Second-Tier Demonic Beast

"If you haven't slain a first-tier demonic beast, the rules say you absolutely cannot enter the Demon-Slaying Bureau." The man drew out his words, then changed tack, greed flashing in his eyes. "However, I can make an exception and help you out, but..."

Lin Yuan understood at once. He hurriedly pulled a heavy brocade box from his robes and presented it with both hands. "I understand. This is fifty taels of gold. Please accept it, my lord, and look after my nephew."

The man weighed the brocade box in his hand and smiled with satisfaction. "You know how things work! Tomorrow morning, I'll take Lin Shan back to the Demon-Slaying Bureau and enter him directly on the Demon-Slaying Guard roster."

With that, he put his arms around two maids and walked toward the inner chamber of the rear hall, laughing and flirting, paying no heed to Lin Yuan beside him.

Meanwhile, Lu Feng and An Shi had finished clearing out the rat demons on the eastern mountain and were heading for the southern mountain.

In just half an hour, the rabbit and rat demons on the eastern mountain had all been slain. Lu Feng had gained another three thousand-odd Demon Points, but his expression grew ever heavier.

Every demonic beast lair was piled high with the corpses of humans who had died horribly. Their deaths took all manner of forms, too gruesome to behold; all had been tortured to death by demonic beasts.

Before long, the two reached the southern mountain.

"Monkey demons occupy the southern mountain. They're more cunning and vicious than the wolf, rabbit, and rat demons. There are four first-tier monkey demons and dozens of unranked ones," An Shi explained in a low voice. "Same as before: I'll guard the cave entrance and cut off any that try to escape. The killing is up to you."

All was quiet outside the lair. There wasn't even a monkey demon standing guard. Clearly, the monkey demons had never imagined that any humans would dare venture into their lair.

Lu Feng entered with saber in hand. As soon as he stepped into the cave, a powerful stench of blood and rot hit him in the face.

Several monkey demons over two meters tall were clumsily working in the cave, imitating humans. Instead of monkey fur, their faces were pieced together from patches of human skin.

On a stone platform, four first-tier monkey demons sat with their legs crossed, watching the absurd scene and breaking into shrill, raucous laughter from time to time.

Killing intent surged in Lu Feng's eyes, and his fury shot straight to the top of his head. Without another moment's hesitation, he charged forward with his saber.

"Swish! Swish! Swish!"

Several vicious saber flashes streaked past. Before the human-skinned monkey demons could react, their heads rolled off in unison.

[Ding! Successfully killed an unranked monkey demon. Demon Points gained: 100;]

[Ding! Successfully killed an unranked monkey demon. Demon Points gained: 100;]

As the system notifications rang out one after another, the four first-tier monkey demons on the stone platform finally realized what had happened and roared furiously, "Lowly human, you dare barge into our cave abode? You're courting death!"

The four first-tier monkey demons leaped at Lu Feng together, bringing a fierce wind with them. The remaining unranked monkey demons also crowded around, shrieking from the sidelines.

Lu Feng's gaze turned icy. He unleashed the perfected Gale Saber Art with all his strength, moving as fast as a ghost as his saber chopped straight at one of the first-tier monkey demons.

"Puchi!"

The blade cut into the first-tier monkey demon, and its head fell before it even had time to scream.

[Ding! Successfully killed a first-tier monkey demon. Demon Points gained: 1000;]

At the sight, the other monkey demons were scared out of their souls. Their earlier arrogance vanished completely, and they all turned and fled toward the cave entrance.

Lu Feng paid no attention to the unranked monkey demons fleeing in disarray. His figure flashed as he pursued the three remaining first-tier monkey demons.

Moments later, all four first-tier monkey demons had been slain, while the remaining unranked monkey demons were intercepted and killed one by one by An Shi at the entrance.

In this battle, Lu Feng gained another four thousand-odd Demon Points, and his strength steadily rose once more.

He and An Shi worked together to bury the bodies of the villagers who had died horribly in the cave. Lu Feng then motioned for An Shi to wait outside and headed deeper into the cave alone-he wanted to make sure whether any villagers had survived.

The cave was deep and dark, growing narrower the farther in he went. Lu Feng walked for several minutes before he saw a faint light ahead.

At the end of the cave, a hidden chamber several meters across came into view.

In the center of the chamber, an old ape with gray-gold fur sat cross-legged in meditation like a human, faint Yao Qi swirling around him.

Only when Lu Feng stepped into the chamber did the old ape slowly open his eyes, a trace of world-weariness and coldness flashing through them.

"If you stop here, you can still keep your life." The old ape sighed softly, his voice calm but carrying unmistakable killing intent. "But now that you've seen me, I absolutely cannot let you leave here alive today."

Before he finished speaking, the fur all over the old ape's body stood on end. Before Lu Feng could react, dozens of gray-gold hairs, as fine as ox hair, shot through the air with piercing whistles, aimed straight at the vital acupoints all over Lu Feng's body!

"A second-tier demonic beast!"

Lu Feng's heart shook violently. He had never expected a demonic beast of such a high tier to be hiding within Lin'an County!

At that critical moment, he had no time to think. He immediately held his saber across his chest and summoned all his force to block.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The clash of metal rang out incessantly. The saber blocked most of the hairs, but several tiny pinholes were left in its blade.

"So you do have some strength. No wonder you were able to kill my troop of monkeys." The old ape's expression remained calm, without the slightest ripple.

He kicked off the ground with both feet and shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, bearing immense Yao Qi as he lunged straight at Lu Feng, his sharp claws glinting coldly as they aimed for Lu Feng's heart.

Lu Feng did not dare be careless. He immediately used his perfected Carefree Steps, flashing aside to narrowly avoid the deadly blow while swinging his saber backhanded, unleashing the Gale Saber Art with all his strength.

To his horror, the old ape neither dodged nor evaded, allowing the saber to strike his shoulder.

"Clang!"

A crisp ring sounded. The saber left only a shallow bloody mark on the old ape's shoulder, while a tiny notch had chipped into its edge!

And the instant the saber struck the old ape, his sharp claws were already upon Lu Feng, slamming toward his chest with a force that could crush dry weeds and smash rotten wood!

"Bang!"

A muffled thud sounded as the old ape's palm struck Lu Feng squarely in the chest.

Lu Feng staggered back three or four steps, his feet gouging two deep furrows in the ground, yet he was completely unharmed. His perfected Iron Cloth Shirt had once again blocked a deadly attack.

"I never expected someone with mere Ming Jin Perfection cultivation to have trained his body to such a degree!" A trace of surprise flashed in the old ape's eyes, and his voice grew somewhat wary. "I underestimated you!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the old ape's body shook again. Hundreds of gray-gold hairs shot out like a torrential downpour, densely packed, sealing off every path of retreat for Lu Feng.

Lu Feng did not dare let up. He swung his saber, which was about to break, with both hands, doing everything he could to block.

"Crack!"

With a crisp snap, the already notched saber could bear no more. It broke into several pieces and fell to the ground.

At the sight, delight immediately appeared on the old ape's face. Without hesitation, he sent his hairs flying again in another wave of attacks.

Without his saber to block them, Lu Feng could only use Carefree Steps with all his strength, weaving and dodging through the rain of hairs like a ghost.

Man and ape fell into a stalemate, trading moves back and forth, neither able to gain the upper hand for the moment.

After several exchanges, a small bald patch had appeared on the old ape's head-he had used up a great deal of his fur, and very little remained.