A Compendium of One Hundred Demons: My Path to Immortality in a World of Demons and Monsters

Xu Yuan unleashed his full power, his figure slicing in from the flank like a ghost. He fully unleashed the strength of the eighth level of Blood Refinement, his entire being like a cheetah that had been lurking for a long time, bursting forth from the billowing dust.

The [Mountain and Forest Traverse] ability, enhanced by the darkness of night, allowed him to reach his maximum speed, even leaving a trail of afterimages in the gaps between the firelight and dust.

At the same time, Xu Yuan silently drew his longsword, the blood-red patterns on the blade gleaming faintly in the darkness—a sign that the Blood Fiend Blade Technique had been pushed to its limit.

Xu Yuan had been preparing this strike for a long time!

From the moment he crept out of the city gate to this point, he calculated the distance with every step and adjusted his qi and blood with every breath.

Assassinating the shaman was no trivial matter; it was the only chance to break the deadlock in this siege.

Ten zhang, five zhang, three zhang...

Xu Yuan's eyes flashed with a sharp light. He raised his long sword high, and the sword light pierced the sky like a blood moon, aiming straight for the neck of the ancient shaman!

"Shaman, watch out!" Tuotuo Buhua roared, sweeping his wolf-tooth club in an attempt to intercept.

But it's too late.

Xu Yuan's blade was too fast, too ruthless, and too decisive!

At the critical moment of life and death, a strange light flashed in the turbid eyes of the ancient shaman. He forcibly suppressed the backlash and flicked his bone staff upward with his left hand.

"clang---!"

The sword and staff clashed, producing a piercing explosion. Xu Yuan felt a chilling and eerie power travel along the blade, burrowing into his meridians like a venomous snake, causing his blood and qi to stagnate.

What bizarre magical power!

Xu Yuan had nowhere to retreat. He gritted his teeth, activated his [Demon Transformation] ability, and his right arm muscles instantly bulged, covered with a layer of light black scales, and his power surged once again!

"Break it!"

Xu Yuan roared, his long sword pressing down on the bone staff as it slashed down, the blade slicing into the Guza shaman's left shoulder!

"Sizzle—!"

The blade sliced ​​down, but not at the neck; instead, it severed a withered left arm, the arm clean off at the shoulder, black blood gushing out like a fountain.

"Ah—!" Guza Shaman let out an extremely mournful scream, staggering backward.

Xu Yuan sighed inwardly, realizing that he was still just a hair's breadth away from success.

At this moment, Tuotuo Buhua's spiked club was about to smash into his face, and the strong wind was almost suffocating him.

At the critical moment, Xu Yuan advanced instead of retreating, and with the help of the [Demon Transformation] ability, he managed to block the spiked club with the side of his blade.

"clang---!!!"

The deafening clang of metal striking metal sent Xu Yuan flying backward like a kite with a broken string. A sweet taste rose in his throat, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

Even with the [Demon Transformation] attribute, he was nearly shattered after taking a full-force attack from a mid-stage Qi Condensation cultivator while at the eighth level of Blood Refinement.

However, he also took this opportunity to retreat, twisting his body strangely in the air and activating the full range of the [Mountain and Forest Traverse] ability, instantly diving into the chaotic formation of the Xiongnu soldiers like a fish.

"Grab him! Dead or alive!"

Upon seeing this, Tuotuo Buhua's eyes widened in fury.

With his arm severed, Guza Shaman will certainly face severe punishment under military law even if he captures Qingyang County in this battle.

The three-headed demon wolves pounced first, their six green eyes leaving ferocious streaks of light in the darkness. They were incredibly fast, their four paws stomping silently on the ground, leaping directly over the chaotic Hun soldiers and heading straight for Xu Yuan's back.

Xu Yuan sensed the danger in advance through his Yin Qi perception. Without turning his head, he threw three throwing knives—his special hidden weapons prepared before leaving the city, coated with paralyzing toxins he had found in the Golden-Eyed Old Ghost's storage bag.

"Awooo!!!"

The wolf at the front was caught off guard and struck in the face by a flying knife. It howled and rolled to the ground, but the other two had already arrived on either side, opening their blood-red mouths to bite Xu Yuan's shoulders.

Just then, Chen Hanchuan roared from the city wall, "Fire! Cover Brother Xu!"

"Whoosh whoosh-!"

The rain of arrows fell, and although their aim was poor, they successfully stopped the demon wolf for a moment.

Xu Yuan seized the opportunity, twisted his body again, and rushed into the shadows of the Xiongnu camp behind him like a ghost.

With the [Conceal Breath] and [Mountain Forest Traverse] traits fully activated, his aura instantly dropped to its lowest level, as if he had merged into the surrounding shadows.

The two demon wolves chased the enemy to the front of the camp, but lost their target and could only pace back and forth with anxious growls.

Tuotuo Buhua arrived with his personal guards. Looking at the empty, shadowy tent, his face was so grim it could drip water: "Search! He's badly injured; he can't have gone far!!!"

The Xiongnu soldiers spread out like a tide, launching a thorough search.

In the shadows near the tent, Xu Yuan held his breath, feeling waves of pain in his back.

Although he avoided vital points during his clash with Tuotuo Buhua, the residual force of the spiked club still fractured his shoulder blade.

To make matters worse, a few drops of black blood from the shaman's severed arm had splashed onto the back of his hand, and now a corrosive sting was coming from it.

"That shaman's blood... is poisonous!" Xu Yuan gritted his teeth and began to circulate the Hungry Ghost Compendium to quickly decompose and devour the toxins that had invaded his body, and transform them into a small amount of blood and qi to replenish himself.

But all of this will take time!

Outside the tent, the footsteps of the Xiongnu soldiers grew closer and closer.

Through his Yin Qi Perception, Xu Yuan could discern that at least a squad of about twenty Xiongnu soldiers was searching in this direction, including two centurions who were at least at the fifth level of Blood Refinement!

A direct confrontation is clearly not going to work.

Xu Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly as he focused his mind on the Hundred Ghosts Diagram and began to communicate with the Illustrated Compendium of Ghosts.

"Golden Eyes, go create chaos!"

From within the sleeve, a dark shadow silently slipped out, landing and transforming into the form of a golden-eyed servant.

Xu Yuan took out the Ghost Cry Bow from his storage bag and handed it over. The golden-eyed servant took it and immediately drew the bow and nocked an arrow. Three Yin Soul Arrows were fired in quick succession, but instead of being aimed at the searching soldiers, they flew towards the area where the Xiongnu army had piled up their provisions in the distance.

"Hiss hiss hiss—"

The arrow sank into the haystack, and the Yin energy inherent in the high-ranking cougar began to quietly erode it.

Three breaths later, a strange green fire suddenly erupted from the pile of grain and straw, and the fire spread rapidly.

"Fire has broken out!"

"Quickly, put out the fire!"

In an instant, chaos erupted in the Xiongnu camp.

Food supplies are fundamental to military operations; if they are burned, the army is likely to collapse without a fight.

Although Tuotuo Buhua knew this might be a deliberate ploy to lure the enemy away from their stronghold, he dared not gamble any further and had to send most of his troops to put out the fire.

Xu Yuan seized this precious opportunity, quietly darting out from the shadows of the tent, vaulting over the fence like a raccoon, and disappearing into the deeper darkness.

He did not choose to return to the city wall in a straight line, although that would have been the fastest way, but it would have made him an easy target.

He then circled around the outer perimeter of the Xiongnu camp, taking advantage of the natural protection of the terrain provided by his [Mountain Forest Traverse] ability, and deliberately chose places that were less strenuous and more concealed.

A quarter of an hour later, Xu Yuan finally made his way back to a spot thirty feet below the city wall of Qingyang County.

This area was already the edge of arrow range, and torches lit up the city walls. Chen Hanchuan personally led his troops here to provide support.

"Young Master Xu!" Shen Qingyi's voice came from the city wall, tinged with rare anxiety. "Be careful!"

Xu Yuan looked up, about to respond, when the [Yin Qi Perception] in his mind suddenly sounded an alarm. At the same time, a whooshing sound came from behind him.

It was a Guza shaman!

Despite his severe arm injury, the old man actually chased after us himself.

He held a bone staff with only one arm, the skull at the end of the staff glowing green again, though the light was much dimmer. His withered old face was twisted like a demon from blood loss and rage.

"You little beast... I'll make you wish you were dead for the sake of my severed arm!!!"