Zhang Ju's Death

Zhang Ju's expression shifted, and the human face he wore could no longer hold. It directly transformed into a fox's face.

"Lord Lin has rendered great merit in slaying demons. As the county magistrate, I am deeply gratified."

Zhang Ju slowly stroked his fur with one hand. No expression could be read from that fox face.

"However, Lord Lin, though he was merely my godson, I raised him as my own son. You killed him. If I, as his father, do not avenge him, wouldn't that be rather hard to justify, hmm?"

Zhang Ju spoke slowly but forcefully, one hand continually tapping the tabletop with a tap, tap, tap.

"He ate people. He deserved to die."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ju slowly rose to his feet.

"People? Heh heh."

Zhang Ju opened the inner chamber's door and walked out of the yamen.

Lin Jun simply followed behind him, following Zhang Ju outside the yamen.

By now, dawn had broken. The rising sun illuminated the entirety of Azure Forest City as people came and went, preparing to begin their day.

Chen Feng and his group were also standing outside. Seeing Zhang Ju and Lin Jun emerge peacefully, their faces were full of shock and suspicion.

"Lord Lin, if I took one bite from every person in this city and used them to reach the Boundary Breach realm, would you still cut me down?"

"Hm?"

Green Forest County's city alone had over ten thousand residents. During Zhang Ju's years in office, he had long since made every necessary preparation.

Now was the day to reap the harvest.

Though he could not compare to his deceased elder brother, he was already satisfied.

These Demon Exorcists were all rare medicinal treasures, his first meal of blood after breaking through.

Especially Lin Jun. He would savor him properly.

As for that godson of his, that useless thing—dead was dead.

At that moment, the busy people throughout Green Forest County suddenly stopped what they were doing and stiffly turned toward the yamen.

Then, one after another, they toppled straight to the ground like marionettes with their strings cut.

The bizarre sight made goosebumps rise all over everyone present.

Even He Jing and his fellow disciples, along with Lu Ling, who had been observing the city from afar, felt their scalps go numb.

"That Fox Spirit has begun. Old He, what do we do?"

What could they do?

With their strength, they could not even defeat the man's son, much less the father.

"Still can't get the information out?"

"No."

At that moment, Zhang Ju could no longer control his expression and burst into mad laughter.

Ten years. He had waited ten years for this very day.

To accomplish this right beneath the Demon Exorcism Bureau's nose, how much effort had he expended? Now, at last, it was time to harvest!

Though he was no match for that elder brother he had never met, he was not inferior either!

Lin Jun slowly drew his blade.

"You said you were going to use the people of this entire city to break through to the next realm?"

Zhang Ju turned to look at Lin Jun.

"Hehe, what, you still want to kill me? I'll give you one more chance. Submit to me, and I will spare your life."

"No, no, that's not what I wanted to say."

The horse-chopping saber was already in Lin Jun's hand.

Then he drove it straight into Zhang Ju's stomach.

Zhang Ju stared at Lin Jun in disbelief, his eyes filled with confusion.

Why?

"You haven't even broken through, yet you've been yapping here for half the day, acting all high and mighty? Who the hell are you trying to fool!"

If Zhang Ju had truly reached Boundary Breach, Lin Jun had already prepared to fight to the death. But this bastard had not even broken through and was still putting on such airs.

He was courting death!

Fury filled Zhang Ju's fox face.

"Ignorant! Crude! Simply reckless!"

With a wave of his hand, Zhang Ju actually forced Lin Jun back several steps, then clutched his stomach.

"Cough, cough. I had wanted to let you see the fruits of my ten years of labor. What a pity—you people do not know what is good for you."

Zhang Ju was thoroughly enraged.

Lin Jun had provoked him again and again. Did he truly think Zhang Ju did not dare kill?

The reason he had dared gather this group of Demon Exorcists here was because he had absolute confidence in defeating them.

He merely wanted them to admire the fruits of his ten years of labor before they died. Since they refused to appreciate the gesture, he could only enjoy these medicinal treasures first.

"Be careful! That fox is at least at Half-Step Boundary Breach!"

Zhang Ju suddenly let out a shrill howl, the sound piercing into their minds like spikes.

Amid the billowing dust, a white-furred fox nearly five meters tall appeared before Lin Jun.

"Brother Lin, the souls of Green Forest County's people are being absorbed!"

With his saber taken by Lin Jun, Li Gui could only keep moving the nearby civilians away with Duan Yan. Only Chen Feng drew his blade and stood beside Lin Jun.

Holding a blade in each hand, Lin Jun leaped into the air. His twin blades cleaved into the Fox Demon's forehead, sending sparks flying as more than half its scalp was torn open.

Chen Feng attacked from below, slashing directly at the Fox Demon's leg. Sparks burst forth, and then his blade shattered.

The Fox Demon kicked Chen Feng away, sending him crashing into the yamen wall.

Watching Lin Jun trade blows evenly with the Fox Demon, Chen Feng silently closed his eyes amid the ruins.

Better not become a burden for Lord Lin.

"Your flesh and blood—I'll take it!"

Lin Jun suddenly discovered that the Fox Demon's cultivation had surged again, while even more of the surrounding people's souls had been absorbed.

He could not drag this out with it.

With that thought, Lin Jun raised his twin blades, and his entire body turned crimson.

"Awoo!"

With a roar of wind, two blood-red tigers pounced from the twin blades. The Fox Demon failed to dodge in time and had a chunk of flesh bitten straight off.

But the good times did not last. The tigers only held the Fox Demon back for several exchanges before it smashed them into fragments with a single paw.

Lin Jun's entire body turned deathly pale, as though he had been drained dry.

"So this is your trump card? Heh, it's too late for regrets now!"

The Fox Demon was not doing well either. The Blood-Baleful Aura brought by those two Blood Tigers battered its body without cease. But tens of thousands of surrounding souls were constantly strengthening it—it could afford to endure.

Lin Jun, on the other hand, had clearly used a desperate all-or-nothing move just now. He no longer had the strength to resist.

Just as the Fox Demon was about to deliver Lin Jun the final blow, it suddenly discovered that Lin Jun had risen again, his entire body turning crimson once more.

Then two Blood Tigers, far more robust than before, pounced upon the Fox Demon and tore another massive chunk of flesh from its body.

Weren't you too weak to even stand? Could a life-saving move like this be used over and over again?!

Before the Fox Demon could even flare up in rage, another two Blood Tigers pounced at it.

He Jing and his fellow disciples, who had been preparing to come assist, abruptly stopped and stared blankly toward the center of Azure Forest City.

More than a dozen blood-colored tigers were relentlessly biting the enormous fox. The fox twisted, leaped, and dodged, yet it could never shake off the Blood Tigers' bites.

If he was not mistaken, those Blood Tigers had been created by Lin Jun, right?

Zhang Ju had already lost count of how many Blood Tigers he had destroyed. He only knew that whenever he killed one, Lin Jun could create another.

His entire fox body was now reduced to a skeleton with only scraps of flesh clinging to it, its organs exposed to the air.

Fortunately, those seemingly endless Blood Tigers had finally vanished. He had won!

Looking at Lin Jun's shattered twin blades, Zhang Ju finally smiled.

He could tell that Lin Jun was already an arrow at the end of its flight, so exhausted that he could not even move.

"Hahahaha!"

"You, die!"

Zhang Ju opened his blood-filled maw and bit straight at Lin Jun, who was gasping heavily.

In his current state, he desperately needed a martial artist's flesh and blood to repair his wounds.

Bang!

The fox's sharp teeth sank into Lin Jun's body.

Its teeth shattered.

A suit of Frost Thunder Armor suddenly formed over Lin Jun's body. Already weakened, Zhang Ju had no way to break it.

You had another trick up your sleeve? Would it kill you to show them all at once?!

That was Zhang Ju's final thought. Then Lin Jun punched through his forehead, ending Zhang Ju's life.