Chapter 20: Chapter 18: Subduing the Demon
"Quick! Hurry up and go!"
Su Gui's eyes widened as he felt his teeth start to ache in waves.
He turned to leave the scene, but due to overwhelming fear, his legs wouldn't obey, and after staggering a few steps, he nearly fell into the muddy puddles.
The shrill scream erupted.
It was the two Protectors who had been bracing the door that were pushed down.
Seven or eight blood-smeared mouths gnawed at their flesh, their struggles grew fierce, but their screams became weaker and weaker.
The infected were closing in.
Su Gui could smell the sour, putrid scent emanating from them.
He took one step back, then a second, and by the third step, he was leaning against the courtyard wall.
Su Gui gave up struggling, feeling as if all his strength was drained in an instant; his eyes widened as he slowly collapsed in the corner of the wall, waiting for death to come.
Bang!
Another loud noise shook the air.
The sound came from the high courtyard wall adjacent to the street, accompanied by a violent trembling of the entire wall.
Bang!
The noise came again.
This time it was even more violent, and cracks appeared all over the wall.
Everyone around widened their eyes in terror, uncertain of what dreadful monster was coming that not even the three-meter-high wall could withstand.
Bang!
Then, the third thunderous noise followed.
The wall was pushed down by an unimaginable massive force, and countless bricks and tiles flew down in a clatter.
Over ten decaying corpses within the courtyard were instantly buried under the rubble, and as dust rose through the curtain of rain, a tall, dark figure emerged.
"Hiss…"
Heavy breathing mixed with billowing steam.
A pair of eyes glowed red, and the tall, nearing two-meter stature was imposing.
Enhanced Yang Extreme True Qi surged through his body, Su Heng's physique swelled, and his skin was traced with thick, chain-like black veins that spread across his chest and arms. The veins even climbed up his neck and spread across his face, giving him a somewhat demonic appearance.
The temperature of his skin rose rapidly as the True Qi circulated, evaporating the falling raindrops into mist before they could touch the ground.
Mist swirled and danced around Su Heng like burning flames.
Waves of searing heat radiated from him, creating ripples that kept the mindless decaying corpses at bay.
Su Heng's gaze swept across the courtyard.
Finally, it landed on Su Gui, "Looks like I'm not too late after all."
"You all retreat first," Su Heng said to Li Si in the crowd, "Leave the rest to me to handle."
Li Si took a while to realize that this demon-like figure in front of him was their young master.
Gulp!
He swallowed hard and nodded stiffly.
He then reached out to help Su Gui up by one arm and forcefully pulled him to his feet.
Li Si led Su Gui towards the back of the courtyard. A servant beside him spoke with uncertainty, "Was that person just now Young Master Su?"
"Just him alone, facing so many monsters, can he really handle it?"
"I heard people say Young Master Su is a martial arts prodigy, but I never imagined he'd be so formidable. He even looks more like a monster than the monsters themselves."
"Don't talk nonsense!" Li Si cast a cold glance at the Protector, who immediately fell silent.
"Take good care of Old Master Su, as for the rest, we just wait for the outcome," Li Si sighed, turned his head, and saw Su Heng's imposing figure bathing in the grey curtain of rain.
…
Whoosh!
Rain fell from the sky, creating sparkling and transparent splashes on the ground.
Su Heng lowered his head, watching the slowly advancing tide of corpses before him.
His expression was calm, but in his eyes glowed an eager fire, a longing for the impending slaughter.
"You're here," he suddenly spoke. "I've already smelled your scent, I've tasted your flesh, I won't forget that flavor."
The tide of corpses continued to press forward, gradually enveloping and surrounding Su Heng.
"Not willing to come out on your own, huh, that's fine..." Su Heng's mouth curled into a grimace. "Since you're unwilling to come out, then let me force you out."
Hiss...
A sharp and piercing sound shattered the silence.
Su Heng opened his mouth and took a fierce inhalation, creating a white vortex in the air.
His already towering figure expanded further as a voluminous amount of gas filled him up, the fiery Yang Extreme True Qi surged like streams converging at his throat.
Su Heng's throat bulged slightly outward, a dark red glow shining through his flesh as if he held a scorching fireball in his mouth.
The tide of corpses surged forward.
At the same time, more than ten decayed bodies leaped into mid-air from different directions, launching an assault at Su Heng.
Evil-breaking Roar!
Boom!
A dull roar exploded like the roaring of a hundred beasts, all at once.
The raging Yang Extreme True Qi distorted the air, causing substantial ripples.
The crystalline raindrops in mid-air first froze, then shattered into a fine mist. The decayed bodies surrounding Su Heng, as if impacted by a heavy hammer, were all forced back, blood seeping from their noses, mouths, and facial features; their bodies collapsed, unable to move.
The powerful sound waves, condensed from the True Qi, spread further outward, causing the trees in the yard to rustle and sway as a shower of leaves and broken branches fell. The walls on either side trembled slightly; tiles fell off, and the white plastered walls began to show fine cracks, distorting and spreading outwards.
The Yang Pole Black Evil Skill came with special effects; the Evil-breaking Roar was even more potent than Su Heng had anticipated.
With one shout, ninety-nine percent of the decayed bodies in the courtyard were cleared.
What remained was a solitary decayed body standing before Su Heng—this was the water ghost disguised as a decayed body, seeking an opportunity to launch a surprise attack and get rid of Su Heng, the only one in the city who posed a threat to it. Unfortunately for the water ghost, the gap between them was too vast.
Before the water ghost could execute its plan, all the decayed bodies it had created were brought down by Su Heng.
"Now, it's your turn!"
Bang!
Su Heng's face bore a malevolent expression as he stomped, cracking the floor beneath him.
He turned into a blur, ripping through the air, with raindrops exploding around him, appearing before the water ghost enveloped in a mighty aura.
Sss—
His five fingers spread open, engorged and swollen.
His arm, thick as a copper pillar and shrouded in black smoke, reached towards the water ghost's head.
The latter crossed its arms in defense, and upon impact, a clear ring of mist burst forth amid the rainwater.
The ferocious Yang Extreme True Qi surged into the water ghost's body layer by layer, shattering its defense, and Su Heng sent its wiry frame flying with a direct hit. The creature spewed a mouthful of old blood mid-air before crashing heavily into a distant wall with a snap.
The water ghost's disguise failed.
Its body elongated to nearly two meters, with an abundance of green fur growing on it and sharp teeth protruding from the sides of its mouth.
Raising its head, it looked at Su Heng with eyes filled with both shock and fear.
Su Heng took a step forward.
Instantly, the creature turned and fled over the collapsed courtyard wall, moving as fast as it could to get away from Su Heng.
Though its strength was mediocre, its physical conditioning was indeed formidable.
Especially when bathed in rainwater, within a few breaths, it had already regained its mobility.
Moreover, relying on its agile body, it dodged into narrow alleys and decrepit rooms, attempting to shake off Su Heng.
It was evident,
that even a newly born demon possessed considerable intelligence,
no less than that of an ordinary human.
Add to that its spectral and elusive talents, along with its terrifying growth traits.
This creature, once fully grown, could effortlessly devastate an entire city. It was truly terrifying and could be considered humanity's natural enemy.
Unfortunately, it had encountered Su Heng this time and was doomed to perish here.