Demons eating people in this world is not a myth, but rather a frequent occurrence happening every few days.
Most common folk had never seen a real demon.
Because for them, seeing a demon meant that their time had come.
The trade caravan's workers all retreated in panic.
Not scattering and fleeing immediately, their mental fortitude was not bad.
Li Feng glared at Manager Chen.
Wouldn't it have been fine to have a safe and steady journey?
It was your damn "prophetic" words that attracted the demon here!
"I could smell the scent of human flesh from afar, so fragrant," drooled the pig demon, its big mouth agape, its voice muffled and slurred as it eyed the people in the caravan.
"This thing can talk!?"
Li Sancheng was completely shocked.
This was his first encounter with a demon, and his hands were trembling.
Han Zheng was also seeing a demon for the first time.
However, he had killed before and seen blood, making him much steadier than Li Sancheng.
"Only those who have opened their spiritual intelligence are true demons; otherwise, they are mere beasts.
Don't panic, demons also carry a head on two shoulders—slash once, and there are two holes; what is there to fear?"
Li Sancheng mustered a smile uglier than a cry, "Big brother, look at this creature's build. I'm not even sure I could pierce through it with my sword."
Manager Chen trembled slightly in the front but nonetheless remained calm.
He was an old hand in the Martial World.
In his youth, he had traveled with Shenghe Hall's trade caravans multiple times and had encountered demons before. This experience was why Chen Baiqing had appointed him manager.
"Great King, our caravan is merely passing through, with no intention of offending your territory. The meat offerings have already been prepared; please enjoy them to your satisfaction."
Manager Chen gestured, signaling his trusted helpers to bring up the three beggars.
In reality, before the helpers could act, the three beggars had already shakily stepped forward.
Fear was in their eyes, but even more so was numbness.
From the moment they stepped forward to be the offering, they knew such a day would eventually come.
If they won the bet, they'd get silver and could perhaps turn their lives around.
If they lost, they'd end up in the belly of a demon—at least they'd die swiftly.
Dying of starvation was a terrible fate.
"Not bad, knows the rules."
The pig demon laughed contently and reached out its claw to lift up a beggar.
Its mouth opened wide, revealing sharp, fanged teeth—it bit half the beggar down in one gulp!
Listening to the sound of human flesh being chewed, everyone in the trade caravan turned pale, some even unable to suppress the urge to vomit.
Han Zheng gripped the Yanling Blade tightly, his eyes fixed on the man-eating pig demon.
Reason told him that it was best not to take action now; he was only responsible for ensuring the caravan's safety to the Spirit Medicine Plantation.
Manager Chen had prepared the meat offerings, and stepping forward to fight now would be a thankless task. Afterwards, he might even be blamed.
But watching the demon eat a human right before him felt as if he himself was the meat on the chopping block, making Han Zheng very uncomfortable.
After devouring two beggars, the third beggar could no longer endure the terror and screamed before turning to flee.
But the large-bodied pig demon was quick in action.
It snatched the beggar with one hand and bit off his head.
After another round of chewing noises,
The pig demon wiped the blood from its mouth and belched, then showed a fierce smile to the onlookers.
"You old man handle things quite decisively and know your place.
However, my mother just gave birth to my little brother a few days ago. After two days of milk, it's time for him to taste some human meat.
I'm full, but my mother and my little brother are still hungry.
There are so many of you, it wouldn't hurt to give a few more for us to eat, right?"
Manager Chen's smile instantly froze on his face.
Before leaving the city, he didn't skimp on the silver because he didn't want to spend the money, but rather because three offerings were usually more than enough.
On the route from Black Stone County to the Spirit Medicine Plantation, there weren't any demon clans—just solitary demons; one or two offerings were enough to satiate them.
Even for a big eater like the pig demon, three offerings should have been plenty.
Who could have expected this demon had also just given birth, and after eating its fill still wanted to take leftovers back?
Seeing the members of the trade caravan about to bolt, Manager Chen couldn't sit still any longer.
Humans definitely can't outrun demons.
But the demon wouldn't be able to catch all twenty or so people.
With his old arms and legs, how could he possibly outrun those younger and stronger?
He'd surely be the first to end up in the demon's belly!
Manager Chen suddenly turned around and shouted, "Han Zheng! What are you waiting for if you're not taking action?"
Han Zheng narrowed his eyes and drawled, "Didn't Manager Chen just say we were useless? Didn't you say that the Store Manager was wasting his money by hiring us?"
"That was a slip of the tongue by this old man! Save me, Young Master Han! Once we return to Black Stone County, I will surely report to the Store Manager, and you will be handsomely rewarded!"
Watching the pig demon taking large strides towards them, Manager Chen completely submitted, his tone even sounding pleading.
"Let's do it,"
Han Zheng said to Li Sancheng and the others.
Li Sancheng hesitated slightly, "Are we really going to take action? Can we actually kill a demon?"
Han Zheng squinted and said, "To take the wage and ward off disaster is our duty. If we take Shenghe Hall's money and flee the battlefield, do we still want to stay in Black Stone County?
Shenghe Hall is the biggest pharmacy in Black Stone County. Manager Chen is not only friends with our guild leader but also has connections with various powers.
If we flee today, we can forget returning to Black Stone County for good."
Li Sancheng and the others thought about it and also felt a chill down their spines.
They still had family in Black Stone County.
If they abandoned the battle line today causing the complete annihilation of the caravan, and Shenghe Hall suffered losses, they could hardly assure the safety of their families from retaliation.
It was fine to vent their anger on Manager Chen, but when it was time to fight, they had to act.
Han Zheng knew that the three of them had never seen bloodshed and their fear outweighed their bravery.
So he was the first to rush out, his Yanling Blade slicing through the air with a whoosh towards the pig demon.
A look of disdain spread across the pig demon's face.
Even though it wore a terrifying wild boar head, the scornful sneer it exhibited was uncannily lifelike.
With one swipe of its claw, Han Zheng immediately felt a powerful force coming at him.
With a clang of metal against metal, he was sent flying through the air.
He exerted strength from his legs mid-air and landed with a thud.
What formidable strength!
Han Zheng's eyes narrowed.
His own strike had been almost at full force, yet he was easily flung away by the pig demon.
He had now opened a hundred and twenty acupoints and five meridians, yet this pig demon's strength was at least on the level of someone who had opened ten meridians!
The only good news was that the foe had not reached the Innate realm; it was just naturally strong as a demon.
Seeing Han Zheng make his move, Li Sancheng, Wang Bao, and Zhao Jinming also quickly joined the fight.
Li Sancheng wielded a Golden Ring Saber, Wang Bao's agile figure was paired with a sword, while Zhao Jinming fought with a spear.
All three attacked together, but they were easily swatted away by the pig demon's paw, tumbling to the ground in utter disarray.
This sequence of attacks didn't even make the pig demon bleed, plunging everyone into despair.
Han Zheng glanced at the pig demon's claws and felt the situation was rather thorny.
His own blade, which he had thought he struck with full force, had only left a white mark on the demon's claw.
There was a layer of black, paint-like substance on the creature's arms and chest. Han Zheng had initially thought it was dirt, but it turned out to be a shell-like armor.
Wild boars liked to coat themselves in a layer of pine resin and roll in the mud. Once dried, it formed tough armor.
It was unclear what kind of substance this pig demon had stuck on itself, but it seemed even tougher than armor.
"Attack its lower limbs and vital joints!"
Han Zheng roared and charged at the pig demon's side, aiming for its knees.
When Li Sancheng and the others had attacked, Han Zheng had not joined in but had been observing the pig demon's movements.
The only places without the hard shell on the demon's body were its joints and the belly.
A shell on its joints would affect its flexibility.
The belly had swollen to more than twice its size after devouring humans, and any present shell was likely already stretched and torn.
The pig demon's foot lashed out at Han Zheng, who, with strength in his hips, twisted and dodged sharply.
Li Sancheng and the rest quickly followed, attacking the lower body of the pig demon.
Those selected by Li Jingzhong for the caravan escort were not weak in strength but lacked combat experience.
Now with Han Zheng commanding and overcoming their fear of demons, they could finally utilize their full capabilities.
"A bunch of ants!"
The pig demon bellowed, waving its claws at the bothersome attackers flanking it.
Standing nearly three meters tall, attacking its lower region was incredibly cumbersome for it.
At this moment, the pig demon's forelimbs hit the ground, and it charged like a tank with its tusks leading the assault.
The Golden Ring Saber in Li Sancheng's hand came down hard, only to be smashed to pieces by the tusks.
He was sent tumbling through the air by the immense force, landing and spitting out two mouthfuls of blood.
Wang Bao attempted to dodge, but the pig demon's charge was too swift; he was only able to slightly shift his position before being struck and sent flying as well.
"We can't hold on! Run!"
Li Sancheng shouted towards Han Zheng from behind.
At this moment, Han Zheng didn't dodge.
The pig demon continued its unrelenting charge towards Han Zheng after colliding with the two men.
Just as the demon's tusks were about to pierce through his chest, Han Zheng abruptly dropped to the ground.
His Yanling Blade slashed upwards, immediately cutting a cross-shaped gash on the pig demon's unprotected bloated belly.
Blood and entrails gushed out in an instant, drenching Han Zheng.
The pig demon let out a pained howl, reaching out towards Han Zheng.
Han Zheng violently rolled away, managing to dodge in disarray.
Zhao Jinming seized the moment, his spear viciously targeting the pig demon's groin.
He was unsure if that area was protected by a shell, and it was more of a desperate attempt.
Unexpectedly, the spear pierced in, and the pig demon roared again in agony, thrashing its lower body.
Zhao Jinming couldn't withstand the force and, unable to hold his spear, was flung away.
The pig demon reached towards its groin to pull out the spear.
Han Zheng, covered in demon blood with his meridians surging, leaped up, his Yanling Blade slashing fiercely at the pig demon's neck!
The demon blocked with its other hand and tightly clutched the blade, emitting a sound of clashing metal.
Han Zheng decisively let go, his arms and bones resonating, his blood surging like the Demon-Subduing Pestle crashing down.
Vajra Fist Intent, to eliminate demons and subdue evil!
The punch smashed directly into the pig demon's eye, Han Zheng's arm plunging into the demon's eye socket.
He then harshly pulled and tugged, with blood and brain matter scattering in all directions.
The pig demon, strong in its vitality, still possessed fighting strength even after being gutted.
But Han Zheng's Vajra Fist had not only shattered the creature's eye but also penetrated deep into its brain.
The demon let out a wretched howl and collapsed.
Han Zheng picked up his Yanling Blade, walked to the dying pig demon, and plunged the blade fiercely into the creature's mouth, piercing through from the back of its head!