My Misfortune Crushed Instances

"Circle around the west side of that forest up ahead, then descend the mountain, and you’ll find where those ghosts are."

The Demon Race from Arrow Spear Village led the way ahead, and the group advanced with great caution.

The terrain of Mire Marsh was incredibly complex, notably having to avoid those pus-filled mud pits, and disperse the elusive and changing miasma; one careless mistake could lead to being poisoned or falling underground.

Although for the Extraordinary, getting caught off guard might not be fatal, it surely wasn’t something to be taken lightly.

For this reason, the journey took quite a bit of time, and they finally approached their target.

Hu Neng said, "Everyone get ready, target the Undead, select the appropriate skills. 0919, be prepared to dispel any poison immediately if anyone gets poisoned."

"0913, use protective skills at any time to prevent the Evil Spirit from entering."

A series of commands were given, with everyone responding accordingly, before they began preparing to launch an assault on the Undead position from the slope behind the forest.

Meanwhile, Li Rui was leading the Ghost Riders in a wild gallop from another direction.

With agile and powerful movements, he could use his bodily advantage to leap over the mud pits, and even when occasionally stumbling, as long as it wasn’t particularly deep, it was like stepping in a puddle.

The Ghost Riders were even less bothered since they were immune to toxins. After all, the miasma here didn’t contain Divine Thunder, and it wasn’t harmful to them—rather, beneficial as the twisted trees and fog blocked out sunlight, saving the Undead from suppression.

As they ventured deeper, some members of the team began to waver, to be exact, Ba Yan was getting a bit cowardly.

The desire for real combat in the village was one thing, but actually seeing those branches like demonic claws, he suddenly wondered if he was too confident.

But having already boarded Li Rui’s ship, it was unlikely he could leave now.

"Li Rui, those ghosts are really formidable."

Ba Yan said, "From our village, it always has to be Uncle Balong leading when we go."

Balong was the most formidable of the Demon Race in Arrow Spear Village.

Li Rui said, "Hmm, I’ll just be more careful."

He carefully watched his surroundings, attentive to unseen dangers. He could sense some weak threats, but they weren’t intense, likely some minor Resentful Spirits hidden within the miasma.

Li Rui asked again, "Have you been here before?"

"Yes, we grow up familiarizing ourselves with the environment with our elders, but they never let us participate in combat," Ba Yan said.

"That’s normal, your training is not complete yet."

Li Rui said, "In a few years, they’ll have you participating in battles."

He was well aware that this young and impulsive Demon Race before him was too weak, even the covert killing intent sensed along the way was stronger than him.

Unexpectedly, Ba Yan, rather than feeling disheartened, was stirred by the remarks, and much of his original fear faded.

Li Rui noticed his mood but didn’t pay it any mind because he saw the scouting Ghost Rider ahead had stopped, and Ju Ye rode back to report:

"Benefactor, there is a massive amount of Evil Qi ahead, we can break it, do you see..."

"Go ahead."

Li Rui waved his hand lightly, motioning them to handle it on their own, and then waited behind with the Giant Strength Warrior.

It was then, that Yu Xin suddenly reacted and asked, "What’s with these Undead?"

"Some Undead from Cold Wind State, quite formidable," Li Rui casually replied, "Don’t you know about the frontal battlefield situation?"

"No, I’ve been close to Mire Marsh all the time. Our group 09’s main task is exploring spoils of war."

With divisions of labor across more than a dozen groups, not everyone needed to station at the border to fend off other forces. Rear exploration couldn’t stop either because the Secret Realm battlefield had a time limit. If one was only focused on grabbing territory, delaying till not all spoils were obtained would be a huge loss.

Li Rui didn’t elaborate further. He had trust in Ju Ye; if the Ghost General said he could handle the threat ahead, then it presumably could be handled.

However, Ba Yan hesitantly said, "Li Rui, didn’t you say I’d get a chance for real combat?"

"You can’t just charge with them in direct engagement, can you? Wait for the opportunity."

Li Rui answered.

Yu Xin glanced at this young Demon race, thinking he had nerve to speak so, even when obviously superior Undead were quite deferential to Li Rui.

Before long, Ju Ye returned.

"It’s all taken care of."

Li Rui hadn’t spoken yet when Ba Yan instinctively gasped, "Impossible," and promptly shut his mouth.

Ju Ye didn’t pay attention to him. Having been through the Royal Court transformation, a battle-seasoned leader who had served both as a Demon Queen and a ghost wouldn’t mind a young brat’s skepticism.

Li Rui chuckled, "Let’s go, and take a look."

Splashing through flowing sludge, skirting around the swirling miasma, the party followed Ju Ye forward, eventually arriving at a cold and damp Deserted Village.

This was where the Demon race used to reside, but it had turned into ruins.

A place chosen for settlement must have been somewhat better in environment, at least with flat terrain, free of poisonous gases and dangerous swamps.

Li Rui jumped off the Giant Strength Warrior’s shoulder, extracted a map, and checked it, revealing a gray little treasure chest marked on it, merely a small spoils output spot.

"You guys search again, see if there are any survivors."

Li Rui instructed them to look for Undead, while he searched for spoils among the ruins.

This place used to be a Demon’s camp. It was uncertain if the former inhabitants retreated or all turned into spirits; he walked among the ruinous village buildings, meticulously examining various corners and cellars, finally finding a downed fruit under a broken, dead tree.

As expected, it was only a rare-level strengthening material, given the low strength of the monsters here, just a minor spoils point.

However, Li Rui wasn’t picky, as it could still be used to enhance the administrator’s coat.

Upon returning to the deserted village, Ju Ye reported, "Benefactor, there’s a lone Resentful Spirit trapped by us."

"Take me there."

Li Rui called Ba Yan, and they followed him to where the Resentful Spirit was discovered, seeing a dozen Ghost Riders encircling it, with a ferocious beast spirit in the center, growling tensely.

It sensed these fellows were not to be trifled with, and knowing they weren’t its comrades, it only dared to roar softly, not daring to attack.

Li Rui nudged Ba Yan, "Go ahead, didn’t you want real combat?"

The young Demon cautiously swallowed, instinctively tightened his grip on his spear, excitement and nerves mingling within.

To Li Rui’s surprise, despite being initially frightened, once inside the Ghost Riders’ encirclement, the youth became increasingly composed, eventually advancing single-handedly with his spear, a cross-shaped halo flickering atop it but appearing very dim, indicating an incomplete mastery of this ability.

The ghost beast, seeing a weakling abruptly charging at it, roared in fury, transformed into a streak of black light instantaneously leaping to Ba Yan’s side.

The latter felt his mind going blank.

This was entirely different from sparring with village elders.

The Evil Qi-clad claws bore genuine killing intent, needing only an instant to claim his life.

However, before Ba Yan met his demise, Li Rui timely intervened, arriving posthaste, swatting the ghost beast away as if shooing a fly, deliberately holding back so as not to disperse its spirit entirely.

He addressed Ba Yan, "Too slow, why think so much during combat? Focus on defeating the enemy. Try again."