Apart from the hide-skinned demon, there were a total of twelve towering Canine Demons.
This number matched fairly closely with the memories left by his previous life.
Without counting the old, weak, women, and children, the enemy could simply rely on these dozens of elite demons to dominate the region, reigning supreme and oppressing Baiyun County. Eight hundred soldiers dared not leave the city, and over a hundred constables trembled with fear.
However, among several great demon clans, they were still the least noticeable force.
"I didn't think you would come, let alone stand before me like this."
Astride the massive palanquin, the hide-skinned demon lazily lifted its head, looking down from on high, and idly picked at the dirt under its fingernails, "Since you're here, I might as well ask."
At this point, the hoarse voice remained utterly indifferent, only the eyes showed a slight change.
"Do you have a son? I lost two sons, in total I only have..." It counted on its fingers, eyes flickering with irritation.
"Can't remember... Although I wasn't very fond of them, I'm still somewhat uncomfortable with two less. It's a bit peculiar; why did they vanish in your jurisdiction?"
"Out of respect for your previous submissiveness, give me an explanation, and I'll leave your body intact."
With that, it lay back down, and the elite Dog Demons below twisted their lips, baring their chillingly sharp fangs.
"..."
Shen Yi gripped the hilt of his blade tightly and responded to the other's question with action.
He suddenly stepped forward, pushed off with both palms, and in an instant closed in on the foremost Dog Demon. As the demon's pupils contracted, the blade had already silently pierced its heart.
Spurt!
The whole process was as fast as lightning. Only after Shen Yi exhaled his first breath did the rest of the Dog Demons react, their roars echoing throughout the village!
The palanquin borne by the twelve demons finally shook.
The hide-skinned demon propped up its body and looked down, eyes meeting Shen Yi's gaze. His clear eyes revealed neither sorrow nor joy, but were filled with intense murderous intent.
It lay at the edge of the palanquin, eyes obscured by sagging skin, now shining with a predatory light, emitting a low growling rumble:
"Is this how you killed my son?"
"And now! You want to kill me too!"
Amidst its words, its hefty body suddenly launched into the air, casting a shadow like an eclipse. The flesh on its arms, resembling a full bag, shook violently, followed by a palm strike that seemed to split mountains!
The remaining Dog Demons put down the palanquin, their backs hunched, saliva dripping between their fangs as they roared and blocked all paths of retreat for the youth.
In the instant the hide-skinned demon's meaty paw came slashing down, Shen Yi moved again, fully utilizing the Serpentine Eight Steps to perfection.
Though he was faced with an impenetrable wall of demons, he strolled leisurely, weaving through them.
As the bulky body hit the ground with a thud, Shen Yi countered with a backhand slash, directly decapitating another Dog Demon.
In his eyes, these so-called "elite" fighters, who did nothing but make chaotic noises and attack on instinct, were full of flaws. They were far inferior to the Ape Demon he had encountered that day.
In just a short time, two lives were reaped in succession.
Having missed its strike, the hide-skinned demon's lazy demeanor vanished, "Get out of the way!"
It bellowed, its plump body far more agile than it appeared, swinging another heavy palm strike. This time, its skin swelled with Crimson Fiendish Qi—it was clearly enraged.
Under the hide-skinned demon's thunderous scolding, the other Dog Demons halted their assault and cleared a path for it.
But this very act only made Shen Yi's strikes more unimpeded, moving like a specter. While staying close to the Dog Demons, he severed their throats one by one.
On the contrary, the hide-skinned demon held back for fear of injuring its own, restricted and fettered—it swung and missed again, and frustration surged within its heart.
Three... six... eight!
""
Demonic Beasts are inherently difficult to breed, and many don't even develop intelligence or survive infancy. Only the strongest physically make it to adulthood.
Over the years, it had amassed only about a dozen offspring, and in the blink of an eye, more than half were slain.
As he watched two more Dog Demons die under the slaughtering knife, Shen Yi, with his back to him, drew his long sword at a leisurely pace.
"Die for me!"
The Yellow Skinned Demon roared and lunged forward, its massive arms taking two obstructing Dog Demons down with it ferociously.
Pfft! Pfft!
The few remaining Dog Demons raised their heads in shock, staring in disbelief at their demon father.
In their abdomens, a steel blade had pierced through from behind, skewering them like gourds.
"Now, do you remember how many sons you have?"
Shen Yi stood behind the two demons, his body turned sideways, holding the sword; his bloodstained, fair face barely concealed a chilling smile.
In the village, a few villagers lifted their heads, despite all the suffering they had endured.
After seeing the scene before them, they gripped their own hands tighter, shivering despite the lack of cold.
There stood the comparatively slender young constable, upright amidst a horrific scene of scattered limbs and severed arms below him, with heads of demonic dogs rolling down into the terraced fields, their faces grotesquely distorted.
The parched earth was irrigated with blood plasma, turning it a dark red, while the stench permeated the entire village.
One man with a knife stood, from where he was, the space ahead seemed ghostly, yet behind remained the very same village.
And the large, obese Dog Demon was panting at this time, its fat trembling lightly.
Shen Yi slowly aimed the blade at the Yellow Skinned Demon's brow, tilting his head, "I thought you liked this sort of spectacle."
If it didn't enjoy it, why tear people into dozens of pieces and toss them carelessly about the courtyard.
Raising its head, the Yellow Skinned Demon suddenly let out a hissing laugh, "Dead and gone, quite the relief indeed."
With those words, the flesh on its body began to quiver with a certain pattern, and then, from its skin, a dense Crimson Fiendish Qi emerged, thicker than mist, swiftly enveloping everything in its vicinity.
Everything that the Crimson Fiendish Qi touched, whether corpses or blood plasma, started to emit a sizzling corrosive sound, quickly dissolving into pus that trickled down.
Upon witnessing this abnormality, Shen Yi did not panic.
He had been prepared, for his opponent was a Great Demon, one that had achieved transcendence; how could it only possess mere physical combat skills?
In the span of a breath, all five of his major apertures began to operate simultaneously, the crimson-tinged white mist around his body met with the fiendish qi at the moment of contact, consuming it rapidly like fire meeting water!
He wasted no time.
Shen Yi stepped forward again, his long sword chopping down fiercely!
Slash—
The blade struck right in the middle of the Yellow Skinned Demon's neck and shoulder, a cut imbued with the breath of the world, cleaving its flesh as easily as if tearing paper, with a huge gash running from its shoulder down to its abdomen.
The next moment, from that gash burst forth a Crimson Fiendish Qi ten times denser than before.
The Yellow Skinned Demon's head dangled, trapping the blade with its bone joints, and lunged malevolently at Shen Yi, as though it wanted to crush him into its own body.
"..."
Shen Yi let go of the hilt of the sword.
Clasping his fingers tight, he threw an unadorned punch with full force!
Beneath that punch's peak, the fatty flesh on the Yellow Skinned Demon rippled like waves!