In their eyes, Chen Bin, a mere Blood Change Martial Artist, was as good as dead.
But when Chen Bin reached them, he stopped.
Their vision swayed. Everything blurred.
They heard a single clang. The pitch-black Demon Suppression Blade flashed like a bolt of black lightning, vanishing into the darkness.
By the time they came to their senses, their heads were already soaring into the sky.
As their vision spun high above, they saw not only their own headless bodies, but also Chen Bin closing in on Tiger Three.
Then darkness swallowed the world. Thump! Their heads hit the ground.
Chen Bin's gaze sharpened. The blade driving forward met a sturdy arm. Tiger Three had actually caught it in his hand.
The blade he'd poured all his strength into had taken the heads of Tian Jie and the others, but that had cost him the initiative to strike again.
The whole exchange had happened in a flash. By the time the blade's gleam had severed Tian Jie's neck and then thrust toward Tiger Three, the blade in Chen Bin's hand had nearly run out of force.
Worse, the long duration of that strike had given the Tiger Demon time to react. A huge tiger's roar rolled out like rumbling thunder, spreading across the whole mountainside.
Tiger Three winced and let out a low growl, his voice brimming with fury. "Kill them!"
The six Tiger Demons behind him charged forward.
As he spoke, his other arm bent and swung a punch. It came with a sharp whoosh, the force of it seeming to tear the air apart.
Chen Bin threw a punch of his own, meeting his opponent head-on.
In an instant, the veins in Chen Bin's arm bulged. He shot out like a cannonball, tumbling and smashing through the air before crashing into countless low shrubs along the way.
The shrubs groaned beneath him, branches and leaves scattering everywhere.
At the same time, screams broke out all around.
Chen Bin's blade hadn't killed everyone.
It had only killed Tian Jie and two people nearby. Four others still remained alive.
Now, the enraged Tiger Demons tore them apart. Their screams cut off abruptly, and the mountain forest fell silent once more. Only the thick stench of blood lingered in the air.
Even a perfected blade technique still isn't enough? Chen Bin rose to his feet, leaning on his blade. His left hand trembled, almost entirely numb.
He recalled the words of a senior in the Demon Suppression Division: a human couldn't defeat the Demon Race at the same level of cultivation.
That Tiger Demon stood a full zhang tall, and its fists were thicker than Chen Bin's waist.
How could he possibly win?
If he couldn't win at the same level, then he needed a higher level.
"What about the supreme Demon Suppression Blade Technique?"
Max it out for me!
Chen Bin poured a hundred points of Merit directly into the Demon Suppression Blade Technique.
[You have spent 100 points of Merit. Your understanding of Demon Suppression Blade Technique has improved.] [Through your deductions, Demon Suppression Blade Technique has returned to simplicity and become part of your daily life.] [Merit remaining: 541] [Martial Arts]: Demon Suppression Blade Technique (Supreme)
This was what "supreme" felt like.
Beginner, proficient, expert, perfected, supreme.
Supreme—the highest of the five Martial Arts stages.
Chen Bin's right hand, which had been resting on the blade, suddenly tightened around its hilt.
His right hand was as steady as a mountain now, as though he'd held a blade for five hundred years.
The Tiger Demon before him radiated a chilling aura. It had clearly reached the peak of the Body Tempering Realm.
If so, then he could only improve himself.
Chen Bin turned his gaze to the [Cultivation] column.
[You have spent 100 points of Merit. Your constitution has been enhanced, and your cultivation has advanced. Your cultivation has reached Jade Marrow Stage Perfected.] [Merit remaining: 441]
In an instant, a golden light flashed through his body and vanished.
An invisible yet immense power flowed along his blood, seeping into every inch of his flesh before spreading through his limbs and bones. It was especially strong around his spine.
His back warmed slightly. The heat swiftly coursed through his body, raising him to a state higher than he'd ever known.
His left arm, which had been stiff and difficult to move, gradually came back to life as the power nourished it.
Now, Chen Bin felt endless strength bubbling up like spring water from every part of his body, surging without end.
The seven Tiger Demons seemed to sense the change in Chen Bin as well.
The Tiger Demons had been slowly approaching with heavy steps, chewing on chunks of flesh. Their pupils suddenly contracted.
Tiger Three, at the head of the group, looked surprised. He hadn't expected the full-force punch he'd thrown earlier to fail to kill the man before him.
These corpses belonged to cultivators brimming with vital energy—all of them were choice prey.
Tian Jie had been the strongest among them, having reached the Jade Marrow Realm. Prey like that was usually reserved for his father.
"I didn't expect you to be Jade Marrow, too."
Tiger Three's eyes burned as he stared at Chen Bin, the Demon Suppression Division constable who had risen to his feet in the distance. He casually tossed Tian Jie's half-eaten corpse aside.
Then he wiped the blood from his face with a claw, the corners of his mouth twisting into a cruel grin. "Good. I'm still hungry!"
With that, he swept out a hand and growled, "Kill him first."
Tiger Three bent his knees slightly. The muscles in his upper body instantly tensed, bulging like earth dragons writhing beneath his skin, swelling with explosive strength.
Then his body shot forward like a cannonball, hurtling straight toward where Chen Bin stood with the wind howling around him.
Meanwhile, the other six Tiger Demons fanned out. Their fur bristled as their muscles swelled, and they pounced toward Chen Bin from all sides like beasts poised to strike.
They were cutting off his escape route, surrounding him to kill.
Chen Bin quickly held his blade across his body. Its cold edge split his line of sight in two, but both halves fixed on Tiger Three as he hurtled through the air.
He knew that the Tiger Demon's cultivation was no lower than his own.
He had to deal with the other six Tiger Demons first before he could focus on the most troublesome one, Tiger Three.
Tiger Three's punch came with the force of a mountain collapsing and the sea surging, powerful enough to split a mountain. It tore the mountain wind to shreds.
Just as the tiger's fist was about to smash into Chen Bin, his figure abruptly vanished.
The howling punch slammed into the ground, sending countless rocks flying. Shards shot in every direction like bullets.
Chen Bin's figure became a blur as he streaked through the flying rubble toward a Tiger Demon.
The Red Name above its head showed that this Tiger Demon was worth 8 points of Merit.
In the blink of an eye, Chen Bin swept toward the Tiger Demon like a gust of wind.
Both sides moved at incredible speed. The perfected Demon Suppression Blade Technique flashed into action, its black blade gleam seemingly blending into the endless darkness, almost impossible to see.
As they passed one another, a piercing roar! rang through the forest. A huge tiger's head soared into the sky, blood spraying out like a fountain.
Whoosh! A fist wind swept across like a blade, crushing everything in its path.
Chen Bin tapped the ground with his toes and forcibly twisted his body around, slashing backhanded in the same motion.
The strike came as naturally as a step, smooth as if he were simply walking.
Splurt...
Roar!
The Demon Suppression Blade, its edge gleaming with red patterns, was razor-sharp. It tore through Tiger Three's wrist in an instant, leaving a horrifying gash. Tiger Three let out a piercing scream.
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