Chen Fan's gaze was as dark as still water. He walked toward the black-clad young man, one step at a time.
For some reason, the young man's hair stood on end. His muscles tensed all over as he watched the youth draw closer, as though a flood or ferocious beast were bearing down on him.
He had felt this kind of oppressive presence only from his father, Mountain Lord.
An intense sense of danger made him instinctively want to flee!
Rumble!
But before the black-clad young man could escape, Chen Fan's fist had already slammed into him. The unstoppable punch carried the force of ten thousand jun and struck with all its might!
The young man flew backward and crashed into the wall of the hall behind him, smashing a huge hole through it. He dropped heavily to the ground, coughing up mouthfuls of blood.
"Roar!"
The black-clad young man rolled over—and immediately revealed his true form, transforming into a tiger covered in black stripes.
"Mountain Lord has three sons. This Black Tiger is his third son!"
Lu Xuenning said gravely.
"Who cares which son of Mountain Lord he is? Even if Mountain Lord himself came today, he'd die too!"
Chen Fan strode forward. The thousand-forged Embroidered Spring Blade, made of black iron, slid from its sheath. A flash of cold light streaked across the air as he unleashed Draw Sword Slash at the Great Perfection Level, its razor-sharp edge racing toward Black Tiger!
"Jinyiwei, are you really determined to take this all the way?"
Black Tiger spoke in human words, his eyes filled with conflicting emotions.
He had never imagined that he'd come down the mountain for a quick snack, only to end up losing his life here.
"You were the ones who took it too far first!"
Chen Fan replied without a trace of feeling. His blade swept across, and Black Tiger raised a claw, sharp as steel, to block it!
Splurt!
Chen Fan's blade came down, severing one of Black Tiger's claws in a single strike. Demon Blood sprayed into the air and spattered across the ground!
Awooo!
Black Tiger let out a howl of agony. The deadly sense of danger made him abandon the fight. He turned and tried to flee Ping'an County, but how could Chen Fan let him get away?
Chen Fan struck again. The terrifying blade aura seemed to tear the entire space before him apart. A huge tiger's head flew high into the air, then quickly fell and rolled into the crowd of onlookers.
The headless body of the Black Tiger collapsed in a pool of blood.
[Slain the Black Tiger Demon of the Spirit Concealment Realm Fifth Stage; stole its remaining lifespan: 183 years!]
This was the most Demonic Creature Lifespan Chen Fan had gained so far—more than he'd obtained from slaying the son of the Howling Moon Wolf Demon, who had been at the Spirit Concealment Realm Fourth Stage, in Black Bear Gully Village.
"You've gotten even stronger!"
"First, you slew White Ape, the brother of Ape Demon Three Eyes, at Spring View Pavilion. Then you killed the son and nephews of Wolf Demon Howling Moon in Black Bear Gully Village. Now you've slain Black Tiger, the son of Tiger Demon Mountain Lord, in full view of everyone."
"You've thoroughly offended all three of the Black Mountain Three Demons. How do you feel about that?"
Lu Xuenning came to Chen Fan's side and teased him, her voice full of admiration.
"I can't believe it myself."
"The officials of Ping'an County are actually this afraid of Demonic Creatures!"
"I'll wield this Embroidered Spring Blade and restore peace and justice to Ping'an County!"
"If justice has vanished from the world, I'll wield my blade as Yama. If righteousness can't endure, blood will spill in every direction, and the Asura Field will rise!"
Chen Fan gazed into the distance, his eyes resolute, and spoke in a deep voice.
"Well said!"
"I knew I hadn't misjudged you!"
Huang Chengyue stepped out from the crowd and spoke in a clear, ringing voice.
He had watched everything clearly. Chen Fan had slain Black Tiger, who was at the same cultivation level, with seemingly no effort at all. It was utterly beyond anything he'd thought possible!
Generally speaking, the Human Race's bodies were naturally more fragile than those of the Demon Race. This was especially true when Human Race Martial Artists first began cultivating. The more they advanced, however, the smaller this innate gap became.
At the Spirit Concealment Realm and even the Spirit Aperture Realm, a Human Race cultivator could hardly hope to defeat a Demon Race opponent of the same realm—unless they had a special constitution or bloodline, mastered some extraordinary art, or possessed exceptional talent.
Whichever was true of Chen Fan, it was enough to prove he was a rare talent!
Lu Xuenning had reached the Spirit Concealment Realm Peak, while Black Tiger, Mountain Lord's son, had only just entered the Spirit Concealment Realm Fifth Stage. Even so, if they had truly fought, Lu Xuenning would have struggled to kill him.
And that was despite her having grown up in Longyuan Prefecture and cultivated an impressive Cultivation Method while learning formidable techniques. For a Martial Artist from a humble background, even being one or two minor stages above a Demonic Creature would not necessarily be enough to kill it!
"He's dead!"
"He's finally dead!"
"Ahahahaha!"
"That bastard's finally dead!"
"My son!"
Constable Liu came running out of his home. When he saw that Black Tiger had been decapitated, he pointed at the corpse and wept uncontrollably, almost delirious.
It was hard to say whether his tears came from remorse or fear. Probably both.
"Constable Liu, now is the time to purge Ping'an County of its Demonic Creatures. If you're still going to cower and hold back, then your wife and children will truly have died for nothing!"
"Tell me, where are the Demonic Creatures in Ping'an County hiding?"
Lu Xuenning walked up to Constable Liu and asked him.
"There are some at the County Magistrate's home, some at the County Assistant Magistrate's, and some at the Registrar's. The Teaching Official, the Master of Ceremonies, and others have them at their homes too."
"These Demonic Creatures are clever. They know the Jinyiwei and Government Office constables won't dare search the homes of Government Office officials, so they usually hide in our homes."
"If they want human flesh, they either get it through us or go out to hunt for it themselves. They wipe out every family they visit, and then the Government Office covers it up."
"When an entire family has been killed, no one is left to report it. And even if someone does, we ignore them. The Demonic Creatures take care of the person who filed the complaint."
"Our families' lives—and even our own—are in the Demonic Creatures' hands. Those who refused to obey have long since lost their homes and families."
"When I first took office as County Lieutenant of Ping'an County, I wanted to be a good official who served the country and its people. But look at what this county has become!"
"Constables responsible for the safety of the Government Office—don't you feel ashamed?"
"And you Jinyiwei, who claim to slay Demonic Creatures and banish evil—aren't you ashamed?"
The angrier Constable Liu grew, the more he seemed to pour out the bitterness and resentment he'd kept bottled up inside.
He'd had no choice!
Refuse to work with the Demonic Creatures, and die!
What else could he do?
"I don't know what the Jinyiwei used to be like, but now I'm here. I'll kill every Demonic Creature I come across!"
Just then, Chen Fan spoke with unwavering conviction.
"I don't know what the Government Office used to be like, either. But I'm here now, and I absolutely won't let Demonic Creatures run rampant through Ping'an County!"
Lu Xuenning glanced at Chen Fan, then lifted her chin and spoke with equal conviction.
"Good."
"Black Tiger died in my home. I can't explain my way out of that. Since I'm going to die either way, I might as well go mad with you!"
"From now on, the Government Office constables and all eight hundred County Soldiers are yours to command, Lu Xuenning. I hope you won't let me down!"
"If the day comes when Ping'an County is truly purged of its Demonic Creatures, I, Liu Xuan, will take my own life and use my blood to wash away the sins I've committed over the years!"
Constable Liu looked at Lu Xuenning and Chen Fan, speaking in a low voice.
"Thank you for your support, County Lieutenant!"
Lu Xuenning clasped her hands and bowed.
Perhaps Constable Liu had done plenty of wrong in the past, but his willingness to hand power over to Lu Xuenning showed that there was still some fire in him.
Even if that fire had been forced out of him, something was better than nothing.
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