Tang Dynasty Demon Suppression Division

After a simple meal of dry rations, most people went inside their tents to rest.

As usual, Deng Tong arranged for people to keep watch at night, and then dozed off by the campfire.

Ji Fanghua was in charge of the first half of the night's vigil. She sat cross-legged on a stone pillar, looking down over the entire camp.

As night fell, the wind picked up and nearly extinguished the campfire. The soldiers on night duty were too lazy to continue patrolling and huddled in sheltered spots, dozing off.

As it was almost time for her shift to change, Ji Fanghua stood up and was about to jump off the stone pillar when suddenly, her expression changed.

A strong sense of being spied on washed over her, and she immediately released her divine sense to investigate, only to find that her spiritual sense seemed to be blocked by something.

"Miss Ji, it's time to change shifts."

The cultivator who came to hand over the duties saw that she was standing still and had no choice but to speak up.

Just as Ji Fanghua was about to answer, her expression suddenly changed drastically. A strong sense of crisis surged through her, making her hair stand on end.

She jumped to her feet and shouted sharply, "Something's wrong!"

"Everyone on alert!"

The sound exploded in the night sky, waking everyone from their slumber. Deng Tong was the first to jump up, grabbing his weapon and shouting, "What's going on?"

"Enemy attack!"

But it was too late.

From all directions, countless pairs of eerie green eyes lit up simultaneously, emerging from the shadows and surrounding the camp. The air was thick with a pungent, nauseating stench.

"Enemy attack!"

"Form ranks! Form ranks now!"

Deng Tong roared.

The soldiers hurriedly formed a defensive formation, protecting the convoy in the middle, while the monks automatically stood at the forefront.

More and more monsters appeared, a dark mass, at least a hundred of them. They let out low growls, their eyes flashing with bloodlust, and slowly approached.

"Awooo!"

A lizard demon covered in dark red scales slowly emerged and let out a deafening roar at the crowd.

Ji Fanghua's eyes narrowed. It was the Flame Demon King. Shouldn't it be north of Suzhou City? Why was it here?

Thinking of this, her expression changed. Could it be that the Anxi army had lied about military intelligence and deliberately transferred Li Yuan away?

The Flame Demon King stood atop a massive mound, looking down at the camp below, and let out a triumphant roar: "Hahaha... Humans, obediently prepare to die!"

"The Demon King?"

Deng Tong's face turned ashen. He turned sharply to look at Hu Cheng, who had already slipped away and was hiding behind the demon beast, looking at him with a smug expression.

"You son of a bitch! You dare betray me!"

By this time, Deng Tong knew perfectly well that he had been deceived, and he cursed through gritted teeth.

"Haha... It's your own fault for being so stupid, don't blame me..."

Hu Cheng laughed loudly.

"Captain Deng, now is not the time to be angry." Ji Fanghua drew her sword. "We are outnumbered and outgunned. I suggest we send out a distress signal immediately, quickly shrink our defensive line, and rely on the terrain to defend. If we can hold out until dawn, there may still be a chance for a turn of events."

Deng Tong smiled bitterly; this was the only option left for now.

"Everyone heard that! First team, tighten formation and protect the convoy!"

"The rest of you, block the front!"

At his command, the previously panicked crowd quickly regained their composure and began to organize their defense in an orderly manner.

"Bang bang bang!"

The fiery red flare soared into the sky and could be seen from a great distance across the vast desert.

The Flame Demon King watched them leisurely, seemingly without any intention of stopping them, adopting a cat-and-mouse stance.

Ji Fanghua's expression was solemn. If there were no reinforcements, they would likely be in grave danger on their own.

Moreover, the other side has a demon king in charge, twice the number of demons, and the advantage of terrain. No matter how you look at it, it's a dead end.

Moreover, even if they managed to break through by sheer luck, it was late at night, and without a guide, they had no idea how far they were from the next supply point.

Even if they could survive until dawn, it would be difficult to cross the vast Gobi Desert in the absence of water and food.

The Flame Demon King jumped down from the mound and walked slowly toward the camp with heavy steps. Wherever he passed, the lesser demons made way for him and bowed their heads in awe.

"Surrender."

"Hand over all the supplies, and I might consider taking them all!"

It stopped ten feet away, a cruel smile appearing in its scarlet eyes.

"Go to hell!"

The answer it received was a dazzling flash of sword light.

Ji Fanghua flashed and instantly teleported above its head, thrusting her sword towards its eye.

"roar!"

The Flame Demon King clearly hadn't expected his defeated foe to dare to attack again. He almost couldn't dodge in time, so he hurriedly leaped back, narrowly avoiding the sword's edge, but his eyelids were still slashed open by the sword energy, and black blood seeped out.

"court death!"

Enraged, it let out a deafening roar, "Kill them!"

"Leave no one alive!"

The demon horde could no longer contain themselves and, upon receiving the order, immediately pounced on the camp.

"kill!"

With a wave of his hand, Deng Tong triggered an instant battle.

Ji Fanghua rushed to the front, joining two other cultivators in attacking the Flame Demon King.

"Overestimating yourself!"

The Flame Demon King opened its mouth and spewed out a mouthful of poisonous fire. The scorching black flames carried a strong, foul stench, and no one dared to take it head-on. They could only retreat and dodge, and for a time, they were on the defensive.

Deng Tong stood guard in front of the caravan, not retreating an inch, his blade flashing as he relentlessly reaped the lives of the demons. Ruan Qing moved nimbly, wielding her sword and weaving through the demon horde, disrupting their formation.

But there were just too many demons.

After killing one, several more rushed up. The group retreated step by step, and the battle circle shrank smaller and smaller until they were gradually forced into a narrow open space.

"Awooo!"

"Humans! You can't escape!"

The Flame Demon King reveled in their disheveled state and pressed closer with each step.

It looked at Ji Fanghua mockingly, "You're not still waiting for that idiot surnamed Li, are you? Haha..."

"What level nine genius, slaying three demon kings in a row? He's just a brainless idiot who was easily fooled by a little trick."

The Flame Demon King was extremely proud and couldn't help but stop to show off. It was true that it couldn't beat Li Yuan, but so what? The human race was turning against each other, and it still helped it restrain the other party.

Ji Fanghua killed a sand scorpion demon that lunged at her with a single sword strike, then turned back to look at it with a cold smile.

"Do you really think Senior Brother Li is that easy to fool?"

"What do you mean?"

The Flame Demon King's heart skipped a beat, then his eyes turned icy cold. "Don't try to trick me!"

"Whether it's a scam or not, you'll know once you look back."

Ji Fanghua raised an eyebrow, her face showing no sign of panic at being surrounded, as if they were not the ones being hunted.

"Impossible! I won't fall for your tricks. You dare to deceive me? I'll devour you alive!"

It roared and leaped into the air, pouncing towards Ji Fanghua, spewing out poisonous fire from its mouth, determined to turn her into its blood meal.

"receive!"

The silvery starlight spread across the sky, weaving a net that enveloped the flames, and then rapidly began to shrink.

In an instant, the raging flames condensed into a fist-sized ball, enveloped in a layer of transparent starlight, flickering incessantly, surging with a terrifying power that sent chills down one's spine.

"Li...Li Yuan?"

The Flame Demon King jumped up as if someone had stepped on his tail, staring at the person in front of him in disbelief.

"How is this possible? Weren't you tricked into going north of Suzhou? How did you end up here?"

Under the dazzling starlight, the young man in blue robes held a fireball in his palm, tossing it back and forth, a mocking smile playing on his lips.

"You bunch of animals, you think you're qualified to lie to me?"