Slaying the Mountain Imp

Slaying the Mountain Imp

Wang Zhen exchanged cheerful greetings with the members of the Demon Slaying Squad and even chatted casually with Lin Le, his expression perfectly normal.

Once everyone had arrived, Wang Zhen stood atop a simple raised platform and shouted, "There is a demon in Eastwood, called the Mountain Imp. It abducts women, rapes, murders, and plunders!"

It had to be said that Wang Zhen was quite the speaker. In just a few words, he stirred up the crowd's emotions, and excitement appeared on many faces.

Lin Le, however, remained calm, his eyes like the waters of a secluded pool—still as an ancient well, without a ripple.

Looking at the people around him, Lin Le knew that if he had not happened to come here this time, nine out of ten of them would never make it back.

"Fellow villagers, today we will kill that fiend together!" Wang Zhen raised an arm and called out.

The people below the platform and the surrounding civilians shouted as well, "Kill! Kill! Kill!"

"Set out!" Wang Zhen shouted.

The Demon Slaying Squad consisted of over twenty people. They formed a long, single-file line and headed toward a small mountain, while Lin Le walked at the very front.

Since they were all Martial Masters, the group moved quickly. By noon, they had already ventured deep into an old forest.

"Rest and replenish your strength. We're almost at the Mountain Imp's lair!" Wang Zhen commanded.

Everyone stopped. Several stood watch while the rest took a break.

Wang Zhen walked over to Lin Le and handed him a waterskin. "Little brother, have a drink. This is Spirit Spring Water used by Xiang Family Village to irrigate spiritual herbs. It tastes incredible."

"Alright, thanks." Lin Le accepted the waterskin and drank from it without the slightest guard.

After finishing, Lin Le handed the waterskin back to Wang Zhen.

Wang Zhen took it, a strange look flashing through his eyes. Lin Le had actually drained every last drop.

"Little brother, you certainly have a mighty capacity. Your alcohol tolerance must be impressive too," Wang Zhen praised.

"Not bad. I can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk." Lin Le casually waved a hand, signaling for Wang Zhen to leave.

Wang Zhen left as well.

Not long afterward, several hunters suddenly rose to their feet. They had heard leaves rustling and the cries of monkeys.

"Woo! Woo! Woo!"

The sounds drew nearer and nearer, soon ringing out around the Demon Slaying Squad.

"It's the Mountain Imp's monkey troop!" a hunter shouted. "Be on guard! Everyone, be on guard!"

Black-backed, white-bellied apes appeared one after another among the treetops, their greedy eyes fixed on the members of the Demon Slaying Squad below.

Those green, gleaming eyes sent chills through the hunters' hearts. They tried to circulate their blood qi, only to find it crawling as slowly as a snail.

They had been drugged!

The thought arose in everyone's mind. Many turned toward Wang Zhen, while some roared, "Wang Zhen, you actually drugged us!"

Most of them were veteran hunters. They immediately guessed that Wang Zhen had tampered with them. As the leader, only he had the means to do so.

Wang Zhen merely swept them a cold glance and walked to one side.

The crowd looked over and saw that, at some point, an ape standing upright had appeared there. It was over ten feet tall, with a black back and white belly.

"Lord Mountain Imp, here is the blood food you requested." Wang Zhen said respectfully.

"Mm." The Mountain Imp nodded slightly and was about to wave a hand when it suddenly paused.

Seeing the Mountain Imp stop, Wang Zhen was puzzled as well. He turned around and saw a man walking toward him with a spear in hand.

That man was Lin Le.

Wang Zhen frowned. He had personally watched Lin Le drink every drop of the drugged water. It would have been remarkable enough if Lin Le was not lying limp on the ground—how could he still move?

The Mountain Imp sniffed the air. "Such pure blood qi. Are you a Four-Limit Martial Master?"

Lin Le said nothing. With a bang, he had already shot through the air to the Mountain Imp's side, his spear crashing down like an axe splitting mountains and a pole bearing the sun.

Bang!

Wang Zhen's head was smashed apart directly, like a watermelon struck by a stick.

Why?!

That was Wang Zhen's only thought before he lost consciousness.

The Mountain Imp paid no attention to the dead Wang Zhen. It only stared coldly at Lin Le. "You think you can kill me, human?"

Lin Le said nothing and thrust his spear at the Mountain Imp again.

Bang!

The Mountain Imp actually blocked Lin Le's spear with its bare palms. It bared its teeth in a savage grin, making its hideous face even more ferocious. "You know nothing. I am not some Meridian Awakening demon beast—I am a Demon Race member who has entered the Dao!"

"Just First Layer," Lin Le said lightly.

As he spoke, blood qi had already begun circulating throughout his body.

"Just First Layer?"

The Mountain Imp laughed in anger, a trace of fury flashing through its eyes. With a low roar, it lunged at Lin Le like a ghost, both palms slamming down with a stench of rot.

Lin Le's expression did not change. With a light tap of his foot, he drifted backward like willow catkins in the wind. His spear swept up with the motion, its tip drawing a streak of silver light as it pointed straight for the Mountain Imp's throat.

The Mountain Imp had intended to take the attack head-on, but instincts honed through years of beastly survival screamed at it to evade.

In that flash of lightning and spark of flint, the Mountain Imp chose to trust its instincts and hurriedly twisted aside. Yet Lin Le's spear followed like a shadow. With a turn of the spearpoint, it drove toward the Mountain Imp's chest again.

The Mountain Imp gave a savage grin and thrust both palms out. A black wave of air condensed before it and surged directly at Lin Le.

Lin Le circulated his blood qi, then violently shook his spear. A layer of blood-red light spread across the shaft, and the spearpoint surged forth like a dragon emerging from the sea, piercing straight into the black wave.

The two forces collided with a muffled boom. Air currents scattered in every direction, shaking the surrounding trees until branches and leaves flew everywhere.

The Mountain Imp was forced back several steps, surprise flashing through its eyes. Clearly, it had not expected Lin Le to be so powerful when he was merely a Four-Limit Martial Master.

It let out an enraged roar. The muscles across its body swelled abruptly, and its palms smashed toward Lin Le like iron hammers.

Rather than retreat, Lin Le advanced. His spear danced like a roaming dragon, leaving countless overlapping shadows, every strike carrying sharp killing intent.

He weaved nimbly through the Mountain Imp's attacks, his spearpoint leaving bloody gashes across its body from time to time.

The hearts of the surrounding Demon Slaying Squad members rose and fell. When they realized they had been drugged, they had despaired. When Lin Le killed Wang Zhen with a single strike, hope rose within them again.

When they heard the Mountain Imp say it had entered the Dao and become part of the Demon Race, their hearts sank to the bottom once more. Yet when they saw Lin Le fighting the Mountain Imp on even terms, their hearts slowly lifted again despite themselves.

The longer the Mountain Imp fought, the angrier it became, until the very air around it seemed to be ignited by its rage. Suddenly, it leaped high into the air and pressed one palm downward, condensing a gigantic black palm imprint that descended upon Lin Le's head.

Everyone around them immediately felt their hearts leap into their throats. Anyone could see that this was the Mountain Imp's killing blow.

Lin Le neither dodged nor retreated. Instead, he swung his spear down in a slash.

First Style of Fighting Heaven, Falling Sun!

Hearthfire Momentum!

His blood qi condensed into a blade and slashed against the black palm imprint.

Boom! After the thunderous blast, waves of force swept through the area, shaking even the ancient trees as thick as waists until they swayed without end.

Everyone watched the battlefield tensely, only to see Lin Le shoot toward the trees around them.

Their hearts turned cold. Had Lin Le lost and was now fleeing for his life?

But when they turned to look at the Mountain Imp, they saw that more than half its neck had been severed. It was unquestionably dead!

Looking back at Lin Le, he was actually pursuing the Mountain Imp's monkey troop and slaughtering them, looking as though he would not rest until every last one was dead.

Only then did everyone understand. Lin Le meant to root out evil completely!