The original host's memories contained no mention of the words "Demon Imperial Dynasty"; it was merely Chen Xian's own deduction.
In his memories, the southwest of Demon-Slaying Pass was called the Demon Domain.
The original host did not know how vast the Demon Domain was, only having heard others say it was boundless.
In the blink of an eye, evening arrived.
Chen Xian and Wang Yan took turns watching the demon direction from the front. For now, no demon army had appeared.
After an afternoon of healing, the severely injured cook soldiers had recovered considerably, but more than twenty still had difficulty moving. Thirteen of them had lost arms or legs and had completely lost their ability to fight.
Even if they recovered in the future, they would have to leave the army.
Ding Chen reorganized the ranks. Sixty-one men were still able to fight.
The thirteen gravely wounded men were moved to the exit of Black Wind Valley, along with the bodies of the fallen cook soldiers.
Everyone cultivated by moving their qi and blood before Black Wind Valley, waiting for the demons' final wave of attack.
As long as they held out until nightfall, Demon Slayer Soldiers should come to relieve them.
Night soon fell.
Everyone ate wolf meat where they were and continued moving their blood.
Chen Xian went to the front and watched the vault of heaven beneath the night. With his Jade Sea Realm major accomplishment cultivation, his vision far surpassed that of ordinary people. So long as nothing obstructed his view, he could see clearly ten kilometers away.
With a leap, he landed atop a great tree. The higher he stood, the farther he could see.
Hmm?
The moment he steadied himself, Chen Xian focused his sight and discovered a demon force rushing rapidly in their direction.
His gaze tightened on the one at the front, because that person was riding a savage wolf.
Looking carefully, the leading demon was not broad and towering. Instead, he resembled a human.
A spirit demon?
A trace of coldness flashed through Chen Xian's eyes. He did not move and continued watching the leading demon.
Once they came within ten kilometers, he finally saw clearly.
The leading demon was a rough-featured man. His blood-red hair stood upright like steel needles, and he carried a heavy sword over his shoulder as he led five hundred demons forward.
"It really is a Demon Man!"
Chen Xian's expression could not help turning grave.
In front of Demon-Slaying Pass, Demon Slayer Soldiers did not call them spirit demons. They all called them Demon Men.
Was Li Sheng colluding with the demons?
He was determined to get them killed!
Chen Xian frowned. He felt the possibility was not great, but Li Sheng was well-informed and should have known that there was a Demon Man outside Black Wind Valley. He had deliberately had Liao Zipeng pass on false information and sent them here to die.
"Damn it!"
A glint of icy coldness flashed through Chen Xian's eyes. He swept down onto his horse and wheeled around, charging toward Black Wind Valley.
"They're here?"
Ding Chen and the others instantly perked up.
Chen Xian nodded. Once he drew closer, his expression turned solemn as he said, "There's a Demon Man!"
"What??"
Ding Chen and the others went pale at once. He quickly asked, "How many demons did he bring?"
"Five hundred!"
Chen Xian's voice was low.
Forget a Demon Man—even if it were a great demon leading five hundred demons in a charge, it would be like stepping through the gates of hell for them.
"We're finished!" Wang Yan gritted his teeth and shut his eyes.
Qin Fei, Xue Qishan, and Luo Ying looked as ugly as they could possibly look.
Ding Chen clenched his fists tightly. Once on the battlefield, one either died fighting or fled back to camp and suffered punishment under Military Law.
Trying to flee the camp to preserve one's life was impossible, unless one no longer wished to survive within the Great Ning Dynasty.
"Flee back and be mocked, perhaps even punished under Military Law, or die in battle—choose."
As a lieutenant, Ding Chen did not want to sacrifice the brothers under his command either. But he was caught between a rock and a hard place, and could only let Chen Xian, Wang Yan, and the others make their choice.
Because punishment under Military Law might not mean death, but fighting a Demon Man would certainly mean death.
Chen Xian's eyes flickered. "I'll advance and retreat with Brother Ding!"
If there had been two Demon Men, he would certainly have hesitated.
But he could take on one Demon Man. Even if he could not kill the Demon Man, it would not be easy for the Demon Man to kill him either. He could also kill other demons to earn Experience Points, so why should he run?
Since he was staying, he had to be a little domineering.
At those words, Ding Chen's gaze flickered slightly, and he was naturally moved.
He pressed his lips together and nodded heavily at Chen Xian.
After hesitating briefly, Wang Yan, Qin Fei, Xue Qishan, and Luo Ying also gritted their teeth. "We'll all advance and retreat with Brother Ding!"
Seeing this, Ding Chen nodded repeatedly, deeply moved. "You're all good brothers!"
"Good brothers!" Wang Yan and the others raised their fists.
Ding Chen turned to Cao Fang, Zhao Yu, and the other fifty-odd men, telling them to take the wounded and the bodies of their fallen brothers back to camp.
Yet Cao Fang, Zhao Yu, and the others also swore they would not leave.
"Brothers in life, brothers in death!" Ding Chen shouted, gripping his long spear as his qi and blood surged around him.
Chen Xian glanced at him and said, "Brother Ding, I'll go up ahead alone to hold off the Demon Man. I'll kill the other demons too. It'll be enough for you to intercept and kill them from behind."
Ding Chen and the others froze upon hearing this.
"No!" Ding Chen immediately objected.
If it had been a great demon, he certainly would not have stopped Chen Xian.
But this was a Demon Man. How could he let Chen Xian face him alone?
"Brother Ding, trust me. Even if I can't defeat that Demon Man, I can still hold him off for a while," Chen Xian said with great confidence.
Ding Chen and the others were utterly shocked. "You can hold off a Demon Man?"
Chen Xian: "...!"
Shouldn't I be able to?
"I'll give it a try," Chen Xian said, feeling that he was putting on too much of an act.
In truth, he was doing it to earn more Experience Points. If he could hold back the Demon Man, slaughter a large number of demons, and drive them away, it would kill two birds with one stone.
After hesitating again and again, Ding Chen said, "Fine. But remember, no matter what happens, you must stay alive!"
Chen Xian nodded and rode away.
Before long, the furious roars of demons tore through the night sky, and Ding Chen and the others looked at one another.
"They sound pretty far from us."
Wang Yan frowned. Judging by the demons' roars, they were at least five or six kilometers away.
Ding Chen drew a deep breath and said in a low voice, "Chen Xian is a good brother. He wants to shoulder everything for us!"
At those words, Wang Yan and the others understood, and they could not help feeling moved.
Had Chen Xian not saved them time and again, they would have died back in July.
They had already lived two extra months. They had made a profit!
"Brother Ding, let's kill our way over!"
Xue Qishan said, gripping his long spear tightly as his blood boiled with fervor.
Ding Chen did not hesitate. He shouted, "Kill our way over!"
Six kilometers away.
Chen Xian rode in, charging directly at the Demon Man.
That rough-featured Demon Man was not huge, but he was still sturdier and taller than Chen Xian. The heavy sword in his hand weighed at least five hundred kilograms.
The instant Chen Xian collided with the Demon Man, the surrounding demons roared and rushed forward, trapping him in their midst.
At the sight, Chen Xian was instantly delighted!
I was afraid you'd charge past me.
But instead, you're gathering here to watch? Wonderful!
After exchanging one blow with the Demon Man, Chen Xian discovered that the latter's strength had not even reached twenty ding. He sent him flying more than ten meters with a single spear strike, rolling across the ground and coughing blood.
Early-stage spirit demon.
Chen Xian immediately judged the other man's strength and no longer held back.
With a leap, he charged into the demon horde. He switched from his long spear to his straight saber and began a massacre.
In an instant, scorching demon blood sprayed everywhere. The long saber was incomparably sharp; wherever it passed, severed limbs, broken legs, and beast heads flew through the air.
"Ahhh... you lowly bastard courting death!"
The rough-featured Demon Man roared, sprang from the ground, and raised his heavy sword to cleave Chen Xian apart.
Chen Xian spun around, switched his straight saber for his long spear, and thrust out. Behind him, the Ox Demon Phantom surged forth in an instant, unleashing a thunderous roar.
Rolling Dark Gold Fiery True Qi transformed into a five-meter spear shadow and slammed into the Demon Man's heavy sword.
BOOM!
Under the violent collision, the ground beneath Chen Xian's feet split open into a pit a foot deep.
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