Slay the Dragon King!

This sight left not only Liu Chen and the others, sprawled in the mud and barely clinging to life, staring dumbfounded.

Even the Bone-Chiming Great Demon froze for a moment.

A rage a hundred times fiercer than when its foot had been severed exploded from its chest!

Its earlier carelessness, allowing itself to be injured by an ant in the String Hearing Realm, had already been the greatest humiliation imaginable.

And now, not only was this ant not fleeing, she actually dared to charge at it?!

How dared she?!

"Roar—"

The earth-shaking roar became a tangible wave of sound, lifting an entire layer of rotten mud from the pond's edge!

The demon's scarlet eyes brimmed with savagery.

Yet—

Just as it opened its enormous maw, ready to swallow that figure whole—

Jiang Yuechu suddenly sped up.

Not by just a little!

"Buzz—"

Within her mind, the number in the [Dao Cultivation] column of that ancient scroll began plummeting at a frenzied pace.

One hundred and twenty years.

Ninety years.

Sixty years.

Zero!

The Dao Cultivation she had accumulated for so long was emptied in an instant!

An unprecedentedly scorching current erupted from her dantian.

At the same time—

The blood and qi within her body began burning wildly at an unprecedented rate!

"Boom!"

Her aura underwent an earth-shaking transformation in the blink of an eye!

From the roots outward, her jet-black hair was dyed a dense crimson, resembling blazing flames beneath the dim dusk sky!

Fine crimson tiger stripes spread beneath her skin, creeping up from her wrists all the way to her shoulders.

Her clear pupils instantly turned into savage golden vertical slits!

Demon Transformation!

This was the strongest move she had up her sleeve!

"Th-that... what is that?!"

Not far away, Zhao Hu, struggling to get to his feet, watched the scene in horror.

That ferocious Baleful Intent was even greater than that of the Bone-Chiming Great Demon before them!

Who the hell was the demon here?!

Just as their figures were about to collide—

Boom—

The girl's body sprang into the air from nowhere, and she was already above the demon's head!

In midair, she gripped her blade in both hands and raised it high overhead.

The crimson tiger phantom behind her solidified completely at that moment!

Buzz—

A layer of eerie crimson flame ignited around the blade, making the entire weapon seem to come alive!

"Die!"

With a crisp shout—

This strike—

Was not only her full-force blow in her Demon Transformation state, but also carried one hundred and twenty-five years of Dao Cultivation!

The next instant—

It came crashing down!

Splat—

The crimson blade-light flashed past.

"Urgh..."

An incomprehensible sound emerged from the demon's throat.

The next instant—

Splash—

A line of blood slowly appeared down the center of its massive head.

Its enormous head, as large as a millstone, had been split perfectly in two from the middle!

Foul blood mixed with brain matter poured down like a waterfall.

Its colossal body swayed, then fell straight backward.

Bang—

The ground at Returnwater Bend shuddered violently, splashing mud high into the air.

"..."

Everyone stood with their mouths hanging open, blankly watching the scene.

A Bone-Chiming Great Demon...

Had just...

Been ended with one slash?

No, everyone here was in the String Hearing Realm—why were you so absurdly overpowered?!

Even Liu Chen, who had seen her methods once before and knew what she was capable of—

Felt his brain shrink a little at this moment.

The heart-palpitating Baleful Intent receded like the tide.

The crimson tiger stripes on Jiang Yuechu's body slowly faded, while her blood-red hair returned to black.

She sheathed her blade and stood still, slowly exhaling a breath of turbid air.

Exhaustion washed over her like a tide, making her body sway slightly, but at least she did not pass out on the spot like last time.

[Killed a Bone-Resonance Realm creature. Obtained four hundred and twenty years of its Dao Cultivation.]

Jiang Yuechu frowned.

Hm?

There was no notification that it had been recorded?

That should not have been possible.

Logically speaking, this catfish demon had reached the Bone-Chiming Realm and could control water and drive mud, with strange and unpredictable methods. It was certainly no ordinary creature. How could it not even qualify to be recorded?

Could it be that the Hundred Demons Register had standards too high to take a liking to seafood like this?

Her thoughts raced, but she quickly rejected that idea.

It had even accepted that pig before. There was no way it would turn its nose up at this ferocious demon.

Then where was the problem?

She thought it over and over, yet could not reach an answer.

"Forget it, forget it. If I kill more demons in the future, I'll find its pattern eventually..."

After comforting herself like that—

She looked at the enormous demon corpse and suddenly thought of something.

Wait...

Blood Sustenance Art!

But with so many eyes watching, it was inconvenient for her to use it.

Not far away, Liu Chen struggled up from the mud.

"Captain Liu, are you all right?"

Zhao Hu also stumbled and crawled over. His injuries were not severe; he had merely been shaken senseless by the demon qi, and his head was still buzzing.

"I won't die."

Liu Chen waved a hand, but his gaze never left Jiang Yuechu.

Noticing his attention, Zhao Hu followed his line of sight.

"J-Jiang... Sister Jiang..."

Zhao Hu cautiously moved closer to Jiang Yuechu, forcing a smile uglier than tears. "Y-you... you're all right too, aren't you?"

He was completely convinced now.

Convinced in both heart and soul.

Delicate skin, little woman—screw all that.

This lady could probably pin him to the ground and grind him into the dirt with a single finger.

"I'm fine."

She shook her head, then looked toward Liu Chen, who was struggling to his feet.

"What should be done with this demon's corpse...?"

Liu Chen paused. "By the rules... if possible, it must be transported intact back to the prefectural headquarters' storehouse. Many parts of demons are excellent materials for pill refining and artifact forging."

"And if it isn't possible?"

"If it isn't possible..." Liu Chen gave a bitter smile and pointed at the muddy pond. "Then we can only take the important parts, such as the demon core, tendons and bones, or any special scales and hides. The rest can only be discarded on the spot."

"Oh..."

Jiang Yuechu felt somewhat depressed.

She had worked herself to the bone, burning Dao Cultivation and activating Demon Transformation, fighting for her life to win this loot—and it did not even belong to her?

What rotten luck.

Her gaze moved back and forth between the demon corpse and Liu Chen, and she let out sigh after sigh.

Liu Chen had spent so many years clawing his way through the Demon Suppression Office that he naturally knew how to read people.

The moment he saw her expression, he understood.

He cleared his throat and thoughtfully took the initiative to speak. "This place is remote, and this demon's corpse is far too large. Transporting it back would truly be difficult."

He paused, glancing over the wounded men still groaning on the ground, then continued with a grief-stricken expression. "The brothers are badly hurt and need to return to Liangzhou Prefecture for treatment as soon as possible. We truly should not delay any longer."

"Miss Jiang."

Liu Chen suddenly looked at her, his tone solemn. "You rendered the greatest service in slaying this Bone-Chiming Great Demon, but the brothers are all injured now. How about troubling you to handle this demon corpse as well?"

Everyone froze.

Wait.

What did Liu Chen mean by that?

If not for Jiang Yuechu, every last member of their squad would have died here today.

And now he was asking a young girl to deal with this mangled, blood-soaked, nauseatingly foul demon corpse?

Zhao Hu immediately became unhappy.

"How can such rough work trouble Sister Jiang personally? Sister Jiang, you rest. I'll do it!"

As he spoke, he pulled a small knife specifically meant for processing demon corpses from his waist, looking ready to get to work at any moment.

Jiang Yuechu glanced at him, and the fist at her side tightened a little.

Liu Chen's eyelid twitched at the sight, and he hurriedly shot Zhao Hu a look.

Seriously.

Why had he never noticed this kid being such an idiot before?

Zhao Hu froze beneath his glare, scratched his head, and only then belatedly understood. His old face instantly reddened as he hurriedly waved to the equally bewildered men nearby.

"What are you all standing around for? Didn't you hear Captain Liu? Hurry up and lend a hand! Move the brothers who are badly injured somewhere clean first!"

"R-right, right..."

As if waking from a dream, everyone hurriedly carried the three unconscious comrades away from the muddy pond.

Taking the opportunity, Liu Chen led the remaining men several dozen paces away under the excuse of "keeping watch in case other demons were drawn by the scent of blood."

Very quickly, Jiang Yuechu was the only one left beside the muddy pond at Returnwater Bend.