"Only if a Squad Leader at the Body Tempering Ninth Layer chooses you will your chances of surviving improve..."
"Squad Leader Li is at the Body Tempering Ninth Layer Peak. They say he'll reach the Houtian Realm soon! He has to choose me!"
"If nothing else, I'd be happy if a Squad Leader at the Eighth Level of Body Tempering chose me..."
Many of the new Demon Suppression Guards didn't dare breathe too loudly.
They stared tensely at the Squad Leaders at the Body Tempering Ninth Layer.
The men were chosen from strongest to weakest.
First came the Squad Leaders at the Body Tempering Ninth Layer. Only after they finished choosing would it be the turn of those at the eighth and seventh levels.
The Squad Leaders at the Body Tempering Ninth Layer wore indifferent expressions as they walked up to the recruits and asked each one about their cultivation.
When a recruit answered that he was at the Body Tempering Fourth Level, the Squad Leaders simply shook their heads without even looking at him.
A demon could swat someone at the Body Tempering Fourth Level to death. Why choose such a useless burden?
Just then, a Squad Leader stopped in front of Lin Feng and asked coolly, "What level are you at?"
"Body Tempering Triple Layer," Lin Feng replied, calm and unflinching.
The Squad Leader froze when he heard him. Body Tempering Triple Layer?
Why would someone with such a low cultivation level join the Demon Suppression Division? Was he looking to get himself killed?
Even those at the Body Tempering Fourth Level were useless, let alone someone at the third!
The Squad Leader's brow furrowed deeply, and he turned away without another word.
Clearly, Lin Feng's cultivation was beneath the notice of the Squad Leaders at the Body Tempering Ninth Layer.
A moment later, only a handful of Demon Suppression Division recruits remained where they stood.
Including Lin Feng, there were only six.
Lin Feng had the lowest cultivation level among them, at the Body Tempering Triple Layer.
Everyone else was at the Body Tempering Fourth Level.
The stronger Squad Leaders had already finished assigning their teams.
The only ones left without recruits were Squad Leaders at the Body Tempering Seventh Level.
At this point, there was no question of choosing anyone.
Captain Chen simply waved his hand and made the final assignments according to the numbers.
Lin Feng was assigned to a Squad Leader at the Body Tempering Seventh Level.
Captain Chen said coolly, "The demon calamity must be dealt with without delay!"
"Now that the assignments are done, set out at once."
The Demon Suppression Guards answered in unison, "Yes!"
There was no delay.
The Squad Leaders led the way.
One after another, the group departed from in front of Captain Chen and headed outside the city.
Standing beside Captain Chen, Lu Gang let out a cold laugh inwardly.
He'd already given the kid a chance. But the fool had refused to listen, so he had no one to blame but himself.
His cultivation was weak, and he'd been assigned to a Squad Leader at the Body Tempering Seventh Level.
When they encountered a demon, forget the kid at the Body Tempering Triple Layer.
Even the Squad Leader at the Body Tempering Seventh Level had a decent chance of being killed!
It was even possible that the entire team would be wiped out!
Lin Feng and the others soon left Wancheng City and headed for the official road south of the city.
Under the cover of night, Lin Feng and the others walked along, discussing what little they knew about the demon hunt.
The Squad Leader of Lin Feng's team was named Hu Biao. He spoke up now.
"According to the intelligence from the Wancheng Yamen, the demon we're about to hunt is a Snake Demon."
"This Snake Demon is vicious and cunning. It found a nearby village and slaughtered everyone there. More than two hundred people died."
Everyone's hearts tightened at his words.
Demons killed humans mainly to cultivate.
After slaughtering so many people, how powerful had this one become?
Several people in the team grew nervous, and a heavy atmosphere spread among them.
Their team was too weak. If they ran into even a somewhat powerful First-Order Demon, many of them would die!
Seeing the unease, Hu Biao said, "But you don't need to worry."
"According to the Yamen's intelligence, the village was wiped out because the Snake Demon poisoned the well. That's why everyone in the village died."
"Demons are savage and merciless. If they could kill people outright, they wouldn't resort to methods like this."
"Based on my judgment, this demon can't be very powerful. It's nothing special, even among First-Order Demons!"
Hu Biao added, "As long as we work together, we can kill it with ease."
His words gave the others a little reassurance.
They'd seen plenty of demons in the Demon Suppression Division.
Every last one was savage and bloodthirsty.
The demon had probably resorted to poison because it wasn't powerful enough!
Lin Feng said nothing. He kept walking with his bow and arrows on his back, waiting for the demon to appear so he could loose an arrow.
As they walked, Lin Feng noticed something fishy.
Several of the recruits in the team kept their distance from him, as if he were a walking plague.
Lin Feng thought it over and understood.
His cultivation was weak, and he was an archer. When they encountered the demon, he'd probably be its first target.
They were staying away from him because they were afraid of getting caught up in the danger too.
Lin Feng shook his head and couldn't be bothered to care.
After walking for a while, a village of the sort found only in the wilderness came into view.
From a distance, it looked utterly lifeless, as though no one had ever lived there.
Even from afar, they could smell blood!
Hu Biao's spirits lifted. "That smell of blood... The Snake Demon is probably feeding!"
"Come on, let's get over there now and kill it while it's off guard!"
Hu Biao drew the saber from his waist. Its cold gleam flashed through the night as the others followed behind him.
Lin Feng gripped an arrow and stared ahead, alert for the demon that might appear at any moment.
He was determined to claim those 100 Merit Points.
The group hurried through the night and reached the village. The stench of blood grew even stronger.
Hu Biao held his breath and made no sound as he crept into the village at the head of the group.
The sight that greeted them inside made their hearts pound.
Severed limbs lay everywhere. The scene was blood-soaked and brutally savage.
An ordinary person would have fainted at a single glance!
Several Demon Suppression Guards in the team turned pale with fright.
Only Lin Feng's expression remained unchanged. Perhaps the confidence he'd gained from his strength helped him keep calm.
A moment later, Hu Biao stopped in his tracks, his eyes widening as he stared ahead!
A monster stood before them, roughly one zhang tall.
Its lower body consisted of two smooth, delicate legs that looked like a young woman's.
But its upper body...
A huge snake's head jutted from it!
The snake's head was twice the size of an ordinary person's. Its eyes glowed a blood-red in the darkness as its forked tongue flicked out with a hiss, and the stench of blood rolled off it.
The Snake Demon had been feeding on the ground. Lin Feng and the others' arrival immediately caught its attention. It stopped eating, then slowly turned to face them!
The Snake Demon's eyes grew even redder, like two balls of crimson ghost fire in the night. The sight made everyone's blood run cold.
Hu Biao took a deep breath and said, "I'll move in and keep the Snake Demon occupied. The rest of you, look for a chance to kill it! Its weakness is its legs! Cut them off, and it won't be able to move!"
With that, Hu Biao attacked without the slightest hesitation!
Before you continue