Demon Crystal

With Lin Xiao and his companion pinning down the Dark Gold Red Tiger, Ren Yunzhao and the other man closed in once more, engaging the beast in a chaotic melee.

"Roar!"

Besieged by four men and unable to defend against every angle, the Dark Gold Red Tiger suffered an increasing number of wounds, forcing it to let out another furious roar.

"Cover your ears!"

This time, however, the four were well-prepared; they all clapped their hands over their ears to withstand the sonic blast.

As the roar faded, the four charged out again, rotating their positions to entangle the Dark Gold Red Tiger and deny it any chance to escape.

"Force Breaking Thousand Armies!"

Taking advantage of the others pinning the beast down, Ren Yunzhao seized his moment. The long saber in his hand traced a full moon, hacking heavily into the Dark Gold Red Tiger's midsection and tearing open another massive gash.

"Die!"

Yao Jiheng leaped onto the Dark Gold Red Tiger's head, raining down a series of heavy punches onto its skull.

"Wuu~"

Blood streaming from its seven orifices, the Dark Gold Red Tiger let out a roar of defiance. Its mountain-like body stumbled a few steps before crashing heavily to the ground. Its tiger eyes remained wide open, and it breathed its last on the spot.

"Hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo~"

The four men who had participated in the battle were now panting like oxen, their faces deathly pale.

"Lord Incense Master is mighty!"

"Lord Market Master is mighty!"

"..."

Seeing the Dark Gold Red Tiger slain, the crowd erupted in cheers, their faces filled with joy.

That Dark Gold Red Tiger is dead?

Watching from afar, Shen Mu was not particularly surprised.

Ever since the two Incense Masters arrived, the outcome of the battle had been a foregone conclusion.

If not for the beast's terrifying roar, it likely would have died even faster.

However, this opportunity gave Shen Mu a much deeper understanding of the power gap between demonic beasts and ranked martial artists.

Logically speaking, a Ninth-Rank martial artist and a First-Order demonic beast were equal in cultivation.

But in a one-on-one fight, a Ninth-Rank martial artist would likely be no match for a First-Order demonic beast.

The primary reason, he surmised, was that the physical bodies and offensive capabilities of demonic beasts were far superior to those of martial artists. A strike of equal power that would be a fatal wound on a martial artist might only be a superficial scratch on a beast.

The difference was that martial artists could form teams, set traps, and launch premeditated sieges, whereas demonic beasts tended to be solitary—and that was exactly what gave the martial artists the chance to hunt them.

"Everyone who isn't injured, come out and help! Treat the wounded first, and get the injured and unconscious gang members back," Ren Yunzhao said, scanning the area.

Although Emerald Cloud Valley was under the charge of Market Masters Lin Xiao and Kong Mingyuan, Ren Yunzhao, as an Incense Master, was their superior.

As for Yao Jiheng, he was a helper Ren Yunzhao had invited specifically to assist in the siege of the Dark Gold Red Tiger.

Normally, Ren Yunzhao resided in Cloud Dragon County, only receiving word to provide reinforcements when a situation in Emerald Cloud Valley exceeded the capabilities of the two Market Masters.

"Yes!"

At Ren Yunzhao's signal, the two Market Masters instructed the six deacons below them, who then took charge of the specific tasks.

Under Hong Jingcheng's direction, Shen Mu was assigned to carry the wounded.

Later, he was also tasked with helping several other gang members transport the carcass of the Dark Gold Red Tiger.

When Shen Mu observed the corpse up close, the tiger's eyes were still fixed in a wide, angry stare, its ferocious expression radiating a chilling, malevolent aura.

Even in death, the massive body exerted an overwhelming sense of pressure.

Shen Mu couldn't help but look at the two saber wounds on the beast—one on the left shoulder, one on the midsection—both of which were lethal injuries.

That Incense Master Ren must be using the Army-Breaking Saber Technique, perhaps even having mastered it to the perfection level...

But Shen Mu immediately realized something was off.

No, he shouldn't be using the Army-Breaking Saber Technique. It must be the unsimplified Demon-Subduing Saber Art...

Shen Mu thought to himself.

Even he had to marvel at the astonishing power of the Demon-Subduing Saber Art, the advanced version of the Army-Breaking Saber Technique.

Demonic beasts were naturally gifted with formidable defense, yet Ren Yunzhao had managed to severely wound the Dark Gold Red Tiger in one stroke using that art.

This made him look forward to his own future, wondering what kind of power he would display once he reached the ranked stages and mastered the Demon-Subduing Saber Art himself.

"Heave~"

The Dark Gold Red Tiger's carcass weighed several thousand catties, looking like a small hill.

With over twenty gang members, including Shen Mu, working together like ants moving a load, they hoisted the beast's body and trudged with great difficulty toward Emerald Cloud Valley.

"Brother Ren, we agreed beforehand: whoever kills the Dark Gold Red Tiger gets the tiger whip. In the end, this beast was beaten to death by my fists, so it rightfully belongs to me!"

"Bullshit. If I hadn't bled it with those two slashes, would those few punches of yours have killed it? You aren't afraid of the wind flashing your tongue."

"Ren Yunzhao, you son of a bitch, if you hadn't kowtowed and begged me, would I have rushed over to help you surround and kill the Dark Gold Red Tiger? This tiger whip must belong to me!"

"When did I ever beg you? Don't you go spouting nonsense. I was planning to come alone from the start. Who knows who heard the Dark Gold Red Tiger had fallen into Emerald Cloud Valley and insisted on shamelessly tagging along!"

"If it weren't for me, could you and those two fellows have killed the Dark Gold Red Tiger? You might have all ended up dying miserably at its hands!"

"Hmph, even if we couldn't kill the Dark Gold Red Tiger, I, Ren, believe I could at least drive it away."

"Heh, you admitted it. Without me, you lot had no way to kill this beast. Now I only want one tiger whip, and you're still here yapping at me. Aren't you afraid of the people below laughing at you?"

"You... no way. At most, I'll give you half. I have a brother..."

"Have a brother? Heh heh, I understand. Isn't that just your own brother from the same father and mother? There are no outsiders here, you don't need to hide it..."

"..."

When Shen Mu and the others arrived at the valley entrance looking at the corpse of the Dark Gold Red Tiger, they heard the two incense masters arguing until they were red in the face over the spoils of war.

Market Master Lin Xiao and Market Master Kong Mingyuan stood not far away, their expressions strange, as if they hadn't heard a thing.

"I'll count to three, everyone heave together."

"One, two, three!"

"Bang!"

The group exerted their strength to toss the corpse of the Dark Gold Red Tiger upward, then quickly stepped back as the heavy body slammed into the ground.

However, no one left. Instead, they stood to the side, wanting to watch the process of dismembering the Dark Gold Red Tiger.

Opportunities like this were rare; having worked so hard to carry the corpse, everyone was naturally unwilling to miss out.

"Tsk tsk, even in death, this beast still retains its majesty."

Meeting the gazes of the crowd, Ren Yunzhao walked forward with his blade, unable to stop himself from marveling.

"What are you dawdling for? Finish up early so we can disperse. If those old fogies hear about this and come rushing over, both of us will have worked for nothing."

Yao Jiheng urged him on with an impatient expression.

Hearing Yao Jiheng's words, Ren Yunzhao's face twitched. The long blade in his hand danced up and down, utilizing the existing wounds on the Dark Gold Red Tiger's body.

The blade was like an extension of Ren Yunzhao's right arm, and it was extremely sharp. In just the time it took to brew a cup of tea, a massive tiger pelt had been peeled away.

Everyone present watched this scene and clicked their tongues in secret. Ren Yunzhao's proficiency in dismembering the demonic beast was simply masterful, leaving everyone wanting to offer a single word of praise: professional.

"Heh heh, now for the main event."

Ren Yunzhao licked his lips. His blade circled the hindquarters of the Dark Gold Red Tiger, and a long whip several feet in length was cleanly excised.

As the crowd looked at it, their eyes went straight.

Shen Mu's expression was somewhat strange. Does this thing really work when soaked in wine?

After properly stowing away the whip, Ren Yunzhao continued his dismemberment of the Dark Gold Red Tiger.

A moment later, a dark gold, rounded bead the size of an infant's fist appeared in Ren Yunzhao's hand.

"It really did form a demonic crystal."

Looking at the dark gold bead in Ren Yunzhao's hand, Yao Jiheng couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

Ren Yunzhao laughed, "Since this beast had already awakened its bloodline skill, it stands to reason that it would condense a demonic crystal."