The sight left Liu Chen and the others, who were sprawled in the mud and barely clinging to life, dumbstruck.
Even the Great Demon in the Bone Resonance Realm froze.
A hundred times more fury than when its foot had been severed exploded in its chest!
It had already suffered the humiliation of being wounded after underestimating a mere ant in the String-Hearing Realm.
And now, this ant wasn't just refusing to run—it actually dared to charge at it?!
How dare she?!
"Roar—"
Its earth-shaking roar became a tangible wave of sound, ripping up a layer of muck along the edge of the pool!
The demon's blood-red eyes brimmed with savagery.
Just as it opened its massive jaws, ready to swallow that figure whole—
Jiang Yuechu suddenly moved faster.
Not just a little faster, either!
"Vmmm—"
In her mind, the number in the [Dao Cultivation] column on the ancient scroll began plummeting at a frenzied pace.
One hundred and twenty years.
Ninety years.
Sixty years.
The Dao Cultivation she had painstakingly accumulated for so long was wiped out in an instant!
An unprecedented surge of scorching warmth burst from her Dantian.
At the same time—
The blood and qi in her body began to burn wildly, at a speed she had never experienced before!
Boom!
Her aura underwent a world-shaking transformation in an instant!
Her long, jet-black hair began turning a deep crimson from the roots, until it looked like a burning flame in the dim twilight!
Fine red tiger stripes spread beneath her skin, climbing from her wrists all the way to her shoulders.
Her clear pupils transformed in an instant into savage golden slits!
Demonization!
This was her trump card—the strongest move she had at her disposal!
"Th-what is that?!"
Not far away, Zhao Hu struggled to get up, staring at the scene in horror.
That murderous aura was actually no weaker than the Great Demon in the Bone Resonance Realm before them!
What the hell... which one of them was the actual monster?!
Just as their figures were about to collide—
Boom—
The girl's body sprang into the air as if pulled by an invisible force, and she appeared directly above the demon!
Midair, she gripped her saber in both hands and raised it high over her head.
The blood-red tiger silhouette behind her solidified completely!
Vmmm—
An eerie, blood-red flame ignited along the blade. The entire saber seemed to come alive!
"Die!"
A clear shout rang out.
This strike—
Was not only her full-powered attack in her Demonized state, but also carried one hundred and twenty-five years of Dao Cultivation!
The next instant—
She brought it crashing down!
Pfft—
A streak of crimson saber light flashed and vanished.
"Uh..."
An incomprehensible sound escaped the demon's throat.
The next instant—
Splurt—
A line of blood slowly appeared down the center of its enormous head.
Its massive head, as big as a millstone, had been split cleanly in two!
Stinking blood mixed with brain matter poured down like a waterfall.
Its enormous body swayed, then toppled backward, stiff as a board.
Thud—
The ground at Backwater Bay shook violently, spraying mud into the air.
"..."
Everyone stared at the scene with their mouths hanging open.
The Great Demon in the Bone Resonance Realm...
Just like that...
Gone in one slash?
Come on, you're in the String-Hearing Realm too! How come you're so ridiculously overpowered?!
Even Liu Chen, who had seen her abilities once before, was left feeling as if his brain had shrunk.
The heart-pounding murderous aura receded like the tide.
The red tiger stripes on Jiang Yuechu's body slowly faded, and her blood-red hair returned to its original black.
She lowered her saber and stood still, slowly breathing out a mouthful of stale air.
A wave of weakness washed over her, making her sway slightly, but at least she didn't faint on the spot like last time.
[Slayed a creature in the Bone Resonance Realm. Obtained four hundred and twenty years of its Dao Cultivation.]
Jiang Yuechu frowned.
There was no prompt saying it had been recorded?
That didn't make sense.
By rights, this Catfish Spirit had reached the Bone Resonance Realm. It could control water and drive mud, and its methods were bizarre. It was clearly no ordinary creature. How could it not even qualify to be recorded?
Was the Hundred Demons Compendium's taste so refined that it looked down on seafood like this?
Her thoughts raced, and she quickly dismissed the idea.
It had even taken an interest in that pig earlier. There was no way it wouldn't want this vicious demon.
Then what was the problem?
She thought it over, but couldn't come up with an answer.
"Never mind. If I kill more demons in the future, I'm sure I'll figure out the pattern..."
After reassuring herself like that—
She looked at the enormous demon corpse and suddenly thought of something.
Wait...
Blood-Eating Technique!
But with so many eyes watching, it wouldn't be easy to use right now.
Not far away, Liu Chen struggled up from the mud.
"Team Leader Liu, are you all right?"
Zhao Hu came scrambling over too. His injuries weren't serious; the demon's aura had just left him reeling, and his head was still buzzing.
"I'm not dead yet."
Liu Chen waved a hand, but his gaze never left Jiang Yuechu.
Noticing his attention, Zhao Hu followed his gaze.
"Miss Jiang..."
Zhao Hu edged carefully over to Jiang Yuechu and forced a smile more painful than crying. "A-are you all right too?"
He was completely convinced now.
From the bottom of his heart.
Forget delicate skin, forget calling her a little girl—he could shove all that nonsense.
This young lady could probably pin him to the ground and grind him into the dirt with just one finger.
"I'm fine."
She shook her head, then looked at Liu Chen, who was struggling to his feet.
"What should we do with this demon's corpse?"
Liu Chen froze. "According to the rules... if it's feasible, we're supposed to transport it intact to the Capital Bureau Treasury. There are plenty of things on demons that make excellent materials for alchemy and crafting."
"And if it isn't feasible?"
"If it isn't..." Liu Chen gave a wry smile and pointed at the muddy pool. "Then we can only take the most important parts, like the demon core, sinews and bones, or any unusual scales and hide. The rest can only be left here."
"Oh..."
Jiang Yuechu felt a little dejected.
I burned through my Dao Cultivation, activated Demonization, and fought tooth and nail to win this spoils of war, only for it not to belong to me?
For fuck's sake.
Her gaze shifted between the demon corpse and Liu Chen as she sighed over and over.
Liu Chen had spent years working his way up through the Demon Suppression Bureau. Naturally, he knew how to read people.
Seeing her expression, he instantly understood.
He cleared his throat and tactfully spoke up first. "This place is remote, and the demon's body is enormous. It would be genuinely difficult to transport it back."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the injured men still groaning on the ground. With a pained expression, he continued, "The brothers are badly hurt and need to return to Liangzhou Prefecture as soon as possible for treatment. We really shouldn't delay any longer."
"Miss Jiang."
Liu Chen suddenly turned to her, his tone earnest. "You've made an immense contribution by slaying this Great Demon in the Bone Resonance Realm. But since the brothers are all injured, would you mind taking care of the demon's corpse for us?"
Everyone froze.
Wait.
What did Liu Chen mean by that?
If not for Jiang Yuechu, every last one of them would have been left for dead today.
And now he was asking a young woman to deal with this bloody, stinking demon corpse?
Zhao Hu immediately objected.
"How can we make Miss Jiang handle such dirty work? Miss Jiang, you rest. I'll do it!"
As he spoke, he pulled a small knife from his belt, the kind used specifically to carve up demon corpses, and looked ready to get to work.
Jiang Yuechu glanced at him, her fist tightening slightly.
Liu Chen saw this, his eyelid twitching. He hurriedly shot Zhao Hu a look.
Seriously.
Why was this kid so damn dense all of a sudden?
Zhao Hu stared back blankly. Then, belatedly realizing what was going on, he flushed red. He quickly beckoned to the other equally bewildered men.
"What are you all standing around for? Didn't you hear Team Leader Liu? Come on, help me carry the badly injured brothers to a clean spot first!"
"Oh, right!"
Everyone came back to their senses and hurried to carry their three unconscious comrades away from the muddy pool.
Liu Chen led the rest of the men away as well, using "keeping watch for other demons drawn by the smell of blood" as an excuse to tactfully retreat several dozen paces.
Before long, Jiang Yuechu was the only one left by the muddy pool at Backwater Bay.
Before you continue