Hanging by a Thread

"Boom!"

The Demon Hound possessed astonishing leaping power. With a single bound, it soared over two meters, pouncing toward the group.

"Ah!"

A soldier didn't have time to dodge or counterattack before a Demon Hound clamped its jaws onto his neck. His shrill, miserable scream shattered the night sky.

"Something's wrong! There's a situation—follow me!"

Hearing the screams, other patrol squads quickly converged on the location of Li Xuancang and his men.

A Demon Hound lunged at Li Xuancang, but he reacted with agility and quickly dodged aside.

The Demon Hound missed its mark, and a flicker of rage appeared in its glowing green pupils. It kicked off the ground with all four limbs, pouncing at Li Xuancang once more.

The Demon Hound's speed was too great; Li Xuancang could no longer dodge and had no choice but to take the hit head-on.

"Ah!"

With a roar, Li Xuancang channeled all his strength and thrust his long spear toward the Demon Hound.

Facing the spear's attack, the Demon Hound twisted its body at an incredible angle, evading the strike while swatting at the spear with a claw.

A massive force traveled along the spear and into Li Xuancang's body. His thumb-web split instantly, and his entire arm went numb.

Li Xuancang's eyes were wide with fury. He hadn't expected the beast's strength to have increased so much; the gap between them was still vast.

Although he failed to pierce the Demon Hound, he forced it to change its movement, stalling its attack.

Li Xuancang quickly regained his senses, seized the opportunity to roll on the ground, and narrowly avoided the spot where the Demon Hound landed.

"Bang!"

The Demon Hound landed, its sharp claws leaving deep gouges in the earth.

Li Xuancang, having escaped a fatal blow, felt his pupils constrict. If that claw had landed on him, he would have been shredded, perhaps even losing his life.

"Run."

Li Xuancang turned and fled in a hurry, with only one thought in mind: to escape at all costs, the further, the better.

A single Demon Hound could take his life, let alone the eight present. Staying behind meant certain death.

"Woof!"

Having failed to kill Li Xuancang twice in a row, the Demon Hound was thoroughly enraged and gave chase to the fleeing man.

"Ah!"

Another heart-wrenching scream echoed out; yet another soldier had fallen victim to the Demon Hounds.

Hearing the screams behind him, Li Xuancang didn't pause for a second, his pace quickening.

The Demon Hound pursued him relentlessly, the stench of its demonic aura closing in.

"This won't work; I can't outrun it."

The distance between them was shrinking. Before Li Xuancang could reach the barracks, the Demon Hound would catch him.

At this thought, Li Xuancang abruptly stopped. A fierce look crossed his face—he would fight the Demon Hound to the death.

The Demon Hound hadn't expected Li Xuancang to stop, but it didn't hesitate. Locking its gaze on him, its claws gleaming with a cold, ghostly light, it pounced.

Li Xuancang's breathing was ragged, his heart racing, and he was already soaked in cold sweat.

Facing the Demon Hound alone, his chances of survival were slim to none.

But he had no other choice; a desperate struggle was his only hope.

"Kill!"

With a loud shout, Li Xuancang brandished his iron spear and charged at the Demon Hound.

"Pfft!"

As man and beast crossed paths, blood sprayed into the air.

Li Xuancang's shoulder was struck by the Demon Hound's claws, leaving deep, bone-exposed wounds that bled uncontrollably.

"Ah!"

As the agonizing pain hit, Li Xuancang became even more frantic. His iron spear pierced the Demon Hound's vulnerable belly. Enduring the pain, he used every ounce of his strength to lunge forward, pushing the beast back repeatedly.

The Demon Hound felt the pain, its green eyes glowing brighter as it swiped wildly at Li Xuancang.

Li Xuancang dodged in a hurry, but he was still caught by the claws. His chest was covered in wounds, blood streaming down.

Having suffered repeated heavy blows and lost a significant amount of blood, Li Xuancang felt lightheaded and dizzy, nearly collapsing to the ground.

If I fall, I die. I cannot fall, I cannot fall...

Li Xuancang knew the consequences of falling. His indomitable will struggled to hold on; he even bit his tongue hard, trying to use a different kind of pain to stay conscious.

"Pfft!"

With Li Xuancang's desperate effort, the iron spear pierced through the Demon Hound's abdomen.

"Ah!"

Li Xuancang used his final reserves of strength to shove the Demon Hound away, then his vision went black, and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

"Kill!"

Just as Li Xuancang fell, the other squads arrived and charged into the fray.

"It's a Demon Hound! Kill it quickly!"

Seeing the Demon Hound, its belly pierced by Li Xuancang's desperate strike and dripping with blood, the men were startled before swarming it.

The Demon Hound was heavily wounded and at its weakest. Seizing the chance to finish it off, they quickly hacked the beast to death.

Zhao Changlin, the commander of the hundred, looked at the carcass of the Demon Hound, then shifted his gaze to the unconscious Li Xuancang. He knelt down and discovered that Li Xuancang was still alive, though his breath was faint, like a candle flickering in the wind, ready to be extinguished at any moment.

After a moment of hesitation, Zhao Changlin ordered, "He's still breathing. Take him back to the camp. Whether he lives or dies depends on his own fate."

With only Li Xuancang and the Demon Hound in the vicinity, it was clear that Li Xuancang had fought desperately to inflict such heavy wounds on the beast.

A soldier capable of severely wounding a Demon Hound was a rare find. Zhao Changlin felt a spark of appreciation and had him carried back to the barracks.

If Li Xuancang was lucky enough to survive, he would gain a fierce warrior under his command.

If Li Xuancang didn't make it, he had lost nothing.

"Commander Zhao, we'll take him back to the camp right away."

Two soldiers stepped forward in a hurry, lifting Li Xuancang to return to the barracks.

The others watched, their faces grim, regretting that they hadn't reacted a step faster.

Zhao Changlin knew what they were thinking, but he didn't care.

"Follow me and kill!"

With a roar, the men followed Zhao Changlin to hunt the remaining Demon Hounds.

After Wang Daniu and Wang Xiaoniu carried Li Xuancang back to the camp, they looked at him, still bleeding, and shook their heads helplessly.

"His injuries are too severe; there's no saving him."

Li Xuancang's wounds were grave, with many deep enough to expose bone; he was practically disemboweled. That he hadn't stopped breathing yet already surprised them both.

"We survived because of him. Let's at least tend to his wounds!"

Wang Daniu looked at the gruesome wounds on Li Xuancang's body and decided to bandage him up.

If not for Li Xuancang, the two of them would have had to join Zhao Changlin in the fight against the Demon Hounds. In a way, Li Xuancang had helped them, and they wanted to do what they could.

Wang Xiaoniu nodded slightly, and the two quickly brought over hot water.

After simply cleaning Li Xuancang's wounds, they applied a layer of ointment.

"We've done all we can. Whether you live or die is up to you now."

The two had done everything in their power. Even if Li Xuancang never woke up, their consciences were clear.

The great battle lasted for most of the night. It wasn't until five of their companions' corpses were left behind that the Demon Hounds retreated.

The barracks suffered heavy losses: over a dozen soldiers and forty laborers were killed in action, four squad leaders were severely wounded, and Zhao Changlin had sustained some injuries as well.

The entire camp was shrouded in sorrow. The laborers wore numb expressions, their eyes hollow, unable to see any future at all.