The hand parted the vines.

　　From behind the dense foliage, a person slowly emerged.

　　The newcomer had clear features and a tall, slender build. He wore light-colored white clothes with blue stripes, and at his waist was a short rod slanted across, seemingly made of iron.

　　Brian Carter pointed his long blade straight ahead and said, “Let her go, and I’ll spare your life.”

　　Before setting out, Brian Carter had already sharpened his blade to remove the rust. Now, under the moonlight, the blade gleamed cold and menacing.

　　Especially with Brian Carter’s subtle, almost imperceptible movements, the killing intent grew, a chilling aura emanating.

　　In the eyes of the mountain fiend, it was as if a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood surged toward it.

　　It retreated a few steps, fear showing on its face.

　　Then it released the little girl.

　　The little girl fell to the ground, let out a faint groan, and sank into a deep sleep.

　　Seeing that she was unharmed, only exhausted, Brian Carter breathed a sigh of relief.

　　However, in that brief moment, the mountain fiend suddenly let out a long howl, leaping nearly ten meters to pounce.

　　“It wasn’t scared off by my killing intent?”

　　Brian Carter’s gaze sharpened, but he was prepared. He immediately flung aside his outer robe.

　　Beneath his inner garment, several talisman papers were affixed closely.

　　To ordinary eyes, they looked unremarkable.

　　But to the mountain fiend, it was as if the young man had suddenly thrown off his robe and was now engulfed in flames, the heat unbearable, forcing it to retreat.

　　The flames burned, the young man standing amidst them, his expression calm.

　　Brian Carter looked at the mountain fiend before him, a look of surprise on his face.

　　The long blade was sharp, the killing intent fierce, like a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

　　And in the eyes of these spirits, the fire talismans were no different from real flames.

　　With just these two things, dealing with ordinary, uninitiated spirits with no true power should be enough.

　　Yet this mountain fiend, though fearful, was still eager to move.

　　“This mountain fiend…”

　　Brian Carter was secretly astonished.

　　Those who had cultivated true power were called monsters.

　　Those who had not, but had developed intelligence or learned to breathe and cultivate, were called spirits.

　　Yet these spirits, though sentient, lacked true power and still acted mostly on instinct.

　　It was said that some cunning and sly spirits, wandering the mountains, would tremble in fear at the roar of a fierce tiger or wolf, and end up being eaten.

　　And those tigers and wolves, often without intelligence or power, were just ordinary beasts.

　　Brian Carter had thought that his long blade and fire talismans, with their aura of blood and flame, would be even more intimidating than tigers and wolves.

　　But now, it seemed he had underestimated the ferocity of the mountain fiend.

　　The wind howled.

　　A mountain breeze rose in the night, at first cool, then cold.

　　The grass bent low, and the sound of insects chirping rose and fell.

　　The moonlight was bright, the view clear.

　　In the distance, a wolf’s howl echoed, mournful and chilling.

　　Brian Carter stepped forward, flicked his long blade, and let his outer robe fall, revealing a clean white inner garment with several fire talismans affixed front and back.

　　In the eyes of spirits, it was like real flames.

　　Firelight in the dark would attract distant creatures. But up close, the heat would often drive beasts away.

　　But the mountain fiend did not retreat.

　　It stood its ground, crouched slightly, its arms hanging past its knees and pressed to the ground, ready to pounce.

　　The two stared at each other, the surroundings silent.

　　The atmosphere grew a bit more tense.

　　Little Grace furrowed her brow in her sleep.

　　She curled up, feeling a bit cold.

Chapter Six: Battle with the Mountain Fiend

　　One man, one ape.

　　Under the moonlight, they stared at each other.

　　The air was sharp and cold.

　　Nearby, there were faint rustlings—who knew what birds or beasts of the night were drawing near.

　　Brian Carter glanced at Little Grace, thoughts racing in his mind.

　　Even if he didn’t have to worry about Little Grace, with wild beasts possibly approaching, a fight here would be extremely disadvantageous.

　　Suddenly, Brian Carter spoke: “I only wish to save her. I have no intention of harming you.”

　　The mountain fiend did not retreat, only feeling the flames before it, the heat unbearable, and the sharp chill. It turned its head to look at the little girl, as if recalling something, then grew even more ferocious, opening its mouth in a furious roar.

　　“The mountain fiend’s inherited arts are not of the true path, merely side branches, third-rate techniques.”

　　Brian Carter stared into the mountain fiend’s golden eyes and said slowly, “Throughout history, only one mountain fiend ever amounted to anything—a demon immortal, but even he was slain by an immortal many years ago.”

　　“After his death, that demon immortal’s essence scattered into the world, sometimes entering apes and giving birth to mountain fiends. Yet in all these years, no new demon immortal has emerged among them; they can only follow their instincts to learn the basics of cultivation.”

　　“But the mountain fiend’s arts, compared to the methods of true cultivators, are still just offshoots.”

　　“Look at all the immortals and buddhas in the heavens—most are human. Even the demons join immortal sects, learn true arts, and cultivate to become immortals.”

　　Brian Carter looked at the mountain fiend before him and said, “With the inherited arts of your kind, you can gain power and become a demon, but that’s all—you have no further path to advance. Your journey will not be long.”

　　The mountain fiend’s eyes flickered; it was unclear if it understood.

　　“You have awakened intelligence, know your nature, and are not afraid of my fire talismans. You can discern truth from illusion, so you must be more extraordinary than ordinary spirits. I believe you can understand my words.”