Sun Shang's death, Chu He's reflections

"Ding! Congratulations, host, on slaying the Third Rank Early Stage demon, Blazing Hound. Demon Points gained: 100."

"Ding! Congratulations, host, on slaying the Middle Third Grade demon, Beguiling Ghost. Demon Points gained: 300."

"Ding! Congratulations, host, on slaying the Third Rank Early Stage demon, Mighty Ghost. Demon Points gained: 100."

Three notifications sounded in succession.

Five hundred Demon Points. Perfect.

Just three more Third Rank Early Stage demons, or one Middle Third Grade demon, and I can break through to the Second Rank Peak Stage.

A faint smile appeared at the corner of Chu He's mouth.

However.

Looking around, he discovered:

The remaining Third Rank demons would not be easy to deal with. Not only was none of them at the Third Rank Early Stage, but none had suffered much injury either.

Just now.

The reason he had been able to instantly kill three Third Rank demons.

Was that those three had been the most severely wounded. The Middle Third Grade demon among them had even been somewhat delirious, holding on with his last breath. To put it bluntly, even if Chu He had not struck, he would not have survived half an incense stick.

Boom...

An earth-shaking crash brought every creature back to its senses.

Whoosh!

Everyone looked toward the same spot!

There.

Zhang Wei had been punched into the ground by the tiger-headed demon, and a huge foot was stomping down viciously after him.

"No..."

"Demon, stop!"

The Demon Suppression Hundred Household Commanders roared again. However, they were all too far away to have any chance of saving him. Besides, with their strength, intervening would most likely be useless.

Just as Zhang Wei was about to die!

Shing!

A streak of saber light cleaved through heaven and earth, shooting straight toward the back of the demon's head.

The incomparably fierce saber light made even the tiger-headed demon's expression change. He immediately turned and lashed out with a claw.

Clang!

Metal rang against metal.

A slightly plump figure darted between the tiger-headed demon's legs, grabbed Zhang Wei from the deep crater, and sped several hundred meters to one side.

Thud!

The slightly plump figure dropped Zhang Wei, sank onto one knee with his face flushed crimson, and spat out a mouthful of blood:

Pfft...

Clearly, taking the tiger-headed demon's strike head-on, then forcibly suppressing the recoil to rescue Zhang Wei, had not been easy.

Zhang Wei staggered to his feet and looked at the slightly plump man beside him, his expression complicated. "Sun Shang, why did you save me?"

"Save you... pah... I saved a Hundred Household Commander of the Demon Suppression Guard."

Sun Shang wiped the blood from his mouth. "Don't thank me. I just couldn't stand the sight of that tiger-headed demon. Your worthless life isn't worth risking mine to save."

Zhang Wei's eyes flickered. "Good, then. With a powerful enemy before us, how about joining forces once more?"

Sun Shang did not answer. Instead, he tore a strip of bloodstained cloth from his sleeve and bound the Demon-Suppressing Saber to his right hand, saying:

"I'll fight him myself. I don't need you."

Bang!

He stamped on the ground and leaped into the air, cleaving down with his long saber as he shouted:

"Suppress demons!"

Shing!

Saber light flashed across heaven and earth, tearing through space.

Behind him.

Without the slightest hesitation, Zhang Wei also ripped his sleeve and bound his Demon-Suppressing Saber to his right hand. Then he hunched forward and attacked the tiger-headed demon's lower body.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Earth-shaking collisions resounded across more than half of Nine Nether Town.

Though Zhang Wei and Sun Shang had not exchanged a single word, they coordinated seamlessly. Their ferocious onslaught forced even the tiger-headed demon onto the defensive.

Moreover.

Sun Shang possessed tremendous strength. He attacked desperately from above, pressing downward to keep the tiger-headed demon from taking flight.

What was going on?

Many Demon Suppression Guards froze as they watched the distant battlefield. How could Hundred Household Commander Sun and Hundred Household Commander Zhang, who had always been like fire and water, coordinate so perfectly?

Even Chu He was somewhat puzzled.

Previously!

Sun Shang had even tripped him up to get at Zhang Wei. Later, he had investigated and found it had something to do with the Heavenly Mansion Pool.

Now it seemed!

The Heavenly Mansion Pool was not the only reason!

Chu He looked at the Hundred Household Commander he had just rescued, who was still somewhat dazed, and asked, "What's going on?"

"Ah, I might as well tell you." Tearing his sleeve to bind his saber, the Hundred Household Commander spoke hurriedly:

"Back then, they were the twin stars of the three armies. Both were exceptionally gifted and even caught the attention of the higher-ups. They were also extremely close, going through life and death together, practically bromance buddies."

"Unfortunately, three years ago, Sun Nai'er, Hundred Household Commander Sun's younger sister and Hundred Household Commander Zhang's fiancée, suddenly died. I don't know the details, but from then on, the two became enemies."

With that said.

He charged swiftly toward the battlefield, Demon-Suppressing Saber in hand.

So that was it!

Watching the two men coordinate perfectly nearby, Chu He could more or less guess what had happened back then. It was nothing more than some melodramatic plot:

Sun Nai'er had most likely died saving Zhang Wei, turning the two against each other, but their brotherly bond had not disappeared.

Shaking his head.

Chu He scanned the entire battlefield once more:

The immediate priority is finding demons I can strike, harvesting Demon Points, and breaking through in cultivation. Everything else can wait.

Bang!

He stepped forward and vanished like a ghost.

Half an incense stick later!

Shluk!

A Third Rank Early Stage demon who had just been sent flying by a Demon Suppression Hundred Household Commander felt a chill in his chest in midair and instantly lost consciousness.

Seeing this!

The Hundred Household Commander who had attacked him wore a cold expression. "Chu He, what are you doing? Stealing credit?"

"Everyone's fighting desperately, yet you're running around the battlefield delivering finishing blows. Acting like this at a moment of life and death-how are you worthy of the duties of a Demon Suppression Guard?"

Whoosh!

Chu He pulled his Demon-Suppressing Saber from the demon's body and said impassively, "Hundred Household Commander Ji, as a General Banner Commander, I don't need to answer to you for how I act. Nor do you get to dictate the duties of the Demon Suppression Guard."

"You..." Hundred Household Commander Ji's face turned livid.

Then.

As though sensing something, he immediately looked into the distance.

There.

Two figures were approaching at tremendous speed.

One had sword intent soaring into the heavens, while the other gave an incomparably weighty impression. One on the left and one on the right, the two figures remained a hundred meters apart, forming opposing horns.

"It's Thousand Household Commander Qian!"

"And the Heavenly Origin Sect's sect master, Tian Liu."

Everyone immediately recognized the two. At the same time, they could all see that the two were not together and harbored deep hostility toward each other.

Boom...

The two figures appeared above the battlefield.

Whoosh!

Qian Hao looked down over the battlefield and silently breathed a sigh of relief.

Although.

Quite a few Demon Suppression Guards had died, the losses were still tolerable. Not a single Hundred Household Commander had died.

Tian Liu, however, wore a dark expression. Looking at Sun Shang and Zhang Wei battling the tiger-headed demon, he said coldly:

"So these are the twin stars of the Yunzhou Demon Suppression Bureau from a few years ago. But do you think those two can really hold off Tiger Head?"

"There's little time. Finish this quickly. If you delay your Holy Maiden's important undertaking, I needn't remind you of the consequences."

Tian Liu's voice resounded across the battlefield.

"Roar..."

The tiger-headed demon threw back his head and roared.

Completely ignoring their attacks, he clawed straight at Zhang Wei with terrifying force.

"Get out of the way!"

Sun Shang rammed Zhang Wei aside and slashed with his saber, shouting, "May demon suppression endure forever!"

Riiip.

Sun Shang's body was torn in half, his blood staining heaven and earth.

The first villain Chu He had encountered after entering the Demon Suppression Bureau had fallen here, before Chu He could kill him to establish his authority.

Who knew whether this was fate toying with people, or something else!

However!

This also made Chu He understand more clearly that this was a real world. He was no damned protagonist, and the villains would not necessarily all wait for him to kill them. He needed to make more preparations, too.