Ten li of wilderness north of Jingyang.
Violent Qi waves exploded like ripples, shaking the accumulated water on the ground into a sky full of white mist.
The old man in the black cloak stepped through the Void Realm, holding a four-edged steel mace in his hand.
The mace was dark and heavy, without blade or edge.
Yet, it possessed an indescribably profound aura.
A hundred zhang away, opposite him.
A middle-aged scholar in a Confucian robe stood in mid-air.
However, that Confucian robe was already tattered, revealing a body covered in black fur underneath.
His originally refined face hung like melting wax, and a hideous sheep's eye squeezed out from it.
The scholar still clutched half of an uneaten human heart, which was still faintly pulsating.
He casually stuffed the heart into his mouth, chewing it so that juice splattered everywhere, a look of insatiable desire on his face.
"We have no past grievances, no recent enmity."
"This King merely passed by this place, feeling hungry, and conveniently 'borrowed' a few 'two-legged sheep' for a snack."
"All in all, it was only a few hundred people; they're not royalty or nobility. Is it worth you pursuing me so relentlessly?"
The old man in the black cloak remained expressionless, slowly raising the steel mace in his hand.
"Since you've eaten, then leave your life behind as payment for the meal."
The Gui Jin Demon King laughed upon hearing this.
"This King admits, if it were thirty years ago, upon seeing you, this King would definitely prostrate himself and flee as far as possible."
"But now... how much of your Mountain Contemplation Realm cultivation can possibly be left?"
The old man did not get angry; the iron mace in his hand continued to hum.
"To kill you."
"It's enough."
As his voice fell.
The black cloak surged, and his figure instantly vanished.
When he reappeared, he was already three chi above the Gui Jin Demon King's head.
The gleaming iron mace had already savagely smashed down.
"Old lunatic!"
The Gui Jin Demon King shrieked, its expression drastically changing.
Though it spoke lightly, it dared not be careless in the slightest when facing this mace.
Its arms instantly swelled, black fur grew wildly, transforming into two pitch-black, iron-like sheep hooves, crossed to guard its head.
Clang—!!!
The dust immediately parted, creating a vacuum zone more than a zhang wide.
It was then enveloped by the Qi waves, transforming into a yellow Dragon, sweeping away like a whirlwind towards the surroundings.
It only lasted for an instant.
Its arms had already collapsed, and its body plunged like a meteor.
Boom!
The earth trembled.
A deep pit several tens of zhang in circumference was smashed into the ground.
"Pfft!"
Within the deep pit.
The Gui Jin Demon King spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.
Its eyes were filled with horror.
"Are you insane?!"
Logically speaking, at the Mountain Contemplation Realm, and holding such a high position, who wouldn't value their old life more than anything?
Moreover, the other party had already suffered severe injuries thirty years ago; whether he could live safely for another two years was uncertain.
But unexpectedly, this old fellow actually disregarded his heavily injured body... In mid-air.
The old man ignored the black blood overflowing from the corner of his mouth and let out a long sigh.
"When I was young, I feared death, always thinking of holding back three parts of my strength, believing there were still long days ahead."
"But at this age, I suddenly feel..."
He paused, a hint of despondency flashing in his cloudy eyes.
"If, before I die, I can drag a few Demon Kings down with me, then my life as Zhao Zhongliu will not have been in vain."
The steel mace in his hand was raised again.
His vital Qi and blood, far from weakening, burned even more fiercely, like a final burst of light before death.
Even his full head of white hair danced wildly in the Qi waves.
"You old mad dog..."
The Gui Jin Demon King swallowed, that trace of Battle Intent instantly vanishing.
It had lived for over a thousand years, painstakingly cultivated to the Seed Lotus, and had not yet lived enough.
Who the hell would want to die with an old man who already had one foot in the grave?
Seeing the steel mace about to fall again.
"You old scoundrel don't care about your life! This King still does!!!"
Rip—
The tattered Confucian robe was completely torn apart.
A black mountain goat, as large as a small mountain, suddenly appeared.
"Meeeh—!!!"
An extremely bizarre bleat resonated throughout the wilderness.
Its massive body suddenly shrank, and its four hooves furiously stomped the ground.
Boom!
The deep pit exploded again.
Using this recoil force, the enormous body transformed into a black afterimage, clinging to the ground, and darted sideways in an extremely pathetic manner.
Bang—!!!
The iron mace struck empty air.
The earth violently shook, and a hundred-zhang long crack snaked from the impact point, as if to split this region in two.
Looking at the Gui Jin Demon King again, it had already fled a thousand zhang away.
Where was any of its Demon King's prestige now?
Its black fur was disheveled, blood foam hung from its mouth, and its four hooves flew as if it regretted not having two more legs.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
The old man leaned on his iron mace, half-kneeling on the ground, panting heavily.
That last strike had exhausted the Qi he had forcibly gathered.
Now that his Qi had dissipated, the imposing aura he had maintained instantly vanished.
In its place was a surging weakness like a tide.
If he were ten years younger... no.
Even if he were five years younger, this beast would never have escaped this move alive today!
...
After a few breaths.
The old man took a deep breath, suppressing the pain in his body.
If this beast escaped, whether it fled to other territories or hid nearby, the consequences would be unimaginable.
He leaned on his iron mace and slowly straightened his body.
The next second.
His previously fading aura actually surged again at this instant.
Boom—!!!
With a violent roar, his entire being transformed into a shooting star, fiercely pursuing the distant Demonic Qi... The wild wind howled, kicking up a sky full of yellow dust.
Jiang Yuechu looked up, her eyes slightly narrowed.
In the distance, two terrifying Qi auras, one after another, streaked across the sky like a rainbow piercing the sun.
The former's Demonic Qi rolled, black clouds pressing down on the city.
The latter's black light was dazzling, Battle Intent boiling.
"Is that... Deputy Commander-in-Chief?"
Not far away, Gu Changge, who was entangled with two Sheep Demons, looked up in horror.
The remaining two Sheep Demons also raised their heads, staring at the two figures approaching from the horizon, their eyes filled with terror.
Indeed... Indeed, Father King was no match for that old scoundrel!
The two demons exchanged glances, no longer possessing any Battle Intent, and with great tacit agreement, feigned a move, forcing Gu Changge back.
Then, their four hooves pushed off the ground, and they turned to flee into the deep mountains and old forests.
However.
They wanted to leave, but someone disagreed.
Jiang Yuechu stood her ground, not paying too much attention to the two auras in the distance.
Although she was very covetous of the Demon King... such opportunistic gains were purely a matter of luck.
If luck was good, and that Gui Jin Demon King was beaten half to death by the old man, and she delivered the final blow, that would be immense fortune.
But if she couldn't get it... she couldn't afford to lose her initial investment either.
If these few pieces of fat meat, already at her mouth, were allowed to fly away, that would truly be a divine punishment.
Eat them first!