Chapter 793: Fierce Martial Prosperity

Even if the initial few moves were probes, the current situation clearly exceeded Yan Fei's expectations. Yan Fei had, in fact, killed demons before and had some understanding of them. The feel of the longsword in his hand and the tone of the monster's voice immediately made him realize something was amiss.

"Brother Lu, Wuji, this is no ordinary demon. It has refined its skeletal structure and possesses extraordinary strength. Be careful; do not be careless!"

Yan Fei knew that even among demons of the same cultivation level, there could be vast differences. This leopard was clearly one of the best, posing a largely fatal threat to the three of them.

"Understood!" "Got it, Master!"

None of the three showed any intention of retreating, not even Zuo Wuji, who was breaking out in a cold sweat. This amused the bipedal leopard demon, who was observing them.

"How interesting. It seems you're confident you can defeat me. Very well, tonight I'll eat you first, then find the young boys and girls."

Before the leopard demon had finished the word "girls," its massive, robust body tore through the air, launching a furious attack at Yan Fei. Of the three, Yan Fei was naturally the greatest threat to it, and not merely because he wielded a sword.

Although it spoke contemptuously and appeared unbothered, these three martial artists were far from simple. Their movements were swift, and their attacks fierce. The few sword slashes it had just received still caused a particularly noticeable stinging pain.

'I must kill this swordsman first!'

"Roar––"

The leopard demon's fierce roar conjured a gust of wind carrying a foul, bloody stench. Yan Fei, stepping on scattered rubble, quickly retreated with his sword raised. The moment the demon moved, he knew he was its target.

At the same moment, Lu Chengfeng and Zuo Wuji approached the leopard demon from the left and right. One drew his flat staff, aiming it at the leopard demon's landing paw, while the other moved in close, sidestepping, and struck the demon's spine with a sweeping blow of his right hand.

"You seek death! Roar…"

The leopard demon maintained its charging direction, its tail blurring as it lashed out at the more threatening Lu Chengfeng. Lu Chengfeng's pupils constricted, and his hands seemingly transformed from fists into claws.

"Thud..."

Lu Chengfeng strained to grasp the leopard's tail, which lashed like a steel whip. With a yielding force, he retreated three steps as the tail swung, then immediately rooted himself and held fast to it. Though he was instantly lifted into the air by an unparalleled immense force, he managed to momentarily halt the leopard demon's forward momentum.

'A perfect opportunity!'

Zuo Wuji's flat staff danced, leaving a crescent blur, and the moment it straightened, it became like a steel spear. Cooperating seamlessly with Lu Chengfeng, he struck the pinky toe on the right side of the leopard demon's bipedal foot just as its movements lost a fleeting moment of balance due to Lu Chengfeng's pull.

At that moment, Zuo Wuji's face became grim, and his martial essence, empowered by his skill, momentarily transformed into true qi.

"Crack..."

Using their strengths to attack its weaknesses, in an instant of contact, the pinky toe of the leopard demon's right hind paw shattered, and a section of the toe, complete with its claw, broke off, stained with blood.

"Roar––"

As the saying goes, 'fingers connected to the heart'—this holds true for humans, and similarly for demons. Although Zuo Wuji's Martial Malevolent True Qi was far from mature, the malevolent qi within it was already evident, inflicting an incredibly intense pain on the leopard demon, causing it to cry out in startled agony.

At that moment, a sharp gleam flashed in Yan Fei's eyes. In the very next instant, he stopped and crouched. Just as the leopard demon, in pain, briefly shifted its attention to Zuo Wuji, Yan Fei advanced instead of retreating, his true qi and spirit combining. His Martial Malevolent True Qi gathered with an intense malevolent aura onto his sword.

As the leopard demon's crimson eyes angrily turned toward Zuo Wuji, it suddenly felt a pang of dread. The moment it turned its head, it saw Yan Fei closing in like a blur.

"Ah?"

The next moment, Yan Fei thrust his sword.

"Pfft..."

The sword tip pierced through the leopard demon's lower jaw, effortlessly, like a hot iron through butter, heading directly for its brain.

"Roar––"

In that moment of life and death, the leopard demon erupted with boundless demonic qi, forcibly compressing its own power and generating a shockwave.

"Pfft..."

Blood flashed. Yan Fei's longsword passed through its jaw, tearing its lips and shattering bone. After piercing one of its eyeballs, the leopard demon broke free at the last possible moment, forcibly disengaging from the sword's range by flinging itself backward.

"Roar... Argh... My eye... Argh..."

The moment it stumbled backward, the leopard demon immediately scrambled away, desperately rolling and scrambling to escape the combined attack range of the three martial artists. One paw clutched its right eye, from which blood spurted continuously, and an unbearable, soul-searing pain refused to dissipate.

"Thud..."

In intense pain, the leopard demon crashed directly through a wall, seemingly panicking and fleeing indiscriminately.

Yan Fei, Zuo Wuji, and Lu Chengfeng exchanged no words. The moment the leopard demon fled, they simultaneously pursued it. They couldn't let such an opportunity slip away; this demon had to be killed tonight.

Amidst the chaos in the city, this scene was still witnessed by some fleeing soldiers and martial artists, leaving them incredulous. There were no talismans on these three masters; they had genuinely repelled, no, even pursued the demon using only their martial arts.

"Roar... You seek death!"

In unbearable pain, the leopard demon heard the whooshing sound behind it. Along with its rage, there was a hint of panic—panic at three mere mortals. It channeled the demonic power within it and wildly swiped its paws backward.

However, the claw-winds carrying tearing power had little effect on Yan Fei and the other two. They knew the demon's attacks were now disorganized and that they needed to strike while it was vulnerable.

"Hah!"

Surprisingly, Zuo Wuji was the fastest. He leaped out from the dust of the shattered wall, his center of gravity low, sliding like a snake. His true qi and malevolence erupted as he forcefully struck the leopard demon's injured foot with his flat staff amidst the chaos.

"Crunch..."

As the leopard demon reeled in pain, Lu Chengfeng dodged its wildly flailing claw-attacks and landed a powerful "inch force" punch directly on its throat, the limit of his extended arm's reach.

"Crack..."

A crisp crack emanated from the demon's hard throat bone. Even if not shattered, it was undoubtedly extremely painful, making the leopard demon's intended roar turn into a muffled whimper.

At this very moment, Yan Fei arrived, flying through the air in the most dangerous way, with no leverage. Zuo Wuji quickly positioned himself directly in front of the leopard demon, and Yan Fei happened to use Zuo Wuji's shoulder for leverage.

"Zing..."

The longsword hummed softly. Yan Fei, wielding his sword, performed the "White Rainbow Piercing the Sun" technique. The moment the leopard demon's pupils violently constricted, he struck its remaining eye. The blade sank in effortlessly, like a hot iron through cheese or spring sunlight melting residual snow, disappearing into the demon's eye until only the hilt remained. Then, Yan Fei instantly withdrew his sword and drifted back.

"Pfft..."

The incomparably massive leopard demon swayed unsteadily, copious amounts of demonic blood spurting from both eye sockets. Its limbs trembled violently, and then it slowly collapsed.

"Thud..."

The demon's body hit the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. Its body twitched unconsciously a few times, but its demonic soul had been shattered by the Martial Malevolent True Qi from Yan Fei's sword.

"Huff... huff... that was exhilarating..."

Zuo Wuji's chest heaved violently. The fight hadn't lasted very long, but the mental strain and physical exertion were considerable. While Yan Fei and Lu Chengfeng appeared much better on the surface, their heart rates were more than double their usual speed.

Yan Fei calmed his breathing and cast a cold glance at the leopard demon on the ground.

"This demon isn't considered very powerful in the demon realm. Come on, let's slay some demons tonight and kill to our heart's content!"

"Let's go!" "Kill to our heart's content!"

Lu Chengfeng and Zuo Wuji also felt a surge of boldness. So-called demons were not invincible, and for martial arts to advance, one naturally needed worthy opponents.

The three then used their lightness skill to move toward other parts of the city. Wherever there were cries and screams, that was their direction.

A group of martial artists and soldiers then caught up from behind. Along with nearby civilians, they saw the armored, terrifying leopard demon lying in a pool of blood. Many were immediately greatly encouraged; this demon, one of the more powerful among the attackers, had been slain by martial arts and a sword, without any external aid.

"Go! Follow the three heroes!" "Go!"

"Slay the demons!"

Under the surging emotions of the crowd, a wave of blazing vitality and malevolent qi also gathered. They followed in the direction that Zuo Wuji, Lu Chengfeng, and Yan Fei had taken, some using lightness skill, others running frantically on the ground. Scattered soldiers and martial artists also began to regroup.

Martial Malevolent True Qi was extremely taxing on one's physical strength, true qi, and vital energy. Even Yan Fei, its creator, was still constantly refining and adapting to it, unable to use it casually. Yet tonight, Yan Fei, Lu Chengfeng, and Zuo Wuji grew stronger with each fight, their vital energy practically boiling within them.

Yan Fei and his companions, using their lightness skill, headed directly for key locations in the city where several temples were situated. An increasing number of martial artists followed behind them. When they encountered demons, they would surround and kill them together. With the help of some minor spiritual artifacts carried by these people, and considering many of these demons were mere demonic beasts, encircling and killing them became much easier.

"Tonight, we mortals hunt demons and kill to our heart's content!"

Before Yan Fei and Lu Chengfeng could speak, Zuo Wuji, already extremely excited after half a night of fighting, saw the divine light from the temples ahead and couldn't help but shout. Witnessing the three of them slay demons purely with martial arts, without relying on external objects, every martial artist behind them was convinced. Despite considerable losses, they still responded en masse with soaring morale.

"Slay the demons!" "Kill to our heart's content!"

A blazing vitality rose among the martial artists, with the martial malevolence at the forefront acting like a sharp sword. Even ordinary demons would shy away from its edge, feeling terror in their hearts.