Chapter 284: A “Lie” Becomes Reality

“Roar~~~”

A fierce tiger’s long howl echoed through the dense forest!

Moments later, a pair of sharp, gleaming tiger eyes slowly emerged from behind a large tree, locking onto the people beyond the woods.

Under the moonlight, they could vaguely make out the creature’s orange-yellow fur, its powerful front paws, and the striking black stripes across its massive head.

“Y-Yan lad!”

“Shouldn’t we just run…?”

“That’s a real tiger—we can’t even handle an ordinary one, let alone a demon tiger that has gained sentience!”

An elderly man, his temples streaked with white, clutched an iron farming rake in his trembling hands as he spoke, his voice quivering with fear.

Yan Wuyong, gripping a hatchet, remained calm and said, “Uncle Hou, don’t panic. Last night, an immortal appeared in my dreams, and that’s how I realized this demon tiger has been tailing us all along.”

“Even if we run, we won’t be able to shake him off!”

“Roar~~~”

As if understanding Yan Wuyong’s words, the tiger let out a low growl before suddenly speaking in a deep, sinister voice, “A bunch of filthy mongrels—how far do you think you can run?”

“You might as well surrender and enter Grandfather Tiger’s belly, so you can have the chance to reincarnate properly.”

A talking demon tiger—this sight alone sent waves of terror through the crowd!

Even though their numbers exceeded three hundred, the primal fear of a tiger, combined with their instinctive dread of demons, made them too terrified to act.

Despite having already fought and killed twelve corrupt county officials who had preyed upon the people, the thought of actually raising a blade against a demon still made them hesitate.

“Listen to me, fellow villagers!”

“Last night, an immortal appeared in my dream!”

“He told me that Great Wu will soon fall into chaos, demons will run rampant, and the world will need heroes—heroes who will slay corrupt officials, exterminate demons, and forge a new era!”

“That is why I was able to sense this demon tiger following us so precisely!”

At those words, Yan Wuyong stepped forward, lifting his hatchet as he moved toward the forest.

“The immortal granted me a technique—one swing to cut down all evildoers!”

“Cut!”

With a deafening roar, Yan Wuyong swung his hatchet at the distant tiger demon!

In the next moment, the crowd gasped in shock—

The demon tiger’s head, hidden behind the tree, had been cleanly severed!

Foul-smelling blood gushed out, splattering the nearby tree trunk in a vivid red.

“Heavens! It’s really dead! Just a single swing—just like that!”

“The immortal has blessed us! The immortal has blessed us!”

The previously terrified old man, Uncle Hou, was the first to cry out in astonishment. He rushed toward the fallen demon tiger’s severed head without hesitation.

His bold action spurred the rest of the three hundred people to surge forward as well.

And when they all saw with their own eyes that the massive tiger demon had been completely beheaded in a single strike from afar, their faith in Yan Wuyong’s immortal dream was solidified.

At that moment, Yan Wuyong raised his hatchet high and roared, “So what if it’s a demon? Humans can cut them down all the same!”

A gust of wind howled.

The dark clouds scattered.

Under the clear moonlight, Yan Wuyong’s figure was cast in a cold, sharp brilliance.

“So what if it’s a demon? Humans can cut them down all the same!”

Somewhere in the crowd, someone shouted the phrase first, sending a tremor through everyone’s heart.

Then, that surge of boiling blood spread rapidly until all three hundred voices roared in unison:

“So what if it’s a demon? Humans can cut them down all the same!”

Boom!

Gu Ning’an slowly closed his palm, causing the trace of Worldly Qi from Yan Wuyong in his grasp to vanish completely.

Lifting the teacup in front of him, he blew away the tea froth, took a slow sip, then chuckled.

“Well, he’s an honest man. He actually went and revealed every secret he should have kept hidden.”

Earlier, when Yan Wuyong confided in Gu Ning’an, he had mentioned a specific memory within his Worldly Qi—the moment he slew the demon tiger.

But the truth was, Yan Wuyong had always been a straightforward man. That so-called demon tiger had never been anything more than an ordinary beast they had killed using a trap.

The tiger’s roar, the blood splatter, and even the illusion of a talking demon tiger—all of it had been carefully orchestrated by him and his fellow hunters.

Even the trembling old man, Uncle Hou, had been part of the act, placed there to make the entire scene more convincing.

The reason they went through such elaborate lengths to stage this performance for their followers was twofold.

First, to erase their people’s fear of demons.

Second, as Yan Wuyong had discovered, the deeper he delved into his rebellion, the clearer the horrifying truth became—by the time he had reached his eighth county, he had uncovered a shocking conspiracy:

Someone was colluding with demons, plotting to hand over an entire county to their rule.

And that someone was none other than an envoy sent by the Fifth Prince of the Great Wu Dynasty.

Upon learning this, Yan Wuyong himself nearly gave up his cause.

But before they could act, the demons uncovered their presence in the county office.

Forced into a desperate battle, they fought for their lives.

In the end, ninety-eight of their people perished before they finally managed to slay that monstrous dog demon.

Of course, the Fifth Prince’s envoy was also executed along with it.

Afterward, those who survived gathered and agreed to conceal the truth.

To maintain morale, they fabricated the tale of an immortal dream and staged the miraculous beheading of the demon tiger, making the ignorant masses believe that they truly had the power to exterminate demons.

From then on, every time they entered a new county, they encountered demons. At first, the casualties remained severe—each time they gained new recruits, they would often be wiped out by the next battle.

But then, something unbelievable happened.

One day, Yan Wuyong realized that the more people followed him, and the more people believed he could slay demons, the more he actually felt a limitless surge of power within him!

He didn’t understand what that power was, but it was real—and it truly granted him the strength to slay demons effortlessly!

Over time, as his battles grew easier and he could kill demons without breaking a sweat, even those who knew the truth began to believe that he had genuinely received divine guidance.

What started as a lie had gradually become the truth.

Even the deceivers themselves came to believe in their own deception…

Except for Yan Wuyong.

He alone remembered that his power had been born from a lie.

Everyone else who had known the truth had either died in battle—or had fully embraced the myth of the “immortal dream.”

The clear-headed Yan Wuyong bore the greatest burden of all.

He could already foresee it—under Great Wu’s worsening conditions, more and more people would rally behind him.

But what if…

One day, the power he gained through deception suddenly vanished?

What then?

That was why he had spoken of his journey as one of being “forced onto this path, with no way to turn back.”