"Cunning? Cunning killed so many of our kin? Are you all pigs? A bunch of idiots!" the demon roared, even angrier upon hearing the soldiers' words.
"Your Majesty Demon King, we truly made a mistake this time. We beg for your punishment!" the soldiers immediately knelt and said.
"What's the use of punishing you? You're all useless!" the demon declared, then stood up.
"Guards, prepare supplies. We are to attack the south of the Karta Desert. Our forces have recovered considerably. We must drive out those humans!"
...
The soldiers, upon hearing the demon's command, dispersed, continuing their search for the other demons.
"General, look, aren't these men crazy? They dare to come out and search for those demons. They're practically asking for death!" one soldier pointed to soldiers in the distance.
"Hmm? Their equipment is decent. They're likely soldiers of some noble or lord, probably here for revenge. We'd best avoid trouble. Let's follow them. Once the demons deal with them, we can swoop in and pick up the spoils!" the knight leader said.
"Yes, I understand, leader!" the soldier replied quickly upon hearing his leader's orders.
Following the knight leader's intention, they trailed behind those soldiers, slowly approaching them.
Of course, they didn't get too close. They didn't want to provoke those humans. Although they knew those humans were formidable, they also believed those humans wouldn't dare provoke them, demons, lightly.
"You idiots, look, there seem to be demons over there. We must be careful!" suddenly, a scout in front shouted.
"What, demons? Where!" As soon as the soldier finished speaking, he saw a dark mass surging towards them in the distance.
"Not good, the demons from this forest are attacking us!" a soldier cried out in terror.
Upon hearing this, the soldiers immediately scattered and fled in all directions. The demons pursued them relentlessly.
Zhou Yan's team continued to move forward rapidly. The soldiers now dared not act alone, as encountering demons in the forest usually meant certain death. They now stayed close to the middle of the group, led by a knight, navigating through the forest. They hoped to avoid encountering demons as much as possible.
The knight leader, seeing the situation behind them, anxiously shouted, "Pick up the pace! We cannot be surrounded by demons!"
However, in the forest, speeding up was easier said than done. They could only circle in place, unable to move quickly. They also feared being surrounded by demons. After all, in the forest, demons held an absolute advantage, especially in this dense undergrowth where demons were adept at hiding.
The demons behind them watched the knights circling in place and laughed as they pursued. However, the demons did not give up. They planned to eliminate the knights when their stamina waned, thus ridding themselves of the human threat.
Zhou Yan's group, meanwhile, continued their search for demons. They had searched the forest for a long time but found no trace of them.
"Strange, why are there no demons here? Have we captured them all?" Liu Yong asked, puzzled.
"Heh, Brother Liu Yong, don't overthink it. Let's rest for a while. Otherwise, we won't be able to travel at night!" the knight said, trying to comfort Liu Yong.
"Alright! Then let's rest for now!" Seeing the knight's expression, Liu Yong realized his worries were unfounded and sat down.
"The vegetation here is too dense. We can't find any demons. I wonder if they're hiding or have left!" Chen Li said, looking at the dense foliage.
"I don't know, but I believe they've left. Otherwise, we would have found them by now!" Zhou Yan stated confidently. They had been in the forest for months and were quite familiar with it. They had even encountered demon attacks before. If the demons were still in the forest, they would have surely discovered their whereabouts.
"We think so too. But so many demons, if they were nearby, we'd definitely find them. So, we should still be cautious," Chen Li said.
"By the way, Chen Li, do you know where the demons' lair is?" Zhou Yan recalled the words of the demon leader they encountered earlier.
"Where is the demons' lair? The demon leader told me that the demons in this forest migrated from the north. There's a demon gathering place there," Chen Li replied.
"Hmm, it seems the demons are also afraid of our human offensive. Otherwise, they wouldn't have gathered such a large force in the forest. I suspect the demons have established a demon city within the forest. It's just that this place is still some distance from their city, and they don't want to venture out!" Zhou Yan mused.
"What should we do then? Shall we go and check out their stronghold!" the knight leader suggested.
"Good!" Zhou Yan nodded.
So, the knights, weapons in hand, rushed towards that direction, with the soldiers following closely behind. However, shortly after they left, the demons reappeared. This time, the soldiers were prepared for battle.
"Who are you people? How did you come to this place?" a demon demanded.
"Hmph, you evil demons!" the soldiers retorted.
"Evil? Haha, are we demons evil? You humans are evil. You humans eat our kin, slaughter our brethren, and now you dare to provoke us. You are the evil ones! Today, we will annihilate you all here, so you won't go on to harm other civilians!" The demons, hearing themselves called evil, roared with fury.
"Haha, you demons are truly pathetic. Unable to resist humans yourself, yet you always blame other races. How pathetic. Let me tell you, you demons are not invincible. As long as we unite, we can defeat you!" A knight mocked them upon seeing their reaction.