Slay the Crimson Serpent Demon!

After talking with Wang Chao late into the night, Wang Chao finally confirmed that Chen Fan's body had no issues before getting up and heading home.

He had joined the Jinyiwei at eighteen, and now twenty years had passed. At his age, if he couldn't break through to the fourth level of the Spirit Concealment Realm within two to three years, it would be difficult for him to advance further.

However, he had come to terms with it. He had a wife and children, a warm hearth, and ate from the imperial granary with a substantial salary. Although slaying demons and devils was dangerous, he had managed to avoid any serious trouble over the years. He no longer cared about promotions.

After seeing Wang Chao off, Chen Fan washed up simply, washing away the demon blood from his body. He also washed his clothes. He was busy until past midnight before closing his door, ready to fall into a deep sleep.

The moment he lay down on the bed, he felt a cold, wriggling sensation. His hair stood on end, and he rolled off the bed almost instantly, grabbing the Hundred Refinements Embroidered Spring Blade from the table.

"Who?"

In the dim moonlight, he saw a giant, crimson snake covered in black spots crawling out of his bed.

The giant snake flicked its tongue, its eyes fixed on Chen Fan.

The next second, the giant snake transformed. It became a voluptuous woman with a curvaceous figure.

She was covered in crimson scales, as if she were wearing an impenetrable suit of armor.

"This humble one, Crimson Lian, greets the young master."

The beautiful snake gazed at Chen Fan, her voice seductive.

"Bold demon, how dare you trespass into the Jinyiwei barracks!"

"Taste my blade!"

Chen Fan roared, then drew his Hundred Refinements Embroidered Spring Blade, leaped forward, and slashed directly at the Crimson Serpent Demon without any hesitation, his strike swift and ruthless!

He mobilized his qi and blood, his bones and muscles roaring, his flesh bulging. The embroidered spring blade descended, carrying a biting gale, emitting a piercing roar!

"Damn it, it's the fourth level of the Spirit Concealment Realm!"

"How is this possible?"

Crimson Lian's expression changed drastically. She raised her right hand.

The scales on her right hand and arm grew more numerous and dense, eventually transforming into a thick, crimson armor that blocked Chen Fan's strike.

Unexpectedly, Chen Fan twisted his blade and performed a Draw Sword Slash, sweeping across Crimson Lian's arm before slashing towards her neck again!

Swoosh!

Chen Fan's blade fell, directly severing the Crimson Serpent Demon's head.

Crimson Lian's eyes were wide open, unable to rest in peace.

She didn't understand how she had died.

Someone had paid a hefty reward for her to kill a Jinyiwei at the first level of the Spirit Concealment Realm who was already on his deathbed. They also wanted her to use her Beguiler art to interrogate the Jinyiwei about some matters.

Yet, after merely announcing herself, she was met with a furious roar and then decisively cut down in two swift strikes.

Her strength was comparable to the Bone Vajra level of the second stage of the Spirit Concealment Realm. However, due to her excellent transformation and Beguiler arts, she was assigned this simple assassination mission.

She never expected the information to be so wildly inaccurate. The target was full of vigor and was a formidable expert at the fourth level of the Spirit Concealment Realm!

[Killed Crimson Serpent Demon of the second level of the Spirit Concealment Realm, stole 66 years of lifespan!]

[Name: Chen Fan]

[Realm: Spirit Concealment Realm (Fourth Level: Blood Martial Saint)]

[Cultivation Techniques: Body Tempering Fist (Mastered), Draw Sword Slash (Minor Accomplishment)]

[Current Remaining Lifespan: 50 years]

[Current Demons and Devils Lifespan: 66 years]

Chen Fan looked at his status panel. The Demons and Devils lifespan had increased by another sixty-six years. It was truly a case of needing something and having it delivered.

He was just worrying about where to find demons and devils to kill to steal their lifespan to deduce martial arts, and now one had appeared.

During the day, the Jinyiwei hundred-household office had people working or on duty. At night, some patrolled, while others went home. There were very few people left.

One had to admit, the Crimson Serpent Demon had chosen a very opportune time.

The commotion from killing the Crimson Serpent Demon wasn't that significant, but the two shouts he let out before killing her had directly woken up the few Jinyiwei in the hundred-household office.

"What happened?"

"Where are the demons and devils?"

"……"

Chen Fan pushed open the door, threw the over ten-meter-long giant python out, and then said loudly:

"Brothers, a snake demon broke into my room tonight intending to kill me, but I killed it instead."

"I apologize for disturbing everyone!"

Hearing this, everyone walked towards Chen Fan's residence. At this moment, including Chen Fan, there were only seven Jinyiwei left in the hundred-household office.

"Such a large snake demon?"

"Isn't that Chen Fan? Didn't they say he was dying?"

"He looked half-dead in the training ground this afternoon. How does he look so much better now? Is it a final burst of energy before death?"

"The Jinyiwei hundred-household office is located near the outskirts of the county town, which was never very safe. It's perfectly normal for a snake demon to smell human scent and wander in at midnight."

"Didn't a wolf demon break into the training grounds the year before last and kill two Jinyiwei brothers?"

"Night is the playground for demons and devils. It seems I'll have to go home at night from now on; it's too unsafe at the hundred-household office."

"We are too wronged. We are Jinyiwei, tasked with overseeing noble families and sects, and slaying demons and devils. Yet, demons have repeatedly intruded into our base camp."

"Ping'an County is, after all, a small border town. It's normal for there to be more demons and devils, and for the Jinyiwei's influence to be weaker."

"If this were in Prefecture City, at the Jinyiwei Commander's Office, or in the State Capital, at the Jinyiwei Myriad Household Office, demons and devils would steer clear upon seeing them."

"It's getting late. Since the snake demon has been killed, everyone can disperse. It's late, so go back and sleep early. We have to report for duty tomorrow!"

"..."

After greeting Chen Fan, these people returned to their respective quarters to sleep.

"Was it really a coincidence?"

"Why do I feel like this Crimson Serpent Demon came for me?"

"Ah, whatever. Since I have the lifespan of demons and devils, I'll proceed with deductions to strengthen myself. That's the way to go!"

"If I reach the peak of the Spirit Concealment Realm, won't I be able to walk all over Ping'an County?"

"Moreover, I encountered a snake demon just by sleeping. Who knows when I might encounter a powerful great demon and be swallowed whole."

"In a world rampant with demons and devils like this, only by constantly improving one's strength can one survive!"

"Next, I need to improve my martial skills. My current means of dealing with enemies are still too limited and not powerful enough."

Chen Fan pondered, then with a thought, he summoned his status panel and began consuming the lifespan of demons and devils to deduce his martial skill, Draw Sword Slash.

[You diligently practiced Draw Sword Slash, drawing your sword ten thousand times a day. After five years, you finally cultivated Draw Sword Slash to great accomplishment!]

[You continued to practice Draw Sword Slash, drawing your sword one hundred thousand times a day. In the tenth year, you cultivated Draw Sword Slash to perfection. You feel that there is nothing in this world you cannot sever with one strike. If one strike isn't enough, then two!]

[Draw Sword Slash (Perfection)]

After consuming ten years of lifespan from demons and devils, Chen Fan finally elevated his only martial skill, Draw Sword Slash, to the level of perfection.

Instantly, countless insights flashed through his mind. He was like a swordsman who had practiced for ten years, only unleashing his full power when he struck – a thunderous fury, a killing blow!

"With my current strength, if I were to face that Crimson Serpent Demon again, I would only need one strike to separate its head from its body, killing it instantly!"

Chen Fan said with confidence, his eyes flashing with sharp light.

However, looking at the cultivation of Body Tempering Fist and Draw Sword Slash, he wasn't truly a peerless genius. For Draw Sword Slash, a single-strike killing technique, it took him ten years to reach perfection.

And for Body Tempering Fist, he spent a full twenty years to reach perfection. It was truly arduous.

Even if his aptitude wasn't terrible, it was at best average – better than many, but not outstanding.

Without the attribute panel, he would likely never break through to the peak of the Spirit Concealment Realm, even until his death.

This was also the true reality for the vast majority of Jinyiwei stationed in county towns.