"I only came today to see the gentle wife you found for us but sniffed the stench of those mangy curs, so I came in to have a look."
"Rest assured, you are efficient in your tasks; we are quite satisfied with you."
The Old Ape glanced at Shen Yi, then brought its head close to Song Changfeng's face: "But your rank is too low, and you are at the beck and call of such mediocrities, which is quite disheartening. Today, I'll remove him for you, assisting brother Shen in climbing higher."
"The Dog Demon wasn't killed by me…" Song Changfeng's eyes bulged, nearly popping out, as he shrieked continuously: "I'll resign my post right now… don't kill me… Shen Yi! I've never provoked you! Why are you doing this to me!"
Seeing his appearance, all three of the Ape Demons laughed out loud.
Their laughter was shrill and grating, stirring restlessness in Shen Yi's heart, his voice with a touch of chill: "Let him go."
Upon these words, the Old Ape's face changed abruptly.
Although it addressed Shen Yi as 'brother Shen' playfully, that was a jest; in its eyes, Shen Yi was naught but an obedient and sensible lackey.
Otherwise, it wouldn't have deliberately prepared such a hard time for him.
Since when could a lackey issue commands here?
The Old Ape bared its teeth, displaying faint yellow fangs, restraining its anger, and looked on with amusement: "If I let him go, what's in it for me?"
Though it had no intention of truly releasing Song Changfeng, it was still very curious what sort of drama this human-hearted, beastly Shen Yi was playing at today.
At these words, Shen Yi lowered his gaze to the Old Ape, pondered for a moment, then relaxed his brows as if offering a condition the Old Ape couldn't refuse:
"Let him go, and your death can be a bit more comfortable."
As soon as these words were spoken, the room fell into utter silence.
A murderous intent began to rise in the Old Ape's eyes: "Interesting, what if I don't let him go?"
Shen Yi lifted his head and earnestly said: "I will flay you into a skeletal frame."
The Ape Demons had yet to react, but Song Changfeng was so frightened that he almost cracked his teeth.
He could tell that this Shen person had no intention of letting him leave alive today!
Flayed into a skeletal frame? But who would flay whom?
The Ape Demons of Dongshan were not like the lesser demons of the West Suburb, the Dog Demons, who proliferated with plenty of good and bad, some so weak that seven or eight constables might manage to subdue one.
But the Ape Demons, from the start, were only five.
Aside from that oldest Great Demon who had not shown its face for many years, the four brothers below were each formidable elites. With just this small number, they could match the lesser demons in battle.
And now, three of the four brothers had come!
Indeed, upon hearing Shen Yi's words, the Old Ape in the scholar robe turned utterly cold.
It didn't mock or roar to intimidate the adversary.
The Old Ape simply gradually tightened its grip, its sharp nails piercing the flesh of Song Changfeng's forehead, squeezing his skull until it creaked as if it might burst like an overripe watermelon the next moment.
It looked indifferently at Shen Yi beside it, hoping this crushed head would teach the right way to speak.
Just then, a hint of confusion flashed through the Old Ape's eyes, quickly turning into fury!
Shen Yi wasn't even looking at what it was doing with its hands; instead, he turned and walked toward the door, standing in front of the two confused Ape Demons.
He scanned for a moment and chose the one that had broken down the door and murdered people earlier.
Afterwards, Shen Yi lifted his hand, and, in the instant before the Ape Demon could react, viciously pressed down on the back of its head!
With the support of his formidable strength, the Ape Demon crashed to the ground, its face smashing into the shattered tiles.
The other Ape Demon finally snapped to its senses, letting out a piercing screech, and even in such frantic circumstances, it didn't lose its composure.
The arms, much longer than those of an ordinary person, swung through the air, tracing a perfect arc. A black-furred fist clenched as it came crashing down like a heavy weight, aiming straight for the spine of the young man!
This was no longer a blow driven by instinct, but an extremely skilled martial arts maneuver.
Its left arm was coiled like a spring, ready to deliver a lethal strike once it had broken the opponent's spine.
"..."
Shen Yi bent over, pressing the back of an Ape Demon's head, and as that clawed hand was about to smash down, he casually blocked it with his other hand.
The black-furred paw that could easily crush a spine was effortlessly swatted aside upon hitting his arm, its immense force instantly collapsing.
Immediately after, Shen Yi's slender fingers clutched the creature's throat, applying just a bit of strength and the Ape Demon's cervical vertebrae were shattered.
From beginning to end, he didn't even glance back once.
His indifferent gaze focused on the gradually deforming monkey skull in his palm; each time it struggled, he increased the pressure in his grip.
"Aow!!"
The motion of the Scholar-Robe Ape Demon faltered. It couldn't comprehend how the actions of a person it recognized were beyond its understanding.
However, the death of a brother clearly shattered its rationality.
Intending to use Song Changfeng in its grasp to order the other to stop, before it could speak, it looked at Shen Yi's expressionless face and immediately realized something.
The one in the opponent's hands was its own brother, while the person in its own hands... had nothing to do with Shen Yi.
Enraged, it kicked Song Changfeng aside and sprang over the table toward Shen Yi, shouting, "Stop!"
Screams and muffled explosive sounds rang out simultaneously.
Shen Yi withdrew his hand, flicking off the sticky red-and-white substance from his fingertips.
He turned to the approaching figure in the air, resting his hand nonchalantly on the hilt at his waist. Just as he was about to draw the sword, his movements slowed suddenly.
In the eyes of the Scholar-Robe Ape Demon, now bloodshot, a wisp of black mist started to rise, followed by the same mist emerging from its fur, forming chains in a blink of an eye.
Black fog chains emitted a strange chill, rolling and tumbling like dragons, whipping toward Shen Yi!
"..."
Shen Yi slightly furrowed his brows, a hint of surprise in his eyes, as this was the first time he had witnessed so-called demon magic.
The eerie chill was bone-piercing, seemingly capable of freezing one's entire body and even eroding the mind.
Having thought that nothing below the Initial Realm could threaten him after reaching Mortal Fetal Perfection, he hadn't sensed anything transcendent from these three Ape Demons.
Yet at this moment, he finally encountered a touch of trouble.
As he contemplated, there was a change in the way he drew his sword, not as swift and agile as before. This time, the draw was much slower.
Qi and blood surged throughout his body, so hot that it could be felt through the skin.
As the sword blade inched out of the sheath, a pale red mist, like flowing blood, clung to the gleaming silver.
Suddenly, the blade swept through the air!
The Scholar-Robe Ape Demon's eyes widened as it saw the young man only three feet away as if it could reach out and tear his face apart, but its sharply clawed fingers trembled slightly and couldn't extend no matter what.
Confused, it looked down.
Its robe was cut clean through, the severed edges perfectly straight. From the waist down, its powerful legs thudded to the ground, yet it still hovered in the air.
"Clang."
Shen Yi sheathed his sword and stepped over the severed Ape Demon on the ground.