Rat Demon

"Why didn't you keep those people? That way, the dozen or so little brats in my family could have had a fresh taste."

"The leader was in the Skin Tempering Realm. With a body as small as mine, I couldn't beat him."

"There are so many of us rats..."

"What use is having so many? We can't break through his defenses!"

At that moment, Gao Fei hid behind a large tree, listening as the voices drew closer and closer.

Both hands gripped the spear shaft tightly as he gathered strength.

He darted out, spotted his target, and thrust with all his might at the tallest Rat Demon.

Gao Fei felt as though he had stabbed an airborne rock. The wooden shaft of the Armor-Piercing Spear jolted his hands numb.

"You actually launched a sneak attack! No martial virtue at all!"

The Rat Demon was small and light, and it was sent flying by the thrust, its voice rapidly fading into the distance.

Gao Fei withdrew his spear. Its tip was slightly blunted, and a drop of blood slid down the red tassel and dripped onto the ground.

The other Rat Demons froze for a moment. They tossed aside the five bound youths, drew their broken blades, and rushed over.

As the Rat Demons stood stunned, Mount Tai Crashes Down smashed directly into another one that had just been chatting.

System prompt: Merit Points +10

Watching the Rat Demons charge from behind, Gao Fei did not retreat. Instead, he put away his spear and rushed toward them in several quick strides.

He picked his spot and hurled the spear, bracing himself before drawing the long saber from his back.

On the mountain path, the spear shot forth like a dragon, skewering two in a row and pinning them directly to a tree.

The Rat Demons were too small and too fast, making it difficult to bring out the spear's advantages.

The Tang Saber was far longer than their broken blades. That advantage in length was more than enough.

His saber skill was maxed out, and his opening stance came naturally.

He bent low and swept horizontally, then raised his saber and slashed away a Rat Demon that had leaped in to attack.

The Rat Demons were fast, but their momentum was great as well. Unable to dodge in time, they were sent flying one after another with a single slash each.

One died, and one was wounded. The wounded one was the Rat Demon that had leaped up, its weapon having blocked the strike.

Two Rat Demons circled behind him, spotting an opening at Gao Fei's back.

They attacked together from above and below.

The advantage of a long saber revealed itself.

With a diagonal slash, he sent both Rat Demons flying again, then followed up in several quick steps and struck.

One slash, two pieces.

The Eight Peak-Breaking Blades of the Extreme Realm let him understand his greatest advantage. Throughout the fight, he used weapon length and strength to crush them.

At this point, two uninjured Rat Demons remained, following behind him.

Having learned from the leaping Rat Demon's mistake, the two exchanged a glance and attacked Gao Fei's legs at the same time, forcing him to abandon his pursuit of the other Rat Demon he had sent flying.

He rolled sideways and slashed vertically, lifting both feet off the ground to evade their attack. One Rat Demon was split in half.

The last one turned around, its eyes bloodshot, and charged madly at Gao Fei before leaping up.

"Screeeech!"

With a straight thrust, the Tang Saber was driven directly into its head.

"Crack!"

Gao Fei let out a breath of relief. Holding the Tang Saber, he was just about to inspect the Rat Demons he had sent flying when he heard the sound of a branch snapping behind him.

He turned around and saw a Rat Demon with a patch of blood on its chest creeping toward him. It was the tallest one.

After being discovered, the Rat Demon was no longer in any hurry.

"I, a Skin Tempering Realm cultivator, actually had all my subordinates wiped out by a human in the Late Qi-Blood Realm. Tell me, how do you want to die?"

Gao Fei's heart tightened.

That all-out strike had failed to kill it? Was the defense of the Skin Tempering Realm really this high?

Looking carefully, he realized that the Rat Demon's chest was somewhat caved in. It should have been seriously injured.

"Whether I die or not, I don't know. But you might be about to die."

Gao Fei looked at Lu Xiaoliu opposite him, who held two long spears and was currently gathering strength to throw them.

The long spears cut through the air, bringing a sharp whistle of wind.

Just as the Rat Demon turned its head.

Gao Fei rapidly closed in, turned, and unleashed a charged Mount Hua-Splitting Strike.

This was the Tang Saber of a middle-aged constable, heavy and powerful.

Attacked from both sides, the Rat Demon dodged the spear and raised the short blade in its hand.

"Clang!" Sparks flew in all directions.

Gao Fei once again felt as though he had struck solid stone.

The Tang Saber chopped into the Rat Demon's shoulder, sinking an inch into its body, nearly burying the blade to its spine.

The soft earth could not withstand such tremendous force. The Rat Demon's tiny feet sank directly into the soil, down to the tops of its feet.

Dragging his saber back as he retreated, Gao Fei wondered whether its edge had curled.

A Blood-Qi Realm Rat Demon charged out from the side and raised its blade in a sideways chop—one slash split it diagonally into two halves.

He glanced at the increase in Merit Points. There had only been six.

"Xiao Liu, there are still other Rat Demons that aren't dead."

As Gao Fei spoke, his eyes remained fixed on the Rat Demon before him, whose right arm could no longer be raised.

He did not dare let down his guard in the slightest, completely lacking the bold spirit he had at the start.

He had originally thought that with perfected saber techniques, killing a Skin Tempering Realm Rat Demon would be as easy as turning his hand over.

In the end, he had ambushed it twice, and it had taken two heavy blows, yet it was only injured and not fatally wounded.

Fortunately, he had entered the Late Qi-Blood Realm. Combined with his larger size and far greater strength, he could break through its defenses. Otherwise, he might not have been able to do so.

Was the Skin Tempering Realm really this powerful?

He looked at the Armor-Piercing Spear he had thrown onto the path earlier. As he spoke, Gao Fei slowly backed away and began to retrieve his Tang Saber.

"System, use ten Merit Points on the Six Harmonies Spear!"

In the space of his consciousness.

In the first year, the proficiency of the Six Harmonies Spear increased, and his spear technique reached minor accomplishment.

In the fifth year, the Six Harmonies Spear reached major accomplishment.

In the ninth year, the Six Harmonies Spear reached perfection. His spear technique moved as his heart wished, and his strength greatly increased.

In the tenth year, it seemed he had gained some insights and could continue training.

His consciousness returned.

"Just this..."

Seeing that the other party still had not moved, he said, "System, another ten years."

In the eighth year, his spear technique entered the Ultimate Realm, and he grasped the art of using a point to pierce a surface.

The remaining two Merit Points could either be refunded.

Or used to increase practical combat experience.

Practical combat experience.

Two years of practical combat experience made his use of the spear more varied.

68 Merit Points remained.

In the blink of an eye, the Rat Demon saw a trace of sharpness in Gao Fei's eyes.

It could not feel its right arm at all. Blood still flowed from its shoulder, while pain struck it again and again.

At that moment, neither side wanted to wait any longer. They clashed once more.

Every one of Gao Fei's attacks targeted its eyes and nose. The Rat Demon never succeeded in getting its single blade past the spear.

He bent his body like a bow and kicked the spear.

He smashed the Rat Demon to the ground once again. Gao Fei chased after it in several quick steps and used Mount Tai Crashes Down.

Dust flew from the ground, and the Rat Demon lay there without moving.

He looked over, but there was no system prompt for Merit Points.

After withdrawing his spear and steadying himself, he used Viper Leaving Its Den.

The spear spun rapidly. His palm struck the butt of the shaft with all his strength to increase its power, using a point to pierce a surface.

"Thud! Thud! Thud!"

It sounded like a demolition hammer smashing through concrete.

After three strikes, more than half the spear shaft had gone down.

System prompt: Merit Points +21

After all that hard work, the BOSS he had killed had given him so few Merit Points.

When he turned to inspect the area, Xiao Liu came back carrying three Rat Demons.

"Sir, look! I cleaned up three of them. Not a single one got away."

"Impressive. Next time we encounter Blood-Qi Realm ones, if there are three or fewer, they're all yours."

"Don't say that, sir! I was only picking up the scraps. They were all badly wounded, and I just poked them to death from far away."

Lu Xiaoliu hurriedly explained, no longer acting smug at all.

Gao Fei had only deliberately refused to give him an out because he had not received the Merit Points.

"Enough. Untie those five people, then help carry the demons back to sell. Your wages are in there too."

At this time, all five people were unconscious. The Rat Demons had knocked them out when they attacked, afraid they might run away.

After the two untied the ropes, they did not bother with them anymore. They were not babysitters; whether the five lived or died was up to fate.

They arrived at Four Seas Residence once more.

After calling out the shopkeeper, he looked over the corpses with some surprise. However, he did not ask any other questions and directly gave a price.

"Blood-Qi Realm Rat Demons are smaller. Nine of them, 150 taels of silver. The Skin Tempering Realm one has severely damaged fur, 100 taels!"

"You recognize me, right?" Gao Fei asked with a smile.

The shopkeeper immediately bowed and scraped.

"Lord Gao, yes, yes, I recognize you."