Chapter 39: Die, Monster!

Within the Bewildering Marsh.

The battle came faster than Lu Chengfeng expected. As shadows flitted through the forest, a foul stench spread through the air.

Roar!

From somewhere deep in the forest came a beastly howl, and dozens of scavenger wolves darted out, snarling as they launched their attack from all directions.

"Kill!" Tan Xiong shouted, swinging his copper staff with such force that one wolf's head burst open. With a sweeping motion, he struck down seven or eight wolves, leaving them broken and whimpering on the ground.

Behind him, Xu Changge and Duan Li moved with practiced coordination; one wielded his sword like flowing water, while the other attacked with fiery intensity. In mere moments, they had slain a dozen wolves, leaving the ground littered with bodies and blood.

Lu Chengfeng and Lu Lingxi did not hesitate either. With a resonant clang, they both drew their swords. Their swordplay was agile and swift, and with a few precise slashes, they cut down any wolf that leaped at them, slitting throats with ease.

In just a few breaths, the pack of wolves lay dead, their bodies strewn across the ground.

"Let's move. The corpses will be cleaned up later," Tan Xiong called, leading the group onward. While beast corpses were typically left alone, any slain during a demon outbreak required cleanup, lest they become fodder for demon beasts, making them stronger and fiercer.

Therefore, the sect assigned disciples from the Affairs Hall to handle the aftermath, along with a few experts and proper equipment, minimizing risk while keeping them busy.

As they moved forward, Tan Xiong commented, "Junior Brother Lu, your skills surpassed my expectations. The sword technique you showed wasn't just at the beginner level of the tenth tier—it's at least at the eleventh, isn't it?"

"Senior Brother has a keen eye. I've recently made some progress," Lu Chengfeng replied, not hiding his strength, as they would be fighting side by side, and concealing his skills would be pointless.

His words drew surprised looks from the other three. At only twenty years old, Lu Chengfeng's swordsmanship was already so advanced. In a few years, he might very well rise to prominence within the sect.

In the sect, "Three Elites and Seven Heroes" referred to the prodigies of their generation. The Three Elites were young masters whose skills could rival even the elders, making them truly exceptional. The Seven Heroes were just slightly less advanced but still far above their peers, their prowess second only to the elders.

With his talent and speed of improvement, Lu Chengfeng was clearly on track to join their ranks. It was only a matter of whether he could reach the level of an elder.

Standing close to Lu Chengfeng, Lu Lingxi observed his performance and remarked, "Junior Brother Lu doesn't seem inexperienced in combat. Your swordsmanship is refined, calm, and efficient."

"Pity you only recently joined the inner peaks and likely haven't started learning the 'Mystic Crane's Thousand Shadows Ghost Sword Technique.' If you had, the five of us could form a Five Elements Sword Formation and dive straight into the marsh."

Xu Changge chuckled, "If Junior Brother Lu weren't with us, the sect wouldn't have assigned Senior Brother Tan to our group. Clearly, they wanted someone powerful to support us, knowing we couldn't form the sword formation."

Realizing the team assignment wasn't random, Lu Chengfeng nodded, understanding the careful planning behind the grouping.

As they spoke, their movements grew faster, the scenery around them blurring past.

Lu Chengfeng soon noticed that Tan Xiong's path wasn't random; it seemed as if he had found a target and was pursuing it.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

As they advanced, more beasts blocked their path—wolves, tigers, leopards, even black bears, all charging with blood-red eyes. These animals, which shouldn't have been in this area, attacked as if possessed.

For the first time, Lu Chengfeng witnessed Tan Xiong's strength. His copper staff was heavy and powerful, killing any beast it touched instantly. He left a trail of broken bodies, unmatched by any opponent.

All Lu Chengfeng and the others had to do was protect Tan Xiong's flanks and prevent beasts from reaching his back. With Tan Xiong's unstoppable power clearing the way, their pace only increased.

After about half an hour and the slaying of hundreds of beasts, they found their target—a two-headed snake as thick as a bowl, three to four zhang long, with black wind swirling around it, clearly a demon beast.

This was Lu Chengfeng's first encounter with a demon beast, and he finally understood what made them monstrous. Demons were different, their very presence exuding an unnatural aura that set them apart from normal creatures.

"This beast has iron scales, immune to blades and fire, and can spew poisonous mist. I'll take the lead; you all cover me, attack with sword energy, and don't let it escape. We need to end this quickly," Tan Xiong instructed, stepping forward before leaping high into the air, his voice booming like thunder as he descended.

"Die, monster!"

A faint yellow glow covered his copper staff, similar to sword energy but subtly different. When he struck, it was like a pillar from the heavens crashing down.

Boom!

With a deafening collision, Tan Xiong's staff smashed into the snake, shattering several black scales and leaving a bloody wound.

The demon snake shrieked in pain, half its body rising from the ground, both heads roaring as it spewed black poison mist toward Tan Xiong.

"Let's go!" Xu Changge called, lunging forward with Duan Li. Both wielded swords exuding two-foot-long sword energy, attacking the demon snake from its tail.

"Junior Brother Lu, let's cover Senior Brother Tan from the sides," Lu Lingxi said, unsheathing her sword. A cold gleam, three feet long, burst forth.

At that moment, Lu Chengfeng realized that among his companions, Lu Lingxi was the second most skilled after Tan Xiong, her swordsmanship at least at the sixteenth tier.

"The true disciples are indeed formidable, their skills far beyond mine despite their youth. Without my gifts, I would be nowhere near their level."

With a sigh of admiration, Lu Chengfeng drew his sword, emitting a one-foot sword energy, and took up a position on Tan Xiong's other side, ready to strike.

Facing the poisonous mist, Tan Xiong didn't flinch. He roared, "Break!"

A shockwave burst from his voice, scattering the poison cloud and leaving thin wisps drifting in the air.

Lu Chengfeng's eyes narrowed as he noticed something disturbing within the cloud: countless tiny venomous insects, which began falling to the ground in droves.

"No wonder Senior Brother Tan's shout dispersed the mist. So many venomous bugs were hiding in it!"

The sight of the ground covered in venomous insect corpses made Lu Chengfeng's skin crawl. He focused on wielding his sword with precision, slicing through the air with sword energy.

Yet even as his sword energy struck the snake's black scales, only sparks flew; the snake seemed unscathed.

His expression turned serious as he realized just how vast the gap was between him and Tan Xiong. It was even greater than he had anticipated.

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