Righteously Slaying Demons

At the summit of Goat Horn Mountain, wolf howls rang out in waves, brimming with ferocity and rage, though a trace of weakness hid beneath them. In contrast, the wolf-smoke of blood and qi grew ever more blazing. One side was steadily weakening, while the other continued to strengthen. The scales of victory had long since tipped completely.

"What terrifying blood and qi!"

Standing halfway up the mountain and watching the surging blood and qi, Lu Xuanping's face turned grave. At that moment, an oil-paper umbrella floated above his head, concealing all of their auras. Neither the rats nor the vicious wolves had noticed their presence in the slightest.

"Yang Lie, you're a martial artist. What do you think?"

With doubts in his heart, Lu Xuanping turned his gaze toward the burly man. At that moment, Yang Lie's face was likewise filled with astonishment as he watched the blood-and-qi wolf-smoke soaring into the sky from the mountaintop. Only after hearing Lu Xuanping's words did he come back to his senses.

"Captain, this blood and qi is pure. It doesn't seem to belong to a demon. There may be a Martial Grandmaster up there!"

Hesitation on his face, Yang Lie voiced his judgment. Born with immense strength, he was a fine seedling for martial arts, and his blood and qi were exceptionally vigorous. Yet this was the first time he had seen blood and qi this terrifying. Coupled with the chilling killing intent mixed within it, it immediately made him think of a Martial Grandmaster.

Hearing this, Lu Xuanping fell into thought. Martial Grandmasters were exceedingly rare—indeed, in some ways even rarer than Qi Refining cultivators. He knew of only a few, but none of them should have been here.

"Could it be Ironman Tu of the River-Sweeping Bandits? In this region, he is the strongest in martial arts. He is exceptionally gifted and has some connection to the Gao Family. With the Gao Family's help, it really is possible that he broke through to Grandmaster."

As his thoughts drifted away, one name after another surfaced in Lu Xuanping's mind.

Seeing Lu Xuanping lost in thought, Yang Lie and the female cultivator Yue Xiu exchanged a glance. Both showed some desire to retreat. Though a Martial Grandmaster could not compare to a Qi Refining cultivator, one was still far more terrifying than a wolf king with Perfected Spirit Sensing.

With the strength of the three of them, they might be able to withdraw before the wolf king. But facing a Martial Grandmaster would be difficult. If a conflict broke out, Lu Xuanping, the captain, might perhaps emerge unscathed, but the two of them could not be so sure. After all, both came from humble backgrounds.

Just as the three hesitated, a mournful howl rang out, and a blue wolf shadow suddenly sprang down from the mountaintop. It was the wolf king. Yet compared to before, it was now in a far more miserable state. Both its eyes had been blinded, its body was covered in blood, and one of its legs had even been broken.

After exchanging blows with Jiang Chen for some time, all the pride and ferocity in its heart had been utterly shattered. Its only thought now was to flee. In its eyes, Jiang Chen was a monster wearing human skin.

"That's the wolf king..."

Sensing the wolf king's miserable yet savage aura and watching it draw nearer and nearer, Yue Xiu formed a hand seal. Almost instinctively, she was about to cast a spell, but Lu Xuanping stopped her at the crucial moment.

It was then that Jiang Chen's ghostlike figure appeared.

"A dying struggle."

His movement seemed like a dragonfly skimming the water, yet in truth it was like a fierce elephant stamping the earth. Jiang Chen lightly stepped onto the wolf king's back.

In that instant, it was as though Mount Tai had come crashing down. The wolf king could no longer hold on. The demonic wind around its body scattered, and it stumbled before collapsing to the ground. Before it could rally itself, Jiang Chen's palm was already pressed against its head.

Though Jiang Chen's palm contained no particular force, at that moment, the wolf king truly smelled the scent of death.

"It should end now."

With the demonic wind no longer blocking him, Jiang Chen truly touched the wolf king's fur and activated the Skinning Art.

The next moment, with a light tear, he peeled the wolf king's hide off in one complete piece.

Awooo! Skinned alive, the severely wounded wolf king could no longer endure. After twitching a few times, it finally breathed its last.

Beneath the Concealment Umbrella, Lu Xuanping and the other two could not help holding their breath at the sight of such a bloody scene. They had never expected the wolf king, which they would have needed to face with utmost caution, to die before their eyes just like that.

At that moment, an icy gaze fell upon them.

At the same time, Dark Tide surged. An unknown number of rats converged from every direction.

Watching this unfold, Lu Xuanping could not help sighing inwardly. He knew that Yue Xiu had most likely accidentally revealed a trace of herself just now.

And that was indeed the case. The spiritual energy fluctuation caused when Yue Xiu formed her hand seal had escaped Jiang Chen's Spirit Sensing. Though the Concealment Umbrella was rather ingenious, it was ultimately only a low-grade Talisman Artifact, and its abilities were limited.

"Lu Xuanping, eldest son of the Lu Family and Centurion of the Demon-Slaying Bureau, greets you, fellow Daoist."

Casting aside all stray thoughts, Lu Xuanping put on a smile as warm as spring sunlight. He put away the Concealment Umbrella and bowed to Jiang Chen.

When traveling outside, one's identity was still very important. Facing a fierce man like Jiang Chen, he did not hesitate in the slightest, immediately bringing out his two greatest backers to avoid anything unpleasant happening.

Hearing this, Jiang Chen's gaze quietly swept over the three figures now revealed, lingering a little longer on the Concealment Umbrella in the end.

Feeling Jiang Chen's scrutinizing gaze, Lu Xuanping's expression did not change.

"The Demon-Slaying Bureau? You came for this wolf demon?"

Seeing their composition of two cultivators and one martial artist, together with their nearly unmistakable attire, Jiang Chen had basically confirmed their identities.

Though he had only recently arrived, he had some understanding of the Demon-Slaying Bureau and the Lu Family. The former was the Nanjing Kingdom's most powerful engine of violence, while the latter was the local tyrant of Clear Source Commandery, a renowned aristocratic family in the commandery city. Rumor had it that Qi Refining cultivators guarded their household.

Hearing this and seeing that Jiang Chen had not attacked at once, Lu Xuanping felt somewhat relieved.

"You are correct, fellow Daoist. We were indeed ordered by the Thousand Household Commander to investigate the wolf demon. We had planned to use this Concealment Umbrella to go up the mountain and take a look, never expecting to witness the grand sight of you slaying the wolf demon."

Once again subtly making clear that there were people behind them, Lu Xuanping took the initiative to praise Jiang Chen.

At this, Jiang Chen's gaze fell on the Concealment Umbrella again. Come to think of it, this was the first Talisman Artifact he had ever seen. Though the original owner of this body had left him an inheritance, he had not possessed a single Talisman Artifact.

In truth, cultivators rarely went out of their way to refine Talisman Artifacts. Not only were they exceedingly poor value for money, but they were also rather troublesome to activate and placed demanding requirements on the cultivator. Ordinary Spirit Sensing cultivators could not bring out much of their power at all.

Catching Jiang Chen's gaze once more, Lu Xuanping knew his guess had been correct.

"Fellow Daoist, you have not only slain the wolf king, but also cleared out this pack of vicious wolves. You have rendered a great service. I shall give this Talisman Artifact to you as a gift, as thanks from the people of Qinghe County, on their behalf, for your righteous slaying of demons."

As he spoke, Lu Xuanping took the initiative to offer the Concealment Umbrella to Jiang Chen.

Though a Talisman Artifact was quite valuable to him, it was not something he could not bear to part with. That depended only on whether the recipient was worth it.

Seeing Lu Xuanping act this way, Jiang Chen could not help giving him a deep look. Meeting Jiang Chen's gaze, Lu Xuanping remained calm and frank. At that moment, as the mountain wind blew, the bloody stench of Goat Horn Mountain seemed to fade considerably.