Pig Demon Appears!

"Just waiting around like this isn't a solution."

Song Yunzi took another swig of wine and suggested, "Why don't the three of us split up and expand our search area? It's better than crowding together."

Jiang Wan didn't commit, merely tightening her grip on her sword.

Venerable Huineng, however, directly shook his head, his voice low, "That's unwise. Demons and monsters are cunning, and their strength is unknown."

"If we split up, our strength will be weakened. If we're suddenly attacked, it'll be hard to support each other. It's safer to stay together."

Song Yunzi shrugged. He had only mentioned it casually, and seeing Venerable Huineng's objection, he didn't insist.

Jiang Wan also leaned towards concentrating their strength, as her sword was better suited for dealing with clear enemies.

The three continued forward.

Jiang Wan carried her long sword, moonlight flowing across her cool, elegant face, outlining a refined yet distant profile.

Her posture was upright, her legs slender, and her movements possessed a neat and graceful rhythm.

It was a shame that the two companions beside her were completely oblivious to the beauty of the scene.

One was a Daoist whose wine gourd was never far from his hand, appearing carefree but possessing a firm Dao heart.

The other was a monk who, despite carrying a monk's knife, chanted Buddhist scriptures, harboring a resolute Vow within his heart.

To them, beauty was no different from a roadside pebble or clouds in the sky. It wasn't even as noteworthy as the movements of demons and monsters.

As they walked, a sudden change occurred!

A thick, heavy cloud, appearing from nowhere, silently enveloped them, completely swallowing the pale white moon.

The light in the world suddenly dimmed, making it almost impossible to see one's hand in front of one's face.

Immediately after, a faint, grayish-white mist began to spread across the street without warning.

The mist carried a faint smell of earth and a certain indescribable sweetness.

The three instantly stood back-to-back, circulating their internal energy, their weapons drawn half an inch, their vigilance at its peak.

A mist appearing on a curfewed night was no coincidence!

Thump... thump... thump...

Slow, heavy footsteps echoed from the dense fog at the end of the long street, growing closer.

A figure gradually emerged.

It was a fat man dressed in luxurious brocade robes, his waistline likely no thinner than a water vat.

His face was a mass of stacked fat, his eyes squeezed into mere slits.

He staggered closer, seemingly not seeing the three Qi Refinement cultivators standing ready.

Or rather, he saw them but paid them no mind.

His gaze was fixed directly on Jiang Wan's face, and saliva dripped uncontrollably from his lips, the picture of a lecherous pig.

"Beau... so beautiful..."

He mumbled indistinctly, his voice like bubbles squeezed from the depths of his throat.

"Much prettier than those dozens at Liu Manor last night... hehe..."

Jiang Wan frowned, a chill rising in her eyes. "On this curfewed night, who are you? Why are you here?"

"Curfew?" The fat man seemed to hear a joke and let out a cackling laugh.

"What curfew? Pig Lord wants to go for a stroll, who can stop me?"

As he spoke, he brazenly approached Jiang Wan.

"Little beauty, it's so cold and lonely this late at night, keep Pig Lord warm..."

"Presumptuous!"

Jiang Wan said no more. With a clang, her long sword was fully unsheathed, its cold light as clear as autumn water, stabbing directly at the fat man's throat!

This sword strike was fast, accurate, and ruthless, without any flourish.

It was the opening move of Autumn Water Swordplay, the fundamental technique she used to travel the world and cultivate her Qi.

"Hmph!" The greedy look on the fat man's face instantly turned into a sinister grin.

Facing the swift sword light, he didn't dodge or evade. He merely raised a thick, fleshy palm, his fingers like hooks, and grabbed directly for the sword's edge!

The palm strike whistled, carrying a brutish Demon Power.

The moment Jiang Wan drew her sword, Song Yunzi and Venerable Huineng also moved.

If you find this book good, remember to add it to your bookshelf to avoid losing it next time.

Song Yunzi slapped his wine gourd. The gourd's opening automatically sprang open, and a fiery line, blazing with a rich aroma of wine, shot out. It arrived after Jiang Wan's sword strike but bypassed it, heading straight for the fat man's face!

This was his Blazing Yang Wine Fire, refined from wine mixed with his own fire Qi, specifically designed to counter evil.

Venerable Huineng was even more direct, letting out a low roar: "Wicked creature!"

He then drew the monk's knife from his waist. The blade was thick and heavy, its edge gleaming with a chilling light, devoid of any Buddhist compassion.

Instead, it carried a resolute aura, as if to sever all impurities, and slashed diagonally towards the fat man's waist.

Simultaneously, Buddhist chants erupted from his mouth, each word clear as a great bell, forming an invisible shockwave that assaulted the fatty's soul.

This was the Buddhist Soul-Suppressing Sanskrit.

Though the three had formed a temporary alliance, they had no deep prior connection.

However, the combat instincts honed by their rogue cultivator lives and their shared perception of danger

allowed them to naturally form the most effective combined assault formation the moment the opponent's killing intent erupted.

No words were needed; a mere exchange of glances was enough to create a coordinated attack!

The fatty clearly hadn't expected these three Qi Refinement human cultivators to react so swiftly and employ such formidable techniques.

His hand, reaching for the sword's edge, was blocked by Jiang Wan's pure sword energy, causing a stinging pain in his palm.

The wine fire attacking his face was intensely hot, making him instinctively squint and turn his head.

The knife wind at his waist was even more ferocious, forcing him to slightly tuck in his abdomen.

The Soul-Suppressing Sanskrit entering his ears made his head buzz, slowing his actions by half a beat.

Screech!

Jiang Wan's sword tip finally cut a shallow but distinct gash across his thick palm.

No blood flowed out; instead, a dark yellow, viscous oil seeped from the wound.

The fatty's sinister grin froze, replaced by pure rage.

"Good! Very good! A few fools who don't know their place!"

The fatty roared, his brocade robe suddenly billowing. A potent demon energy erupted, instantly dispelling the surrounding mist.

His form began to twist and swell. His fat face protruded, his ears widened, his nostrils flipped upwards, and tusks jutted from his mouth.

In the blink of an eye, he transformed into an enormous pig's head!

A human body with a pig's head, exuding monstrous power!

It was indeed a demon!

And judging by the density and oppressive aura of its demon power, it was no ordinary First-Order demon.

It had to be a Second-Order demon that had condensed its demon soul!

"Everyone, be careful!"

Song Yunzi shouted a stern warning, his hand seals changing rapidly as the flames from his wine gourd intensified.

At the same time, he flicked his left hand, sending three talismans crackling with lightning towards the Pig Demon in a triangular formation.

Venerable Huineng's knife attacks grew fiercer, accompanied by increasingly resonant Sanskrit chants, his strikes consistently targeting the Pig Demon's vital points.

Jiang Wan's swordplay became light and agile, her movements elusive as she dodged the Pig Demon's brute force charges, focusing on its joints, eyes, and other vulnerable areas.

After revealing its true form, the Pig Demon's strength, speed, and defense had all increased significantly. It swung its thick arms, directly confronting the trio's attacks.

Song Yunzi's lightning talismans exploded, making its entire body tremble and leaving patches of black char.

Venerable Huineng's knife would often sink only a few inches into its flesh before being stopped by its tough fat and demon power.

Though Jiang Wan's sword energy was sharp, the wounds it inflicted seemed insignificant compared to the Pig Demon's massive body.

Despite the shock, the trio remained calm, each displaying their strengths, managing to fight the Second-Order Pig Demon to a standstill for the moment.

The Pig Demon roared repeatedly. It had expected to easily defeat three Qi Refinement human cultivators, but they proved to be unexpectedly troublesome, especially the monk's Sanskrit chants and the Daoist's lightning and fire, which caused it considerable discomfort.

"Fellow Daoist Jiang!" Song Yunzi called out amidst the fierce battle.

Jiang Wan understood. As the Pig Demon stumbled from Venerable Huineng's knife strike and Song Yunzi's wine fire obscured its vision, she swiftly reached for a bamboo tube-like object at her waist and pulled its fuse, aiming it at the night sky!

Calling for backup!