Chapter 46: The Demon

“Again?” Liu Hen frowned deeply. Just yesterday, he had heard the rapid clatter of hooves, as if many people were passing nearby. Yet, only a day had passed, and more had arrived.

“What exactly is happening? Where are these people coming from, and why?” he wondered, his senses alert.

“Sir…” Wu Yuanming was somewhat nervous. Even though they were now following a supernatural being, they remained extremely cautious of these outsiders.

“Let’s hide first. There’s no need to confront them,” Liu Hen said, refusing to stubbornly face them for the sake of pride. He immediately led the four of them into hiding.

Half a minute later, a large group of riders on tall horses thundered past about a hundred meters away, their imposing presence clearly marking them as dangerous.

However, only Liu Hen could see this scene. The others could hear the sounds but not the source.

Suddenly, one of the riders—whether carrying some sensing device or relying on innate perception—suddenly turned back, meeting Liu Hen’s gaze. At that instant, he raised his hand, palm glowing as if preparing to unleash an attack.

Liu Hen’s heart tightened. He was about to duck when a massive tree root burst up from beneath the ground.

“Thud, thud, thud…”

Several horses were pierced through, and some riders were entangled and skewered by the thick root.

Even the rider who had turned back was caught; many metal components on his body exploded and scattered.

“Monsters…”

“Demons!”

“Attack!”

The group panicked but quickly retaliated. They were clearly experienced fighters; despite the sudden demon assault, they remained composed and began to organize a counterattack.

“Retreat!”

Having seen demons for the first time, Liu Hen had no intention of lingering to watch the fight. He swiftly withdrew with the Wu siblings.

“Boom!”

“Boom!!”

The group behind fired beams of light from their palms, sparks flying upon impact. Liu Hen even saw some struck by the roots explode, metal fragments scattering.

‘Cyborgs? The same kind that attacked us before?’

He was filled with doubt: ‘Are they technological modifications or supernatural mutations?’

Cyborgs need not be solely technological; supernatural forces might be involved. After all, this was no purely scientific world like Earth—it was filled with all manner of demons and spirits.

“Ah…”

Screams continued from behind, punctuated by gunfire-like sounds that gradually faded.

‘Were they completely wiped out?’

Liu Hen frowned but could see no further ahead in this place.

‘Are the demons that powerful?’

He looked at the Wu siblings, tense and alert.

“Were the demons you encountered before also those tree roots?”

“Yes, sir,” Wu Yuanming replied. The others nodded with certainty.

“The demons behind were also tree-root types, but those were much stronger,” he said.

Liu Hen frowned. “Are these two different demons, or different parts of the same demon?”

“Sir, that’s a difficult question,” Wu Yuanming said helplessly. “We barely caught sight of the roots but never saw the main body. However...”

He paused. “One thing is certain: those roots truly emerged from underground.”

Liu Hen’s expression darkened further. He felt increasingly that they couldn’t linger here and hastened their pace.

Suddenly, five two-armed demons blocked their path.

Liu Hen didn’t hesitate or resort to his usual ranged attacks. Instead, he drew two Tang-style horizontal swords and charged.

“Shing, shing, shing…”

Blade flashes erupted as he swiftly cleaved through the five demons.

In the next moment, their limbs transformed into intertwining lights, condensing into five demon crystals that dropped to the ground.

“Sir, you’re amazing!”

“So strong!”

The Wu siblings were amazed. Previously, when they faced five demons, they had to coordinate carefully, pulling and distracting, often risking minor injuries.

But Liu Hen cut them down as easily as slicing vegetables.

Without pause, Liu Hen sheathed his swords and continued on.

Now far stronger and with sharper vision than ordinary people, he no longer moved cautiously but strode forward rapidly, eager to leave this troubled land.

Judging by all signs, this area was becoming chaotic.

The horse-riding outsiders might completely disrupt this territory. Besides, there was no copper ore here; he needed to seek it elsewhere.

He’d simply avoid the turmoil.

Not long after, two four-armed demons barred their way.

Again, Liu Hen didn’t stop. He cut through them effortlessly with his twin swords, collecting sixteen demon crystals in total.

Though these four-armed demons were stronger than the two-armed ones, they remained manageable.

Previously, he had killed similar foes with iron ore projectiles; now, with his improved strength, it was even easier.

But after traveling over ten kilometers, a six-armed demon suddenly lunged out of the darkness and attacked.

Liu Hen, caught off guard, nearly sustained injuries and was struck in the chest.

Fortunately, his black-iron-grade thermal suit’s defense was robust. Though his vitality surged wildly, he did not break through its protection.

“Shhh…”

He wielded his swords with both hands, relentlessly battling the six-armed demon.

Its body was incredibly tough; even his black-iron Tang-style swords struck like cutting into dried leather—hard to penetrate.

At such times, Liu Hen dared not retreat. He either pivoted to use momentum, crossed his swords to block, or wildly hacked forward.

No finesse, no elegant technique—just brute force, like the Summer Eight Slash: applying strength wherever he could.

At last, after great effort and with his swords dulled, he narrowly killed the six-armed demon.

Its body dissipated, bursting into a flash of light with a ‘pop,’ scattering numerous demon crystals.

The Wu siblings hurriedly gathered them—sixty-four crystals in total.

‘A multiple of eight, indeed!’

Liu Hen’s expression grew serious.

This suggested that eight-armed demons far surpassed six-armed ones in power—enemies he must not provoke.

Now roughly gauging his own strength level, he proceeded with caution.

Whenever he saw a six-armed demon, he avoided it from afar.

Even for four-armed demons, if more than three appeared, he would steer clear.

But when facing two-armed demons, he made no apologies—charging in to slaughter and harvest crystals.

Thus, over a journey of nearly twenty kilometers, he collected over a hundred demon crystals.

The Wu siblings were awestruck and envious. It had taken them a long time to save two or three hundred crystals.

Yet in only a couple of hours, this lord had obtained over a hundred crystals purely by hunting demons.

By then, the scavenger team trailing behind had long since disappeared—either having given up or unable to keep pace.

Liu Hen paid them no mind; they distrusted him and were unwilling to even cut a tree to earn the right to stay nearby. As strangers, there was no reason to care.

“Sir, danger ahead.”

Suddenly, the voice of Little Black Stone echoed in his mind.

Liu Hen tensed and urgently asked, “What danger?”

“I’m not sure. I sense the presence of demons,” Little Black Stone replied. “Besides the demonic aura, there’s a strong scent of blood.”

It was the early night period; Liu Hen could see about a hundred meters ahead, beyond which lay darkness.

He detected no immediate threat but trusted Little Black Stone’s senses and decisively chose to detour.

Though puzzled, the Wu siblings accepted this, trusting the supernatural being.

“Roar…”

As the five turned, a low beastly roar came from behind.

A black mist quickly spread toward them.

“Bad, hurry!”

Liu Hen quickened his pace.

Terrified, the Wu siblings broke into a frantic run.