Chapter 104: The Demon

Late at night, in the inn.

Lu Yan was sound asleep when suddenly he felt a burning sensation in his arms.

He hurriedly sat up and pulled open his clothes, only to find that the token he carried had turned into a piece of pitch-black charcoal, rapidly disintegrating.

Not only that, a large patch of his clothing had melted away, and a strange transparent liquid dripped onto his skin, burning it like molten iron.

If it weren’t for the strength of his body, even his flesh and blood would have been corroded away.

With a surge of vital energy, Lu Yan shook off the transparent liquid and the charred token, which flew out and landed on the floor.

His expression darkened considerably.

Without the token, he had lost the qualification to purchase the Jade Bone Tiger.

Gao Xuhai had made it clear: only the token counted, not the person.

“Gao’s, Gao Xuhai,” Lu Yan’s eyes glinted with cold menace.

Even a fool could see the token had been tampered with beforehand.

He just didn’t know for sure if Gao Xuhai was behind it.

Lu Yan immediately summoned Li Quan and Wang Lin.

“Hall Master, did something happen?” Wang Lin asked, unable to hide the killing intent emanating from Lu Yan’s grim face, while Li Quan dared not even breathe heavily.

“That was the token for purchasing the Jade Bone Tiger,” Lu Yan said, pointing to the blackened charcoal on the ground.

Both Li Quan and Wang Lin’s expressions changed sharply.

“The token was tampered with,” they said in unison.

“Has Gao Xuhai shown any unusual behavior these past two days?” Lu Yan inquired.

After obtaining the token, just in case, Lu Yan had Li Quan dispatch spies to keep an eye on Gao’s Martial Culinary Mansion and Gao Xuhai’s residence, fearing some mishap might occur.

“The spies have not reported anything yet. I’ll go ask,” Li Quan said, hurrying out of the inn.

Over an hour later, he returned.

“Hall Master, there’s news. After nightfall yesterday, Gao Xuhai left his residence and was taken away by two people.”

“Could you identify who those two were?” Lu Yan pressed.

“No. They wore black robes covering their faces, so their appearances were unrecognizable. But the direction they went seemed to be toward the Li family’s annex villa. They only returned late into the night,” Li Quan reported.

“Li family, returning late at night,” Lu Yan’s gaze grew icy. The matter was now clear.

He had gone to the Li family’s annex late at night, and shortly after returning, his token was corroded.

Such a coincidence was impossible.

“Old Gao Xuhai, I will kill you,” Lu Yan said with murderous intent.

Then he asked, “Do you know Gao Xuhai’s cultivation level?”

“I heard he’s a Martial Marquis, fifth layer, Abyssal rank,” Li Quan answered.

“Old bastard, I will kill you someday,” Lu Yan gritted his teeth.

After a moment’s thought, he waved his hand. “Dismissed. Keep a close watch and report any developments to me immediately.”

Li Quan and Wang Lin retreated.

Lu Yan sat down, poured himself a cup of tea, and as his fury gradually subsided, he regained his composure and began contemplating a strategy.

At dawn.

The Gao family announced the weights and rankings of the shellfish obtained by the major clans.

At the top was the Li family, with 410 jin.

Second was the Ouyang family, with 260 jin.

Lu Yan, under the name Wei Tao, had fallen to third place with 220 jin.

Clearly, Lu Yan’s 200 jin had been shifted to the Li family.

Lu Yan had anticipated this and was not overly angry. He only instructed Li Quan and Wang Lin to return to Baicao City.

“Hall Master, be careful,” Wang Lin said softly before leaving.

“Don’t worry. If it’s not feasible, I’ll retreat immediately. I won’t risk my life recklessly,” Lu Yan smiled, patting Wang Lin on the shoulder.

After they left, Lu Yan disguised himself and checked into an inn near the Li family’s annex, keeping a close watch on their every move.

Soon, the day to purchase the Jade Bone Tiger arrived.

Li Wenlong and a few others went out and returned several hours later, carrying a small bamboo basket.

“Could the Jade Bone Tiger be inside that basket?” Lu Yan wondered.

The basket was small, so if it was truly the Jade Bone Tiger, it was far smaller than he had imagined.

Not long after Li Wenlong’s group returned, dozens of Li family warriors prepared to leave Nanyi City, heading north.

The Li family members rode along the main road, while Lu Yan trailed them on foot through the nearby woods.

With his current stamina, Lu Yan could easily outrun a fast horse and maintain his speed for a long time.

He used the trees and scattered rocks in the forest to avoid the Li family members, following them from a distance.

That night, the Li family camped in a wooded area. Three Martial Marquis remained guarding the Jade Bone Tiger, giving Lu Yan no chance to strike.

Lu Yan stayed hidden, motionless.

As a hunter by nature, he knew the importance of patience.

Nanyi City was a thousand miles from Baicao City. Last time, he and Wang Lin and Li Quan had taken four days on horseback with two horses each.

The Li family, traveling with one person and one horse, would take five to six days at least.

There were still many opportunities ahead.

Though Martial Marquis could run faster and had greater endurance than horses, why exert more effort than necessary?

On the second night, Lu Yan still found no opportunity to act.

On the third day, as night fell, the Li family arrived at a small town.

At the town’s entrance stood several townsfolk dressed in tattered cloth, their backs turned, bodies swaying slightly side to side.

“Is there a place to stay here?” a Li family guard rode forward to ask.

The townsfolk remained silent, their bodies continuing to sway.

The guard frowned.

They were mere poor villagers, yet they ignored his polite inquiry, stirring anger within him.

He dismounted and tapped a burly man on the shoulder. “I’m talking to you. Turn around and answer.”

The villagers obeyed and turned—but the guard gasped and took a step back in shock.

Their skin was as black as ink; half their faces had rotted away, exposing grim white bones. Their vacant eyes stared blankly at the guard before seemingly snapping back to awareness, howling like wild beasts as they lunged forward.

The guard, a seasoned warrior with three times broken limit cultivation, reacted swiftly and drew his blade, slashing out.

With a *squelch*, one villager’s head flew off.

But even without a head, the body surged forward, grabbing the guard and extending a blackened, withered finger toward him.

“Get off me!” the guard roared, unleashing his vital energy to throw the headless body away—but the finger pierced through his qi and blood, stabbing deeply into his flesh.

Another villager attacked, biting the guard’s neck.

“Help!” the guard tried to scream, but with a crack, his neck was snapped.

The entire scene unfolded swiftly and unexpectedly. Others had no time to assist.

The strange villagers, after killing the guard, howled again and lunged at the Li family members.

The headless corpse, despite its severed head, appeared unharmed.

“Kill!” several experts with five times broken limit burst forth, blades flashing as they severed the strange villagers in two.

But the earlier cries had already alarmed the town.

A large number of figures sprinted out—astonishingly fast, not ordinary people but seemingly all broken limit warriors.

Upon seeing the newcomers, the Li family members’ faces changed drastically.

Though dressed as ordinary peasants, each had blackened, withered muscles and incredible strength, leaping three meters in a single bound.

They howled with bloodthirsty eyes and frenziedly attacked the Li family.

“Watch out! These are demon servants! Fall back!” Li Wenlong shouted, his face grim.

“Demon servants? How could there be demon servants here?” Li Wenjie looked equally shocked.

Where there are demon servants, there is demons.

Demon servants are ordinary people corrupted by demonic pollution.

But for years, no demons had appeared in the six eastern prefectures.

Generally, demons arise from Martial Spirits that mutate.

When a Martial Spirit undergoes malignant transformation and loses control, it falls into madness and undergoes the demonization ritual.

Only after successfully completing the ritual three times does one become a true demon.

Demons possess pure malevolence, utterly devoid of humanity. Their domain becomes a demon realm, polluting all life within and turning them into demon servants.

Li Wenlong, Li Wenjie, and Li Wenyan, three Martial Marquis, mounted their horses, clutching Li Cangxin and the Jade Bone Tiger, spurring their mounts into a mad dash.

Seeing the Martial Marquis flee, no one dared stay behind, all following in a frantic retreat.

But the demon servants were incredibly fast, some running on all fours like cheetahs. Weaker fighters were quickly caught.

Those slower had to stop and fight the demon servants.

More demon servants pressed the chase.

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