Chapter 37: Chapter 37: An Utter Rout
His Power drew the pebbles from the ground into his hand. He wrapped them in Demon Suppressing Power and, with a flick of his wrist, sent the Flying Locust Stones hurtling out like arrows.
PFFT! PFFT! PFFT!
Four or five bandits were killed on the spot.
The Flying Locust Stones, infused with Demon Suppression Force, were even more powerful than arrows shot from a bow.
Led by Fang Xing, the group charged into the stronghold like a tiger loosed on a flock of sheep, completely sweeping away the opposition.
In the face of such absolute power, there was virtually no resistance.
Executing Wind God Step, his figure moved as swiftly as a meteor.
The stronghold’s outer perimeter was quickly cleared.
Among the dead were a few Bright Force bandits, all of whom had been eliminated by Fang Xing.
’Three Bright Force bandits... That’s a gain of one hundred and fifty Enhancement Points.’
’And then there’s the Black Wolf Chief...’
’He’s another big score. I can’t miss this opportunity.’
Fang Xing looked toward the depths of the stronghold, then glanced around. The four Constables were working together, cutting down everything in their path.
He didn’t need to worry about the outer perimeter.
The ordinary bandits were no match for them at all.
SWOOSH—!
An afterimage tore through the air, and in the blink of an eye, Fang Xing was gone.
Each step covered dozens of feet.
In an instant, he arrived before a courtyard deep within the stronghold.
Just then, the courtyard gate opened, and a brawny, nine-foot-tall man appeared in his line of sight.
He had a tuft of black hair on his chest, a towering frame, and a face covered in menacing-looking flesh.
’The Black Wolf Chief!’
As he looked at the nine-foot-tall brute, information about him surfaced in Fang Xing’s mind.
The chief of Black Wolf Stronghold. Cultivation at the Peak of Dark Force. He practices a Horizontal Refining Martial Arts, and his use of Iron Fist has reached a level of Mastery.
Their gazes clashed. In an instant, the Black Wolf Chief struck first, closing the distance to Fang Xing in a single stride.
The edge of his fist tore through the air as it smashed down like a sledgehammer.
The wind from his fist howled, seeming to compress the very air around it.
In the nick of time, Fang Xing moved, sidestepping just enough to precisely dodge the Chief’s Iron Fist.
The wind from the punch grazed his face. The next instant, Fang Xing’s leg shot up, fast as lightning and filled with immense Power, tearing through the air.
A sonic boom erupted!
Wind God Step—Wind-Riding Grass!
After a month of hard practice, his Wind God Step had reached a proficient level.
The Black Wolf Chief was startled and immediately channeled his Power to block.
However...
Facing Fang Xing’s lightning-fast strike, his reaction was half a beat too slow.
CRACK!!
The kick landed, sending the Black Wolf Chief flying into the courtyard and slamming him onto the ground.
"PFFT..."
The powerful blow sent a terrifying force through him, as if he’d been struck by a massive weight. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, his arms trembling.
His internal organs had been violently shaken, but he was a Dark Force Martial Artist, after all. The Chief reacted swiftly, immediately scrambling back to his feet.
But in that same instant, Fang Xing’s attack descended. The air compressed, and a suffocating pressure washed over the Chief.
"Damn it!"
His expression changed drastically. He channeled his Power to counter, but he was too late.
A storm of afterimages from countless kicks swept toward him.
The immense Power behind them created a sharp, whistling sound.
Wind God Step, Third Stance—Torrential Downpour!
He unleashed a flurry of attacks at an unimaginable speed, each one landing squarely on the Black Wolf Chief.
BOOM!!!
The Power penetrated his defenses, instantly inflicting grievous damage to his muscles and bones. His nine-foot-tall body was sent flying, smashing heavily against the courtyard wall. The thick wall itself crumbled from the impact, a testament to the immense destructive force of the blow.
With two preemptive attacks, Fang Xing had completely suppressed the Peak of Dark Force Chief.
In a flash, before the Black Wolf Chief could even think of getting up, Fang Xing was upon him. His fist, striking like a thunderbolt, landed heavily on the Chief’s body.
CRACK—!
Immense Power penetrated his body, followed by Demon Suppressing Power, making it feel as if his internal organs were being torn to shreds.
His bones snapped.
"AHHH!!!"
A bloodcurdling scream erupted from the Chief. Veins bulged on his forehead as his face contorted in agony.
The pain from his snapped tendons was unimaginable.
Yet, in the next instant, his screams stopped short.
THUD!!!
A dull thud rang out as an elbow smashed down ferociously, caving in one side of the Black Wolf Chief’s head.
It was a bloody mess!
The blow, carrying more than a thousand pounds of force, had shattered his skull completely.
As the dust settled, the Black Wolf Chief lay motionless on the ground. His life force was gone. He couldn’t be more dead.
Sweat dripped from Fang Xing’s brow. He looked at the motionless body of the Black Wolf Chief and slowly exhaled.
The combination of Wind God Step and Demon Suppression Skill—two Superior Martial Arts—had unleashed astonishing power.
’Wind God Step allows me to anticipate the enemy’s moves, suppressing them with sheer speed!’
This was his first time using it in actual combat, and the results were even better than he had imagined.
Without the Wind God Step, he couldn’t have finished off the Black Wolf Chief so quickly.
As he watched, a wisp of crimson light rose from the corpse and swiftly entered his body.
The crimson panel appeared.
Name: Fang Xing
Cultivation: Dark Force
Enhancement Level: One-Star (70%)
Enhancement Points: 308
’One hundred and fifty points for a Dark Force Martial Artist... That’s half of what I’d get from a Neutralizing Force Martial Artist.’
Looking at the Enhancement Points on the crimson panel, Fang Xing quickly did the math.
One hundred and fifty points.
While it was a far cry from the three hundred points he’d get from a Neutralizing Force Martial Artist, one hundred and fifty was still nothing to sneeze at.
It was more than he had accumulated over the entire past month.
BOOM—!!!
Just as Fang Xing was about to search the area, a loud explosion echoed from nearby.
Fang Xing snapped his head up to look.
A hundred meters away, a courtyard collapsed, and a middle-aged man in blood-red robes appeared in his line of sight.
He was clad in blood-red robes, and his skin was paler than a woman’s—a deathly, corpse-like white.
His aura was in disarray, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
’That’s... the Blood Demon Daoist!’
Fang Xing’s gaze hardened as he saw the blood-robed man.
Even from a hundred meters away, he could feel an intangible pressure emanating from him.
’To have such a powerful presence... he must be the Blood Demon Daoist, at the Peak of Neutralizing Force. No doubt about it.’
*Cough, cough...*
Stumbling out of the courtyard, the Blood Demon Daoist clutched his chest as more blood spilled from his lips. Without a moment’s hesitation, he bolted into the distance.
At the same time, Baili Yanran and Shen Ye appeared and immediately gave chase.
Watching the scene unfold, Fang Xing felt a sudden impulse to join in, but he quickly came to his senses.
’The lure of Enhancement Points is strong, but my safety has to come first.’
’Even though I’ve killed a Neutralizing Force Martial Artist before, this situation is different.’
’A desperate Neutralizing Force Martial Artist might try to take me down with him. The risk is too high.’
’A Demon Path Demon from one of the Demon Sects is bound to have some special tricks up his sleeve.’
’Even with Shen Ye and Baili Yanran there, I don’t want to take that risk.’
’If Demon Path Demons were easy to deal with, it wouldn’t take two cultivators at the Peak of Neutralizing Force like Shen Ye and Baili Yanran to handle one.’
’The gap between Neutralizing Force and Dark Force is a massive chasm.’
’And this one is at the Peak of Neutralizing Force, no less.’
Watching the three of them disappear, Fang Xing averted his gaze and looked back at the corpse on the ground.
After patting down the body and finding nothing, he went into the house.
He searched every corner of the house but only found a few silver taels.
And it was just scattered silver coins at that; there wasn’t a single gold leaf to be found.
’Is Black Wolf Stronghold really this poor...’
Looking at the pouch of broken silver, which amounted to less than ten taels, Fang Xing felt a pang of disappointment.
’A grand Martial Artist at the Peak of Dark Force with just this little bit of scattered silver... What a miserable existence.’
’Even the third-rate gangs in the city are better off than this.’
Stepping out of the house, Fang Xing glanced in the direction the trio had disappeared, wondering if he should follow them. Just then, Xu Zhengxiong and the others appeared nearby. Upon seeing Fang Xing, they immediately came over.
"What’s the situation?" Fang Xing asked.
"We left none alive. All the bandits in the stronghold have been dealt with," said Xu Zhengxiong.
Fang Xing nodded.
Chen Shan looked around, but seeing no sign of Shen Ye or Baili Yanran, he asked curiously, "Lord Fang, where did Lord Shen and the others go?"
"They went to hunt down a Demon Path Demon. They should be finished soon," Fang Xing replied.
A Demon Path Demon?!!
Hearing this, the men were stunned, their faces paling.
’What kind of power must this Demon Path Demon have to require two agents from the Observatory to team up against it?!’
A collective shudder of fear ran through the men.
"Lord Fang, who is this Demon Path Demon?" Li Qing asked, his expression grave.
Just as Fang Xing was about to answer, the figures of a man and a woman slowly approached from the distance.
It was Shen Ye and Baili Yanran.
In his hand, Shen Ye carried a blood-stained cloth sack from which fresh blood was dripping.
Judging by the sack’s size, it almost certainly contained the head of the Blood Demon Daoist.
As the pair approached, everyone’s gaze immediately fell upon the dripping, bloody sack in Shen Ye’s left hand.
