They Seemed to Be Afraid of Me!

After holding out for a breath, the burly Demon Man was sent flying by Chen Xian's spear, his heavy sword knocked dozens of meters away.

Bang!

Chen Xian sprang up and kicked the flying Demon Man. The sheer force made him vomit blood wildly.

Bang! Bang! Bang...

With a succession of savage kicks, Chen Xian forcibly shattered the Demon Man's breastbone and sent him tumbling into the demon horde.

The demons were instantly dumbfounded.

The Demon Man's face was also filled with horror.

Who the hell said that youth was in the Surging Origin Realm?

Looking at the five-meter-tall Ox Demon Phantom, he was at least a late Jade Sea Realm martial arts expert.

"Stop him!"

As Chen Xian dove down with his spear in hand, the Demon Man's eyes turned scarlet as he let out an enraged roar.

The demons immediately charged forward, shielding the Demon Man beneath them.

Chen Xian thrust out his spear, blasting more than ten demons to death. Yet the Demon Man seized the chance to dart ten meters away, then leaped away again and again in flight.

Chen Xian frowned. He had wanted to pursue him, but a pack of demons blocked his path.

"He ran away, so I'll kill you!"

A chill flickered in Chen Xian's eyes. He swapped his spear for a straight saber and charged into the demon horde.

"Retreat, retreat now!"

One demon roared, only for its head to be severed by a flash of cold light in the next instant, soaring high into the air with a spray of blood.

Yet the demons began to retreat rapidly.

Chen Xian was several times faster than them. As he charged and slaughtered, demons were sent rolling away even as they fled for their lives.

In the blink of an eye, forty or fifty demons had died.

When Ding Chen led his men charging over, his expression froze.

The ground was littered with demon corpses. A rough count put them at seventy or eighty, yet Chen Xian was nowhere to be seen.

"Brother Ding, look!"

Wang Yan pointed ahead. Everyone looked over and saw demonic Killing Intent and dust swept together, rolling away toward the southwest.

"...!!"

Everyone stood rooted to the spot.

One man had driven back five hundred demons? And there had even been a Demon Man among them?

Ding Chen felt as if his brain was no longer enough!

Wang Yan and the others were numb with shock as well!

Before they could recover their senses, a blood-soaked figure appeared in their sight, returning with a spear in hand like a god of slaughter.

Hiss!

Ding Chen and the others all sucked in a cold breath!

Naturally, Chen Xian saw their stunned expressions. He swung onto his horse, rode over, and grinned at them. "They seemed to be afraid of me!"

"...!!" Everyone was speechless.

We were a little afraid of you too!

Ding Chen took a deep breath. "Did you really beat that Demon Man into running away?"

Chen Xian nodded. "That Demon Man wasn't that strong. He couldn't even take one strike from my spear."

"...!!"

Ding Chen and the others stared at Chen Xian in astonishment. He couldn't take one strike from your spear?

With that scene and that bragging, they could only believe him!

Though it felt unreal, Ding Chen and the others still chose to believe it.

After all, demon corpses covered the ground.

Ding Chen immediately ordered everyone to haul the demon corpses back to Black Wind Valley.

Afterward, they continued guarding before Black Wind Valley, while Wang Yan kept watch ahead.

Chen Xian sat upright on horseback and summoned the panel for a glance.

Experience: 23776 points

He had not killed that Demon Man. He had slain roughly a hundred or so demons, while all the others had escaped.

Though he could have kept killing, he had not chased them too far. It would be bad if he stumbled into an ambush.

"With this much experience, I should be able to reach Jade Sea Perfection," Chen Xian muttered.

He did not know exactly how strong he was among human martial artists, but he was certain that facing a mid-stage spirit demon would not be a problem.

In the blink of an eye, it was nearly midnight.

No demon army appeared ahead, and no Demon Slayer Soldiers came from outside Black Wind Valley to reinforce them.

Ding Chen furrowed his brow tightly.

Ninth Camp.

Inside the largest tent of the Cooks' Camp, Liao Zipeng had not yet rested. He was waiting for news from Ding Chen and the others.

It was not until a quarter past midnight that Second Lieutenant Lu strode into the tent. He glanced at Liao Zipeng, his expression extremely grave. "Brother Peng, Ding Chen is still alive. They held Black Wind Valley!"

"What??"

Liao Zipeng jerked upright, staring at Second Lieutenant Lu in shock. "That Demon Man from the demon squad didn't make a move?"

Second Lieutenant Lu shook his head. "I'm not sure. In any case, Ding Chen is alive, and there are still fifty or sixty men under him who can fight."

A cold glint flashed through Liao Zipeng's eyes. "Then the great demon and the Demon Man definitely didn't act. Otherwise, how could they possibly still be alive?"

Second Lieutenant Lu pondered for a moment. "That is what I think as well. Otherwise, with Ding Chen's mid-to-late Blood Moving Realm strength, how could he possibly stop a great demon and a Demon Man?"

"Exactly. That great demon and Demon Man must have been unable to spare themselves!" Liao Zipeng nodded, muttering, "Ding Chen's life is truly charmed..."

Second Lieutenant Lu raised his brows. "My lord, should we send someone to inform them to return to camp?"

"Return for what? Let them guard it until dawn."

Liao Zipeng snorted coldly, then waved his hand. "Go back and sleep!"

Before Black Wind Valley.

In the blink of an eye, midnight had passed. Men and horses alike were weary.

Ding Chen's face was expressionless, but a deep chill lay in his eyes. He had known when they came that Black Wind Valley was a trap, but he had not expected Liao Zipeng to go this far.

It was already the middle of the night, yet no Demon Slayer Soldiers had come to relieve them.

Even if there would be no relief, they should at least have been allowed to withdraw to camp and rest for a while!

Dog bastard!

Ding Chen's heart was ablaze with fury, but he did not show it.

"Xianzi, you all rest. I'll keep watch tonight." Ding Chen turned toward Chen Xian and the others. He decided to go ahead and replace Qin Fei on watch, letting everyone else rest.

Especially Chen Xian. If not for him today, every last one of them would have died here. He had earned the greatest merit.

After fighting all day, he had to be allowed to rest.

"Brother Ding, let me go instead. My eyesight and hearing are both better than yours. If there's the slightest stir, I'll be able to notice it in time," Chen Xian said, opening his eyes.

Naturally, he wanted to go ahead so he could continue improving the Ox Demon Golden Flame Technique.

How could Ding Chen let him go? But Chen Xian insisted.

"Xianzi, you..."

Ding Chen was speechless. Seeing that he could not dissuade Chen Xian, he said, "You can go ahead, but we switch every two hours."

"Alright!"

Chen Xian nodded and went three li ahead, replacing Qin Fei and sending him back.

He dismounted and found a dry spot, then sat down cross-legged.

A moment later, dark golden flame Origin Qi surged around him. Behind him condensed an Ox Demon figure roughly five meters tall, growing more solid, like a true Ox Demon. Its blood-red eyes radiated tremendous power.

After a thousand months of arduous cultivation, your Ox Demon Golden Flame Technique has reached completion. Jade Sea Perfection.

Realm: Jade Sea Perfection

Experience: 6776 points

Lifespan: 299 years

Looking at the panel's prompt, Chen Xian gave a bitter smile inwardly. It had taken 15,000 experience points just to reach Jade Sea Perfection.

The remaining 6,776 experience points were probably not even enough to deduce the subsequent cultivation technique.

What delighted Chen Xian was his lifespan. It was nearly three hundred years!

The next day.

As morning light spilled across the blood-red earth, a group of men and horses slowly approached Ninth Camp from the west, facing the dawn.

Once the camp guards saw them clearly, every one of them was left agape.

"Th-th-those Cook Soldiers actually still have survivors?" one soldier stammered.

The other soldiers were also too astonished to speak.

They had heard that a demon squad was stationed west of Black Wind Valley, led by a great demon.

"What? Those hundred-odd useless Cook Soldiers are still alive?"

Very quickly, the Demon Slayer Soldiers of the vanguard were also astonished.

Once the news spread, many refused to believe it. Still chewing on meat, they poured from their tents and looked toward the camp gate.

They saw a group of Cook Soldiers covered in dried bloodstains slowly enter the camp beneath the morning light, as though draped in blood-colored dawn clouds.

Their eyes, their faces, their frames...

All exuded an aura that made people shudder.