Slaying the Demon

Strange roars came from the bamboo grove. An enormous black shape pounced straight onto the dead pig and began chomping away noisily.

Wuming saw that the wild boar was as burly as an ox, its body covered in thick bristles. She also saw its fiery crimson eyes and its pair of long, curved-saber tusks.

After advancing to the Eighth Rank, she had gone out with her master to slay demons and exorcise fiends, so she knew something about demonic creatures.

A demon transformed from such a huge beast possessed tremendous strength. Ordinary swords and sabers could hardly inflict a fatal wound on the boar.

A charge from this boar demon would break bones and snap sinews. Anyone caught by its tusks would have their belly torn open.

Although Wuming had prepared herself mentally, facing such an enormous demon still made her skin crawl.

Clutching a Golden Light Talisman in one hand and gripping her sword in the other, she instinctively moved closer to Zhou Wuji.

With his Six Yang Dharma Eye active, Zhou Wuji could clearly see Wuming's deathly pale face and watery almond-shaped eyes. Her fragile appearance could not help but stir pity.

Yet he stepped back twice to keep his distance. "We'll attack separately from the left and right. Standing together will leave us no room to move."

"Oh." His words left Wuming both embarrassed and annoyed, her face burning as though with fever. Yet she could hardly lash out and could only move away from Zhou Wuji herself.

On the ritual altar, Wuzheng put down the Seven Star Sword and picked up the Tianpeng Ruler, preparing to unleash Yin Thunder. He called to Wuming, "Junior sister, use a Golden Light Talisman to lure the boar demon over."

The ritual altar was more than twenty zhang from the boar demon, while the Yin Thunder he commanded could reach only five zhang at most.

They had to lure the boar demon closer before he would have a chance to blast it to death with Yin Thunder.

Wuming answered, took a deep breath, and silently recited the incantation, circulating True Qi through her hand to activate the talisman.

The Golden Light Talisman turned into a streak of golden light that flew over ten zhang before bursting into a brilliant golden glow, illuminating the feeding boar demon.

Startled, the boar demon instinctively recoiled several steps. When the golden light faded, its crimson eyes spotted Wuming, Zhou Wuji, and the others nearby.

It had only recently awakened its intelligence, but it already knew that such things posed no threat, and that their flesh was tender and delicious.

The boar demon let out a strange cry, drove against the ground with all four hooves, and charged at Wuming.

It ran faster and faster, stirring up great gusts of rank wind in its wake.

Wuming caught its foul stench from far away. It made her head swim, and her heart filled with panic.

She knew everyone behind her was watching. As an Eighth Rank Daoist, she could not flee without fighting.

Wuming raised her sword, still intending to strike the boar demon, but one look at her stance told Zhou Wuji that things were looking bad.

Wuming's swordsmanship was quite good, proficient enough to deserve the name. She simply could not yet make her Qi follow her sword.

Meeting a boar demon weighing over a thousand jin with a straight thrust like that would, at most, cut its flesh. Wuming, however, would be sent flying, and whether she lived or died would be hard to say.

Zhou Wuji called out a warning. "Get back!"

Wuming had only been forcing herself to strike in the first place. Zhou Wuji's warning from behind brought her to her senses: meeting the charging boar demon with her sword was far too dangerous.

She hurriedly roused her True Qi and stepped backward using the Seven Star Gang Steps, retreating swiftly.

Wuming was deeply accomplished in this footwork. Her seven linked backward steps carried her away at great speed.

The people hiding behind the ritual altar could not see the boar demon clearly. They could only see Wuming's apricot-yellow Daoist robe fluttering in the wind, setting off her graceful, flowing figure.

Many of them were Wuming's admirers, and some even cheered aloud.

Wuming heard them too, leaving her both embarrassed and angry.

With the boar demon right in front of her, she dared not turn around or let her attention stray. She could only curse inwardly: Idiots!

After warning Wuming and seeing her obediently retreat, Zhou Wuji did not cast the Fire Bell Incantation.

This spell lacked power, but its advantage lay in being instantaneous. A blast of flame to the boar demon's eyes would not injure it, but would be enough to keep it from daring to open them for a while.

However, it would also provoke the boar demon intensely, with no telling what consequences might follow. It was best not to use this spell recklessly until a critical moment.

Zhou Wuji also retreated to one side, leaving the ritual altar in the center exposed.

On the altar, Wuzheng breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Wuming was out of danger.

He had put his junior sister at the front to give her some experience. He had not expected her to be so green that she nearly came to harm, giving him quite a fright.

Wuzheng dared wait no longer. He steadied his breathing and suddenly bellowed, "Demon, meet your death!"

His powerful shout immediately drew the boar demon's attention.

Its crimson eyes fixed on Wuzheng, and its four hooves dug into the earth as it charged straight at the ritual altar.

Wuzheng remained calm. He raised the Tianpeng Ruler and pointed it at the boar demon, calculating its speed and distance.

Only when the boar demon drove against the ground with all four hooves, about to leap onto the altar, did Wuzheng give a low shout. "Tianpeng, Tianpeng, command the thunder! Swiftly, by the Northern Emperor's decree!"

The elaborate rites needed to summon Yin Thunder had already been prepared. After swiftly reciting the incantation, Wuzheng immediately unleashed it.

A flash of watery, translucent lightning flickered and plunged straight into the boar demon's body.

The boar demon convulsed violently, all strength draining from its body. Instead of leaping up, it crashed headfirst into the ritual altar.

With a boom and a cloud of flying dust, the boar demon knocked down one corner of the earthen mound. Its ox-sized body collapsed amid the dirt, its limbs twitching and shaking wildly.

The spectators hiding behind the altar cheered in unison at the sight.

Zhou Wuji, however, saw that something was wrong. His Six Yang Dharma Eye remained active, allowing him to see the bloody Sha Qi churning over the boar demon like boiling water. Although its Sha Qi had dispersed completely, its Blood Qi still lingered without dissipating.

"Senior brother, be careful! The boar demon isn't dead!" Zhou Wuji called out.

Wuzheng also vaguely sensed something wrong, but had not been certain.

At Zhou Wuji's warning, he raised the Tianpeng Ruler again without hesitation. "Swiftly, by the Northern Emperor's decree! Thunder, come!"

A streak of watery lightning surged from the Tianpeng Ruler and landed directly on the collapsed boar demon.

Struck by Yin Thunder again, the boar demon suddenly shuddered all over and sprang up.

It already possessed some intelligence and knew how formidable Wuzheng was, so it turned and ran.

Unfortunately, Wuming stood directly in its path of escape.

Wuming had thought the boar demon was already dead. Frightened by the sight, she hastily darted backward, but the boar demon was fleeing for its life and burst forward at tremendous speed.

In the blink of an eye, it was upon her.

Unable to retreat in time, Wuming could only raise her sword and thrust straight at one of its eyes.

Her swordsmanship was proficient, after all, and even in her haste, her thrust remained accurate.

But the boar demon, fleeing madly for its life, paid no heed. It lowered its head and charged forward.

Wuming knew things were bad. Even if her thrust injured the boar demon, she would still be sent flying by its charge.

In her terror, only one thought remained in her mind: I'm going to die...

At that critical moment, Zhou Wuji suddenly swept in from the side. "Back!"

Zhou Wuji reached out and shoved Wuming's shoulder, sending her seven chi sideways and just clear of the boar demon.

Wuming's martial skills were exceptional, after all. While airborne, she instinctively adjusted her balance and drifted lightly down to one side.

Before she landed, she saw Zhou Wuji suddenly draw his sword and slash.

Amid a piercing sword whistle, the blade carved a beautiful semicircular arc of light through the air.

The keen, bright sword light cleaved the darkness, raising a spray of bloody mist and leaving a deep, brilliant sword mark in Wuming's eyes.

By the time Wuming landed, the boar demon's massive head suddenly rolled off as well. Its headless body charged another twenty-odd paces before abruptly crashing to the ground, never to stir again...

Wuming took several disbelieving steps forward. The hideous, savage boar head was as large as a bushel measure, and the wound across its severed neck was red outside and charred within, its surface very smooth. It had clearly been severed by a swift sword stroke.

The more clearly Wuming saw it, the more shocked she became.

A casual stroke from Zhou Wuji had actually severed the boar demon's head. His swordsmanship was truly formidable!

She could not help looking at Zhou Wuji. He twirled his sword to flick the blood from its blade, then sheathed it with easy grace.

Ignoring the shock written all over Wuming's face, Zhou Wuji walked over to the boar demon and secretly formed a Method Formula beneath his long sleeve to collect its Yin Spirit.

Only demonic creatures like this possessed spirits strong enough to become Yin Spirits after their bodies died, rather than immediately dissipating.

Refining the Five Yin Pouch required powerful Yin Spirits like this as materials.

Collecting a Yin Spirit was actually a very complicated matter. Normally, it required setting up a ritual altar and preparing a Law Artifact in which to keep and nurture it.

Zhou Wuji had none of these things, but he had the Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment and could try collecting the Yin Spirit with it. An instant later, however, he knew it would not work.

The boar demon had no residual Yin Spirit at all. It had probably all been taken by the Northern Emperor's Book of Heavenly Punishment...

Suppressing his disappointment, Zhou Wuji turned and cupped his hands toward Wuzheng. "Senior brother, your Thunder Method is godlike. The boar demon has been slain..."

Wuzheng froze briefly on the altar, then hastily cupped his hands in return. He said sincerely, "It was your supreme swordsmanship that allowed us to slay this demon, junior brother!"

He actually wanted even more to thank Zhou Wuji for saving Wuming, but could hardly thank him openly without costing his junior sister face.

Zhou Wuji shook his head. "Your two blasts of Heavenly Pivot Yin Thunder destroyed the boar demon's vitality and Blood Qi, senior brother. Only then was I fortunate enough to succeed."

Listening to their courteous exchange, Wuming's feelings were very complicated.

She had originally looked down on Zhou Wuji somewhat, thinking him frivolous and unrestrained. Yet today he had saved her life, then beheaded the boar demon with his sword, achieving this great merit!

She clearly had the Northern Pole Heavenly Gang Divine Talisman to protect herself, yet at the crucial moment, she had completely forgotten to activate it.

Compared with Zhou Wuji's composure in the face of danger, she fell far short!

When Wuming looked at Zhou Wuji again, she found him clear-spirited and refined, radiant as jade, dashing and extraordinary. The more she looked, the more pleasing he became...