Every bone in his body felt as though it had been shattered and reassembled, or thrown into a meat grinder.
Su Yu's eyes snapped open.
A damp, dim rock wall filled his vision. A nauseating stench hung in the air-the foul reek of rotting flesh fermented with the body odor of beasts.
"Awake? Such soft skin and tender flesh. You'll definitely taste better than those rough bastards."
Suddenly, a shrill, hoarse voice burrowed into his ears.
Su Yu looked toward the voice.
Three meters away, a "dog demon" that walked upright was squatting on a large bluestone stained with black blood, grinding its teeth.
A few tattered strips of cloth hung from its body. It had a dog's head and a human body, protruding fangs, and cloudy drool dangling from its lips. Its eerie green eyes stared greedily at him.
Dog demons.
The Great Qin Dynasty.
The Demon Suppression Guard.
At that very moment, memories surged into his mind like a tide, sending an instant stab of pain through Su Yu's nerves.
He had transmigrated.
His predecessor had been a trainee Demon Suppression Guard in Nanhe County, Tiannan Commandery, of the Great Qin Dynasty. His mediocre talent had always made him an object of contempt.
Just two hours earlier, his squad had left the city on patrol.
When they encountered a demonic ambush, his good big brother, Squad Leader Zhao Lei, had swung his saber sheath backward into the back of his head to cover the others' retreat, then kicked his unconscious body toward the pursuing pack of dog demons.
"Su Yu, don't blame your big brother. Better a fellow Daoist die than this poor Daoist. The greatest value trash like you has is buying us time to escape."
Zhao Lei's mocking, icy voice before he left still seemed to echo in his ears.
"Zhao Lei..."
Su Yu's fingers abruptly clenched, his knuckles whitening with the force.
He had not only transmigrated into cannon fodder, but cannon fodder who had been sold out.
This opening really was rotten to the core.
"You dare glare at me?"
The dog demon grinding its teeth seemed enraged by Su Yu's expression. It set down the half thighbone in its hand and slowly rose.
It stood a full two meters tall, its muscles corded and its presence oppressive.
"Big Brother said to keep you alive for now because you're useful, but he never said you couldn't be missing an arm or a leg!"
The dog demon grinned, exposing a mouthful of uneven yellow teeth.
It lunged, its sharp claws carrying a foul wind straight toward Su Yu's left shoulder. It intended to tear off one of his arms and have a taste.
Su Yu instinctively tried to dodge, only to discover that rough vines bound his legs tight. He could not move at all.
A death trap?
Was he going to die on landing right after transmigrating?
No.
Like hell I'll accept that!
Even if I die, I'll bite a chunk of flesh off you!
A vicious glint flashed through Su Yu's eyes. Without the slightest intention of begging for mercy, he scrabbled blindly across the ground with his right hand and found a sharp stone fragment.
Just as those claws were about to land on his shoulder.
[Ding!] [Host detected in a life-or-death predicament. Slaughter System successfully activated!] [Binding... 100%!]
An icy mechanical voice exploded in his mind.
[Starter gift pack issued: grade-one healing pill, 10 Slaughter Points.] [Slaughter Points can be used to extrapolate martial arts and cultivation techniques, and increase cultivation.] [Host detected in a severely injured state. Take the healing pill immediately and use Slaughter Points to increase cultivation?]
A system?
Su Yu's taut nerves instantly sparked with excitement.
Webnovels hadn't lied to me!
"Yes! Yes!"
Su Yu roared inwardly.
Boom!
A scorching current erupted from his abdomen, racing wildly through his limbs and every part of his body.
His body, sluggish from his injuries, recovered completely in an instant.
At the same time, his somewhat frail-looking body grew sturdier, and every part of it filled with a sense of strength he had never experienced before.
At that very moment, the dog demon's claws had already touched Su Yu's shoulder, its face filled with a savage grin.
In the next second, this fragile human's blood would splatter everywhere, and it could feast.
However.
At that moment of certain death, Su Yu moved.
His legs, tightly bound by vines, exerted force.
Snap!
The tough black vines snapped instantly like fragile noodles.
Rather than retreat, Su Yu advanced. His right hand, gripping the sharp stone, moved like lightning and stabbed viciously at the dog demon's most vulnerable spot-its left eye!
Squelch!
The sharp stone pierced the eyeball without resistance and sank deep into the socket.
"Awooo-!!!"
A shrill scream echoed through the narrow cave.
The dog demon clutched its eye and staggered frantically backward, black blood spurting between its fingers.
It had never imagined that this "ration," previously at its mercy, could unleash such terrifying strength.
"I'm not done yet!"
Su Yu pressed his advantage without pausing.
He strode forward, his body like a bow, and slammed into the dog demon's chest. His left hand clenched into a fist and smashed viciously into its throat with a rush of wind.
Crack!
The crisp sound of shattering throat bones rang out.
The dog demon's scream stopped abruptly. Its massive body twitched twice, then crashed to the ground.
[Mortal realm third layer dog demon killed. Gained 30 Slaughter Points.] [Current Slaughter Points: 30]
Su Yu panted heavily, gazing coldly at the corpse on the ground.
There was none of the fear of a first kill, only an indescribable exhilaration.
In this world overrun by demons, only slaughter could stop slaughter.
[Host: Su Yu] [Cultivation: mortal realm second layer] [Martial arts: Vajra Fist (mortal), minor accomplishment]
With a thought from Su Yu, a somewhat illusory panel slowly appeared.
Vajra Fist was a mortal realm martial art, a relic left by his predecessor's father, who had unexpectedly died in battle. His predecessor had practiced it for two years and only reached minor accomplishment.
"Fifth? What's wrong?"
"Damn it, that human brat got free?!"
The startled cries of two other dog demons came from deeper within the cave.
Immediately afterward, two taller figures exuding stronger presences rushed out.
They were two mortal realm fourth layer dog demons!
At the sight of their companion's corpse, the two dog demons froze, then flew into a rage.
"Lowly human, you dared kill Fifth!"
"I'll tear you to pieces!"
Two foul winds rushed toward him.
Su Yu tightened his grip on the bloodstained stone, leaning slightly forward into an attacking stance.
After allocating points just now, he had only broken through to the mortal realm second layer. He had barely managed to kill that dog demon through a surprise attack.
Now he wanted to face two mortal realm fourth layer demons head-on?
Very difficult.
But Su Yu wanted to say, I have a cheat!
"System!"
Su Yu commanded inwardly, "Spend Slaughter Points to extrapolate Vajra Fist!"
[Spending 30 Slaughter Points. Beginning extrapolation of Vajra Fist (mortal)...] [Extrapolation successful!] [Vajra Fist: perfection]
In the next instant, a flood of insights into fist techniques surged into his mind, and his muscles seemed to form memories.
Boom!
Su Yu's presence abruptly changed. Muscles bulged all over his body, and his cultivation broke through again, reaching the mortal realm third layer.
His previously unremarkable stance now radiated the fierce might of a tiger descending the mountain.
Watching the two dog demons pounce toward him, Su Yu's lips curved into an icy smile.
"Perfect timing. I just learned a new move, and I was short on punching bags."