Fire Saber Sect Disciple
The two first-tier monkey demons that had fled inside sprang out of the cave entrance first. Immediately afterward, a much larger figure slowly emerged from the darkness.
This monkey demon was a full size larger than the first-tier ones, and its fur was dark red. Its eyes were a murky amber, and as it stared at Lu Feng, its mouth slowly stretched into a grin, revealing two rows of ghastly white fangs.
"Human."
"How dare you kill my monkeys and their offspring."
Its gaze swept over the monkey demon corpses sprawled across the ground, but the expression on its face was not anger. It was greed bordering on excitement.
"Once I've eaten you, I'll settle accounts with that brat Zhu Ren. This time, one Ming Jin human won't be enough to send me away."
It licked its lips. This was a Nei Jin martial artist; eating him was worth as much as eating dozens of Ming Jin martial artists. Its cultivation realm would surely advance another step afterward.
Lu Feng did not reply.
He activated Carefree Steps, leaving an afterimage where he stood.
The next instant, he appeared by the two first-tier monkey demons behind the second-tier monkey demon.
His saber flashed once to the left and once to the right.
[Ding! First-tier monkey demon successfully slain. Demon Points obtained: 1,000] [Ding! First-tier monkey demon successfully slain. Demon Points obtained: 1,000]
The two first-tier monkey demons' heads rolled off before they could even scream.
"How dare you! Die!"
The second-tier monkey demon finally flew into a rage. Every hair on its body stood on end, and with a shudder, hundreds of dark red hairs shot through the air toward Lu Feng like a torrential downpour.
Lu Feng raised his saber to block, whirling the Six Harmonies Saber into a curtain of steel before him. The clangs of metal rang out as densely as rain.
The hairs struck the blade and scattered sparks, but not one pierced the saber curtain.
Lu Feng kept moving as he blocked. His Carefree Steps traced a bizarre arc, taking him behind the second-tier monkey demon in an instant.
He struck out with his left palm.
Cold Plum Jin.
The instant his palm touched the monkey demon's back, a sinister, frigid force penetrated its body.
The second-tier monkey demon's massive body flew several meters sideways as if struck by a battering ram, then slammed heavily into the stone wall.
"Pfft!"
It opened its mouth and spewed a great mouthful of blood.
Cold Plum Jin wounded its enemies without leaving a trace.
There was not a mark on the outside, but its internal organs were already being corroded by that sinister, frigid force.
The second-tier monkey demon struggled to prop itself up. The greed in its eyes turned to horror as it looked at Lu Feng.
"You... you're actually this powerful!"
It panted heavily, its voice no longer arrogant. Instead, it carried a trace of panic and resentment.
"That brat Zhu Ren tricked me... he even said demon slayers were only so strong... so he was up to no good..."
Lu Feng walked to within three paces of it and looked down at it.
"What's your relationship with Zhu Ren? Why did he help you?"
He had used only a fraction of his strength in that palm strike.
Had he struck with all his might, the second-tier monkey demon would already have been a frozen, shattered corpse.
But he had held back.
What Zhu Ren had done was too strange.
The original owner of this body had colluded with demonic beasts to save his own life.
But Zhu Ren was different. With his Nei Jin cultivation and several thousand disciples, if he had truly wanted to, even if he was no match for these demonic beasts, he could have reported the matter to the Demon-Slaying Bureau. With the deeds he had accomplished, joining the bureau would have been as easy as turning over his hand.
Why had he chosen instead to collude with the demonic beasts and harm his own disciples?
"Don't kill me! I'll tell you right now!"
The second-tier monkey demon begged for mercy as it braced one hand against the ground and edged backward.
Out of the corner of his eye, Lu Feng glimpsed its other hand reaching quietly toward the stone wall behind it.
Lu Feng gave no sign and waited for it to continue.
The monkey demon took a deep breath and opened its mouth.
The next second-
Hundreds of dark red hairs burst from its body at once, denser and more violent than before. Like a wall of red needles, they came down over Lu Feng's head and face.
At the same time, its tail lashed through the air with a sharp, explosive crack.
Using the recoil, it launched its entire body toward the depths of the cave like an arrow loosed from a bow.
Lu Feng swung his saber and blocked every last hair.
When he looked up again, the dark red figure had already disappeared into the depths of the cave.
He stood where he was, his saber tip lowered toward the ground, his expression darkening slightly.
The second-tier monkey demon was not particularly strong, but its escape techniques were truly impressive.
It had used its tail to accelerate and its hairs to cover its retreat. The whole sequence had flowed like clouds and water; one look was enough to tell it had practiced.
"I can't be careless next time."
Lu Feng muttered to himself, then moved, chasing after it into the depths of the cave.
After he passed through a long, dim passage, the terrain suddenly opened up.
The second cavern was larger than the one outside.
Several naturally formed stone pillars supported the ceiling. Their surfaces were covered in densely packed runes, over which the dim flames of oil lamps flickered, now bright, now dark.
Lu Feng spotted the second-tier monkey demon at once.
It had not fled.
It was standing beside a stone pillar in the middle of the cavern, clutching a black-and-red pill and forcing it into the mouth of a person tied to the pillar.
The person was a man with tangled hair and a filthy face, dressed in rags whose original color was no longer discernible. But from the style of the remaining fabric, Lu Feng could just make out the clothing of a Fire Saber Sect disciple.
Both his arms were securely chained to the stone pillar. His face was covered in blood and bruises, and a wad of rags was stuffed in his mouth as he desperately shook his head and struggled.
The second-tier monkey demon forced his mouth open, shoved the pill inside, then yanked out the rags.
"Save me!"
The man's voice was so hoarse it was barely human.
The second-tier monkey demon turned to glance at Lu Feng, a vicious glint flashing in its eyes.
Without further hesitation, it opened its bloody maw and bit straight at the man's neck.
Lu Feng's saber had already left his hand.
The Six Harmonies Saber traced a straight white line through the air, shooting toward the monkey demon's face with a piercing whistle.
The second-tier monkey demon's pupils contracted sharply. Abandoning its bite, it grabbed the man and dodged clumsily to the side.
The blade grazed its scalp and, with a clang, buried itself three-tenths of its length in the stone pillar.
But the saber was only a feint.
The instant it left his hand, Lu Feng moved with it.
He unleashed Carefree Steps at full force, crossing the twenty paces almost instantly.
Lu Feng appeared at the monkey demon's side, his right palm planted squarely in the middle of its back.
Cold Plum Jin.
At the perfected level, driven with all his strength.
Crack!
A rapid series of crisp cracks came from the monkey demon's bones.
The sinister, frigid Nei Jin exploded among its internal organs, crushing everything in its path.
The monkey demon flew sideways, struck the stone wall, and bounced onto the ground. Its limbs twitched twice, then fell still.
The impact also sent the Fire Saber Sect disciple flying. He rolled several times across the ground, gave a muffled groan, and struggled to get up.
Lu Feng paid him no attention.
He strode to the stone pillar, pulled the Six Harmonies Saber free, then turned and walked toward the second-tier monkey demon sprawled on the ground.
The monkey demon was still breathing, and Lu Feng's approaching figure was reflected in its eyes.
It opened its mouth to say something, but only a stream of bloody foam welled from its throat.
Gale Saber Art.
The saber flashed, swift and clean.
The enormous monkey head rolled to the ground, its eyes still open in death.
[Ding! Second-tier monkey demon successfully slain. Demon Points obtained: 10,000]
The system notification sounded.
Only then did Lu Feng sheath his saber and turn to look at the Fire Saber Sect disciple.