Attacked by the Female Demon at the Beginning - Chapter 176

Chapter 176: About to be counter-killed?

Jiang Hao, who had returned, didn’t pay attention to the astonishment of his Senior Brothers and Sisters.

The strength he displayed was normal for the late stage of Foundation Establishment.

The only difference was that he was a bit more sensitive.

He was more concerned about the surrounding demons, which, although not much stronger than before, were surprisingly good at disguising themselves.

It seemed they would be much harder to deal with than before.

Zheng Shijiu and the others also recovered from their surprise and became aware of the demons lurking around.

At this moment, Le You stomped heavily on the ground.

Boom!

The surrounding ground rippled due to the force of the impact.

Zheng Shijiu waved his paper fan, casting spells, and soon snowflakes began to fall.

The figures of the demons were shaken out by the undulating ground, and those who were off the ground were revealed by the snowflakes.

Clang!

Xin Yuyue attacked with her sword, each strike accompanied by thunder and fire.

The scar-faced middle-aged man also leaped up at this time, tearing demons apart with his bare hands.

Jiang Hao joined in as well.

This time, he didn’t kill with a single strike but attacked the weakest part of the demons’ necks, little by little.

He used a dagger as well.

As the demons fell one by one, he noticed white bubbles appearing.

【Strength+1】

【Spirit+1】

In a short time, all the demons have been vanquished.

Jiang Hao walked past each corpse, feeling a sense of melancholy.

“Not a single blue bubble.”

“But that was to be expected.”

Ever since he entered the Nascent Soul stage, blue bubbles had become increasingly rare.

Back when he was in the late Foundation Establishment stage, demons would drop many blue bubbles.

Now, at the early stage of Nascent Soul, he should be targeting demons of the Nascent Soul level.

At the very least, those at the peak of Golden Core.

But could there be such powerful demons here?

After all, this was a Foundation Establishment area.

“Make sure there are no survivors,” Zheng Shijiu spoke up.

Jiang Hao joined the group, having made up his mind to stay put for now.

Even without the bubbles, he could use this time to comprehend the Universe in the Palm and the Nameless Secret Manual.

His strength wouldn’t stagnate.

“Duanqing Cliff’s Jiang Hao?” Ye Ji repeated the name, this time with a different tone.

She had thought there would be many heavily injured, but Jiang Hao’s sudden action turned the tide.

She looked at him with new respect.

“Yes,” Jiang Hao replied.

“Have you practiced any mental techniques?” Ye Ji asked further.

“I’ve dabbled in such things,” Jiang Hao didn’t specify.

He hadn’t practiced mental techniques, but he had greatly enhanced his mental strength.

If one were to count, the Nameless Secret Manual could be considered a mental technique.

But he couldn’t disclose that; most secret manual could be shared, but the Nameless Secret Manual was an exception.

This secret manual is too terrifying.

At first, one might not realize its power, but the more one delved into it, the more fearsome it became.

Ye Ji nodded, asking no more questions.

“Stay vigilant and see if the previous scouting team left anything behind.”

The five of them complied and began their search.

Zheng Shijiu and Xin Yuyue breathed a sigh of relief, feeling their guess was correct.

With Jiang Hao there, they would be much safer.

Le You looked at Jiang Hao with a slight frown.

She pursued a solid foundation in her cultivation, so it was easy for her to notice certain things.

Jiang Hao’s strike that killed the demon was stable and solid in foundation.

It seemed that even with fortuitous encounters, he cared a lot about his foundation.

Recalling her earlier advice, she felt a burning embarrassment on her face.

It was like making a fool of herself in front of a senior.

Jiang Hao walked forward, looking towards the deepest part of the Demon Cavern.

There, the sky still shone brightly, as if stars from the nine heavens were falling.

All the dangers in the Demon Cavern originated from there.

The core of the Demon Cavern.

“I wonder what’s happening inside,” he pondered.

With a sigh, he began to check the whereabouts of his sect members.

Looking at the traces of battle, it seemed like they had been chased here.

“It’s likely they discovered something.”

“A lot of trees have been destroyed; it feels like they were forced into a last stand.”

Jiang Hao speculated.

At that moment, Zheng Shijiu’s voice came through: “I’ve found something.”

“It’s a mark from Bingyue Valley,” Zheng Shijiu said, pointing to the traces on the ground.

Nearby, Jiang Hao observed the water traces and indeed found faint spiritual energy swirling within them.

“Can you tell the direction?” Fairy Ye Ji asked.

“This way,” Zheng Shijiu pointed to the left without hesitation.

“Let’s go have a look,” Fairy Ye Ji said.

The group of six then headed in the direction of the mark.

Jiang Hao walked at the rear, wary that it might be a trap.

After some time, they arrived at the riverbank.

“The mark indicates it’s under the water,” Zheng Shijiu reported truthfully.

Ye Ji nodded slightly, seemingly contemplating something.

Then she stepped forward and used her powerful strength to part the river waters.

Whoosh!

The river stopped flowing.

At this moment, Jiang Hao saw a spell formation revealed in the water.

Indeed, someone was hiding underneath.

Zheng Shijiu and the scarred middle-aged man immediately went down to bring the people up.

There were three of them: one man and two women.

One of the women, a Foundation Establishment peak cultivator, had the lightest injuries, while the other two were more seriously wounded.

“Senior Sister Xia?” Zheng Shijiu recognized the cultivator.

“There’s been a serious incident,” Senior Sister Xia said as soon as she saw Zheng Shijiu.

“A powerful demon has emerged among them, and they’re trying to trap us inside. Now we either have to flee or call for reinforcements, otherwise our area is doomed.”

This statement shocked Jiang Hao.

He had just arrived and was already facing such a situation.

“Let’s go back first,” said Ye Ji, as she started to lead everyone away from the area.

On the way back, Jiang Hao looked behind him but didn’t sense any terrifying power.

Logically, they shouldn’t be surrounded, but the capabilities of the demons were still unknown, so it was necessary to be cautious.

“You don’t need to worry too much. Inside the Demon Cavern, there are senior sect members from our sect who are in charge. We are on the outer edge, so normally, no powerful demons should appear here,” Ye Ji reassured them.

The others nodded without saying much more.

They quickly returned to the defensive line.

Ye Ji instructed them to take the injured to the disciples in charge of the medicinal herbs, while she went with Xia Xianzi to the location of the other Golden Core cultivators.

They probably needed to confirm the accuracy of the information and make a decision.

On the way to deliver the injured, Xin Yuyue asked curiously.

“Do you think what Senior Sister Xia said could be true?”

“There’s no smoke without fire; there must be some danger,” said Le You, carrying his huge sword seriously.

“Prepare yourselves mentally.”

“When will the sect’s reinforcements arrive if we get trapped in here?” Jiang Hao asked.

“It’s hard to say,” Zheng Shijiu replied with a frown.

“If we get trapped here, it might also mean that the Golden Core area is trapped. Moreover, the senior members inside must be in trouble too. So, the sect will prioritize supporting the most critical location first. If there are enough people, we will get support soon as well.”

Enough people?

Jiang Hao sighed inwardly.

The Tianyin Sect was short-staffed recently.

Firstly, there had been significant losses in the battle with Tianqing Mountain.

Secondly, because of conflicts at the mines with sects like Xuantian Sect, the higher-ups had been depleted.

It had been just over two years, and recovery was not easy.

Moreover, the Tiansheng Sect was becoming restless, and the second entrance to the Demon Cavern could open at any time.

Internal and external troubles.

If they got trapped here, they could only rely on themselves for a while.

The situation was not looking good.