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

The three-headed wolf howled to the sky, its voice shrill and chilling, but the surrounding Xiongnu soldiers cheered excitedly, their morale instantly soaring.

Tuotuo Buhua stood up and walked to the black-robed shaman, bowing respectfully: "Thank you for your help, Shaman Guza."

Guza Shaman slowly opened his eyes, which were filled with an unfathomable turbidity: "A mere Qingyang County town, and I have to personally take action. Tuotuo Buhua, you have disappointed me greatly."

Tuotuo Buhua lowered his head, his eyes filled with resentment, but he dared not argue further: "It was my incompetence. The city's garrison commanders were cunning, especially one young man who was very strange. Although he was only at the Blood Refining Realm, he had comprehended the rudimentary form of sword intent. I was caught off guard and was injured by him..."

"The rudimentary form of sword intent?" A glint of light flashed in the turbid eyes of the shaman Guza. "To comprehend the rudimentary form of sword intent at the Blood Refining Realm is indeed a rare genius. It's just a pity that he will perish tonight."

He paused, then continued, "The three demon wolves I summoned can ignore ordinary arrows and climb the city walls as if walking on flat ground. After the army has finished reorganizing, at midnight tonight, I will personally cast a spell to weaken the city walls' defenses. At that time, you will lead your troops in a strong attack and must break through the city in one fell swoop."

"yes!"

The Xiongnu camp began intensive preparations for war.

Meanwhile, on this city wall, Xu Yuan and the others were also racing against time.

Two ballistae that had been gathering dust for many years were dragged out and the craftsmen carried out emergency repairs.

Xu Yuan, along with a group of veteran soldiers, began setting up various traps inside the city walls.

"Here, dig three feet deep and bury iron spikes."

"Here, sprinkle some lime mixed with chili powder."

"Here, prepare the oil canisters. Smash them down on my command."

As Xu Yuan gave instructions, he recalled the short videos he had watched in his previous life.

He didn't have much military experience, but his knowledge of the information age allowed him to come up with many ingenious strategies that didn't exist in this world.

Shen Qingyi was constantly drawing talismans. Her face was somewhat pale, clearly indicating that drawing talismans continuously had taken a great toll.

"Miss Shen, that's enough," Xu Yuan advised. "Conserve your inner energy; there's a fierce battle tonight!"

Shen Qingyi shook her head: "I still have three 'Exploding Flame Talismans' and two 'Golden Light Talismans' left. I'll rest after I finish drawing them. But you... are you really going to go alone to assassinate the Hun shaman?"

Xu Yuan nodded: "This is the only chance to break the deadlock."

"But……"

"No buts," Xu Yuan interrupted her. "Defending the city is a dead end. Only by breaking this stalemate can we find a glimmer of hope, and the key to breaking the stalemate lies with that Xiongnu shaman!"

Looking at Xu Yuan's resolute profile, Shen Qingyi felt a surge of complex emotions.

As it turns out, her judgment was indeed excellent. The young man she had accidentally discovered, befriended, and invested in was growing at an astonishing pace.

If this battle is successful, Xu Yuan's future will be limitless!

"Come back alive," she whispered.

Xu Yuan laughed heartily: "Of course, I haven't lived enough yet."

………………

As dusk fell, everything was ready.

The two ballistae were finally repaired. Although they could only fire five shots before completely breaking down, it was enough.

All the traps arranged by Xu Yuan were set up. The Qingyang garrison took turns resting, eating simple dry rations, and began to conserve their strength.

Xu Yuan sat cross-legged in a corner of the city tower, circulating his qi and blood to nourish his meridians and dantian, which had been slightly damaged by his recent reckless breakthrough.

Refining Blood to the eighth level is still just the starting point of martial arts, but for Xu Yuan, every breakthrough is a leap in strength.

The flow of Qi and blood is smoother, and strength, speed, and perception are all greatly improved.

More importantly, he felt a vague, inexplicable connection between himself and the long sword in his hand.

"The nascent form of sword intent..." Xu Yuan stroked the blood patterns on the sword.

He still finds the wondrous state he experienced during his breakthrough in battle unbelievable.

That wasn't a move or a skill, but rather a "state of mind," a resonance between man and weapon.

"If I could enter that state again, perhaps..."

Xu Yuan shook his head, no longer thinking about it. The concept of artistic conception is mysterious and profound; deliberately pursuing it will only make it more difficult to achieve.

As time passed, the sky gradually darkened.

There is no moon tonight, and the sky is covered with dark clouds, making it perfect weather for a night raid.

Firelight flickered in the Xiongnu camp.

Guza Shaman sat in front of the tent, with various strange ritual implements in front of him: animal bones, feathers, a bowl filled with dark red liquid, and even a withered hand.

He's preparing to cast a spell!

It's almost midnight.

The shaman Guza stood up and slowly walked towards the front line.

Tuotuo Buhua led five hundred elite Xiongnu soldiers to guard him on both sides, with a three-headed demon wolf following behind him, its green eyes glowing eerily in the darkness.

On the city wall, Xu Yuan took a deep breath and nodded to Chen Hanchuan and Shen Qingyi.

Chen Hanchuan understood and immediately ordered, "Prepare the ballistae!"

The two ballistae were slowly adjusted and aimed at the direction of the Guza shaman.

"put!"

The mechanism clicked, and two crossbow bolts, each as thick as an arm, shot through the air towards the Xiongnu camp.

The crossbow bolts were not aimed at the Guza shaman, but instead shot towards the open spaces on his left and right sides.

"Boom! Boom!"

The crossbow bolts landed, kicking up clouds of dust, causing a small disturbance among the Xiongnu soldiers, but order was quickly restored.

The shaman Guza sneered disdainfully: "A death throes."

He raised the bone staff and began chanting a spell. At the top of the staff, a skull's eye sockets glowed green.

On the city wall, Shen Qingyi also moved.

"Golden Light Talisman - Radiance!"

A burst of intense light suddenly erupted in the sky above the Xiongnu formation, but the Guza shaman seemed to have been prepared. With a wave of his bone staff, black energy surged out and instantly swallowed the golden light.

"A mere trick." The shaman Guza scoffed and continued chanting.

As the incantation was performed, the Qingyang defenders on the city wall suddenly felt a strange weakness, as if all their strength was being drained away.

Even the city wall itself began to make a slight "crackling" sound, and the bricks and stones seemed to be becoming extremely fragile.

"It's a curse!" Shen Qingyi exclaimed. "He's weakening the city walls and the soldiers' stamina!"

Xu Yuan took a deep breath; he knew he couldn't wait any longer.

He looked at Chen Hanchuan, who nodded emphatically.

"Open the city gates!" Chen Hanchuan ordered.

"What?!" The Qingyang garrison around them were stunned.

But military orders are absolute, and the soldiers at the city gate, though puzzled, gritted their teeth and opened the gate.

Xu Yuan darted out of the city gate like a shadow and disappeared into the darkness in the blink of an eye.

His [Mountain Trekking] and [Concealing Breath] abilities were maximized at night, his figure almost blending into the darkness as he silently approached the Xiongnu camp.

On the city wall, Chen Hanchuan gave the order again: "Balloons, aim directly in front of the Xiongnu shaman, and fire!"

Two more crossbow bolts were fired, this time with a very clear target: the Guza Shaman.

Tuotuo Buhua snorted coldly, swung his spiked club, and smashed one crossbow bolt away. The other bolt was blocked by the black aura around Guza Shaman and fell to the ground without landing.

"Is that all the tricks you've got?" Tuotuo Buhua burst into laughter.

Just then, something unexpected happened!

The two crossbow bolts that landed on the ground exploded without warning.

The lime powder, mixed with chili powder, filled the air and instantly drifted with the wind towards the location of the ancient shaman!

"Cough cough..." Caught off guard, the Guza shaman inhaled a lot of powder and immediately began to cough violently, interrupting his incantation.

"Protect the shaman!" Tuotuo Buhua shouted anxiously.

The Xiongnu guards quickly gathered around, but the lime dust obstructed their vision.

In the chaos, a figure darted in like a ghost.

It was Xu Yuan; this was the opportunity he had been waiting for.

A shaman's incantation cannot be interrupted; if it is interrupted, it will backfire and cause a brief period of paralysis.

It's now!