Attacked by the Female Demon at the Beginning - Chapter 194

Chapter 194: Wasn’t he said to be dead?

Zheng Shijiu still couldn’t quite believe it.

Moreover, Senior Sister Ye Ji had not returned, so nothing was certain.

Two more days passed.

Still, no one returned.

Not Jiang Hao, not even Senior Sister Ye Ji or Senior Brother Lan Feng.

This was strange.

Was there a delay, or had an accident occurred?

Because no one had returned for a long time, the two who had initially survived felt a sense of superiority.

Sometimes, they would even mock others for not being as fearless as them, and by the way, they would indirectly trample on Jiang Hao, saying he failed to detect the demons’ movements in time, leading to their encounter with danger and ultimately, this crisis cost him his life.

Listening to what the others were trying to express, both openly and covertly, Zheng Shijiu always felt it was unlikely.

However, those two were also worried about others returning and didn’t dare to speak directly, instead intentionally revealing bits of information for others to guess.

……

Three more days passed.

Still, no one returned, which was even more puzzling.

The crisis had been resolved, and those who had made great contributions should have returned by now.

The delay shouldn’t have been this long.

On that day, Jin Long gathered everyone and said:

“Those who have mostly recovered from their injuries, follow me to clear out the demons. Since Junior Sister Ye Ji and the others have not returned for a long time, they might be trapped inside. We’ll fight our way in to support them.”

No one refused, nor could they refuse.

However, those with severe injuries did not need to go.

Xin Yuyue and Le You had recovered quite a bit, so they also planned to go in.

Clearing out demons also earned merits.

It would be good to mix in and get some spirit stones, and they could just hang back when the time came.

Zheng Shijiu was already planning to go in, so there was no need for further thought.

……

Two days later.

They encountered a large number of demons and began to fight.

Fortunately, these were demons acting on instinct. They had taken over this place and saw it as their territory, so they would attack proactively.

Zheng Shijiu swung his paper fan, his attacks sharp and fierce.

This time, since there was no rush, he fought at a steady pace, slowly retreating while fighting.

Le You and Xin Yuyue did the same, dragging out the fight with one demon while the main force dealt with the others.

Soon, the three of them retreated to a less crowded area and exchanged glances.

“…”

Everyone felt a bit awkward after knowing each other’s intentions.

“Haha, the two Junior Sisters have worked hard. These demons are really tough,” Zheng Shijiu said with a laugh.

“Senior Brother makes a good point,” Xin Yuyue replied with an awkward smile.

Le You remained calm, simply nodding.

Then the three of them went back into the fray, but it wasn’t long before they retreated again.

Zheng Shijiu was somewhat speechless; why couldn’t these people find a different place to retreat to?

Xin Yuyue and Le You did this, and so did Jiang Hao.

Huh? Jiang Hao?

Zheng Shijiu looked at Jiang Hao on the edge, dodging the demons’ attacks, and was astonished.

Xin Yuyue and Le You also saw him.

How was Jiang Hao here?

Wasn’t he said to be dead?

At that moment, Jiang Hao was also quite helpless.

He had deliberately delayed for a few days before finally catching up, only to find that they had already started clearing out the demons, so he joined in.

This time he had no intention of killing demons and could only waste time with one on the edge.

Stepping aside, he noticed that many people shared his thoughts.

The Demon Sect truly lived up to its name, somewhat lacking in collective consciousness.

To avoid drawing attention, he changed locations to pass the time and then ran into Senior Brother Zheng and others.

He realized that such people existed everywhere.

After killing a demon, Jiang Hao greeted them.

It had been many days since they last met, so he casually inquired about the current situation.

At this moment, Le You and Xin Yuyue were also surprised; this was really Jiang Hao.

But why was he here?

It wasn’t a big deal, but why was he, like them, engaged in combat with demons?

Could it be that he had been among the crowd for a long time?

“When did Junior Brother Jiang return?” Zheng Shijiu was the first to speak upon seeing Jiang Hao approach.

“I just got back just now and joined in the fight against the demons when I saw everyone else doing so,” Jiang Hao replied.

The three of them were silent…

Although it made sense, something still felt odd.

When the two Foundation Establishment completions returned earlier, there was a big celebration with cheers from everyone.

But when Jiang Hao returned, not only did no one know, but he also inexplicably blended in with them.

After hesitating for a moment, Zheng Shijiu briefed him on the events of the past few days.

This included the matter of the two Foundation Establishment completions.

I died?

Jiang Hao was puzzled but found it plausible.

Indeed, it would have been difficult for him to survive when he was covering the rear.

“I hid at that time and was lucky to survive. I’ve been healing up until now, and after much hesitation, I felt my strength was limited, so I didn’t follow Senior Sister Ye Ji and the others but instead came back,” Jiang Hao roughly explained.

Zheng Shijiu nodded.

He didn’t delve into the details.

He wasn’t sure whether Senior Sister Ye Ji and the others got along well with Jiang Hao.

But he knew a bit about those two; the fate of those who cooperated with them wasn’t usually good.

If they had targeted Jiang Hao, he had reason to suspect that none of those people would return.

“Is it just cleanup work left now? It seems to be the merit of Senior Sister Ye Ji and the others,” Jiang Hao said calmly.

Hearing this, Zheng Shijiu and Xin Yuyue felt quite strange.

It was like the first time they came to the Demon Cavern, mentioning the people from Tianhuan Pavilion at the last moment.

Le You didn’t speak; she naturally remembered what Zheng Shijiu and the others had said.

But it didn’t seem quite right.

The Junior Brother in front of them indeed had a late Foundation Establishment cultivation.

But after all, late Foundation Establishment was just that, how could he turn the tide?

Afterward, the group didn’t say much more and continued to clear out the demons.

They were of one mind, so they cooperated in fighting the enemy.

This time, they advanced without retreating, led by Jin Long, pushing forward all the way.

Some also followed the path taken by Ye Ji and the others.

Half a month later, they found the bodies of two Foundation Establishment completions.

Everyone felt a bit regretful.

……

However, they did not stop their advance.

Another half month passed, and they cleared many demons and found another body.

Out of the original thirteen, only three returned alive, with three bodies found.

Now, the fate of seven was still unknown.

Another half month of pushing forward, they found another body.

Six remained.

Of course, most people didn’t know that Jiang Hao had returned alive.

In their minds, Jiang Hao was also considered dead, so there were still only six whose fates were uncertain.

Another half month passed, and they discovered a ruin and found the shattered body of Lan Feng.

A Golden Core had died.

This weighed heavily on the others; previously, they feared nothing when only Foundation Establishment cultivators died.

But now, even a Golden Core had not survived, and no one knew why.

Perhaps there was a powerful enemy lurking in the shadows?

Faced with the ruins, many were eager to explore.

Jin Long was also very tempted.

Most people thought this was the place Senior Sister Ye Ji and the others had mentioned.

Perhaps there was no longer any danger inside.

“Does Junior Brother Jiang want to go in and take a look?” Zheng Shijiu asked Jiang Hao.

They had been fishing in troubled waters for two months, so their injuries had almost healed.

Le You even shouldered her giant sword again.

“No,” Jiang Hao shook his head.

“Such places are usually quite dangerous.”

He truly did not want to go in; the presence of a great force inside made him uncomfortable.

And with treasures already in his storage magic item, there was no need to enter.

So far, the Calamity Bead could still be sealed normally.

He sealed it once every day.

Now, more than two years remained before the Calamity Bead’s seal would break.

Two months had passed without any sound from the core, indicating that everything had ended.

The demon clearing was almost over, and reaching this point also meant that the cleanup was nearing its end.