The cold system prompt sounded like war drums! Monster Qi soared into the sky from four directions—east, west, north, and south! Fifteen in the east, thirteen in the west, eleven in the north, sixteen in the south... a full fifty-five demons! Fifty-five moving Skill Points! Fifty-five punching bags for venting his fury!
"Ha... Hahaha!" Wang Quan threw back his head and laughed wildly, his laughter laden with madness and brutality suppressed for far too long! The groveling misery since crossing over, the humiliation of being Blood Tax, the helplessness of witnessing tragedies, the hatred for this unjust Worldly Affairs... all those emotions erupted completely at this moment! He needed blood! He needed slaughter! He needed to crush everything before his eyes!
"Good! Excellent! Come, all of you! Today, I'm going to kill to my heart's content!"
His figure exploded into motion! Shadow Step at its perfected level turned him into a bloody bolt of lightning as he lunged toward the east, where the Monster Qi was densest! Wherever he passed, the air let out shrill detonations!
East, the jagged stone forest.
The demons that had just returned from showing off their might at the garrison were laughing and cursing, savoring the thrill of torturing and killing the "Blood Tax."
"Pah! Those lowly human beasts, even their blood is sour!" cursed a Wolf Demon, licking the bloodstains from its claws.
"Hehe, next time, we ought to make them send us some tender little children. I hear children's hearts and livers are the most nourishing..." the Fox Demon beside it laughed obscenely.
Suddenly!
A blood-red figure crashed into the center of the demon horde like a meteor! The ground cracked, and waves of air surged outward!
"What was that?!"
"Enemy attack!"
The demons turned around in terror, only to see a pair of blood-red eyes brimming with endless savagery!
"Die!"
Wang Quan did not use his saber at all. He needed the most direct sensation! The most violent release! His left hand shot out like a dragon's claw, faster than the eye could follow, and seized the Wolf Demon that had spoken by the face!
"No! Spare..." The Wolf Demon's plea came to an abrupt end!
Splurt—!
His five fingers tightened, crushing the Wolf Demon's head into pulp! Red and white matter splashed across the Fox Demon's face!
"M-Monster!" The Fox Demon was so terrified that its soul nearly fled its body. It turned to run!
Wang Quan stomped down with his right foot. The ground exploded beneath him, and he chased after it like a phantom, driving out a plain and direct right punch!
The Fox Demon's upper body exploded outright! Chunks of flesh, shattered bones, and internal organs rained down in all directions!
"Form the array! Quickly, form the array!" The Pig Demon leader was so frightened that its liver and gallbladder nearly burst, its voice changing pitch. It recognized the killing star from the city wall! "Attack together! Otherwise, we'll all die!"
"Die? None of you are leaving alive today!" Wang Quan laughed madly and charged straight into the demon horde trying to form an array! He no longer dodged. His perfected Soul Sculpting Realm body withstood their attacks head-on—fists, feet, elbows, knees—his entire body was a weapon!
One punch sent a Bear Demon's blocking arms snapping inch by inch, its chest collapsing inward!
One sweeping kick severed three lesser demons at the waist, sending them screaming to the ground!
He even grabbed a Hedgehog Demon and used its spike-covered body as a wolf-toothed club, swinging it madly and smashing the surrounding demons until their bones broke and tendons snapped!
"Run! Run for it! He's insane! He's a devil!" The demons collapsed completely. Their formation scattered as they fled in every direction, crying for their fathers and mothers!
"Run? Where can you run?" Wang Quan moved like the wind. Every time he flickered, a demon would be violently torn apart amid ultimate terror! He reveled in the thrill of controlling life and death, of slaughtering at will, reveling in the despairing wails of demons at death's door!
[East, fifteen Spirit Awakening Realm demons, all eliminated! Skill Points gained: 60!]
West, the abandoned woods.
The thirteen demons here had already heard the faint screams from the east and had formed a tight defensive formation. The Green-faced Ape Demon stood at the front, holding a black iron heavy staff carved with strange runes. Its aura was clearly stronger than that of the Pig Demon leader in the east, nearing the peak of the Spirit Awakening Realm.
"Hold steady!" the Ape Demon said in a low voice, carrying a hint of suppressed tension. "You all heard the commotion in the east. Our foe comes with ill intent, but if we hold our formation, we may not be without a fighting chance! Don't forget, we patrol here under the orders of 'that lord'!"
The moment its words fell, that blood-soaked figure stepped out of the shadows between the trees. With every step, the ground trembled faintly. A thick stench of blood and Killing Intent nearly solid enough to take form washed over them, making every demon's heart involuntarily spasm.
"Gulp." A smaller Raccoon Demon swallowed hard, its legs beginning to tremble.
"H-He looks even more terrifying than the rumors..." another Deer Demon said shakily.
Wang Quan halted and swept his crimson gaze across the demon formation standing ready for battle. A cruel curve tugged at his lips. "An array? A turtle shell? Too bad I came here today specifically to smash turtle shells!"
"Arrogant!" Enraged by his contempt, the Ape Demon suppressed its unease and shouted, "Change formation! Profound Yin Strangling Array! Trap him!"
The Monster Qi of the thirteen demons linked together instantly. Streams of gray-black Monster Qi stretched from their bodies like chains, weaving into a giant net in the air and descending upon Wang Quan! The instant the array formed, the temperature plummeted. White frost spread over the ground, while a bone-piercingly cold force attempted to invade and freeze Wang Quan's Blood Qi and movements.
"Trifling tricks!" Wang Quan laughed madly. Rather than evade, he charged straight toward the center of the demon array! Turtle Snake Coiling Dragon Strength at perfection thundered through his body. His supremely yang, supremely forceful Blood Qi erupted like a blazing furnace, and a faint golden-red glow spread over his skin. The moment those frigid demonic chains touched him, they hissed as though snow meeting the sun, melting away at once!
"What?! The Profound Yin Monster Qi is actually ineffective against him?!" An old Wolf-like Demon presiding over the array core was terrified out of its wits.
"Attack! Attack with everything you have!" The Ape Demon's pupils contracted as it realized things had gone wrong. Gripping the black iron staff with both hands, it frantically poured demonic power into it. The Runes on the staff lit with ghostly radiance as it smashed down at Wang Quan with a shriek that tore through the air! "Take this! Mountain Splitting Strike!"
At the same time, a Leopard Demon on the left and a Poison Scorpion Spirit on the right revealed their true forms. Their speed surged as claws and a venom-coated tail hook shot toward Wang Quan's vital points like lightning! From behind, several Demonic Beasts skilled in long-range attacks spewed poison, wind blades, and bone spikes, creating a dense barrage!
Facing the overwhelming assault, the madness in Wang Quan's eyes only intensified! He needed stronger stimulation, and he needed to destroy everything in the most tyrannical way possible!
"Come on! All of you, come! Let me warm up!"
He still did not use his saber. Clenching both fists, he erupted with Blood Qi like a volcanic blast! He ignored the attacks from both sides and behind him, concentrating all his strength in his right fist. Its surface took on a metallic sheen, while the phantom of a dragon turtle vaguely coiled around it. He fearlessly met the Ape Demon's immense black iron staff head-on!
Boom—!!!!!!!
Fist and staff collided like thunder exploding beneath clear skies! A terrifying shockwave burst outward in a ring, snapping the trees within dozens of yards at the waist and overturning the earth! The Ape Demon felt an indescribable force surge through the iron staff. Its tiger's mouth split open at once, and the black iron heavy staff was bent into a shocking arc by a single punch! With a scream, it was blasted away together with its staff. It crashed through seven or eight large trees before barely stopping, blood spraying wildly from its mouth!
Wang Quan took the Ape Demon's full-force strike head-on, yet his body merely swayed slightly! At the same time, the Leopard Demon's claws scraped against his ribs with a teeth-grating screech of metal on iron, leaving only several white marks. The Poison Scorpion Spirit's tail hook stabbed into his back, only to be bounced away with a ding, its hooked tip chipping apart!
"Impossible!" The Leopard Demon and Poison Scorpion Spirit were scared out of their wits. Their attacks could not break his defense?!
"Was that scratching an itch? My turn!" Wang Quan spun around fiercely. His left hand flashed out and seized the Leopard Demon's front paw before it could withdraw it, while his right hand precisely caught the Poison Scorpion Spirit's stabbing tail hook!
Crack! Splurt!
The Leopard Demon's front leg was torn off by brute force! The Poison Scorpion Spirit's incomparably tough tail hook was crushed outright!
"Argh!" The two demons let out miserable screams.
Wang Quan pressed his advantage without mercy. He used the screaming Leopard Demon as a sandbag, swinging it around and hurling it at a Toad Demon in the distance that was spewing poison!
Bang! The Toad Demon was smashed into pieces!
Then he grabbed the Poison Scorpion Spirit by the body and swung it like a flail, sweeping several other demons attempting ranged attacks off their feet, breaking their bones and tendons. The formation instantly fell into chaos!
"Demon! He's a demon!"
"The array is broken! Run!"
"Help! I don't want to die!"
The demons' fighting spirit collapsed completely. They cried and scattered in every direction. Seeing the situation turn against them, the old Wolf-like Demon turned into a streak of gray shadow and tried to burrow underground.
"Where do you think you're going?" Wang Quan stomped down. The ground exploded with a roar, and his violent Blood Qi penetrated deep into the earth, forcibly blasting out the old Wolf-like Demon when it had only half-burrowed underground. Its bones and tendons shattered, and it died on the spot.
Finally, Wang Quan fixed his gaze on the Ape Demon struggling to crawl back up.
"N-No, don't kill me!" The Ape Demon looked at Wang Quan, who was approaching step by step, its eyes filled with despairing terror. "I... I am the mountain-patrolling vanguard of Black Wind Cave! If you kill me, the Cave Master won't let you go!"
"Black Wind Cave?" Wang Quan tilted his head and revealed a cruel smile. "Perfect. Sooner or later, I'm going to flatten that place anyway! You can go down and wait for me first!"
Before his words had faded, he flashed forward and appeared before the Ape Demon. Under its terrified gaze, he grabbed its head with one hand and its ankle with the other!
"No—!" The Ape Demon let out one last despairing roar.
Riiip—!
Blood and internal organs splashed everywhere! The Green-faced Ape Demon was torn alive into two halves!
[West, thirteen Spirit Awakening Realm demons, all eliminated! Skill Points gained: 52!]
South, the mass graveyard.
The Yin Qi here was exceptionally dense. Tombs covered the ground, and dry bones jutted out everywhere. Sixteen Corpse Demons and ghosts lurked in the shadows and graves. They were anomalies among demons, feeding on Yin Sha Qi and the blood, essence, and souls of living creatures. They were best at concealment, illusions, and soul attacks.
At their head was a thousand-year Corpse General clad in tattered official robes, its skin bluish-black. Ghostly green flames danced in its eye sockets, and its aura was cold and powerful. It already had one foot in the Soul Sculpting Realm. At its side followed several Fox Ghosts adept at creating illusions, Shadow Demons capable of slipping into shadows to attack, and Corpse Demons covered in rot that spat Corpse Poison.
"Be careful. Powerful Blood Qi is approaching." The Corpse General's voice was dry and hoarse, like two pieces of bone grinding together. "Very vigorous life essence... a great tonic. But... also very dangerous."
"General, what are you afraid of?" A Fox Ghost licked its lips. "In this mass graveyard, this is our home ground! The Yin Sha Qi is dense, multiplying the might of our illusions and escape arts! No matter how vigorous his Blood Qi is, once Yin Qi erodes it, his strength will be greatly reduced!"
"That's right!" A Shadow Demon writhed in the darkness. "Let me scout him out first and drain a little of his yang energy!"
Just then, Wang Quan stepped into the mass graveyard. Dense Yin Sha Qi surged toward him like a tide, attempting to erode his body and will. Countless wronged souls howled beside his ears, accompanied by seductive whispers. Before his eyes appeared all manner of horrifying illusions—family members dying tragic deaths, corpses piled into mountains, vicious ghosts choosing people to devour...
An ordinary martial artist, even one in the Soul Sculpting Realm, would have their strength diminished and mind shaken in such an environment.
Yet Wang Quan only frowned before revealing an even more excited and cruel smile. "Playing ghost tricks? I hate this crap the most!"
He suddenly drew in a deep breath. Turtle Snake Coiling Dragon Strength within him began operating at full force, and his supremely yang Blood Qi erupted! Golden-red light blazed around him, making him seem like a human-shaped furnace! Any Yin Sha Qi, ghostly wails, or wolfish howls that came within three yards of him melted away like snow! The illusions also trembled violently and became blurred and indistinct!
"What?! His yang Blood Qi is actually this blazing? Even the Yin Qi of the mass graveyard cannot suppress it?!" The ghostfire in the Corpse General's eye sockets flickered wildly, revealing its shock.
"Let me do it!" The Shadow Demon let out a shriek and transformed into an almost invisible faint shadow. Following the shadows on the ground, it struck toward Wang Quan's back like lightning! This was its innate divine ability—Shadow Escape Assassination! Among those of the same realm, very few could detect or defend against it!
But after repeated slaughter and a surge in strength, Wang Quan's spiritual senses had become sharp to the extreme! The instant the Shadow Demon moved, he caught that faint, nearly imperceptible cold fluctuation!
"Found you, little rat!"
Without even turning his head, Wang Quan drove a backhand punch behind him! Blood Qi condensed over his fist like a red-hot branding iron, smashing with flawless precision toward a patch of shadow on the ground!
"Argh—!" A scream so shrill it barely sounded human rang out! That patch of shadow twisted violently as the Shadow Demon was forcibly driven out. A charred hole had been blasted through its chest, Yin Qi pouring from it. It was clearly beyond saving.
"Shadow Demon!" the Fox Ghost cried out. Then cunning flashed in its eyes. Its body swayed, transforming into several lifelike phantoms that simultaneously released seductive sounds, trying to bewilder Wang Quan's mind. "Come now, my lord~ Look at me—am I not beautiful~?"
"Beautiful?" Wang Quan grinned, baring gleaming white teeth. "I'll turn you into an ugly freak!"
He did not bother distinguishing the true body at all, simply punching into the area where the phantoms were densest! His violent Blood Qi melted the Fox Ghost's illusion like scorching sunlight melting snow. Its true form was instantly exposed, and the punch wind grazed it, sending it screaming through the air with half its face caved in.
"Attack together! Wear him down!" The Corpse General could no longer remain still and personally entered the battle! It opened its mouth and spewed dark-green Corpse Poison, its foul stench nauseating and its corrosiveness extreme! At the same time, it swung both claws, raising streaks of sharp black claw wind! The other Corpse Demons also spat poison and charged forward, waving their rotting limbs to surround him!
"Yes! Like that! Now this is getting interesting!" Rather than being alarmed, Wang Quan was delighted. He laughed madly and met them head-on! He still fought with only his fists, but his style became even more violent! Corpse Poison evaporated the instant it approached his Blood Qi, while claw wind striking him produced the clang of metal against iron! Every punch he threw smashed a Corpse Demon into fragments! He even grabbed one Corpse Demon by the arm and used it as a weapon, swinging it into another Corpse Demon!
Within the mass graveyard, booming impacts, agonized screams, and the sounds of bones breaking rang out without end! Wang Quan was like a tiger entering a flock of sheep, unstoppable wherever he went! The Corpse General's claws scratched his shoulder, leaving only several white marks. Instead, Wang Quan seized its arm with a backhand grip!
Crack! The Corpse General's arm was snapped off by brute force!
"Impossible! Your body..." The Corpse General was terrified beyond measure.
"Go ask the King of Hell!" Wang Quan formed his fingers into a blade with his other hand, thrusting it straight into the Corpse General's eye socket and crushing the dancing ghostfire within!
The Corpse General released an unwilling wail. Its massive body crashed to the ground, turning into a truly dead corpse.
The remaining ghosts and demons saw their leader dead and were so terrified that their souls nearly fled their bodies. They scattered into the depths of the graves.
"Run? Get the hell out here!" Wang Quan was killing to his heart's content. He punched repeatedly at the burial mounds! Blood Qi erupted like cannon fire, blasting tomb after tomb apart. The ghosts hiding inside had nowhere to hide and were reduced to ashes beneath his supremely yang Blood Qi!
[South, sixteen Spirit Awakening Realm demons, all eliminated! Skill Points gained: 64!]
North, the dry-bone riverbank.
This was a muddy river of stagnant water, its banks covered with dry bones from every kind of creature. Eleven aquatic demons hid in the depths. Having heard the horrifying commotion from the other three directions, they were already scared out of their wits.
"What do we do, Big Brother? The brothers in the east, west, and south... seem to have all fallen!" a Carp Spirit said in a trembling voice.
"It's too terrifying! That isn't human at all! He's a demon god! We should flee through the riverbed!" A Crab Spirit waved its huge pincers in panic.
The aquatic demons' leader was a massive Crocodile Demon. It was somewhat calmer, but its eyes were still filled with fear. "The waterway... the waterway isn't safe either! I can feel it. That Killing Intent has locked onto this entire area! If we show ourselves now, we die!"
Just then, heavy footsteps sounded from the shore.
Wang Quan arrived at the riverbank, covered in blood, his Killing Intent nearly solid enough to take form. Looking at the muddy river, he could clearly sense more than a dozen terrified streams of Monster Qi below the water.
"You turtles in the water, get the hell out here!" His voice was cold, carrying unquestionable killing intent.
The demons beneath the water trembled in fear and dared not make a sound.
"Not coming out?" Wang Quan gave a savage grin. "Then I'll invite you out!"
He drew in a deep breath as Blood Qi throughout his body surged madly into his right leg! His entire right leg instantly swelled by a full circle, giving off terrifying heat! He raised his right foot high, then viciously stomped down on the riverbank!
Rumble—!!!!
He was not stomping the ground, but... stomping the water! A violently condensed force of Blood Qi, like an invisible colossal dragon, fiercely poured into the river along the bank!
The entire stretch of river was as if a gigantic red-hot branding iron had been thrown into it! The surface boiled and vaporized violently! Terrifying heat and shockwaves rampaged beneath the water!
"Ao!"
"It's burning me alive!"
"Help!"
Miserable screams rose from beneath the water! The eleven aquatic demons were like boiled dumplings, forced to float to the surface one after another. Their skin split and flesh tore, steam rising from their bodies as they rolled about in agony!
"Now you know to come out? Too late!" Wang Quan flashed like lightning and charged into the river, beginning a one-sided massacre! Fists, kicks, tearing hands... These aquatic demons had originally been able to maneuver using the terrain underwater, but now that they had been forced ashore, they possessed no power to resist before the violent Wang Quan!
The Crocodile Demon tried to resist with its thick hide and tough flesh, but Wang Quan grabbed its tail and swung it against a huge rock on the riverbank, smashing it dozens of times until it became a puddle of meat!
[North, eleven Spirit Awakening Realm demons, all eliminated! Skill Points gained: 44!]
Total kill rewards: 220 Skill Points!
Previous remaining Skill Points: 9.
Current total Skill Points: 229! ```
When the last aquatic demon died, Wang Quan stood alone amid mountains of corpses and rivers of blood. His Killing Intent shot into the heavens, while his Blood Qi rose like a beacon of wolf smoke straight into the sky! The consecutive bouts of extreme slaughter had vented all his suppressed emotions, while also tempering and refining his body and Blood Qi to an entirely new peak!
Buzz—!!!
The Vital Energy of heaven and earth trembled! His vast Blood Qi burst uncontrollably from his body and gathered in the air into three clear manifestations:
The first was "Bronze Skin," flickering with light like cast ancient bronze, indestructible;
The second was "Iron Bones," with the outline of a skeleton appearing, gleaming with cold metallic light, holding up the heavens and treading the earth;
The third was "Mercury Blood," a river of Blood Qi rushing onward, heavy and dense, producing the sound of flowing mercury and containing terrifying power!
The three manifestations hung high in the sky, dyeing half the heavens a faint reddish gold! A powerful life force field spread out from Wang Quan as its center. The bones and tendons throughout his body rang in unison, like hundred-times-forged steel repeatedly hammered, releasing sonorous clangs. Whenever his Blood Qi circulated, it roared like a rushing river, astonishing in its momentum!
On the garrison wall, Commander Chen's hunched figure abruptly straightened. A terrifying gleam burst from his clouded eyes as he looked toward the direction where the manifestations had risen. He muttered, "Blood Qi Beacon, initial manifestations... Bronze Skin, Iron Bones, Mercury Blood... Good heavens! Someone has actually taken this step here! I wonder whose young talent this is..."
In a small courtyard west of the city, Madman Xu pushed open his window and looked at the reddish-gold manifestations. His fingers unconsciously calculated as madness and clarity intertwined in his eyes. He muttered, "That Blood Qi scent... is it that boy? How could he be this fast... The Myriad Monster Blood Devouring Art together with Turtle-Snake Force... it actually let him walk this path? Interesting. Too interesting!"
Deep within the county yamen, General of the Middle Army Li Chongshan stood before a window with his hands behind his back. The usual hypocritical smile on his face had vanished, replaced by deep greed and coldness. He said softly to the shadows, "Find out who caused those manifestations. That body... that Blood Qi... is an excellent experimental subject! Make sure to... invite him back!" A vague reply came from the shadows, then quietly faded away.
Farther away, some demons who had been lucky enough to escape, or had originally been watching from the outer perimeter, saw the terrifying manifestations in the distance and felt the oppressive force of that pure Blood Qi. All of them were trembling in fear.
"Blood Qi Beacon! A human genius!"
"Quick! Go report to the King! Anping County has produced another tough opponent!"
"This boy cannot be allowed to live! We must strangle him before he grows!"
At the center of the manifestations, Wang Quan felt an unprecedented power within his body. It was a sense of control born from the perfect union of flesh and Blood Qi, as effortless as moving his own arms and fingers. Slowly raising his head, he looked at the manifestations that belonged to him. The boulders in his heart were swept away, and heroic spirit surged into the heavens from his chest. Unable to restrain himself, he laughed loudly, his voice shaking the four wilds:
"Hahaha! One fist split stone and shattered this mortal frame; Blood Qi like mercury, and I finally take the stage!"
His laughter echoed over the wilderness, carrying the sheer exhilaration of washing away humiliation and the confidence of advancing toward strength.
He looked around at the monster corpse skeletons, the bloodlight in his eyes not yet faded, though a trace of cold understanding had appeared within them. In a low voice, he recited:
"In spring I slay demons; in summer I slaughter corpses; in autumn I kill men, and in winter I kill men. Living creatures chew old bones; where death lies, new souls are planted. When summer heat fades, it swallows lingering hatred; a thousand forms fall, yet the blood remains warm."
"Swift winds drive sudden rain; rusted blades grow spring roots. As day thins and Moon Shadow nights grow dim, I use only old wine... to honor new graves!"
"This man-eating Worldly Affairs... at last, I have a little capital to keep living!"
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