Mountain Fiend, Walking Corpse

As soon as Lin Baichuan stepped into the village, a chilling wind swept over him, making him feel cold all over.

"Damn, why is it so cold!"

He saw Niu Zhenye, Wu Xiaoqi, and Luo Kang ahead of him instinctively pull their clothes tighter, shivering uncontrollably.

Lin Baichuan's pupils contracted slightly at the sight.

Niu Zhenye and the other two were Intermediate Demon Slayers, their cultivation having long since reached the Eighth Rank. They were already immune to the elements, yet now they shivered from a mere gust of wind. This showed how terrifying the temperature in the village was.

However, what surprised Lin Baichuan the most was that Ying Que, who was traveling with them, appeared completely unfazed, as if the chilling aura had no effect on him.

This made Lin Baichuan frown, his mind racing.

This is not right... The main duty of an Intelligence Officer is to gather information, so many Intelligence Officers have only average personal strength. The chilling malevolent energy in this village is unbearable even for Niu Zhenye and the other two, yet Ying Que is completely unaffected...

A sharp glint flashed in Lin Baichuan's eyes. He gave Ying Que a meaningful look before subtly putting some distance between them.

Damn it, they're all schemers, hiding too deeply. I don't know if they're human or ghosts.

The village was desolate, exuding an eerie and terrifying aura. Malevolent energy and mist filled the air, preventing even starlight from penetrating. The group of seven walked cautiously, Lin Baichuan's right hand resting on his saber's hilt, ready to draw it at the slightest anomaly.

The further they went, the more intense the chilling aura became.

Lin Baichuan even saw a faint layer of frost covering everyone's clothes, as if their blood flow had slowed to a crawl, giving them the illusion of stopping altogether.

Creeeak...

Suddenly, a crisp sound, like a dry branch snapping, rang out, and a sense of unease washed over him.

Whoosh!

At that moment, from the depths of the village, a figure shot out like a phantom, heading straight for Lin Baichuan and his group.

"Careful..."

Just then, Li Da, who was at the forefront, shouted loudly. His battle saber was already drawn, and he swung it fiercely at the figure. Beside him, Qin Qing was no slower; her long sword flicked, emitting a chilling sword light, and she thrust towards the phantom figure almost simultaneously with Li Da.

Clang...

Blade and sword met, striking the phantom figure simultaneously, sending sparks flying.

The figure rapidly retreated, about to vanish into the darkness.

At this moment, Qin Qing suddenly raised her hand, and a talisman shot out, exploding in mid-air into a ball of flames that engulfed the retreating phantom.

Roar...

A low, piercing roar sounded. The figure trembled, and a chilling malevolent energy emanated from within, easily extinguishing the surrounding flames.

In that brief moment, Li Da, along with Qin Qing, Niu Zhenye, Luo Kang, and Wu Xiaoqi, had surrounded the phantom. The flames on its body were extinguished, and the malevolent energy dissipated, revealing its true form.

It was a demon resembling a monkey, with a sharp snout, monkey-like cheeks, and a head full of bizarre red hair.

"This is a Mountain Fiend, at least Soldier Tier 3 in strength," Li Da's pupils contracted, and he said in a deep voice, "This thing is strange and its physical body is incredibly tough, almost impervious to blades and spears. Its eyes and navel are its weak points. Form a formation..."

"Kill!"

As soon as Li Da finished speaking, Qin Qing and the other four moved their feet, forming a profound battle formation with Li Da. An invisible aura locked onto the Mountain Fiend.

Lin Baichuan's pupils tightened slightly. He gripped his saber hilt, but his body instinctively took a step back.

"Sir, aren't you joining?"

Ying Que beside him grinned at him.

Lin Baichuan glanced at him, not replying, and cautiously stepped back a few more paces. His actions caused Ying Que's expression to falter, and his mouth twitched.

Damn, what's with this guy? Guarding against me like I'm a thief?

Boom... Bang...

In the time it took for this exchange, Li Da and the other four had already engaged the Mountain Fiend. The five of them, forming a battle formation, trapped the Mountain Fiend within and attacked simultaneously.

In an instant, blades and swords clashed more than ten times, with loud banging sounds.

Lin Baichuan immediately turned to look, his brow furrowed. The Mountain Fiend was indeed formidable, fighting on par with Li Da and the other four.

Such strong power. It's likely at the peak of Soldier Tier 3, or even half a step into Fourth-Order...

Lin Baichuan thought to himself.

Just like the Human Race martial artists, demons also had ranks. The lowest was the Soldier Tier, divided into nine levels, which corresponded to the major realms of physical cultivation for human martial artists.

Soldier Tier 3 was equivalent to the Seventh Rank Organ Forging Realm for martial artists.

Judging by the Mountain Fiend's strength, it was likely half a step into Fourth-Order, equivalent to a half-step into the Sixth Rank Blood Refining Realm. Fortunately, Li Da and the others knew battle formations, otherwise, they might not have been able to suppress it.

Roar...

Suddenly, as various thoughts flashed through Lin Baichuan's mind, wondering if he should go help, the Mountain Fiend let out a roar that shook the entire village.

The next moment, an anomaly occurred.

Woooo...

From all around the village, a strong smell of blood emanated. In the next instant, figures, like wild beasts, rushed out from the surrounding houses, instantly surrounding Lin Baichuan and his group.

These were not wild beasts, but people.

No!

To be precise, they were dead people, like zombies, emitting low growls and chilling malevolent energy, their eyes flashing with strange red light. There were at least several hundred of them, slowly closing in on Lin Baichuan and the others.

"These are reanimated Walking Corpses, how can there be so many?"

Qin Qing's expression changed. She gritted her teeth and said, "Captain, you guys hold off this Mountain Fiend first, I'll deal with these guys."

"No, that Mountain Fiend is too strong. If you leave, we won't be able to form the Battle Formation and won't be able to stop it at all."

Li Da immediately shook his head. He parried the Mountain Fiend back with a saber strike and shouted at Lin Baichuan, "Lin Baichuan, these Walking Corpses are yours to handle. This is your mission, I hope you don't disappoint me..."

Lin Baichuan's face immediately darkened. He wasn't stupid; he knew Li Da was trying to use the Walking Corpses to kill him. It was a truly cunning plan to use these creatures as a weapon against him.

However, this guy was destined to be disappointed.

If he were just an ordinary Ninth Rank Skin Refinement Realm cultivator, he would definitely not be a match for these hundreds of Walking Corpses and would likely fall right into Li Da's trap.

Unfortunately for Li Da, his scheme was destined to fail because Lin Baichuan was no ordinary Ninth Rank Skin Refinement Realm cultivator. His physical strength had reached ten thousand jin, coupled with his mastery of the Seven Kill Saber Art and his comprehension of Saber Intent.

His current combat power was enough to face Li Da without fear, so these mere hundreds of Walking Corpses were naturally no challenge. Numerous thoughts flashed through Lin Baichuan's mind, his gaze gradually sharpening. With a raise of his hand, his Battle Saber was drawn, and he charged directly towards the hundreds of Walking Corpses closing in.