Loan Cultivation to Martial Saint

Chapter 81: Chapter 70: Scab-headed Demon Fiend

Zheng Jun didn’t stop to rest. He pursued his target without hesitation.

This decisive figure left Gu Chengqi, Commander of the Garrison Command, somewhat stunned.

Huh?

How much salary does the Military Department pay you a year for you to risk your life like this?

Seeing Zheng Jun pursue the enemy alone, Gu Chengqi couldn’t help but feel ashamed. He, an Outer Gang Realm Commander of the Garrison Command, was afraid of a dying counterattack and didn’t dare to pursue, while a mere Qi Storage Realm Captain of the Military Department actually charged forward bravely.

He had let down His Majesty and the Court!

After his face darkened for a moment, Gu Chengqi gritted his teeth, waved his large hand, and ordered the Crew Leader who had come to provide support, ”You all just focus on treating the wounded! Where are the Ti Cavalry of the Garrison Command? Follow me and pursue!”

With that said, the Gang Qi around Gu Chengqi surged, making the sleeves of his Flying Fish Robe flap wildly in the wind. Without another word, he chased after them.

For no other reason than being inspired by Zheng Jun, he swore to kill this traitor to the country!

Watching the Commander’s departing figure, the three Ti Cavalry members who had hurried over, including Song Zhen, looked at each other in dismay.

They wondered if he was asking them to chase an Outer Gang Martial Artist. He thought a bit too highly of them.

After exchanging glances, they could only brace themselves and give chase. After all, they took their pay. When things went south, they naturally had to step up. It was just that their pursuit speed was a bit on the slower side.

It couldn’t be helped. They were Qi Storage Martial Artists. It was perfectly normal that they couldn’t keep up with an Outer Gang expert’s pace, right?

As for why Zheng San could keep up... Zheng San was a peerless genius, the number one Qi Storage Martial Artist in Black Mountain County. It was perfectly normal for him to keep up too. Everyone seemed to share a telepathic connection and tacit understanding as they actively slowed down their pursuit.

Leaping over the city wall, Meng Xian stumbled and glided at a low altitude all the way toward the Black Mountain. His eyes were filled with lingering fear.

An Outer Gang Martial Artist could already utilize their powerful True Qi to launch themselves into the air and glide at a low altitude. However, doing so consumed too much True Qi. Unless it was a critical moment, Outer Gang Martial Artists still preferred walking.

But now, for Meng Xian, it was a critical moment of life and death.

He wondered how things had ended up like this.

Fleeing for his life, Meng Xian couldn’t help but feel a little lost. He had spent his lifetime walking on thin ice, painstakingly enduring for decades, but he never expected the ice to collapse just as he was about to reach the other shore.

Back then, he was one of the three hundred thousand troops in Yunzhou, an Advisor in the Brave Cavalry Camp of the Central Navy. During a battle with the Beirong, the Demon Court attacked. After being captured, he clung to life and feared death, so he pledged his allegiance to the Demon Court.

With the Demon Court’s support, he had climbed step by step to the position of County Magistrate of Black Mountain County. Who would have thought he would encounter such a disaster today.

Meng Xian’s mind was in turmoil. He didn’t know what would happen to him after he escaped back. He knew the Demon Fiends in the Demon Court all too well. When it came to useless human Martial Artists, they would usually swallow them alive. Just like how human Martial Artists used the Inner Cores and Essence Blood of Demon Fiends for Alchemy, Demon Fiends could also eat humans to enhance their Cultivation.

Going to the Northern Demon Court was impossible.

His only way out now was to enter the Black Mountain and seek refuge with the Black Mountain Thieves!

Meng Xian knew there was a group of Southern Chu remnants among the Black Mountain Thieves. Now that he was exposed, he had no choice but to go to them.

”Gu Chengqi of the Garrison Command, and Zheng Jun of the Black Mountain Guard!” A deep, resentful malice gathered in Meng Xian’s eyes. He wished he could skin and eat those two alive!

”Magistrate Meng, why are you running?”

A cold, sinister voice came from behind again. Meng Xian looked back, only to see a Profound Iron Mask staring coldly at him. The next moment, a soul-snatching chain struck swiftly toward him!

In a flash, Meng Xian was actually snared by the chain!

”Damn it!”

Meng Xian’s heart sank. Without a moment’s hesitation, the Outer Gang Dark Guard of the Garrison Command gripped the chain, swung him up, and smashed him effortlessly to the side.

BOOM!

With a loud crash, trees splintered. Meng Xian slammed miserably into the muddy ground. His eyes flashed with ruthlessness as the Short Sword in his sleeve let out a soft hum. With a CLANG, he slashed the iron chain apart and continued to run forward.

After the iron chain was slashed, the Outer Gang Dark Guard didn’t pause at all. With a mere flick of his wrist, the severed iron chain actually restored itself to its original state and continued seeking Meng Xian.

Meng Xian could only keep swinging his sword backward, unleashing streams of vigorous Sword Gang behind him. He didn’t care if they hit; he just kept slashing furiously, instantly making the Outer Gang Dark Guard find the situation quite troublesome.

Seeing the endless waves of Sword Gang, the Outer Gang Dark Guard gently raised his Imperial Saber. In the silent night, a streak of Blade Gang instantly emerged. It gleamed with an eerie scarlet light, as if plunging the surroundings into Eternal Hell in an instant.

This single streak of Blade Gang actually broke through Meng Xian’s countless Sword Gangs. It slashed down directly, striking Meng Xian with flawless precision!

SLASH!

Following the sound, Meng Xian’s flesh and blood flew everywhere as he was hit by the Blade Gang. A shocking gash instantly appeared on his back, so deep that the bone was visible! Unable to control his balance, he stumbled and collapsed to the ground.

The Outer Gang Dark Guard’s expression was indifferent as he spoke in a hoarse voice, ”Submit to your execution!”

Just as Meng Xian was gripped by despair, a sudden gust of wind and sand swept across the area. A terribly foul stench immediately hit them in the face, and the Outer Gang Dark Guard soon heard a mocking voice. ”Execution?”

”Hmm?”

The Outer Gang Dark Guard immediately frowned and looked toward the source of the voice, only to see a scab-headed burly man trudging through the mountain mud!

This scab-headed man’s skin was rough and uneven, covered in brown warts. His cheeks bulged, and there were even purplish air sacs around his neck. It was actually an Outer Gang Demon Fiend!

Demon Fiends could only barely take human form when they reached the Outer Gang Realm. In the Acupoint Opening Realm, their human form would still retain some demonic features. As for Primordial Pill Demon Fiends, they were already indistinguishable from humans.

Seeing this scab-headed man, the Outer Gang Dark Guard’s eyes immediately filled with wariness. ”This place is barely fifty miles from the county town. You actually dare to come here?!”

”Why... wouldn’t I dare?”

The scab-headed man’s voice was a bit stiff, as if it wasn’t very good at speaking. As it spoke, a stream of purple gas continuously seeped from its mouth. ”This person... is a slave... of the Demon Court!”

”Scram!” The Scab-headed Demon Fiend’s voice echoed violently through the world.

The Outer Gang Dark Guard stood rooted to the spot amid the howling winds, not daring to make a move. After all, standing before him was an Outer Gang Realm Demon Fiend and an injured Outer Gang Martial Artist!

Demon Fiends of the same realm were always somewhat fiercer than humans. Although they didn’t know Martial Arts, they possessed innate Divine Techniques. These inherent talents, present from birth, were far more practiced than any postnatally acquired Martial Arts. Not to mention, some Demon Fiends actually knew Martial Arts too.

Moreover, Demon Fiends had another characteristic: their transformation process was fraught with immense hardships. Therefore, any Demon Fiend that managed to reach the Outer Gang Realm possessed exceptionally thick and tough skin, equivalent to having mastered full-body Horizontal Training.

Because of this, unless one was an elite among Outer Gang Martial Artists, a typical Outer Gang expert couldn’t possibly contend with a Demon Fiend.

However, just as the Outer Gang Dark Guard was hesitating, Gu Chengqi, the Commander of the Garrison Command, also arrived on the scene.

When he arrived and saw the Scab-headed Demon Fiend, he was also taken aback. Regret instantly flooded his heart. He wondered why the hell he had come here.

But since he was already here, he naturally couldn’t flee at the last minute and ruin his prestige. Without a second thought, he immediately declared, ”Brother Dark Guard, if we join forces, we might not necessarily lose! According to Great Zhou Law, killing a Demon Fiend rewards ten thousand taels of silver! Plus an Upper Grade Martial Arts manual as a bonus! If we team up, I’ll take the ten thousand taels, and you take the Upper Grade Martial Arts. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?!”

After saying that, Gu Chengqi also shouted loudly right in front of the Scab-headed Demon Fiend, ”If we can’t slay this toad, we just need to stall it! County Captain Cai Xun, a scion of a prominent clan and also an outstanding Outer Gang expert, will arrive shortly! The surrounding counties should have received the news by now, and their reinforcements will also be on the way!”

Although Gu Chengqi already knew Cai Xun was nothing but a flashy incompetent, at this point, borrowing his ’fearsome reputation’ as an Outer Gang Martial Artist to scare the enemy was a great idea. Furthermore, the latter half of his statement about the surrounding counties was entirely true.

Black Mountain County had two neighboring counties. In each county, the publicly known Outer Gang experts included the County Magistrate, the County Captain, and the Garrison Command Commander. As long as they stalled, there were at least six Outer Gang experts on their way!

”Alright!” The Outer Gang Dark Guard abruptly nodded, and the two immediately attacked with practiced synergy!

Looking at the two fiercely charging Outer Gang Martial Artists, the Scab-headed Demon Fiend didn’t rush to engage them. Instead, it glanced back at Meng Xian and exhaled deeply. ”I am here... to pick you up. You, scram to the Black Mountain... The Demon General... wants to see you!”

With that, the Scab-headed Demon Fiend’s eyes widened in rage. Right in front of the two men, it dropped to the ground on all fours and transformed into a massive toad standing a full three or four meters tall!

The toad’s skin was brown and covered in lumps. Its eyes were scarlet, and it exuded a foul, fishy stench. Its long tongue rolled out of its mouth, dripping thick, viscous saliva that sent shivers down the spine!

Seeing this, Meng Xian didn’t care about anything else. He scrambled up from the ground and ran desperately.

As long as he entered the Black Mountain and dove into its depths, no one would be able to catch him. The entity deep in the Black Mountain was an Acupoint Opening Realm Demon General! Even if the Prefect came, he wouldn’t be able to do anything to him!

Meng Xian’s thoughts ran wild as he continued sprinting forward, but his speed was already far below a normal Outer Gang level, barely on par with a Qi Storage expert.

Just as he was about to enter the Black Mountain, a sudden, intense sense of crisis gripped his heart. His body shuddered as he looked up ahead.

A rustling sound came from ahead. Someone was there.

He wondered who it could be. Was it the bandits on the Black Mountain, or the remnants of Southern Chu? Meng Xian was now a startled bird jumping at every shadow; looking around, every gust of wind and swaying blade of grass felt like an enemy ambush.

However, he soon saw the figure blocking his path. It was a tall, straight figure in a torn Official Robe.

The man held a saber in his right hand and an animal-skin scabbard in his left. There was a healed but scarred wound on his chest. His breathing was erratic, making it seem like he had just rushed over and was still catching his breath.

Upon seeing this figure, Meng Xian’s eyes filled with pure fury. ”It’s you, you little bastard!”

Seeing Meng Xian arrive, the figure slowly raised his Beirong Saber, flashing a bright, white-toothed grin. ”Magistrate Meng, I trust you’ve been well?

”I went to great lengths to chase you down. What took you so long, Magistrate Meng!”