Bat Wings

White blade went in, red blade came out. The short saber traced one graceful arc after another as it skinned, pulled out sinews, and stripped away bones.

Fang Mu's movements were highly practiced. Every day, when he slaughtered demons, he removed all the useful parts from their bodies.

He then left them in the prison cell, where a Demon Slayer Envoy would come and clean them up.

From ordinary demons, Fang Mu only collected some scraps to refine.

Only when dealing with powerful demons did Fang Mu remove the worthless demon parts, leaving everything else to be refined by the Demon Refining Mirror.

Of course, the items Fang Mu obtained from refining demons—things of little real value—were always left behind to mislead outsiders.

With good things occasionally left behind, no one paid attention to how many parts Fang Mu kept from the demons he slaughtered.

Fang Mu slaughtered more than twenty demons today. None of them were very strong, and he killed them without the slightest effort.

When a rumble came from the black stone wall and the prison gate slowly opened, Fang Mu walked into the dungeon.

This was the last demon of the day—a six-star demon from Mortal Prison.

Looking at the Bat Demon bound to the execution frame, Fang Mu was somewhat surprised.

The Bat Demon looked vicious and hideous. The refined-iron chains restraining it clanged loudly as it slammed against them.

The Bat Demon clearly wasn't a good sort. A heavy, bloody stench clung to its body, showing that it had evidently consumed a great deal of blood food.

So he showed it no courtesy. He swung his spear and used Flood Dragon Rises from the Sea, stabbing straight at the Bat Demon.

The spear struck the Bat Demon solidly, but its hide was exceptionally tough, and the strike actually failed to pierce it.

"Interesting!"

Fang Mu's interest was piqued. If he had killed it with a single thrust, he would not have felt much accomplishment.

As the long spear swept about, thrust after thrust landed, leaving speckled bloodstains across the Bat Demon's hide.

The Bat Demon shrieked furiously again and again, sending out piercing sonic waves that made Fang Mu's eardrums ring and his head swim.

"Clang, clang!"

A chain of cracking sounds rang out. The Bat Demon had actually shattered the chains.

The Bat Demon let out an enraged shriek. As its wings beat, it closed in on Fang Mu in an instant, its bloody maw biting toward him.

"Hmph!"

Fang Mu was no longer a rookie. Whether slaughtering demons or defending against enemies, he had accumulated abundant experience.

He swept his spear horizontally and, with speed like a fierce wind, blasted the Bat Demon away.

Then he activated Extreme Wind Speed and charged after it, engaging it in a savage battle.

Fang Mu could overpower the Bat Demon because his physical cultivation during this period had not been in vain.

But the Bat Demon's wing membranes were sharp, and it was fast as well. If it had not been confined in the dungeon, it could even have taken to the skies.

Fortunately, it could not fly. Otherwise, Fang Mu truly would have been left gazing across a vast sea, helpless to reach the other shore.

After a prolonged battle, Fang Mu saw that even blades, spears, swords, and halberds struggled to pierce the Bat Demon's wing membranes.

He therefore took out the Golden Sword, gleaming with golden light, and slashed at the Bat Demon.

The Bat Demon let out a terrified shriek. It sensed a fatal threat from the Golden Sword.

But Fang Mu's sword was too fast. The golden blade shimmered with streaks of radiance, and, as easily as slicing tofu, cleaved the Bat Demon in two.

Fang Mu stared in astonishment at the Golden Sword in his hand, which was completely unstained by blood. He was also shocked by its sharpness.

It not only looked magnificent; its sharpness was comparable to that of a divine weapon. This truly had been a profitable deal.

Bat Wings, obtained by refining a Bat Demon. Fusing them into one's body could cause Bat Wings to grow and grant the ability to fly.

Low-grade Essence Blood Pill, obtained by refining a Bat Demon's essence blood. It could strengthen one's vital blood and nourish the physical body.

Looking at the Bat Demon that had turned into a pool of blood on the ground, then at the pill that had appeared in his hand and the pair of Bat Wings, each as large as a palm—

Fang Mu was so excited he nearly laughed aloud. These were good things! With Bat Wings, wouldn't he be able to fly from now on?

That was an ability possessed only by experts of the Innate Realm.

But Fang Mu soon began to hesitate. If he refined the Bat Wings, wouldn't he turn into a demon?

He was genuinely worried that he would be mistaken for a demon and arrested. If that happened, he would truly be left wanting to cry without tears.

After pondering for a long while, he ultimately stored the Bat Wings away for the time being. He had no use for them at present, so he would decide what to do later.

After checking the scattered memories, he discovered that the Bat Demon had indeed committed every kind of evil.

It could actually shrink its body and lodge inside a human, evading the guards' inspections and sneaking into the city.

Afterward, it began killing in large numbers and devouring essence blood.

Later, it was surrounded and attacked by a group of Demon Extermination Envoys. Although it bit many of them to death or seriously injured them, it was ultimately captured.

After standing up and dusting off his clothes, Fang Mu swallowed the Essence Blood Pill and headed outside the dungeon.

When he returned to the main hall of the Demon Slayer Division, Fang Mu unexpectedly encountered Wen Xuan, Qi Zhu, and the others.

Frowning, he went forward to greet the two of them, only to hear Tu Qing let out a cold snort from the side.

Fang Mu glanced at Tu Qing and ignored him completely. They were enemies, after all; there was no need to give him face.

Tu Qing looked at Fang Mu with a dark expression, feeling that Fang Mu had grown somewhat too pleased with himself lately.

He secretly resolved to cause Fang Mu some trouble. Otherwise, Fang Mu would never know how to write the word fear.

"Woodhead! You're coming with us this time to exterminate the demons."

"As long as you perform well, you'll be promoted to a Senior Demon Slayer Envoy. Then you won't have to slaughter demons anymore."

Qi Zhu walked up to Fang Mu with a beaming smile, tugged excitedly at his clothes, and spoke.

"Uh... am I that familiar with you?"

Fang Mu was speechless. He pulled his clothes back and thought, If I don't slaughter demons, am I supposed to drink the northwest wind?

The Demon Slayer Envoys in the main hall all wore faces as black as the bottom of a cooking pot.

They absolutely did not want Fang Mu to become a Senior Envoy. Their happy lives depended on it.

"Fang Mu, the Deputy Chief Envoy has issued an order this time. The Demon Slayer Division and the Demon Extermination Division are to join forces. Since you're an experienced demon slayer, you'll lead the team."

"Hmph! Don't even think about refusing. This is a death order!"

As soon as Wen Xuan finished speaking, Tu Qing let out a cold snort and walked out of the main hall of the Demon Slayer Division.

"You blockhead!"

After Fang Mu pulled his clothes back, Qi Zhu angrily stomped on his foot and left in a huff.

The stomp did not affect Fang Mu at all. Ignoring Qi Zhu as she departed, he turned to Wen Xuan and carefully asked about the situation.

The setting sun sank in the west, and night shrouded the Mass Grave Forest.

Fang Mu led a ten-man squad, carefully searching through the Mass Grave Forest.

The location of this demon-extermination mission was the Mass Grave Forest. Those acting together included Tu Qing, Qi Zhu, and Wen Xuan.

What surprised Fang Mu was that Wen Xuan had actually advanced to the realm of a Third Rank Martial Artist and become a Bronze Toad Envoy.

The one leading the demon extermination this time was a Bronze Toad Envoy named Chen Mu. His strength was reportedly also at the Third Rank.

Fang Mu and the others were only responsible for searching for traces of demons.

The Mass Grave Forest was not small. If the demons were hiding in some remote corner, it would probably take them an entire day to find them.

This demon-extermination mission was reportedly intended to kill a century-old Corpse King.

That century-old Corpse King had been encountered by the Deputy Chief Envoy by chance when he came to the Mass Grave Forest to retrieve the Great Demon's demonic scripture.

The two sides had fought fiercely, ultimately suffering mutual injuries before retreating.

The century-old Corpse King had been injured most severely. The Deputy Chief Envoy sent several batches of Demon Extermination Envoys into the Mass Grave Forest to hunt it down, but those people ultimately vanished without a trace.

That was why such a large force had been assembled this time, intending to find the century-old Corpse King and wipe it out in one fell swoop.