“Humph!” The pig demon’s eyes turned even crazier as it continued its fierce assault.
The pig demon was incomparably savage in the arena. It was extremely strong, and it was incredibly fast as well. Even when it casually brushed against the human youth, he would be knocked backward by the strength behind the blow. But the human youth was tenacious and his footwork exquisite. He never fought the pig demon head-on, and his shield’s defensive strength was high as well. He was able to completely block the pig demon’s repeated charges in a very slippery manner.
“This junior of your Zhang family is really good at using his shield.”
“He completely defended himself and didn’t give the pig demon any chances.”
“I wonder if this pig demon has a trick up its sleeve.” The upper echelons of the five major family clans were also chatting.
Suddenly, the pig demon’s brandishing claws increased in speed.
This surprised Zhang Rushang as his expression changed drastically. He immediately ducked to hide behind the shield.
Bam! The claw slammed into the shield. Although the angle of the shield caused the pig demon to feel some discomfort, this blow still caused the shield to fly up. Zhang Rushang made use of the attack’s momentum to fly backward and land outside the arena.
As soon as he landed on the ground outside the arena, Zhang Rushang spat out a mouthful of blood—his face pale.
How sinister. It actually hid its strength. Zhang Rushang stared at the pig demon on the stage.
“Count yourself lucky for escaping fast,” said the pig demon in a deep voice.
“What?”
“This pig demon actually hid a trick up its sleeves?”
“It’s terrifying how it schemed to use it at a critical moment.” The disciples of the Dao Academy were somewhat nervous. Thankfully, the first person to fight—Zhang Rushang—was a cautious person and good at defending. If it were another Dao Academy disciple, they might have suffered terribly.
“It really hid something up its sleeves.” The five family clans’ upper echelons chatted casually. They had experience fighting demons on the battlefield, so they were acutely aware of how savage demons were! The scene in front of them was very “mild” to them.
The Imperial Court official who was looking at the name list laughed loudly. “Demons are sentient as well. They also scheme, so they are not to be underestimated. Alright, next up will be the Spring Rain Dao Academy’s Xiahou Song.”
The pig demon continued standing in the arena as he talked to the one-armed man in a deep voice. “I won the first round.”
“You can return to prison after winning three rounds,” said the one-armed man.
“Alright.” The pig demon nodded, its eyes filled with fierceness. It would kill a human youth if it had the chance to. It wasn’t simply because of the food and drink it could enjoy from killing a human youth, but to enact revenge on the humans because it was captured by them. As long as it could take revenge for being left with such an abject fate, it would naturally want to take revenge.
The second youth on stage, Xiahou Song, used a saber. His saber arts were exquisite. His footwork was profound, preventing the pig demon from touching him at all.
He eventually found an opportunity.
Pfft. He slashed straight at the pig demon’s body. After tearing through the thick layer of hair, his saber was firmly stuck in the pig demon’s muscles. This caused Xiahou Song’s expression to change drastically.
Not good.
He immediately abandoned his saber and retreated without any hesitation. However, the pig demon took the opportunity to fiercely slap him. Xiahou Song was struck, and the loud slap left the Dao Academy disciples worried.
The upper echelons of the five great family clans, the prefectural magistrate, and the others were all very calm. This was really trivial.
Xiahou Song immediately flew out of the arena as blood splattered across the ground.
Thankfully, Xiahou Song wore a family heirloom—a protective armor. He was only heavily injured and didn’t lose his life. He just needed a few months of recuperation to fully recover. It was truly fortunate.
“Next, Wind Center Dao Academy, Ruan Mi.”
“Sharpshooter Ruan Mi.” He instantly garnered the attention of many. Every sharpshooter was extremely important. Even Meng Chuan carefully watched because Qiyue was also a sharpshooter! Much could be referenced from Ruan Mi’s battle with the demon.
Ruan Mi was quite famous amongst the younger generation in Eastcalm Prefecture. He was from an ordinary family clan, but becoming a sharpshooter made things different. He became one of the most influential disciples in Wind Center Dao Academy. He held a large bow with his long arms, and he immediately drew his bow and shot an arrow after leaping onto the arena.
Swoosh.
The arrow pierced through the air.
It was fast! An archer going all out was extremely terrifying.
The pig demon immediately howled as it charged forward. At the same time, it brandished its claws and sent the first arrow flying; its other claw protected its head. This was its vital point.
But right after, a second arrow pierced through its thigh and remained stuck in its thigh! The normal blades of a Marrow Cleansing expert would have their might greatly reduced after tearing through its hide, but this arrow completely pierced through its thigh, affecting the pig demon’s movements. Ruan Mi wore a cold expression as he moved, quickly shooting the third and fourth arrow in succession.
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
The third and fourth arrows were all aimed at the legs. The pig demon’s muscles and bones gripped the arrows, and there wasn’t much blood. However, its speed halved. This made Ruan Mi a lot more relaxed. He quickly moved agilely around the edge of the arena while shooting out one arrow after another.
“Die.”
“Die!” The pig demon could vaguely sense that death was approaching. It began to grow even more frenzied as it drew closer to the human sharpshooter.
However, its legs just couldn’t be any faster. The short distance between them was like a massive chasm that could not be closed.
The pig demon’s body was hit by a total of twelve arrows as it howled and ran. It was until the twelfth arrow that the pig demon’s head—its weakness—was pierced through. This arrow finally caused the pig demon to collapse to the ground and convulse. It could no longer stand up.
“A demon’s vitality is really strong,” Ruan Mi muttered.
“Well done.”
“Beautiful.”
There were cheers, the loudest coming from the Wind Center Dao Academy disciples.
“Take it away.” The one-armed man by the side of the arena ordered his soldiers. Immediately, two soldiers walked up to the arena and dragged the pig demon’s corpse away. Only its blood remained on the arena.
No one cared about the death of a pig demon!
The demons were invaders and massacred humans. Humans only wanted to protect their homes, but even so, large numbers of humans died for this endeavor. Half of those who served in the military died, and numerous people were crippled. From this, one could see the price humans had to pay for peace.
Countless human commoners had been slaughtered. Archean Mountain established Jadesun Palaces in every prefectural city and sent Godfiends to preside over them to protect the commoners! Godfiends watched over an area, eliminating all demons who dared to infiltrate human territory. This was the only way to stabilize the human race’s numbers. The hatred humans had for demons was irreconcilable.
Chapter 14
Translator: CKtalon Editor: CKtalon
After the pig demon was killed, another jail wagon was pulled up. Inside it was an even larger wolf demon. The wolf demon was hunched slightly, its head touching the top of the jail wagon. It grabbed the metal railings with its claws and stared at the humans outside.
Clank. The one-armed man opened the cage and calmly said to the wolf demon, “You have already been inf
ormed of the rules. You can head back alive after winning three consecutive rounds. You can also enjoy delicious food and wine. If you violate the rules, you will be hacked to death!”
“I know.” The wolf demon growled hoarsely and entered the arena. It immediately saw the blood that was thick with a demonic aura. It’s from that stupid pig!
Although low-level demons had their internal rivalry, it felt sad over the death of its kind at this moment because it was very likely that it would die in this arena as well.
But the truth was—the wolf demon won three consecutive matches. Not only did it heavily injure a human youth, it even tore apart another human youth’s arm. It was impossible to treat a severed arm.
After the wolf demon was taken away, another demon took its place.
Battles kept happening.
The human youths and demons both wanted to kill each other.
The disciples of the eight major Dao Academies were extremely solemn. Some were even extremely nervous because all of them had to head on stage. This was not a normal sparring match between fellow disciples, but a battle of life and death. Demons did not hold back.
Liu Qiyue also had her turn. She killed a cat demon, but she was forced to jump off the stage when facing a more ferocious leopard demon.
…
“23 disciples from the Dao Academies have had their turn,” said Clan Leader Meng Yanping in a low voice. “Dajiang, Meng Chuan’s turn is coming.”
“Yes.” Meng Dajiang also glanced at Meng Chuan—who was far away from the disciples of Mirror Lake Dao Academy.
Yes.
It was almost Meng Chuan’s turn.
As the only Marrow Cleansing realm disciple of the eight Dao Academies to comprehend the secret technique, he was naturally placed last.
“Senior Brother Meng, you have to be careful.” Wan Mang’s bloody chest was bandaged up. “The demons are very cunning.”
“I know.” Meng Chuan nodded.
Most of the twenty-three Dao Academy disciples who fought were very cautious. Only six of them were truly seriously injured, and their injuries were all treatable. Except one… His arm had been ripped off by the wolf demon—his name was Bai Fengqi. He came from one of the five Godfiend family clans, the Bai family. He kept crying the moment he jumped off the stage.
His grandfather was present today as well. He immediately berated him angrily, “Why are you crying? You clearly knew how powerful the wolf demon is, yet you were rash. Who can you blame? You lost an arm in a one-on-one battle while the demon was chained up. If you were on the battlefield, you would have lost your life. Cultivate well when you’re back. Our family has single-armed sword techniques.”
Despite berating him angrily, his grandfather’s eyes were slightly red. After all, this was his grandson—one that he had always been proud of.
The Dao Academy disciples sympathized with Bai Fengqi. He had lost his arm at the age of sixteen.
However, the deans, government officials, and the upper echelons of the five large family clans present were mostly calm. They had seen incidents far crueler than this. Archean Mountain came up with the Demon-Slaying Meet because it didn’t wish for human elites to die the moment they entered the battlefield. Therefore, they had to suffer in their youth and broaden their horizons. In the future, they would train harder and be more careful on the battlefield.
Six humans were heavily injured. One of them was crippled. Twelve demons went on stage, but only five of them died in battle! Meng Chuan was very calm. He did not feel nervous or afraid.
He had already seen how terrifying the demons were when he was six! More than a hundred thousand people were slaughtered back then! If not for a Godfiend arriving, few humans would have survived. The body count would have doubled. The Godfiend alone had caused the demons to collapse and flee in panic. It also gave the humans who had scattered in all directions a chance to survive. Besides his parents risking their lives, Meng Chuan had survived because the Godfiend had joined the fray later.
After experiencing all of that, the restricted one-on-one battles with the demons on the arena… were very mild in comparison. The human youths could survive by simply jumping off the arena.
“Next. Mirror Lake Dao Academy, Meng Chuan,” the official’s voice spoke a few decibels louder.
All of a sudden, everyone’s gazes fell on Meng Chuan.
Meng Chuan had been the topic of discussion in Eastcalm Prefecture for the past few days. Everyone knew that Eastcalm Prefecture had produced another genius who had a chance of becoming a Godfiend.
“Be careful.” Dean Ge Yu instructed.
“Yes, Dean.” Meng Chuan stood up and walked towards the arena.
“Ah Chuan, show them what you got.” Liu Qiyue pumped her fists into the air from Blazing Sun Dao Academy’s area.
“Watch me.” Meng Chuan smiled.
In the Yun family camp, Yun Fucheng watched from afar. He smiled and said, “Fu’an, this Meng Chuan seems to have a good temperament. Unfortunately, he isn’t fated with Qingping.”
“Yes.” Yun Fu’an smiled obsequiously. However, his gaze towards Meng Chuan turned colder.
The more outstanding Meng Chuan was, the more unhappy he felt.
On the other hand, Yun Qingping was watching anxiously. She had been quite shocked by what she saw today. It was her first time seeing the demons of legend. They were ugly and savage.
At the seat of honor.
Jadesun Palace Lord sat there as his gaze landed on Meng Chuan. He smiled and said to his side, “Yuanzhi, this Meng Chuan figured out the secret technique at fifteen. You can be considered as the number one person in the younger generation of Eastcalm Prefecture, while he’s second. Furthermore, being from the Meng family, Fairy Meng will definitely try her best to nurture him. His path will probably be easier than yours.”
“The path of cultivation depends on oneself! I will enter Archean Mountain this year,” said the thin youth, Mei Yuanzhi. “Besides, you have also given me several pointers over the past few days.”
“It’s just a few pointers. I have to remind you that you are considered the number one genius in Eastcalm Prefecture, but you only have a 20–30% chance of entering Archean Mountain.” Jadesun Palace Lord smiled. “If there are more geniuses this year, your chances of entering Archean Mountain will be even lower. Yuanzhi, you have to make plans. What will you do if you fail?”
“There’s no need to think about that now. I’ll decide when I fail,” Mei Yuanzhi said.
Jadesun Palace Lord didn’t say anything else. Instead, he stared at the arena with interest. He was willing to give Mei Yuanzhi pointers because he hoped that humanity would produce an additional Godfiend. That meant additional combat strength for the humans. Clearly, he found Meng Chuan someone with potential as well.
Meng Chuan had already walked onto the stage.
“Demon.” Meng Chuan looked at the goat demon standing on the stage. The goat demon was tall and burly; its arms thick and strong. Its pair of curved horns were long and sharp, and its eyes glinted with green as it stared at Meng Chuan.
“Human, if you are afraid, hurry down,” said the goat demon in a deep voice. “The two opponents before you—including the sharpshooter—were so frightened that they jumped off the arena.”
A goat demon was considered one of the strongest demons amongst the twelve.
It was deliberately placed at the end for Meng Chuan to deal with.
“Afraid? Do you have what it takes?” Meng Chuan stared at it, his gaze filling with intense killing intent.
“Chuan’er’s gaze.” Meng Dajiang watched from afar, but his heart skipped a beat. His son was usually friendly and amiable and had never exuded such murderous intent before.
“Hahaha, you aren’t escaping? I like human punks with guts.” As the goat demon spoke, it immediately rushed over at extreme speeds, producing many afterimages.
Meng Chuan glanced at it, but his heart and mind were fully focused on the battle.
He was filled with endless killing intent towards these demons.
“Die.”
Coming close, the goat demon roared ferociously as it brandished its claws. Instantly, gray claw shadows streaked across the sky.
Now! Meng Chuan’s heart stirred. In an instant, his body, mind, and technique became one!
The intense killing intent contained his accumulated hatred for the demons. It made his fusion of body and mind even more perfect, allowing him to utilize strength far greater than usual.
Ancient Godfiends had once said that humans had great potential. They could unleash incredible power at critical moments.
When Meng Chuan fought demons, he delivered speed and strength far greater than it usually was during normal cultivation or in sparring matches at the Mirror Lake Dao Academy.
Pfft.
The saber flashed at incredibly fast speeds.
It was a soul-stirring strike, one filled with killing intent!
The goat demon’s eyes widened. It instinctively felt death approaching and tried its best to block it, but it failed to touch the saber. The saber didn’t travel a straight trajectory, but an ethereal curve. The saber easily passed its arms that were trying its best to fend off the attack and swept past its neck.
Whoosh.
Meng Chuan’s saber had returned to its scabbard as though it had never moved. The only thing that changed was that he had moved fifty feet.
The goat demon took a few steps forward before falling to the ground. At the same time, its head rolled to the side noisily as blood dyed the ground red.
In just one slash!
The goat demon was dead!
Everyone had witnessed the strength of the goat demon before. It was extremely skilled in combat, and it was difficult for even Mortal Shedding experts to defeat it. Thus, it had easily won two consecutive battles. Yet, it had actually been killed by Meng Chuan with just one strike?
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