Family Cultivation: Rise of the Wilderness

Chapter 488 Frontline
"Commander!"

In the lush jungle, a lithe figure pushed aside the thorns and strode closer.

Yin Feng, who was sitting cross-legged on the tree, turned his head slightly, glanced at the other person's slightly pale face, and asked in a low voice, "Xiao Yun, are you alright?"

"I'm okay."

Yang Yun took a breath and immediately reported, "I've checked the southeast direction, and there are no signs of any unusual activity from demonic beasts."

"That's good."

Yin Feng breathed a sigh of relief, then waved his hand: "Come here, I'll give you two Fireball Talismans, make good use of them later."

"Yes!"

Yang Yun stepped forward, took the talisman, and stood guard to the side.

Upon seeing this, Yin Feng revealed a satisfied smile.

He was not familiar with Yang Yun.

In particular, Yang Yun suffered considerable injuries after being kidnapped by Qin Hai.

He couldn't help but worry that his outpost was understaffed and would become a threat in the face of the beast tide.

But Yang Yun was very strong. He did not leave the sentry post because of his injury. Instead, he worked even harder, which made Yang Yun feel that he had found a capable assistant.

In contrast, the other kid in the team is not so easy to deal with!

Just then, Yang Yun's voice rang out softly: "Squad leader, Zhai Yan is back!"

Yin Feng turned his head and saw a boy about the same age as Yang Yun squeezing in. He couldn't help but curse, "Zhai Yan, can you be a little gentler? If you disturb the monster, I'll poke your asshole to pieces."

Zhai Yan was stunned for a moment, then gave Yin Feng a resentful look: "I didn't expect Yin Shao to like this kind of thing too."

Yin Feng's face immediately turned red, and he broke off a tree branch and threw it over: "If you had even half the skill of a talker, we wouldn't be lying in ambush here."

Zhai Yan replied with a grin, "In my opinion, Yin Shao is being too cautious. With the talismans we carry, dealing with the dozen or so demonic beasts below the cliff should be a piece of cake."

"Do you think talismans are printed on paper, and you can make as many as you want?"

Yin Feng was even more annoyed, his tone carrying a hint of reprimand: "Use spells as much as you can later, and only use talismans if you encounter a really troublesome monster. I gave you talismans to ensure the success of the mission, not for you to squander."

"I know, I know!"

Zhai Yan seemed to have grown calluses on his ears and waved his hand impatiently.

Yin Feng's face showed utter helplessness.

Although he was the squad leader, he had always played the role of the junior brother in Green Cloud Cave since childhood, and was used to being ordered around by his senior brothers and sisters. Now, he couldn't muster the authority to lead two young people who were not much older than him.

Moreover, Zhai Yan's identity is somewhat special; he is a member of the Azure Frost Demon Hunting Team.

The Qing Shuang Demon Hunting Group did not have a close relationship with its leader or the Li family. The reason they were willing to join the Demon Suppression Camp was entirely due to the leader's strong efforts to win them over and the many promises he made.

This newly established relationship of mutual benefit is clearly not very stable.

The sect leader was worried that the other demon-hunting groups, who had already become familiar with each other, would ostracize the newly arrived Qing Shuang demon-hunting group, causing the already hesitant newcomers to develop a rebellious mentality. Therefore, he secretly ordered that the members of the Qing Shuang demon-hunting group be taken better care of.

Although the order did not reach him, Hu Qidao, the head constable, specifically instructed him to be patient with Zhai Yan and not to punish him unless necessary, since he had members of the Qing Shuang Demon Hunting Team under his command.

So he really didn't have any good ideas about dealing with the carefree and irresponsible Zhai Yan.

"What's the situation in the southwest? Have any monsters appeared?"

Yin Feng, too lazy to lecture, got back to the main topic.

He was already extremely grateful as long as the other party was willing to accept his commands.

"There are no demonic beasts. I already told you Yin Shao was being overly cautious!"

Zhai Yan analyzed seriously, "The head of the Transport Division is on the front line scouting the enemy's situation. If they encountered any large groups of dangerous demonic beasts, they would have reported to the main camp long ago. The fact that they are ignoring these demonic beasts now is precisely because they think they pose no threat and are waiting for our second-tier Yanji Division to come and deal with them, isn't it?"

"You are the only one who is smart!"

Yin Feng pursed his lips, jumped down from the tree, walked to the edge of the shade, and stood gazing into the distance.

The narrow, winding path at the bottom of the cliff was perfect for an ambush. In the distance, a desolate landscape stretched out, and a dozen or so demonic beasts of various races were traveling together, almost upon him.

Just yesterday, the Demon Suppression Camp ended its two-week ordeal of living in the open. However, the group had barely returned to Monkey Valley and had no time to rest when they were urgently mobilized.

The reason is simple—the beast tide from the north is about to move south!
After careful consideration, the sect leader decided to take the initiative to confront this beast tide.

To be honest, he was a little uneasy.

After all, he had never witnessed a beast tide in Hao County. During the Battle of Jinlinpo, the disciples of Green Cloud Cave only made it to the very end. And when they marched south to Dingfeng Village, they didn't fire a single shot.

The horror of the beast tide remained only in his imagination.

But since the sect leader wanted to fight, the disciples naturally couldn't back down in the slightest. Among them, the Transport Division, composed of the core members of Green Cloud Cave, even sent Fang Renkui's troops to act as the vanguard, leading the way.

Fang Renkui's force was small in number, good at gathering intelligence on the main force of the beast tide, but inadequate at intercepting the smaller groups of monsters that had already headed south. Therefore, the sect leader dispatched the entire Yanji Division and over thirty sentry teams to follow closely, specifically to hunt down scattered monsters and weaken the scale of the southward beast tide. Behind the Yanji Division, the Mingqiao Division, Jiangyun Division, and Panque Division, the three main forces, advanced slowly, ready to provide support at any time.

As for the other two officers of the Transport Division, one remained in Monkey Valley, while the other lingered between Qingyang Temple and Monkey Valley, ensuring the safety of the supply line between the two places.

Zhai Yan was right; the number of demonic beasts below the cliff was not large, clearly indicating that Senior Brother Fang had deliberately overlooked them, leaving them to be handled by the various outposts of the Yanji Division. If the outposts lacked the capability, Senior Brother Fang would notify Commander Luo, who would then coordinate the forces of all divisions and teams to launch a coordinated encirclement and annihilation. If all else failed, they could even notify headquarters for a full-scale mobilization.

In short, after more than half a month of adjustment, especially during the two marches to Monkey Valley and Dingfeng Village, the new system of the Demon Suppression Camp was gradually implemented and its operation became more and more orderly.

Yin Feng had not received any instructions from his superiors, but he roughly knew that the small group of monsters in front of him did not pose a threat.

Nevertheless, he still wanted to deal with the demonic beasts with the utmost caution. Sending Yang Yun and Zhai Yan to scout the southeast and southwest directions respectively was precisely to ensure that his escape route was foolproof.

"almost!"

Yin Feng estimated the marching speed of the demon beast troop and whispered a reminder to the two people beside him.

Upon hearing this, Yang Yun rolled a large, round boulder with sharp edges from behind him without saying a word. Zhai Yan followed suit, and soon, four similarly sized behemoths were piled up on the edge of the cliff.

"Throw it down!"

At Yin Feng's command, Zhai Yan was very enthusiastic and pushed three huge rocks by himself.

The round, massive boulder tumbled down the cliff edge with unstoppable force!
Hearing the commotion, the monsters all looked up. Almost instantly, panic spread like a plague, causing them to roar uncontrollably and scatter in all directions, creating utter chaos.

"Want to run?"

Zhai Yan burst into laughter, leaped off the cliff, clasped his hands together, and muttered incantations.

In an instant, the boulder exploded with a "bang," and countless flying stones, carrying the magical power of the explosive talisman, crashed into the fleeing beast horde, turning the roars into miserable howls in an instant.

"Zhai Yan! Don't be impulsive!"

Seeing Zhai Yan charging ahead alone, Yin Feng couldn't help but shout a warning. At this moment, he had no time to observe the situation and immediately leaped down, thinking of a quick victory.

"Yin Shao, they're all just small fry!"

Seeing the monster army collapsing one after another, Zhai Yan couldn't listen to Yin Feng's instructions at all.

He landed excitedly, pulled a bone chain from his waist, and swung it hard at a boar demon that was vomiting blood. The boar demon's head instantly shattered into pieces, and its brains mixed with scarlet blood splattered all over the ground.

"One hundred merit points obtained."

Zhai Yan's excitement intensified. If he could single-handedly eliminate all the demonic beasts here, he would gain at least a thousand merit points! According to Hall Master Li, a thousand merit points were equivalent to 100 spirit stones.

100 spirit stones!

He followed the Qing Shuang Demon Hunting Group into the mountains to hunt demons, and even without eating or drinking, he managed to save up for more than a month.

With that thought in mind, he moved his hands even faster.

In the blink of an eye, three or four demonic beasts had died under his bone chains.

However, he was still dissatisfied because these demonic beasts included half-demons. Half-demons were only worth 10 merit points, ten times less than true demons.

"Brother Zhai, be careful!" Just then, an urgent shout came.

Yang Yun?

Zhai Yan recalled the pretentious kid, but the next moment, a chill ran through him, and he instinctively took a step back, narrowly avoiding a sharp claw that suddenly shot out from the ground.

"What the hell is this!"

Cold sweat beaded on Zhai Yan's forehead, and he quickly retreated to create distance.

Only then did he see clearly that a monkey demon, its body entirely gray except for its back which was stained crimson, emerged from the ground. Its long arms and sharp nails were particularly striking.

That beast dodged the attack of the fireball!

Zhai Yan gasped and couldn't help but reach for his waist, where Yin Feng still had the Explosive Talisman he had given him. Cultivators often win battles by using spells to demonstrate their strength, but when fighting demonic beasts, talismans are naturally much safer.

"Brother Zhai!"

Yang Yun's voice came again.

Zhai Yan dared not ignore it, releasing his divine sense to its maximum range, constantly alerting himself to every move around him.

However, before he could prepare, the red-backed monkey demon charged forward, its long arms constantly scratching the ground, stirring up clouds of dust.

A look of fear flashed across Zhai Yan's face as he retreated hastily, simultaneously swinging the bone chain in his hand towards the red-backed monkey demon. Unexpectedly, the demon was completely unafraid and simply reached out his arm, grabbing the bone chain in one swift motion.

"I see you are courting death!"

Upon seeing this, Zhai Yan's face immediately changed from surprise to joy.

The bone chain in his hand had been refined over a long period of time and was his natal magic weapon, which he could wield with ease.

The red-backed monkey demon's cultivation level was similar to his; for him to try and take it away was nothing short of a fool's dream!

Without hesitation, he poured all his magical power into the bone chain. In less than a breath, the other end of the bone chain emitted a mournful cry, as if countless wronged souls were wailing.

The red-backed monkey demon's arm, under the corrosive influence of the cold magic, was visibly bleeding profusely.

Despite this, the red-backed monkey demon did not let go. Instead, it roared and charged at Zhai Yan at an even faster speed.

"Are you crazy?"

Zhai Yan was now genuinely panicked.

He glanced around. Yin Shao had already reached the bottom of the cliff, but the demonic beasts that had been briefly and severely injured by the fire talisman had recovered and got up in disarray, blocking the two of them.

Yang Yun was quite close, but the other party was just a minor character at the fourth level of Qi Refining, and was of no use at all.

In desperation, Zhai Yan bit his lip and spat a mouthful of blood onto the bone chain. Instantly, the bone chain glowed red, and the cries of the wronged souls surrounding the red-backed monkey demon became even more shrill and piercing.

"Die!"

Zhai Yan shouted, and the magical power at the end of the bone chain surged. Under the sudden impact, the red-backed monkey demon's arm was blown in two.

"Whoa!"

The red-backed monkey demon let out a miserable cry and fell heavily to the ground.

Zhai Yan took the opportunity to retract the bone chain, but his face was unusually pale.

This move was his trump card, requiring his heart's blood as a catalyst and consuming an enormous amount of magical power. He usually couldn't bear to use it, but now he was forced into it.

"I wonder how many medicinal herbs you'll need to take to recover. You monkey, just go die already!"

Zhai Yan grumbled in dissatisfaction, then rushed towards the red-backed monkey demon, intending to finish it off.

But just then, the corpse of a bull-bodied monster next to them suddenly moved.

Zhai Yan stopped abruptly, but it was too late.

A dark shadow emerged from the belly of the cow carcass, struck Zhai Yan with lightning speed, bounced back to the ground, and disappeared.

"puff!"

Zhai Yan was struck by this tremendous force, vomited a mouthful of blood, and flew backward.

Even worse, the red-backed monkey demon had recovered from the pain. It was so angry that it didn't even bother to pick up its severed arm. It plunged into the ground and reappeared beside Zhai Yan.

Looking at the red-backed monkey demon's pointed face and especially its sharp claws, which were less than half a finger's width away from his eyes, Zhai Yan finally showed fear and cried out in a hoarse voice with his eyes closed, "Yin Shao, save me!"

As soon as he finished speaking, two wooden strips shot out and wrapped around the chest and abdomen of the red-backed monkey demon.

Then, more wooden strips were tied around its arms, thighs, and neck.

The monkey demon struggled desperately, but couldn't move an inch.

"Yang Yun?"

Zhai Yan opened his eyes and saw Yang Yun panting behind the red-backed monkey demon, as well as a magical artifact resembling a mechanical puppet hanging on the other's waist.

Yang Yun had no time to pay attention to Zhai Yan, and was manipulating the "Thousand Machines Binding Dragon Box" to continuously squeeze the red-backed monkey demon's body with wooden strips.

In just a moment, the red-backed monkey demon had already spilled countless beads of blood.

"Roar!"

The intense pain caused the red-backed monkey demon to roar in agony. Finally, through its relentless efforts, it turned its head, its scarlet eyes filled with hatred and bloodlust.

Yang Yun's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly stuffed the two spirit stones he had prepared into one of the entrance devices of the "Thousand Machines Binding Dragon Box." Before the red-backed monkey demon could completely break free of its restraints, the "Thousand Machines Binding Dragon Box" suddenly exerted its power. The already thin monkey demon seemed to be squeezed by an invisible giant hand, instantly compressed into a ball. Countless wisps of blood mist gushed out, blooming like scarlet fireworks, a truly spectacular sight.

Zhai Yan stared blankly at the scene, completely lost in thought.

"Are you guys okay?"

Yin Feng killed the last monster blocking his way and rushed over despite his face being covered in blood. When his gaze swept over the mechanical puppet on Yang Yun's body, he couldn't help but stop.

"fine."

Yang Yun spoke on behalf of Zhai Yan and slowly retracted the wooden strip that was sticking out.

This "Thousand Machines Binding Dragon Box" was originally Qin Hai's magic weapon. After Qin Hai was captured, it fell into the hands of the high-ranking members of the Demon Suppression Camp.

He had no hope, but when Master Li found out, he specially bestowed the "Thousand Machine Dragon Binding Box" upon him. It was because of this thing that he dared to stay in the Demon Suppression Camp to fight against the demons.

"It's okay."

Yin Feng walked over and patted Yang Yun on the shoulder.

The red-backed monkey demon only had the cultivation level of the mid-stage of the Spirit Awakening Realm. Logically speaking, Zhai Yan, who was at the sixth level of Qi Refining, should have been able to fight it. It wouldn't be surprising if he won with the help of talismans.

However, Zhai Yan was not meticulous enough and his methods were somewhat simplistic, making him appear rather disheveled. On the other hand, Yang Yun, at the fourth level of Qi Refining, killed the Red-Backed Monkey Demon with a single strike, giving him quite a pleasant surprise.

"The monster that attacked Zhai has escaped; it seems to be a snake demon."

Knowing that he was relying on the advantages of the magical artifact, Yang Yun did not claim credit, but instead quickly reported the battlefield information.

Yin Feng's admiration deepened, and he waved his hand, saying, "It's just one or two monsters that escaped; they're no threat. Let's pack up and retreat quickly."

"Yes!"

Yang Yun responded, drew his dagger, and began scavenging materials from the nearby monster corpses.

These are all spirit stones!

Suddenly, an explosion was heard in the distance!
Yang Yun looked up in astonishment: "It's a Fireball Talisman!"

"No, it's a Fireball Talisman!"

Yin Feng's expression immediately turned tense, and he stared intently at the northeast direction.

It's important to know that the Flame Burst Talisman, as a superior version of the Fire Burst Talisman, is specifically designed for Foundation Establishment cultivators or Bone Fusion demon cultivators!

(End of this chapter)