21: Chapter 21 Suppression

The team consisted mostly of veterans.

However, only Chen Hai had truly seen a Demon.

For a moment, everyone was so terrified by the gruesome scene of these people's deaths that they lost their wits.

Chen Hai, the only one not frightened by this scene, let out a roar.

"Quick! Quickly mobilize your Qi and blood!"

Following this roar, formless Qi and blood erupted from within his body.

As a Divine Strength Martial Artist, he was the only person on the scene capable of projecting his Qi and blood externally.

It was precisely because of this roar that the people who had been terrified finally reacted. They all began to circulate the Qi and blood within their bodies.

In an instant, the entire team became like a giant furnace, and the scorching temperature not only dispelled the chill brought by the Demon, but also gave him a sense of security.

But Chen Hai understood that resisting the Demon's corruption was only the first step.

Qi and blood are limited; if they only defended, they would sooner or later be corrupted by the Demon's aura.

"Everyone, follow me and kill the Demon." With a furious roar, Chen Hai charged toward the nearest Demon.

His long blade left its sheath, and a dazzling white light burst forth in the air.

The long blade in Chen Hai's hand left an afterimage in the air. At the same time, his surging Qi and blood, like a scorching flame, attached to the long blade, and he slashed out a long Dragon of Qi and blood toward the nearest Demon.

The long Dragon of Qi and blood was like the nemesis of the Demon; upon contact, the first-rank Demon's entire body erupted in blue flames, as if it had been set on fire.

In a moment, the Demon turned into a wisp of blue smoke and dissipated into the air.

At the same time, the others also began to fight with the Demons.

With every strike, they inflicted a small amount of damage on the Demons.

However, they were ultimately just ordinary Martial Artists, and their Qi and blood strength could only barely manage self-preservation; they were far from being able to kill the Demons.

Fortunately, with Chen Hai, a Divine Strength Martial Artist, holding the line, the fate of these few first-rank Demons was already sealed.

After a battle, Chen Hai slaughtered all the Demons. Fortunately, apart from the accidental deaths of the first few people, there were no further casualties under his guidance.

Yet even so, it was a huge blow to the morale of the team.

"Boss, are we still escorting this cargo?" a young man in the team asked.

"We must not only deliver this cargo, but we must also deliver it to the owner personally. If we just give up now, then Uncle Ergen, Little Yunzi, and Daqiang will have died in vain."

"I know that everyone is feeling sad and tired right now. But encountering a Demon is something no one could have predicted. If we just give up like this, I'm sure none of you would be willing to accept it." Looking at the dejected crowd, Chen Hai said passionately.

Seeing that the crowd was moved, Chen Hai continued to encourage them.

"I am also responsible for what happened this time. I will not take a single cent of the income from this escort mission. Half of the surplus will go to the families of Uncle Ergen, Little Yunzi, and Daqiang, and the other half will be distributed among everyone."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was stunned by Chen Hai's words.

Chen Hai was not only their boss, but also the only Divine Strength Martial Artist present, and the person in charge of this cargo. Chen Hai himself accounted for half of the income from this shipment.

However, this was what he deserved, and no one disagreed.

Yet, Chen Hai gave up such a large sum of money just like that. Asking themselves, they knew they could never do such a thing if they were in his shoes.

"Brother Chen, say no more. If it weren't for you stepping in to kill the Demon and saving everyone's lives, the consequences would have been unimaginable. I, Xiao Jin, am not someone who doesn't know how to be grateful. Since Brother Chen wants to continue, I am willing to accompany you, and I don't want my share of the reward either."

"Boss, I am also willing to accompany you, and I don't want my share of the reward either."

"Boss, I am willing too."

...

Hearing everyone's responses, Chen Hai was touched and felt even more determined in his decision.

"Thank you all for your support and trust. But you must accept the reward. You all risked your lives to accompany me on this trip; if I don't give you the reward, how can I, Chen Hai, face anyone? I, Chen Hai, guarantee that I will bring everyone safely through this delivery."

Afterwards, Chen Hai arranged for a few people to gather a pile of firewood and cremate the bodies of the three.

If bodies corrupted by a Demon are not handled in time, they are very likely to mutate.

Chen Hai did not want his companions to have no peace even after death.

However.

Not long after Chen Hai and his group left, a team of dozens of people arrived here in a grand procession.

The leader was none other than the Ancestor of the Pei family, Pei Qingyun.

Under the arrangement of Chen Yuanba, the three major Families had each selected an area for clearing, with a duration of seven days.

After seven days, once the wandering Demons had been cleared, they would gather and head to the central area where the Demons were born.

In the last operation, his predecessor had chosen the area fifty miles east of Wuyang County.

Although the wandering Demons were not very dangerous, he still chose this familiar area.

As for the extra personnel, they were naturally members of other forces assigned to the Pei Family's clearing area.

For the sake of safety, the members of other forces naturally shamelessly followed along.

After all, it is better to lean on a big tree for shade.

Just then, the personnel at the very front of the team, responsible for scouting the way, suddenly noticed clear traces of multiple carriage wheels on the road.

He immediately dismounted, scooped up a handful of soil with both hands, sniffed it gently, and began to observe the surrounding situation.

Suddenly, he noticed obvious scorched marks in a nearby forest.

Through the remnants of the ashes, he determined that this was the ashes left after burning human bodies.

Having made this discovery, he immediately mounted his horse and returned to report this situation truthfully.

"You mean to say that a caravan passed through here just now and a fight broke out?" Pei Qingyun said.

"Yes, Old Ancestor," the scout said.

"Take me to see what exactly happened."

As he spoke, Pei Qingyun and his group rode their horses to the scene of the fight.

After just a glance or two, Pei Qingyun basically determined what had happened just now.

The caravan had likely encountered a Demon. Judging by the situation, although the Demon had been destroyed, it had still caused significant casualties. The strength of wandering Demons is usually not too high; since this caravan still suffered casualties, it could be foreseen that this caravan's strength was not very strong.

If they continued moving forward, they would likely be able to catch up with this caravan. However, the fact that there were still people daring to travel the trade route at this time piqued Pei Qingyun's interest.

However, it was only a slight interest. This bit of interest was not worth him going out of his way to find them. If they happened to run into them, it would just be a pastime.

The area fifty miles east of Wuyang County was neither small nor large.

Seven days was not a long time; if they finished clearing earlier, the team could squeeze out some time to rest.

"Let's move." Following Pei Qingyun's order, the grand procession entered the dense forest.