With Zou Huan in the lead taking care of any stray undead that weren't already attracted by Hao Xuan's lifeforce, Han Rong and the rest of the guards made their way to the location Hao Xuan had told them about.

Some of the guards were taking their last breaths already and the rest could barely walk on their own which greatly slowed them down. It took them 3-4 times longer to cover the same distance as it would take non-cultivators, especially through all the rain and the mud.

Thankfully they didn't have to go far and after about fifteen minutes of trekking they finally reached their destination.

It was an encampment surrounded by six different barriers and protective formations altogether, along with a stone wall on which were more than twenty men and women standing, keeping a watchful eye on the surroundings.

Soon as it came into view, most of the guards collapsed right then and there.

Amin along with another guard who were in much better condition than the rest sprinted towards the encampment to ask for help but were stopped by an arrow that pierced the other guard's foot, tethering him to the ground.

"WHO GOES THERE?!" a bearded man with a battleax shouted from atop the wall.

Amin raised both his hands and walked close enough so they could see him clearly, "Stop please! We are friendly! We came from the western side. Please open the doors, we have a lot of injured people!" he shouted.

The bearded man leaned forward with squinted eyes, pretending to see.

"I don't recognize your face..." he mumbled under his breath before inquiring loudly, "Do you have any proof?"

Dumbfounded, Amin was at a complete loss for words. They weren't given any "proof" of employment other than a single token which no one carried on them since they all knew each other. And now it was probably burnt to cinders along with everything else they owned.

"N-No I don't have the token with me but we are definitely from-"

The bearded man raised his hand, cutting him off.

"No Proof, no entry, orders are orders. Leave now!" he said in an emotionless tone before turning around and walking off the wall.

"....."

Amin stared at the bearded man's back until it vanished from view, unsure if he was serious or not. But the sneering glances from the other men and women on the wall that exuded powerful auras confirmed his suspicion.

The man that had shot the previous arrow inserted another one into the notch and aimed at Amin's head.

Dazed, Amin helped the other guard up and dragged him back to the rest of the guards.

Zou Huan who was standing over another injured guard saw them coming back empty-handed and even bleeding.

"What the hell happened?!" he shouted, even angrier than before upon seeing the arrow still embedded in the guard's foot.

Amin told him everything before collapsing onto the ground himself.

Zou Huan's blood boiled and a pressure slowly started releasing from his body. The nearby guards that were already on death's door passed out instantly and others fell to their knees. It was only when a heavy handed slap landed on his bald head that did he stop.

Han Rong stood behind him with knitted brows and a large leather book in his hand.

"Why do you always lose control over every little thing? This is why Master only sends us on small missions like this," he said in a harsh tone.

"But they-" Zou Huan tried to explain himself but was stopped once again by Han Rong who raised his hand threateningly.

Seeing as he calmed down, Han Rong gestured towards the encampment, "I will take care of them, you need to go back."

Confused, "What? Why?" Zou Huan asked.

Han Rong opened the leather book and showed him a page. It had a bunch of writing in a strange language along with a picture of a creature with twisted limbs.

"Something about that minor demon bothered me so I looked it up. I don't think it's a normal demon but a "Puer". And if that's true-"

"Then the kid won't be able to deal with it. I'll go!" Zou Huan finished Han Rong's sentence and immediately followed back in his footsteps.

***

The Minor Demon was down on all fours, barely any difference between its arms and legs. There was a fifth appendage coming out of its stomach that was turned inside out. The ribs poked out of what little skin that was left on its body, moving back and forth like counting fingers. (Reference image in Authors notes)

Its head was the most humane thing about it but from the looks of it, it held little value other than being a prop and a reminder of what it once was. Or that's what Hao Xuan thought from a first glance but the truth was far from it.

"Heavenly Blare!"

*BOOOOM*

The ground beneath his feet cracked before exploding like a detonating minefield, sending Hao Xuan flying forth akin to a cannonball.

Even in this "awakened state" where his neurons were firing at full force and reflexes were pushed to their absolute limit to allow him to react instantly, he did not have to wait long before once again feeling that sensation of flesh against his skin.

He had raised both his arms in front of him, using them both as massive shields and as a weapon to simply charge into the enemy ranks.

His body made contact with the horde but it did not stop him even for a nanosecond. Instead, he passed through them like a thin film of water, leaving nothing but blood and debris in his wake. These simple undead creatures that could not even reinforce themselves with Qi were nothing against his body.

Yet the resistance he was expecting to meet upon coming into contact with the demon did not come. He quickly lowered his arms enough to glance around but the demon was nowhere in sight.

A high-pitched sizzling sound came from behind, almost like boiling water if it was sped up tens of times. Hao Xuan could feel the temperature rising around him, causing alarm bells to ring out.

***

Authors Notes:

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