The Furnace Cracks

It was exactly the hour of Hai (9-11 PM).

Of the three thousand demons, Chen Xian and the others had slaughtered all but over three hundred, who fled back across the Blood River.

Chen Xian alone had killed over a thousand demons.

The Demon Slayer Soldiers all looked at Chen Xian with fear. Even though Chen Xian had saved them, there wasn't a hint of gratitude on their faces.

Chen Xian didn't care. He returned to Black Wind Valley with his spear.

"How are Brother Wang and Brother Fei?" he asked.

Ding Chen's face was solemn. "Their injuries are stable, and their lives are out of danger!"

Hearing this, Chen Xian breathed a sigh of relief.

He stepped forward to examine them closely. Wang Yan's right waist had been pierced by spear energy, and the wound was healing.

Qin Fei's left thigh had been pierced, and his wound was also healing.

Luo Ying and Xue Qishan had slightly lighter injuries and were sitting cross-legged, circulating their blood to recover.

The other Cook Soldiers who were severely injured were still unconscious, while those with minor injuries were also recuperating.

Chen Xian swept his gaze across the group. Out of 299 people, 31 had died, over twenty were seriously injured but alive, and more than fifty had minor injuries.

Including himself, 189 people were still able to fight.

At this moment, Ding Chen asked, "What about Chen Quanwu?"

Chen Xian's eyes flickered. "He sacrificed himself heroically!"

Ding Chen said no more.

Not long after, the surviving Demon Slayer Soldiers under Chen Quanwu's command arrived outside Black Wind Valley, carrying Chen Quanwu and the bodies of the fallen soldiers.

Ding Chen looked over. More than seven hundred of the Thousand Cavalry Demon Slayer Soldiers were still alive.

"Hmph!"

The lieutenant, named Li Yongli, let out a cold snort from a distance.

With Chen Quanwu dead, he was temporarily in command. He began to organize the soldiers not far from Chen Xian and the others, arranging the bodies of Chen Quanwu and the others one by one.

He then ordered men to head to the Seven Mile Peak battlefield to clear the demon corpses.

Chen Xian also instructed the Cook Soldiers to clean up the battlefield.

Around the hour of Zi (11 PM - 1 AM).

Cold rain began to fall from the blood-red night sky.

Above the Blood River Forest, several figures collided, engaged in fierce combat.

Chen Xian glanced from afar. The fighting was still ongoing over there. The ones clashing in the void were the Black Tiger King and other Great Demons, along with Pei Menglong and Zhong Lian, and one other person, a female general.

"Li Sheng, Zhong Lian!"

Killing intent flashed in Chen Xian's eyes.

When he had fought Zhong Lian previously, Zhong Lian's strength was around the late stage of the Void-Soaring realm.

Perhaps due to his age, his long cultivation, substantial accumulation, and extremely rich combat experience.

Although Chen Xian had injured Zhong Lian, it wasn't enough to kill him.

Unless he could raise the Vajra Dragon Elephant Art to the Dragon Elephant realm, with strength surpassing a thousand cauldrons, he could kill Zhong Lian with a single palm strike.

He summoned his status panel:

[Experience: 644572 points]

That wave of slaughter had earned him a massive 330,000 experience points.

His experience points were accumulating.

Chen Xian wasn't in a hurry. When he had free time, he would upgrade the Vajra Dragon Elephant Art a bit. At the same time, he was also trying to deduce the Ox Demon Body Refinement Technique, to see if he could use the panel to further deduce it and improve the Ox Demon Body Refinement Technique's grade.

If it could also reach the level of a high-grade cultivation technique, its power would naturally increase tenfold.

After the hour of Zi passed, the cold rain finally stopped.

The battle above the Blood River Forest also ceased. Neither side could gain the upper hand, and they withdrew their forces.

Chen Xian and the others stayed in Black Wind Valley until dawn, roasting demon meat for sustenance. After they had eaten their fill, they instructed the Cook Soldiers to send the bodies of their fallen brothers from last night back to the camp, register them, and then transport them to Wumeng Mountain for burial.

He then led Ding Chen and the others to Seven Mile Peak.

"Chen Xian, what are you doing?" Li Yongli stood up from a distance.

"Does it concern you?" Chen Xian glanced at him coldly.

Li Yongli snorted. "When your Cook Soldier camp goes to the battlefield, you are to follow the orders of the front army. With Captain Chen's sacrifice, I am temporarily in charge here. You must obey my orders."

Chen Xian sneered and shook his head, walking forward.

Chen Quanwu is dead, and I'm supposed to take orders from you? Who do you think you are?

Not long after he started walking, a squadron of cavalry, about fifteen strong, approached rapidly from the northeast.

Everyone was enveloped in a bloody aura of battle.

Chen Xian looked on calmly. The person leading them was Pei Gang.

"Chen Xian!"

Pei Gang rode his horse forward.

"Greetings, Captain Pei!" Chen Xian dismounted and bowed.

The group also dismounted.

Pei Gang said, "No need for formalities on the battlefield. Where is Chen Quanwu?"

Chen Xian replied, "He sacrificed himself last night during a fierce battle with the Demon Lord!"

Pei Gang frowned. "He couldn't stop the Demon Lord?"

Chen Quanwu had achieved Minor Success in Jade Sea. It shouldn't be possible for him to be killed if he couldn't stop the Demon Lord.

At this moment, Li Yongli arrived on horseback and appeared before Pei Gang, dismounting and bowing.

"Captain Pei, it's all Chen Xian's fault! He stood by and watched, letting Captain Chen die!" After bowing, Li Yongli immediately pointed the finger at Chen Xian.

Pei Gang frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

Li Yongli recounted the events of last night, but he omitted the part about someone ambushing Chen Xian and his group.

Chen Xian remained expressionless, but Ding Chen said coldly, "Why didn't you tell the whole story?"

Pei Gang glanced at Ding Chen. "There's more?"

Ding Chen nodded and recounted how Zhong Lian had brought his men to ambush them.

Upon hearing this, Pei Gang said, "You cook soldier, don't spout nonsense. Major General Zhong Lian was defending against demons in the east last night, and later fought with the Black Tiger King and others. How could he have come here to ambush you?"

"Besides, why would he want to ambush you?"

Ding Chen knew the reason, of course, but revealing it felt too weak and Pei Gang might not believe him anyway.

He glanced at Li Yongli and said, "Captain Li and the others were there too. Chen Quanwu called out Major General Zhong Lian's name before he died and begged for help. Major General Zhong Lian stood by and watched."

Pei Gang was slightly taken aback and looked at Li Yongli. "Is this true?"

Li Yongli's eyes flickered rapidly. It was true, and he didn't know how to answer for a moment.

"Captain Pei, a team of cavalry did come to help us kill the demons at that time. Chen Xian charged at them, shouting Major General Zhong Lian's name. Our Captain was being surrounded and attacked by the Demon Lord and demon men. How could we see clearly? When he heard Chen Xian shouting, he called for help!"

Li Yongli was spewing nonsense.

Upon hearing this, Ding Chen and the others gritted their teeth in anger.

Pei Gang's brow furrowed. He didn't believe Li Yongli's words, but he also didn't believe Chen Xian's.

"Since Chen Quanwu is dead, the southwest corner will be under Chen Xian's sole command from now on!" he said sternly. "This is General Pei's order. Those who disobey will be executed!"

As his words fell, he looked at Chen Xian and said, "It's in your hands. Hold for two more days, and the Eighth and Tenth Battalions will be here to reinforce you!"

"Yes, Captain Pei!" Chen Xian nodded.

Pei Gang said nothing more and quickly departed with his men.

Li Yongli's head buzzed as he watched Pei Gang and the others leave. He couldn't understand why they had to listen to Chen Xian. Why should he, a lieutenant from the cook soldiers, listen to him?

"Lieutenant Li, receive your orders!" Chen Xian said indifferently.

Li Yongli snapped back to attention and looked at Chen Xian. After a long pause, he gritted out, "Lieutenant Chen, please instruct me!"

"Take the Demon Slayer Soldiers to guard Seven Mile Peak. I will lead our men to provide support from the rear. Hurry!" Chen Xian said indifferently.

"...Yes!"

Li Yongli clenched his fists, and a voice filled with displeasure was squeezed through his teeth.

Chen Xian ignored his expression. If he didn't obey, he would be executed.

Returning to Black Wind Valley.

Chen Xian had everyone sit cross-legged and cultivate to improve their strength. He himself used the system panel to deduce the Vajra Dragon Elephant Art.

Li Yongli could only grit his teeth and lead his men towards Seven Mile Peak.

[After a thousand months of arduous contemplation and research, your Vajra Dragon Elephant Art's subsequent cultivation methods have made no progress.]

[After three thousand months of day and night deduction, your Vajra Dragon Elephant Art's subsequent cultivation methods have failed twenty-one times, injuring your Jade Sea internal organs twenty-one times.]

Crack!

A cracking sound came from the Jade Sea Furnace.

Chen Xian's expression changed drastically.