Chapter 60: Inside and Outside the Woodland
With the Portrait of Heroes in effect, the first three waves of the Demon Surge no longer appeared as a challenge to Jiang Ten and the others, but rather a game of slicing vegetables.
It was as if the Mansu Woodland was no longer a treacherous and terrifying forbidden land, but a playground for beautiful girls.
But joyful times were always short-lived.
"This number... isn’t it a bit too much?" Qian Gongyu's voice trembled slightly. "There weren’t this many yesterday, right?"
After the Fourth Wave Demon Surge began, the Dense Fog did not come too close to the shelter, instead keeping a distance of two hundred meters.
At first, they didn’t understand why the Dense Fog suddenly ‘backed off’, until the demons began to march over the mountains and fields.
Too many.
Red-furred apes with lava on their backs crawled out of the Dense Fog.
Even when hunched over, they were taller than adult humans, with knotted muscles, savage and fearsome appearances, and packed densely together.
At a glance, there were nearly a thousand, and even more visibly within the fog.
Their footsteps were thunderous; if it rained at that moment, the raindrops would turn to steam from the lava on their backs before hitting the ground.
Leading them were five enormous Ape Kings.
If ordinary red apes only had scorching lava on their backs, then the Ape Kings had erupting magma—always flowing with fiery orange-red molten rock.
"The Demon Lord of the Great Qi’s Third-Stage Secret Realm ‘Oil-Melting Cavern’, the Red Ape King." Jie Yuanshao spoke calmly as ever, but her tightly gripped sword hilt betrayed her emotions. "Ancient texts refer to it as the Number One Demon of the Third Stage!"
Thousands of demons, led by the Third-Stage’s top demon lord!
"I felt something was off during the first three waves. Now it’s certain—today’s Demon Surge is harder than yesterday’s," Shang Xinlei said. "Though there were five demon lords yesterday, their power levels varied wildly, and their affinities were so mismatched they even neutralized each other’s attacks. Their demon troops were a chaotic mess with no coordination. But today’s formation—this is the true might of five demon lords acting in unison!"
"Sister Shang, my good sister, why are you praising them?!" Qian Gongyu looked like she was about to cry. "Shouldn’t we hurry back to the city wall? I already killed over two hundred demons. As long as I get this Blood Weapon out, I’ll be satisfied. Let the statues do the rest..."
"But she doesn’t seem satisfied yet." Shang Xinlei pointed forward. "She’s far greedier than any of us."
They saw Jiang Ten pull out another Blood Weapon long blade from who knows where.
Both long blades gleamed with spirit energy—both had killed over a hundred demons and unlocked their first seal.
While the others were still trying to unlock the three-hundred-demon seal, Jiang Ten had already begun unsealing a second Blood Weapon.
Clearly, she wasn’t as easily satisfied as Qian Gongyu—her goal was to kill two thousand demons and turn both blades into Legendary strengthening materials!
In the face of a demand for two thousand kills, the overwhelming Red Ape army wasn’t a challenge to her at all, but rather a grand feast of rare delicacies!
With a chest-beating roar from the Red Ape King, the red apes roared in unison, charging toward Jiang Ten like chariots and tidal waves!
"I’m not content with just taking one ordinary token." Shang Xinlei walked past them. "Do you know why Jiang Ten built the Portrait of Heroes?"
Qian Gongyu was stunned.
As she watched Jie Yuanshao and Shang Xinlei charge into the enemy ranks, she finally grasped the hidden meaning in Shang Xinlei’s words—without the Portrait of Heroes, the three of them would be confined to fighting near the city wall, and couldn’t compete with Jiang Ten for kills.
Jiang Ten clearly aimed to slay two thousand demons to unseal the Blood Weapons, yet choosing to construct the Portrait of Heroes was a disadvantageous move for her.
Without it, she could roam freely among the demon army without competition.
But without the Portrait of Heroes, Qian Gongyu and the others couldn’t possibly kill a thousand demons.
Qian Gongyu's expression immediately twisted into a constipation-like grimace.
She neither ran back nor charged forward, as if her body were pulled by two souls—she wanted to flee but felt she shouldn’t; wanted to charge but didn’t dare.
She remained frozen until the red apes charged up to her, and then, stirred by the illusory power of the Synergy bonus, she finally cried out in helpless frustration, "I’ll kill! I’ll kill, alright?!"
By then, the Synergy effect on them was no longer ordinary.
Though the Pearl Tear Alliance was still in its initial stage, due to constructing new statues—Slayer Warriors—in the previous three turns, the Comrade Alliance Synergy had upgraded to Intermediate.
[Comrade Alliance: When the number of Comrade Alliance members ≥ 4, for each nearby member, increase Vital Energy and Agility by +100. Melee attacks cause 30% splash damage, and members will support each other. (Blade Warrior, Chaos Warrior, Dragon-Breaking Warrior, Slayer Warrior)]
There was no stat change aside from added splash damage.
But even just 400 Vital Energy and 400 Agility was enough to turn them into humanoid tyrannosaurs, rivaling the Third-Stage Number One Demon, the Red Ape King.
Even Third-Stage Messengers specializing in Vital Energy would be crushed by a single punch from them!
Yet in this army-engulfing battle, danger lurked everywhere.
Vital Energy boost didn’t equate to improved defense—it only enhanced strength, recovery, and health.
If the red apes focused their attacks and broke their defensive tokens, they’d still get entangled or even critically wounded.
They were like cheetahs wreaking havoc among a herd of bison—but if they slowed down and got rammed, what followed would be merciless trampling.
Dancing upon blades, brushing shoulders with death!
Not stopping for a moment, blood splashing with each step, walking upon mountains of corpses and oceans of blood, Shang Xinlei felt her long-stagnant throwing ring technique ascend to a new level.
Finally, at the moment when the flying ring returned to her hand, she flicked her fingers lightly.
Her vast Vital Energy turned into the unstoppable force that propelled the ring, spinning around her, drawing a blooming blood flower in the air!
Flying Ring Secret Technique: Blood Wheel!
She had actually succeeded in unleashing a secret technique in live combat!
Many Messengers toil for decades, mastering even Advanced Martial Techniques, yet still fail to comprehend secret techniques.
Some can’t even pull them off in training, let alone real combat.
Shang Xinlei had only recently completed her Second Job Change, and had only managed to use the secret technique once or twice during training. She never imagined that in a moment of inspiration, she would successfully unleash it in battle.
Now all she needed was to methodically master the secret technique, and she could undergo her Third Job Change within five years!
Even in the Shang Family, a Third-Stage Messenger was no longer a voiceless pawn!
Due to her excited state, Shang Xinlei dazed out for a second or two, but demons didn’t slack off.
The red apes she had just cleared out immediately swarmed toward her.
There was a reason why Secret Realm monsters were called demons.
They felt no pain, feared neither life nor death, had no compassion or emotion—only a mad-dog-like murderous frenzy.
They were the perfect embodiment of the word “demon.”
Her defensive barriers shattered one after another.
Although Shang Xinlei wore excellent defensive tokens, that couldn’t make up for her recent lapse.
The greatest trait of the throwing ring was its continuous assault—once interrupted, it required a few seconds to return to peak momentum.
If her defensive token couldn't hold for those few seconds, the red apes would tear her apart!
Or perhaps they wouldn’t tear her apart—after all, her Vital Energy was soaring, far beyond the Third-Stage.
But that was even more horrifying: limbs ripped off, body shattered, excruciating pain, and yet she would not die because of her immense vitality...
At that hair’s-breadth moment, two long blades whirled into the battlefield like cyclones—like a storm, like a tidal wave—slaughtering all the red apes before Shang Xinlei and sweeping through them like a flood!
The blood splattered out sharper than arrows, piercing the red apes with countless holes.
The rippling shockwave even dismembered the apes amid their howls and screams.
The Comrade Alliance’s splash damage ability was unleashed to its fullest in that instant.
Shang Xinlei widened her eyes, staring at Jiang Ten carving through the demon horde.
How should one describe the person before her?
A peerlessly beautiful lunatic?
A butcher unafraid of life or death?
Shang Xinlei quickly absorbed Spirit Jade, watching Jiang Ten mow down the beast horde like a war chariot.
Her dual blade technique looked crude—at least much cruder than her single long blade style.
She simply relied on brute-force vitality to wildly swing both blades.
Almost no red ape could withstand a single strike from her.
Even the lava on their backs was forcibly smashed into by her blade.
Shang Xinlei guessed that Jiang Ten’s Blood Weapons must have vampiric healing properties—hers did too.
If it were outside, Jiang Ten alone could defeat an entire army.
Even the death warriors of the great families would tremble before her overwhelming ferocity.
But here in the Secret Realm, their enemy was a horde of insane demons.
Thankfully, among them was someone crazier than the demons—Jiang Ten.
Shang Xinlei suddenly understood her.
No wonder she looked down on all external conflicts—compared to the Secret Realm demons, worldly struggles were child’s play.
She seemed born for the Secret Realm.
She adapted perfectly to everything here.
Even though Shang Xinlei and the others were stronger than Jiang Ten, in the horrific environment of the Secret Realm, they weren’t much stronger than infants.
Jiang Ten carved a bloody path through the demon horde.
As she walked, she suddenly changed direction.
Shang Xinlei glanced that way and instantly knew—she was going to support Jie Yuanshao and Qian Gongyu.
She suddenly felt both angry and amused.
You just said you had no one to rely on, that you didn’t want to depend on others...
But now you’re clearly the one we’re all depending on!
Born in hardship but filled with lofty ambition.
Alone and unaided, yet taking care of all of us.
Powerless in the world, yet living as you please.
Why does someone like you exist in this world?
And why... did I have to meet you?
When the fourth wave finally ended, almost everyone was drenched in blood.
At a glance, they looked like four serial killers.
Even the slightly obsessive Jie Yuanshao had become fully desensitized.
She ignored her dirty clothes and collapsed onto the soft chair in the castle hall, her eyes hollow as if drained dry.
Qian Gongyu directly flopped over and shouted, “I don’t want to move! I don’t want to scavenge resources!”
“Alright.”
Everyone froze.
They looked at Jiang Ten, then at Qian Gongyu, wondering if something had happened between them.
Why was Jiang Ten spoiling Qian Gongyu?
Qian Gongyu was a bit flustered too, embarrassedly saying, “I was just whining, I didn’t really mean I wouldn’t go...”
“If we trigger the Fifth Wave Demon Surge early, the current rest time will carry over to the next round,” Jiang Ten explained. “Shall we trigger it early?”
They all looked at each other and nodded: “Yes!”
After all, the next round only had one Fourth-Stage Demon.
They could rest in the castle and let the statues handle it.
No one knew what Jiang Ten operated, but soon, a thunderous roar shook the outside.
Flames turned the sky over the Mansu Woodland orange-red.
They saw Jiang Ten turning to head out and asked curiously, “Where are you going?”
“Didn’t I tell you?” Jiang Ten said. “Dealing damage to the Fourth-Stage Demon also counts toward Blood Weapon kills.”
“Rest well.”
As the roars of demons outside grew nearer, Shang Xinlei said, “Two statues have leveled up now—it shouldn’t take long to handle this Fourth-Stage Demon.”
“Mhm.”
“Yeah.”
The firewood in the fireplace crackled, and the sound of demons rang out again—it seemed they were already near the city wall and engaging with the statues.
Jie Yuanshao sighed and stood up with her weary body. "In such a safe environment, I feel like I’d be wasting this opportunity if I don’t fight the Fourth-Stage Demon a bit."
"Don’t do that. Isn’t it nice to just chat and drink tea here?" Qian Gongyu rummaged through the nearby cabinet. "There are even pastries!"
"Then let’s go," Shang Xinlei reached out her hand to Qian Gongyu, "You’ve rested enough, haven’t you?"
"It hasn’t even been that long..." Qian Gongyu muttered a complaint and unwillingly took Shang Xinlei’s hand to stand up.
"Xiaoyu, we’re part of the Vermillion Band and Purple-Ribbon Nobles—aren’t you being a bit disrespectful to us right now?"
"Sorry, the education I received doesn’t allow me to respect a stinky Fourth Miss of the Shang Family."
"You... you really are a noble through and through!"
...
...
"Strange. Why is today’s Fifth Wave of demons arriving so fast?"
At the entrance of the Mansu Woodland, Jie Zilong heard the noise inside and couldn’t help but speculate, "The Fourth Wave just ended, and the Fifth has already begun... could they control the start time of the Demon Surge?"
"Uncle Zilong."
Qun Yushu came over and asked, "Are they coming back? The luncheon is about to start."
"They said they wanted to push through to the Tenth Trial, so it’ll be a while yet." Jie Zilong sighed. "But I’m not too optimistic. Even the Fifth Trial has a Fourth-Stage Demon—who knows how hard it gets after that."
"I’m quite confident, actually," Qun Yushu said. "That goal of reaching the Tenth Trial must’ve been set by Jiang Ten. She’s not someone unrealistic."
"So you’re still very interested in her."
"She’s so beautiful and so powerful—who wouldn’t be interested? But I respect her like a father—keep a respectful distance, that kind."
"The Qun Family’s not planning to recruit her?"
"Of course the family wants to, but I don’t think there’s much hope." Qun Yushu said, "From the first time I saw her, I knew—she’s not someone who’ll submit to others. Even if she joins any family, she won’t accept any restraints. She’ll only use their power to achieve her own goals."
"Pride, huh? That’s normal. If I had her talent, skill, and looks, I’d probably yell at my old man too." Jie Zilong chuckled. The two of them shared a common ground when it came to rebelling against elders.
"Pride? No, no, I don’t think she’s too proud." Qun Yushu shook his head. "She... she just thinks we’re all too boring. Like watching ants carry sugar—maybe it’s fun to observe from above, but if the ants invite you to join them, you’d feel annoyed, wouldn’t you?"
"Usually, that’s called arrogance." Jie Zilong sighed. "I used to be like that too—thought people my age were boring. It wasn’t until I hit some real walls that I matured... If you live in the mortal world, you have to accept its rules."
"Then, do you think Jiang Ten will become worldly?" Qun Yushu suddenly asked.
Before Jie Zilong could reply, noise erupted from a nearby tent.
"Someone’s dead!"
"A young master from the Luo Family is dead! Quick, get someone here!"
"It must’ve been done by a Demon-Path Messenger!"
"Lock down the camp, search the area thoroughly!"
Jie Zilong snapped his head toward Qun Yushu, only to find Qun Yushu was also watching the panicked crowd.
"Don’t misunderstand—I didn’t know what would happen." Qun Yushu smiled. "I only knew something would happen."
"Then whose side are you on?" Jie Zilong asked.
"I’ll side with the worldly," Qun Yushu glanced at Jie Zilong,
"And so will you."