Huge chunks of debris flew in every direction. The ground rippled as if it had been turned to liquid. The whole city shook as the first explosion was followed by a second and then a third. Huge dust clouds covered everything and it was impossible to see anything except for a hulking shadow that stood taller than anything that remained standing in the city.
"RaaaaahhhhHHHH!" A ferocious, demonic howl rent the air.
This was followed by a surge of immortal power that blasted away the blinding dust, revealing what was left of Su River City. Where solid stone and brick buildings used to stand, only rubble remained. What used to be a thriving center for humanity in the province was no more.
Where Chen Wentian had stood a few moments before was the epicenter of the devastation. He was nowhere in sight and in his place stood a massive, misshapen creature. It was over ten meters tall and about half as wide. Its leathery skin was slate gray with stone-like scales the size of dinner plates. It had three thick legs buried into the ground like tree trunks. It had a hunched torso, long arms that almost touch the ground, and a set of six vicious claws in each hand.
The most striking part of the creature was its head. It had a thick mane of red hair, a squashed face like a bulldog, and blood-red eyes that glowed like the flames of the netherworld. Its gaping mouth was drooling as a long flickering tongue licked the multitude of sharp fangs that stuck out in all directions.
"Where is he, did you kill him? I told you not to kill him!" Qin Shui'er said.
She pulled back her rainstorm and studied the now silent city.
"He's not dead." The creature grumbled as if disappointed.
As it said that, a pile of rubble some distance away broke apart and Chen Wentian climbed out. He was covered in dust and bleeding from a head wound but was otherwise fine. He had been prepared for that sneak attack and had managed to defend in time. If he had not borrowed Lin Qingcheng's Golden Serpent Robe, he would have been dragged into the depth of the earth.
"Holy crap, that's an ugly demon!" He exclaimed.
He recognized the creature from its features. It was a wangliang, a demon that lived underground and ate the brains and livers of human corpses. Mortal wangliang often resided in human cemeteries where they would have a steady supply of nourishment. Because of this, they were referred to by common people as graverobber demons.
Unlike Qin Shui'er who was an elemental creature, this one was a true evil demon, a creature born of malevolence and death. It had no other purpose in life except killing and eating humans. Its raw power was substantial and it also had a gift for hiding from humans by burrowing through the ground.
"Wifey, I'm so disappointed," He said to Qin Shui'er, "Out of all the things you could have done, you chose to cheat on me with this thing?"
"You..." Qin Shui'er began to shout but a deafening roar from the wangliang interrupted her.
"You dare insult her honor? You, a human? I am Lord of the Sanmu Mausoleum, White Claw. I will kill you!"
It dug its shovel-like claws into the ground and heaved, sending a chunk of earth the size of a city block flying towards Chen Wentian.
Chen Wentian dodged to the side and drew his sword. This demon was a more suitable opponent. It was big but it was made of flesh and bone. His sword would finally be able to taste blood.
Six Meridians Demon Blight, First Blight, Taiyin Sword!
His sword flashed, sending invisible blades of sword energy towards the oversized demon. His sword that had no effect on the watery shuimu smashed into the lumbering wangliang's thick body. The attack cracked many stony scales and a few were even sliced through completely.
It swiped at him, forcing him to parry. His sword left behind noticeable grooves in the demon's claws with enraged it further. It tried to stomp him to death but he was too fast. He skirted on the edge of ruin and raked its legs with countless attacks. He was like a nimble bee dancing around a fat pig.
Second Blight, Shaoyin Sword!
Third Blight, Jueyin Sword!
Enhanced by the sword aura of Dugu's Tenth Sword and a hint of the mysterious demon slayer attribute, his sword sank into demon flesh over and over. Blood spurted out and bathed the ground in a deep-red hue.
The demon who self-proclaimed as White Claw howled in pain and fury. It slammed the ground with its entire body, creating a shockwave that forced Chen Wentian to abandon any more attacks.
"How can he wound me?" Red Claw bellowed.
"I told you to be careful! He's using his demon slayer sword style!" Qin Shui'er retorted.
"Bah!" White Claw spat, "What demon slayer? Nonsense! He just caught me off guard. He's far stronger than you said. He's already at the seventh stage of spiritual strengthening."
"That's impossible! That can't be right! Unless..." She turned to Chen Wentian, "You! You've been playing me this whole time!"
Chen Wentian grinned and wagged his eyebrows, "Your words, not mine!"
"..."
His confidence and energy were too much for her to ignore. He made her feel as if she was missing something important but that was inconceivable.
She had been sent to this insignificant human territory to investigate the origin of the garbled message that her master had received. She had done her due diligence, treaded each step carefully, and pulled off what should have been a flawless ambush. Not a single immortal in all the provinces had detected her, not even the Spirit Kings. White Claw was also a master of concealment and had resided in this subcontinent's capital for hundreds of years without detection. They had done nothing wrong.
So how could this Lin Huzhong have known about the ambush? It didn't make sense. Was he bluffing?
Qin Shui'er shivered. A primal fear tore through her. It was caused not by reason or deduction but by instinct. The situation was too strange, too dangerous. And in these situations, she always erred on the side of caution.
"White Claw, we're leaving!" She shouted to her ally.
"What, why?" The wangliang argued, "Don't worry about me. We have him trapped. He can't run from both of us!"
"Just listen to me!"
"No! He knows of our existence, he can't be allowed to live!"
"Both of you don't seem to understand." Chen Wentian said, interrupting their spat, "I'm not trapped here with you, you're trapped here with me!"
---
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