White Bone Mountain, a low hill.
The night was murky, a waning moon appearing and disappearing between the clouds, casting down a faint, elusive chill light.
A tall, slender figure walked through this place thick with Yin Qi, a long saber in hand.
In all honesty, Lu Guan was still somewhat excited.
White Bone Mountain, what a treasure land!
With demons gathering in packs, how much cultivation could they provide him?!
Zhou Kaishan thought this assignment would send him to his death, little knowing that he had opened the door to a treasure vault for him.
Others feared demons like tigers, but with his panel at his side, demons were nothing but walking cultivation to him!
Just then, however, his gaze suddenly sharpened, fixing on a furtive figure not far away.
The figure wore the Demon Suppression Bureau's flying-fish uniform, with a saber at his waist.
He kept his body extremely low, creeping along in the shadows of the rocks, stopping now and then to look around. His movements were clumsy, like a feral cat stealing food.
Lu Guan's expression grew strange.
He had never imagined that someone else would have the same idea as him.
By the moonlight, he made out the man's profile: young and fair, clearly a scion of an aristocratic clan who had known little hardship.
"This man... seems to be called Tang Jun."
The name surfaced in Lu Guan's mind.
He remembered Tang Jun standing among the others when Wu Yong introduced the squad members that day. He spoke little and had a shy smile. His cultivation was at the late Qi and Blood realm, making him something of a standout among the young men from Langya.
A figure sped through the hills like an arrow loosed from a bowstring, the shadows of the trees stirring faintly.
Tang Jun's expression was taut, his heart pounding, each beat like someone hammering a drum inside his chest.
He needed only a little more merit to secure a transfer back to Langya Commandery City.
His family had arranged a marriage for him. The other party was a gentle young woman from a scholarly family, her father an instructor at the commandery academy and her mother from a distinguished lineage.
He had looked at the portrait his family sent no fewer than a hundred times. In the still of the night, he would take it out from beneath his pillow and study it by moonlight, finding her as beautiful as a celestial maiden every time.
"Slay demons, earn merit, go home and get married!"
The young captain took a deep breath, suppressed the fluttering in his heart, and headed deeper in.
The deeper he went, the denser the Yin Qi between heaven and earth became. Even with his late Qi and Blood realm cultivation, goosebumps rose involuntarily on his skin.
"These White Bone Demons are worshiping the moon to cultivate, using its radiance to temper their skeletal bodies. That's why the Yin Qi here is so heavy."
Information about White Bone Demons flashed through Tang Jun's mind as he drew the treasured saber at his waist.
Before him, an eerie white skeleton sat cross-legged on a bluish rock the size of a millstone.
Under the moonlight, its entire skeleton gave off a faint, cold glow, looking exceedingly sinister.
The late Qi and Blood realm.
With a single glance, Tang Jun recognized that the skeleton before him was a powerful demon comparable to a late Qi and Blood realm cultivator!
Just what I needed!
Joy leaped in his heart. As long as he slew this demon, his accumulated merit would be enough to secure his transfer back to the commandery city.
Goodbye, Boss Wu! Here I come, Miss Lin!
The young captain darted forward, closing in.
His movement method was not among the best of the young men from Langya, but its strength lay in its steadiness. He stepped out, toes touching the ground without a sound.
Saber light flashed!
He poured all his Qi and Blood into this strike, the blade whistling as it split the air.
"A black-uniformed lackey of the Demon Suppression Bureau!"
A section of skeletal arm fell to the ground.
The White Bone Demon was horrified. Its jaw gaped in a strange shriek, and, abandoning the moonlight overhead, it hurriedly leaped back.
I missed!
Tang Jun pressed his lips together and advanced again, saber raised.
The demon before him was a notch stronger than he had expected, its bones absurdly hard. His strike had clearly hit the middle of its skeletal arm, yet he had only chopped off a section rather than severing the entire arm.
Fortunately, with his major-accomplishment Demon Subduing Saber Technique, he was still confident he could kill it.
He only hoped it would not turn and flee.
Yet what happened next left him stunned.
Rather than fleeing, the White Bone Demon steadied itself. Ghostly flames danced within its skeletal frame as it let out a shrill laugh.
"Kekeke."
"Who gave you the nerve to come here alone?"
As its words fell, ghostly flames suddenly lit up in the surrounding darkness.
One, two, three, four... eerie green points of light bloomed one after another in the dark, as though someone were lighting ghost lanterns throughout the hills.
Tang Jun stiffened, every expression freezing on his face. Holding his breath, he gritted his teeth and looked around, a trace of despair gradually appearing in his eyes.
Including the demon whose arm he had severed, there were twelve White Bone Demons in all!
Though their realms varied, there was no doubt that, faced with twelve White Bone Demons, even he at his most conceited knew he was far more likely to die than survive today.
Crack, crack.
The sound of rattling joints rose and fell from every direction, drawing closer and closer until they completely surrounded the young captain.
A ring of white bones, a ring of ghostly flames, illuminating his deathly pale face.
Tang Jun's throat bobbed. He held his saber across his body, his expression resolute.
He let out a thunderous roar:
"Kill!"
A streak of silver flashed through the night, cleaving the deathly silence.
In an instant, three White Bone Demons crashed to the ground, their heads rolling away as the ghostly flames in their eyes abruptly died.
Tang Jun's eyes widened as he looked at the saber in his hand, a trace of confusion flashing through them.
I haven't even attacked. Did I kill three demons with nothing but a shout?
The next moment, he realized that someone besides him had come under cover of night to slay demons!
Who?
He turned to look.
A tall, slender figure walked alone out of the darkness, a long saber in hand.
Though his Qi and Blood were restrained to the utmost, they still pressed the surrounding Yin Qi into retreat.
The remaining nine White Bone Demons all took half a step back in unison, their ghostly flames dancing more violently, as though wary of something.
Lu Guan walked slowly forward and stopped beside Tang Jun.
He glanced at the stark white skeletons and licked his lips, a flicker of greedy excitement crossing his eyes.
Cultivation. So much cultivation.
Nine White Bone Demons, plus the three I just killed. This trip tonight is going to make me rich!
It's him!
Tang Jun's pupils contracted as he recognized the newcomer.
Then relief washed through his heart.
Wonderful. With his perfected Qi and Blood realm cultivation and me alongside him, the two of us can get away unscathed.
This is what it means to find life in a desperate corner!
"Strong as you are, you cannot possibly kill us all before exhausting yourself."
The one-armed White Bone Demon worked its jaw, producing a strange voice. "Why not take this man and leave?"
"We'll treat tonight's events as though they never happened."
This demon... was actually suing for peace!
Beside him, Tang Jun found it utterly absurd.
He had spent two years in Qianqiu County, and this was the first time he had ever heard of a White Bone Demon suing for peace.
"Is that so? I wouldn't be so sure."
Holding the Primordial Saber, Lu Guan faced the nine demons with only a faint smile.
By the moonlight, Tang Jun glanced sideways and saw not a trace of fear on the youth's face. Instead... it was filled with excitement!
He's going to attack?
Tang Jun suddenly felt that the young captain beside him made his skin crawl even more than the White Bone Demons did.
"Kill him!"
The one-armed demon's shriek rang out, and all nine skeletons sprang into action!