His name was Hu Zhouqing, head of security in SongJiang City's Divine Hall. He typically didn't do much, as no one made trouble here. This was a public facility funded by the government, there was nothing really valuable here, and anything that was valuable was free to public use.
The so called 'ancient artifacts' were just old stuff dug up locally, and were either researched until obsolete, or practically worthless.
In short, this was a job where he could laze around and make money at the same time. Sure he'd take advantage of his position to take liberties with some of his female subordinates, but he wasn't a bad person, he hadn't really hurt anyone. He was living the dream, and it should've been the case for a long time.
But then the monster came.
A report came from one of the guards that there was a weird cat wearing a skull walking around. He reported that it looked to be in the beginning of the qi refining realm, it had broken some artifacts and was attempting escape.
It should've been fine. The guard was a soul refining cultivator, he should have easily captured it and called it a day.
Not a minute later he reported again.
"My fire-tail hawk was killed in a single blow! Requesting back-up! It's coming after me next, I'm moving to intercept it!" And that was the last we heard from him.
He ordered all the guards in the area to converge immediately and the civilians were evacuated.
He went too.
He didn't know what compelled him to do so, maybe it was the hero he wanted to be as a child, or his concern for the friends he made on the job. Nonetheless he went. He didn't really think he'd be in that much danger. He'd be fine! He was a hollow core realm cultivator after all, a cut above the rest of the normal people.
He was wrong.
They found a guards corpse on the ground, his chest torn up like a couch in a house with cats. They looked up, a skull clad cat walked among the beams. He took out his government issued pistol, and shot at it first, and hoped to scare it down. that didn't work. So they sent their flying beasts to stop him, his own as well, cut off its retreat with a fire ball.
With so many beasts, they thought it would only be a matter of time before it was caught, but it killed several of them within seconds with its claws and a serpent like tail with a sword blade on the end, all clad in a red aura.
Birds and bats fell from the sky. Even the scales of the sky lizards couldn't block its strikes. Then they used ranged attacks: acid sprays, fire bullets, wind blades. It was hard to hit it, but it had an effect. It was on the ropes, when it leaped up and rode on his fire crown pheasant, then led it to slaughter several more contract beasts. He called back his pheasant, but then the cat killed it without hesitation and began to fly!
It can fly?! That's ridiculous! But it did not last long, Hu Zhouqing shot at it in anger. The results were great, the monster fell to the ground at the cost of a dozen contract beasts including his own.
But then it was like a nightmare. Straight out of a B-list movie.
The monster with the serpent tail and devil wings killed several more contract beasts before riding one into the security staff!
People instantly started running, who wanted to fight this thing directly?! As a result, 2 people died instantly.
He personally ordered them to attack, send their beasts out, whatever. But like an infallible warrior, it killed many beasts and dodged all the ranged attacks.
Eventually they couldn't take it anymore. These beasts followed them for many years, and they had grown fond of them, despite the slave relationship. Several guards charged without disregard for their lives, and with that momentum they all charged forward. Aside from him. He only watched, he was just too scared of death.
But they got it. The monster grew weaker as he watched, it constantly suffered wounds, and took a few heavy blows. Soon it was lying on the ground dying.
He couldn't help but get excited. If he turned in this monster to a facility, this monster that could slaughter dozens of soul refining and qi refining realm without even completely entering the qi refining realm, who knows how much he'd make? He might be able to buy a phoenix to replace that stupid pheasant.
Then it rose again, with a ferocity in its eyes that sent waves of ice cold electricity running down his back. It's aura surged, and the red that coated it before became mixed with gold.
What was happening? He didn't have a damn clue.
Then in horror, he watched as all the wounds it suffered heal, and the monster completely break into the qi refining realm.
Was his monster unkillable? Immortal? Impossible.
Then the wings on the monsters back spread. Before, they were leathery bat wings, but now they were clad in pure white feathers. Even the hole left by his bullet was gone.
It began to flap its wings, creating a gale that made many close their eyes as the dust flew everywhere.
When the dust cleared, they saw that the wind was golden, and circled around the monster in a ring. It opened its mouth and roared.
The wind pulsed, feeling like whips on their faces, the vibrating wind made the atmosphere feel like it was trembling, and he felt his own insides churning with the stir of the wind.
He no longer hesitated. He held up his gun, and aimed directly at the beast, in response, the remaining guards also whipped out their guns. His training kicked in. What monster, what cultivation, it's all the same with a bullet in its head. Back in training, he was a damn good marksman, one of the best in his class. He could've become a special agent with his skills. He only took this job because of an inferiority complex to his classmate. He took aim, lined up his sights, then took the wind into account, he would make no mistakes here.
"Fire!"
Bullets flew threw the air at high speeds heading straight at the monster, most of them deviated wildly, completely missing.
But his own bullet, his senses heightened by his superior cultivation, and even his gun was superior due to being security head. He thought he took the best shot in his life at this moment. The bullet rode the wind, following he pathway he calculated perfectly.
He grinned, he got excited, maybe this was what he needed. Something to push him on the edge. Maybe he should get a new start, take up that agent job, be the hero he always wanted to be. It would all start with the head of this monster.
The bullet was just before it now.
"Thank you, monster" he turned his back. He knew he made the shot.
Then he heard a clink, the wind did not stop, and he get a pair of soul crippling eyes land on his back. He then heard one of his subordinates.
"I-it cut the bullet in half?!"