Chapter Fifty-Six: Slaying

The iron staff came crashing down.

The massive bear’s chest caved inward.

After a muffled groan, it began to topple backward.

With a thud, before the bear’s corpse hit the ground, a sudden rift split open along its back, and a man rolled out.

He tumbled several times before sprawling on the ground, blood spilling from his mouth.

His beard and hair shrouded his face, but through the tangled strands, a chilling glint radiated from his eyes.

“A heart-guarding mirror?”

Qingyuan’s brow arched.

He saw that the Beast-Taming Sect remnant’s chest bore several shattered fragments—the remnants of a bronze heart-guarding mirror.

Yet, under Qingyuan’s blow, it too had been smashed to pieces.

Panic churned in the demon’s heart. He thought, “He’s clearly a cultivator of the Second Heaven. Even if his Daoist arts are formidable, how can he wield such strength in close combat? The giant bear is my most powerful skin, and still, I couldn’t subdue him?”

He did not hesitate. Seizing two animal pelts, he quickly made his choice.

One was a leopard—swift as the wind.

The other was a monkey—easier for cunning maneuvers.

A thousand thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant.

Lacking strength, he must win with speed.

He wrapped the leopard skin around himself and rolled once on the ground. When he lifted his head again, he had transformed into a living, breathing leopard.

This leopard was covered in spots, its body sleek as flowing lines.

With a leap, it became a streak of shadow.

Qingyuan’s expression shifted slightly as he dodged to the side, his iron staff striking down.

With a whoosh, the staff struck only an afterimage.

In that instant, the leopard’s claws grazed Qingyuan’s chest.

A tearing sound split the air.

His garments were ripped open.

The leopard swept a claw across, paused at the mouth of the cave, then twisted and leapt again.

“Too fast…” Qingyuan thought grimly. His chest was torn, but his body remained unscathed.

The original map he’d retrieved from the treasure box was tucked against his chest.

This was an artifact of the immortals, steeped for years in the ancient aura of the Grandmaster Guangyuan; it had long become a wondrous protective talisman, easily deflecting the leopard’s claws.

Yet, in the blink of an eye, the leopard spun and closed in on his face again.

Qingyuan swung hard with his staff but again struck only empty air.

This time, he knew he would miss—he deliberately turned his body, meeting the claws with his chest.

The claws, though sharp as daggers, could not pierce the map at his breast; they left only a dull ache.

Qingyuan, having forced the beast into the cave, sneered coldly, “No matter how fast you are, in this narrow cave, let’s see how you escape now…”

With those words, Qingyuan reached into his pouch and flung out more than a dozen talisman papers.

Midair, the talismans burst into flames, surging toward the leopard.

Back in the mountains, he had only twenty-odd talismans, but after arriving in Southern Liang, he’d paused along the way to draw more.

Now, among all the talismans he could wield, the fire talisman was the most formidable.

Seeing this, the leopard let out a sudden roar.

Its body shuddered, a split opened along its back, and out leapt a man.

The demon snatched up the leopard skin, shook it out, and tossed it toward the fireballs, wrapping them up. In a flash, they were reduced to ashes.

“So many fire talismans—did you learn this somewhere?” he growled, his voice thick with menace. He then took up the last monkey pelt and wrapped himself in it, instantly transforming into a monkey.

This monkey’s muscles were taut, its fur bristling like needles. It resembled a human but was stronger, swifter, and even more cunning.

With fangs bared and claws like knives, its feet as nimble as hands, the monkey vaulted up to hang from the cave’s ceiling.

“So this is the Beast-Taming Sect’s beast transformation technique? Impressive, but is this all you’re capable of?” Qingyuan said evenly. “Killing a single spirit beast is hardly a challenge…”

Fury flickered across the monkey’s eyes.

He had once been an inner disciple of the Beast-Taming Sect, though his cultivation was shallow and he lacked true transmission. Still, these skills were not insignificant.

He excelled at borrowing the forms of spirits and beasts for close combat, but he hadn’t anticipated Qingyuan—a Daoist cultivator—would possess not only powerful arts, but such overwhelming strength, subduing the giant bear with brute force.

Worse, Qingyuan had attacked first, burning many of his pelts and crippling more than half his abilities.

With these fire talismans, he was nearly suppressed entirely.

“Damn it!” the monkey hissed, baring sharp teeth. “Let’s see how much you can do…”

Before he finished, the monkey leaped down at him.

Qingyuan pointed his iron staff, ready to strike.

Suddenly, a piercing shriek rang out.

It came from the monkey’s mouth, slicing into the mind.

Qingyuan’s vision swam with confusion.

“Die!” the monkey howled, striking at Qingyuan’s head with razor claws, aiming to split his skull.

“With just you?”

In a fleeting instant, Qingyuan’s daze vanished, his eyes sharp and clear.

His hand shot out, swift as lightning, seizing the monkey’s wrist.

He brought the iron staff down on the monkey’s other hand.

A crack—the arm bone snapped.

The monkey howled, writhing in rage.

Qingyuan’s gaze was cold as ice, killing intent radiating from him.

Even before he entered the Dao, he had managed to visualize the Ninefold Jade Tower and break the mountain specter Gucang’s illusions. Now, as a cultivator of the Second Heaven, with the June Unsoiled Contemplation fortifying his spirit and senses, he was more resilient than ever. The monkey’s scream had never affected him—Qingyuan had only feigned confusion to draw the monkey close.

He’d already suffered from the leopard’s speed; with the monkey, once it was close, there would be no escape.

“You are guilty of countless evils, slaughtering children without remorse. Today, I enforce Heaven’s justice!”

Qingyuan twisted his staff and struck the monkey’s leg.

The monkey, attempting to kick, had its thigh shattered by the blow.

Qingyuan did not relent; he stomped on the monkey’s foot.

Its foot resembled a hand, but under Qingyuan’s force, the bones were crushed, flesh and sinew ground into the earth.

The monkey screamed in agony.

“Why cry out? I hear that when the Beast-Taming Sect skins people, they’re not allowed to make a sound…”

Qingyuan’s laughter was as cold as frost.

He stepped back, grabbed the monkey’s arm with his left hand.

With his right, he brought the iron staff down upon it.

The limb was torn clean off.

Blood sprayed into the air.

Qingyuan’s grip, imbued with true energy, held fast to the monkey’s arm, pinning the demon inside as well; thus, the blow severed both the monkey’s and the demon’s arms together.

“Consider yourself lucky—I’ll give you a quick death!”

With a shout, Qingyuan brought the staff down upon the monkey’s head.

He threw his full strength behind the strike.

The staff crashed down.

The skull was driven into the chest.

The monkey didn’t even have time to scream; only a rent opened along its back.

Qingyuan, anticipating this, stepped forward, seized the headless monkey, and pressed his palm to its back.

When he withdrew his hand, a talisman was already affixed to the wound.

Qingyuan retreated several steps, formed a seal with his fingers, and called, “Burn!”

Flames roared, instantly engulfing both the monkey and the demon within.

Wretched screams echoed from the fire.

Only then did Qingyuan breathe a sigh of relief.

At that moment, a sigh sounded behind him.

“Was all this truly necessary?”

Qingyuan’s heart clenched, his expression changed.

A golden hand reached from behind, sliding past his shoulder, gliding by his cheek.

The golden hand stretched toward the flames.

Qingyuan had no time to react, no time to strike.

“Sir…”

Just then, a startled cry came from outside the cave, accompanied by a gust of wind.

The voice sighed softly, and the golden hand shifted, patting gently against a blade, nudging it aside.

In a blink, the gust—now revealed as a long blade—veered slightly, slicing past Qingyuan and embedding itself halfway into the opposite rock wall, where it remained, unmoving.

It was a standard-issue long blade from the Shu army.

Gucang’s blade!