Chapter 99: Blood Splattering
Almost all inner disciples, including Cleve, thought that the outer disciples could not kill demons and that they had been selected for their courage.
In their opinion, the outer disciples were a burden to them.
Nevertheless, according to the rules of Cloud Sect, an action team tasked with killing demons must consist of five inner disciples and five outer disciples.
Before they set out from Drizzle Peak, Cleve and the other inner disciples had discussed how to treat the outer disciples during the mission.
Cleve had never imagined that an outer disciple would save him during the task.
He had no idea why the demon general was afraid of Zen's broken flying knife instead of his Light Splitting Sword.
“Since I'm special will you let me go?” Zen asked the demon general as he reclaimed his broken flying knife.
“Of course, not. The meat of special people is more delicious,” replied the demon general before sticking his tongue out of his fanged mouth and licking his lips. “Ha ha ha!” the demon general laughed contentedly as if he had tasted Zen's flesh.
Then the demon general ignored Cleve and rushed toward Zen.
Seeing this, Cleve emitted a bright silver life vitality from his hand and directed it to his Light Splitting Sword. As if ordered, the sword flew toward the demon general. Cleve knew that they had to work together to kill the demon general. Otherwise, they would all die.
However, the demon general was not flustered by Cleve's attack. He dodged the path of the sword with ease. Then several bone spikes emerged from his back and deflected the sword.
A demon general was much stronger than an ordinary demon. Cleve and his teammates were faced with a life and death challenge during this fight.
Zen carefully observed each movement of the demon general.
He knew that if he missed even the slightest detail, it would mean his death.
The moment the demon general rushed toward Zen, Zen directed his flying knife toward the general.
Unfortunately, the demon general was much faster than Zen had estimated. Zen saw he avoided the circling orbit of the flying knife at an extremely high speed.
The flying knife didn't meet its target.
Zen gritted his teeth and decided to give the demon general a knockout blow. He awakened the cyan dragon in his mind, which now had more than a hundred glittering scales.
As he rushed toward the demon general, a tremendous force surged from Zen's body and focused on his fist. Zen's body had already been refined into a spiritual weapon, so he could bear immense power. Had such power been carried by any other humans, they would be destroyed by their strength before they could release it.
“Bomp!”
A booming sound echoed through the forest when the two fists collided.
The force with which Zen clashed with the demon general turned all stones around them into dust.
Zen's eyes widened as he felt himself being pushed back dozens of feet. He dug his heels into the ground to slow himself, but the reaction force was so tremendous that a heap of soil piled up behind Zen.
Ever since Zen's body had become a spiritual weapon, there had been no refining effect on his body when he clashed with ordinary people. However, the demon general's punch awoke the warm currents. Zen closed his eyes as the currents flowed through his body, enveloping him in a comfortable feeling.
According to martial arts practice, it was necessary for a cultivator who had been a half-step into the nature level to strengthen his belly and cultivate life vitality.
Strengthening the belly would enhance the endurance capacity of one's belly to bear the life vitality.
After a refiner had overcome this challenge, he could begin to cultivate his life vitality.
While the warm currents flowed into Zen's abdomen along the main meridians of his body, he felt as though a flame had been lit in his belly. He knew that these warm currents were strengthening his belly.
Zen wasn't the only one who had retreated dozens of feet during the clash. The demon general was in the same situation. His body had been flung back into the woods on the side of the valley. The impact had broken the towering spruce trees.
“Flop, flop!”
These spruce trees, which had grown for hundreds of years, were slowly uprooted and fell sideways.
Even though a demon's body wasn't as tough as an ogre's, Zen was fighting a demon general. When he got up from the ground, the demon general looked ashamed for he had been knocked back by a boy.
Though the demon general observed that Zen was special at first glance, he hadn't thought that Zen would be this powerful. From the strength competition just now, the demon general judged that the boy was stronger than him.
The demon general lumbered toward Zen. The ground trembled with the weight of his heavy feet hitting the forest floor. The demon general was so annoyed that he forced his way through the spruce trees, breaking them with a swing of his mighty arms. As he neared Zen, the demon general emitted a powerful, frightening evil spirit.
Cleve was shocked by what he had witnessed.
Even Cleve, who was considered to be strong among other nature creatures, believed himself to be much weaker than the demon general.
When he saw Zen and the demon general clashing into each other, he thought that Zen would die on the spot.
It was well known that a blow from a demon general would shatter the body of a person who was a half-step into the nature level.
But, Zen was safe and sound.
Both, Zen and the demon general were pushed back dozens of feet by the impact. What was more astonishing was that neither of them was seriously injured, let alone killed.
Cleve was confused. However, he didn't have time to waste. Zen's unparalleled power gave him hope of survival.
But when Cleve saw the demon general was returning while Zen was still lying motionless on the ground, he despaired again.
If the demon general had punched Cleve, he would be unable to get up. Zen was at a much lower level than Cleve. Perhaps he had been too optimistic when he thought that Zen would be able to stand and confront the demon general again.
Cleve wasn't aware of the real reason why Zen didn't get up.
As soon as his belly absorbed the warm currents, Zen jumped up and leisurely stretched his body.
The strength of the demon general was precisely what Zen needed to cultivate his body further. “Good guy, come on!” said Zen humorously, as he watched the demon general make his way back.
Zen, of course, had hoped that he would exchange a few punches with the demon general.
With the warm current generated in his body by the power of the demon general, Zen would be able to strengthen his belly and then cultivate life vitality sooner.
After the initial collision, the demon general figured out Zen's strength. Thus, he no longer underestimated Zen. Zen noticed that the demon general was emitting thick evil spirit from his brown skin. Two additional bronzed bone spikes also sprouted from his arms.
The demon general roared and rushed toward Zen. He had intended to impale Zen with the two bone spikes.
As the demon general neared, Zen stopped abruptly to avoid the bone spikes.
Zen dodged just in time, and the demon general missed him.
Humiliated again by his failure, the demon general smiled cruelly at Zen.
He opened his fanged mouth and released a deafening roar.
Then a dozen bronzed bone spikes sprouted from the demon general's chest, back, and arms.
Zen realized that the demon general was going to make it harder to dodge by sprouting additional spikes. Although he reacted quickly, it was too late. A bone spike was already close to Zen's chest.
Zen had no time to evade properly. With no other alternative left, he twisted his body to avoid being stabbed in his chest.
“Ouch!” cried Zen as pain coursed through him.
As Zen had twisted his body to evade the spike, it pierced his shoulder instead of embedding itself in his chest.
Using his bone spike, the demon general lifted Zen into the air.
The demon general released a chortle before stretching his mighty arms and grabbing Zen's feet. So massive were his arms that they looked as thick as tree trunks! Delighted with his victory, the demon general said, “The meat of a special human is more delicious. Ha ha ha!”
The demon general couldn't wait to tear Zen into pieces and swallow him alive.
Seeing this, the other disciples of Drizzle Peak who had been struggling to resist the demon soldiers sank into the depths of sadness and despair.
They knew what this situation meant for them.
Once Zen and Cleve were killed, the other disciples wouldn't stand a chance.
Unquestionably, they would all be devoured by the demons.
When Zen had collided into the demon general, everyone was surprised as he had survived. Seeing that he hadn't been injured gave the disciples a glimmer of hope.
But their hope was dashed soon.
At that moment, a sly smile danced on Zen's face.
Although demons were stronger than humans, they were not smarter than humans. The demon general was surprised to see Zen's smile. However, he dismissed the anomaly by telling himself that Zen was completely under his control. So he focused on tearing Zen's body.
“Swish!”
The broken flying knife flew toward the demon general all of a sudden. Of course, it was Zen's knife.
Zen had hurled his broken flying knife just before the demon general's bone spike stabbed him. Now, he gestured with his fingers and directed the knife to return to him.
“Ah!” exclaimed the demon general as he saw the broken flying knife.
The demon general reacted quickly. He shook his body to ward off the broken flying knife with his bone spikes.
With the demon general sufficiently distracted, Zen now had the time to release his second attack. He closed his eyes and focused. A soft yellow light appeared between his eyebrows. The light shaped into a long thorn and flew toward the demon general's head.
“Ow...”
Stabbed by Zen's Spiritual Thorn, the demon general bellowed painfully. Distracted by the pain, he had no time to notice the broken flying knife.
The flying knife hit the demon general in the chest.
At the same time, Zen placed his feet on the demon general's body and pressed the bone spike down with his full strength. More than a hundred dragon scales lit up at once. Zen quickly channeled the infinite power to his hand.
“Kirik!”
The force used by Zen snapped the demon general's bone spike.
Before the demon general could recover from the pain, Zen pulled out the bone spike from his shoulder and thrust it into the demon general's head.
“Ow...ow...”
The unbearable pain forced the demon general to his knees. In the next instant, he clutched his head and thrashed on the ground.
With the flying knife in his hand, Zen stood on the demon general's body and began chopping him into pieces.
In a while, the demon general's blood splattered all over.