The Hunt

After the four finished their discussion, they prepared to depart.

As Yang Xiao walked out of the gate of the camp, he noticed several figures approaching together outside the courtyard.

As dusk fell, the figures approached on the gravel path; they were all dressed Deputy General, and all were at the early stage of the Qi Aperture-Opening Realm.

He was somewhat puzzled and turned to look at Zhou Zheng.

Given the current situation in Azure Mist City —six demons blocking the way, and a Demon King suspected to be at the Mysterious Core Realm guarding the City Lord's Residence —how dare these Deputy General at the early Aperture-Opening Realm come here?

Zhou Zheng seemed to sense his confusion and gestured towards the figures.

"You've just joined the Demon-Slaying Battalion, you don't yet know how rare such an opportunity to gather a large number of demons is."

Meng Jiu smiled and held up one finger, waving it.

"Demon of this level normally value their lives more than anyone else. Once they discover the Demon Suppression Division's whereabouts, they run as far as they can, disappearing into the deep mountains and forests, making them impossible to catch."

He paused, his gaze passing over Yang Xiao's shoulder and landing on Azure Mist City in the distance.

The city was shrouded in darkness at dusk, with only a few faint flickering lights in the alleys.

"The fact that the Seven Demons dared to target a city is like casting bait into a pond."

"Deputy General who comes from Qingzhou will take the bait."

"Even if we can't defeat those seven great demons, we can still pick up some small fry. Each one is easily worth dozens of Merit, so killing them won't be a loss."

Yang Xiao suddenly understood and nodded.

"Let's go quickly."

Yan Tieyi called out, clearly impatient, and took the lead, carrying his broadsword, heading towards the city wall.

The four walked around the city wall. At the base of the wall, rows of barricades were piled up, with streaks of dark brown blood hanging on the wooden spikes, whether human or demon blood, it was unclear.

Debris floated on the surface of the moat, the water was dark and had a faint fishy smell.

The four found a secluded corner and, under the cover of night, scaled the wall and entered.

The streets of Azure Mist City were deserted.

The doors and windows of the houses on both sides of the long street were tightly closed, and some doors still had yellow talismans for warding off evil spirits pasted on them, the edges of which were curled up by the wind.

There was no one in the alley, only a few fallen leaves swirling in the wind, making a rustling sound as they brushed against the Bluestone pavement.

"I won't wait for you, I'll be going now."

Having said that, Yan Tieyi made no attempt to conceal his aura and strode off in one direction into the street, leaving only his distant echoes behind.

"Deputy General Yang, you'd better hurry, I won't hold back!"

Meng Jiu smiled lightly, leaped up, and disappeared into the distance in a few breaths.

Before leaving, Zhou Zheng glanced back at Yang Xiao, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something but then stopped himself.

He admired Yang Xiao's decisive and efficient spirit, but he also worried that Yang Xiao was overconfident and that his rigidity could easily lead to his downfall. He had seen too many people die trying to prove this point.

But Yang Xiao didn't seem to care.

He just stared ahead, like a hunting dog that had caught the scent of blood, ready to pounce and tear its prey's throat at any moment.

"Walk."

Yang Xiao let out a low shout, his figure blurred, and he rode the wind, taking the lead into the depths of the alley.

The streets and alleys in the south of the city were filled with the stench of blood.

A squad of demon- Deputy General Demon Suppression Division sheathed their swords, with five or six Demon corpses lying at their feet.

There were Wolf Demon in the Liquid Condensation Early Stage and Leopard Demon in the Liquid Condensation Mid Stage. Their fur was still steaming, and blood was gushing from their wounds, winding into several dark red streams on the Bluestone.

The team Deputy General, Gu Chenshan, wiped the blood from his face, looked around, and waved to the people behind him.

"Let's regroup and move on."

His four Deputy General responded immediately; two went to cut off the Demon Core, and two went to search the corpses. Their movements were skillful and their teamwork was excellent.

Gu Chenshan looked up at the sky.

The sky had darkened, and thick clouds completely obscured the last rays of twilight.

"The Seven Demons of She Mountain haven't appeared yet, so don't let your guard down." Gu Chenshan paused, then gestured with his chin towards the city center.

"Continue to advance."

The four Deputy General nodded, each shouldered their weapons, and followed Gu Chenshan northward.

The houses on both sides of the street were dark and gloomy, with their doors and windows tightly closed. Occasionally, a gust of wind would blow through, swirling a few withered leaves close to the ground.

The clouds overhead seemed to be getting lower and lower, like an overturned black pot, covering the entire city.

Deep within the clouds, a dark shadow hovered.

The dark shadow folded its wings, curled up into a ball, and hid in the dark folds of the clouds.

It remained motionless until Gu Chenshan and the others walked half a street and reached a three-way intersection, slowing their pace slightly, when it suddenly let out a cry.

"Gaa--!"

A sharp cry ripped through the night sky.

The sound was sharp and piercing, like an iron hook scraping against a porcelain bowl, echoing endlessly throughout the city.

Gu Chenshan suddenly looked up, his expression changing.

"Watch out! There's an ambush!"

Before the words were even finished, three demonic figures simultaneously attacked from different directions.

The Red-Faced Fox darted out from the alley entrance, its figure flickering in and out of the light, leaving several afterimages in the firelight.

A Green-Scaled Serpent slithered out of the thatch, spewing out a cloud of emerald-green poisonous mist that swept towards Gu Chenshan and the others with the wind.

A massive stone bull crashed into half of a courtyard wall, sending rubble flying and billowing dust that blocked the exit of the street.

The three-headed, Aperture-Opening Realm demon launched an attack from three directions simultaneously!

Gu Chenshan's pupils contracted sharply, but he remained calm and spoke methodically.

"Form ranks!"

He gave a low shout, drew his sword, and the broad-bladed, thick-backed blade gleamed coldly in the firelight.

The four Deputy General behind him quickly closed in, standing back to back in a circle, each brandishing their weapons.

The phantom of the Red-Faced Fox was forced back by the two men's combined swords, and vanished into wisps of smoke.

The Green Snake Demon's poisonous mist was cleaved aside by Gu Chenshan's blade wind, preventing it from getting close for the time being.

The Stone Bull Demon burst out of the dust and, with its powerful physique, smashed through the small circle of five people.

Gu Chenshan's face turned ashen.

"Retreat!"

Gu Chenshan shouted and led the way back the way they came.

The Green Snake Demon's poisonous mist had somehow seeped down from the roof, the emerald green vapor resembling a venomous snake, burrowing into the mouths and noses of several of the Deputy General.

"Cough cough--"

A Deputy General clutched his throat, his face turning pale, and staggered.

Watch out behind you!

Gu Chenshan shouted, turned around and swung his sword at the Red-Faced Fox that pounced from behind.

But his movements were a moment slower than usual. The poisonous mist invaded his meridians, his Spiritual Power stagnated, and his limbs began to go numb.

The Red-Faced Fox's sharp claws grazed his shoulder, drawing a trail of blood.

"Lord Gu!" a Deputy General behind him exclaimed, rushing forward to protect Gu Chenshan.

But the Stone Bull Demon had already moved.

It lowered its head, pointed its two horns at Gu Chenshan, and charged at him.

Gu Chenshan gritted his teeth and raised his knife to parry.

"Clang--!"

With a loud crash, the blade bent, and the immense impact traveled up the hilt to his arm.

The sound of bones cracking rang out.

Gu Chenshan's arm bent at an odd angle, the pain excruciating. He groaned, the knife flew out of his hand, and he was sent flying, crashing into the wall before falling to the ground.

Gu Chenshan struggled to get up, but his right arm was useless and he couldn't exert any strength.

Just then, a dark shadow fell upside down from the roof.

When it spread its wings, they were as wide as seven or eight people, and the dark red membranous wings gleamed eerily in the firelight.

The fourth Aperture Opening demon, the Blood Bat Demon, suddenly descended!

"Squeak--!" It opened its mouth and let out a piercing screech.

The sound waves spread like a tide, sweeping across the entire street.

Several Deputy General were simultaneously shaken, their ears ringing, their vision going black, and they couldn't even hold their weapons steady, causing them to fall to the ground.

The other demons did not take the opportunity to kill, but instead tacitly crippled the legs and arms of the victims, rendering them unable to move.

The Blood Bat Demon folded its wings and exhaled a blood-red Yao Qi from its sleeve. The Yao Qi, like a red rope, meandered and wrapped around the limbs of Gu Chenshan and the four Deputy General, binding them tightly.

"I'm taking it with me. Keep searching."

The Blood Bat Demon whispered something, and the Yao Qi rope tightened, dragging the five people away from the street like prey.