Chapter 9: Bloody Knife

The Demon Slaying Division Officers entered the village, but the Daoist Nun paid them no mind, relentlessly using the Blood Fiends to harvest the villagers’ lives.

The Blood Fiends swirled up and down in the air ceaselessly; each descent was followed by a scream, leaving behind a withered corpse.

The air was thick with the stench of blood.

“Immortal Master, help us!”

The villagers saw the group of Immortal Masters like a lifeline, each one shouting desperately for rescue.

Lin Xue was tightly bound, unable to move. She struggled to adjust her posture and, through the Ancestral Hall’s doors, looked up at the Demon Slaying Division Officers.

At this moment, that group of Immortal Masters was her only hope of escape.

As long as they could slay that she-demon, she still had a chance to survive.

Though the she-demon confidently claimed she could handle all five of them alone, maybe she was just bluffing?

After all, there were five cultivators against her.

Perhaps their realms were somewhat inferior, but they had numbers.

As the saying goes, a hero is no match for four hands; a fierce tiger can’t fight off a pack of wolves.

Maybe their teamwork was precise, and they could subdue the she-demon with a single coordinated strike.

She cast a hopeful glance at the officers.

Yang Yuhai, the short and stout Captain, stormed into the village with four subordinates, but when he saw the Daoist Nun not even sparing them a glance and continuing to slaughter the villagers, he was instantly enraged.

He grabbed a trumpet-like device, held it to his mouth, and shouted, “What kind of demonist dares to wreak havoc here?! How dare you commit such crimes before this Captain! Do you not fear the Demon Slaying Bureau? Brothers, charge! Take down this witch!”

His roar thundered across the village like a rolling storm.

Lin Xue felt a bit disappointed.

She had thought the thunderous voice belonged to the Captain’s own power, but it turned out he was just amplifying his voice with a device.

Her expectations of him sank several notches.

Then the four Demon Slaying Division Officers all shouted in unison and sprang into action.

A young man with a long sword hanging from his waist drew it and charged at the Daoist Nun, apparently planning to engage in close combat.

A burly man with a beard took down his longbow, nocked a long arrow in an instant, and fired it directly at the Daoist Nun.

A middle-aged man formed hand seals, causing a pair of flying swords on his back to rise and fly straight toward the Daoist Nun.

The last, a skinny old man, pulled out several talisman papers from his waist and tossed them toward her from a distance.

They launched all kinds of attacks at once.

The Daoist Nun snorted coldly, recalled the Blood Fiends that had been feasting among the villagers, and grasped them in her hand.

The blade flashed red, and a faint blood mist instantly spread around.

Then, her figure blurred and vanished within the blood mist on the spot.

Just as she disappeared, the arrow shot forward, passing through the phantom she left behind, and flew into the Ancestral Hall’s doors.

It whistled just above Lin Xue’s head before thudding into the altar table.

The heavy altar was lifted and slammed violently against the wall behind, splintering it.

The Memorial Tablets and Incense Candles scattered in a mess on the floor.

The power behind that arrow made Lin Xue gasp in astonishment.

The two flying swords arrived next, having lost their target, they struck the wall with a heavy clang, cutting two large holes.

Then came several clusters of talisman papers flying in, bursting into flames and lightning, kicking up dust and debris.

Though powerful, they all exploded in midair, hitting nothing.

The Daoist Nun, like a ghost, weaved rapidly through the blood mist.

Within moments, she was behind the middle-aged man who had just summoned the flying swords, his hands empty.

The man’s face turned pale, eyes wide with terror.

Before he could react, the Daoist Nun thrust the Blood Fiends straight into his body.

“Ah!”

The man let out a piercing scream as his body rapidly withered away.

The short and stout Captain, the skinny old man, and the archer were all stunned, then scattered and leapt back in alarm.

The Daoist Nun sneered contemptuously, kicked the shriveled corpse of the middle-aged man aside, and with a flash, appeared behind the skinny old man.

Another scream rang out before he could even draw the brush from his waist; he too was drained to a desiccated husk.

Lin Xue was stunned.

This was utter one-sided slaughter.

Upon first contact, the five Immortal Masters were instantly reduced by two at the hands of the she-demon.

How was this fight supposed to continue?

Was the gap really that large?

It seemed the hope of them slaying the she-demon was bleak.

Despair began to set in within Lin Xue’s heart.

Within the blood mist, the Daoist Nun transformed into a phantom again, darting swiftly.

This time, she appeared behind the archer and raised the Blood Fiends to stab at him.

But her blade was suddenly blocked by a long sword.

The young swordsman had flown back just in time, blocking her attack and saving the archer’s life.

Lin Xue was surprised by the young officer’s agility.

This guy seemed different from the others — maybe he actually had some skill.

The archer looked visibly panicked, retreating while shooting arrow after arrow.

The Daoist Nun laughed aloud, moving like a phantom.

All the arrows passed harmlessly behind her; none could touch her.

Some arrows even flew toward the villagers below.

The young swordsman leapt forward, swinging his sword to deflect every arrow aimed at the villagers.

He chased the Daoist Nun while shouting loudly, “Captain Yang, quickly use your Wind-Slaying Treasure Blade to disperse this blood mist! Without it, this demonist won’t be able to escape!”

But the short and stout Captain had lost his earlier swagger.

His face pale, he dropped the trumpet and reached for the long knife on his back, but the blade was too long and he couldn’t pull it free despite several tries.

Lin Xue couldn’t help but pinch her forehead, cursing silently, “Useless!”

It seemed that among the five, only the young officer was somewhat reliable.

But could he alone turn the tide against the she-demon?

Her eyes filled with worry as she watched the scene.

The Daoist Nun had now appeared behind the short and stout Captain.

The Captain grew even more flustered.

He managed to pull out his knife, but his hand trembled, and he dropped it to the ground.

Lin Xue rolled her eyes in exasperation; dark lines seemed to streak across her mind.

This fatso was a complete waste.

And he was supposed to be the leader.

Judging by his performance, he was probably a nepotism case—maybe he got his Captain position through connections.

The Daoist Nun laughed heartily and raised the Blood Fiends to stab viciously at the short and stout Captain.

The young swordsman was still a bit distant and couldn’t reach in time to save him.

The archer stood far off, drawing a full bow, but afraid of accidentally hitting the Captain, he didn’t dare release the arrow.

Lin Xue had thought the Captain would be drained like the other two officers, but to her surprise, a brilliant light shone where he was stabbed.

Several talismans appeared, blocking the Blood Fiends’ attack.

This useless Captain actually had a protective treasure on him.

The Daoist Nun was momentarily stunned.

Taking advantage of her hesitation, the young officer leapt forward and swung his sword at her.

The Daoist Nun countered with the Blood Fiends, blocking his strike.

Then her figure flickered as she swung the Blood Fiends to stab at him.

The young swordsman’s swordsmanship was superb, his defense impenetrable.

The Daoist Nun struck several times but couldn’t land a hit.

They exchanged blows rapidly — “clang, clang, clang” — several moves passed in an instant.

The archer gritted his teeth, aimed carefully for a long moment, and finally released an arrow.

At that moment, a sharp crack sounded.

The young officer’s long sword was severed in two by the Daoist Nun’s Blood Fiend magic blade.

She laughed loudly, saying, “Mere mortal iron dares to duel against the magic weapon in my hand?”

With that, she vanished to the side.

The arrow flew straight past the Daoist Nun, grazing her, and headed toward the young swordsman.

With his weapon broken and his vision blocked moments before by the Daoist Nun, he was caught off guard and couldn’t dodge.

The arrow struck his abdomen with tremendous force, lifting him into the air.

He flew into the Ancestral Hall, passing right over Lin Xue, and slammed harshly against the wall.

The arrow pierced through his body, pinning him to the wall with just the arrow’s tail sticking out.

He clutched his wound and coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood.