In a life-and-death battle, the most fatal mistake is losing your momentum.
Shen Yi's relentless assault left the Flood Dragon Demon completely unable to gauge his limits.
Not only that, but the cautious distance he maintained seemed like an insurmountable chasm in the demon's eyes.
It felt as though it was just a hair's breadth away from striking, yet it could never close that gap.
The countless wounds Chen Qiankun had inflicted on the Flood Dragon Demon made it resemble a piece of porcelain on the verge of shattering.
Now, under the relentless bombardment of Shen Yi's fierce energy, this three-thousand-year-old demon, who had once condensed its core, had completely lost its ability to resist.
For the first time, a trace of fear crept into its heart.
This fear wasn't just about the possibility of the Demon-Suppressing General catching up.
Most of it came from the young man in the distance.
This damned captain wanted to completely obliterate it!
"Roar—"
No longer caring about Chen Qiankun, the Flood Dragon Demon let out a high-pitched roar, preparing to transform into its true form and flee.
Even if it had to die, it would rather perish under the Demon-Suppressing General's halberd! How could a mere Jade Liquid Realm coward be worthy of killing the Flood Dragon Lord?!
"..."
Taking in the demon's expression, a flicker of complexity passed through Shen Yi's dark eyes, but his movements showed no hesitation.
He swiftly drew the straight ceremonial sword from his waist.
In the next moment, his figure shot forward like a bolt of lightning.
Gripping the sword with both hands, he brought it down in a sweeping arc, a streak of black light cutting through the air.
The sharp blade plunged into the Flood Dragon Demon's chest.
Shen Yi's long, bony fingers tightly gripped the hilt, now stained with the demon's dark red, boiling blood.
"You're seeking death!"
The Flood Dragon Demon's claws shot out, easily piercing through Shen Yi's shoulders.
Hot blood, tinged with golden specks, splattered across his pale face.
His clear eyes showed no determination, only a hint of pain and a trace of fear—no different from an ordinary person.
Was he afraid? Maybe a little.
But would he kill?
Shen Yi slowly released his grip on the sword, clenching his fingers into a fist.
Meridian-Severing Dragon Capture!
Amidst the searing pain of his flesh being torn, Shen Yi's iron-hard fist struck at an almost invisible speed, slamming into the Flood Dragon Demon's meridians.
The black scales, scorched countless times by demonic flames, fell away like shattered tiles.
Countless meridians were instantly sealed.
"Get off! Get off me!"
The Flood Dragon Demon's arms went numb, its claws embedded deep in Shen Yi's flesh, unable to pull free.
It tried desperately to push him away, but it was no use.
Shen Yi even took half a step forward, driving the scaled claws deeper into his body.
"If you don't die, I won't be able to sleep peacefully."
His voice was barely a whisper as he gripped the black sword embedded in the demon's chest and yanked it free, sending a spray of blood into the air.
His tattered black robe fluttered as the blood-streaked sword arced down like a crescent moon.
Thud—
The demon's grotesque head, still wearing a look of disbelief, rolled across the ground.
Below the severed torso, a trail of blood stretched along the path, disappearing into the distance.
It was a path of blood and carnage, marked by countless swings of his blade.
**[Flood Dragon Demon slain.
Total lifespan: 5,240 years.
Remaining lifespan: 1,970 years.
Absorbed in full.]**
[Remaining demon lifespan: 3,264 years.]
Shen Yi's hand trembled slightly as he held the sword, unsure whether it was from exhaustion or excitement.
His breathing was ragged, and a wave of fatigue slowly washed over his face.
After taking a moment to steady his breath, Shen Yi gritted his teeth and pulled the Flood Dragon Demon's claws out of his flesh.
The sharp scales were like rows of hooks, tearing chunks of flesh as they came free...
It hurt like hell.
The demon's severed body thudded to the ground.
Even in death, it didn't revert to its true form.
It must have expended a great deal of effort to take on this humanoid shape, which explained how it had managed to hide in Qingzhou for over a hundred years without being discovered.
Shen Yi stepped on the demon's body and, with practiced ease, sliced open its abdomen.
Just then, the sound of approaching footsteps reached his ears.
Shen Yi turned to see a group of riders, led by a magnificent crimson demon horse, galloping toward him along the trail of blood left by the Flood Dragon Demon.
He was slightly surprised.
Had the Qingfeng Sect already dealt with the situation so quickly?
Atop the crimson horse sat an elderly man clad in black armor, holding a heavy iron halberd.
He looked down at Shen Yi with an inscrutable expression.
Chen Qiankun's gaze was calm as he observed the young man covered in demon blood, his face betraying no emotion.
The other riders, all seasoned lieutenants, were equally stunned when they saw the scene before them.
While they had been busy at Qingfeng Mountain, a mere captain had come here to hunt down a core-condensing demon?
Even more unbelievable... judging by the lifeless half of the corpse, it seemed the legendary Flood Dragon Lord of Yangchun River had truly been slain by him?
At the back of the group, Hong Lei dismounted and shot Shen Yi a look that was both awed and exasperated.
He approached Chen Qiankun and whispered something to the old man.
Chen Qiankun waved his hand dismissively and turned his attention back to Shen Yi.
With a slight nod, he said, "Why are you looking at me? Keep going. Take it."
Hearing this, Shen Yi continued to wield his sword, reaching into the demon's abdomen and pulling out a glowing core.
He tucked it into his belt without missing a beat, his movements smooth and practiced.
"..."
The lieutenants were so shocked they momentarily forgot to breathe.
Chen Qiankun's lips twitched into a faint, almost imperceptible smirk.
He tugged on the reins, turning his horse around.
"Give him the horse."
The lieutenant beside him hesitated for a moment before quickly dismounting and leading the demon horse over to Shen Yi, handing him the reins.
"The demon's body must be sent to the imperial court, so I can't give it to you," Chen Qiankun continued.
"Take this horse back to the Demon-Suppressing Bureau in Qingzhou. Put on your cloak, and when you have time, come find me in Linjiang County. I'll make you my personal attendant."
As soon as these words left the old man's mouth, not only the other lieutenants but even Hong Lei was momentarily stunned.
Hong Lei had personally informed Chen Qiankun about Shen Yi's feats—slaying the thousand-year-old alligator demon and causing the Furious Sword to take his own life with a single gesture.
Promoting him to lieutenant was understandable.
But becoming a personal attendant... that was an entirely different matter.
It meant Chen Qiankun was willing to include him in his inner circle of disciples.
After the old man retired, Shen Yi would have the opportunity to compete with other attendants for the position of Demon-Suppressing General.
Beyond that, the more immediate benefit was that he would only need to serve under the general for a few years—not as a temporary assignment like Hong Lei, but as a constant companion.
As long as he didn't make any major mistakes, Chen Qiankun would write a recommendation to the imperial court, vouching for him and securing a core-condensing cultivation method for him.
If his achievements were significant, he might even be allowed to visit the Martial Temple two or three times before his lifespan ran out.
What kind of mistakes could he possibly make? The old man needed to maintain his peak condition to intimidate the great demons, so he rarely took action.
Under his protection, Shen Yi would hardly even encounter any demons, making his life far more comfortable than the other Demon-Suppressing Bureau officers who constantly risked their lives.
"Sir, isn't this the first time you've met him?" one of the lieutenants couldn't help but ask, his voice tinged with envy.
"Not exactly," Chen Qiankun replied with a mysterious smile, recalling the portrait recently brought back by demon hunters from a certain temple.
He wasn't a true martial immortal, just a core-condensing martial artist.
Responsible for over thirty counties, two thousand villages, and millions of people, he spent his days keeping an eye on the core-condensing demons.
With so much to manage, he couldn't possibly handle everything himself.
As a result, countless mountain spirits and wild demons had secretly built temples to worship him.
But this was the first time he'd seen one dressed in black robes.
Truly a remarkable young man.
To dare steal offerings meant for me... no wonder he's so adept at pocketing demon cores.
Earlier, at the grand altar, Chen Qiankun had quietly observed every glance Zhang Hengzhou cast outside, as well as the young man in black robes who frowned and slowly retreated to the back of the crowd when the Flood Dragon Demon fled.
Unfortunately, he had been preoccupied with urgent matters and hadn't had the chance to speak with him.
They would have plenty of time to talk later.
Author's Note:
Due to word count limitations, I'll be updating twice a day for the next few days.
My apologies to all the esteemed readers.
I'll try to make each chapter a bit longer, shifting from 6,000 words per day to 5,000.
(End of Chapter)