"Rumble!"
The instant the invisible shockwave met the blue radiance, the space around them seemed to freeze.
Then an earth-shaking roar erupted, and all the trees and grass for several miles around were shattered.
A force mighty enough to move mountains and overturn seas drove the giant blade through the blue radiance, as if it would cleave the entire world in two.
"Shhk!"
The Ghost Head Saber cut through the tiger's claw, slicing from the Tiger Demon's right collarbone all the way down to below his left ribs. Blood sprayed out in great torrents, as if it were free.
The Tiger Demon's body split apart with a crash, falling in two mangled pieces, one large and one small.
"Pfft!"
The Tiger Demon spat out a mouthful of blood. His fearsome tiger face, still attached to the smaller piece of his body, sounded like a broken bellows as he gasped, "Who... who are you?"
"Are you from the Demon Suppression Division, or are you the helper that county magistrate found?"
A bone-chilling flash answered the Tiger Demon's question for Su Ye. With a "whoosh," the huge head rolled away.
Su Ye charged toward the remaining Demonic Beasts. He concealed the surging qi and blood beneath his feet and in his palms, and his speed suddenly increased. At the same time, the Ghost Head Saber spewed red mist for more than a yard.
His speed was so extreme that it left blurred afterimages in the air. The broad blade slashed, smashed, swept, and hacked.
Su Ye was like a demon god, relentlessly reaping the lives of the Demonic Beasts in the field. Within the time it took an incense stick to burn, more than thirty Demonic Beasts had been slain one after another.
Slaying [Meridian Opening Mirror Mid-stage · Tiger Demon] earned 76 Assistance Points Slaying [Late Sentience · Wolf Demon] earned 33 Assistance Points Slaying [Mid Sentience · Ape Demon] earned 29 Assistance Points Remaining Assistance Points: 512
The sun rose in its full glory, and the autumn wind rustled. Su Ye sat cross-legged on a smooth stone, tallying the spoils from this trip. In the distance, Big Black came racing over in a flash. "Boss! Boss!"
When the voice drew near, Su Ye turned to look. Big Black slid across the ground and dropped straight to his knees.
He pointed a wing at the Tiger Demon's corpse and fawned, "Boss, your strength is second to none. You definitely don't need it. Could you reward it to me?"
"What use do you have for the Tiger Demon's corpse?" Su Ye asked, puzzled.
"Of course it's for the Demon Core, Boss. Don't you know?" Big Black looked surprised.
Su Ye nodded, indicating for him to continue.
Big Black explained, "Once Demonic Beasts break through the Meridian Mirror, most of them will grow a Demon Core inside their bodies."
"As they cultivate further, this Demon Core will gradually transform into the embryonic form of a core, laying a solid foundation for the next realm."
"Where is this Tiger Demon's Demon Core hidden?"
"Boss, Demon Cores are usually..." As he spoke, Big Black used a wing to mark an approximate spot on the Tiger Demon's chest.
Big Black cut open the Tiger Demon's chest on the ground, then reached inside with his sharp claws and groped around for a while.
A blood-red lump of flesh appeared before them. Big Black lifted it in one claw, and a thick, pungent stench of blood struck his face.
"Boss, this is the Demon Core." Big Black's eyes gleamed with greed as he gripped the lump of flesh tightly in his four claws. If Su Ye hadn't been there, he would have swallowed it long ago.
Bending down, Su Ye took the Demon Core from Big Black, who watched with reluctance. He examined the object carefully. It felt exceptionally slick in his hand, and still held some warmth. He could sense the surging demonic power within it.
"Do all Demonic Beasts at the Meridian Mirror have a Demon Core inside them?"
"More or less. It's just that the location varies," Big Black replied.
Then his expression turned solemn. "This is a good thing."
"It has many uses. Whether you put it in medicine or swallow it directly, you can gain tremendous benefits."
"A single Demon Core can save you several years of hard cultivation. It's said that if a Martial Artist who has just reached Body Tempering swallows one, he can break through to Mid Body Tempering in a single night. And that's without even refining it first."
"But there are risks, too. If you're unlucky enough, swallowing one won't improve your cultivation at all. You might even turn into a monster. That happens often enough."
"That powerful, is it?" Su Ye narrowed his eyes and turned to ask. "What are the odds of success?"
"Ninety-eight percent."
Big Black immediately added, "Ninety-eight percent chance of failure."
"Then what did you want it for?"
Su Ye glanced at the crow in front of him.
"Boss, you forgot. I'm a Demonic Beast. I don't have to worry about that."
Weighing the lump of flesh in his hand, Su Ye decided it was of little use to him. Besides, it would have to be refined into medicine before he could safely consume it.
Thinking it over, he decided that killing more Demonic Beasts would be more practical. He casually tossed the lump of flesh to Big Black and said, "Skin this tiger. We should head back."
"Sure thing, Boss. Just give me a moment."
Before long, Big Black had neatly folded up a huge tiger pelt. He walked over to Su Ye with a fawning grin. "Boss, this tiger pelt is enormous. Why don't I eat the Demon Core first and recover a little? Then I can help shoulder some of your burden."
Su Ye glanced at Big Black and said blandly, "Do as you please."
With Su Ye's approval, Big Black gulped down the blood-red lump in a single bite. Before even half a teacup of time had passed, the broken wing he had hastily reattached began to change. Veins writhed, and bones cracked.
In no time, the bone fragments that had been jutting out disappeared. Only a few spots of blood remained on his dark feathers.
Big Black's cultivation, which had been at the eighth layer of Mid Sentience, suddenly broke through to the ninth layer. He was now only a step away from the Meridian Opening Mirror.
He gave his wings a tremor and shot into the sky. His black feathers reflected a dazzling sheen.
In midair, Big Black carried the Tiger Demon's pelt in his claws. Suddenly, he swooped down and flew in front of Su Ye. "Boss, there are two figures crouching on the slope ahead. They look sneaky—not like good people."
Judging by the distance, they were only a few hundred meters from Kaoshan Town. How had two people appeared here out of nowhere? Looking up at Big Black in the sky, Su Ye calmly said, "Take me to have a look."
In the woods beside a field ridge outside Kaoshan Town, Big Black found a dead tree and pointed his wing toward the southwest. "Boss, they're right there."
Following his gesture, Su Ye saw two men in black shirts and trousers, three hundred meters away. They were picking their way down the slope, one step deep and the next shallow. They seemed to have confirmed the situation and were about to head into town.
Seeing this, Su Ye motioned for Big Black to stop.
"Boss, are you just going to let those two go?" Big Black asked.
Su Ye replied, "They clearly have a purpose here. Let's follow them and see what they're up to."
Outside the county office, more than a dozen Demonic Beast corpses already covered the bluestone ground. Many of the farmers in Kaoshan Town still couldn't believe what had happened before their eyes.
The two men in black had changed into the uniforms of the county office constables. The previous night, they had seen the town filled with cries of battle, but they hadn't dared approach given their own strength. They had waited until daybreak, when they saw villagers come out and move about.
Only then had they entered Kaoshan Town and found Liu Baotian, who was overseeing the aftermath. The two men quickened their pace and approached him. "You're the Headman here? What happened last night? Who killed these Demonic Beasts?"
Seeing them dressed as officials, Liu Baotian hurriedly said, "This old man pays his respects to you, Sirs. These Demonic Beasts were all slain by Lord Su."
The older constable's eyes widened. He asked Liu Baotian to describe Su Ye's appearance in detail, then received confirmation from Li Baotian.
He confirmed once more, "Was he the young Constable who came here not long ago?"
"That's right."
At this, the two men were greatly alarmed. Anyone capable of killing the Demonic Beasts lying on the ground must have reached at least Late Body Tempering.
They knew exactly what Late Body Tempering meant. In Linshan County, anyone with that level of strength was a high-ranking figure—either a clan head or a senior member of one of the major gangs.
With that in mind, the older constable asked, "Tell me, where is Lord Su now?"
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