Soldier Tier 3 Demon Core

"Demon Core..."

The instant the bead fell into Lin Baichuan's hand, Li Da and the other four's eyes lit up. Niu Zhenye cried out in shock, his eyes staring so wide they practically glowed green.

A Demon Core was the condensed essence of a demon's entire body, a supreme material for refining pills and spirit artifacts. This Mountain Fiend had been a peak Soldier Tier 3 demon, with one foot already stepping into Soldier Rank 4. Its Demon Core was naturally incomparably precious.

A Demon Core from a peak Soldier Tier 3 demon would fetch at least ten thousand taels of silver outside.

If it were handed over to the Demon Suppression Division, it could earn at least three hundred Contribution Points.

One had to know that an Intermediate Demon Slayer like Niu Zhenye earned only a few hundred taels of silver a year, while a single mission brought in merely around ten Contribution Points. Seeing the Demon Core in Lin Baichuan's hand now, he was naturally green with envy.

In fact, not just Niu Zhenye—even Li Da, a Senior Demon Slayer, wore a covetous look.

Over ten thousand taels of silver, or several hundred Contribution Points, was a massive sum even to Li Da.

The only one who remained calm was Qin Qing.

This woman had come from the prefectural city and clearly came from no ordinary background. Though she too envied Lin Baichuan for obtaining a Soldier Tier 3 Demon Core, her gaze was nowhere near as burning as Li Da's and Niu Zhenye's. She was evidently much more composed.

After casually wiping the Demon Core clean, Lin Baichuan slipped it into his clothes without changing expression.

In truth, he used the motion to place the Demon Core directly into the Space Ring on his finger. After all, the Space Ring was even more precious than the Demon Core. If it were exposed, it would likely bring great trouble.

After putting away the Demon Core, Lin Baichuan's gaze swiftly swept over Li Da and the others, taking in all five of their expressions.

"Lin Baichuan, the Demon Core is the squad's spoil of war. It belongs to the entire squad. Why haven't you handed it over to the captain for safekeeping?"

At that moment, Niu Zhenye suddenly shouted a stern rebuke at Lin Baichuan.

Everyone froze for a moment. They all glanced at Niu Zhenye, then looked toward Lin Baichuan. No one spoke, yet they all seemed to tacitly approve of Niu Zhenye's words. This was a Soldier Tier 3 Demon Core, worth at least ten thousand taels of silver—perhaps even more.

If Lin Baichuan took it for himself, it would have nothing to do with them.

But if it was the squad's spoil of war, that was different. Everyone would get a share.

Lin Baichuan's pupils suddenly narrowed. His blade-like gaze fell upon Niu Zhenye, and he sneered. "Heh... your abacus is rattling so loudly they could probably hear it in the Imperial Capital!

"You deliberately let the Mountain Fiend escape just now, intending to use it to kill me. I haven't even settled that score with you, yet you dare covet my things now. Who gave you the nerve..."

The moment the last word left his lips, Lin Baichuan had already moved. Like a fierce tiger descending the mountain, he crossed several yards in a single tiger stride and lunged straight at Niu Zhenye.

Killing intent blazed in his eyes. Niu Zhenye had repeatedly made trouble for him along the way, and he had endured it all. But just now, this bastard had deliberately exposed a weakness, intending to borrow the Mountain Fiend's hand to take his life. If he still endured that, there would be no need for him to practice martial arts—he might as well become a ninja turtle.

Clang...

His saber left its sheath. With one slash, saber light swept forth like a bolt of silk stretching across the sky.

That terrifying momentum directly stunned Niu Zhenye. He stood rooted to the spot, staring blankly as the saber descended, utterly unaware and unable to move.

"Stop!"

At that moment, sword light flashed. A longsword stabbed forth like a water snake, then fiercely flicked upward, actually blocking Lin Baichuan's strike.

It was Qin Qing.

She had reacted even faster than Li Da. The instant Lin Baichuan made his move, she moved as well. Her longsword swung out, saber and sword collided, and sparks flew in every direction. A vast force surged outward, sending both Lin Baichuan and her stumbling back again and again.

However, Lin Baichuan was forced back more than ten steps, while Qin Qing retreated only two and a half.

Even so, it was enough to shock Qin Qing, Li Da, and the others. Lin Baichuan's blow had actually driven Qin Qing back. That was enough to show that Lin Baichuan truly possessed strength comparable to the Seventh Rank Organ Forging Realm!

Most importantly, they knew Lin Baichuan had not even used Saber Intent.

"He didn't even use Saber Intent, yet he's already this terrifying. Is this guy really only at the Ninth Rank Skin Refinement Realm?" Wu Xiaoqi growled through gritted teeth, unable to stop himself from sucking in a cold breath.

"Lin Baichuan, what do you think you're doing?!"

Only then did Li Da finally react. He shouted angrily at Lin Baichuan, "Attacking a fellow colleague—you've got some nerve!"

Lin Baichuan cast Li Da a glance, his eyes as cold as ice. A sneer tugged at his lips, filled with disdain.

He could not even be bothered to waste another word on Li Da. Instead, he looked at Qin Qing and said coldly, "You want to stop me? With your strength and eyesight, it's impossible that you didn't see those few deliberately let the Mountain Fiend go, intending to put me to death."

"Lin Baichuan, don't spew blood from your mouth!"

Li Da immediately barked angrily, "The Mountain Fiend's escape was an accident to begin with. You claim we deliberately let it go. Do you have any proof?"

"That's right, Lin Baichuan. Without proof, how dare you slander us?"

"You've got some nerve. You actually want to slaughter your colleagues. I think there's something very wrong with you—perhaps you're a demon spy."

"Investigate... We must investigate this thoroughly. There's definitely something wrong with this guy."

Li Da's rebuke immediately gave Niu Zhenye, Luo Kang, and Wu Xiaoqi confidence. They all stepped forward to echo him, turning the tables and accusing Lin Baichuan instead.

Lin Baichuan's expression grew increasingly grim, killing intent boiling in his heart. His saber trembled slightly, cold light flashing. Yet he did not attack, because he was wary of Qin Qing. This woman's strength seemed far greater than she had displayed.

This woman had definitely concealed her strength. He was not confident he could deal with her, not even if he used Saber Intent.

"Enough!"

At that moment, Qin Qing suddenly shouted sternly, "What time is it, and you're still arguing? Do you think we've escaped danger? Open your eyes and look around. We're trapped."

The moment Qin Qing spoke, everyone froze. Even Lin Baichuan frowned, then instinctively looked around.

At once, their expressions changed drastically.

At some unknown point, an eerie thick fog had arisen throughout the village. Dense and bitterly cold, it gradually enveloped the entire village in utter silence.

"Something's wrong. Where is Ying Que? Why is he gone..."

Li Da's expression darkened as he realized they were missing someone. Ying Que, the Intelligence Officer who had led the way earlier, had vanished without anyone knowing when.

"Could something have happened to him?"

Luo Kang said gravely, "This fog is extremely strange. It wasn't nearly this thick before. I can smell a demon's aura."

"This is Profound Yin Malevolent Qi. There's another demon hiding in the village, most likely a Malevolent Ghost among ghosts." Qin Qing's face was cold as she said in a low voice, "Ying Que is missing. I'm afraid something has happened to him. Everyone, be careful. If we can't survive this trial, we'll all die here. Whatever you're fighting over will be pointless..."

As she spoke, Qin Qing quietly glanced at Lin Baichuan.

Clearly, most of her words were meant for Lin Baichuan. She hoped he could temporarily set aside his personal grievances and unite against the enemy.

Seeing this, Lin Baichuan sneered. "I naturally know what matters most. I'm just afraid some people don't know when to stop."

As he spoke, he glanced at Li Da and the other three, especially Niu Zhenye.

This bastard was the most detestable. If the circumstances had been different, Lin Baichuan would have slaughtered him already.

"Lin Baichuan, why are you looking at me? You don't think I want to kill you, do you?!" Niu Zhenye snorted coldly, his face looking extremely ugly.

Whoosh...

Suddenly, before his words had even faded, a gust of yin wind swept in. A figure flashed past, fiercely wrapped around Niu Zhenye, and dragged him straight into the thick fog.