Chapter 84: No Scheme, Open or Hidden, Can Remain Concealed

“Are you truly willing to submit to Lady Fuyao?” The Antlered Fiend still harbored some doubts.

After all, he had been neighbors with the Mountain Troll in Gou Lou Mountain for over a hundred years, and he knew well the other's unyielding nature.

“Is there any other choice but to submit?”

“I’ve already been wounded by your Yin-Yang Sleeve. If I continue to resist, I’ll end up dead, nothing left of me. Besides, as the saying goes, it’s best to rest under the shade of a great tree. If even you, Elder Antlered Immortal, with your strength, are seeking her favor, then Lady Fuyao must be truly extraordinary!”

“Of course!” The Antlered Fiend, delighted by the praise, began to boast.

“Lady Fuyao is a great commander of the demon race. Even before the great war between gods and demons thousands of years ago, she had already swept through the wild realms. You, a mere youngster, wouldn’t have heard her name—it’s only natural!”

“Demon General Fuyao?”

Within the Yin-Yang Sleeve, Xiyan heard these words and a chill surged through her heart. She inwardly praised her father’s foresight; indeed, the sealed demons of the wild realms were now making their return after seven millennia. She also recalled the Azure Dragon Sacred Sword in Bai Mu’s possession, and felt the weight of her responsibility grow ever heavier. She resolved to find Bai Mu and Ling Yan as soon as possible, to warn them of the demon race’s resurgence.

Yet the Mountain Troll’s reaction to these words was quite different. In his worldview, he understood little of the ancient figures and legends, but the title "Demon General" struck a chord.

As a spirit creature of the wild realms, the Mountain Troll understood the significance of the title. According to ancestral tales, in the frigid western wilds lay the Pimudi Mounds, home to countless demons. The Demon General was the leader of these demons, second only to the Demon Emperor Hanbi!

“You mean the Demon General Fuyao from the Pimudi Mounds?” the Mountain Troll asked cautiously.

“That’s right,” said the Antlered Fiend, raising his thick brows and grinning slyly. “Since you’re willing to submit to Lady Fuyao, you and I are no longer strangers. It matters little if I tell you.”

“What is Lady Fuyao’s purpose in sending you to capture children from the Feathered God Tribe?”

“Don’t ask what you shouldn’t!” The Antlered Fiend’s expression darkened as he warned loudly, “Just follow Lady Fuyao. Obey whatever she commands. Don’t question her reasons. Once our demon race rules the wild realms, you’ll enjoy wealth and power…”

“Rule the wild realms?”

“Do you truly believe the demon race has such strength?”

A delicate yet furious voice suddenly sounded from within the robe’s sleeve.

“You’re still alive? My Yin-Yang Sleeve’s endless wind blades should have killed you by now!” The Antlered Fiend cried out in shock, lifting his sleeve hastily.

“The one who should die is you!”

From the sleeve came Xiyan’s voice again, much clearer this time, as if she were speaking right beside him.

“You won’t escape,” the Antlered Fiend muttered confidently. “My Yin-Yang Sleeve is forged from the most extreme yin and yang energies in the world. The yin forms a powerful suction, the yang creates wind blades that destroy gods and slay Buddhas. No celestial, not even the highest, can escape once caught!”

He glanced back at the sleeve, eyes blazing as he examined it.

But unexpectedly, the sleeve was suddenly quiet, not a trace of movement. He listened intently, still nothing. The black mist swirling at the sleeve’s mouth showed wind blades spinning relentlessly; no celestial could hope to escape.

Yet after his recent clash with Xiyan, the Antlered Fiend was impressed by her strength. So, seeing the sleeve so still, a thread of worry crept into his heart.

Unable to resist his curiosity, he held the sleeve up high and peered inside.

All he could see was emptiness; apart from the spinning wind blades, Xiyan was nowhere to be found.

“Huh.”

“Could the little demon girl have escaped?”

“But…”

As he muttered, a flash of white light flickered deep within the sleeve. A slender, silver sword, radiating icy cold, shot straight toward his eyes, piercing through layer upon layer of wind blades, stopping just a hair’s breadth from his brow.

Ah—

With a startled cry, the Antlered Fiend flung the sleeve forward and jerked his head back, barely dodging the sudden strike.

The sword tip, missing its target, erupted with several streaks of silver light, transforming into multiple Remnant Snow Immortal Swords that stabbed out in all directions at the sleeve’s mouth.

Rip—

Several sharp sounds rang out, and the wide sleeve was instantly shredded. Xiyan, agile and graceful, leapt free at once.

Her body was wrapped in golden light emitted by the energy of the Void Celestial Shield, and the aura from her dancing Remnant Snow Sword spread in all directions. Her unparalleled beauty, accentuated by the moonlight, appeared even more aloof and striking. Her presence, powerful and commanding, truly evoked the spirit of a battle goddess.

Seeing this extraordinary woman effortlessly shatter his Yin-Yang Sleeve, the Antlered Fiend was terrified and fled into the depths of the dense forest.

“Trying to escape?”

Xiyan stood calmly, tossing her sword into the air. Her right hand formed a sword gesture, index and middle fingers pressed together, as she called out loudly, “Chase!”

The Remnant Snow Sword, obeying her command, transformed into a streak of light and pursued the Antlered Fiend, quickly catching up to him.

Though the Antlered Fiend was a spirit creature with centuries of cultivation—not overly powerful, but no insignificant figure—when the Remnant Snow Sword was about to pierce his back, he sensed the pressure from its blade.

In desperation, he rolled to the ground, barely avoiding a fatal blow. Still, the sharp edge of the sword left a bloody gash along his ribs, and the sword’s chill instantly froze the wound, sending a numbing sensation through his bones, leaving him no chance to heal.

With its first strike successful, the Remnant Snow Sword spun deftly in front of the woods, then turned to stab at the Antlered Fiend lying on the ground, now targeting his Six Yang Demon Head.