Chapter 6: The Scholar with a Blade
Military Marquis Tan Jian's eyes were bloodshot, his expression twisted, almost manic. He ate faster and more, yet it seemed he could never be sated.
Xu Yongsheng helped evacuate the surrounding people, while Ouyang Shu led a group of Demon Suppression Guards to surround the eatery.
This Demon Suppression Guard Military Marquis did not shout at Tan Jian, nor did he first announce his identity. He simply gave an order:
“Fire arrows!”
Several strong bows were drawn from all directions. As the bowstrings twanged, arrows whistled forth.
Tan Jian was immediately struck by arrows.
At this moment, a fleeting moment of rational clarity appeared in his eyes. He seemed to sense his predicament, then looked at Ouyang Shu in front of him and roared:
“You are pushing me too far!”
After a single roar, his rational clarity vanished in an instant.
While roaring at Ouyang Shu, Tan Jian leaped, lunging directly at him.
With that leap, Xu Yongsheng distinctly saw from afar that Tan Jian's body swelled as if inflated, his head mutated, eyes bulged, and a large amount of mucus seeped from his skin.
This Military Marquis, at this moment, had lost his humanity, and also his human form. He had completely transformed into a giant monstrous frog!
Qi Deviation, Qi Deviation—in this world, as the name suggests, reaching the extreme of Qi Deviation meant either death or complete demonization, turning into a demon.
Ouyang Shu remained calm and unsurprised. As an official Martial Artist who had reached the Ninth Realm, he actively stepped forward, directly blocking the demonized Tan Jian.
The other Demon Suppression Guards around him were well-trained. After their initial shock, they all assisted Ouyang Shu from the sides.
Xu Yongsheng stood on the periphery. Although he did not step forward to assist in the fight, the pupils of his eyes subtly changed. At this moment, they no longer resembled human pupils but became like an Eagle Eye.
At the same time, within this Eagle Eye, there seemed to be the reflection of flickering flames, faintly swaying.
The epidermal mucus offered good defense against blunt weapons like clubs and staffs, including punches and kicks, essentially ignoring attacks from those below the Realm. However, swords, blades, bows, and crossbows could still inflict considerable damage…
Its jumping explosive power, distance, and speed were excellent. A direct pounce within ten meters arrived almost instantly, but its turning ability was poor…
Its recovery ability was very strong. The arrow wounds from earlier had already healed somewhat, but even after demonization, it still did not exceed the level of a Martial Artist who cultivated Qi in the original Ninth Realm…
The seemingly thin abdomen actually had strong defense. When it swelled and bounced, it could block sword and blade slashes from Martial Artists below the Realm, but it still feared strong bows…
It occasionally retracted its neck. The back of its neck was its weakness. When facing a multi-person encirclement, the possibility of it feigning weakness as a trap was low…
The tortoise shell and long bow in Xu Yongsheng's glabella vibrated together. The Fire Observation Pupil, combined with the Eagle Eye, allowed him to accurately and clearly grasp every detail and change in Tan Jian's battle.
In Xu Yongsheng's eyes, Tan Jian's movements even seemed to be in slow motion.
Ouyang Shu did not carry a weapon. He used his bare hands to block the demonized Tan Jian.
With one hand, he wielded the Water Severing Palm, a technique that cultivated a Martial Artist's Righteous Qi. It was both offensive and defensive, capable of severing flowing water. No matter how fierce Tan Jian was, Ouyang Shu firmly blocked his path.
With him bearing the brunt of the pressure and holding Tan Jian in check, the other Demon Suppression Guards around him continuously found openings, adding one wound after another to the giant monstrous frog.
Although the monstrous frog Tan Jian's flesh and blood had strong recovery, it could not withstand such attrition. Its strength and speed visibly began to wane.
He, who had already transformed into it, though disoriented, still possessed the instinct for survival and immediately began to desperately break through.
Ouyang Shu moved his feet, still firmly blocking Tan Jian's path, but unexpectedly, Tan Jian suddenly opened his mouth!
A black shadow flashed, and Ouyang Shu grunted, as if struck by a sharp blade.
The black shadow appeared and retracted instantly, withdrawing and causing blood to spurt from Ouyang Shu's body.
The monstrous frog Tan Jian pushed off with its feet, seized the opportunity, and leaped out of the encirclement.
Including Ouyang Shu himself, who was struck, none of the Demon Suppression Guards present clearly saw what the black shadow that flew out of Tan Jian's mouth was.
Only Xu Yongsheng saw it clearly.
It was a long tongue.
Its length exceeded twice Tan Jian's height, and its speed was incredibly fast. It would have been difficult to clearly capture its trajectory with just the Confucian Fire Observation Pupil or the Martial Artist's Eagle Eye alone.
Xu Yongsheng, with his two methods of civil and military combined, was able to see clearly. When the tongue flicked out, it was not only fast but also extremely lethal. At close range, it was like being shot by a strong bow and crossbow, making it difficult to defend or dodge even if one saw the movement.
If Ouyang Shu's physique wasn't exceptionally tough, he might have been directly “shot” through by Tan Jian's tongue just then.
Tan Jian's tongue flicked and coiled, returning into his mouth, bringing back a small amount of Ouyang Shu's flesh and blood from the wound.
As it swallowed this bit of flesh and blood, the healing speed of its wounds noticeably accelerated, and its spirit and strength seemed to rejuvenate.
Even in the monstrous frog's blood-red eyes, a hint of intelligence seemed to reappear.
However, the battle here had already attracted other Demon Suppression Guards from afar to reinforce South Market.
Therefore, the monstrous frog Tan Jian leaped once, then again, breaking out of this encirclement and fleeing into the back alley.
The back alley appeared to be empty.
The monstrous frog charged recklessly.
But then, a blade light suddenly shone from the side!
A scholar, dressed in white.
He was as still as a deep pond, then suddenly struck like a thunderbolt, slashing fiercely at Tan Jian's back neck from the side!
Though Tan Jian was fast, he still could not evade this sudden blade strike, which was like an arrow leaving the bowstring.
It only managed to barely retract its neck, but Xu Yongsheng's blade still sent flesh and blood flying!
Tan Jian's massive body slid past Xu Yongsheng and suddenly collapsed to the ground.
Xu Yongsheng advanced with his blade.
The monstrous frog Tan Jian had just struggled to turn over when it suddenly opened its mouth again!
The distance between them was only a few feet. Like a crossbow bolt suddenly firing, the same tongue that had just wounded Ouyang Shu shot out again towards Xu Yongsheng.
When Xu Yongsheng's Eagle Eye was combined with the Fire Observation Pupil, Tan Jian, who had appeared in slow motion, now extended his tongue as if returning to normal speed. If anyone were watching, they would only perceive it as incredibly fast.
But in this instant, Xu Yongsheng was even faster than before!
The Confucian Zhi Zheng Blade, already known for its swift movements and changes, was now augmented by the Martial Artist's Gale Fast Blade, which excelled even more in speed!
A blade faster than his opponent, a flash of blade light, directly severed Tan Jian's tongue as it shot out like a crossbow bolt!
Tan Jian froze, then let out a heart-wrenching shriek.
After one burst of speed, Xu Yongsheng then slowed down, the Zhi Zheng Blade returning to its normal speed.
Then, he firmly chopped off the monstrous frog Tan Jian's head, which was still screaming!
Blood spurted from the basin-sized wound, but Xu Yongsheng deftly avoided it.
Ma Yang and other Demon Suppression Guards arrived at South Market upon hearing the news, finding Ouyang Shu and the others about to pursue into the back alley: “Where is Tan Jian?”
Ouyang Shu: “He escaped into the back alley. We're short-handed over there…”
A Demon Suppression Guard behind him spoke uncertainly: “That scholar earlier, he seemed to have gone into the back alley?”
Ma Yang took a deep breath and quickly pursued into the back alley.
He never expected that as soon as he turned the corner, all he saw was the headless demon lying dead by the roadside.
The white-clothed scholar had already sheathed his blade. Standing in the alley, he was as refined and courteous as ever.