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

The fire on the wasteland burned for three hours, until noon when it gradually died down.

By this time, the corpses of the more than eight hundred Xiongnu soldiers had been charred. A gentle breeze carried the pungent smell of burning flesh, mixed with the earthy odor, making one want to vomit.

In the Xiongnu camp, Toghtog Buhua's face was ashen.

He, who had won battle after battle, never imagined that his 5,000 elite troops would lose nearly 20% of their strength outside a small county town in the Great Qian Dynasty, without even touching the city wall.

"Formation...fire attack..." Tuotuo Buhua gritted his teeth, "These two-legged sheep's methods are too insidious!"

The lieutenant cautiously asked, "General, should we wait until the main army arrives before attacking? According to scouts, the main force of the royal army will arrive no later than the day after tomorrow."

"Wait?" Toghtog Bukha sneered, his eyes filled with malice. "If the Right Wise King finds out that my five thousand elite vanguard troops were routed by a thousand garrison soldiers, how can I maintain my position in the army?"

He stood up, a ruthless glint in his eyes: "Order the mobilization of all forces. Tonight at midnight, launch a night attack to breach the city!"

"A night raid?" the lieutenant exclaimed in surprise. "But I saw warning runes on the city wall..."

"The rune array can only provide early warnings, not kill enemies." Tuotuo Buhua's face was sinister. "Even if these two-legged sheep discover us, so what? As long as we're fast enough to scale the walls before the defenders can react, this city will surely fall!"

"But the situation in the city is still unclear. Black Wind Stronghold's spies were all eliminated some time ago, and there's also that formation..." the lieutenant cautiously advised.

"So this time, I will personally lead the team." Tuotuo Buhua gripped his spiked club tightly. "Select five hundred elite soldiers to follow me under cover of night to the city. Once I breach the city gates, the main army will then advance in full force."

"General, this is too dangerous!"

"Danger?" Tuotuo Buhua sneered. "I, Tuotuo Buhua, have fought for so many years, reaching the sixteenth level of the Qi Condensation Realm. What danger haven't I seen? Execute the order!"

"Yes..." The lieutenant opened his mouth, but ultimately chose not to say anything more.

The Xiongnu camp immediately began preparations.

Meanwhile, on the city wall of Qingyang County, Xu Yuan was also discussing the defense of the city with Chen Hanchuan, Shen Qingyi and others.

"The Yin Sha Formation has been broken, and the fire has been extinguished." Xu Yuan calmly analyzed, "The Xiongnu's next attack will definitely be more cautious, and they may even change their tactics."

Chen Hanchuan nodded in agreement: "What I'm most worried about is a night attack. The Xiongnu are skilled in open field battles, and night battles are also a strength of theirs. If they sneak up on the city walls under the cover of darkness and launch a sudden attack, it will be very difficult for us to defend against them."

Shen Qingyi added, "Although the early warning array can detect threats in advance, the reaction time is limited. If the Xiongnu elites are fast enough, even if the defenders discover them, they may still be able to directly force their way onto the city walls."

Xu Yuan pondered for a moment, his mind flashing back to the classic battles he had read before his transmigration, and his eyes gradually brightened: "In that case, why don't we turn the tables and give them a 'surprise'?"

"surprise?"

"General Chen, is there any tung oil in the city?" Xu Yuan asked.

"Tung oil? There are still a dozen or so barrels in the warehouse, leftovers from repairing houses last year," Chen Hanchuan said. "You want to use tung oil to defend the city? But tung oil burns far less fiercely than kerosene..."

"It's not for burning." Xu Yuan shook his head. "Tung oil is sticky and slippery; if you spill it on the city walls..."

Chen Hanchuan's eyes lit up: "You mean, make the city wall smooth and difficult to climb?"

"Exactly," Xu Yuan said. "Not only the city walls, but also ladders, ropes, and any other places the Xiongnu might use to climb can be coated with tung oil. Then sprinkle barbed wire, broken porcelain shards, and the like on top to increase the difficulty of climbing."

Shen Qingyi's eyes lit up, and she added, "I can also place several more 'Golden Light Talismans' at key locations on the city wall. Once triggered, they can emit a bright light that can temporarily blind people."

"Great idea!" Chen Hanchuan slammed his hand on the table. "I'll have someone prepare it right away!"

The three split up and acted separately.

Chen Hanchuan went to allocate tung oil and defensive equipment; Shen Qingyi went to draw the Golden Light Talisman; Xu Yuan stayed on the city tower to observe the movements of the Xiongnu camp.

As night deepened, the crescent moon hung like a hook.

Xu Yuan stood in the shadows, his senses exceptionally sharp at night thanks to his abilities to [Mountain Forest Traversal] and [Yin Qi Perception].

At that moment, he vaguely sensed subtle movements in the distant Xiongnu camp—the light thud of horses' hooves, the clash of weapons, and… suppressed breathing.

The Xiongnu are gathering!

They were few in number, but full of vigor and vitality, clearly elites.

"As expected, a night raid is planned." Xu Yuan's eyes flashed, and he turned and walked down the city wall.

On the city wall, the soldiers had already applied tung oil to key locations such as the crenellations and parapets as instructed, and had also scattered a lot of caltrops.

The tung oil shimmered under the moonlight, its surface exceptionally smooth. Shen Qingyi had also finished refining the golden light talisman, which was hidden in the cracks between the city wall bricks, making it difficult to spot without close inspection.

It's almost midnight.

In the Xiongnu camp, Tuotuo Buhua led five hundred elite troops out of the camp quietly. They were all dressed in black, with gags in their mouths and bells removed from their horses, and they made their way silently toward Qingyang County.

Xu Yuan leaned against the battlements, fully activating his [Soul Perception] ability.

He could "see" the speed at which the five hundred auras approached, with the leading aura being particularly powerful—it was none other than Tuotuo Buhua!

"They're here..." Xu Yuan whispered.

Chen Hanchuan gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, his expression stern, while Shen Qingyi silently held the array plate in her hand.

Five hundred elite Xiongnu soldiers crept to within three zhang of the city wall and quietly stopped. Tuotuo Buhua carefully observed the city wall and found that the guards seemed to be dozing off, with only a few sentries patrolling.

"Foolish two-legged sheep, how can they be so lax?" Toghtok Buhua thought to himself with a smug look, and made a hand gesture.

Dozens of Xiongnu soldiers quickly took out grappling hooks and threw them at the city wall. The grappling hooks caught on the crenellations and made a slight "click" sound.

Tuotuo Buhua took the lead and was the first to climb.

He possessed the strength of the mid-stage of the Qi Condensation Realm and was exceptionally agile. He climbed up as quickly as an ape, but when he was halfway up, he suddenly felt something sticky on his hands.

"What is this?" Tuotuo Buhua frowned, and upon closer inspection, he realized it was tung oil!

Alarm bells rang in his mind, but it was too late. Suddenly, a soft laugh came from above:

"Climbing the wall in the middle of the night, General, what a refined hobby!"

Xu Yuan appeared at the top of the battlements, his Ghost Cry Bow fully drawn, the arrow pointed directly at Tuotuo Buhua.

"Release the arrows!"

On the city wall, the defenders who had been lying in ambush for a long time suddenly appeared, and arrows rained down like raindrops.

Caught off guard, many of the Xiongnu elite troops fell to the ground, wounded by arrows.

Worse still, the grappling hooks that were supposed to hook onto the stacks couldn't hold on at all because they were coated with tung oil!

Many Xiongnu soldiers, halfway up the ladder, lost their grappling hooks, fell with screams, and a chorus of groans erupted.

Tuotuo Buhua was both shocked and furious, realizing that she had fallen into a trap.

But as expected of a veteran general, he remained calm in the face of danger. He pushed off the city wall with both feet and leaped up, his spiked club aimed straight at Xu Yuan!

This strike was as fast as lightning, with a gust of wind howling through it.

The oppressive feeling of the mid-stage Qi Condensation Realm was overwhelming, but Xu Yuan remained calm and slowly loosened the bowstring in his hand.

"call out---!"

The arrow left the bowstring silently. Tuotuo Buhua tried to block it, but the arrow shot from the Ghost Cry Bow seemed to have a spirit of its own, bypassing the spiked club and heading straight for his throat.

At the critical moment, Tuotuo Buhua suddenly turned to the side, the arrow grazing his neck and leaving a trail of blood. He groaned, but used the momentum to leap onto the city wall, his spiked club sweeping across and forcing Xu Yuan back.

"You little brat, you're asking for it!"

Tuotuo Buhua landed and was about to attack again when his foot suddenly slipped—the edge of the city wall had been covered with tung oil, making it impossible to stand steadily. He staggered backward and almost fell.

Xu Yuan seized the opportunity and fired three arrows in quick succession from his Ghost Cry Bow. Tuotuo Buhua barely managed to block two of the arrows, but was unfortunately hit in the left shoulder by the third arrow.

"General!"

The elite Xiongnu troops below the city wanted to come to the rescue, but arrows rained down from the city walls, and the tung oil made them too slippery to climb.

Just then, horns sounded from the Xiongnu camp.

"Waaaaah!"

The remaining three thousand-plus Xiongnu cavalry, under the command of their deputy general, pressed forward in full force, abandoning any further probing and launching a direct assault.

Ladders were erected, battering rams were brought in, and the offensive surged like a tidal wave!