76 What is that thing!?

The beast scented the air and their hands were at their swords. A low rumbling growl one paw, two, step forth.

The bear-dog lunged, giant maw snapping towards them. Liu Sumeng drew Mingshui but when he tried to slash at the beast's hide, he saw that the leather was so dense and thick, he could hardly do much damage. He'll have to be more precise with his technique.

But he kept calm. Even as a paw came down at him, speeds frightening.

Nan Chang shot her needles but they couldn't even penetrate the bear-dog's fur. She was shaking again and hid behind Yuan Xuelan like a quaking leaf, "W-What is that thing! What is that thing!" Her voice shrill, echoed repeatedly.

Peng Jipei, similarly had crawled behind Liu Sumeng for cover, squeaking pathetically but didn't utter a word.

Silei buzzed, a bright red flame roared with the crackling of thunder and Yuan Xuelan met the thing head-on. But the abomination was undaunted by the sword's mighty power and was able to bite down on blistering lightning in its jaw.

"What is that thing!" Nan Chang howled again.

"Tiangou(*)," Liu Sumeng finally responded. He raised his sword again and this time was more careful with his balance, sending a trickle of needle-thin spiritual energy through his sword.

This time when he lunged forward, the tip of the blade pierced black hide. The tiangou, startled jolted backward and let go of Yuan Xuelan's sword. It growled at them from inside the hall, dwarfing any furniture around it.

"This is a tiangou!?" Yuan Xuelan scowled, "It sure is damn ugly!" A tiangou was a mighty beast, said to have the power to devour even the moon. If Liu Sumeng was to be honest, he wasn't even certain this abomination was anything close to true mighty tiangou of legends. But it was frightening enough to earn the name.

"No, it can't be!" Nan Chang whimpered, "How are we supposed to kill this thing?" She clutched her silver needles to her chest and was ghastly in complexion. It was obvious she was wound up and ready to bolt at any moment.

But could she be faulted? A tiangou was no simple foe, especially one when they had no time to prepare for it in advance.

"..." Liu Sumeng was unsure either. He had paid dearly to fell this beast in his previous life. But that didn't mean he wasn't going to try. But an unexpected voice caught their attention.

"I'll distract it." It was Peng Jipei, who stared at the beast, still trembling but with the fire of determination in his eyes.

The other three cultivators immediately cast their eyes towards him.

Before he could explain further, the tiangou attacked again, sprinting at them at top speeds. They ducked out the way, Yuan Xuelan grabbing Nan Chang by the waist and pulled her aside. Liu Sumeng side stepped carefully and gracefully but his eyes were on Peng Jipei instead.

"What do you mean?"

The beast crashed into the opposite wall, the manor trembled in protest as pieces of wall and roof broke away, specs of debris fell like rain.

Silei was alive with lightning and Yuan Xuelan slashed wildly at the beast to catch its attention before luring it away from the group by running to the other side of the hall. Also, where the heck was that pesky flag!? Wasn't it supposed to be somewhere around?

"I-I can lure it outside," Peng Jipei said in a rush, "You guys search for the flag and get rid of it first, and then you can come help me."

"That's the worst idea I've ever heard!" Nan Chang shrilled, "You're just going to get eaten! Can't we all just stay together?"

"B-but, I think it'll be faster! And it's too dangerous dueling it inside!"

Indeed, there was reason there. With each swipe of a giant paw and each thrust of Silei's frightening power, the manor was falling apart. They needed to take the fight outside lest they wish to buried in a heap of debris. And the flag, protected by the membrane of demonic energy would become lost in the heap.

Though Liu Sumeng's suspicion only increased, he suddenly thought of an idea.

"Xuelan," the Ivory Sword Saint called, "Bring it outside with Peng Jipei."

"...!" Peng Jipei opened his mouth but said nothing.

"Okay, got it!" Yuan Xuelan agreed readily. When the tiangou snapped at him with its jaws, he rolled away and cut into the dog's cheek. Silei drew a sizzling scar across the tiangou's face. It snarled and barked at him, chasing after even when Yuan Xuelan bolted towards the hallway, "C'mon Peng-ge!" He gave Peng Jipei no option, grabbing his cousin by the collar and dragging him out with the giant beast on their tail.

Good. This way not only was there someone who was willing to stick with Peng Jipei, preventing him from causing too much trouble, Liu Sumeng didn't have to worry about angering Yuan Xuelan in the process either.

With the bear-dog gone, Nan Chang dusted off her dress, her hands still shook from shock and fear, "What now, Liu-gege? We don't even know where the flag is."

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.