This is the eagle of the caravan; Jian Yunchuan sent it to investigate the movement in the forest.
Now, its sudden return triggers an uneasy feeling among the caravan members.
"Could it be something from the forest coming over?" nervously said Yu Ye and others.
The eagle called towards Jian Yunchuan, and his expression changed.
Seeing Jian Yunchuan's change, both Yu Ye's group and the village chief of Dafeng Village felt a sudden tension.
Jian Yunchuan: "It's here, Village Chief. Immediately order to seal the village gate."
The village chief of Dafeng Village anxiously said, "Alright, I'll go do that."
With a serious expression, Jian Yunchuan didn't expect whatever was in the forest to catch up so quickly. Even if they wanted to leave Dafeng Village now, it seemed impossible.
He said a few words to the eagle, then set it free.
The eagle immediately spread its wings and flew towards Yucun.
Yu Ye and others were worried: "Lord Yunchuan, is there enough time?"
Jian Yunchuan: "Delay as much as possible until Suer and the others arrive."
He told Yu Ye, "Forget about the goods for now. Help Dafeng Village block the village gate. If you can't hold it, take Suer and the others back to Yucun immediately."
Yu Ye: "What about you?"
Jian Yunchuan: "With my cultivation at the ninth level of Qi Refinement, the magic tool given by Luyan, and with the Leopard King, I should be able to hold on until Suer and the others arrive."
Jian Yunchuan's words made Yu Ye and others feel uneasy.
Although Yu Zhou was young, he understood the danger of the current situation. He immediately said to Jian Yunchuan, "Father, I'm not leaving. I want to kill the monster with you!"
Jian Yunchuan's face darkened: "Behave."
Yu Zhou still wanted to insist but was held by Yu Ye. "Little Zhou, listen, Lord Yunchuan can't be distracted. It's too dangerous for you to stay here."
Yu Zhou's eyes turned red, and he cried.
Jian Yunchuan said, "Why cry? It's not time to cry yet. You said you're a man, but this little thing has brought you down?"
Upon hearing this, Yu Zhou sobbed, wiped away his tears vigorously, and said loudly, "I won't cry. I'm not afraid!"
Jian Yunchuan rubbed his head and said to Yu Ye, "Act accordingly."
Yu Ye nodded, "Alright."
Yu Ye organized the members of the caravan, most of whom were ordinary people. He had to protect the lives of the caravan members.
He Cai said, "I also have cultivation at the fifth level of Qi Refinement. If the monster breaks through Dafeng Village, leave Yu Zhou and the caravan members to you. I'll stay to assist Lord Yunchuan."
Yu Ye frowned, nodded after a while.
On the other side, Jian Yunchuan, along with a team of warriors, joined the defense force of Dafeng Village.
Dafeng Village had over a thousand people, a decent-sized village with tall walls and an observatory tower, showing well-organized defenses.
When Jian Yunchuan reached the village entrance, the village chief of Dafeng Village had already ordered the closure of the village gate.
Behind the gate, several people nervously stood, holding spears and showing fearful expressions.
Jian Yunchuan glanced at the gate, feeling less optimistic. If a fourth-tier monster was indeed approaching, the gate might not withstand its attacks.
But with no better options, he frowned and remained silent.
"If that thing comes in, use formations to trap it. Don't get too close. Leave the rest to me," Jian Yunchuan instructed his warriors.
The warriors accompanying him were from an ordinary warrior camp, having undergone training in body enhancement, battle soul cultivation, and formations. Their strength could rival that of barbarians and witches.
As they had experienced battles before, none of them hesitated. Upon Jian Yunchuan's command, they responded in unison, "Yes!"
Jian Yunchuan ascended the observatory tower, gazing towards the direction of the forest.
At a glance, he saw something unsettling.
Near the entrance of the forest close to Dafeng Village, a black evil aura lingered in the air, giving an ominous feeling.
Jian Yunchuan furrowed his brow; this situation didn't seem like the typical presence of monsters in the forest. It felt more like a malevolent force.
He realized his initial judgment was wrong. He had heard chewing sounds from afar and witnessed the Sand Leopard King's caution, leading him to believe a higher-tier monster lurked in the forest.
Unexpectedly, it seemed this entity was not a monster. As Jian Yunchuan shouted, "Be vigilant, that thing has come!" everyone tensed.
The evil aura hovering above the forest grew closer.
"Roar!" The Sand Leopard King lowered its body and roared towards that direction.
Jian Yunchuan stared at the forest's exit and, after a while, what came out left him wide-eyed.
It was people!
Five of them, dressed quite familiarly.
Surprisingly, they were members of the barbarian tribe.
Jian Yunchuan was stunned; how could this be possible?
Barbarians, how could...
He quickly realized something was off with these five barbarians. Their faces were pale, lips dark, movements stiff, eyes hollow, and devoid of warmth.
Black evil aura leaked from slightly open mouths.
Their hands had elongated, sharp black nails, dripping with blood.
These were clearly no longer living beings.
For some unknown reason, these barbarians appeared here and turned into these eerie puppet-like creatures, manipulated by something.
Jian Yunchuan recalled Yu Su mentioning forbidden techniques that could turn the deceased into puppets for offensive purposes.
Yet, in this plain, apart from them, there shouldn't be other cultivators capable of such techniques.
As Jian Yunchuan pondered, the five corrupted barbarians advanced straight towards Dafeng Village, as if they smelled fresh meat, precisely targeting the people in the village.
When they approached the village entrance, they suddenly halted. Hollow eyes turned pitch black, fixating on the tightly closed village gate.
In the next moment, they yelled and charged towards Dafeng Village.
Jian Yunchuan's gaze turned cold. He shouted to the warriors stationed on the observatory tower or atop the village gate, "Shoot arrows!"
Each person had a bow and arrows, essential for this moment.
However, the corrupted barbarians seemed impervious to pain. Even when hit, they continued to howl, running towards the village.
The one at the forefront reached the village gate, vigorously scratching at it.
Their nails, for some inexplicable reason, were incredibly sharp, quickly creating a hole in the gate.
Jian Yunchuan said, "Aim for their hands and legs!"
He took up a bow and arrows, shooting three arrows in quick succession, breaking the legs of three corrupted barbarians.
Other warriors also aimed for their hands and throats. However, despite being struck, they showed no signs of "death," continuing to struggle towards the village gate.
The one in the front, after reaching the gate, suddenly stopped, its hollow eyes turning towards the tightly closed gate.
In the next moment, they shouted, rushing towards Dafeng Village.
Jian Yunchuan's expression turned cold. He shouted to the warriors, "Stay back!"
Warriors trying to crouch down and inspect the corrupted barbarians hastily retreated.
At this moment, the village chief and others, hearing the cessation of the outside battle, opened the village gate and stepped out.
They had witnessed the battle through the scratched hole.
A daring villager, ignoring warnings, crouched down to examine the bodies of the corrupted barbarians, exclaiming, "They are already dead, completely cold. How can they still move?"
Jian Yunchuan turned around, witnessing this scene, and his expression immediately darkened.
"I told you they couldn't move. Are you seeking death?"
The Dafeng villager shrugged it off, "He's already dead."
"Ah!" Just then, a person close to him suddenly pointed at the back of his hand in terror and shouted, "There's something on your hand!"
Everyone turned to look and saw the blood vessels on the person's hand bulging, with black substance surging within. Soon, it covered the person's entire body.
Seeing this, people screamed in fear, desperately retreating.
"Oh my god, that thing entered his body!"
"What is that thing?"
Even the village chief of Dafeng Village shivered, and even the Dafeng village shaman, who came over, retreated in fear.
"It's an evil entity, an evil entity!" shouted the Dafeng village shaman.
Meanwhile, the villager who had touched the corrupted barbarian suddenly became very distressed, clutching his head and screaming. His fingernails started turning black.
Jian Yunchuan, realizing the situation, grabbed a spear and rushed over, severing the man's hands.
However, it was futile. The man's entire body was now covered in the evil aura.
His eyes turned pitch black, and he went berserk, trying to bite people.
Seeing this, Jian Yunchuan understood the man was already corrupted beyond salvation. He swung the spear again, ending the man's life.
"I..."
After uttering a word, the man collapsed to the ground, completely motionless.