Chapter 286: Pig Demon

Lu Bai’s eyes flickered as he saw Jiang Tao suddenly get up and leave. He slapped his Storage Pouch and took out the Mountain Demon Hat from within.

“Take this hat for now. If you run into danger, put it on your head immediately and don’t make a sound. No one below the Nascent Soul Realm will be able to see you.”

Lu Bai pressed the Mountain Demon Hat into Luo Qing’s hand, whispering as he did so.

“You…”

Luo Qing was puzzled and about to ask, but she saw Lu Bai’s solemn expression as he shook his head at her.

Luo Qing understood. This was not the time for questions. Without protest, she discreetly tucked the Mountain Demon Hat into her robes.

After the Pig Demon fled, Yang Feng and the others remained perched in the trees, unwilling to come down for fear that the demon would return.

After a while, the surroundings fell silent. With no other disturbances, only the groans of the Jingwu Academy disciples on the ground remaining, Yang Feng and the others finally dropped down from the trees one by one, still shaken and drenched in sweat.

They had all been thoroughly terrified just moments before.

“Senior Brother Yang, how could a single Pig Demon be so troublesome?”

One of the academy’s disciples couldn’t help but complain.

“Domestic pigs are just livestock, to be slaughtered at will. But if one truly cultivates the Dao, you must not underestimate a Pig Demon.”

Yang Feng said, “In ancient times, Heaven and Earth once gave birth to an ancient Pig Demon, the ancestor of the entire Pig Demon race. It had eight legs, a pig’s body, and a snake’s tail. It devoured humans and was a true Fierce Beast!”

“That powerful?!”

“A pig can cultivate into a Fierce Beast?”

The disciples exclaimed in amazement.

Yang Feng said, “That Pig Demon couldn’t be one. It doesn’t have the bloodline of that ancient Fierce Beast. Aside from a pure-blooded descendant of a Fierce Beast, it would have to be at least a Fierce Beast Remnant to have a chance.”

“What’s a Fierce Beast Remnant?”

another person asked.

Fierce Beasts and Exotic Beasts were both among the most powerful groups of the Demon Race in ancient times. They were simply divided into two branches, Fierce Beasts and Exotic Beasts, based on their temperaments.

Fierce Beasts, for the most part, have a habit of eating humans and are extremely dangerous!

Their appearance in the world is often accompanied by various natural disasters and strange phenomena.

Exotic Beasts, on the other hand, generally do not attack people unprovoked.

The appearance of some Exotic Beasts is even accompanied by auspicious signs.

Yang Feng explained, “They are the offspring of a union between a Fierce Beast and an ordinary member of the Demon Race. Their blood contains some of the Fierce Beast’s lineage, but it’s not pure. They aren’t as powerful as a pure-blooded Fierce Beast, but they are far stronger than an ordinary demon, and their potential is also higher. If they can truly cultivate the Dao and continue to grow, there is a slim chance their bloodline will undergo atavistic regression, allowing them to transform into a true Fierce Beast.”

It had to be said, while Yang Feng’s skills were mediocre, he was certainly knowledgeable when it came to Demon Beasts.

In all his cultivation, Lu Bai had never encountered a Fierce Beast.

But his Mountain Demon Hat was made from the pelt of an Exotic Beast Mountain Demon.

He had previously seen a Profound Deer at Yu Daoxuan’s place. According to Yun Luo, that deer contained a trace of the Exotic Beast Fuzhu’s bloodline.

‘In that case, the Profound Deer could be considered an Exotic Beast’s remnant.’

One of the Blood Prohibitions in his Cyan Cloud Sword came from that very deer.

Under Yang Feng’s direction, a group of disciples carried over the wounded lying on the ground to check and bandage their injuries.

Two of them were too heavily injured. Their chests and abdomens had been pierced by the Pig Demon’s tusks, severing their intestines. They were not going to make it.

Another seven or eight people had been rammed so hard their bones were shattered. They were severely wounded. Even if they survived, it would be very difficult for them to continue on the path of the Martial Dao.

“Sigh.”

Seeing their fellow disciples die so horribly, a shadow fell over everyone’s hearts, and a lingering fear remained.

“Dean Jiang just stood there watching. He didn’t even help.”

“The Cyan Mountain Hunting is meant to be a trial and a test for us, after all. Dean Jiang wouldn’t intervene casually.”

“Besides, the academy allows for a certain number of casualties during every trial.”

A few people discussed this in low voices.

Yang Feng suddenly snorted and announced loudly, “Fellow disciples, our dynasty values martial prowess! A Martial Artist who has never been tempered by blood and baptized by life-and-death situations can never truly grow strong!”

Hearing this, everyone fell silent, though they were quite scornful in their hearts.

‘That’s a nice thing to say, but you were the first one to run without a second thought, faster than anyone else!’

Yang Feng continued, “Moreover, in the future, when you truly venture into the Jianghu, or even travel between nations, the dangers you face will only be more terrifying than what we just experienced.”

Someone suggested, “Senior Brother Yang, shouldn’t we move to another spot? The smell of blood and the light from the fire are too conspicuous in the Cyan Mountain Hunting Ground at night.”

“That’s right. That was just one Pig Demon. If some other powerful member of the Demon Race shows up, it’ll be even harder to deal with.”

“What’s there to be afraid of?”

Yang Feng frowned. “This is just a Tier Two Demon Beast area. Aside from that Pig Demon, we can handle any other demon that comes our way if we work together.”

“Even if that Pig Demon comes back, we can just climb the trees again at any time.”

As he spoke, Yang Feng glanced at Lu Bai beside him and suddenly asked, “Why didn’t that Pig Demon attack Brother Lu just now?”

“I don’t know.”

Lu Bai shook his head slightly.

“Heh.”

Yang Feng sneered. “Don’t think I don’t know. You must have some powerful poison on you that works on Pig Demons. That’s why it didn’t dare to get close.”

Lu Bai seemed to sense something. He suddenly frowned and tilted his head, listening intently.

“Lu Bai, who are you making that sour face for?”

Seeing Lu Bai’s expression darken, Yang Feng thought he was being given attitude. He had been holding in a bellyful of anger from being chased by the Pig Demon, and now he couldn’t hold it back any longer, springing to his feet.

Lu Bai didn’t answer. He just stared intently in one direction, his face flickering between light and shadow in the firelight.

Looking at Lu Bai, Yang Feng suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. He subconsciously followed Lu Bai’s gaze.

In that direction, the mountain forest was deep and dark under the night sky; nothing could be seen.

He stared for a long time, but there was no movement at all.

“Putting on a mysterious act to scare people, are you?”

Yang Feng thought Lu Bai was messing with him. Annoyed, he was about to shout a question when another academy disciple suddenly said, “That’s strange. Why did it suddenly get so quiet?”

They were deep within the Cyan Mountain Hunting Ground, and at night, the surroundings should have been filled with all sorts of sounds: the roars of beasts, the calls of birds, the scurrying of rats and ants over dead branches and in their burrows, the beating of wings as birds of prey streaked across the sky… A multitude of sounds should have been woven together.

But at some unknown point, the only sounds left were the CRACKLING of dry wood in the burning bonfire.

At this moment, the disciples’ breathing and heartbeats became acutely clear!

Even the wind in the forest had stopped.

The surroundings were terrifyingly quiet!

Yang Feng also noticed the abnormality. He grew tense, swallowed hard, and scanned his surroundings with wide eyes.

Unconsciously, a fine layer of sweat had already appeared on his forehead.

It seemed a real danger was approaching.

He just couldn’t see anything.

Suddenly!

A commotion came from the distant jungle. Towering, sturdy, ancient trees began to sway, and some even collapsed outright.

It seemed some terrifying existence was charging toward them!

Countless birds were startled into the sky above.

But then, just as quickly, those birds plummeted from mid-air.