Ninety-seven, Vanguard Regiment

  Being called ugly by these monsters one after another, Ruan Xiao Yao's temper was good and she endured it silently, but she couldn't help feeling a bit annoyed. She wasn't as beautiful as these monsters who had been refined by the essence of heaven and earth, but her physical body was born from her mother's womb, could it be compared to theirs which were forged later? Being constantly emphasized on this really made her feel annoyed.

  But the bright and beautiful female demon seemed to have also noticed her displeasure, and suddenly smiled, with a hundred charms unfolding, yet in her eyes there was no warmth: "Heh, can't tell that not only is she ugly but also has a bad temper, actually dares to glare at me, go and dig out her eyes."

  This disaster came suddenly, and Xiao Yao's heart sank, secretly saying: "Not good!" When he raised his eyes again, he saw a red-haired male demon serving beside the female demon, who had already arrived in front of him with two fingers straight at his eyes.

  In her haste, she didn't have time to think twice. With a swift movement, the demon claw appeared and fiercely blocked the fierce two-fingered attack. However, with a "ding" sound, the demon claw trembled slightly, and the male demon's face revealed a look of surprise, momentarily withdrawing his hand. But this was only a brief respite, as the male demon quickly adjusted his strategy and launched another attack! This time, it wasn't just two fingers, but his entire right arm transformed into sharp bird claws, savagely clawing towards Xiao Yao's head, with an intent to kill that went beyond mere malice.

  Seeing the opponent's ferocious attack, Xiao Yao didn't fear being exposed as a human cultivator, so she let loose and gathered her yuan energy around her body, preparing to release a lightning spell in an instant.

  It was just a critical moment when a low, stern shout rang out.

  "Stop!"

  A powerful and eerie aura spread through the air, enveloping the entire office.

  What was between Xiao Yao and Lian was a divine aura, and as long as it wasn't a true immortal, most people would be oppressed and unable to resist. She only slightly furrowed her brow and judged from the pressure that the master's cultivation was at least equal to the Human Immortal's Void Boundary! Absolutely not something she could defeat now!

  But that male demon was not so lucky, his right claw had not even touched Xiao Yao when he was suppressed by an overwhelming force, his face pale as he knelt down towards the female demon on the throne, bowing his head and saying: "I disobeyed the leader's orders, I deserve to die! Please punish me, leader!"

  She didn't even glance at him, and slowly walked down from the upper seat. The surrounding demons all closed their mouths, held their breath, and lay on the ground, not daring to raise their heads. Only Xiao Yao stood alone, clearly seeing that under the woman's Luo skirt was a pair of jade-like white feet, with a string of bells tied around her right ankle, which rang out crisply and melodiously as she walked. She narrowed her eyes slightly, thinking back to when that male demon had called out to her as "Bāngzhǔ" (help master), could it be that this female demon was the Kǒng Bāngzhǔ?! But Bai Tu had said before that the Bāngzhǔ wasn't a female demon?!

  Xiao Yao took another look at the female demon. She was sitting on the couch just now, and her figure couldn't be seen clearly. Now that she stood up, she was actually half a head taller than ordinary female demons. On her dark red Luo skirt, five-colored silk threads embroidered a proud peacock, which was very showy. When her line of sight moved slightly upwards, what she saw was a bright and moving face, with charm that no other female demon could match. However, when her gaze fell on the female demon's neck, at the spot covered by the half-high collar, she couldn't help but stare blankly - this female demon actually had an Adam's apple!

  Is she really a man?! Upon careful recollection, the voice of this demon was not as clear and crisp as that of an ordinary woman, but rather lower. Demons who do not possess human form through cultivation may indeed have bodies that are difficult to distinguish between male and female. However, the most crucial point is: why is this guild leader, who is clearly a male demon, wearing a woman's robe?!

  With the androgynous leader about to step forward, Xiao Yao temporarily put aside her internal complaints about their eccentricity and became fully alert. In this environment, it was impossible to open up a void, and in front of her were twenty or thirty demon cultivators, among whom one was comparable to Da Neng, the great Void Master. If a real conflict were to arise, the chance of her escaping alive would probably not exceed one percent. Thinking about the situation she was about to face, she couldn't help but secretly scold herself for losing control and revealing her emotions after changing to an unfamiliar place.

  Fortunately, the master of this cave seemed to have no intention of killing her. The oppressive aura was withdrawn, and he only looked at her with disdain from head to toe. His gaze briefly stopped on her ghostly appearance before he raised his eyes with a look of distaste: "You're the new person that Bai Tu wants to introduce into the imperial court? Tsk tsk, upon closer inspection, you're even uglier. What a waste of good clothes."

  Xiao Yao no longer wanted to go and mock that monster's distorted aesthetic, so she lowered her eyes and remained silent, keeping her breathing steady as she tightly grasped the ghost in her palm.

  However, Kong Bangzhu didn't care whether she would answer or not, and continued to scrutinize her from head to toe, with every word expressing his disdain for her appearance while praising the beauty of her embroidered dress and hair ornaments. Just as Xiao Yao was about to roll her eyes in exasperation, he suddenly changed the subject, saying: "However, this person's pole is quite interesting, able to withstand the sharp claws of a phoenix that has undergone hundreds of times of jade thunder tempering. Anyway, someone like you staying in the Floating Palace really sullies my eyes, so since there's such an extraordinary object, go to Wang Erma's Vanguard Camp."

  As soon as he finished speaking, without waiting for Xiao Yao's reaction, he glanced at Bai Tu who was kneeling on the side with a pale face and trembling all over, saying: "Tuzi, what are you still dazing about? Hurry up and take her away!"

  That hundred pictures were already scared silly when the master said he wanted to dig out Xiao Yao's eyeballs at first, and suddenly being called out, obviously still a little dazed, only when he raised his head did his gaze meet Kong's icy stare, and he suddenly came to his senses, shouting thanks, scrambling up and dragging Xiao Yao away without daring to look back, disappearing in an instant.

  The owl looked at the direction of the two leaving with resentment and asked inexplicably: "Boss, since that female demon offended you, why didn't you kill her? A weakling like her is not worth pitying!"

  Kong Bangzhu sneered and said in a slow tone, "This isn't the Xiong Ba Gang, only recruiting those with strong limbs but simple minds. Keeping them around will naturally have its uses. You say they're weak, but that female demon was able to block your first attack, doesn't that make you even weaker than them? Or should I deal with you at the same time?"

  The owl's face turned pale, and he hastily bowed his head: "Please forgive me, Master! That female demon was relying on the human cultivator's magical artifact to launch a surprise attack. I was careless and fell into her trap. I didn't see that her face was deathly pale, and even this place's pressure is hard for her to resist. If you give me another chance, I will definitely behead her with one move!"

  "What are you excited about? Didn't I just send her to the Vanguard Camp? Kong Bangzhu revealed a playful expression, "That ugly freak dared to crash into my palace, don't think she'll have good days ahead. This time, it's only because that strange flat mallet of hers seems to have some use, so I'll spare her life for now. The Vanguard Camp isn't a place for enjoyment, from now on whether she lives or dies depends on her own endurance."

  Ba Tu pulled Xiao Yao out of the Floating Palace, walking a long distance before stopping in a corner, his face pale as he said to Xiao Yao: "Zhong Rou Dao friend, you're done for! How can we appease the Master now?! The Vanguard Camp is no place for a demon like you... what to do, what to do..." As he spoke, he actually covered his head and crouched down.

  In comparison, Xiao Yao, who had narrowly escaped with her life, seemed much calmer. She gazed at Bai Tu, who was cowering on the ground in fear, and thought to herself: This guy is not only a coward but also has the guts of a rabbit. What's he afraid of?! When she thought about how all her troubles were caused by this guy, she suddenly lost her temper and said: "Don't worry, even if I'm going to be killed, it has nothing to do with you. You can get up first and take me to the Vanguard Camp."

  Anyway, she has already offended the leader and is carrying the symbol of power of another force on her body. They haven't killed her yet, so if she were to switch to another force now, it would be unwise. It's better to follow his orders and stay in the vanguard camp for now. As long as she keeps a low profile and doesn't cause trouble, time will naturally reduce their attention towards her.

  "Are you really going to the Vanguard Camp?" Bai Tu's face was incredulous, and he hastily persuaded, "That place also has another name called 'Death Camp', the survival rate of the demons who enter is less than one in ten! The main task is to serve as a vanguard for the sect to open up new territory, going to some dangerous places on the unnamed island that few people dare to set foot on to search for the Unnamed Fruit. Most of them are demons who have offended the Sect Leader or are extremely ugly, just like abandoned pawns! Fellow Daoist, it's better to dress up nicely and beg the Sect Leader for mercy to let you return to the Miscellaneous Goods Department!"

  Xiao Yao raised an eyebrow after hearing this, her original intention was to hang a powerful name tag, come to this unnamed island and turn around to find a way to leave. If the vanguard camp is really like what this rabbit said, it will be convenient for her, she can't help but think that this is just what she needs.

  She looked at Bai Tu with a worried face and asked casually: "If I stayed in the miscellaneous department, what kind of life would I be assigned to?"

  Bai Tu thought she had finally convinced herself, let out a sigh of relief and patted her chest to guarantee: "Fellow Daoist, rest assured, although they are all rough tasks, there is absolutely no danger to life, and I will definitely not leave Piaomiao Palace!"

  Xiao Yao's face turned red, fortunately she didn't stay in the miscellaneous department. At this time, she seemed to have suddenly thought of something and curiously asked: "By the way, I don't know what Bai Tu Dao friend is doing inside?"

  Bai Tu smiled twice, her face slightly red, and it was unclear whether she was embarrassed or excited. "I'm helping to wash the wumu fruit inside, and also keeping an eye on the fire by the refining furnace. It may seem like simple tasks, but if the fruit isn't washed clean or the fire isn't watched properly, there's a chance that the Ling Yao Dan might fail to refine."

  Xiao Yao was completely speechless now, staring at these two goods and spitting out two words: "Lead the way."

  Bai Tu wanted to persuade her again, but after touching Xiao Yao's suddenly fierce eyes, he shrunk his neck and said nothing, obediently leading her to the Vanguard Camp.

  After walking through several small alleys with many twists and turns, the two of them arrived in front of a dilapidated thatched cottage at the northernmost part of the city.

  Xiao Yao took a rough look and found that the thatched roof of the hut had countless holes, and the door was also broken. Through the damaged door panels, she could see that it was dark inside.

  At this time, Bai Tu spoke up. He was a bit afraid and nodded his head: "Yes, this is the Vanguard Camp. You go in and report first, I'll wait for you outside."

  Xiao Yao couldn't be bothered to look at this useless good-for-nothing, and simply announced her presence outside the door before striding into the thatched hut.