Chapter 64: A Righteous Helping Hand
Chapter 64: A Righteous Helping Hand
The white-armored warrior shook his head. “No need to try. Aside from Father and Uncle Yue, you have the highest cultivation in the group. If even your mid-rank War God strength can’t do it, what can the two of us, upper-rank Sword Saints, accomplish? Even if the three of us combine, we won’t be that much stronger than you alone.”
Only then did I fully understand how terrifyingly strong they were. After martial cultivation reached the Sword Saint level, every step up meant entering an entirely different realm. If I combined all my abilities, I could at best contend with a mid-rank Sword Saint—and even then, the outcome wasn’t certain. If I could become a Blood-Red Angel again, perhaps I could fight an upper-rank Sword Saint, but I would have almost no chance of winning. Yet this Li Feng had actually reached the mid-rank War God level—something beyond my imagination. And with that level of strength, he was only ranked third within the Holy Dragon Knight Order. That meant what the Dragon God Crown Prince once said—that they could wipe out the demon and beast races at any time—was not empty talk.
I didn’t dare move at all. I lowered my metabolism to the minimum, stopped breathing, and relied entirely on the circulation of energy within my body to sustain life. I didn’t want them to discover me and have me die young right here!
Li Feng sighed. “If it really comes to it, we can only station ourselves here year-round. We can’t let anyone else get their hands on it.”
The yellow-armored warrior said, “I think even without stationing ourselves, it doesn’t matter. If even you can’t get in, others will be even less able to. The cave looks small, but it’s like copper walls and iron ramparts.”
Li Feng turned and glared at him. “You’re nearly one hundred twenty years old—why are you still acting like a child? We can’t get in because we don’t know the method. This isn’t something brute human strength can enter. There must be some special way. If it really is a divine artifact inside, and the enemy finds the way in and inherits it, what consequences that would bring to our Dragon God Empire—you should understand.”
The yellow-armored warrior lowered his head and muttered, “Are divine artifacts really that easy to inherit?”
Li Feng was about to speak when his ear twitched. He turned his head sharply. “Who’s there?”
My heart lurched. I was terrified—had I been discovered despite being this careful?
Before I could react, a clear voice answered, “Your cultivation is truly profound. We were discovered the moment we arrived. Among Dragon Knights, there’s actually someone of your caliber?”
I finally relaxed. So he hadn’t detected me.
Even though I couldn’t see who had arrived, I recognized the voice immediately—Gu Chuan · Lucifer, the demon race’s imperial guard commander. His cultivation was a bit higher than mine, but because he hadn’t prepared, he was exposed the instant he arrived. What made me feel a bit sorry for him was that he had mistaken his opponent for ordinary Dragon Knights. He was likely not far from death now.
The enemy was the enemy. Not my problem. This was a perfect chance to see what these old Dragon Knight generals were truly capable of.
Gu Chuan’s black figure drifted down and landed before the three Dragon Knight generals. Only then did he notice how different the three dragons behind them were. He frowned slightly and said, “Gu Chuan of the demon race. Greetings.”
The three didn’t move. Li Feng gave a heavy snort, and I felt the surrounding airflow tremble with it. Gu Chuan was close and the target of that sonic shock. He immediately staggered back a step, his expression changing sharply. “You—you are…”
A vast spread of azure light erupted from Li Feng and covered the ten-meter area around him. The three dragons on the ground didn’t move at all, still sprawled there lazily.
Li Feng gave a cold laugh. “Boy, you didn’t expect this, did you? We’re all Dragon Knight generals. We didn’t go provoke your demon race, yet you came here to deliver yourself to death. I know you’re one of the demon race’s only two four-winged Fallen Angels. Since you’ve discovered our secret, you have only one outcome today—stay here.”
Under that crushing pressure, Gu Chuan retreated a few more steps.
Li Feng said, “Tian Gang, Song Ren—go deal with those little lackeys. Leave this one to me.”
He stepped forward again, and the azure light flowed like threads as it closed in on Gu Chuan.
The other two Dragon Knight generals answered in unison, “Yes, Uncle Li.”
They turned into yellow and white streaks and shot toward the direction Gu Chuan had come from.
Gu Chuan’s black light flared as he resisted the encroaching azure light. He shouted sharply, “Wait—don’t move!”
Li Feng paused slightly. “What else do you have to say?”
From the woods to the left came the sounds of energy colliding. After a few screams, everything fell silent again. Tian Gang and Song Ren returned, each dragging two two-winged Fallen Angels back with them.
Gu Chuan’s expression shifted repeatedly. “You… you are the ones who became famous sixty years ago…”
Tian Gang smiled faintly. “Correct. So don’t even think about escaping. Surrender quietly.”
Gu Chuan looked at the four Fallen Angels collapsed on the ground. He knew they had no chance of survival. He let out a long sigh. “I didn’t think you were still alive. To fall into the hands of seniors like you—I admit defeat.”
Tian Gang smiled. “Not only are we alive—my father is still alive too. Your demon race has invaded our borders many times, and we never acted. That wasn’t because we feared you. If not for the ancestral decree, our Dragon God Empire would have unified the Jinyuan Continent long ago.”
Gu Chuan’s face turned ashen. He loosened his grip and tossed his long sword to the ground.
Li Feng said, “Song Ren, seal his cultivation. After the five-colored radiance passes, we’ll deal with him. I’m going to try again. I refuse to believe I can’t get in.”
With that, he turned and strode toward the cave mouth again.
Song Ren answered and drifted toward Gu Chuan. At the instant Li Feng’s control over Gu Chuan loosened, Gu Chuan suddenly lifted his head. Murderous intent burst from his eyes. Black fog surged around him, and patches of ghostly blue light drifted out from his body, shrouding the three Dragon Knight generals.
His cultivation was only a hair weaker than Song Ren and Tian Gang—at least when they weren’t mounted on their dragons. The sudden ambush startled Song Ren. He retreated sharply, yellow light flaring to guard his body.
I immediately recognized what Gu Chuan had released—it was the very same ghostly blue Ghost Needles Mo Yue once used on me, the kind meant specifically to break through battle qi.
After throwing the hidden weapons, Gu Chuan didn’t stop. With a beat of his wings, he retreated at full speed.
Li Feng’s reaction was top-tier. The moment he sensed the change, he roared, “Where do you think you’re going!”
A slash of azure light flew out and cleaved toward Gu Chuan’s retreat path.
The dragon elder Qing Lin, who had been lying there all along, spread a wing and blocked in front of the three Dragon Knight generals. The ghostly blue Ghost Needles struck his dragon wing and rang out with metallic clangs. That one block also stalled the pursuit route for the three generals, slowing them by a beat.
Gu Chuan beat his wings in rapid succession, twisting through the air and flying straight toward where I was hidden. My heart jolted—damn it. If he came here, I would definitely be exposed too. And since I was transformed, those Dragon Knight generals wouldn’t bother “reasoning” with me.
In that instant, I made my decision.
Just as Gu Chuan was about to reach me, Li Feng had already chased up. Azure light roared outward, and the surrounding trees were shredded into powder by the violent energy. A sword-shaped energy blade cleaved straight at Gu Chuan.
Gu Chuan clasped his hands before his chest, then flung them outward. A compressed dark-energy sphere shot out to meet it.
The two forces collided in midair. The massive shockwave made my whole body tremble. Gu Chuan spat a mouthful of blood. Using the recoil, he accelerated toward me—I could tell he was badly wounded.
Li Feng’s body only paused for a moment before he surged forward again. In his eyes, Gu Chuan was already heavily injured and absolutely couldn’t escape his grasp.
At that moment, I appeared.
With both hands gripping Mo Ming, I let Gu Chuan pass and unleashed the energy I had been holding ready. Dark power erupted from my body. Mo Ming swept out a three-zhang-long black arc, slashing at the completely unprepared Li Feng.
Li Feng jolted. He hadn’t expected another enemy to be hidden in the shadows. Caught off guard, he could only gather power hastily to block. But I had been building this strike for a long time. Even though his cultivation was far higher than mine, he still took a loss. His azure light was split apart, and Li Feng was forced back with a furious roar.
The rebound tore through me as well. I spat out a mouthful of stagnant blood. With all four wings, I beat hard and retreated using the force, quickly catching up to Gu Chuan. With my left hand, I grabbed him and flung us toward the distance.
The only reason we escaped was because they had underestimated us. Li Feng thought he could take Gu Chuan effortlessly, never expecting to meet another four-winged Fallen Angel. And Tian Gang and Song Ren had complete faith in Li Feng, so they didn’t chase together. By the time Li Feng was knocked back and they mounted their dragons, we had already opened some distance.
Behind us came three dragon roars that shook the mountains. I knew Li Feng would immediately spur the dragons in pursuit.
They were strong, but if we rose into high altitude as Fallen Angels, they could only keep up by relying on their dragons.
Gu Chuan’s injuries were worse than I expected. He coughed up another mouthful of blood. If I hadn’t been holding one of his wings, he wouldn’t have had the strength to keep flying.
I shouted in a low voice, “Hold on. If they catch up, we’re finished.”
Gu Chuan was half-unconscious. Hearing me, he barely forced his dark power to flap his wings.
I glanced back at the three dragons still some distance away. An idea struck. I dragged Gu Chuan and dove toward Baiyan Mountain. Long-distance flight wasn’t weaker for Fallen Angels than for dragons, but Gu Chuan was injured. Out of a martial code of righteousness, I couldn’t abandon him. So we had to hide first.
Relying on memory, I quickly found the cave I used back when I secluded myself. I moved aside the boulder, tossed Gu Chuan inside, then used dark power to pull the boulder and camouflage back into place.
The cave plunged into darkness.
I flashed behind Gu Chuan and said in a low voice, “If you want to live, circulate your power—now!”
Then I sat down and pressed both hands to the center of his back where his four wings met, driving my dark power.
Because of my past experience healing with Gu Feng and Gu Yun, I quickly found the near-exhausted energy within Gu Chuan. Guided by me, the two streams of power gradually merged and began to circulate rapidly.
I wasn’t healing him—I was using the circulation to wrap our bodies in a concealment layer, sealing our aura. Only by avoiding Li Feng’s sharp senses did we have any hope of survival.
No sooner had we sealed our aura than Li Feng’s voice carried in, crystal-clear even through the thousand-jin boulder.
“All Dragon Knights, listen up. Search the entirety of Baiyan Mountain immediately. You must find the hidden Fallen Angels. If you discover anything, send up a signal at once.”
I didn’t dare relax even slightly. I drove my dark power to the limit, guiding Gu Chuan’s energy to keep our aura fully suppressed.
Gradually, Gu Chuan’s dark power condensed again. His mind cleared, and he began coordinating with me to circulate energy. Without needing words, he understood what I was doing. With him circulating on his own, I finally had some breathing room.
We kept one part of our power suppressing our aura, while another part began healing.
As the two streams of dark power circulated, they filled the entire small cave. With our joint concealment barrier, even if Li Feng stood right outside, he likely wouldn’t notice.
My hearing gradually returned. From outside, I occasionally caught the rustle of grass and branches. I realized that not only were Dragon Knights searching—Dragon God Empire elite soldiers were also involved.
Li Feng was getting anxious. To avoid leaking the Holy Dragon Knight Order’s secret, he was pushing hard.
Gu Chuan’s energy grew stronger. Gradually, our energies truly fused into one, circulating at high speed. Healing like this was far more effective than healing alone.
I let out a breath and came out of meditation. Though the cave had no light, I could faintly make out Gu Chuan’s outline.
By my estimate, at least seven days had passed. The search should have ended long ago.
Not long after I woke, Gu Chuan also withdrew his power. I could tell his cultivation had fully recovered as well. Healing together really was effective.
He exhaled and said quietly, “It feels like a lifetime ago. Your Majesty—if you hadn’t arrived in time, I’d have died in the hands of those old monsters. When did you recover to four wings?”
Your Majesty? He thought I was the Demon Emperor.
Now we were in the same boat, and I’d saved him. I wasn’t afraid he’d turn on me.
I coughed once. “Sir Gu Chuan, I’m not your Majesty.”
Gu Chuan’s entire body stiffened. Light flashed in his eyes. It was too dark for him to see my face clearly. Since we had still been transformed, our minds were unnaturally clear from dark power. In an instant, he understood I meant him no harm—otherwise, I wouldn’t have saved him.
“Who are you? How can you transform into a four-winged Fallen Angel? And why did you save me?”
I smiled faintly. “That day was truly dangerous. If those old monsters hadn’t been careless, we both would’ve died. Since we can both become four-winged Fallen Angels, we’re naturally of the same branch. And we’re even distantly related. Of course I had to save you.”
Gu Chuan asked skeptically, “Are you of our imperial clan? I’ve never heard your voice.”
I shook my head. “I’m not of your imperial clan, but there is a connection. At this point, there’s no need to hide it from you. We met just a few days ago. I’m the human you saw among the beastmen forces—Lei Ao the Behemoth King’s third son, Lei Xiang.”
“What?!” Gu Chuan shouted, recoiling.
I said irritably, “Lower your voice. Do you want to draw them back here?”
Gu Chuan recovered from his shock. “Since you’re old Behemoth’s son, how can you become a Fallen Angel?”
To win the trust of a sharp man like Gu Chuan wasn’t easy. Lies wouldn’t work.
I had saved him partly for my own safety, partly because I needed his support later when I went to the demon race to find Mo Yue, and only thirdly because of a sliver of righteousness. Now I had to speak plainly.
I sighed. “Like this: my grandmother was from your demon imperial clan. She was sacrificed in a political marriage, and in revenge she took out a copy of the Heavenly Demon Art. Because of her, I carry demon imperial blood. Before she died, she passed that copy of the Heavenly Demon Art to me. That’s why I can transform into a Fallen Angel.”
As I spoke, I took out a diamond. Under the infusion of dark power, it emitted a faint blue glow. The light was weak, but with our eyesight it was enough to see each other clearly.
Gu Chuan stared at me blankly. Given that the demon and beast races were enemies, being saved by an enemy couldn’t sit well with him.
He murmured, “Impossible. Absolutely impossible. The Heavenly Demon Art is our demon race’s supreme cultivation method. You’re only in your twenties at most—how could you have cultivated to the seventh layer?”
My face flushed as I remembered how I broke through. “I only reached the seventh layer by coincidence. As for how—please forgive me, I can’t tell you.”
I changed the topic. “Our situation is still terrible. Even if they’ve stopped searching, there are still plenty of Dragon God Empire troops outside. We’re tied to the same rope. I hope you can set aside prejudice. Only after we leave can we discuss anything else.”
Gu Chuan nodded. “Yes… I didn’t expect those old monsters to still be alive.”
I sighed. “It’s not just them. Dragon God Empire has a Holy Dragon Knight Order—seventeen retired Dragon Knight generals. Think about what that kind of power means.”
“Dragon God’s ancestors once received a warning from the gods, forbidding them from casually exterminating the demon and beast races. Otherwise, with their power, how would we have survived until now?”
“When we dared to raid your Dundeh Province, it was because we knew Dragon God wouldn’t deploy their full forces lightly. And when we later negotiated peace with you so easily, it was also because we knew how terrifying Dragon God’s power is.”
“So the demon and beast races must unite against Dragon God Empire—there is no other road. I hope when you return, you’ll advise the Demon Emperor not to launch wars against Dragon God casually. It has no meaning.”
Thinking of what he’d seen, Gu Chuan’s expression turned bleak. “If I hadn’t witnessed it myself, I wouldn’t believe they were alive. Yes… even if we combine both races’ power, we still can’t threaten Dragon God. I’ll report to His Majesty.”
I asked, “You seem to know something about those Dragon Knight generals. Tell me what you know.”
As I spoke, I released my transformation. It was a gesture of trust. Only by doing that could I make Gu Chuan ease his wariness and hostility.
Gu Chuan looked at me and released his transformation too. “There’s nothing to hide. The yellow-armored Dragon Knight general Song Ren and the white-armored Dragon Knight general Tian Gang were already famous sixty years ago. Back then, our demon race had three four-winged Fallen Angels who fought them many times, but none could gain anything. Sixty years later, their strength speaks for itself.”
“With dragons added, even the two of us together might not handle one of them.”
“And the green-armored Dragon Knight general is even more unimaginable. From how Tian Gang and Song Ren addressed him, I can guess who he is.”
“He should be one of the three strongest Dragon Knight generals from more than a hundred years ago—Miefeng War God Li Feng. Alongside the light-element Grand Archmage Tian Yun, called the God of Light’s Protection, and Yaoyu War God Yue Wuyan, they were nightmares for our demon race and your beast race.”
“In that era, the two races were suppressed so thoroughly we barely dared act. The worst part wasn’t just their strength—it was that the dragon clans trusted them. The Dragon King even sent three great elders as their mount dragons.”
“If those three are still alive, then any one of them could sweep through both our races without an opponent. Terrifying. Why have we never had any information about them?”
I asked, “So Li Feng had already reached War God level more than a hundred years ago?”
Gu Chuan shook his head. “Back then, Li Feng and Yue Wuyan were upper-rank Sword Saints. The most terrifying one wasn’t them—it was Tian Gang’s father, Tian Yun, the light-element Grand Archmage.”
“He’s the first Dragon God history has ever produced— a Dragon Knight mage, and so far the only one. To earn the Dragon King’s recognition through magic alone—his power is beyond doubt.”
“I once heard elders say Tian Yun used a single light-element spell to heal over one hundred thousand wounded Dragon God soldiers on the battlefield. A hundred years later, could his power be comparable to a god?”
I nodded. “I heard them say Li Feng has reached mid-rank War God. If that’s true, then Tian Yun is at least a mid-rank Saint Grand Archmage.”
“I used to think I was strong. But compared to them, I’m like the light of a grain of rice.”
Gu Chuan sighed. “For Li Feng to personally investigate the five-colored radiance, it must conceal something huge. If we obtained that secret, maybe we could gain power to contend.”
“But if even Li Feng can’t get in, we certainly can’t. And there’s also their guard line.”
“I’ve decided to give up. I’m returning to the demon race at once to warn His Majesty and push for development of our people. Maybe after a few generations we’ll finally have enough strength to resist Dragon God.”
Li Feng’s appearance had shattered Gu Chuan’s confidence. With a shadow like that in his heart, it would be hard for him to advance in the Heavenly Demon Art again.
For cultivators at our level, inner shadows heavily affected cultivation.
Gu Chuan gave up, but I would never.
I had to become a peerless powerhouse.
Li Feng? I might not beat him now, but one day I would. I would defeat him, defeat those dragon elders—maybe even the Dragon King.
As that thought rose, my confidence surged. Cold light flashed in my eyes. Li Feng’s pressure ignited my fighting spirit.
Gu Chuan was startled by my gaze. “You still want to go back? Let me advise you—don’t. With Li Feng there, you have no chance.”
I smiled. “By seniority, I should call you Uncle Gu Chuan. But your behavior doesn’t earn my respect. Facing difficulty head-on—that’s what heroes do.”
Gu Chuan froze, then gave a bitter laugh and shook his head. “Kid, you’re thinking too simply. Some things can’t be done just by conviction. A newborn calf truly doesn’t fear tigers.”
“Since you insist, I won’t stop you. If you survive by luck, I’ll repay your life-saving grace in the future.”
I shook my head. “No need. I only hope you keep secret the matter of me transforming into a Fallen Angel.”
“If I don’t die, I’ll definitely go to the demon race to find you. Don’t worry—I won’t do anything harmful to your demon race again. With Dragon God as such a powerful enemy, the demon and beast races have no path besides alliance.”
“I’ll withdraw to the small city outside the mountain and wait for an opportunity. Even the tightest net has a gap. I don’t believe Li Feng and the others can stand guard there forever without moving. There will always be a chance.”
My tone softened because Gu Chuan’s concern moved me.
Gu Chuan knew he couldn’t persuade me. He shook his head. “It’s too early to talk about that. First we need to figure out how to leave here.”
I nodded. We’d been trapped for days, and my stomach was already hollow. If we weren’t both deep in cultivation and constantly circulating energy, we would’ve collapsed.
I put the diamond away and went to the boulder at the entrance. I listened carefully for movement outside. After confirming it was safe, I pressed myself against it, gathered strength, and lifted the boulder gently. I shifted it aside a little, opening a narrow gap.
A beam of bright daylight poured in, making us squint. Fresh air, carrying the scent of grass and trees, swept the stale cave air clean.
After a while, I adjusted. I peered through the gap. Outside was quiet, with only faint insect and bird sounds—but I knew deadly danger still lurked.
I sent a voice transmission to Gu Chuan. “It should be afternoon. Let’s wait until night to move.”
Gu Chuan asked, “That urgent?”
I nodded. “My stomach can’t take it. Aren’t you thirsty too? We have to get out soon. Otherwise, even if they don’t catch us, we’ll lose all combat strength.”
With that, I waved a hand and used a low-level water spell to condense two water spheres. I handed one to Gu Chuan and shoved the other into my mouth.
This pure water element could quench thirst, but it had no taste at all—worse than drinking real water.
We each drank three water spheres. Our spirits lifted a little. But though thirst eased, hunger grew even worse.
That night, Gu Chuan and I slipped out of the cave. Thanks to this hidden cave from my past seclusion, we had survived that day.
I re-camouflaged the entrance, and we both began chanting in low voices:
“Darkness gathers the soul. Only through falling may one be free. Awaken—the endless demonic power sleeping in my blood.”
Transforming would release a strong dark aura, but only transformation could let us escape.
Four wings unfolded behind each of us. I tightened my grip on Mo Ming and gave Gu Chuan a look. We rose silently.
We flew almost skimming the ground, not fast, because we had to avoid obstacles ahead.
As we flew low, we also suppressed the dark aura our bodies emitted. If even a single Dragon Knight noticed us, Li Feng and the others would arrive.
Soon we reached the foot of the mountain. I stopped, lying flat, and transmitted to Gu Chuan, “Careful. Ahead is the defensive line of the ordinary soldiers.”
It was quiet, but the quiet reeked of danger. I knew in a few hundred meters we’d enter the Dragon God soldiers’ alert range.
Gu Chuan replied, “I know. Coming here, I flew over them. What now—fly out?”
I shook my head. “No. After our appearance, there will definitely be Dragon Knights patrolling the sky. If we’re spotted, we can’t handle it. We go by ground.”
Gu Chuan froze. “How? The ground is full of them.”
I smiled. “Crawl.”
“Their defense is arranged in squads with about a hundred meters between each. It’s staggered, but we just find the gaps and crawl through.”
“But we must keep our aura suppressed. Even though they’re ordinary soldiers, they’re still Dragon God’s elite.”
Gu Chuan stared. “Crawl? You want me to crawl?”
I rolled my eyes. “Is that beneath your status?”
“It’s the best method. Ordinary people couldn’t do it even if they wanted to. Only we can, because our spiritual sense can pinpoint their ambush positions in advance.”
“If you don’t fear death, then fly out yourself. I don’t want to die young.”
Gu Chuan knew it was safest. He nodded helplessly. “Fine. Crawl it is.”
So we began a slow, grueling crawl.
Two hours later, when we finally slipped out of Baiyan Mountain’s perimeter, our clothes—especially the fronts—were basically shredded.
To avoid detection, we had lifted our transformation and crawled in our ordinary bodies. The suffering was immense.
Especially for Gu Chuan. His skin wasn’t as tough as mine. His fair skin, pampered for years, was scraped raw in many places, leaving blood marks all over.
Gu Chuan and I lay flat on the grass, staring up at the stars.
It wasn’t that we didn’t want to move—we truly couldn’t.
While crawling, almost all of our energy was used just to hide our aura. We had inched forward with hands and feet.
Even so, we nearly got discovered several times by Dragon God soldiers.