Sinews and Bones Ringing in Unison, Reborn Through Transformation!

The human race really made handling matters far too troublesome.

Why did there need to be so many twists and turns?

In the Toad Demon's eyes, the weak were prey to the strong, nature selected the fittest, and only the adaptable survived. That was the true path.

Kill when you wanted to kill, sleep when you wanted to sleep, roam freely and recklessly—now that was true freedom!

"I hope he just dies silently like this. Don't let any more trouble crop up."

The masked man spoke with deep feeling.

"My boys and girls, you'd better not forget them. Otherwise, I can't guarantee I won't let something slip."

"What did you humans call this sort of thing again?"

"Oh, right. Hush money!"

"Hehehe."

The Toad Demon looked cheerfully at the masked man, his tone thick with menace.

"This time, you made a mess of things—strong at the start, weak at the finish. At most, you get one girl."

"If you're dissatisfied, say whatever you like. I'd like to see whether they believe you, a demonkin, or me!"

The masked man said in a low voice.

"Deal."

"Same place tomorrow night. We won't part until we meet."

The Toad Demon waved at the masked man, then swaggered away.

Splat!

But after he had taken only a few steps, a sharp blade pierced through his back and burst out from his chest, skewering him clean through!

"Y-You dare kill me?"

"Aren't you afraid Mountain Lord will hold you accountable?"

The Toad Demon turned his head around with difficulty and stared at the masked man, asking in disbelief.

The two of them had worked together many times. He had never imagined that the masked man would actually try to kill him.

"If you don't tell, and I don't tell, who would know you were killed by me?"

"You know far too much. Even Mountain Lord doesn't know as many of my secrets as you do, so I can't let you live!"

"And that foul mouth of yours is truly disgusting. I've wanted to kill you for a long time!"

Splat!

The masked man pulled the long blade from the Toad Demon's body, then slashed again. Terrifying blade light tore through the air and lopped off the Toad Demon's head in one stroke.

After the Toad Demon died, the masked man sprinkled some white powder over his wounds. Before long, he melted into a pool of bloody water.

Destroying the corpse and erasing the evidence—clean and decisive!

Ping An County.

Brocade Guard Precinct.

Chen Fan's residence.

Ping An County was merely a small border county of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Many Brocade Guards stationed here would never leave for their entire lives, so many bought property locally, married, and had children. As a result, the dormitories in the Brocade Guard Precinct were fairly plentiful.

Otherwise, for an ordinary Brocade Guard like Chen Fan to have a room all to himself would have been rather extravagant.

Name: Chen Fan

Realm: Divine Treasury Realm (Fourth Stage: Blood Martial Saint)

Techniques: "Body Tempering Fist" (Perfected), "Blade Draw Slash" (Minor Accomplishment)

Current Remaining Lifespan: Fifty Years

Current Demonkin Lifespan: None

Chen Fan looked over his Attribute Panel. His remaining lifespan had become fifty years.

Although he had completely expelled the demon poison and Yin Sha aura from his body, and his strength had improved greatly, he had still lost a large chunk of his lifespan.

A martial artist at the peak Divine Treasury Realm had a lifespan of around one hundred and twenty years, but few could actually live that long.

By all rights, having broken through to the fourth stage of the Divine Treasury Realm, he should have had at least eighty to a hundred years left. Yet he only had fifty.

This showed just how terrifying the Yin Sha Poison was. This whole ordeal had cost him thirty to fifty years of life for nothing!

Although fifty years of lifespan was not exactly little, watching his lifespan diminish bit by bit was not a pleasant feeling.

For now, he could only continuously improve his strength. Only then could his lifespan continue to grow.

If he could break beyond the Divine Treasury Realm and enter the next realm, his lifespan would continue increasing!

Demonkin Lifespan is running dry. I can't really burn my own life to cultivate.

So next, I still need to slay demons and eliminate fiends, burn demonkin lives, and forge my martial path!

Chen Fan thought to himself.

All demonkin: Listen to me, thank you...

"Brother Chen Fan?"

Wang Chao's voice suddenly sounded from outside the door.

"Chief Wang, coming!"

Chen Fan crossed the distance in a few swift strides. Although his strength had now surpassed Wang Chao's, he remained deeply grateful and respectful toward his savior.

He opened the door and saw Wang Chao standing outside, carrying some food.

"Brother Chen Fan, you..."

Wang Chao looked at Chen Fan, hesitating to speak.

He felt that Chen Fan had grown much stronger. His complexion was no longer deathly pale, but rosy instead, and his breathing was long and steady. He did not look like someone on the verge of death at all.

He wanted to ask whether Chen Fan had recovered, but immediately dismissed the thought. He felt this was probably Chen Fan's final flash of vitality before death.

After tonight, another brother he had spent day and night with would leave him forever!

At the thought, sorrow welled up in him again.

"Chief Wang, I'm better!"

"The demon poison and Yin Sha aura have already been expelled from my body!"

"After killing that Boar Demon, I felt that even if I died, I would have no regrets."

"After you left, I practiced the 'Body Tempering Fist' over and over in my room. As I practiced, my 'Body Tempering Fist' broke through to the Major Accomplishment stage. Right after that, my entire body began to itch, and all my bones started crackling."

"Then the qi and blood throughout my body were stirred up. Streams of foul blood and blackish-red aura flowed out from my wounds, and I immediately felt utterly refreshed."

The Attribute Panel was simply too shocking. But if there were no reasonable explanation for someone who had been certain to die suddenly improving, that would not do. Chen Fan had long since prepared an excuse.

"Sinews and bones ringing in unison, reborn through transformation!"

"It is said that exceptionally gifted people may encounter such a phenomenon when stepping into the second stage of the Divine Treasury Realm—washing away all adornment and returning to their original simplicity."

"Brother Chen Fan, who would have thought you were a martial arts prodigy, one in ten thousand?"

"You took only one year to cultivate both the 'Body Tempering Fist' and 'Blade Draw Slash' to Minor Accomplishment. I should have realized long ago that you were a martial arts prodigy."

"Now, borrowing this transformation of rebirth, you expelled the demon poison and Yin Sha aura from your body in one stroke. You truly turned misfortune into fortune!"

"Wonderful!"

"This is truly wonderful!"

Wang Chao reached out and placed his hand on Chen Fan's wrist, feeling his pulse. It was as though a little dragon were leaping joyfully within his sinews, bones, blood, and flesh. The previously faint, nearly imperceptible pulse had completely vanished.

He knew Chen Fan had not lied to him. Chen Fan had truly stepped into the second stage of the Divine Treasury Realm and saved himself!

What the hell do you mean, turning misfortune into fortune!

That damned demon poison and Yin Sha aura cost me at least thirty to fifty years of lifespan!

Still, it's good that I have fifty years left to live. Compared with only being able to live three days or twelve hours before, this is so much better.

Chen Fan muttered inwardly upon hearing this.

Although it pained him to have lost those thirty to fifty years of life for nothing, this was still far better than before he had transmigrated.

So, one had to know contentment in life!

"It was all thanks to Chief Wang running about on my behalf. If Chief Wang hadn't persuaded Chief Zhang to bring that Boar Demon to the Martial Arts Field at the Centurion Office for me to personally execute, allowing me to settle the regret in my heart, I could never have risen toward life from the brink of death!"

Chen Fan clasped his fists and gave a deep bow, speaking sincerely.

"These are all the results of your own efforts. How much could killing the Boar Demon possibly have had to do with it?"

"Come, come, you must be starving. I brought braised beef, roast chicken, braised pork, flatbread..."

"Since I knew you were injured, I didn't bring any wine. But you've only just recovered from a serious illness, so you truly shouldn't drink anyway. Eat more meat and nourish your body."

Wang Chao helped Chen Fan up, then placed the food he had brought onto the table in Chen Fan's room.

"Thank you, Chief Wang!"

"Chief Wang, sit down and eat with me!"

Chen Fan said.

The two ate and chatted. Seeing Chen Fan devour the food with gusto, without the slightest appearance of being severely injured and near death, Wang Chao finally confirmed that this was not a final flash of vitality. Chen Fan had truly suppressed, or expelled from his body, the Yin Sha Poison through a breakthrough in his martial realm.

Recovering a brother he had thought lost was one of life's great joys!

Compared with that, being reprimanded by Standard Bearer Zhao alongside Zhang Meng and having three months of pay docked was utterly insignificant.