Chapter Thirty-Two: Rescue

Deep within the cave, Peng Lei discovered the imprisoned villagers locked away in iron cages. The cavern that held them was unmistakably a chamber of torture; every villager was subjected to unspeakable torment, and those who were led away bore faces twisted in deep resentment. Peng Lei wanted to rush in and rescue them, but he saw that several formidable Spirit Channelers guarded the chamber, along with a host of lesser minions. Helplessly, he could only retreat for now.

He returned to where his companions were gathered and explained the situation. Demon Night, outraged, sprang to his feet, ready to charge inside, but Zhao Mu quickly grabbed his arm. “Junior Brother, don’t be reckless! Let’s plan together—rushing in could doom us all!”

Demon Night halted, seething. “Brother Li, what do you think we should do? There are four of them at our level. The minions can be ignored.” Peng Lei turned to Li Qin. “We have four Spirit Channelers; you and I have the strongest attacks. If we go four against four, you and I can finish our opponents quickly and come to the others’ aid. You, me, Demon Night, and Sun Kaide will each take on one opponent. The rest can pin down the others. As soon as we’re free, we’ll help them. What do you think, Peng Zhong?”

“Brother Li, here’s my thought: the four of us should focus on keeping their strongest occupied, while the others quickly eliminate the minions and then join our fight. Most of us are near the Spirit Channeling level—once we have their help, we’ll at least avoid suffering losses that weaken our strength. What do you think?”

Li Qin lowered his head, pondering for a moment. “Agreed. Let’s do it.”

Their group ventured deep into the cave, weapons gripped tightly, fury burning in their eyes at the villagers’ suffering. “Everyone listen,” Peng Lei ordered, “Don’t get drawn into a prolonged fight. Our mission is to rescue the villagers. Last time, I saw those consumed by boundless resentment were dragged into another cavern, so we don’t even know how many are here. We’ll cover the villagers’ retreat—once they’re free, we’ll have no worries at our backs. Prepare for battle!”

With that, Peng Lei charged headlong toward the demon and monster clans lurking within.

A blood-curdling scream turned all eyes his way; Peng Lei had already slain a demon minion and, without looking back, pressed on toward the rest.

“Enemy attack! Alert everyone!” a minion shouted. But with no time to hesitate, the party threw themselves into battle, soon surrounded by swarming demons and monsters.

“Who dares to cause trouble here? I’ll take your life myself!” bellowed one of the enemy’s Spirit Channelers.

Peng Lei exchanged glances with his three comrades. “Here they come! Let’s engage them and buy time for the others!” he called, then launched himself at a demon master. Demon Night and the others followed, each confronting one of the enemy’s four strongest. “Good, you’ve come. You’ll never leave alive!” the demon master sneered, meeting Peng Lei’s attack head-on.

Just as Peng Lei had anticipated, the minions fell easily to his companions’ attacks, and the four enemy masters were soon locked in combat with the four of their own. Zhao Mu and the others freed the villagers from their cages, and he turned to Wang Ke. “Get the villagers out, quickly! We’ll go help the others!”

With that, Zhao Mu rushed to Peng Lei’s side. “Senior Brother, I’m here to help!”

Peng Lei frowned. “What about the villagers? Hurry and lead them out!”

“Wang Ke is already leading them to safety!”

At that moment, Zhang Wei dispatched the last minion and hurried over. “Brother Li, I’ll help you!”

Seeing the villagers had escaped, Peng Lei abandoned his defensive stance. “Come on! Let’s have a real fight today!”

He had barely charged at the demon master when a sudden change struck.

“Well, well, everyone’s here! Saves me the trouble of hunting you down. Did you really think a few weaklings like you could rescue those swine?”

The newcomers were the demon youth Red-Eye and Xiong Chen of the monster clan—old enemies of Demon Night and the others. Instantly, the eight separated into their battle lines, tense and ready.

“What have you done to Wang Ke?” Zhang Wei demanded furiously.

“Oh, you’re worried about others? Foolish. I’ll send you to her now!”

“I’ll kill you!” Zhang Wei, blinded by rage, charged at Red-Eye.

“Zhang Wei, come back! Don’t be reckless!” Li Qin called out in vain.

With a single blow, Zhang Wei was sent flying, crashing to the ground with blood on his lips, unconscious. Red-Eye curled his finger, beckoning. “Now it’s your turn. Who’s next?”