Slay the Demons!

Zhang Hu was stunned.

Even at a time like this, the kid's first words were asking about merits?

Yet before he could reply, those larger Rat Demons at the village entrance had already turned around.

The stench of blood mixed with the smell of mud hit them full force.

The Rat Demon that Yang Xiao had just slain lay on the ground, blood flowing endlessly from its neck, twitching a few times before going still.

The surrounding Yamen Runners watched in a daze.

"Dead?"

"That was a Body Forging 5th Layer Rat Demon!"

"Yang Xiao killed it with a single saber strike?"

Hu Kai sat on the ground, his expression looking utterly dreadful.

He had fumbled and failed to block earlier, yet Yang Xiao had sliced down this Rat Demon with one blow.

How could this be?

Zhang Hu was the first to snap back to his senses, shouting in a deep voice, "What are you all staring in a daze for? Kill the demons!"

The crowd finally jolted awake, frantically drawing their sabers and charging toward the village entrance.

The wooden fence at the entrance had already been rammed open at one corner, several villagers scrambling backward in terror as they tripped over themselves.

Gray-furred Rat Demons swarmed in through the gap, their sharp claws scratching harsh noises against the ground, crimson eyes locked dead on the living.

Yang Xiao stamped his foot down, charging forward first.

"Yang Xiao, watch out!"

Zhao Qiang cried out, but Yang Xiao did not look back.

A Body Forging 3rd Layer Rat Demon lunged at him head-on with blistering speed, its jaws open wide to bite at his wrist.

If that bite landed solid, a good half of his arm would be crippled on the spot.

Yang Xiao raised the long saber in his hand, executing a slanted slash.

Splrit!

Half of the Rat Demon's head was cleaved open, fresh blood spraying all over the ground.

Without breaking his stride, he countered with another slash on the reverse.

The second Rat Demon had just pounced from the flank when the blade swept across its neck, leaving a wound that wasn't large, but instantly gushed blood like a spring.

That Rat Demon tried to struggle after hitting the ground, but collapsed prone before managing two steps, its limbs twitching.

A faint gleam crossed Yang Xiao's eyes. This entry was even better to use than he had imagined.

An ordinary Yamen Runner cutting down a Rat Demon had to first pierce its pelt, then guard against toxic fangs and sharp claws, getting injured at the slightest carelessness.

Yet he was different.

The Consummate Basic Blade Technique ensured every single strike landed on a vital spot, while the Hundred-Refined Edge could effortlessly slice through the rat demons' hide armor; as long as they took a blade, survival was virtually impossible.

"Fine Saber Technique!"

Zhang Hu cleaved open the Rat Demon in front of him, and out of the corner of his eye, seeing Yang Xiao cut down two in a row, he couldn't help shouting out.

He had originally assumed Yang Xiao was simply relying on a sudden burst from that one strike, never expecting every single move he made to be frighteningly steady.

With no wasted motions, every slash was fast, precise, and ruthless.

This wasn't swinging a blade at random; this was the tempering born of pushing basic blade techniques to an immensely profound realm.

"Keep up with Yang Xiao, plug the gap first!"

Zhang Hu issued the order immediately.

Hearing this, several Yamen Runners felt shock in their hearts, but still quickly followed.

Yang Xiao stood before the wooden fence's gap, his long saber slanted downward, his gaze sweeping across the fields outside.

Countless Rat Demons were scurrying wildly through the wheat fields.

Cries of distress echoed continuously through the village.

An old man failed to dodge in time, knocked flat to the ground by a Rat Demon as his throat was about to be bitten through.

With a surge of his physique, Yang Xiao bolted out through the gap.

"Yang Xiao!"

Zhao Qiang's expression shifted.

There were even more Rat Demons outside the village, and charging out alone made it easy to get surrounded.

Yet Yang Xiao had already reached right in front of the old man.

He kicked away the Rat Demon pouncing on the old man with a single foot, his long saber following through with a downward slash.

The Rat Demon was cleaved apart from the cervical vertebrae, failing even to emit a miserable screech.

Shivering all over, the old man's pant legs were soaked as he looked up at Yang Xiao, his lips trembling violently.

"Th... Thank you, official..."

Yang Xiao did not spare him a second look.

"Get back into the village."

With that, he turned to meet three Rat Demons lunging at him.

The three Rat Demons came from the left, right, and front simultaneously, pouncing almost as one.

Had it been an ordinary Yamen Runner at the Body Forging 5th Layer, they would inevitably have been thrown into a fluster.

Yang Xiao merely retreated half a step.

After that half-step, blade light flared.

The first strike slashed forward.

The second strike sheared the left.

The third strike swept upward in reverse.

If you can't find the book title, you can try searching for the author; perhaps it simply changed its name!

The three Rat Demons collapsed to the ground one after another, fresh blood spreading along the muddy earth.

Halfway through his charge, Zhang Hu ground to an abrupt halt.

He had originally intended to save Yang Xiao.

As a result, he found that he seemed redundant.

"This kid..."

Not far away, Hu Kai had also witnessed this scene.

Clutching the long saber in his hand, his face flushed red, his heart brimming with reluctance and grievance.

Clearly, before yesterday, Yang Xiao was still that good-for-nothing he could mock at will.

How could he seem like a completely different person overnight?

"Impossible."

Clenching his teeth, Hu Kai muttered under his breath, "He's definitely just relying on having that Spring Embroidery Saber!"

Yet he soon discovered that what Yang Xiao was using wasn't the Spring Embroidery Saber at all, but rather the most ordinary Standard Saber issued by the County Yamen.

The color drained from Hu Kai's face, bit by bit.

Right at that moment, a sharp screech suddenly resounded from deep within the wheat fields outside the village.

"Squeak—"

All the Rat Demons paused in their movements simultaneously.

Immediately following, the wheat fields parted toward both sides.

A grayish-black Rat Demon, several times larger than the ordinary ones, slowly crawled out.

Its build was nearly half the height of a man, the fur on its back bristling like steel needles, its forepaws thick and sturdy, and its eyes glowing with a sinister red light.

What was even more bizarre was that it still had a ragged half-sleeve hanging from the corner of its mouth.

That was a villager's sleeve.

"Sapient Rat Demon!"

Catching sight of that Rat Demon, Zhang Hu's expression instantly sank.

"Yang Xiao, fall back!"

Yet that Sapient Rat Demon had already locked its sights on Yang Xiao.

A low screech rumbled in its throat, its hind legs surged with a fierce kick, and its entire body transformed into a gray blur, hurtling straight for Yang Xiao's face.

Its speed was more than twice as fast as that of the previous Rat Demons!

Yang Xiao's gaze sharpened.

He crossed his saber in a block.

The rat's claws slapped against the blade body, the immense force numbing his arms slightly and stamping marks half an inch deep into the mud beneath his feet.

Such incredible strength.

The Rat Demon did not halt after hitting the ground, darting swiftly around Yang Xiao with its crimson eyes carrying a trace of cunning.

It was searching for a flaw.

Yang Xiao let out a slow breath, gripping his long saber tightly.

The hearts of the surrounding Yamen Runners leaped into their throats.

Hu Kai, in particular, stared fixedly at the scene.

A dark anticipation even welled up within his heart.

Tear him apart.

Bite this sudden upstart to death.

The next instant, the Sapient Rat Demon moved again.

Instead of launching a frontal pounce, it dashed low to the ground, aiming straight to bite Yang Xiao's lower leg.

Shifting his footing, Yang Xiao narrowly avoided it.

Yet the Rat Demon whipped its body around fiercely, its thick, rigid tail lashing toward his waist and abdomen like a whip.

"Watch out!" Zhang Hu roared furiously.

Yang Xiao's gaze turned cold.

Advancing instead of retreating, he pressed his long saber low, leveraging the moment of the rat's tail-lash to hack downward in a single stroke.

Splrit!

The blade bit into the rat's tail.

The Hundred-Refined Edge sliced through the tough hide, cleanly lopping off half the tail.

The Sapient Rat Demon let out a shrill, miserable screech.

Seizing the momentum, Yang Xiao pressed forward as the blade light flashed repeatedly.

One slash severed the claws.

One slash disemboweled the belly.

The final slash swept from bottom to top, grazing past the Rat Demon's throat and neck.

Fresh blood spurted three feet high.

That Body Forging 6th Layer Sapient Rat Demon staggered a few steps before collapsing heavily right at Yang Xiao's feet.

The wheat field fell abruptly silent for a fraction of a second.

Brushing away the beads of blood from his saber, Yang Xiao raised his eyes toward the remaining Rat Demons.

"Next."

Watching his back, the shock in Zhang Hu's eyes could no longer be suppressed.

This kid...

His basic blade technique had probably reached perfection!

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