Bare-Handed Suppression of the Ape Demon

The straw-caped ape demon removed its conical hat, its sparse black fur revealing a hint of age.

It was short in stature but possessed a rather large head; as its lips curled back, two fangs were exposed. "Your blade technique is decent, but the blade itself is quite lacking."

A young, tall ape demon knelt on one knee and produced a strip-like object wrapped tightly in silk. It carefully peeled back the silk to reveal a slender ceremonial blade.

The scabbard was straight, a deep ink-black that gleamed with an oily luster, adorned with gilded patterns.

It extended both hands, lifting the weapon up with reverence.

The old ape in the straw cape gripped the hilt with thin, withered claws and drew the blade, which shimmered with a dark, ominous light. It gazed at the weapon with a touch of affection.

Perhaps it was merely a coincidence.

Shen Yi noticed that the higher the cultivation of these demons, the more they loved to imitate humans.

The yellow weasels traveled in palanquins, yet they remained trapped by their base appetites, their minds filled with thoughts of eating people, and they chose their nicknames randomly based on their own appearances.

These ape demons, however, insisted on wearing human clothes, picking elegant names from books—calling themselves things like "Tongtian"—and they even demanded the most delicate women to sleep with.

As for Old Mother Green Scale, she had even begun to apply makeup and dress up, abducting the finest craftsmen to forge the most beautiful and extravagant jewelry.

"This blade of mine is named..." Yuan Tongtian held its breath, its eyes burning with fervor, preparing to regale its opponent with the history of this precious sword.

Shen Yi reined in his wandering thoughts and immediately swung his blade toward the tall ape demon still kneeling on the ground.

What kind of habit is it to kowtow before a fight?

Scarlet Sha Qi wrapped around the blade, and he hacked down toward the ape demon's neck with heavy, powerful force.

Since his Golden Sun Eight Treasures Profound Body had reached perfection, Shen Yi felt his strength was like a mighty, surging river, endless and far exceeding what it had been before.

The two demons seemed not to have expected him to strike so suddenly.

The young, tall one remained stunned for a brief moment before hastily reaching out to block.

It was precisely this brief hesitation that allowed the blade to slice through its cervical vertebrae as if cutting through tofu.

The head, eyes wide with confusion, rolled to the feet of Yuan Tongtian.

Holding the ceremonial blade, Yuan Tongtian's nostrils flared rapidly as it let out a sharp, piercing shriek: "Absurd! Absurd! You uncultured, wild village bumpkin!"

Even it, before eating, would wipe its hands with a damp cloth, bathe every three days, and burn incense every five.

Killing was a grave matter; one should announce their name, explain the reason, state why they were killing, and how they intended to win.

How could one... how could one do things so crudely and without grace?

Amidst the shriek, Yuan Tongtian's thin, small body suddenly leaped up. The black blade in its hand slashed out repeatedly, steady and ruthless; the very first strike displayed a solid foundation.

Cold blade qi erupted, and the small thatched shed exploded instantly.

Even with its mind in chaos, the trajectory of Yuan Tongtian's black blade remained methodical and profound—it was clearly a set of Initial Realm blade techniques that had been mastered to perfection.

It didn't just learn how to act like a human; it had even studied martial arts.

"No manners, you deserve to die!"

"You killed my children and grandchildren, you deserve to die!"

"Die for me!"

Yuan Tongtian howled as it hunched over, pressing forward step by step. Its two extremely long arms danced frantically, each strike faster than the last.

Under such a violent onslaught, Shen Yi's expression remained unchanged, his footwork steady, though he felt a sense of helplessness in his heart.

This old ape was clearly no ordinary demon; it must have received guidance from someone. The blade technique it used seemed tailored specifically for its long arms, and that ceremonial blade was certainly no ordinary object.

The official blade in his own hand was worth a mere seven taels and two mace, and that was after the workshop took their cut...

He hadn't noticed it before, but now, facing an opponent who was also at the peak of the Initial Realm and whose martial arts were no less than his own, the gap in their weaponry became glaringly obvious.

If he continued to harbor the thought of winning without taking any damage, he would likely pay a much higher price.

Thinking of this, Shen Yi's eyes remained calm. He spotted an opening and slashed out.

The gap between their weapons was even greater than he had imagined.

With just a single collision at full force, his official blade was snapped in two, the edge shattering.

Fortunately, he had anticipated this. He discarded the hilt and, instead of retreating, surged forward, forcibly closing the distance between them. His slender, powerful fingers suddenly clenched into a fist.

I'll trade injury for injury!

Yuan Tongtian saw his intent, but rather than fear, it wore a savage grin.

Only it knew exactly how sharp the precious blade it had carried for years truly was.

Trade injury for injury? You won't have the life left to land another strike!

The next moment, the black blade slashed fiercely toward Shen Yi's shoulder!

There was no expected separation of flesh, nor the sound of a blade slicing through meat.

Bang—

As the sound of metal striking metal rang out, both of them froze.

Yuan Tongtian gripped the long blade in disbelief; no matter how hard it pushed, the dark-glowing edge could not sink in even a fraction.

"..."

It looked up and caught a hint of astonishment in Shen Yi's eyes as well.

So...

What are you surprised about? What were you dodging just now? Who were you putting on a show for, acting like you'd counterattack even if you were injured?!

Before it could recover, Yuan Tongtian felt its face gripped by five slender, powerful fingers. With a surge of immense force, its entire body was slammed violently into the ground!

It felt as if its internal organs were being shattered.

This strength did not belong to the Initial Realm; it was the realm it had dreamed of reaching.

How could a body-tempering martial artist comparable to the Jade Liquid Realm lower themselves to launch a sneak attack before a fight?

Yuan Tongtian couldn't fathom it before its eye socket was smashed by a descending fist.

Blood filled its nasal cavity, and it gasped, "Hoh, hoh," unable to stop the flow of blood and bile from its mouth.

The sound of whistling wind from the fists reached its ears, like the whispering of a grim reaper coming to collect its soul.

In the distance.

Butcher Zhang threw another punch.

He and the Thin Ascetic were from the same school and were intimately familiar with each other's moves; it was impossible to determine a winner in the short term.

But this punch unexpectedly landed, smashing fiercely into the bridge of the opponent's nose.

The Thin Ascetic covered his nose and mouth, his face twisted in pain. Ignoring the blood leaking through his fingers, he looked into the distance with horror in his eyes.

"How old are you, still playing these tricks, trying to fool me into looking back? Today, I will surely eliminate you, you beast who brings shame to our sect!"

Butcher Zhang raised his fist, about to strike again, but saw the toad-headed man still staring fixedly behind him.

He gritted his teeth and turned to look.

A chill seeped into his spine.

He saw dozens of able-bodied men standing there blankly, their hands hanging limply, holding spears and heavy bows.

At the very front, Shen Yi was pinning the old ape down, indifferently raining down punches. The back of his hand was covered in red and white matter, viscous like paste, dripping down drop by drop.

With every punch, the ape demon's legs twitched.

Until there was no movement left at all.

He slowly stood up, exhaling a long breath of hot air, and turned his dark eyes back toward them.

The moment that gaze swept over them, the bailiffs and soldiers felt their legs go weak, and they collapsed to the ground, lacking even the strength to beg for mercy.

"How long has it even been..."

Butcher Zhang swallowed hard. He hadn't even finished warming up, and it was already over?

Two great demons of the Initial Realm—how did they die without making a sound?

He looked back at the Thin Ascetic.

But he saw the man scrambling away twenty zhang in the blink of an eye, not at all like a martial artist, but more like a frightened rabbit.

I wonder if anyone is reading...

I have to go out today for some business, so I'll only be posting one chapter. I'll make it up later. Just wanted to let the readers know.

As a newcomer, I'm still a bit green, but I'll work hard to write better.

Grinding out the word count to get the full-attendance bonus—let's go!

(End of chapter)