More Hateful Than Demon Beasts

The fat man stood guard at the cave entrance, staring at the scene before him in complete astonishment. "My heavens... Which commandant's manor did this demon-slaying envoy come from? How could he be so terrifyingly strong?"

Just as Lu Feng was about to kill the last wolf demon, the woman suddenly slipped through the chaos to the cave entrance. With a vicious look in her eyes, she picked up a wolf demon's sharp claw from the ground and stabbed fiercely at the fat man's back!

A moment later, the cave fell silent.

Wolf demon corpses littered the ground, and the thick stench of blood filled the cave.

Only a few human women in tattered clothes remained, huddled in a corner and trembling.

Lu Feng sheathed his saber and glanced at the system panel.

[Demon Points: 29100;]

The total had surged by more than twenty thousand in an instant.

A smile crept onto Lu Feng's lips.

At the cave entrance, Xiao Huaishan had watched the whole scene unfold. For some reason, a chill shot up his back.

My heavens! Wasn't this man far too brutal? He'd killed so many demon beasts, and not only was he unafraid, he was actually smiling? What was with that satisfied look on his face?

Before he could make sense of it, the women moved.

They scrambled and crawled to Lu Feng's feet, reaching out with trembling hands to gently clutch the hem of his robe.

"My lord! I was forced to do it. Please don't kill me!" The woman at their head looked up, her eyes brimming with tears and her voice trembling. "As long as you spare my life, I'll do anything you ask!"

The other women echoed her, their cries and pleas rising and falling, a pitiful sight.

Lu Feng looked down, his gaze sweeping over their faces one by one.

Then he shook his head.

"In my eyes, you're more hateful than demon beasts."

The women went rigid.

"At least demon beasts don't betray their own kind."

Before his words had faded, his saber flashed.

Several cold gleams swept past, and the pleas stopped abruptly. The women fell to the ground together, lifeless.

At the cave entrance, Xiao Huaishan swallowed, then strode forward and delivered several more vicious slashes to the corpses.

"My lord, killing them like that was letting them off too lightly!" His face was full of indignation. "If they'd fallen into my hands, I would have made them..."

Halfway through, he looked up and met Lu Feng's gaze. He immediately knew better than to continue and shut his mouth with an awkward smile.

"Well... my lord," he said, changing the subject with a beaming smile, "I'm Xiao Huaishan, a demon-slaying guard of Commandant Xiao's manor in the Northern Demon-Slaying Bureau."

"No need to call me 'my lord.'" Lu Feng waved a hand. "I'm Lu Feng, and I'm a demon-slaying guard too."

"What?" Xiao Huaishan's eyes went round. "A demon-slaying guard? You're not joking with me, are you?"

Never mind demon-slaying guards-how many demon-slaying envoys could kill a second-tier wolf demon in a single strike? How could such a ruthless man be a mere demon-slaying guard?

"I just joined the Demon-Slaying Bureau. You'll find out in time." Lu Feng offered no further explanation and changed the subject. "Are you familiar with the Black Mountain Forest?"

At that, Xiao Huaishan perked up and thumped his chest. "You bet I am! No bragging, but there aren't many people who know the Black Mountain Forest inside and out better than I do!"

"Good." Lu Feng nodded. "From here on, you lead the way, and I'll do the killing. You can have half the demon beasts we take down."

Xiao Huaishan froze.

Was this a meat pie falling from the sky? He could take half without lifting a finger?

Before he had time to get excited, Lu Feng tossed him an empty storage bag. "You collect the demon beast corpses. You can take your half of these now."

Xiao Huaishan caught the storage bag and instantly came to his senses.

He glanced at the demon beast corpses inside and hurriedly said, "Leave that little task to me! But half is too much. I only need two-tenths, two-tenths will do!"

What a joke. All he had to do was lead the way. If he really took half, he was afraid it would shorten his life.

He worked swiftly, packing up the silver second-tier wolf demon and the eight first-tier wolf demon corpses in no time. He kept only two of the first-tier ones for himself. As for the unranked lesser demons, they were worth no merit, so he left them behind.

"Come on, take me to the nearest demon beast lair." Lu Feng took the storage bag and put it away with a practiced motion.

"No problem!" Xiao Huaishan immediately led the way. "There's a snake demon cave to the west. Only first-tier demon beasts live there, but there are plenty of them. If we circle around from there, we can head straight out of the Black Mountain Forest."

"Out of the Black Mountain Forest?" Lu Feng stopped in his tracks. "We're not going farther in?"

"No, no, it's too dangerous." Xiao Huaishan shook his head repeatedly, his expression turning serious. "Brother Lu, there are third-tier demon beasts holding sway in the depths of the Black Mountain Forest. You killed so many demon beasts today that the Demon Mark on you is too strong to fade anytime soon. If we go farther in, a third-tier demon beast is very likely to notice it."

"Demon Mark?" Lu Feng looked down at himself. Sure enough, a very faint, pale green bloody glow surrounded him, impossible to notice without a close look. He focused his senses on it, but felt nothing unusual.

"That's right, that's the stuff. It clings to you when you kill too many demons. The more you kill and the higher their tier, the stronger the mark," Xiao Huaishan explained. "But it doesn't affect your cultivation or your body. It's just a marker."

Lu Feng considered it for a moment, then nodded. "All right, I'll take your advice."

Although he could already kill second-tier demon beasts with ease, he had no idea how strong third-tier demon beasts were or what special abilities they possessed. Rushing into a fight with one was indeed risky.

There was no need to gamble with his life.

With Xiao Huaishan leading the way, the two headed west and reached the snake demon cave half a shichen later.

Just as Xiao Huaishan had said, only a few first-tier snake demons occupied the lair, though unranked little snakes swarmed everywhere.

Lu Feng drew the Six Harmonies Saber and charged straight in without another word.

A moment later, the two walked out of the cave side by side, smiles on both their faces.

Lu Feng glanced at his panel.

[Demon Points: 42300]

It had risen by another ten thousand and more.

"It'll be dark soon." Xiao Huaishan looked up at the sky and urged him on. "A lot of demon beasts come out after nightfall. We'd better leave while we can."

He had already picked up five or six first-tier demon beast corpses for nothing. This trip would earn him at least a thousand merit points, more than his previous few missions combined. His heart was already blooming with joy.

"Let's go."

Without further delay, the two quickened their pace and left the Black Mountain Forest.

Back at the Demon-Slaying Bureau, Xiao Huaishan accompanied Lu Feng to the vicinity of Commandant Su's manor before stopping. He said solemnly, "Brother Lu, I'll remember what you said today. I'll come looking for you often from now on, so don't find me a nuisance."

Chatting along the way, he had learned that Lu Feng was actually from Commandant Su's manor.

Commandant Su's manor was the place countless demon-slaying guards throughout the Northern Demon-Slaying Bureau fought tooth and nail to enter.

Xiao Huaishan immediately thumped his chest and declared that Lu Feng could call on him for anything in the future.

Lu Feng also learned from Xiao Huaishan why Commandant Su's manor was so special.

By the Demon-Slaying Bureau's rules, one had to have the cultivation of a Grandmaster to serve as a commandant.

But Su Ying was an exception. With a cultivation of Hua Jin Perfection, she had not only become a commandant but had also established her own independent manor.

One reason was her heaven-defying talent. The other, more important reason was

that her father was the chief of the Northern Demon-Slaying Bureau.

At Great Grandmaster Perfection, he was only one step away from entering the legendary Celestial Person Realm.

The undisputed number one in the entire Northern Demon-Slaying Bureau.