"What?"
"How could this be!"
The Demon Suppression Division members watched in shock as the Giant Hound returned to its original state in an instant, despite their long, fierce battle. It hadn't been weakened at all?
The Giant Hound could pull that off, but Lin Chen couldn't. He wasn't completely unspent!
"Holy crap... are you an inflatable dog? You deflate, then just blow yourself back up!"
Lin Chen was stunned, too. He'd spent a great deal of effort, yet the thing had recovered in an instant. Even a Fourth Order expert couldn't do that!
There was definitely more to this thing than met the eye. With his current strength alone, Lin Chen might not be able to outlast it.
"Enhance!"
Without hesitation, Lin Chen chose to enhance himself again.
"Origin: 1500"
"Martial arts available for enhancement: Phoenix Undying Body, First Stage (4/9)"
In an instant, the Blood Qi True Flame within Lin Chen grew stronger and more condensed. His strength had clearly increased compared to just moments before.
"This god is immortal and indestructible! After fighting this long, how much strength do you have left?" the Giant Hound's right head cackled arrogantly.
"Die, mortal!" its left head roared.
The Giant Hound charged at Lin Chen again, its attacks as fierce as they'd been at the start. But Lin Chen's attacks were even fiercer. Blood Qi True Flame erupted, and the Giant Hound let out a string of agonized howls.
"Damn it, your strength..."
"You were hiding your strength!"
The Giant Hound was furious. Scorched by the Blood Qi True Flame, it realized that Lin Chen was now unleashing even greater strength. He'd clearly been holding back!
"You're allowed to blow yourself back up, but I'm not allowed to keep a little something in reserve?" Lin Chen chuckled, looking at the Giant Hound. "Let's see if you're really immortal and indestructible!"
"Blood Qi True Flame, full power!"
Lin Chen drove the Blood Qi True Flame to its limit. It engulfed his body as he leaped onto the Giant Hound's back. His fists flew, raining down on its left head.
Naturally, the Giant Hound didn't just sit there and take it. Its two huge mouths attacked without pause as it lurched from side to side, trying to throw Lin Chen off. But it was all in vain. With his strength greatly increased, Lin Chen clung firmly to its back.
"Wait..."
After Lin Chen had unleashed a storm of attacks, the left head suddenly spoke. "Why are you only hitting me and not him?"
All of Lin Chen's attacks had landed on the left head. Though the Giant Hound suffered the damage as a whole, the left head bore the brunt of the pain.
"Just happened to be convenient," Lin Chen said with a dismissive shrug. "Since you asked so sincerely, I'll grant your wish!"
Before he'd even finished speaking, Lin Chen immediately turned his attention to the right head and let loose a barrage of attacks.
"You idiot! We share the damage. What difference does it make whether you hit me or him?" the right head roared.
The left head refused to back down. "You're the idiot! You're getting hit now, aren't you?"
"I'll bite you to death!"
The right head flew into a rage and lunged at the left head. The two heads completely ignored Lin Chen's attacks and started biting each other.
"This is actually a thing?"
The Demon Suppression Division members were utterly dumbfounded. They'd never seen the likes of this: a Two-Headed Hound fighting itself?
"A dog-eat-dog fight?"
Lin Chen hadn't expected a few words from him to make the two heads start fighting. They clearly had minds of their own. Though they shared one body, each was independent.
The two heads hurt each other while Lin Chen kept attacking. In mere moments, the Giant Hound had shrunk dramatically, and its strength had clearly waned.
"Open up!"
Lin Chen roared and drove the Blood Qi True Flame to its limit. Its terrifying force slammed into the Giant Hound's back, ripping open a massive wound. The flame surged into its body and began burning it from within.
"Ahhh! Woof! Woof!"
The two heads shrieked. They accused each other as they bit and tore, their struggle growing even more vicious instead of stopping.
Boom—
The Blood Qi True Flame erupted throughout the Giant Hound's body. Its enormous form was completely consumed, crumbling into ash.
"Slain Fourth Order ghost creature, Dog Ghost Clone. Origin +4000."
A clone?
Lin Chen shuddered. The Giant Hound before him had been only a Fourth Order ghost creature, yet it had been so difficult to deal with—and it was merely a clone? How powerful must its true body be?
Still, its unusual nature explained why it had been so difficult to deal with despite being only a Fourth Order ghost creature. Lin Chen's current strength had definitely reached the Fifth Order!
"What's wrong?" Seeing Lin Chen freeze, the leading Cultivation World cultivator from the Demon Suppression Division stepped forward.
Lin Chen looked at the members of the Demon Suppression Division and said gravely, "That thing was only a clone."
What?
A clone?
It had been that powerful as just a clone. If the Giant Hound hadn't fought itself, and Lin Chen hadn't unleashed his Blood Qi True Flame from within, it wouldn't have been so easy to kill.
And now Lin Chen was telling them that this had only been a clone?
"Looks like the Fusang Cultivation World has a grand scheme in mind. The methods used in Tumen Village were laid down decades ago. They've merely activated the preparations they made back then," the leading Cultivation World cultivator from the Demon Suppression Division said gravely.
Preparations laid down decades ago?
Lin Chen was startled, then his eyes lit up. The Fusang Cultivation World had likely set up more than one place with methods like these!
Each one meant more Origin!
"If any more Fusang Cultivators show up, contact me right away!" Killing intent surged from Lin Chen.
The Demon Suppression Division members nodded. They could see that Lin Chen showed no mercy to the Fusang Cultivators, and that he was powerful. They were naturally glad to have someone like him willing to step in.
With the Dog Ghost Clone slain, the fog over Tumen Village quickly dispersed, revealing the entire village.
Tumen Village was still as silent as the grave. Lin Chen hesitated, then finally asked the question on his mind. "How many casualties?"
"Dozens of villagers were killed or injured. We protected the others in the Ancestral Hall," the leading Cultivation World cultivator from the Demon Suppression Division replied heavily.
Dozens?
Lin Chen's expression shifted. Rural populations were already small these days. Dozens of casualties meant that perhaps a third of the whole village was gone. And those left behind in the countryside were mostly the elderly, women, and children!
"Damn those Fusang bastards!" Lin Chen was furious.
"If I get the chance, I'll make Fusang pay for this!" Lin Chen said coldly.
The Demon Suppression Division members didn't say anything. Making Fusang pay was easier said than done. It was no longer something they could control; the matter had reached the level of nations.
"The mission in Tumen Village is over. I'll head out first!"
Lin Chen understood that although he was strong, charging into Fusang now would be suicide. He could only take revenge after growing stronger!
With the fog no longer in his way, Lin Chen left the village with ease. But as he departed, his heart was far heavier than it had been when he arrived.
Whoosh~
Just as he left the village, a huge black shadow burst from the roadside and blocked his way. It was a massive python.
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