Chapter 18 Xia Wei - Demon Slayer
"Wait, am I seeing things? This little girl actually lifted up the bronze tripod..."
"This is impossible... The last time Qi Feng, who was at the peak of the second level, tried to lift the bronze tripod, he failed in the end. Only a strong person at the early stage of the third level of the Ox and Horse Realm, whose body can burst out with the strength of an ox and a horse, can lift the tripod. How did this little girl do it? It's incredible..."
"I didn't expect this little girl, though frail, to possess such divine power. No wonder Aunt Wang recommended her to join the monster-hunting team."
As the soldiers discussed this, even Aunt Wang couldn't help but cover her mouth slightly: "I didn't expect Miss Xia Wei to have such strength..."
At this time, Xia Wei, who was holding the big tripod, let out a loud shout, a flash of anger in her eyes, and she suddenly exerted force with her arms, throwing the big tripod far away towards the soldiers.
"careful!"
Seeing this, Commander Zhang Yong shouted loudly, flew up suddenly, blocked the way in front of the crowd, and pushed forward with both hands to meet the falling cauldron. When his palms touched the cauldron, there was a dull sound like a bell. He retreated several steps until he completely released the force, and then he put the cauldron down steadily.
The soldiers were frightened by the thrown cauldron and dodged in all directions. Thanks to Zhang Yong's timely intervention, everyone was safe.
"How is it? Do you understand my strength now?" After finishing the exercise, Xia Wei stepped forward and asked loudly.
Most of the soldiers in the field were only at the early second level of strength, and it was impossible for them to carry the cauldron alone. Now, seeing this little girl with pigtails doing it easily, no one questioned Xia Wei's strength anymore.
Everyone stared at the cauldron she had thrown, speechless. Previously, they had mocked Xia Wei for being a mere girl, but now it seemed like they were no better than a little girl.
"You're quite capable."
After putting the cauldron down, Zhang Yong also showed some approval. As a commander in the early stage of the third-level Ox and Horse Realm, no one knew better than him the difficulty of lifting the bronze cauldron. Even he had to use all his strength to do it. Xia Wei had won his respect with her own strength.
"Xia Wei, right? You're already a member of the Monster Hunting Team. Now go to the Bone Burial Beach and report to Monster Hunting Captain Qi Feng."
As he spoke, Zhang Yong threw a gray token over. Xia Wei caught the token in her hand, only to see the word "demonic" engraved on it.
Xia Wei was delighted when she received the token. After saying goodbye to Aunt Wang, she walked to the burial beach.
On the way, Xia Wei was delighted and pulled Ye Jie aside, saying, "Master, I did it. Did you see their surprised expressions?"
Turning around, he saw Ye Jie with a sullen face and a serious expression. He couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong, Master? Do you have anything to say?"
Ye Jie glanced at her and said, "Did you see that Zhang Yong has the strength of the third level? Did you know that he would definitely stop the big cauldron?"
Xia Wei's expression froze. In her memory, she had never seen Ye Jie look so serious. She answered truthfully, "I don't know his strength."
Ye Jie was silent for a long moment before he said, "So, you have murderous intent? If Zhang Yong hadn't been able to stop the cauldron, those second-rank soldiers wouldn't have been able to withstand the blow. Losing limbs would have been the worst, and they might even have been crushed to death."
Xia Wei opened her mouth slightly and defended herself, "No, Master! I didn't mean to hurt them..."
Ye Jie looked into her eyes and asked, "Then why did you do that?"
Xia Wei bit her lip tightly. "I don't know why I did that. I was just... very angry and I had to prove myself to them."
Ye Jie said earnestly, "You are the reincarnation of an immortal. The rage burning in your heart can easily burn others to ashes. From now on, no matter what you do, you must think twice before acting."
"I understand, Master." Facing Ye Jie's teachings, Xia Wei lowered her head and was very obedient.
Following the path indicated by Commander Zhang Yong, Xia Wei quickly walked out of Qingshi Town and walked for several miles before arriving at a beach. The endless yellow sand stretched to the end of the sight. There was no one living nearby. The only thing blowing was a slight cold wind, which contained a sharp murderous intent.
"Be careful, this is the Bone Burial Beach, the territory of demonic beasts. The beach is connected to the Jing River, where many powerful demons hide, some even more powerful than the Hengshan Bandit. Ten miles along the river, you will reach the territory of Xuansha Lei Ze, a restricted area for all living creatures. Do not approach."
Ye Jie looked around and continued, "I've been here before to perform soul-calling missions. The monsters here are quite ferocious, and the spiritual power contained in their bodies is also astonishing. If you want to quickly improve your cultivation, you can eat the monster meat that contains sufficient spiritual power to assist in your cultivation."
Xia Wei nodded slightly. At that moment, she saw a panicked man running towards her from the end of the beach. He ran to her, breathless, and knelt on the ground, gasping for breath. "You...you're from Qingshi Town? Quickly report this to Commander Zhang Yong. The monster hunting team is in danger and urgently needs reinforcements..."
Hearing this, Xia Wei hurriedly said, "What happened? I came from Qingshi Town to join the monster hunting team."
"You?" The man was slightly stunned. It wasn't until he saw the gray token Xia Wei held out that he believed her words and quickly relayed the news truthfully. "The Monster Hunting Team, led by Captain Qi Feng, was originally operating outside the Bone Burial Beach, hunting lone Level 1 crayfish. But today, we've provoked a formidable foe. A peak Level 2 hairy crab has blocked our path. Unless we defeat it, we won't be able to bring back today's prey. Captain Qi Feng is currently engaged in a battle with the monster, and only Commander Zhang Yong, who is at the Level 3 level, can repel it."
Xia Wei understood the situation clearly: "In that case, let me deal with it!"
"What? Didn't you understand? In the entire Bluestone Town, only Commander Zhang Yong, who is at the third level of the Ox and Horse Realm, has a chance of defeating a single demon beast..."
Seeing Xia Wei's figure already going away, the man frowned and became extremely anxious. In the end, he had no choice but to follow her closely.
Walking quickly forward, Xia Wei soon heard the sounds of fierce fighting. She also caught sight of the behemoth in the distance. Several sturdy hunters, armed with spears, were besieging a ten-foot-tall crab monster. The monster was clad in a hard, iron-blue carapace, instantly repelling any weapon thrust. Its massive claws held terrifying power, like a giant axe, smashing and sweeping, each strike leaving a small dent in the sand.
Faced with the tickling-like attacks from the crowd, the crab monster shook its body and swept across with its giant claws, injuring nearby hunters as soon as they touched it. Some were even swept far away and fell to the ground, their lives uncertain.
The crowd's formation was thrown into disarray. A swordsman strode forward, his sharp sword waving in a shower of sword flowers, instantly drawing the crab monster's attention. Facing the fierce blow from its giant claws, the swordsman moved nimbly, taking advantage of the crab monster's difficulty turning, slipping under it and getting behind it. In a single leap, he scaled its back and stabbed the crack in its carapace with his sword, sending dark blue blood gushing out.
The swordsman's attack completely enraged the crab monster. Its eight legs exerted force repeatedly, and its entire body swung violently like a wave. The swordsman was thrown to the ground without being careful, and the sword in his hand was still stuck behind the crab monster.
The swordsman lost his weapon, and the shadow above his head continued to grow larger. The crab monster naturally would not miss this opportunity. Its axe-like claws smashed down on the swordsman, intending to smash him into a meat paste.
"Captain Qi Feng..."
"Captain! Be careful!"
Seeing this, everyone was horrified and issued warnings to the fallen swordsman. However, their warnings were a beat too late and they could only watch the giant pincers fall. Many people turned their heads away, unable to bear to see the tragedy.
At the critical moment, a man flew forward. That man was thin and petite, obviously shorter than the nearby hunters. In front of the crab monster's huge claws the size of door panels that were smashed down by the crab monster, his figure was even smaller and not worth mentioning. But it was this man who rushed forward to meet the crab monster's attack. There was only a muffled sound, and the huge claws that fell from the crab monster were actually taken up by that man.
Qi Feng, who escaped death, quickly got up from the ground and took a new sword thrown by his men. Then he looked at the person who saved him, but saw that the person had sharp eyebrows, fiery eyes, and a pair of pigtails behind his head. When he looked closely, he found that the person was actually a girl.
Seeing Xia Wei attacking, Ye Jie reminded her, "This hairy crab monster possesses the strength of a peak second-order cultivator. At lower levels, cultivators often cannot match monsters of the same level due to their lack of magical weapons and skills. However, the situation becomes reversed at higher levels. This hairy crab's physical body alone can constantly unleash the strength of an ox or a horse. Generally, only cultivators at the early stages of the third order can rival it."
Xia Wei uttered a sweet cry and used all her strength to shake off the crab monster's falling claws. Her arms were still trembling slightly as she heard Ye Jie say:
"You possess a low-grade Earth-level technique: Turtle Hand. When you wield it, you gain the strength of an ox and a horse, equivalent to the strength of an early-stage third-level cultivator. However, that's only the effect of the technique. Given the total amount of spiritual energy in your body, two cups of tea is the limit for wielding Turtle Hand. Intense combat consumes even more energy, so you must fight quickly."
With Ye Jie's on-the-spot instruction, Xia Wei's eyes also showed some enlightenment. The proud talent of the reincarnation of an immortal made her understand Ye Jie's teachings immediately. Now, her realm is only the middle stage of the first level. Even if she relies on the advantage of the skills to gain the power to compete with the crab monster, it is only temporary. Once she exhausts the spiritual power in her body, she will immediately fall into defeat.
Xia Wei charged forward again, only to be met with a barrage of slamming claws from the hairy crab. Facing the monster's onslaught, Xia Wei remained undeterred. She channeled her inner strength, meeting the attack with her arms. Each collision with the claws produced a thunderous, dull thud. The struggle became evenly matched, neither able to defeat the other.
Seeing this, everyone felt incredible:
“I didn’t expect that girl, despite her thin figure, actually possessed such strength within her body, capable of fighting on par with a peak-level second-order demon beast.”
"Who is she? When did such a skilled cultivator emerge near Qingshi Town?"
Among them, Captain Qi Feng saw a chance of victory and immediately ordered, "We can't let this opportunity go. Go help her!"
As he spoke, Qi Feng stepped forward with his sword. While the crab monster's attention was focused on Xia Wei, he climbed onto its back and stabbed the cracks in its shell. Dark blue blood gushed out like a spring. Seeing the shell loosen, he tore it apart with force. A large piece of bloody shell was lifted off, revealing the crab's body underneath without any protection.
Qi Feng's face lit up with joy, seemingly on the verge of victory. However, at that moment, the crab monster swung its body sideways and began to charge at full speed. Xia Wei, standing in front of the monster, was unable to withstand the full force of the crab monster's body and was knocked away. Qi Feng also lost his balance and fell from its body.
“Hmm…”
Climbing up from the sand, Xia Wei looked quite disheveled. Even the hair on her head was mixed with some yellow sand. The continuous violent collisions had greatly reduced the spiritual power in her body. She was afraid that she would not be able to maintain the tortoise hand for much longer.
Xia Wei stretched her aching waist and felt the difficulty of the monster. She could only look to Ye Jie beside her for help: "Master, what should I do now?"
Ye Jie said slowly, "The monster's body is strong. Since you can't gain an advantage in a clash of strength, you should find other ways. Even though the hairy crab has the strength of a second-level peak, its soul is untempered and is not much stronger than an ordinary person."
Under Ye Jie's guidance, Xia Wei's eyes flashed with enlightenment: "Master, I understand!"
Ye Jie nodded with satisfaction: "Since you understand what I mean, then use the Soul Binding Rope to control the hairy crab and create space for Qi Feng to attack... Wait, why did you rush up?"
Seeing Xia Wei rushing forward, Ye Jie was a little dumbfounded. Things were a little different from what he thought. Xia Wei seemed to have misunderstood what he meant.
Facing the crab monster that was blocking her way like a small mountain, Xia Wei bravely moved forward without fear. She nimbly avoided the crab monster's huge claws, letting its attack miss, and then jumped onto its back like a fish. After careful observation, she finally locked onto the shell that Qi Feng had opened, which was the only flaw in the crab monster's thick defense.
Xia Wei raised her arm, and extremely dark black light gathered from all around. The arrow that could destroy the soul condensed in her palm, and then burst out, carrying a bit of chilling chill, through the gap in the shell torn open by Qi Feng, and fiercely bombarded the crab monster's unprotected body.
Hit by the soul-breaking arrow, the crab monster's body began to tremble. The intense pain deep in its soul caused its eight crab legs to spasm and twitch uncontrollably, its joints twisted and deformed, and its entire body was shaky, shaking wildly like a drunk.
Of course, Xia Wei would not miss this opportunity. She condensed another soul-breaking arrow and hit the crab monster's body again. This time, Xia Wei seemed to hear the crisp sound of broken bowls and plates. Amidst the surprised cheers of everyone, the crab monster's body fell straight down, splashing vast sand, and there was no movement anymore.
Xia Wei stood on the fallen body of the crab monster, one foot still on the crab monster's head. The breeze blew, and her two pairs of pigtails fluttered behind her head. She exuded a heroic and fearless aura.
Even Qi Feng, who had fought the monster with her, was secretly amazed at this moment. He clasped his fists and said, "I wonder who you are? It is truly a blessing for me to have your help."
"My name is Xia Wei, and I'm here to join the monster-hunting team." In front of everyone's surprised eyes, Xia Wei showed the gray-white token Zhang Yong gave her and said loudly.