The Old Dog Demands Accountability

"Step back to a safe place and don't get close."

Yang Xiao narrowed his eyes slightly, spoke toward the rear, and then reached out to grip the hilt of his Spring Embroidery Saber.

Immediately after, he slammed a fierce kick toward the door!

The wooden door shattered, and a blood-stained black shadow streaked rapidly toward the back.

Yang Xiao stepped into the room, his gaze sweeping with indifference over the scene within.

Several villagers' corpses lay on the ground, some torn to pieces, others with their throats bitten through, fresh blood staining the ground red.

A thick, heavy stench of blood permeated the air.

And in the center of the room stood a dense mass of more than a dozen Dog Demons!

Two of the largest yellow-and-white Dog Demons stood on either side of the chair in the main hall, their builds clearly indicating the Body Forging Realm Ninth Stage.

There were also eight or nine smaller Dog Demons surrounding the corpses on the ground, gnawing on them.

Yet the aura that felt deepest and most terrifying came from an old yellow dog sitting limply in the wooden chair at the center of the hall.

Its build was smaller than any of the other Dog Demons, and the yellow fur that should have been glossy had now mostly lost its luster, shedding to reveal the loose, aged hide beneath.

Its limbs were withered and thin, its claws dry and cracked, making it look as though it had one foot in the grave, yet those eyes radiated an incomparably sharp, brilliant gleam as they locked onto Yang Xiao.

Then the corners of its mouth curved up slightly, revealing a kindly smile.

"You are the one who killed my descendants."

Yang Xiao sneered. "Shouldn't they be killed?"

"The law of the jungle, naturally they should." The old dog shook its head slightly, its eyes filled with disdain. "But you are far too arrogant, actually daring to come alone."

"Do you think that after killing a few Body Forging Realm Dog Demons, you can deal with me?"

"I have lived for several centuries. Martial artists of the Mortal Realm of Body Forging have not transcended; before me, they are nothing more than ants."

Yang Xiao did not answer. He merely stared at the old dog, a trace of fighting spirit flashing in his eyes.

A Demon of the Qi Gathering Realm... he had yet to kill one.

"Since you put it that way..." The corners of Yang Xiao's mouth curved up slightly. "Then let me see just how strong you really are."

No sooner had the words fallen than Yang Xiao moved!

His speed was so fast that even the old dog was slightly taken aback.

Yet Yang Xiao's target was not the old dog, but the two Body Forging Realm Ninth Stage Dog Demons!

Swish—

A blade-light flashed, a chilling gleam sweeping past.

Before the first Body Forging Realm Ninth Stage Dog Demon could even react, its head had already flown into the air.

Fresh blood gushed out, and its body crashed heavily to the ground.

Killed in a single move!

Bang—

Yang Xiao's figure shifted, and almost simultaneously, he and the reacting yellow-and-white Dog Demon reached out with their palms.

Arms far more tightly knotted and slender than those of ordinary humans traced a piercing sound through the air, their sharp claws—thickly covered in yellow and white fur—unfurling to grab straight at Yang Xiao's face!

Yang Xiao swung out casually as if swatting a fly, and the sharp claws that could instinctively shatter gold and stone were effortlessly batted away in an instant.

Immediately following this, the wrist of Yang Xiao's other hand flipped the blade, thrusting straight through the Dog Demon's chest and savagely mashing its steaming heart!

Three moves!

The two Body Forging Realm Ninth Stage Dog Demons were slain by Yang Xiao in three moves!

The old dog's expression shifted.

The physical bodies of the Demon Race were naturally formidable; to have them killed with a mere wave of the hand right before its eyes? Without even being able to put up a decent defense?

"How dare you!"

With his youngest and most outstanding junior killed, the aged yellow dog ultimately could no longer suppress its anger.

It was about to make a move, but those ordinary Dog Demons had already pounced forward.

Yet Yang Xiao merely sneered.

"Courting death..."

His figure shuttled through the pack of Dog Demons like a phantom, blade-light flashing as every single strike landed with precision on the Dog Demons' vital points.

In less than ten breaths, the eight or nine ordinary Dog Demons had already been cleanly slaughtered by Yang Xiao.

Fresh blood dyed the ground red, and the corpses of the Dog Demons piled up into a mound.

Yang Xiao sheathed his saber, his gaze falling upon the old dog.

"Now there's only you left."

"Are you from the Demon Suppression Division?"

Such crisp and decisive striking actions were something the old dog had only ever witnessed in his youth from people of the Demon Suppression Division.

A trace of doubt colored his voice, and due to certain misgivings, he did not immediately make a move.

Under the jurisdiction of the Demon Suppression Division, hiding away to survive over the past century or so had long since blunted the ferocious claws and teeth he had possessed a hundred years ago.

His already meager reserves meant that every time he acted now, he had to deliberate carefully for a long time, terrified of excessive consumption or drawing the attention of the Demon Suppression Division.

Yang Xiao did not answer. He merely gripped his Spring Embroidery Saber tighter and slowly walked toward the old dog.

"Hmph, you are indeed strong, but you don't understand the gap between realms."

The old dog thought no more. His expression turned gloomy as he slowly rose from the wooden chair, a breath of black Qi exhaling from his mouth. As that breath coiled around his entire body, his appearance began to transform.

"Hah—"

His originally withered and ashen body trembled violently, and the loose, sunken flesh was filled in an instant by a certain pure Qi, his shriveled limbs re-inflatable with solid chunks of meat.

Bone-white, razor-sharp claws sprouted from his cracked and peeling paws, gleaming with a chilling light.

Crack!

The wooden chair could not bear the old dog's weight and collapsed with a crash. The old dog seized the momentum to stand up, his form swelling several times over until he was the size of a fierce tiger.

His yellow fur stood erect and fluffy, shimmering with golden radiance under the sunlight shining through the door, leaving no trace of old age!

In the span of just a few breaths, a body on the verge of the grave was filled with a certain pure power, leaving not the slightest trace of his previous senile and dying state!

Yang Xiao's gaze turned stern. Was this the profundity of the next realm?

To actually allow an old dog that should have died of old age to regain the state of its prime years...

Outside the door, the four young yamen runners who had been peering inside while hugging the threshold were now filled with utter despair.

They had originally thought that coming on this trip today would be some simple errand, yet who could have expected that this newly appointed chief constable would storm a Dog Demon's lair on his very first day!

In Xiangyun County, this already counted as a major demon unseen for many years.

Let us kill a major demon? Are you for real?

The two brothers Zhou Qiang and Zhou Gang exchanged a glance of utter despair, already preparing their final words.

Sun Ming's complexion was utterly ghastly, his heart endlessly cursing Yang Xiao for his arrogance as he took half a step back, already eyeing the best escape route.

Even Zhao Tieniu, who had moments earlier believed in Yang Xiao implicitly, now wore a solemn expression as he stared fixedly into the house, his heart practically leaping into his throat.

Though honest, he wasn't stupid; that old yellow dog was clearly formidable in strength!

The old dog's gaze swept over the four people outside the door, finally landing on Yang Xiao. The corners of his mouth parted slightly, expelling a foul stench.

"Devouring the lot of you will barely be enough to make up for the drain of this action."

Before his words finished falling, he violently lunged at Yang Xiao with astonishing speed, aiming straight for Yang Xiao's throat.

Yang Xiao's gaze sharpened; this old dog's speed was almost fast enough to break free of his field of vision.

His figure flashed, and the moment he left his original spot, the old dog followed close behind. Its bone-like claws sliced open the bluestone ground like tofu, leaving behind massive gouges and kicking up countless stone shards.

The old dog missed its mark, turning its head to look at Yang Xiao with a flicker of abnormality in its eyes.

This human's speed was actually greater than his own?

Yang Xiao's gaze was ice-cold, his wrist sinking slightly as the autumn-water-like Spring Embroidery Saber suddenly left its scabbard.

The blade carried a condensed force, without a shred of drag, and fiercely slashed down upon the old yellow dog's broad spine.

With a crisp, metallic ring—

The blade effortlessly cleaved into the old yellow dog's tight, full muscles, tearing a jagged wound over a foot long right across its body.

The Hundred-Refined Edge specifically countered the physical defenses of demons and monsters, furthermore inflicting a bleeding effect that could not be healed in the short term.

The old yellow dog sensed this and attempted to contract its muscles to slow the bleeding, but upon discovering that it could not be stopped, its expression instantly turned overwhelmingly terrified.

"What kind of saber is this?!"

Its tone carried a trace of vexation. Having reached an age nearing the end of its natural lifespan, its body's recovery was naturally no match for when it was young, and now its vital essence was draining away continuously.

Just how much flesh and blood would it have to devour to make that back?

"It's time to end this."

Having worried that he wouldn't be able to cut through this old dog, Yang Xiao let out a wild laugh upon witnessing the effect of that strike, taking the initiative to attack.

If even bleeding two or three ounces of blood hurt this much, it was indeed near the end of its limit—its strength was probably far from its peak state.

Executing the Astonishing Swan Steps to the fullest, his figure flashed once more, instantly appearing behind the old dog.

Swish—

Blade-light flashed.

The old dog's head flew into the air, fresh blood gushed forth, and its body crashed heavily to the ground, falling completely silent.

Yang Xiao wiped the blade clean and sheathed it.

"Having lived for several centuries, you're nothing much after all."

He turned around to look at the four young yamen runners outside whose jaws were practically dropping to the ground, lifting his chin.

"Get in here and clean this up."