76 What is that thing!? (2/2)

Liu Sumeng shook his head and then pointed up toward a small wooden walkway bellow the ceiling, circling above the main hall. From their position on the ground level, nothing could be glimmered in the black corner behind the wooden railing at the end of the room.

”Huh?” Nan Chang followed his finger and only looked at the spot dumbly, ”Is the flag supposed to be there?”

”Yes.”

”How do you know?”

”I saw.”

Nan Chang's pursed lips spoke of skepticism but Liu Sumeng ignored her and marched off, going to the staircase tucked away in on the side of the main hall.

While he was observing Peng Jipei, when the tiangou attacked them, Liu Sumeng made sure to take note of how the bell in his hand twinkled and glowed as he rushed around. Even if the flag wasn't exactly where Liu Sumeng expected it to be, he was confident of its approximate location.

But there was no need for any second-guessing because when he came to the end of the walkway there was the subtle glow of a barrier and a black flag that quivered behind it.

Nan Chang gasped at his side, ”It's really here! Wow! Liu-gege, you're a genius!”

”...” Liu Sumeng said nothing as he made quick work of the barrier and flag. The mist around them was quick to dissipate once and for all. He needed to hurry. After all, with all this racket and the tiangou barking up a storm, Liu Sumeng was more than certain that the Demon King was going to pop up at any given moment.

…

Outside in the courtyard, in the belly of the cavern, the tiangou stomped around, following Silei's blazing light and pouncing after it like a raging cat. ”Looks like they got the last of it!” Yuan Xuelan called, noting how the last of the fog cleared up.

”That sure was fast…” For a person who volunteered to bait the tiangou away, Peng Jipei was quite pathetically cowering behind a tall formation of rock.

Yuan Xuelan smiled for a brief moment before a giant black paw came down on him. He raised Silei to block it, but the dog continued to press down with all its strength until Yuan Xuelan could feel his muscles straining and bucking beneath its weight.

”A-Zhang!” Peng Jipei called with alarm but did not move from his spot behind the rock.

He gritted his teeth and slashed at the paw and rolled out from under the tiangou's crushing force. The tiangou's paw was sliced apart and caused it to growl angrily. But the beast was not a mere dog. It stepped on its injured foot like it wasn't in pain at all.

Yuan Xuelan wasn't liking his odds.

Sure he's been able to hold the thing off with brute power and strength, but Yuan Xuelan's spiritual energy wasn't just some sort of endless well. It was probably also because he had yet to finesse Silei's power and the way he'd been using it was far from efficient.

Where was Liu Sumeng?! Yuan Xuelan who had once desperately vowed to be the Ivory Sword Saint's protector longed to have the same man next to him as a brother in arms.

And just like that, the object of his thoughts appeared from within the manor. Mingshui glowed a beautiful silver light as it arced through the air, slicing into the beast's thick hide as though it were nothing at all. The dog immediately twisted, nipping at the Ivory Sword Saint who easily parried with simply by tilting the edge of his sword. How he met the tiangou's monstrous might with such elegance and grace was still a mystery.

”Xuelan!” Came a warning.

”Huh?” But too slow to snap out of his thoughts a giant black tail slapped Yuan Xuelan in the face and for a moment his entire world was only the smell of wet dog. Yuan Xuelan coughed and rolled on the ground. When he looked up, the Ivory Sword Saint's outstretched hand was there to pull him up.

”Thanks.”

The Ivory Sword Saint nodded. Nan Chang ran around in a wide circle, only then having caught up. She quickly ran to Peng Jipei's side behind the rock. ”Oh please tell me there's a plan of sorts!” She said between panting breaths.

But Peng Jipei only frowned and shook his head.

”Then…what in the world are we supposed to do?” Nan Chang voice raised into a whine.

The dog stood a distance away, still snarling with shoulders raised and muzzle down. But it wasn't lunging and striking like the savage beast it appeared to be. Instead, it watched them with observant eyes and took both slow and measured steps.

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(*) Translates into Heavenly Dog. ”The tiangou resembles a black dog or meteor, which is thought to eat the sun or moon during an eclipse.” Got that straight from Wiki lolol.