Chapter 12: A Bloody Slaughter

The Water Rhinoceros King, seated on a stone chair, glanced at the bald-headed armored guard and reached out a large hand like a palm leaf to grab the bound youth beside him, placing him on his lap. The youth, as helpless as a little doll on the Water Rhinoceros King's lap, cried out in pain: "Just capture them as I say, as long as we get a thousand. Great Water Rhinoceros King, including the two just caught and the nineteen you've eaten, I've already ordered my men to capture five hundred and eighty-three people."

"Rest assured," the Water Rhinoceros King's voice remained deep and resonant. "I, the Water Rhinoceros King, keep my word. Once a thousand people are captured, I will definitely let you go."

"Bald-headed!" The Water Rhinoceros King's eyes bulged like copper bells as he glared at the bald-headed armored guard. "Don't threaten me with the Tiemu clan. In this Eastern Mountain Marsh, countless disciples of the Tiemu and Ji clans die every year. You come here to take risks in the Eastern Mountain Marsh, and if you die, you die in vain! Even if this soft-skinned young master of the Tiemu clan is truly of high status, once I kill you all, the Tiemu clan will likely only learn of your deaths long after, and they'll never find out who did it!"

The green-armored guards could only endure.

The Water Rhinoceros King laughed heartily and casually tossed the young master of the Tiemu clan, who fell to the ground nearby.

"Some of you, go out and capture more people, quickly, capture some commoners." Lying on the ground, the Tiemu clan's young master still shouted angrily.

"But, young master," the bald-headed armored guard said anxiously, "we've almost captured all the hunters and fishermen in the Eastern Mountain Marsh. Even if there are a few left, they're scattered and few. It's hard to gather over four hundred more."

The Tiemu clan's young master, lying on the ground, roared ferociously: "Find a tribe. Kill all who resist, and capture the rest directly. Can't a tribe gather a few hundred people?"

"Slaughter a tribe?" The bald-headed armored guard was stunned.

"What are you afraid of?" the Tiemu clan's young master roared. "If you're really scared, go to the Ji clan's territory! Slaughter a tribe in the Ji clan's territory, kill those who resist, and capture the rest."

The bald-headed armored guard gritted his teeth: "Yes!"

If it were a war between two major powers or an order from their master, they would slaughter without mercy. But now, to slaughter and capture humans for a great demon—this filled the brave armored guards with immense shame.

"Haha..." The Water Rhinoceros King laughed loudly, his laughter like thunder. "Good, good, good. Once I have a thousand humans, I will definitely let you go."

"Mmm!"

The Water Rhinoceros King smacked his lips and licked the corner of his mouth with his large tongue. "I just ate a person, and now I'm hungry again so soon! Who should I eat?" As he spoke, he began to look around. The faces of the bound people changed instantly, and many showed fear in their eyes.

They had already witnessed this great demon devouring a person alive. They were not afraid of death, but being eaten bite by bite was like hell!

"Hmm?" The Water Rhinoceros King's gaze suddenly fell on Ji Ning in the distance, and his eyes lit up. "Mmm, this human youth has tender skin, is clean, and looks young. His flesh must taste very good. Quick, someone, bring him to me." As he spoke, drool formed at the corners of his mouth.

"Young master," Uncle Dala said anxiously, looking at Ji Ning beside him. Nearby, ten green-armored guards watched.

"Hurry up," a green-armored guard said, reaching directly for Ji Ning's beast-hide clothing.

Ji Ning turned his head to look at the green-armored guard and swung his right hand. The edge of his palm struck the green-armored guard's chest. With a low thud, the guard flew high into the air, his eyes wide open, mouth agape, face flushed red. Blood mixed with shattered internal organs sprayed from his mouth as he fell into the water marsh over a hundred meters away, splashing water before sinking without any struggle, clearly dead.

"Willing to be a demon's claw, harming your own kind—deserving death!" A cold voice rang out.

Silence.

The over five hundred bound people on the mound, the hundred or so standing green-armored guards, and the great demon 'Water Rhinoceros King' sitting there all looked at the delicate youth.

A palm strike that sent someone flying dozens of zhang?

"Good!" The great demon Water Rhinoceros King reacted and became delighted instead. Seeing humans kill each other naturally pleased him, and he shouted, "Why aren't you attacking? He killed your man! Go on!"

"Kill!" The other green-armored guards' eyes reddened, and they charged like shadows. This youth had killed their comrade. Their comrade's death by a palm strike was merely due to being caught off guard, and perhaps this youth had practiced divine demon body refinement, giving him slightly greater strength.

But in life-and-death combat, what mattered was honed swordsmanship and blade techniques. Even if strength was far inferior, a single sword thrust could still pierce a skull!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Over twenty green-armored guards surrounded and attacked.

Ji Ning casually pushed Uncle Dala aside, sending him flying, while he himself somersaulted in midair and landed on the ground without injury. Uncle Dala watched anxiously as Ji Ning was swarmed by over twenty green-armored guards: "Young master, be careful."

"Be careful."

"Run quickly."

"Young man, run!"

The bound people shouted anxiously, watching the youth with concern. They all knew the prowess of these green-armored guards—they were elite nine-fang warriors skilled in coordinated attacks, the elite soldiers of the Tiemu clan. Against over twenty green-armored guards, only a先天 being could survive.

Facing the encirclement of over twenty green-armored guards, Ji Ning transformed into a breeze, a free and unrestrained wind. As the guards swung and thrust their blades, spears, and swords, Ji Ning moved as if strolling in a courtyard, effortlessly weaving through the crowd of attacking guards.

Whoosh!

Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap!

A series of crisp slapping sounds rang out. As Ji Ning ghosted through the gaps among the over twenty attacking guards, he swung his palms simultaneously. Each slap, delivered with the back of his hand to the guards' faces, carried over ten thousand jin of force, sending every guard flying. None could block Ji Ning's palm.

Whoosh!

Ji Ning's figure halted, while the over twenty green-armored guards lay scattered on the ground, their heads twisted at odd angles, blood seeping from their mouths, noses, and ears.

All dead!

"What!"

"Heavens!"

“Th-this, th-this…”

Everyone present—whether the hundreds of bound captives, the Ironwood clan’s Azure Armor Guards, or even the great demon—was stunned.

“You, you…” The Ironwood clan’s young master, bound on the ground, was both anxious and furious.

“We are the Ironwood clan’s Azure Armor Guards.” The other Azure Armor Guards’ faces turned ugly; they were angry yet dared not step forward.

Ji Ning, however, said coldly, “Those who willingly serve as a great demon’s claws and teeth deserve death.” The Ironwood clan and the Ji clan were mortal enemies, and now these foes had willingly become a great demon’s minions!

Whoosh!

A sharp sword appeared in Ji Ning’s hand. He moved his feet, and then a flash of sword light… In the blink of an eye, nine Azure Armor Guards fell, clutching their necks and making gurgling sounds as blood spurted from their wounds. Both his footwork and his sword speed terrified the remaining Azure Armor Guards.

Moreover, Ji Ning had been terrifying even without a sword; now that he held one, he was even more so.

“Run!”

“Go!”

“Water Rhinoceros King, save us!” The Azure Armor Guards were completely panicked. Clearly, this unknown, delicate-looking youth was about to slaughter them all.

The Water Rhinoceros King, sitting to one side, laughed heartily: “I only said I’d let you go after you captured a thousand people. I never said I’d save you. Kill, kill, kill them all!” The Water Rhinoceros King seemed to revel in chaos. To him, a great demon, these were merely humans slaughtering each other.

Ssshh! Ssshh! Ssshh!

Blood flew through the air as Azure Armor Guards fell helplessly, one after another. They fled in all directions, truly terrified. Their sword and blade techniques were pitifully clumsy and utterly useless against the youth before them.

“Run!”

“Quick!”

Whoosh… Accompanied by the wind, Ji Ning moved at extreme speed, leaving dozens of afterimages. Each Azure Armor Guard stumbled and fell, either pierced through the heart or with their throat slashed. Blood stained the ground red as the guards lay scattered, some on their backs, some on their stomachs.

All the Azure Armor Guards were dead!

“Hmm?” The Water Rhinoceros King, who had been watching the spectacle, suddenly stood up, his expression changing. Ji Ning’s final burst of speed, which produced dozens of afterimages, shocked him. He had not considered the youth a threat before, but now he grew slightly wary.

“Incredible!”

“So strong.”

“Kill them well.” The bound captives were thrilled. They had not expected the youth to be so powerful. Could this strong youth be even more formidable… and kill that terrifying great demon?

Swish! Swish! Swish! Sword light flashed, and the ropes binding more than a dozen people beside Ji Ning were cut.

“Human youth.” The Water Rhinoceros King suddenly transformed into a black shadow, charging forward. A thick layer of ice condensed on his massive fist as he punched toward Ji Ning. “They are my rations.”

“Clang.”

Ji Ning’s Northstar Sword shot out, stabbing directly into the massive fist.

Boom!!!

A sound like a mountain collapsing rang out. Ji Ning was sent flying backward over a hundred meters, while the ice layer on the Water Rhinoceros King’s fist exploded, and half his arm was blown off. This brought a glimmer of hope and expectation to the tribal people. Had he crippled the great demon’s arm?

“Good,” the Water Rhinoceros King growled deeply. “You are worthy of making me reveal my true form.”

The Water Rhinoceros King suddenly transformed into a vast cloud of water vapor, which quickly condensed into a colossal beast over ten zhang tall. It was an enormous water rhinoceros with a greenish-brown hide, more than twenty zhang in length… like a small mountain. The air from its nostrils caused the ground to freeze into thick frost, and nearby tribal people instantly turned into ice statues. Meanwhile, Uncle Dala was already swiftly rescuing his own clansmen.

“Quick, go!” Ji Ning, now a streak of light, stepped on the water and dashed over. With a flash of his sword, he cut the ropes binding dozens of captives.

“Why aren’t you leaving?” Ji Ning shouted angrily, then turned to stare at the giant beast.

The people quickly picked up weapons from the ground and cut the ropes of others. In the blink of an eye, the surviving four hundred or so began to flee in all directions.

“Flee? I’ll freeze you all and eat you slowly.” The water rhinoceros’s yellowish eyes swept the area. A chill spread, the temperature plummeted, and layers of frost expanded. Soon, many people turned into ice statues. Only those who ran fast, including Uncle Dala and his group who had fled early, survived.

“I am of the Ironwood clan—” The Ironwood clan’s young master was still screaming, but he too became an ice statue mid-sentence.

In an instant, the area within dozens of zhang became a death zone.

Only Ji Ning and the water rhinoceros faced each other.

In the distance, Uncle Dala and the few dozen survivors felt a lingering fear. A young man beside Uncle Dala asked worriedly, “Uncle Dala, can that youth survive?”

“He will, he will.” Uncle Dala said this, but in his heart he had no confidence. Could this youth, with his astonishing swordsmanship and incredible strength, defeat the fearsome great demon?

“Still not leaving!”

Ji Ning shouted from afar.

Once the battle began, a hundred zhang was nothing to him and the Water Rhinoceros King; he could not protect them.

“Let’s go.” Uncle Dala gritted his teeth and shouted, leading his clansmen away quickly. The people from other tribes had already fled, terrified out of their wits.