Chapter 78 Shadow Demon Horde

With heightened vigilance, the squad Yun Bai was in passed through the dense forest.

The path ahead suddenly opened up into a relatively sparse bamboo forest.

Bamboo shadows danced, and beside it flowed the Niwa River, which ran through the village.

The river water was clear, gathering in a low-lying area to form a small pool. The sound of water striking the stones created a crisp tinkling noise, which seemed exceptionally jarring in this deathly silent environment.

With no signs of any Demon Monster for the moment, the group's tense nerves relaxed slightly.

" Buzzing..." A faint yet unsettling buzzing sound drifted over.

"Where are these mosquitoes coming from?" Yun Bai casually slapped his shoulder, and his palm was instantly stained with a smear of viscous, dark red blood.

He was shocked—this mosquito had actually pierced through the tough fabric of his combat suit and easily penetrated the skin defense of a First Realm Cultivator!

Just as he was filled with suspicion and alarm, Captain Zeng Fu's expression changed drastically, and he shouted sternly, "It's a swarm of Demonized Mosquitoes! Retreat quickly!"

The buzzing sound suddenly amplified, sweeping over them like a tsunami.

They saw countless black specks erupting frantically from deep within the bamboo forest, above the treetops, on the surface of the pool, from the crevices of rocks, and even from the grass beneath their feet... just like volcanic ash!

In the blink of an eye, the overwhelming swarm of mosquitoes gathered into a terrifying black cloud that blotted out the sky!

The clear pool was instantly covered by densely wriggling black mosquitoes; the water surface could no longer be seen!

Even more terrifying was the deafening "buzzing" sound wave! It was not merely noise, but contained a strange spiritual impact!

Everyone felt their heads grow heavy, their Divine Sense felt as if it were stuck in a quagmire, the circulation of their spiritual power became sluggish, and a wave of soreness and weakness spread through their limbs and bones.

Captain Zeng Fu, who bore the brunt of the attack and had the most vigorous vitality, was instantly completely engulfed by the surging swarm of mosquitoes.

The protective spiritual light on his body flickered violently; each burst of spiritual power could kill hundreds or thousands of mosquitoes, but the swarm numbered in the billions, endless and inexhaustible.

In just a few breaths, Captain Zeng Fu's aura noticeably withered, and his face began to turn pale.

Yun Bai, Du San, and Li Ying were also being bitten frantically by the mosquito swarm, their spiritual power depleting rapidly.

"Let me handle this!" Fu Lianchuan roared, forcibly steadying his mind.

He quickly formed hand seals, and spiritual power surged wildly around him!

"Li Fire · Burning Wind!"

A scorching whirlwind of fire erupted violently from him as the center, instantly scorching a large swathe of the mosquito swarm enveloping the group!

"Kan Water · Freezing Frost!"

Immediately afterward, bone-chilling cold air spread, freezing the mosquitoes flying in the air and causing them to fall!

"Kun Earth · Dust Wall!"

Finally, a thick wall of earth rose from the ground, temporarily blocking the impact of a portion of the mosquito swarm!

Relying on his exquisite control over Five Elements Spells, Fu Lianchuan used fire incineration, freezing, and earth concealment alternately, forcibly tearing a path of survival through the terrifying mosquito swarm.

"Charge out!" Captain Zeng Fu seized the opportunity and led the charge toward the outside of the bamboo forest.

The group followed closely behind, rushing out of the deadly bamboo forest in a disheveled state. Their bodies were covered in the remains of mosquitoes and bloodstains, their faces were pale, and their spiritual power was severely depleted.

Looking back, the bamboo forest seemed to be shrouded in a wriggling black curtain, making one's scalp tingle.

Having rushed out of the bamboo forest, they were now in the core area of Niwa Village.

The scene before their eyes made everyone gasp!

On the open ground at the village entrance, a large number of stark white skeletons were scattered about.

From the fragments of clothing that had not yet completely rotted and the scattered nameplates, it could be identified that most were Loose Cultivators who had wandered into this place in recent years or were executing low-level missions.

Without exception, they had all turned into shriveled skins wrapped around withered bones!

Clearly, they had died after being drained of all their vital blood by that terrifying swarm of Demonized Mosquitoes!

Imagining that if they had been just one step slower, they might have also become one of those dried corpses, a chill shot from the soles of their feet straight to the tops of their heads.

The tinkling sound of the pool beside the bamboo forest now sounded like a dirge for the dead.

Entering the village, the sky was overcast with dark clouds, as if a rainstorm were about to break at any moment.

The dilapidated houses were like gaping maws, with large patches of dark black blood congealed on the walls, emitting a pungent stench of decay.

Torn fabric and scattered skeletons could be seen everywhere; the entire village was shrouded in a haze of death and despair.

"Jie—" A shrill, piercing scream broke the deathly silence.

In the shadows of the ruins, dozens of clusters of dense black mist churned. Faintly, one could see the silhouettes of bodies resembling human females within the black mist, as well as scarlet points of light glowing deep within those silhouettes!

"Shadow Demon!" Li Ying's voice was tight.

The Shadow Demons that rushed out, although possessing female forms, were entirely shrouded in rolling black mist, with the surface of the mist crawling with eerie purple-black demonic patterns.

Their faces were hidden deep within the mist clusters and could not be seen clearly; only when they moved would a tooth-achingly shrill scream leak from the black mist, and crazy red light would flash in their eyes.

What was even more terrifying was that they were in groups, numbering dozens, surging from all directions like flowing ink.

"Form up! Open fire!" Captain Zeng Fu roared.

The squad instantly tightened their defensive perimeter!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" The Spirit Guns spat tongues of fire.

Fu Lianchuan threw out several Talismans, and firelight exploded amidst the Shadow Demon swarm.

"Order of Thunder! Obey the command immediately!" Yun Bai also did not hesitate to activate his Talisman.

"Kun Origin Trap Formation!" Du San quickly threw out several disposable Formation Plates, injecting spiritual power into them. Instantly, several earth walls and quicksand traps rose from the ground, successfully dividing the Shadow Demons.

Firelight, lightning, explosions, and the shrill screams of the Shadow Demons mingled together.

With the help of a Medicinal Pill, the wound on Captain Zeng Fu's left shoulder temporarily stopped bleeding.

He held up a thick, heavy black iron tower shield in his left hand, and his long saber ignited with red flames in his right. He unleashed his First Realm Late Stage cultivation without reservation, like the war god Xing Tian, blocking the very front of the team!

That soaring Killing Intent caused the Shadow Demons that approached to instinctively pause their churning black mist forms!

"Roar!" The three most ferocious Shadow Demons were the first to pounce on Captain Zeng Fu.

Their forms flickered, crossing several zhang in distance, and claw-like Qi blades extended from within the black mist, tearing through the air with dense Devilish Qi.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!..." The squad fired with full firepower, Spirit Gun bullets tearing through the black mist and splashing viscous purple-black fluid.

However, these Shadow Demons had terrifyingly tenacious vitality!

The black mist of the hit Shadow Demons churned violently, yet they could instantly re-condense their forms, continuing their crazed pouncing with the Devilish Qi dissipating from their wounds!

The density of their Devilish Qi was no different from that of the orthodox Demon Race; the power of the Spirit Guns was already showing signs of fatigue in a confrontation at the level of the First Realm Late Stage.

"Kill!" Captain Zeng Fu's tower shield was like an impassable barrier; every impact sent the pouncing Shadow Demons flying away forcefully.

He brandished his long saber, its flames slashing apart their black mist bodies.

"Two, four, six... thirty-four, thirty-five!" Li Ying reported the count urgently, her voice filled with despair, "Captain! There are too many! We can't kill them all!"

"These Demon Monsters have all gone mad!" Fu Lianchuan roared while casting Spells, "They don't fear death at all! If we continue like this, once our spiritual power is exhausted, we're dead!"

The Shadow Demons before them had completely lost their biological instincts, leaving only the madness of being thoroughly eroded by Devilish Qi. Their suicidal attacks were chilling—even when blasted by thunder and fire until most of their black mist dissipated, they would still drag their broken forms and charge over violently.

"I only have six magazines of Spirit Gun ammunition left!" Li Ying said urgently.

The squad had originally thought this was a quick cleanup mission, and the consumable supplies they carried could not support a prolonged battle.

Fu Lianchuan gritted his teeth and pulled out his trump card, the "Spirit Energy Cannon," injecting spiritual power into it frantically!

"Boom! Boom!" The cannonballs condensed from spiritual power exploded amidst the Shadow Demon swarm, the black mist dissipating like smoke, temporarily clearing an area!

"Team Yi-78! Huben Squad A! This is Squad Yi-34! We have encountered a large-scale siege by Shadow Demons! Requesting reinforcements! Location: South side of the central area of Niwa Village!" Captain Zeng Fu fought while sending an emergency distress signal through his compass.