"GIDDYAP!"
"GIDDYAP!"
"..."
Hooves tore through the mud, kicking up a trail of dust.
Liao Ran glanced down at the segment of a demon's tail on her person. Though they were far from the Demon Cave, her expression showed no sign of relief.
On the contrary, it grew ever darker.
The demon artifact on her person was a Curious Object that could sense the presence of Demon Qi, its reaction growing stronger the closer the source.
And now, the demon tail was glowing faintly, indicating that a Demon was not only nearby, but closing in on them.
'The Demon didn't return to its Demon Cave? It picked up our scent and is chasing us directly?'
"Into the woods!"
A muscle twitched in her cheek as Liao Ran barked in a low voice,
"We can't go back to Hek Family Manor. We'll lead the Demon straight to it, and everyone there will be in danger."
"Right, right," the second uncle frantically nodded.
"Nothing can happen to Hek Family Manor!"
The group changed direction, heading straight for the dense forest to their side.
The sky was already overcast today, and with the leaves and branches blocking what little light there was, the forest was as dark as night.
At some point, wisps of mist had appeared, blanketing their surroundings and leaving an uncomfortable, slick dampness on their skin.
"WHOA..."
Liao Ran pulled on her reins and shouted,
"We can't escape! Everyone, prepare for battle!"
Hek Family Manor was a farmstead outside the city walls.
Though called a farmstead, it possessed its own armed forces. After all, given the dangerous environment outside the city, a certain level of martial strength was necessary to protect the manor.
The men who had followed her out to slay the Demon were all able-bodied, including several Grade-Entering Martial Artists. They were equipped with fine Weapons, so even in a direct confrontation with a Demon, they had no need for fear.
"RUSTLE..."
Before the words had even left her mouth, a chaotic noise erupted from the woods, and a Jackal Wolf lunged out of the darkness.
"SWOOSH!"
A sharp arrow flew out, striking the Jackal Wolf square in the throat.
The immense force pinned the Jackal Wolf to a tree. Its body twitched once, and then it breathed its last.
"Nice one, Brother Wuh!"
"Great archery!"
"..."
The men shouted their praises.
"It's just an ordinary Fierce Beast, not a Demon." Liao Ran leaped from her horse, drew her Demon-slaying Sword, and her expression hardened.
"Be careful—"
"PENG!"
The leaves rustled as a massive black shadow leaped out, crushing a rider and his horse beneath it.
The sounds of cracking bones and agonized screams filled the air.
"A bear!"
"It's a Bear Demon!"
Everyone was terrified, but a surge of righteous fury quickly followed. They nocked arrows to their bows and raised their Weapons, charging forward.
"ROAR!"
The Bear Demon let out a low growl.
"You have some nerve, daring to kill the Attendants of the East Sea Demon Race! Today, you will all die!"
Facing the incoming attacks, it didn't even try to dodge. It slammed a Bear's Paw into the ground, and its massive body shot forward like a cannonball, crashing toward a man and horse not far away.
Bears were powerfully built.
An adult bear could weigh over a thousand jin.
After becoming a Demon, their size would grow even more terrifying. And this Bear Demon was already a Seventh Grade.
Even among the Seventh Grade, the strength of Demons varied. Generally, the larger the body, the greater the power.
Take a Rat Demon, for instance.
A Seventh-Grade Rat Demon wasn't necessarily stronger than an Eighth-Grade Martial Artist.
But for creatures like Bear Demons and Tiger Demons, an Eighth Grade could often crush a Seventh-Grade Expert from the Human Race.
A Seventh-Grade Bear Demon was even more formidable.
When its Bear's Paw landed on a horse, the immense force could blast a sturdy steed into two pieces.
Grade-Entering Martial Artists were practically helpless against it.
"Demons that plunder farmsteads and prey on traveling merchants deserve to be killed, no matter what their background is!"
Liao Ran let out a low cry, her Demon-slaying Sword carving an arc through the air as she aimed for the Bear Demon's neck.
"Die, Demon!"
"Hmph!" The Bear Demon snorted coldly. A cunning glint appeared in its brutish features as it spun around and hurled the manor guard it was holding toward the Demon-slaying Sword.
As Liao Ran scrambled to alter her Sword Momentum, it flickered forward and rammed her with its shoulder.
Iron Mountain Lean!
"PENG!"
Liao Ran spat a mouthful of blood as she was sent flying several zhang. When she landed, her aura had diminished sharply.
"Senior Sister!"
Hek Yongzhang roared, spurring his horse forward.
"Attack together!"
"TWANG!"
Still on horseback, he drew his bow and, in the space of a single breath, fired three consecutive arrows, each one aimed at the Bear Demon's vital points—its eyes and groin.
The others, snapping out of their panic and seeing their comrades dead, began to attack with frantic desperation.
Seventh Grade was still considered Mortal.
The same went for the Bear Demon.
Even with its thick hide, it couldn't completely ignore the sharpness of their Weapons. For a moment, it was actually forced to retreat again and again.
Several arrows even found their mark in its arms.
However, such injuries were little more than scratches to it. In exchange for severely wounding Liao Ran, it still had a major advantage.
Just then, a cold voice rang out.
"Third Brother."
"It's just a group of Mortals, yet you've managed to make yourself look this pathetic."
"...Big Brother." The Bear Demon's eyes narrowed. It instinctively lowered its head, bowed its back, and spoke in a low voice,
"It was my incompetence."
The watery mist rippled, and a figure walked out from within it.
Liao Ran and Hek Yongzhang's faces fell, and a sense of despair rose in their hearts.
A Transformed Demon!
Sixth Grade!
No!
Liao Ran was the first to notice something was off.
Though the newcomer looked human, its eyes had vertical pupils, and there were still untransformed scales at its temples.
'It seems its Transformation isn't complete. It's not a Sixth Grade.'
'High Seventh Grade!'
'But judging by its appearance, its true form must be a Poisonous Flood Dragon. We still have no chance of winning against a high Seventh-Grade Poisonous Flood Dragon.'
"HISSS..."
The Poisonous Flood Dragon flicked its forked tongue, its vertical pupils cold.
"Ever since we three brothers began following the East Sea Demon Race, we have never met anyone so audacious as to attack our own lair and kill our Demons."
"SWOOSH!"
Its figure blurred, leaving an afterimage as it reappeared behind a large man.
The man's body stiffened. A thin line of blood appeared on his forehead, rapidly widening until it stretched down to his groin, splitting his body in two.
"SQUELCH..."
The two halves of the corpse slowly fell to the ground. The gory scene made everyone turn pale, and they instinctively backed away.
"Human Race?"
"Martial Artists?"
"Demon Catchers?"
"You're all just food. If not for the Pai Sect holding us back, why would we need to be so secretive just to get a bite to eat?"
The Poisonous Flood Dragon grinned. With every flicker of its body, another corpse would appear on the field.
Aside from the severely injured Liao Ran, no one could follow its movements or dodge its attacks.
They could only watch helplessly as their companions died one after another, their hearts seized by despair and terror.
"THUD!"
"THUD!"
"..."
Just then, a series of dull thuds grew closer, starting from a distance.
The sound grew louder and louder, making the very ground tremble as if some terrifying behemoth were approaching.
'Hm?'
The Poisonous Flood Dragon frowned.
'Don't tell me that oaf Second Brother, the Tiger Demon, didn't die?'
'But even if he's alive, he shouldn't be able to cause such a commotion. Besides, there's no Demon Qi approaching.'
'Something's wrong!'
Its vertical eyes snapped open, and it roared at the Bear Demon,
"Watch out!"
'Huh?'
The Bear Demon froze, and before it could react, it saw a black shadow smashing through leaves and vines, charging toward it.
"ROAR!"
A growl rumbled in its throat. The Bear Demon's eyes turned crimson as its body suddenly swelled in size, and it slapped its paws toward the incoming shadow.
Innate Divine Technique—Giant Power!
Among the three demons, the Bear Demon possessed the greatest strength. Not even the high Seventh-Grade Poisonous Flood Dragon could compare to it.
Even a Sixth-Grade Martial Artist of the Human Race was inferior to it in terms of pure strength.
"PENG!"
Powerful Qi blasted outward.
The Bear Demon felt a terrifyingly immense force surge toward it. Its Bear's Paws, strong enough to shatter stone tablets, instantly exploded. Its arm bones fractured, and its chest and abdomen were grievously wounded.
"PUFF!"
Before it could even spit out the blood in its mouth, several streams of spiraling Fist Force slammed into its chest.
The rampaging power tore through the Bear Demon's fur, pulverized the muscle beneath, and set off an explosion within its internal organs.
"PENG!"
Under the tremendous impact, the Bear Demon's massive body was thrown high into the air. Before it even hit the ground, all signs of life had vanished.
A steel giant, stained with bear's blood, appeared before everyone.