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In an instant, Su Changkong appeared among several Monster Warriors, his Iron-Cutting Sword tracing a circular arc in his hand.
"Hiss!"
The Iron-Cutting Sword, carrying both Blade Intent and Blade Force, cut through their necks as easily as slicing through soft tofu, sending three or four heads soaring into the sky!
"Run! Run!"
"Did Kuotuo and Messenger Qi Jin abandon us?"
Only at this moment did some of the Monster Warriors come to their senses, feeling both shock and rage. Kuotuo and the robed elder had completely disregarded the lives of their branch members, not even bothering to warn them before they fled.
"Go... Stop them! Don’t let them get away!"
Cangwen Yu’s eyes lit up as he too snapped to attention and shouted for the other Innate Martial Artists to make their move. It wasn’t necessary to kill these Monster Warriors; merely stalling them for a moment would allow Su Changkong to easily dispatch them!
The scene descended into chaos, the turn of events having happened too quickly.
The day was originally set for Qi Gang to deliver his submission to the Life Extinguishing Association. Qi Gang’s sudden betrayal had left the crowd of Innate Martial Artists in despair, but ’Dao Wufeng’ was too dominant. With his own strength, he killed Qi Gang on the spot and forced Kuotuo and the robed elder to retreat, completely reversing the situation.
On the contrary, the group of Monster Warriors, abandoned by Kuotuo and the robed elder and uncaring of their lives, had almost no intent to fight to the death. They all just wanted to escape from this place.
"Boom!"
Cangwen Yu struck out with a palm, concentrating the power of Heaven, Earth, and Human Three Flowers, hurling a Monster Warrior, who had reached the Innate Level, through the air with his body broken and tattered.
"Hiss!"
This Monster Warrior’s body immediately began to reconstitute itself, but Su Changkong had already swept his Iron-Cutting Sword, splitting the Monster Warrior’s head in two. Instantly, the Monster Warrior’s Sea of Consciousness shattered, and the body that was writhing to regroup crashed to the ground, devoid of life.
"Kill, kill, kill!"
Su Changkong showed no mercy. Each of these Monster Warriors was a fiend of the utmost cruelty, and killing one meant saving countless ordinary people. Not to mention, the Demon Monster Crystal Core within them and the Innate Qi were all resources Su Changkong needed!
The massacre was entirely one-sided on the battlefield. Each Monster Warrior had no desire to fight and only sought to flee, while a group of Innate Martial Artists completely blocked their way, allowing Su Changkong to cut them down one by one as easily as chopping vegetables.
In just a short while, the valley again fell silent, and the ground was now littered with bodies.
Nearly fifty Monster Warriors, and only fewer than ten, due either to their powerful strength or possession of strange Demon Arts for escaping, managed to flee the valley. The rest perished under Su Changkong’s sword!
"Whew!"
Su Changkong exhaled a breath, emitting a stream of searing air. His violently beating heart began to settle, and a globule of True Blood returned to his heart as his crimson skin reverted to its normal color, and his raging aura dissipated.
"That’s that..."
Looking at the corpses strewn all around, Su Changkong also felt quite satisfied.
Although Kuotuo and the robed elder had escaped, he had nearly wiped out this branch of the Life Extinguishing Association. Forty Monster Warrior bodies meant 40 Demon Monster Crystal Cores, and besides, about half were of Innate Level, from which at least 15 strands of Innate Qi could be harvested!
This was no doubt a great haul!
"Brother Blade... It’s thanks to you that we were able to survive today, otherwise we would have all met with a terrible fate."
At this moment, Cangwen Yu spoke with both respect and gratitude in his voice.
Cangwen Yu’s feelings were complex—Qi Gang had deceived them, intending to use them as a commitment to the Life Extinguishing Association, even having Cangwen Yu help to recruit more people. He had put in all his effort, even bringing in the mysterious expert ’Dao Wufeng’, who had longstanding dealings with the Cangyun Sect.
However, ’Dao Wufeng’ turned out to be unexpectedly powerful, so much so that he killed Qi Gang, who had betrayed them—instantly!
"Thank you, Senior Blade!"
The other Martial Artists also expressed their profound reverence.
At the same time, they were all curious about Dao Wufeng’s true identity, possessing such strength yet unknown to them all.
"It’s nothing. They wanted to kill me, so I killed them. That’s all," Su Changkong calmly said.
"Let’s see if there’s anything else in this branch of the Life Extinguishing Association."
Su Changkong looked toward the palace in front of him.
This place was the stronghold of the Life Extinguishing Association’s branch; the Monster Warriors lived and cultivated within this palace. Su Changkong intended to see if there were any other treasures inside.
So Su Changkong began his search, with the other Innate Martial Artists also actively helping.
But to Su Changkong’s disappointment, apart from discovering several hundred Spirit Stones, there wasn’t anything else of value.
That was until Su Changkong entered a Cultivation Room deep inside the palace.
The Cultivation Room was quite ordinary, with meditation cushions, a Buddha statue, burning incense and some simple tables and chairs.
"Is this the place where Kuotuo used to meditate and cultivate?" Su Changkong saw a wooden fish in the room, which made him guess that this was most likely Kuotuo’s place of cultivation.
Originally a monk, Kuotuo had become a Monster Warrior but had retained some of his former habits and hobbies.
"Hm?"
Soon, Su Changkong’s gaze settled on the wall. Not far off, a painting was hanging.
In the painting, there was a Demon Ape howling at the moon and stars in the sky. Its long, sinewy arms were extended high, as if it was about to pluck the moon and stars right out of the heavens.
The Demon Ape was gigantic, with mere mountains reaching only as high as its waist and legs, and its black fur was as rigid as steel pins!
Su Changkong couldn’t help but become engrossed; he felt as though the Demon Ape in the painting had come to life. With every breath it took, it could create hurricanes, blowing over large trees as though they were mere straws.
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