Chapter 39: Subduing the Demon Ape with Bare Hands
Chapter 39: Subduing the Demon Ape with Bare Hands
The ape demon with the conical hat removed his headgear, revealing sparse black hair that gave him a somewhat aged appearance.
Despite his small stature, he had a large head, and his lips curled back to reveal two fangs: "Your knife skills are decent, but your knife itself is lacking."
The younger, taller ape demon knelt on one knee and took out an object wrapped tightly in silk. Carefully, it unveiled a slender ceremonial knife.
The scabbard was straight and sleek, a glossy black color with gold veins running through it.
It held out its hands and reverently presented the knife.
The old ape demon, clad in a straw raincoat, grasped the hilt with his thin, clawed hand and drew out the blade, which glinted with a dark sheen. He examined it fondly.
Perhaps it was a coincidence, but Shen Yi noticed that the higher the cultivation of these demons, the more they tended to imitate humans.
The yellow-skinned demons traveled in sedan chairs and indulged in their appetites, thinking only of devouring humans. They gave themselves arbitrary nicknames based on their appearances.
These ape demons, on the other hand, wore human clothing, chose elegant names for themselves from books, and craved the softest, most delicate women.
As for the old female demon, Qing Lin, she had even started to adorn herself, intending to abduct the finest craftsmen to create the most beautiful and luxurious jewelry.
"This knife of mine is called..." The ape demon named Tong Tian paused, his eyes burning with passion as he prepared to share the illustrious history of this treasure.
Shen Yi gathered his thoughts and, without further ado, swung his blade towards the kneeling ape demon.
Why waste time with formalities before a fight?
Crimson killing intent wrapped around the blade as he delivered a powerful chop towards the demon's neck.
Ever since achieving perfection in the Golden Yang Eight Treasures Mystical Body, Shen Yi felt his strength surge like a mighty river, far surpassing his previous capabilities.
The two demon apes seemed taken aback by his sudden attack.
The younger, taller one hesitated for a moment before hastily reaching out to block.
But that moment of hesitation was all it took. The blade sliced through its vertebrae like tofu.
Its head, eyes wide in bewilderment, tumbled to the ground by Tong Tian's feet.
The old ape demon held the ceremonial knife, its nostrils flaring as it let out a sharp shriek: "Absurd! Absurd! A barbaric country bumpkin with no manners!"
Even when eating, it always wiped its hands with a damp cloth, bathed every three days, and burned incense every five.
How could it tolerate such rudeness, especially when it came to the important matter of taking a life? One should always introduce themselves and explain the reasons for their actions. Why are you killing me? How will you defeat me?
How could it... How could it be so crude and ugly in its methods?
As it shrieked, the diminutive Tong Tian leaped forward, its black blade slicing through the air with a steady and vicious rhythm, displaying the solid foundation of its training from the very first move.
Despite its chaotic state of mind, the ape demon's attacks followed a precise and mysterious trajectory, revealing that it, too, had perfected a beginner-level knife technique.
It had not only imitated human behavior but had also learned martial arts.
"Lacking in manners, you deserve to die!"
"You killed my offspring, you deserve to die!"
"Come, let me send you to your death!"
Tong Tian's hunched figure howled as it pressed forward, its incredibly long arms flailing wildly, each strike faster than the last.
Despite the frenzied assault, Shen Yi remained unperturbed, his steps steady and his expression calm. Yet, he couldn't help but feel a sense of helplessness.
This old ape demon was clearly no ordinary creature; it had likely received guidance from someone. The knife technique it employed seemed tailor-made for its abnormally long arms, and the ceremonial knife it wielded was no ordinary weapon.
The official knife Shen Yi held was worth only seven liang and two qian, minus the workshop's cut...
He hadn't realized it before, but now, facing an opponent of equal cultivation and skill, the difference in their weapons became starkly apparent.
If he persisted in the belief that he could defeat his opponent without sustaining any injuries, he feared the cost would be even greater.
With this in mind, Shen Yi's eyes remained calm as he spotted an opening and slashed with his knife.
The gap between their weapons was even wider than he had imagined.
He was going for a mutually damaging strike!
Tong Tian, the ape demon, understood his intention and instead of being afraid, it revealed a sinister smile.
Having carried its beloved treasure close to its body for many years, it knew exactly how sharp its blade was.
A mutually damaging strike? You won't even have the chance to use another move!
The next moment, the black blade viciously slashed towards Shen Yi's shoulder!
Contrary to his expectations, there was no splatter of blood and flesh, nor the sound of slicing meat.
Bang—
The sound of metal clashing rang out.
Both parties were stunned.
Tong Tian, the ape demon, incredulously tightened its grip on its long knife. No matter how much force it exerted, the pitch-black blade couldn't press down even the slightest bit.
"..."
It lifted its head, and in Shen Yi's eyes, it too, saw a hint of astonishment.
So...
What are you so surprised about? What were you dodging just now? Who were you trying to impress with your act of counterattacking even if it meant getting injured?!
Having just snapped out of his daze, Tong Tian was grabbed by five long and powerful fingers on his face. With the infusion of robust force, his entire body was viciously slammed into the ground!
He felt as if his internal organs were about to be shattered.
This force was by no means within the scope of the Initial Stage; it was the realm he had always dreamed of.
How could a body-refining martial cultivator, comparable to the Jade Liquid Realm, stoop so low as to launch a sneak attack before the actual fight?
Tong Tian couldn't comprehend it, and the next moment, his eyeball was smashed to a pulp by a descending fist.
Blood and flesh filled its nasal cavity, and it opened its mouth, unable to stop the sweet and putrid taste from overflowing.
The sound of wind from the fist whooshed by its ears, like whispering death spirits.
In the distance.
Zhang the Butcher unleashed another punch.
He and Skinny Monk came from the same sect, so they were very familiar with each other's techniques. For a while, it was difficult to tell who had the upper hand.
But this punch was exceptionally effective, landing squarely on his opponent's nose bridge.
Skinny Monk covered his nose and mouth, his face twisted in pain, paying no heed to the blood flowing out from his fingers as he stared at the distance with fearful eyes.
"At your age, you're still playing these tricks, trying to trick me into turning around? Today, I'll get rid of you, this disgrace to our sect!"
Zhang the Butcher raised his fist, intending to strike again, but then he saw that the bald head was still staring straight at him.
He gritted his teeth and turned to look.
Then, a chill ran down his spine.
He saw dozens of young and strong men standing there, their palms softly holding long spears and strong bows.
At the very front, Shen Yi held onto the old ape, indifferently slamming his fist down. The back of his hand was covered in a mixture of red and white substances, sticky like glue, dripping drop by drop.
With each punch, the ape demon's legs trembled.
Until there was no more movement.
He slowly stood up, exhaled a breath of hot air, and his pitch-black eyes gazed back.
In the instant that their eyes met, the bailiffs and soldiers knelt on the ground with weak legs, too intimidated to even beg for mercy.
"It's been this long..."
Zhang the Butcher swallowed his saliva. He hadn't even warmed up yet, and it was already over on that side?
Two Initial Stage demon beasts, how did they die without making a single sound?
He turned to look at Skinny Monk.
But he saw that in the blink of an eye, Skinny Monk had crawled and rolled twenty feet away. Instead of looking like a martial artist, he resembled a startled rabbit.
...I don't know if anyone is reading this or not...
...I have something to do today, so there will be a single chapter update. I will make it up later. I want to say this to the readers who are still following along.
...A newbie is still too inexperienced, but I will work hard to write better.
...I will write diligently and aim for the full-time writer status. Let's go!
(End of Chapter)
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