Slaying a Fourth-Rank Demon

Hiss...

Countless gasps rang out.

They saw it.

Cracks covered Chu He's bare upper body, deep enough to expose bone, blood flowing out from within.

It was hard to imagine...

Just what kind of pain he was enduring!

But it was clearly beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.

Blood flowed like a river beneath his feet!

Cracks spread across his body!

All the residents stared blankly at the sight, frozen in place like statues.

Everyone knew this was the result of drawing out his latent potential, yet Chu He endured such agony without making a sound.

Watching his body spasm from time to time, many residents clenched their teeth, hot tears streaming down their faces:

"Chu He, a chief banner of the Demon Suppression Guard... and those sect disciples actually spread slander about him around town."

"It's all fucking bullshit. Even if he's ruthless, it's toward demons and those sect disciples who stir up trouble."

"Those sect disciples run as soon as danger comes. In the end, it's still the Demon Suppression Guard protecting us. They deserve to be suppressed."

"After today, I'm putting up a longevity stele for Chief Banner Chu."

At that moment.

The residents all gazed at Chu He's back with admiration.

It was as though they were looking at a guardian deity. He was the one holding back the demons for them, fighting to the death.

"Brother, just what kind of person is he?" the frail man asked in a low voice.

Originally.

He had thought Chu He was nothing but an arrogant scoundrel. But now, looking at that bloodstained body, he could no longer open his mouth to utter a single word against him. The man was far stronger than he was.

The imposing man clenched his fists and answered, "He's a true Demon Suppression Guard."

Smack!

A hundred household commander of the Demon Suppression Guard slapped himself hard across the face. He was precisely Hundred Household Commander Ji, who had mocked Chu He for scurrying around not long before.

Now.

He was so ashamed he had nowhere to hide. Compared with Chu He, he was the one unworthy of being a Demon Suppression Guard.

On the battlefield!

The tiger-headed demon kept shaking its head, watching Chu He warily, but it dared not attack rashly.

It was no fool. A fourth-rank demon's intelligence was certainly no lower than a human's, and it was even more cunning than most humans.

Naturally, it could tell that Chu He was barely holding on. If it dragged things out, it would wear him to death in just a few breaths.

He had indeed guessed correctly.

At that moment.

Chu He's expression was utterly grim. Just now, he had pretended to use a secret art, but had actually been stimulating his soul in secret.

He had planned to swiftly kill the tiger-headed demon, and then... but the tiger-headed demon was harder to deal with than he had imagined.

Even gravely wounded, it could not be killed in just a few exchanges.

No. My body can hold out for less than a hundred breaths at most before it explodes. I have to end this quickly.

Chu He's expression turned cold.

He flicked his left hand out, sending a dark gleam flying. At the same time, he stamped his foot into the bloody water and charged straight at the tiger-headed demon.

"Demon suppression!"

"Roar..."

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang...

The dull sounds of collision rang out again, exceptionally rapid.

Every breath!

They exchanged no fewer than a dozen blows. Pained tiger roars rang out incessantly, growing more and more intense.

Meanwhile.

The cracks on Chu He's body grew ever wider, blood pouring down in sheets until he no longer looked human.

The sight left every Demon Suppression Guard's eyes nearly splitting with fury. Zhao Yuan and the others, in particular, charged toward the tiger-headed demon without regard for their lives, wanting to ease Chu He's burden. Unfortunately, other demons blocked them all.

"He's a promising seedling, but unfortunately, he's about to be gone!" Tian Liu said mockingly. "If he were a sect disciple, he would at least have reached the third rank by now. Instead, your Demon Suppression Guard held him back."

"This world should never have been ruled by an empire. Sects are where powerful people can be nurtured. An empire is fit only to produce weapons of slaughter."

"A wolf's ambition!"

Qian Hao's face was furious as he slashed repeatedly with his Demon-Suppressing Sword, streaks of fierce Sword Qi flashing through the air.

He secretly glanced downward:

His heart quickly sank. The situation was dire. Chu He was clearly on the verge of collapse, while the tiger-headed demon, though gravely wounded, still had strength left to fight.

Once Chu He could no longer hold on, large numbers of Demon Suppression Guards and residents would inevitably die.

Even if Chu He could slay the tiger-headed demon before he fell, the Demon Suppression Bureau's losses this time would still be devastating.

At that moment!

While fighting Qian Hao, Tian Liu looked down at the blood flowing like streams across the battlefield and nodded in satisfaction.

No one noticed.

The blood on the ground was steadily sinking, as though it were all being absorbed by the earth. It was exceptionally eerie.

To be precise:

If someone looked down over all of Nine Nether Town at that moment, they would discover that wherever there was blood, it was slowly sinking. The earth was like a bloodthirsty monster, ceaselessly devouring blood.

Clearly.

All of this was connected to the White Lotus Cult's plan.

In fact.

Even Tian Liu did not know exactly what the White Lotus Cult's plan was. He only knew that once the blood of countless martial cultivators had been spilled across the ground of Nine Nether Town, he would receive his payment.

Boom!

After Chu He and the tiger-headed demon clashed once again, fifty of the hundred breaths had elapsed. By his calculations, he could kill it in another thirty breaths and complete his plan.

However.

Before he could strike again, he suddenly looked into the distance.

There!

A figure was rapidly approaching through the air, covering a thousand meters with each step as though teleporting, his presence immensely powerful.

"Zhou Cang!"

"Damn it, how did he get here so quickly? Those White Lotus Cult trash said they could hold him off for half a day. It hasn't even been four hours!"

Tian Liu cursed, his face filled with terror.

Then.

He forced Qian Hao back a hundred meters with a palm strike, then shot off into the distance without hesitation, shouting:

"Retreat!"

Tian Liu could hardly be blamed for being so afraid. Zhou Cang was the commander of the Yunzhou Demon Suppression Guard, an absolute big shot.

His cultivation was at the peak of the fifth rank, and his combat strength was even more formidable. He had once slain a sixth-rank demon without suffering a scratch.

Tian Liu did not have the courage to face Zhou Cang head-on, but if he fled, Zhou Cang would not be able to catch him either.

This is bad.

Chu He's expression changed drastically as well. Zhou Cang's arrival was no good thing for him either. On the contrary, it was deadly.

His body could not hold out for another fifty breaths. Once Zhou Cang arrived and killed the tiger-headed demon, he would die without question.

I'll risk it!

A trace of ruthlessness flashed through Chu He's eyes.

The soul power within him slammed into the talisman vortex on his head again. He was actually planning to increase his mental power once more.

Boom...

An immense amount of mental power surged into Chu He's body, swelling his presence by several tenths once again. But the cracks also widened further, and he looked about to explode and die.

"Slash!"

Chu He slashed his saber into the tiger-headed demon as it turned to flee.

Swish!

A tiger's head, blood mingled with white fluid, spiraled into the sky.

At that moment!

The tiger-headed demon's tail also lashed into Chu He.

Bang!

Without dodging at all, Chu He was sent flying hundreds of meters, out over a cliff, and fell.

"Chu He..."

"Chief Banner Chu..."

"..."