High Martial: I Grind Professions

Chapter 355: Chapter 195: Slaying a Peak Marquis with One Slash

PFFT!

The stinger, a concentration of the Scorpion Demon’s entire Demon Power and venomous essence, radiated a bone-chilling cold. It ignored the weakening aura at the edges of the Qingyuan Realm,

and with unerring precision, it pierced the weakest point in Marquis Qingyuan’s protective True Essence, sinking deep into the left side of his lower back.

A horrific demon toxin, possessing both paralytic and destructive properties, was instantly injected into his body.

”Ugh!” Marquis Qingyuan’s body convulsed violently. His face turned deathly pale, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

The cyan protective light covering his body flickered violently, like a candle in the wind.

A shocking, bloody hole appeared on his left waist, from which deep purple toxic veins rapidly spread across his skin.

More critically, the Qingyuan Realm, his massive domain, shuddered violently. Its area of effect shrank drastically, and the once-steady rain of cyan light became intermittent, its power plummeting.

The balance was shattered in an instant!

”Hahaha! This one is finished! Kill them all!” the peak-level Turtle Demon who had led the charge roared with laughter, surging forward behind its defenses.

The other six Demon Kings were invigorated, their attacks suddenly growing more ferocious and violent.

Without the powerful suppression and support of the Qingyuan Realm, the pressure on Marquis Li and Marquis Wang increased tenfold. Their defensive line instantly teetered on the brink of collapse, their situation perilous.

Marquis Li was struck by a Snake Demon’s whip-like tail. The light from his protective treasured armor flashed brightly, but he was sent flying, crashing through a low wall.

Marquis Wang was forced back repeatedly by the combined assault of two Demon Kings. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as he struggled to hold on.

The three Marquises’ situation deteriorated rapidly, plunging them into a life-or-death crisis.

...

「One minute later.」

Pushing his Body Transformation into Nine Heavens to its absolute limit, Li Wen could already see the distant silhouette of the Xihu City fortress.

His powerful Primordial Spirit, having reached the fourth layer of the Day Travel Realm, radiated forward without reservation. It instantly spanned a distance of over a hundred li, bringing the entire battlefield clearly into his perception.

The scene was horrifying.

Marquis Qingyuan was half-kneeling on the ground, one hand pressed against his bleeding waist. His face was a sickly purplish-blue, and his aura was incredibly weak. He could only barely maintain a faint, embryonic form of his ”Qingyuan Realm,” its effects negligible.

Marquis Li had just struggled back to his feet after being sent flying. His treasured armor was damaged in several places, and his aura was in disarray.

Marquis Wang was even worse off, drenched in his own blood. He was single-handedly enduring the ferocious siege of at least three Demon Kings, his footing unsteady and the light of his protective True Essence as fragile as paper.

Meanwhile, the eight Demon Kings, all of different forms, were radiating menace as they mercilessly launched their final assault, intending to tear the three Human Race Marquises to shreds in the next instant.

The shadow of death loomed, thick and inescapable.

The very moment Li Wen’s Primordial Spirit swept over them, the leading Turtle Demon and the Scorpion Demon—the one with the chilling aura who had just launched the sneak attack—jerked their heads up, looking in the direction of Li Wen’s approach.

A peerlessly sharp, space-rending fluctuation was approaching at high speed.

Despite the distance of over a hundred li, the terrifying presence carried by that speed already made the very air tremble.

’A Human Race King-level expert is reinforcing them?’ A flicker of suspicion and alarm crossed the Scorpion Demon’s compound eyes.

The Turtle Demon’s massive body paused for a fraction of a second, and it immediately sent a mental message to all its companions:

’A Primordial Spirit that can cover such a distance... it’s likely a King-level Godfiend, but they’re still far away! We have at least ten breaths of time! Kill these three first, then immediately burrow into the ground!’

’Once we’re deep underground, not even a Venerable will be able to find us!’

Its judgment was based on common sense. It would take even a peak King-level expert over ten seconds to cross a hundred li, which was more than enough time for them to finish the slaughter and begin their escape.

Once deep underground, the detection range of a Human Race Primordial Spirit would be drastically compressed by the soil and rock. The powerful bodies of the Demon Race allowed them to travel underground far faster than any human could track them—this was their customary escape method.

”Kill!” At the Turtle Demon’s roar, the eight Demon Kings held nothing back, unleashing their full power to end the fight in an instant and make their escape.

However, for all their calculations, they had made one fatal miscalculation: who was coming.

Two flashes!

Just two uses of Body Transformation into Nine Heavens at its absolute peak.

The terrifying streak of light approaching from the distance ignored the barrier of space.

One moment it was a glimmer on the horizon; the next, as if by teleportation, it had barged into the heart of the battlefield with a piercing shriek that tore through the air!

Its speed was beyond the comprehension of any Demon King. They couldn’t even catch a glimpse of an afterimage!

”What?!” The pupils of the Turtle Demon and the Scorpion Demon simultaneously constricted to pinpoints in sheer terror.

The newcomer was none other than Li Wen! He wasted no words. The moment he arrived, his blade was already drawn!

His Primordial Spirit, flesh, and True Essence merged perfectly in an instant. His aura erupted like a dormant volcano, skyrocketing from the level of a top-tier Marquis to the terrifying threshold of a King.

His target was the Scorpion Demon with the insidious aura, the one who had just succeeded in its sneak attack.

Although it was at the peak Marquis level, its strengths lay in stealth and venomous attacks; its physical defense was relatively weaker.

A flash of blade light!

It was like a silver bolt tearing across the firmament, imbued with heavenly might and a sharp will that could sever all things. It moved faster than thought.

Like the only light in the darkness, it instantly consumed the lingering terror in the Scorpion Demon’s eyes.

It only had time to instinctively raise its massive, spiked pincer to block, but the pincer was like rotten wood before that pure Blade Intent.

SCHRRRIP!

The blade light passed through the Scorpion Demon’s massive body without any resistance, splitting it—and its protective demonic aura—in two.

Purplish-black demon blood shot into the sky like a fountain. Its bisected corpse stumbled forward a few steps from inertia before crashing to the ground, its Demon Soul annihilated by the terrifying Blade Intent.

At the same time, from within Li Wen’s sea of consciousness, an intangible and formless Shocking God Stab, condensed to the absolute limit, shot out silently.

Its target was the peak-level Turtle Demon King, the one with the strongest Defense Power, whose body was like a mobile fortress.

This was a killing blow aimed at the Primordial Spirit!

The Turtle Demon’s huge head, which glinted with a metallic luster, snapped back as it let out a shriek so piercing it was distorted.

The light in its compound eyes instantly scattered, like a candle flame hit by a raging hurricane.

Its massive demonic body began to twitch violently. The thick carapace covering its body, durable enough to withstand a King-level attack, was completely unharmed, but the consciousness within had been utterly scrambled by the Shocking God Stab.

Its enormous body collapsed like a falling mountain, crashing to the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust. Its life force was extinguished.

In the blink of an eye!

One attack seen, one unseen!

A blade to the body, a stab to the soul!

Two powerful Demon Kings at the peak Marquis level had been instantly killed in the first wave of Li Wen’s all-out assault, unable to even mount a decent resistance.

Time seemed to freeze for a fraction of a second.

Marquis Qingyuan, Marquis Li, and Marquis Wang stared at the figure who had suddenly appeared like a Divine Weapon descending from the heavens.

They looked at the two enormous demon corpses, their eyes filled with the dazed disbelief of having survived a catastrophe.

The reinforcements had arrived too quickly and were absurdly powerful.

The peak Demon Kings who had been crushing them like a mountain just moments ago were slaughtered instantly like helpless chickens and dogs?

The remaining six Demon Kings were scared out of their wits!

The arrogance and killing intent that had just surged within them were instantly frozen by boundless terror.

The ”ten breaths” of time they had been counting on to escape had become a colossal joke in the face of their opponent’s terrifying speed.

Even the strongest of their group, old Turtle, and the insidious Scorpion were killed in an instant. How could they have any will to fight left?

”Run!” One of the Demon Kings shrieked, their voice cracking with panic.

Like startled birds, the six demonic figures no longer cared about killing anyone. They instantly erupted with their top speed and fled madly in different directions.

Some smashed directly into the ground, trying to burrow, while others shot into the sky, desperate to get away from that harbinger of death.

”Stop them!” Although Marquis Qingyuan was severely injured, his reactions were second to none.

He forced a surge of True Essence, and the chain of cyan light in his hand shot out, wrapping around the nearest Wolf Demon that was trying to burrow as he shouted hoarsely.

Marquis Li and Marquis Wang also reacted in an instant. Ignoring their own injuries, they unleashed the last of their strength.

Flashes of sword light and shadows of fists flew out, not to kill, but simply to slow the Demon Kings’ escape.

Li Wen’s figure left a faint afterimage as his true body appeared like a ghost behind a Peng Demon that was soaring into the sky.

With a flash of his blade, the Peng Demon’s vaunted speed proved meaningless before Li Wen. Its massive body, wings and all, was easily torn apart.

His movements never paused. His figure flickered continuously, each appearance accompanied by a cold, sharp flash of blade light and the fall of a Demon King.

The desperate attempts of the three Marquises to stall the demons bought him enough time.

With Li Wen hunting them down and the three Marquises desperately intercepting them, it took less than half a minute.

The last one, a Mouse Demon trying to burrow deep into the earth, was pierced through by Li Wen’s blade dozens of zhang underground and yanked back to the surface.

The battle was completely over.

On the dust-choked battlefield, the massive corpses of eight different Demon Kings lay scattered about, their pungent demonic blood soaking the earth.

The three surviving Marquis-level Godfiends all bore injuries of varying degrees.

Panting, they watched the figure calmly collecting the Demon Kings’ corpses and Inner Cores, while also picking up the scattered equipment, their expressions complex and difficult to read.

It wasn’t until Li Wen had collected the last Demon King’s Inner Core and walked over to them that Marquis Qingyuan managed to struggle to his feet.

Looking at this peer of his, who was so young it was almost unbelievable, his voice was hoarse and trembled with undisguised shock.

”Junior Brother... Junior Brother Li? Your speed and strength... are simply...”

He couldn’t find the right words, and in the end, he could only let out a long sigh filled with indescribable emotion.

”Back when I presided over your assessment at the Fire Hall, you had only just become a Martial Artist... How many years has it been? A little over a decade? Truly... the younger generation is formidable. This is a great fortune for the Human Race!”

Marquis Li and Marquis Wang also came forward and bowed solemnly with clasped fists, their eyes filled with gratitude and awe.

If not for Li Wen’s incredible speed and lightning-fast methods today, the three of them would have undoubtedly perished here.

Li Wen shook his head slightly, his expression still calm.

”You three overstate things. Your healing is what’s important now. The battle outside the fortress isn’t over yet.”

He casually handed a few bottles of Healing Elixirs to them.

The three of them took the elixirs from Li Wen. Although their injuries began to recover quickly, their faces were still pale and weary from their near-death experience.

”Junior Brother Li...” Marquis Qingyuan began to say something more, but before he could finish, he saw Li Wen’s brow furrow as the communication terminal on his body once again let out the sharp, urgent shriek of a highest-level alert.

”Sorry, another urgent request for aid.”

Li Wen spoke rapidly, his gaze sweeping over the three of them. After confirming that their lives were no longer in immediate danger, he gave them a slight nod.

”I’ll leave the cleanup here to you three. Be careful.”

The moment the words left his mouth, his entire figure seemed to be devoured by a blinding light, instantly distorting and blurring.

In the next instant, he had transformed into a blazing white streak of lightning, almost impossible to track with the naked eye, as it tore across the sky and shot off to the northeast.

Within a few breaths, he had vanished completely over the distant horizon.