Slaying, Evil Spirits, Black Fiend Hammers

"Come on, you stinking bug. Let's see whether your body is tougher or mine." With that, he charged straight at it. The Scorpion-tailed Wolf did not back down either, lunging directly at Qin Hao.

The two collided head-on. One figure was sent flying—again, it was the Scorpion-tailed Wolf. This impact broke its ribs and one of its legs. It struggled back to its feet, limping as it snarled at Qin Hao.

When Li Kang saw Qin Hao collide with the demonic beast, he had been a little worried. But when he saw that the Scorpion-tailed Wolf had been sent flying, his heart finally settled. "That kid is like an ancient giant beast—no, that's not right. He should be an ancient juvenile beast."

Seeing how weak the demonic beast was, Qin Hao grew even more excited. He did not give it a moment to catch its breath and charged over, delivering another kick. The Scorpion-tailed Wolf dodged the blow, its tail swiftly stabbing toward Qin Hao.

Seeing this, Li Kang shouted, "Dodge it, Xiao Hao!"

"Wretched beast!"

Qin Hao let out a muffled snort, his eyes blazing wide. He leaped into the air and landed behind it, evading the Scorpion-tailed Wolf's enormous venomous stinger. He casually grabbed a wooden stick from the ground and smashed it viciously toward its head. Every swing of Qin Hao's stick cracked through the air like thunder. After only a few blows, the stick exploded in his hands.

Without hesitation, he grabbed its tail, swung it up, and smashed it savagely into the ground. Qin Hao battered the Scorpion-tailed Wolf until its flesh was a bloody mess. Only after more than ten blows, when he saw that it had stopped breathing, did Qin Hao finally stop.

Even after seeing that the Scorpion-tailed Wolf had stopped breathing, Qin Hao was still not entirely reassured. He planted his foot on its body and forcibly tore off its tail, casually tossing it aside. Only when it showed no reaction whatsoever did Qin Hao finally relax.

The Scorpion-tailed Wolf's venomous tail was the only attack that could have posed a threat to him. Qin Hao did not know whether his body could withstand being pierced and poisoned by it, which was why he had not taken the attack head-on earlier.

Ding! Attribute points gained: 2!

At that moment, Qin Hao heard the system prompt. He also felt as though his bloodline concentration had risen slightly, and his strength had increased considerably once more.

Qin Hao opened his panel and took a look. Sure enough.

Name: Qin Hao

Strength: Strength of one bull 9000

Cultivation techniques: Barbarian Bull Fist, Beginner (0/10); Dragon-Elephant Prajna, Not yet initiated (0/100)

Attribute points: 11

Bloodline: Divine Thunder Barbarian Dragon bloodline (0.02%)

His bloodline concentration had increased by 0.01%.

It seemed that killing demonic beasts not only earned him attribute points, but also increased his bloodline concentration.

After understanding all this, Qin Hao knew how he should walk the road ahead. As long as he hunted demonic beasts, he could keep growing stronger!

After dealing with the Scorpion-tailed Wolf, Qin Hao dragged its corpse toward Li Kang, who was leaning against a tree nearby.

"Uncle Li, are you alright?" Qin Hao asked with concern.

"I'm fine. It's only a minor injury. Since it's settled, we should hurry back. If we stay here any longer, we might run into other demonic beasts." Seeing that Qin Hao had already dealt with the Scorpion-tailed Wolf, Li Kang suggested returning home.

"Alright, Uncle Li. I'll bring the Unicorn Black Panther's corpse along too." With that, he walked over to the Unicorn Black Panther's body, grabbed it by the neck with one hand, and slung it over his shoulder.

"Let's go. It's time to head back." The two of them then set off toward the village.

They arrived at Qin Hao's home.

Li Kang and Qin Hao immediately skinned both beasts. They also found a Beast core inside the Scorpion-tailed Wolf. Only beasts that cultivated into demons could form Beast cores within their bodies. Beast cores were also the most valuable part of demonic beasts. A first-rank Beast core could generally sell for three hundred taels, enough to cover a normal family's living expenses for several years.

They kept the meat to nourish Qin Hao's body. As for the hides, Li Kang planned to take them to the county town and sell them the next day. A complete beast hide could sell for twenty or thirty taels, while a demonic beast hide could fetch over a hundred taels. One demonic beast could provide Qin Hao and Li Kang with more than four hundred taels.

"Alright, Xiao Hao, keep this meat. Tomorrow, I'll go to the county town and sell these Beast cores and hides. I'll bring you the money afterward." After handling the Beast cores, Li Kang saw that it was already late and prepared to go home. He planned to head to the county town early the next morning to sell everything.

"Uncle Li, you're not staying for dinner?" Qin Hao hurriedly asked upon hearing that Li Kang was leaving.

"No. It's getting late. If I get back too late, your Aunt Bai will scold me again. Just make yourself something to eat."

"Alright, Uncle Li, then I won't keep you. And just as we agreed, we split the money. Don't give it all to me." Seeing that Li Kang was about to leave, Qin Hao reminded him. Otherwise, Li Kang really would hand him all the money. After all, Li Kang had dealt with the Unicorn Black Panther himself, and he had even been injured by the demonic beast's sneak attack.

"Alright, alright, I know. You kid sure talk a lot." With that, he prepared to leave.

"Hey, Uncle Li, wait a moment. When you go to the county town tomorrow or the day after, could you bring me back a weapon? Otherwise, smashing things is too uncomfortable. My reach is too short, and it doesn't feel right." Qin Hao said.

"A weapon? That's fine. It'll give you another layer of protection. What kind of weapon do you want?" Li Kang asked.

After thinking for a moment, Qin Hao grinned. "Then a hammer. Hammers are great for smashing people. The heavier, the better. Hehehe."

"A hammer? That works. You practice external cultivation, and your strength surpasses that of ordinary cultivators. Hammers deal high damage, so they really suit you. Don't worry. In a few days, Uncle Li will definitely bring you one." Li Kang turned and left after saying that.

Qin Hao also began preparing his dinner.

After eating his fill, Qin Hao practiced the Barbarian Bull Fist in the courtyard again. Any increase in strength, no matter how small, was still an increase.

Qin Hao did not give using hammers much thought. In his previous life, powerful people had all used hammers, and they had been incredibly strong—people like Li Yuanba and Pei Yuanqing. One hammer blow, one little friend flattened. They had looked utterly imposing, so Qin Hao wanted to change his weapon to a hammer as well. Just imagine how intimidating a huge man wielding a massive hammer would be.

Moreover, heavy weapons suited an external cultivation martial artist like Qin Hao better. Otherwise, if the weapon felt light and fluttery in his hands, would that not be like an elephant swinging a twig?

After practicing several sets of the Barbarian Bull Fist, Qin Hao prepared to go to bed. He still had to go to the Qin Clan to train tomorrow. Although Uncle Tianze might no longer be his match, Qin Hao lacked far too much battle experience. Just like when he had fought the demonic beast at noon, he only knew how to swing his fists and could not yet use the Barbarian Bull Fist proficiently. If he encountered stronger demonic beasts in the future, he would definitely suffer.

So, he still needed to gain more real combat experience.

The next day.

Early in the morning, Li Kang loaded the beast hides, demonic cores, and other items he and Qin Hao had hunted yesterday onto a horse carriage, preparing to take them to Qingshi County for sale.

At that moment, a woman came out of the house. She was Li Kang's wife, Li Xiaohua. "Honey, why are you up so early today? And didn't you just go to the county town to sell things the day before yesterday? Why are you going again today?"

Seeing his wife, Li Kang's face broke into a blissful smile. "Didn't I go hunting with Xiao Hao yesterday? I'm taking the prey Xiao Hao and I caught yesterday to the county town to sell. You know Xiao Hao is all alone at home now. If I sell these things quickly, he can live a little better, can't he?"

"And Xiao Hao wants a weapon too, so I'm going to look around the county town for one."

"No wonder you came back so late after visiting Xiao Hao yesterday. So you went hunting. But wasn't it a bit dangerous to take Xiao Hao along? He's still so young." Li Xiaohua had found it strange. He had only gone to deliver food, yet it had taken him so long to return.

At this, Li Kang put on an expression that said she did not understand. "Don't worry. Xiao Hao isn't the Xiao Hao he used to be. He's even stronger than I am now!"

Li Kang told her about the Killing intent they had encountered from the Scorpion-tailed Wolf yesterday, earning himself a vicious beating from his wife. "You empty-headed fool! Why didn't you tell me when you came back about something so dangerous? How are you? Is your body alright?"

"I'm fine. I only took one hit. But you have no idea how strong Xiao Hao is. He beat that demonic beast to death with his bare hands." Li Kang still spoke enthusiastically about what had happened yesterday.

"You're saying Xiao Hao has changed so much? Even if that child had a good build, he couldn't have grown this strong in such a short time."

When Qin Hao was mentioned, Li Xiaohua's face also revealed pity. "Ah, poor child. His parents both passed away in that sudden beast tide three years ago."

"Then go early and come back early. Be careful on the road." Hearing that Li Kang was going to buy a weapon for Qin Hao, she said nothing more and merely reminded him to be careful.

"Got it! I'm off!" With that, Li Kang drove the horse carriage toward Qingshi County.

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Qingshi County.

Li Kang arrived at a shop hung with all sorts of beast-hide goods.

"Well, well! Li Kang, what brings you here today? Did you catch more prey?" As soon as Li Kang entered, a voice came from inside the shop.

It belonged to a short man, less than six feet tall, with several gold teeth embedded in his mouth.

"Hehe, Shopkeeper Wang, haven't I caught a few beasts these past few days? I brought you something good to look at." Li Kang replied with a laugh.

"Enough talk. Hurry up and take it out. Let me see what good stuff you've got." The moment he heard there was something good, Shopkeeper Wang could no longer wait.

Seeing Shopkeeper Wang like this, Li Kang did not hide anything. He brought out the Scorpion-tailed Wolf's corpse, its tail stinger, and the demonic Beast core from the carriage.

"Impressive! You actually caught a first-rank demonic beast?" Shopkeeper Wang looked at Li Kang in disbelief.

"Hehe, I caught it together with someone else. Enough talk—do you want it or not? If not, I'll go to another shop." As he spoke, he made as if to pack everything up and leave.

"Yes, yes, of course I want it. I was just looking to brew a few jars of wine. The demonic Beast core and the corpse together, plus the beast hides on your carriage—four hundred and fifty taels in total. How about it?" Shopkeeper Wang had no intention of haggling and immediately offered the highest price.

Naturally, Li Kang agreed. He carried all the goods into the shop.

"Here, count it." Shopkeeper Wang tossed a bag of silver to Li Kang.

Li Kang checked it and found that the amount was correct. He then prepared to leave, as he still needed to look for Qin Hao's weapon. "Then thank you, Shopkeeper Wang. I have other matters to attend to, so I'll be going."

"If you get any more demonic beasts in the future, remember to come to me!" Shopkeeper Wang hurriedly called after Li Kang.

Before long, Li Kang drove his horse carriage to the weapon shop where he often bought weapons in the past.

"Li Kang, here to buy a weapon?" The owner sitting behind the counter raised his head when he saw Li Kang enter and spoke listlessly.

"I'm here to look for someone else. I want to see if there's a weapon suitable for him. I just don't know whether Boss Yang has one here." Li Kang sat down at the counter as he spoke.

"Oh? What kind of weapon do you want?" The man immediately became interested.

"Hammers. Do you have any particularly heavy hammers?" Li Kang asked directly.

"What? Hammers? You hunters need hammers to hunt now?" Boss Yang was rather confused. Why would anyone need hammers to hunt beasts? Shouldn't they use bows, spears, traps, and things like that?

"They're not for us hunters. They're for martial training. The kid is quite strong, and he wants to use hammers, so I came here to take a look." Seeing his reaction, Li Kang could only tell the truth.

"Martial training? No wonder. Come with me." He led Li Kang into a secret room.

The moment the secret room door opened, an entire room of weapons greeted their eyes. Sabers, spears, swords, halberds—everything was there.

Boss Yang then walked to a counter where several massive hammers were displayed.

"Take a look. Which one do you want?" Boss Yang pointed at the large hammers on the counter.

Li Kang looked over the hammers before picking them up to inspect them. He shook his head. He estimated that each hammer weighed only two or three hundred jin. "Do you have anything heavier? These are too light."

"These are still too light? Brother, they weigh two or three hundred jin! Didn't you say they're for a child? If they're any heavier, can he even swing them?" Boss Yang said, looking at Li Kang speechlessly.

"Hehe, that's what you don't know. That little brat is incredibly strong. Even I'm not as strong as he is." Li Kang said with a smile.

"A child whose strength exceeds yours?" Boss Yang asked hesitantly.

"That's right. The child is from the Qin Clan and has just started preparing to train in martial arts. He has quite a bit of natural strength. Hurry up—do you have any heavier hammers here or not? If not, I'm leaving. I still need to hurry back." Li Kang urged.

"Yes, yes, wait here." Boss Yang ran into another room.

Soon, he pushed out a large chest. "Oh, I'm exhausted. Here—this is the heaviest weapon in our shop."

Li Kang hurried forward and opened the chest. Inside was a pair of enormous Great iron hammers, black from top to bottom, each engraved with several ghostly faces. Their heads were seventy or eighty centimeters in diameter, and they gave off an icy chill.

"Boss, what kind of hammers are these? Why do they look so sinister?" Li Kang slowly asked as he stared at the hammers before him.

"You don't understand. These are called Black Fiend Hammers, forged from Black Fiend Iron. Each hammer weighs a thousand jin, so the pair weighs two thousand jin." Boss Yang introduced them from the side.

"Black Fiend Iron? The kind that has a certain suppressive effect on ghosts?" Li Kang asked, still somewhat uncertain.

"That's right, that kind. How about it? I'll give you a discount—two hundred taels for the pair. Hehe." Boss Yang said with a grin.

Li Kang gave Boss Yang a suspicious look. Even if they were sold as Black Fiend Iron alone, they should be worth more than two hundred taels. And they've been forged into weapons. This can't be so simple.

Boss Yang became uncomfortable beneath Li Kang's gaze, as though he had been seen through. He could only explain truthfully. "Sigh, I won't hide it from you. You know Black Fiend Iron has some restraining effect on ghosts, but the Killing intent it gives off also harms the human body!"

"Besides, these hammers are so huge and so heavy that very few people around here can use them. They're expensive too—who would want to buy them? And then there's the Killing intent."

Hearing that, Li Kang grew even angrier. "Then you still want to sell them to me?"

"Don't be angry. You said you were buying them for a child. What ordinary child training in martial arts has strength greater than yours? I think this child must be extraordinary! He should have something special about him, right, Li Kang?" Boss Yang asked with narrowed eyes and a smile.

"That's right. He should have a special constitution." Li Kang admitted directly.

"So these hammers will have almost no effect on him. Black Fiend Iron only affects low-cultivation cultivators, martial artists, and ordinary people to some extent. If I didn't think he had potential, I wouldn't sell them to you for two hundred taels." Boss Yang spoke with dissatisfaction.

"You're right. Two hundred it is. Here." Li Kang tossed him two hundred taels.

Boss Yang received the money without even looking at the bag of silver. Instead, he stared at Li Kang. "That child is Qin Hao, isn't he?"

Hearing that Boss Yang knew the person was Qin Hao, Li Kang looked at him in surprise. "How did you know?"

"Brother, didn't you say he was from the Qin Clan earlier? The Qin Clan members closest to you were Qin Hao's parents, weren't they? Do you think everyone is as foolish as you?" Boss Yang said, utterly speechless.

"Alright, I'm not plotting anything. I just want to remind you to be careful lately." He spoke with a mysterious expression.

"What? Did something happen recently?" Li Kang asked.

"I heard that some villages in the neighboring county were slaughtered to the last man. And I heard ghosts were responsible." Boss Yang said slowly.

"How come I haven't heard anyone mention it?" Li Kang stared at Boss Yang in shock upon hearing that ghosts had wiped out villages.

"I have my own information channels. You'd best be careful. These Black Fiend Hammers are just right for that little fellow to protect himself with. Hurry and go. Even the nights aren't safe anymore." Boss Yang urged.

"Got it! I'll be leaving first!" Li Kang loaded the hammers onto the horse carriage one by one and drove toward Mangshan Village.

Boss Yang, meanwhile, looked mysteriously in the direction of Mangshan Village and slowly said, "Sigh. Evil spirits are descending. I wonder whether you'll be able to endure it."

With that, he slowly walked back inside, and the shop door shut by itself.