Inside the demon cave. Let me remind readers to bookmark our domain.
A group of five walked on the grass, and instead of a dark cave, a bright sky greeted them.
Above, there was a shimmering barrier like water, vast and boundless.
The ground was no different from the outside, with mountains, rivers, flowers, and trees.
They were walking at the edge of a forest, and in the distance, a beam of light shot into the sky.
In that light, it seemed as if stars were falling.
A truly marvelous sight.
"The heart of the demon cave," Jiang Hao thought carefully.
The sect had recorded that the core was where demon people were sealed and that entry was forbidden.
“I’m visiting the demon cave for the first time, and the environment is unexpectedly good,” Xin Yuyue from Thunder Fire Peak said in surprise.
“Indeed, the environment here is surprisingly good, but it’s also very dangerous,” Lou Feng from the Heavenly Joy Pavilion said with a smile at Jiang Hao. “I heard that if you die here, the Law Enforcement Hall won’t investigate.”
Jiang Hao lowered his gaze, realizing he was being threatened. He didn’t get angry; instead, he remained calm, looking for a chance to defuse the crisis.
First, he had to find demon people and kill one to see what kind of bubbles they dropped.
Planting spirit herbs and killing spirit beasts had given him bubbles. Spirit beasts dropped them on the spot; he needed to know what demon people would drop.
“It’s too quiet,” Zheng Shijiu said, frowning as he looked around.
“It is indeed a bit too quiet; at this time, there should be quite a few demon people around,” Qing Xue from the Heavenly Joy Pavilion added.
Each had their thoughts, knowing not to joke about their situation.
The five moved deeper into the forest.
Jiang Hao was vigilant, as his perception was only slightly weaker than that of Qing Xue.
He dared not show it.
Suddenly, there was a movement, and Jiang Hao immediately looked left.
At the same time, Qing Xue announced, “They’re here.”
Whoosh!
A boulder came crashing down.
Boom!
The rock smashed into the ground, creating a large pit.
Before the stone hit the ground, Jiang Hao and the others scattered.
At that moment, a fire surged in the direction from which the stone had come.
With a bang.
An explosion occurred ahead.
Xin Yuyue had made a move.
The power was strong; Jiang Hao sensed that she was close to advancing to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.
Roar!
An angry roar came from the explosion site.
Three hulking figures charged toward them.
When they got closer, Jiang Hao clearly saw them; they resembled gorillas, covered in fur, with somewhat ferocious faces.
Without hesitation, he was the first to rush up. Based on his observations, they seemed to only have early Foundation Establishment strength.
Grabbing his long blade, he leaped toward a demon person and slashed down.
Clang!
The blade scraped, sparking.
But there was no damage.
“So tough?”
Jiang Hao was surprised. Giving up the blade, he turned and moved to the demon person’s back, producing a dagger and stabbing at its neck.
Pssh~
The dagger penetrated with difficulty, and blood began to flow.
Roar!
The demon person roared, and Jiang Hao used a palm to drive the dagger deeper, piercing through.
Thus, the demon person fell lifeless.
At that moment, two blue bubbles emerged from the demon’s body.
They instantly merged into Jiang Hao.
[Vital Qi +1]
[Cultivation +1]
Two?
After so much, this was the first time he’d seen this many from killing a fierce beast.
He quickly looked at the other two. They had already fallen but didn’t drop bubbles.
This was expected; he initially planned to deliver a finishing blow.
Participating often resulted in bubbles.
“Seems like Junior Brother enjoys targeting necks,” Lou Feng said with a chuckle, having cleaved a demon person in half.
“Senior Brother jests. The demon person’s body is tougher than expected; the neck is slightly weaker,” Jiang Hao replied softly.
He had some information on demon people, but their toughness exceeded the records.
Reviewing the recent battle, Jiang Hao realized that using the Demonic Sound Slash could break through a demon person’s outer defense.
One or two wasn’t an issue, but in large numbers, it would be dangerous.
And here was a crucial point.
He needed to kill fifty demon people to safely leave the demon cave.
Otherwise, Lou Feng and Qing Xue wouldn’t let him leave alive.
“So the neck is their weakness,” Xin Yuyue noted, stabbing her sword into a demon person’s neck, nodding in agreement. “It’s really easier to hurt them there.”
“Be cautious. Since the demon people attack us on sight, they consider this their territory. Groups of threes indicate that most will come in threes or fours,” Zheng Shijiu observed.
“Perfect, let’s clear them together. Once we handle groups, we can find the ones on their own,” Qing Xue said coldly.
With that, she led the way forward.
The others followed, and naturally, so did Jiang Hao.
He pondered how he could kill more and faster.
Soon, they encountered more demon people—this time four, with one at mid-Foundation Establishment.
Jiang Hao didn’t hesitate, steering clear of the mid-level one and attacking the other three.
He eliminated one with a stab and swiftly moved on to the next.
The group appreciated his fervor, finding it advantageous.
After slaying two, Jiang Hao received three bubbles.
[Cultivation +1]
[Vital Qi +1]
[Vital Qi +1]
“It seems the yield is inconsistent. I’ll have to increase the number of kills.”
Jiang Hao’s heart sank; things were not as optimistic as he’d hoped.
Thus, he fought the demon people even more fiercely.
A month passed in this manner, and they remained together all along.
This kept Jiang Hao safe; the Heavenly Joy Pavilion wouldn’t kill a sect mate in front of others.
Unless they killed everyone—it would then seem blameless.
[Cultivation +1]
Looking at the demon person lying before him, Jiang Hao felt increasingly uneasy.
It had been a month, and though they encountered many demon people daily, bubble drops became sparse after those initial days.
It wasn’t just a matter of fewer demon people; often, he couldn’t land the final blow.
Or if he managed to kill one, Lou Feng would slay the others.
He didn't know why Lou Feng was going so all-out. Once Jiang Hao started killing demon people, Lou Feng did too, wanting to kill them all.
He no longer even hid his late-stage cultivation.
As demon people dwindled, they would soon act separately.
And he was nearly out of vital energy and cultivation.
[Vital Qi: 95/100 (Ready for cultivation)]
[Cultivation: 96/100 (Ready for cultivation)]