Chapter 518 - 514: Slaying a First-Grade Demon
Chapter 518: Chapter 514: Slaying a First-Grade Demon
"ROAR—!"
The Mole Antelope Demon let out a low roar. Its four short, thick legs kicked off the ground, and its massive body, like a small, moving hill, charged at Fang Han once more.
It extended its claws—several foot-long, earth-yellow talons that tore through the air with a piercing shriek, aiming straight for Fang Han’s throat.
Its speed was astonishing, completely unlike what a Demon of its immense size should possess.
SWISH!
Fang Han’s eyes narrowed as his right hand touched the seemingly unremarkable, pitch-black ring on his left index finger.
The Cloud Splitting Sword vanished, and the Wind Shocking Sword was unsheathed.
Facing a First-Grade Demon, he naturally had to go all out and use his strongest methods.
The pale cyan blade glinted with a clear light under the gloomy sky. Its edge was as thin as a cicada’s wing, yet it exuded a heart-stopping sharpness.
He infused the Inner Qi from his Cyan Profound Technique into the blade.
VMM.
The sword lit up with a faint, cyan-blue brilliance. The light wasn’t blinding, but it carried a sharpness that made it hard to look at directly.
The air around the blade silently split, forming fine, thread-like cracks.
His Wind Sword Intent erupted without reservation. He pushed the Mastery Realm Sky-Splitting Sword Technique to its limit as cyan-gold Inner Qi surged through his meridians like a great river, pouring entirely into the Wind Shocking Sword.
He slashed out with his sword.
The flash of the sword collided with the claws, erupting in a deafening clang of metal on metal.
Sparks flew as a shockwave spread outwards, sending rotted leaves and rubble flying into the air.
Fang Han felt a massive force travel up the sword. His arm went slightly numb, and he took half a step back.
The Mole Antelope Demon’s forward charge was brought to a dead stop by the blow. Its massive body slid back several yards, plowing four deep claw marks into the ground.
’It really is a First-Grade Demon!’
A chill went down Fang Han’s spine.
The power and destructive force in that claw definitely reached the level of a First Grade Martial Artist. If it were him from two months ago, he would have been severely injured by that single attack.
This was without a doubt a First-Grade Demon.
"ROAR—!"
Its attack thwarted, the Mole Antelope Demon let out an enraged roar and lunged again.
It attacked with claws, fangs, and its steel-like tail, its assault a veritable tempest.
Every pounce carried stone-shattering force, and every whip of its tail made the air crackle with a deafening boom.
Fang Han responded calmly, the Wind Shocking Sword in his hand transforming into streaks of cyan-blue light.
His Wind Sword Intent was so condensed it was almost tangible. Every slash carried a sharpness that could tear through anything, along with a mental pressure that assaulted the mind.
After several exchanges...
HISS—
The Wind Shocking Sword sliced across the Mole Antelope Demon’s left forelimb. The blade cut into a gap between its scales, leaving a wound so deep the bone was visible. Dark red blood gushed out.
The Mole Antelope Demon cried out in pain and fury, its attacks growing even more frenzied.
However, it was useless.
Wielding the Wind Shocking Sword, Fang Han’s combat power surpassed that of an ordinary First Grade Martial Artist.
Its pounces and bites, powerful enough to shatter stone, were forcefully broken by Fang Han’s own overwhelming offense with the Wind Shocking Sword.
THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!
As it sustained more and more injuries, the First-Grade Demon’s movements gradually slowed.
Its earth-yellow scales were crisscrossed with more than a dozen gruesome sword wounds, the deepest of which revealed glimpses of white bone.
Dark red blood gushed from the wounds, staining the earth beneath it a shocking crimson.
SWOOSH!
A cold glint flashed in Fang Han’s eyes. Seizing the moment the Mole Antelope Demon was recovering from a pounce, he suddenly closed the distance.
His Cyan Profound Technique’s Inner Qi surged at an unprecedented speed, his Wind Sword Intent was pushed to its absolute limit, and he unleashed the full force of his hundred-thousand-jin physique without reservation.
SQUELCH—
The Wind Shocking Sword transformed into a dazzling, condensed cyan-blue rainbow that pierced diagonally into the Mole Antelope Demon’s throat.
It tore through scales, pierced flesh, and ran through its heart.
The Mole Antelope Demon’s massive body suddenly went rigid.
The vicious light in its dark gold, vertical pupils flickered violently a few times, like a candle in the wind, before finally dimming completely. It crashed to the ground.
The ground trembled, and dust flew into the air.
’Thank goodness for the Spiritual Weapon!’
Fang Han stood and retracted his sword, slowly exhaling.
He glanced down at the Wind Shocking Sword in his hand. A cyan-blue light flowed unceasingly over the blade, faintly exuding a heart-stopping sharpness.
The two-fold combat power enhancement from the Low-Grade Spiritual Soldier had allowed him to maintain an absolute advantage from start to finish against this First-Grade Demon.
Without this sword, killing this First-Grade Demon would have been anything but easy.
The most likely outcome would have been him using his superior Body Technique to retreat.
’I wonder how much the corpse of a First-Grade Demon is worth?’
Fang Han placed a hand on the still-warm Demon Corpse and summoned his system panel.
The enormous Demon Corpse vanished in an instant, as if wiped away by an invisible hand, and the numbers on the panel jumped.
[Wealth: 720,000 Gold → 780,000 Gold]
’Sixty thousand gold.’
Fang Han’s gaze lingered on the line of numbers for a moment, a flash of satisfaction in his eyes.
Just as he’d expected, the corpse of a First-Grade Demon was indeed extremely valuable.
This one corpse alone was worth sixty thousand gold, only slightly less than the entire giant Silver Mine.
Putting away the system panel, Fang Han turned and walked toward the Spirit-Nourishing Flower.
Because both he and the First-Grade Demon had deliberately avoided the area, the Spirit-Nourishing Flower was undamaged.
It still stood there quietly, its blue leaves unfurled and its blue petals in bloom.
The ball of pale golden mist in its pistil spun slowly, as if the thrilling battle just now had never happened.
Fang Han took a Cold Jade Box from his Storage Ring, carefully plucked the Spirit-Nourishing Flower, placed it inside, closed the lid, and put it back in his Storage Ring.
’This isn’t a place to linger!’
After doing all this, Fang Han straightened up, his gaze sweeping over the ground, which was crisscrossed with gashes from his Sword Qi, and the soil soaked with the Mole Antelope Demon’s blood.
The commotion from the fight had been significant. The sounds of Sword Qi and the Demon’s roars had echoed through the forest for a long time, surely alerting other Demons wandering nearby.
It wouldn’t be long before other Demons were drawn to the area.
’I need to leave as soon as possible.’
Fang Han got his bearings, and with a flicker of his body, he executed the Wind God Step, silently darting away from the battlefield.
He had no intention of hunting Demons to acquire wealth. While a Demon Corpse was highly valuable, hunting was risky.
And in this Secret Realm, with its rare ores, various Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, and a giant Silver Mine, treasures were practically everywhere for the taking.
When he could easily obtain treasures just by "picking them up," why would he risk his life hunting Demons?
The last rays of the setting sun were sinking through the gaps in the western canopy, dyeing the vast sea of trees a dark, almost solidified, ochre-red.
Fang Han stood on a gnarled branch of an ancient tree, his robes rustling in the evening breeze.
’Is the sun in this Secret Realm the same one as in the outside world?’
Fang Han pulled his gaze back from the west, a meaningless thought flashing through his mind.
It was a question destined to have no answer.
He suppressed the stray thought and looked down at the forest below, which was gradually being swallowed by twilight.
The Secret Realm was dangerous enough during the day; it would only become more so after nightfall.
The nocturnal Demons would emerge in full force, and human vision was at a great disadvantage in the dark.
He decided to stop exploring and first find a safe place to spend the night.
An incense stick’s time later, he found his hiding spot for the night—a tree hollow.
An ancient tree, so thick it would take several people to encircle it, had been dead for who knows how many years. Its trunk was hollow, forming a cavity about half a person’s height.
The entrance was half-hidden by hanging vines and would be hard to spot without a close look.
Fang Han pushed aside the vines and peered inside. The hollow was reasonably dry. The ground was covered with a layer of hay, brought in by some unknown animal, that was long since withered but had no strange smell.
The space wasn’t large, barely enough for him to sit with his body curled up.
Fang Han sat down just inside the entrance, his back against the reasonably solid wooden wall of the hollow, and took out some dry rations and water from his Storage Ring.
The rations were flatbreads he had prepared before setting out. They were completely cold and hard as a rock when he bit into them.
The Storage Ring wasn’t as magical as the legends from his past life claimed. At most, it could keep food from spoiling for longer; it couldn’t keep it perpetually hot.
He chewed slowly, washing the food down with gulps of cold water, his gaze peering out through the gaps in the vines.
Outside, the sky had completely darkened. The forest was pitch black, with only a few sparse moonbeams filtering through the leaves, casting pale silver spots on the ground.
He had no intention of starting a fire, nor did he think of hunting some wild animal to roast.
In this forest, the smell of roasting meat was tantamount to a death sentence.
It was only for three days. He could endure it.
After finishing a piece of flatbread, Fang Han took a sip of water and put the waterskin back into his Storage Ring.
Silence returned to the hollow, broken only by the sound of his own breathing and the faint, distant shrieks of some unknown beasts.
The shrieks were short and sharp, as if something more terrifying had seized them by the throat, cutting them off mid-cry. The ensuing silence felt all the more oppressive.
’Panel.’
Fang Han recited in his mind.
A translucent screen of light appeared silently in the darkness.
[Host: Fang Han]
[Root Bone Talent Amplification: 256x (Ninth Level Amplification requires 10,000,000 Gold)]
[Swordsmanship Talent Amplification: 256x (Ninth Level Amplification requires 10,000,000 Gold)]
[Stepping Talent Amplification: 128x (Level 8 Amplification requires 1,000,000 Gold)]
[Secret Technique Talent Amplification: 128x (Level 8 Amplification requires 1,000,000 Gold)]
[Body Hardening Talent Amplification: 128x (Level 8 Amplification requires 1,000,000 Gold)]
[Wealth: 780,000 Gold]
His gaze fell on the "Wealth" entry—780,000 Gold.
He was only 220,000 gold short of the 1,000,000 needed for the next Level 8 Amplification.
Based on the rate he had acquired wealth today, he should be able to gather enough by tomorrow morning.
He closed the panel, unfastened the Cloud Splitting Sword from his waist, and laid it across his lap before closing his eyes.
The Thousand-Mile Soul Lock technique remained active at a minimal level, pulling all surrounding auras into his perception.
The night deepened, and drowsiness washed over him like a tide. Leaning against the wall of the hollow, he drifted into a light sleep.
He didn’t know how long he had slept when he suddenly jolted awake.
The instant he opened his eyes, his hand was already on his sword hilt. His entire body tensed like a cheetah that had scented danger.
VMM—
The Thousand-Mile Soul Lock technique began to operate at full power with unprecedented intensity. He unreservedly unleashed the Realm of Perfection Tracking Secret Technique.
Then, his expression changed abruptly.
Within his perception, a massive number of auras were moving at high speed.
Not one or two, but thousands upon thousands.
Hares, muntjacs, wildcats, horned deer—all the beasts he had sensed in the forest during the day—were now converging into a chaotic torrent, stampeding in the same direction.
Among them were the auras of numerous Demons.
A large number of Demons were mixed into this torrent, stampeding alongside the weaker beasts.
No, they weren’t stampeding together.
They were fleeing for their lives!