A Compendium of One Hundred Demons: My Path to Immortality in a World of Demons and Monsters

"No need to thank me," Xiao Yunhan waved his hand. "This is what you deserve. However, the villagers' relocation will take time to prepare. Although the county government has already requested reinforcements from the prefectural city, it will take at least half a month for the reinforcements to arrive. Before then, Qingyang County cannot afford to fall. Would you be willing to stay here temporarily to assist in the defense of the city?"

"I have a prior agreement with Miss Shen, and it is my duty to do so." Xu Yuan said without hesitation.

"Good." Xiao Yunhan smiled approvingly. "After the Xiongnu retreat, you can bring this token to the Demon Suppression Division of the Prefecture to find me."

He took out a silver token and handed it to Xu Yuan.

The front of the token is engraved with the words "Suppress Demons," while the back has a smaller character "Xiao."

"This is my Demon Suppression Token. With this token, you can seek help at any Demon Suppression Division outpost in the prefectural city and also access some resources. I'll lend it to you for a while."

"Of course, with great power comes great responsibility. Now that you have accepted the token, it means that you have already stepped one foot into the Demon Suppression Bureau. Once you officially join the bureau, I will try to secure you a position as a 'Demon Suppression Guard'."

Although the Demon Suppression Guard is only a basic unit of the Demon Suppression Division, it still has the threshold of the seventh level of Blood Refinement and internal contribution requirements.

Xiao Yunhan's direct promise of this position clearly shows that he values ​​Xu Yuan highly.

Xu Yuan solemnly accepted it: "I will certainly not fail Lord Xiao's trust."

"It's alright." Xiao Yunhan waved his hand. "If you don't mind, you can call me Uncle Xiao."

"Uncle Xiao," Xu Yuan changed his address.

Xiao Yunhan nodded in satisfaction, then looked at everyone and said, "The tiger demon is dead. This matter is settled. Let's return to the village first and then make further plans."

Everyone nodded in agreement, and then they all went down the mountain together.

It was noon when we returned to Shuangshan Village.

When the villagers saw everyone return safely and then saw the tiger demon's head, they cheered loudly. The nightmare that had been weighing on their hearts for days was finally over.

The old village chief, trembling, accepted the tiger demon's head, tears streaming down his face. He held Xu Yuan's hand, choking back sobs, and said, "Yuan boy, you are our village's greatest benefactor..."

"Village Chief, you flatter me." Xu Yuan helped him up. "The fact that we were able to eliminate the tiger demon last night was not my achievement alone; it was all thanks to everyone's concerted efforts."

He then informed the old village chief about the relocation of the villagers.

Upon hearing this, Xu Laogen was so excited that he couldn't speak. He tried to kneel down again, but Xu Yuan stopped him.

"The relocation of the village will take some time to prepare. The village chief can let the villagers make preparations in advance, pack up what needs to be packed, and say goodbye to what needs to be said," Xu Yuan said. "During this period, I will stay in Qingyang County to help defend the city and wait for the Xiongnu to retreat. If you need anything, you can go directly to the Shen residence to find me."

"Okay, okay!" The old village chief nodded repeatedly. "I'll go arrange it right away!"

That afternoon, Xiao Yunhan set off back to the prefectural city with the tiger demon's head to report back.

Xu Yuan then returned to Qingyang County with Shen Qingyi and Zhao Zhubu to contribute to the defense of the city.

On the way, Shen Qingyi suddenly spoke up: "Young Master Xu, did the person in the shadows really leave nothing behind?"

Xu Yuan's heart skipped a beat, but he remained outwardly calm: "Miss Shen, what makes you say that?"

"Intuition." Shen Qingyi looked directly at him. "When you came back, although you deliberately restrained yourself, your reactions in every move were far superior to those of an ordinary sixth-level Blood Refinement cultivator. Moreover... you had a faint Yin aura on you. Although it was very faint, it could not escape my unique perception."

Xu Yuan remained silent for a moment, knowing that he could not hide it from the beautiful and talented Miss Shen in front of him.

However, he still couldn't tell the whole story, so he could only say half-truthfully, "That person did leave behind some things, including some spirit stones and this 'Yin Sha Refining Soul Record.' But I have already refined them, and the Yin energy is the residue from cultivating this method."

As he spoke, he took out the "Yin Sha Refining Soul Record" and handed it to Shen Qingyi.

Shen Qingyi took the book and flipped through a few pages, her delicate brows furrowing slightly: "It is indeed a heretical method. However... the methods for using Yin spirits recorded within do have some merit. You must be careful when cultivating, lest you allow Yin energy to corrupt your mind."

"Thank you for the reminder, Miss Shen." Xu Yuan breathed a sigh of relief, put away the booklet, and nodded. "I have my own way of dealing with this."

Shen Qingyi gave him a deep look and asked no more questions.

Everyone has secrets. She already knew that Xu Yuan was no ordinary mountain dweller, but as long as Xu Yuan was upright, she, being as clever as she was, would not delve into it.

As evening fell, the group arrived in Qingyang County.

On the city wall, the defending troops are intensifying their defenses.

Upon seeing Xu Yuan return, Chen Hanchuan quickly ordered someone to invite him up to the city wall: "Brother Xu, you're finally back! The Xiongnu vanguard is already fifty li away and will attack the city no later than tomorrow!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan's heart tightened slightly. Without exchanging pleasantries, he immediately asked, "General Chen, are the supplies for defending the city ready?"

"We have enough food for three months, but our army is short of arrows, and we also lack rolling logs and stones." Chen Hanchuan's expression was grave. "The most troublesome thing is that there are less than a thousand or a hundred soldiers in the city who can fight, while the Xiongnu have at least five thousand cavalry just in this vanguard!"

The troop strength was more than five times that of the enemy!

Xu Yuan looked up to the north, where smoke and dust were faintly visible on the boundless horizon.

He touched the storage bag in his arms, which contained all his current belongings.

"General Chen, I have a chance to hold off the enemy for a while."

"Oh?" Chen Hanchuan's eyes lit up immediately. "I'd like to hear more!"

"The Xiongnu cavalry are skilled in field warfare and guerrilla tactics, but not in siege warfare. We can take advantage of this and do the opposite, setting up an ambush outside the city." Xu Yuan pointed to the seemingly flat wasteland outside the city. "The terrain there is flat and it is a necessary route for the Xiongnu cavalry to advance. I can set up the Yin Sha Formation here, and then supplement it with fire attacks. Perhaps we can severely damage their vanguard."

General Chen's eyes lit up: "The Yin Sha Formation?"

Xu Yuan then briefly explained the principles of the Yin Sha Formation.

Although Chen Hanchuan didn't understand formations, he could tell that this formation specifically targeted the soul and was incredibly effective against ordinary soldiers and even Blood Refining Realm martial artists. He immediately decided, "Just tell me what materials you need! I'll have someone prepare them!"

"I need some Yin-attribute materials." Xu Yuan took out paper and pen and wrote down several common items—cinnabar, black dog blood, locust wood, etc. "In addition, I need at least fifty barrels of oil, and enough ignition materials to expand the affected area."

Chen Hanchuan took the list and, with swift and decisive action, immediately ordered: "There are still eighty barrels of kerosene in the county treasury; I'll have someone fetch them right away!"

Hearing the two discussing this, Shen Qingyi spoke up at the opportune moment: "Young Master Xu, I can assist you in setting up the formation. In addition, I will set up early warning talisman arrays on the four city gates. Although they cannot kill the enemy, they can provide advance warning."

Xu Yuan looked at her, hesitating slightly: "Miss Shen, defending the city is dangerous, you..."

"The Shen family has lived in Qingyang for a long time and will never back down at this time." Shen Qingyi interrupted him, her tone firm. "Although I am not good at martial arts, I believe I have some knowledge of formations and talismans, and I may be able to help."

Seeing this, Xu Yuan said no more and solemnly cupped his hands, saying, "Then I'll have to trouble Miss Shen."

That night, with Shen Qingyi's assistance, Xu Yuan began to set up an array outside the North Gate.

The Yin Sha Formation was not large, covering only a thirty-zhang area directly in front of the city gate. However, at the core of the formation, Xu Yuan buried three spirit stones as the energy source for the formation—these were obtained from the Golden-Eyed Old Ghost's storage bag, and the effect was excellent.

At midnight, the formation was completed, and Xu Yuan then arranged for people to distribute eighty barrels of kerosene and a large amount of cotton cloth and other ignition materials within the area covered by the formation.

Xu Yuan then bit his fingertip, activating the array's core with his own blood essence. At the same time, the Ghostly Encyclopedia within his body operated wildly, continuously providing him with pure Yin Soul power.

In an instant, a faint black mist rose from the ground, but it quickly disappeared. From a distance, the area looked no different from an ordinary open space.

"It's done." Xu Yuan's face was slightly pale—setting up the formation had consumed a lot of his soul power. "Tomorrow, when the Xiongnu attack the city, as long as they step into the range of this formation, they will be impacted by the Yin spirits. At that time, the defending troops can take advantage of the chaos to fire arrows and ignite the oil!"

Chen Hanchuan was overjoyed: "Thank you so much, Brother Xu!"

Xu Yuan waved his hand, exchanged a glance with Shen Qingyi, and then looked to the north.

There, the campfires in the Xiongnu camp twinkled like stars falling to the ground.

Tomorrow, the bloody battle will begin.