Chapter 271 - 194: Bountiful Harvest

Kang Shixiang’s escape was nothing if not decisive. Yet, he had barely taken ten steps when he saw something that horrified him: the commotion from the battle had completely vanished.

He Cang remained in a punching posture, unmoving, his expression vacant.

Zou Feng was the same. The two of them seemed to have suddenly frozen in place.

’Has a victor been decided, or have they both just exhausted themselves and need a moment to recover?’ Kang Shixiang wondered.

The next moment, Zou Feng moved first.

He didn’t even spare He Cang another glance, simply turning and striding away.

The hope that had been hanging by a thread in Kang Shixiang’s heart instantly plummeted.

Sure enough, after only about three breaths, He Cang’s body began to explode in multiple places, and he let out a wretched, disbelieving scream.

He had come out of seclusion this time to slay demons and exorcise evil, with the original intention of refining his state of mind to seize the opportunity to break through to the Third Grade.

He had considered himself invincible among those of the same realm and didn’t truly believe that Zou Feng, a demon lord who had yet to fully mature, could possibly turn the tables on him.

But as the fight dragged on, He Cang realized how ridiculously wrong he had been.

This was no demon lord who had yet to mature; he couldn’t even fathom the depths of the Demon Skill Zou Feng cultivated...

Unfortunately, it was too late for regrets. Turning to flee would only mean a quicker death, so he could only grit his teeth and fight on.

Yet, as he fought on, He Cang discovered in utter despair that he could no longer move. It felt as if countless strange insects were about to burst out from within his body...

He Cang’s last thought before his violent death was the urge to curse out loud, to demand why Kang Shixiang hadn’t joined him to fight their common enemy.

With a final BANG, He Cang was scattered into the air.

A genius from the Xuanhuang Sect’s younger generation, talented enough to rank among the top ten, had thus fallen the moment he came out of seclusion.

Kang Shixiang, who had thought his savior had arrived, found this outcome the most difficult to accept. After all, with He Cang dead, it was his turn next.

At that moment, Kang Shixiang’s heart and soul trembled with fear.

The feeling of life-and-death peril, something he hadn’t experienced in many years, directly shattered his will.

"W-Wait! Actually, I... I have a way to lift your Demon Slaying Order..."

"I can swear to the heavens... No... I’ll swear a Heart Demon Poison Oath... AHHHHH..."

Zou Feng, already closing in, had no time to waste on this guy’s nonsense and attacked directly.

’Does he take me for a fool? The entire Righteous Alliance acknowledges the Demon Slaying Order, and its members are scrambling to carry it out. How could it be lifted just because Kang Shixiang says so?’

There was no suspense in killing the terrified Kang Shixiang. Zou Feng finished him off in two or three moves, silencing him for good.

Immediately after, Zou Feng’s figure flashed, and he quickly found Xu Tao, who had been hiding and fleeing ever since he was severely wounded.

A single Bone-Softening Palm struck the man’s forehead, causing him to go completely limp like a broken sack.

Next, of course, was the time to collect his spoils.

Zou Feng had long heard of the fame of the Xuanhuang Sect’s Cyan Emperor’s Hundred Herbs Pill.

Before long, Zou Feng had retrieved several small vials from the spot where He Cang had exploded and from Kang Shixiang’s corpse.

The elixirs in two of the vials were so fragrant that just a whiff made a powerful jolt run through his body. He felt as if the surrounding stinking swamp had transformed into a paradise of singing birds and fragrant flowers.

Without a doubt, these two vials most likely contained the Cyan Emperor’s Hundred Herbs Pill, an exclusive elixir from the Xuanhuang Sect no less potent than the Nine Yang Primordial Energy Pill.

Xu Tao must have taken this elixir earlier, which was why he had been able to temporarily overcome his physical discomfort and continue deeper into the swamp.

As for the effects of the other elixirs, Zou Feng had no way of knowing for the time being.

However, with his expertise in the Poison Dao, he was confident he could identify most of their properties if he spent some time studying them.

However, Zou Feng had no intention of taking magical artifacts like the Communication Jade Talismans from their bodies.

’I’m marked by the Demon Slaying Order. I can’t get arrogant just because I killed a few Fourth Grade cultivators.

’On the contrary, once news of He Cang’s and Kang Shixiang’s deaths gets out, those who try to take on the Demon Slaying Order mission will only be more formidable.

’By then, everyone will know that one or two Fourth Grade cultivators aren’t enough to take me down. The next ones who come will either be a team of several Fourth Grades, or they’ll send a High Grade Martial Artist.

’Even High Grade Martial Artists who weren’t originally interested in me might hear about some vicious demon who’s so arrogant he even killed a genius from the Xuanhuang Sect, and they’ll immediately think, "This one must not be allowed to live."’

So, while it seemed Zou Feng had resolved the immediate crisis of being tracked, his situation had actually become even more perilous.

’I can’t stay on Qifeng Mountain. I need to get to the Southern Border and fleece Teng County first.

’But before that...’

Zou Feng suddenly turned his head, his gaze once again falling on the depths of the swamp.

’After advancing to the Fourth Grade, my Perception has increased dramatically. I have a much better chance of finding that hiding Toad King in a short amount of time.

’In that case, I’ll spend a few more hours searching for the Toad King.

’If I still can’t find it, then I can’t linger here any longer.

’After all, setting aside those who took on the Demon Slaying Order, it’s very likely that disciples from Biyou Palace have already noticed something has happened to the venomous creatures they raise.’

Just as he was about to move, Xiaolv, who had been hiding somewhere, flew over again.

But instead of flying to Zou Feng, it dove directly toward Kang Shixiang.

As Zou Feng watched in confusion, Xiaolv stabbed Kang Shixiang’s corpse with its stinger.

Then it flew over to Xu Tao’s body and did the same, stabbing it once.

As Kang Shixiang’s and Xu Tao’s corpses rapidly turned black and purple, Zou Feng understood what the little creature was doing.