The sun shone brightly outside, heating the parched earth and intensifying the rotten stench of cultivator corpses scattered across the battlefield.

Li An left her tent with a yawn, lifting her head to meet the sunrays face-to-face. Feeling the warmth caressing her skin, she allowed herself a small smile. "I feel like today is going to be a wonderful day."

As she strode towards the commander's tent, soldiers greeted her with respect, and in some cases, outright fanaticism. Word of her promotion to Young Demon had already spread, further enhancing her prestige.

The Healing Demon, seemingly detecting her approach from afar, exited the tent before she arrived, carrying an ornate box under his arm and sporting dark circles under his eyes.

"Did you have a pleasant night, Young Demon?" he grumbled as if the words were bile on his tongue.

"Never better," Li An replied. "I assume that box is mine?"

The Healing Demon scowled and tossed the box at her feet, resembling a moody child deprived of his favorite treat. "Feel free to take it."

Ignoring his crankiness, Li An used her dimensional ring to store the box of treasures. There was no need to verify its contents; the Faceless Demon would not alter their agreement without a proper reason.

However, the sight of her dimensional ring seemed to ignite a spark of envy in the Healing Demon's eyes.

"Where did you acquire that beauty, Young Demon?" His tone dripped with jealousy. "How is it that you and that loathsome redhead both have dimensional rings while I do not?! Give it to me!"

"Loathsome redhead?"

Li An glanced at his outstretched hands and smirked. "It was teacher who gave it to me."

His hands froze mid-air.

Naturally, she was lying through her teeth. However, such subtle manipulations were easy means of sowing seeds of mistrust between the immature Healing Demon and the Faceless Demon. Questions like, 'If I am the supervisor, why did you bestow a dimensional ring upon her and not me?' would surely fester in the Healing Demon's mind.

"What happened, green bastard? Have you turned mute?" Li An snapped her fingers in front of his dazed face. "Where is the company I asked for?"

He sighed and stared at the ground, defeated. "I spent the entire night entering tents and asking weak soldiers to join the company, yet this is what I-"

"I don't have time to hear your monologue, vegetable head. I have a fort to conquer. Where is the company?"

The Healing Demon's complexion darkened. "In the western side of the camp, waiting to start moving."

"Good job." Li An patted his head as if he were a dog and began dashing towards the west. She smiled when she felt a large mass of spiritual energy flying above her. "He is probably worried about what I am going to do."

It didn't take long before she arrived at an empty spot of the encampment, now filled with twenty rows of fifty soldiers who looked more like farmers than cultivators. She smiled. "Excellent."

However, her smile quickly faded when her senses detected two Core Formation cultivators among the company of peasants. She quickened her pace and stopped right in front of them with a sneer of disdain. "Who are you?"

Startled, the two young colonels were about to answer when a voice came from behind her.

"It's Colonel Sun and Colonel Zi," the Healing Demon floated down from the sky. "I know you said you wanted a company full of the weakest soldiers, but by war regulations, a company must have at the very least three commissioned officers."

Li An glared at him deeply, but this time the man was not willing to compromise. She also knew when not to push the limits. "Very well. I can handle them later."

She sighed, "Just as I thought you had finally done something right, you managed to surprise me once again with how wrong I was."

However, the green-haired man appeared more pleased than usual, having finally managed to win an argument since his arrival at the southern front. In his euphoric trance, he failed to hear her words.

The two Colonels exchanged glances and shrugged in unison. "We greet the Young Demon," they said.

From a young age, they had been taught that the status of Young Demon was paramount, second only to the cult leader. Of course, this did not mean that all the other elders had to obey her orders without question.

"You look like good soldiers. I look forward to a pleasant march to the fort." Li An grinned and patted their shoulders shamelessly, as if she had never sneered at them moments before.

The colonels felt a bit helpless, and Colonel Sun, a blonde giant with broad shoulders and thick legs, couldn't help but step forward.

"Young Demon, could you please reconsider the recruitment of stronger soldiers? We cannot accomplish anything with so many first-stage Foundation cultivators."

Li An stared at him with a friendly smile, but Colonel Sun's skin prickled with goosebumps.

"Your request is very sensible, Colonel Sun. I am glad I have such a sensible person to help with my decisions. Truly. Isn't this Young Demon rather dimwitted?" she asked, slapping her forehead with a surprised expression.

Colonel Sun immediately felt his life in danger. "No, no, Young Demon, your decisions are wise! I was merely suggesting another option that might help us on our journey. The Healing Demon told us how imposs... ahem, difficult it would be."

"I see your tongue is as eloquent as your brain, Colonel Sun." Li An rested her small hand on his shoulder and placed her lips right next to his ear, whispering, "Be a good dog like Colonel Zi and stay silent. Your job is not to give recommendations; it is to die if I command it. Understood?"

His face flushed red, and his fist was about to move when Li An kneed him in the groin, making the Healing Demon's face turn ashen.

Colonel Sun howled to the sky, but Li An wasn't done. She continued to pummel his face until it was completely deformed. The soldiers stood a bit straighter, terrified of receiving even a glance from their new company leader.

"Look, green bastard," she chuckled and pointed at the squirming Colonel Sun. "The dumbass finally looks like a dumbass."

The Healing Demon was beginning to understand that Li An was someone who allowed her newfound power to cloud her judgment. She was rash, which was both advantageous and disadvantageous for him. It was advantageous because she was easier to manipulate, but disadvantageous because she could easily provoke an elder who might snap and feed her corpse to hounds. Naturally, he couldn't allow that; his mission was to let the fruit ripen for the picking.

Before he could interject and suggest she release the colonel, her voice rang out across the field.

"Good morning, soldiers!"

Everyone saluted, not daring to meet her eyes.

Li An sneered. "Look at you. Colonel Dumbass over there is saying you are all useless and should be replaced. By acting like cowardly rabbits, you are proving his point."

Her voice was angry yet strangely charismatic. Some soldiers lifted their gazes to look at her, seeing tears in the eyes of the cult's Young Demon.

Not tears of happiness or sadness, but something deeper, something more significant for them... tears of endurance.

"Fire-fallow villagers, orphaned peasants, tired farmers... are you all pitiful, sorry and sad people? Is that solely it? Do you need me or Colonel Dumbass to pat your heads, sympathize and take care of you?"

Now, every gaze was locked on Li An, breaths held still. Her voice didn't enter their ears but their hearts.

"You are no longer a farmer, a peasant, or a villager. You are no longer the victim. Grab your weapon and follow me to battle, and I will bring you victory! I will make you the one who offends! The demon!"

She gave them a war cry, and the soldiers echoed it with their own. In just a few sentences, Li An had captured the hearts of soldiers who had never known respect or recognition in their lives.

The Healing Demon tensed, for he saw in her something dangerous, something he had never seen in anyone else in the world of cultivators. Li An disdained status, granting power to the people. This concept was revolutionary and terrifying for cultivators who thrived on hierarchical dominance.

"I never thought I would spread democracy in my next life," Li An mused. In her previous life, she had adhered to totalitarianism at best, keeping all authority to herself.

Of course, she only did so because democracy was the best way to make the populace work for you for free. None of these soldiers would survive the journey to Fort Blackthorn.

As for Colonel Zi and Colonel Sun, they were obvious adversaries, pawns of the Healing Demon. Although they were Core Formation cultivators, they were still at the low stage, so as a last resort, she would simply stab a knife through their backs.

"Long live the Death Maiden!" "Hail the Death Maiden!"

Li An smiled tenderly at them. "Let us march forward, my soldiers! Teach the warriors of Fort Blackthorn what terror truly is!"

They screamed chaotically and brandished their weapons, ready to move as soon as Li An started running.

"Oh, wait a moment, Young Demon! The boss sent something for you!" The Healing Demon suddenly shouted, his eyes opening wide.

Li An turned her head to see him pull a massive crimson war scythe out of a strange brown bag at his waist. Her lips twitched. "So much for being jealous of my dimensional ring, yet you own a dimensional storage bag."

The Healing Demon clearly didn't notice her contempt, as he was too busy staring at the weapon with greed.

"This is Nexus, an Earth-grade artifact from the boss. He instructed me to give it to you."

Li An approached him and grabbed the giant scythe with one hand.

She frowned. "It's light."

The weapon featured two massive, crescent-shaped blades mounted on either side of the shaft, forged out of a dark, crimson metal that glowed faintly with an inner light.

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The shaft was even longer, around six to seven feet of pure dark wood reinforced with strips of the same metal as the blades. There was even a handle wrapped in black leather, and small spikes protruded from the upper section of the shaft.

This type of light war scythe would suit energy cultivators, but Li An wanted to take full advantage of her strong body. "However, I don't believe an Earth-grade artifact is this simple."

And just as she expected, it wasn't.

"Don't be deceived by its weight. Nexus uses dark qi to make itself light for its wielder and unbelievably heavy for its enemies," the Healing Demon explained with a proud smile. "It will become heavier the more spiritual energy you feed it, so it can even be used by Nascent Soul cultivators, though most Nascent Soul cultivators prefer Earth-grade artifacts with more practical effects."

"This is perfect," Li An declared with conviction. So what if other Nascent Soul cultivators disdained it? The weapon was an impeccable match for her, and she couldn't help but appreciate the Faceless Demon's intentions, regardless of their ulterior motives. The cult leader aimed to test the limits of her body, but it didn't wish for her death.

She strapped Nexus to her back and cast a final glance at the Healing Demon. "Look forward to the news of our victory."

He crossed his arms in front of his chest and stuck out his tongue. "I hope you die and don't come back."

Unperturbed, she turned to her company.

"March forward, my soldiers!"

· · ────── ·𖥸· ────── · ·

The vast expanse of the plains, covered in tall, scarlet stalks swaying gently in the morning breeze, stretched out as far as the eye could see. A subtle, eerie glow emanated from the grass, reflecting the crimson hue of the land's namesake.

Li An's company cut through the sea of red like shadows. The cultivators advanced quickly, their feet barely touching the ground. Each step was a blur, leaving behind only faint imprints in the dewy grass.

The heat intensified with every passing hour, enveloping the plains in a stifling embrace. The air grew thick and heavy, shimmering with the rising temperature. Sweat began to bead on the foreheads of the less experienced cultivators, though their internal energy helped to mitigate the worst of the heat.

The morale of the soldiers gradually fell into a state of casual indifference, but Li An had anticipated this and remained unbothered. Indeed, she welcomed it, hoping that more soldiers would abandon the journey or die in the treacherous Dark Wood Swamp.

"Speak of the devil..."

The tall, scarlet grasses began to grow sparse and gave way to patches of murky ground. The soldiers grew more tense as the prospect of battle loomed closer. Though ignorant of the enemy's numbers, they could see the frowns etched on the faces of the two colonels trailing behind the Young Demon.

The air grew thicker, laden with moisture, and the oppressive heat transformed into an intense, humid miasma that clung to the skin like a suffocating shroud.

Li An glanced at the pools of stagnant water appearing more frequently, dotted with lily pads and choked with thick algae. "Interesting... if there's water here, it means that beyond the swamp there must be a river or another significant body of water."

This was not an entirely welcome revelation, as rivers often posed considerable challenges for common soldiers who lacked the ability to walk on water effortlessly.

"A topic to worry about later." Li An pushed the thought aside for the moment.

Gnarled, twisted trees with dark, moss-covered bark emerged from the earth the more they advanced, their roots snaking through the swamp like grasping fingers. Creeping vines hung low, swaying eerily in the still air.

The heat in the swamp was far more intense than the open plains. The air was heavy with humidity, making every breath feel labored and thick. The cultivators’ robes clung to their bodies, soaked through with sweat and the dampness of the swamp.

It was obvious that the soldiers required rest, but Li An continued to advance without so much as a backward glance. The colonels were frustrated, yet they recalled all too well the consequences of offering unsolicited advice to the Young Demon.

With her head facing forward, Li An smiled. "Looks like the dogs are staying silent. My training was not in vain."

A dense mist began to rise from the swamp, wrapping around the cultivators and obscuring their vision. The mist was warm and clammy, adding to the sense of suffocation and disorientation.

As they dashed forward, the cultivators' feet splashed through shallow waters, sending ripples that disturbed the stillness of the swamp. Gradually, the sounds of the Dark Wood Swamp began to surface: the incessant buzz of insects, the rustling of the leaves and the creaking of the trees.

One hour passed and Colonel Zi could not take it anymore. The further they ventured into the swamp, the stronger the sense of being watched. Eyes, both real and imagined, seemed to follow her every move, hidden among the dense foliage and shadowy waters.

"Young Demon! Please, allow us to rest! The soldiers are tired," Colonel Zi pleaded, her voice strained. The memory of Colonel Sun's punishment flashed in her mind, but she pushed it aside with determination.

Li An slowed her pace and offered a serene smile, placing a gentle hand on Colonel Zi's shoulder. The colonel turned pale and flinched beneath her touch.

"Dear Colonel Zi, I assure you, I do not bite," Li An said calmly.

A sense of foreboding washed over Colonel Zi as she watched the Young Demon's widening smile, a predator savoring its prey's fear.

Li An patted her shoulder lightly. "Let me ask the soldiers if they are tired and want to rest."

Colonel Zi relaxed and let out a breath. The Young Demon didn't seem to be completely insane; the soldiers would clearly tell her they were tired.

Li An halted and turned to face the soldiers, who stopped before her. "Stop for a moment. I wish to clarify something before we proceed."

Colonel Zi stiffened. That did not sound like the prelude to a break.

"So, Colonel Smartass over there called you lazy good-for-nothings who need rest because a superior should always treat inferior peasants like you in the same way they coddle a spoiled baby," Li An sneered at her words as if she found them disgusting. "Tell me, my soldiers, do you need rest?"

"Who the hell needs rest?"

"Start running! I’m getting bored over here!"

"Tch! Stop looking down on us! If the Death Maiden can run, so can I!"

Colonel Zi felt the sting of bloodshot glares and instinctively shrank back, trying to make herself smaller. Her anger simmered at the Young Demon's manipulation, but what could she do against her superior?

Colonel Sun approached with a wry smile. "Just keep going without talking, like I do. She'll eventually relent once most of the company is exhausted."

"Shut up!" Colonel Zi snapped at him. "If you're so wise, why didn't you stop me before? Keep your hypocrisy to yourself."

Colonel Sun flushed with anger but knew better than to start an argument in the midst of the Dark Wood Swamp. The day's humiliation burned within him, and he vowed to remember it.

An unsettling stillness fell over the company.

"They are coming." A glint of malicious intent flashed in Li An's narrowed eyes.

Skreeeeee!

Suddenly, the silence was shattered by the clamor of clicking mandibles and buzzing wings.

The first wave of Carnivorous Beetles burst forth, their jaws clamping down on unsuspecting soldiers, slicing through flesh and bone with terrifying ease. Screams of pain and horror echoed through the swamp as the soldiers fought desperately to fend off the onslaught.

Li An knew their struggle was useless just by looking at the abominations.

These monstrous insects were the size of horses, their exoskeletons glistening with a slick, dark sheen. Their compound eyes reflected the dim light, creating a multitude of eerie, glinting points in the darkness.

The long, serrated mandibles snapped menacingly, and their many-legged bodies moved with terrifying speed and agility.

"Only a Spirit cultivator has a chance against them," Li An analysed.

Her eyebrows twitched when she saw Colonel Sun and Colonel Zi regaining their composure quickly. They shouted orders, trying to rally the troops and restore some semblance of order amidst the chaos. "These two are nuisances."

Fortunately, the loud sounds of battle had attracted more famished predators of the Dark Wood Swamp.

Just when the soldiers were starting to obtain the upper hand, Venomous Wasps swooped down from above, their stingers injecting paralyzing venom into those unfortunate enough to be caught. Soldiers fell, their bodies convulsing as the venom took hold, leaving them defenseless against further attacks.

"Oh, not bad." Li An kept running forward, as if the company was not under the attack.

In their desperation, the two colonels turned to their superior.

"What should we do, Young Demon? We are having too many casualties!" Colonel Sun shouted over the screeches of the insect beasts.

Li An's response was chillingly simple. "Keep moving forward if you don't want to die."

Colonel Sun gritted his teeth and decided to ignore her. He turned towards the remaining soldiers.

"Turtle Formation! Push through the insect horde, soldiers!" His voice was boosted by spiritual energy, so everyone heard it.

The deaths diminished as the company formed a tight circle and cut a path through the swarming beasts.

One of those winged horrors darted towards Li An, its barbed stinger dripping with purple venom. She smiled and raised her new scythe, bringing it down with a lightning-quick swing impossible with her previous heavier weapon.

Colonel Zi managed to watch the Venomous Wasp bursting like a balloon upon contact with the Young Demon's blade. A river of sweat began to trickle down her back.

It wasn't only her who was terrified. The insect beasts had some intelligence and seemed to understand the threat. None dared to attack Li An after witnessing the fate of their kin.

With the combined efforts of Colonel Zi and Colonel Sun, the company finally broke free from the swarm of Carnivorous Beetles and Venomous Wasps. Li An could hear the heavy breaths and see the trembling limbs of the men and women behind her.

"It's a shame, but the nightmare isn't over yet," Li An mused with false pity. Her spiritual energy detection extended far beyond even that of Core Formation cultivators, allowing her to sense 'them' approaching...

... from every direction.

The ground beneath the soldiers seemed to come alive, the swamp water rippled, and the colonels froze in their tracks.

There was one insect beast that cultivators feared more than any other.

Colonel Zi turned her head, her mouth agape in terror.

"AAAAANTS!"

The soldiers tried to regroup into the turtle formation, but it was too late. The monstrous ants emerged from below, from the front, from the treetops. There was no escape except backward, where the beetles and wasps were feasting on the corpses of their fallen comrades.

The giant ants swarmed over fallen soldiers, their powerful mandibles tearing through armor and flesh. They moved with coordinated precision, attacking in waves that overwhelmed even the most tight formation.

Each ant was as large as a wolf, with an exoskeleton of glossy black chitin that glistened ominously under the dim light. Their mandibles were capable of a force equivalent to a ninth stage Foundation cultivator's full blow at worst, but that was not the worst part.

It was their numbers.

Some soldiers managed to hold their ground momentarily, their swords and spears cutting through the ants' exoskeletons. However, for every ant they killed, dozens more surged forward, a tidal wave of chitinous bodies and snapping jaws.

Seeing the hopelessness of their situation, many soldiers began to flee, abandoning their comrades in a desperate bid for survival. The swamp echoed with their frantic cries and the frantic rustling of reeds and vines as they tried to escape the relentless ant swarm.

Colonel Sun watched in despair as he continued to run after Li An, despite feeling she was the worst company leader in the history of the demonic army. This was no battle, but a complete massacre.

Li An observed the carnage with a detached, almost clinical interest. As the screams of the dying grew louder and the soldiers began to break formation, her lips curled into a predatory smile. "I believe more than eight hundred soldiers have fallen or deserted. An excellent number, and more than sufficient for my plans."

"Most of the spies must have died," she mused, though she knew better than to be careless. Not a single soldier could be allowed to survive to witness her battle at Fort Blackthorn. This did not solely apply to the demonic army.

All within the fort must be killed as well.

"Young Demon, we must stop to rest and count our casualties," Colonel Sun hissed, his eyes blazing with bloodlust.

Having finally left the ant swarm behind, Li An knew that if she didn't stop, she risked having to fight the rest of her company. While this was doable, she preferred to avoid it in case one of them managed to flee and report to the high officers.

"I have already attracted enough beasts with my aura of dense, pure energy," she thought, feeling a sense of satisfaction with her new method of controlling wild beasts. She stopped releasing her spiritual energy, knowing the colonels and soldiers would see nothing abnormal. Releasing a small amount of spiritual energy was a common and harmless practice among cultivators.

Li An and her remaining forces finally emerged into a small, dark clearing. The oppressive heat of the swamp gave way to a cooler, though still unsettling, darkness. The eerie silence was only broken by the labored breathing of the survivors—barely one hundred soldiers and the two colonels, Sun and Zi.

They had stern faces as they approached Li An with determined strides. It was easy to see they were furious and frustrated.

Li An stood still, her gaze fixed on the horizon. She didn’t miss the brief, meaningful eye contact between the two colonels. A subtle smirk played on her lips as she deduced their intentions—they were planning to confront her together, perhaps even fight if necessary.

"Now, it is your turn to be useful," Li An thought with a touch of inward delight.

"We need to talk, Young Demon," Colonel Sun said solemnly.

"Very well," she replied softly.

Li An gestured for them to follow her further into the clearing, away from the prying eyes and ears of the remaining soldiers. The colonels were a bit suspicious about her kindness, but they had no choice but to do as she asked.

The three of them stopped in the center of the clearing, the oppressive darkness around them creating an almost intimate atmosphere. The tension was palpable, and the air was thick with unspoken accusations and simmering anger.

Before either colonel could voice their grievances, Li An turned to them with a disarming smile.

"Lead the soldiers to Fort Blackthorn for a suicide charge," she commanded, her voice calm and almost gentle.

Both Colonel Sun and Colonel Zi were taken aback by her command. Their faces flushed with anger and disbelief.

Colonel Sun stepped forward, his hands clenched into fists.

"You’re insane!" he spat, his voice filled with venom. "I’ve had enough of your madness. I resign! I’m done with this slaughter!"

He turned back fuming, not even bothering to say his farewells or ask Colonel Zi to come with him.

Li An's smile broadened. "There is no resignation in my company," she said softly, almost whispering.

Before Colonel Sun could react, his body convulsed violently. His eyes widened in horror but it was too late.

In a matter of milliseconds, his body exploded, blood and viscera splattering across the clearing. The air was filled with the sickening scent of charred flesh and the metallic tang of blood.

The clearing fell eerily silent.

Colonel Zi’s face was a mask of fear, her eyes locked on Li An.

The girl glanced at her.

"Anyone else wish to resign?"