403: The Three Exorcists

Zhu Ganglie... a reward of a thousand taels of gold... This news confirmed his suspicions and made his goal for the direction of Gao Village, where he was about to head, even clearer.

Exorcist, Zhu Ganglie, Gao Village; perhaps he already knew which world this was!

Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons!

A world completely controlled by the Buddha, yet a world filled with demons and monsters, where the people live in misery!

At the foot of Mount Ling, demons and monsters swarm in groups; truly, it does not deceive me!

He glanced at Old Daoist Zhang beside him, who was still chattering endlessly, simultaneously yearning for the thousand taels of gold and fearing the fierce might of the pig demon; he already had a plan in mind.

"Daoist Zhang, in your opinion, how many days' journey is it from here to that Gao Village?" Lu Jiuyuan steered the conversation back to the main point.

"Gao Village? Oh my, Fellow Daoist, do you really want to go there?"

Old Daoist Zhang was startled, but seeing Lu Jiuyuan's calm expression, which did not seem like he was joking, he had no choice but to swallow hard and calculate:

"If we travel quickly, bypassing those two hills ahead and then passing through a Black Wind Forest, it will probably take another three or four days to reach the territory of Gao Village.

However, I must say this clearly: I get paid for guiding, and once we reach the destination, I'm leaving. You'd best just watch from afar and absolutely do not get close!

That Zhu Ganglie is not someone to mess with!"

"Black Wind Forest?" Lu Jiuyuan caught this place name.

"That's right. That forest is extremely strange; it's filled with miasma all year round, and small demons lurk there. They are a bit stronger than water demons, but they can't compare to Zhu Ganglie."

Old Daoist Zhang explained, "Usually, merchant caravans will take a detour to avoid it, but with the two of us as Exorcists, it shouldn't be a big problem if we are careful, and we can save a lot of time."

Lu Jiuyuan nodded: "Then let's pass through it."

The two traveled north. Although Old Daoist Zhang talked about the danger, his pace was not slow, obviously quite familiar with this road, and he wanted to reach the next market where they could rest and replenish supplies as soon as possible.

Several days later, a dense forest shrouded in grey-black miasma appeared before them.

The trees were tall and dense, their branches and leaves entangled, making it difficult for light to penetrate. It appeared gloomy and humid, and the air was filled with a mixture of humus and a certain fishy-sweet scent; this was the miasma.

"Fellow Daoist, follow closely. Inhaling too much of this miasma is harmful. I have some Anti-Miasma Medicinal Pills here; would you like one?" Old Daoist Zhang took out a small porcelain bottle.

Lu Jiuyuan waved his hand: "No need, this Daoist has his own methods."

The Qi around his body circulated slightly, and the thin miasma could not get close to him. Seeing this, Old Daoist Zhang did not insist further; he swallowed a Medicinal Pill himself and led the way into the forest.

The forest was terrifyingly quiet, with only the rustling sound of feet stepping on fallen leaves and the occasional skittering of unknown insects.

After traveling for about half an hour, a rustling sound came from ahead, mixed with low hisses and roars.

"Don't worry, don't be afraid, go this way. I walk this road often; I've walked this road dozens of times, I'm very familiar with it. Those few small demons aren't strong, aren't brave, and the bounty isn't high..."

Suddenly, the bushes ahead shook violently, and three black shadows rushed out with a fishy wind!

They were not the small demons he had expected, but three sturdy wolf demons with grey-black fur and green glowing eyes!

They bared their bone-white fangs, saliva dripping from the corners of their mouths, emitting threatening low growls from their throats as they surrounded them in a fan shape, their movements agile and full of wild pressure.

"Oh my mother!"

Old Daoist Zhang stumbled in fear and hid behind Lu Jiuyuan, his body trembling slightly:

"It's three wolves... how could it be three wolves? This forest clearly houses a family of warthogs! How did they turn into three wolves?"

"Fellow Daoist, be careful! These guys are very cunning!" Old Daoist Zhang's voice sounded a bit weak.

The strength of these three wolf demons was roughly equivalent to elite Martial Artists of the World Society in the Wind and Cloud world; to him, they were no different from ants.

Just as one of the most robust wolf demons kicked its hind legs against the ground and was about to pounce first, Lu Jiuyuan did not even make any obvious movement; he merely swept his gaze over them indifferently.

An invisible, intangible pressure, as if originating from the very Origin of the life level, spread out like spilled mercury!

The three wolf demons, poised and ready to attack, were struck as if by an invisible giant hammer!

Their forward charging movements instantly stiffened, the fierce green light in their eyes replaced by extreme fear, and the low growls in their throats turned into whimpers.

The hair all over their bodies, like steel needles, stood on end, and their limbs trembled violently, as if they had seen some incomprehensible, irresistible natural predator!

"Woo—" "Awoo..."

The leading wolf demon let out a mournful cry, its hind legs actually went weak, and it prostrated on the ground, burying its head deep between its front paws, its tail tucked tightly.

The other two wolf demons were so scared that they defecated and urinated, collapsing on the ground, their whimpers becoming intermittent, leaving only pure fear.

They didn't even dare to look up at Lu Jiuyuan again.

Old Daoist Zhang, who was peeking from behind Lu Jiuyuan, was once again dumbfounded.

He looked at the three ferocious wolf demons on the ground shaking like a sieve, and then at Lu Jiuyuan, who was just standing there quietly without even moving a corner of his clothes; his brain completely shut down.

This... what is going on? A glance? No, this Fellow Daoist doesn't even seem to have changed his gaze! How did these wolf demons... just kneel? And they even pissed themselves from fear?

Old Daoist Zhang felt that the worldview he had built up over decades of being an Exorcist was collapsing.

Lu Jiuyuan ignored the terrified wolf demons and offered no explanation, just saying indifferently to Old Daoist Zhang: "Let's go."

"Ah? Oh! Let's go! Let's go!" Old Daoist Zhang jolted and hurriedly followed. Passing by the three wolf demons, he saw that their life force had dissipated; they had been scared to death.

"Fellow Daoist, what great strength! With this strength, you are not even inferior to the three strongest Exorcists!"

"The three strongest Exorcists? Which three?"

"The strongest in our area are Void Young Master, Heavenly Crippled Leg, and Beast Walker, and there is an up-and-coming Miss Duan who is very arrogant."