Surrounded by a Pack of Demons!

Yang Xiao did not answer right away.

Communication from Wang Village had been cut off for three days, and by any measure, it did not look like a minor matter.

Yet he was currently in urgent need of both merit points and new equipment.

If the dog demons turned into a disaster, the danger naturally would not be small, but it was also an opportunity for him.

Yang Xiao asked, "If we verify that dog demons are wreaking havoc, once they are slain, will the merit points still be counted?"

Zhao Qiang's mouth twitched.

Zhang Hu was also taken aback by the question.

A moment later, he could not help but laugh and scold, "You brat, you've really got your eyes set on merit points now."

"They count! As long as they are fiends and demons, killing them counts!"

"Then I'll go."

Zhang Hu looked at him, his expression turning solemn.

"Yang Xiao, I know your strength has grown immensely recently, but Wang Village is not Liu Family Village."

"The rat demons were mostly low-tier demonic creatures, but dog demons are different."

"Those beasts move in packs, hold grudges, are bloodthirsty, and love nothing more than to hunt living humans in packs."

"If a major disaster has truly occurred in Wang Village, come straight back."

Yang Xiao said, "I understand."

"I'll first confirm the situation of Wang Village and the constables."

Saying this, Zhang Hu's gaze grew heavier, looking at Yang Xiao with earnestness and worry.

"If you encounter a pack of dog demons that you cannot defeat, return to the county office first. You must not let anything happen to you!"

Yang Xiao accepted the token and the thin register, gently nodding.

"Understood."

Yang Xiao led his horse out of the city gate, and the official road gradually grew desolate.

The road to the east suburb was narrower than the path toward Liu Family Village, with wild grass growing in a frenzy on both sides and the occasional gnawed remains of livestock bones visible.

He flipped open the Wang Village terrain register.

Wang Village had over two hundred households, making it a large village in the vicinity of Xiangyun County.

Further east lay a vast expanse of low, wild mountains, and the dog demons had emerged from that very range of mountains.

About half an hour later, Yang Xiao caught sight of the entrance of Wang Village.

Yet the scene before him made him knit his brows tightly.

The air was permeated with a stench of blood, mixed with a rotting odor.

Bodies lay sprawled in disarray along both sides of the road.

There were old people, and there were children.

Their corpses were mutilated; some had been bitten past all recognition, others had their stomachs ripped open with intestines spilled across the ground.

Bright red blood stained the earth a dark crimson, and flies circled above the corpses.

His horse was already too terrified by the demonic aura to advance another half-step, so he had to tie it at the village entrance and proceed on foot.

Most of the doors and windows of the houses along the road were smashed, some roofs had caved in, and some walls had collapsed. Traces of fighting were everywhere.

Bloodstains mottled the ground, a shocking sight to behold.

Suddenly, a rustling sound came from ahead.

Yang Xiao slowed his pace and looked toward the source of the sound.

He saw that in an open space a dozen zhang ahead, three dog demons the size of small calves were swarming around a corpse.

It was the body of a child, likely only around seven or eight years old.

The corpse had already been bitten beyond recognition, a mangled arm dangling lifelessly against the ground, and a look of terror still lingered on the pale face.

The three dog demons poked at the corpse with their claws, kicking the head back and forth as if playing with a ball.

"Yi-ya—"

"Ao-wu—"

They let out excited cries, cruel gleams flashing in their eyes.

Yang Xiao's pupils suddenly constricted.

These beasts... treated a child's corpse as a toy?

A surge of anger rose from the bottom of his heart, but Yang Xiao quickly suppressed his emotions, leaving only coldness in his eyes.

He walked unhurriedly toward the three dog demons.

The three dog demons seemed to have sensed something and turned their heads simultaneously.

When they saw Yang Xiao, vicious glares flashed in their eyes, and low growls rumbled in their throats.

"Human... delicious..."

One of the dog demons actually spoke human words, its voice hoarse and grating.

Yang Xiao raised an eyebrow slightly.

These dog demons had already learned to speak human language?

"Eat... eat humans..." Another dog demon drooped saliva, its eyes filled with greed.

Yang Xiao sneered. "Want to eat me?"

He drew his long saber, the blade flashing with a cold glint in the sunlight.

"Then let's see if you have the ability."

The three dog demons roared and lunged at Yang Xiao at the same time.

Their movements were fast, but Yang Xiao was faster.

He tapped lightly with his toes, his figure flitting like a startled swan, instantly dodging the pounce and bite of a dog demon.

The long saber swept out, the blade light like lightning.

"Puchi—"

The head of the first dog demon flew into the air, and fresh blood spurted out.

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Yang Xiao did not halt his movement, spinning his blade for a backhand slash that cleaved the second dog demon cleanly down the middle.

The remaining dog demon, seeing this, tried to flee, but Yang Xiao had no intention of giving it a chance.

Taking a single step forward, executing his soaring-swan movement technique, he caught up to the dog demon in an instant.

The blade light flashed.

The dog demon's body froze, and immediately its head and torso separated, crashing heavily to the ground as blood flowed out in gurgles.

All three dog demons perished in the blink of an eye.

Yang Xiao sheathed his saber, and just as he took a few steps, a creaking sound suddenly came from a nearby house.

Yang Xiao instantly grew alert and turned his head to look.

He saw a damaged wooden door pushed open from the inside, and two dog demons walked out of the house.

These two dog demons were different from the previous ones; they were larger in size, and... they had actually learned to mimic human behavior by wearing clothes over their bodies.

Due to the vast difference in build between them and humans, wearing garments gave them a strange, incongruous look.

Yang Xiao furrowed his brow.

These dog demons had already begun to imitate humans?

Seeing the small dog demon that had been playing in the open space killed by Yang Xiao, the two dog demons let out angry, weird cries and ran toward him.

Yang Xiao did not show the slightest bit of fear; instead, a cold sneer curled the corner of his mouth.

"Just in time to test my Monument Splitting Palm."

He sheathed his saber, opened his right hand, and a thick, powerful force surged within his palm.

Monument Splitting Palm at mastery, strength increased by a thousand catties!

The first dog demon rushed right up to him, opening its bloody maw to bite.

Yang Xiao did not dodge or evade, bringing his right hand down in a palm strike from above.

"Bang!"

Palm winds howled, and the air cracked.

The dog demon's skull was indented by the single palm strike, its brain matter bursting forth, and its body flew three zhang away, crashing heavily against a wall before falling completely still.

Slain with a single palm!

The second dog demon lunged from the side, but Yang Xiao swayed his body, unfolding his soaring-swan movement technique to become like the wind, appearing beside the dog demon in an instant.

"Bang!"

Another blow shattered the dog demon's ribs, destroying its internal organs, and it collapsed to the ground amidst shrieks.

Yang Xiao continued walking deeper into the village. The corpses along the road grew more numerous, consisting of villagers, and gradually constables began to appear among them.

Some of the bodies were already mutilated, while others had been gnawed until barely any bones remained.

The air grew thick with an increasingly dense stench of blood, mixed with the rotting odor, enough to turn one's stomach.

Suddenly, Yang Xiao's footsteps paused.

He spotted a dilapidated temple not far ahead; it was small in scale, but already broken down and ruined.

A large gathering of dog demons had massaged around the temple entrance, their entire bodies stained with a foul, fishy stench that could be smelled from far away.

At a rough glance, there were at least twenty or thirty of them!

Their sizes varied; some were only the size of a newborn calf, while others were taller than a full-grown human.

Among them, over a dozen of the largest ones had glossy, oily pelts and tightly knotted muscles, easily reaching the seventh tier of body refinement or above.

Right in the center of the pack of dog demons, a human figure stood with his back against the ruined temple, guarding the doorway.

He grasped a long saber, covered entirely in blood.

His body was riddled with wounds, some deep enough to reveal the bone, and his clothes had been dyed crimson with fresh blood. Yet he still stood straight as a ramrod.

Yang Xiao recognized that figure—the third constable of Xiangyun County, Wang Dagui.

Only, his situation right now was extremely poor. Guarding the temple entrance all by himself with hordes of demons surrounding him, he could be attacked at any moment.

More importantly, judging by Wang Dagui's current state, he could not hold out much longer.

Yang Xiao peered left and right, his gaze landing on the side of the ruined temple, pondering how to create some commotion and draw the attention of the dog demons...

Just as he was thinking, the leader of the dog demons suddenly let out a harsh, gravelly voice.

"Get them all!"

Over a dozen body-refinement dog demons lunged toward Wang Dagui simultaneously!

"Damn it!"

Wang Dagui let out a low roar, swinging his saber to meet them.

"Slash—"

The blade light flashed, and a dog demon was cleaved in two.

Yet more dog demons lunged from all directions, leaving Wang Dagui barely able to parry.

Several more wounds were added to his body, fresh blood gushing out, yet he still stubbornly blocked the doorway.

I can't hold on... Wang Dagui thought to himself.

From last night until now, he had fought for a full day and night, and his physical stamina was long since exhausted.

If not for a sheer force of will sustaining him, he would have collapsed long ago. He only wondered whether the constable who had escaped earlier had managed to report the situation back to the county office.

"Attack again! He can't hold out much longer!"

The lead dog demon spoke once more, and several more dog demons lunged forward.

Wang Dagui clenched his teeth, preparing to fight to the death.

Right at that moment—

"Bang!"

A loud explosion erupted from the flank of the dog demon pack!

The head of a dog demon soared high into the air, and was subsequently grabbed casually by someone and tossed into the midst of the demon pack, rolling like a ball right to the feet of the lead dog demon.

All the dog demons froze, turning their heads in unison.

A young figure stood on the flank of the dog demon pack, holding a long saber in his hand, his gaze ice-cold.

"Constable Wang, I'm late."

Yang Xiao said indomitably, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding dog demons as a fierce intent to kill flashed in his eyes.

"Still, not too late."