this was the Yingyang Army’s trump card.

This was the situation Liegang had hoped for. Though the ambush had been exposed, he remained confident that with his fifty thousand troops, he could trap and annihilate both human contingents here.

Unless...

As the insect-demons fled, Liuchou wiped his hands on the wall and gripped his staff. Suddenly, the earth shook. A cataclysmic roar erupted from the front of the Yunzhan Villa, and a terrifying force surged into the sky.

Black demonic power tore through the constraints of the world’s spiritual energy, disrupting the natural order. Dark clouds descended, triggering thunder and lightning that lashed the ground like silver snakes, igniting raging fires.

For any being below the status of an Immortal—man or demon alike—to wield the powers of heaven and earth required overcoming the shackles of the Investiture of the Gods. Only a Great Demon or an Immortal could channel such force!

Liuchou looked at Tu Zhu, who stood at the highest point. The worry in his eyes spoke volumes; something monumental had occurred at the front. This power was beyond the capabilities of Pihan or Liegang. The identity of the one who had unleashed such a catastrophe was clear.

A Half-Step Great Demon!