Chapter 342 - 341: The Man-eating Monster, Exploring the Branch

As the severed head was launched into the air, Fox Master laid his eyes on the stoic Li Jing, who was wielding a sword single-handedly.

The sight of the Flying Sword Blue Edge made Fox Master’s pupils constrict.

An Immortal Item!

He has an Immortal Item.

Which means he’s at least a Seventh Realm cultivator.

Furthermore, he’s one of the elite who could slay a Seventh Realm monster like him with a single sword strike.

In the national capital Earth Realm, there are quite a few "retired" Seventh Realm individuals hiding.

Yet, they...

Have no reason to confront him, nor would it be convenient for them to act.

Seventh Realm "characters" themselves wouldn’t likely be on patrol either.

The system imposes the strictest restrictions on Seventh Realm cultivators.

When they reach a certain age, they must retire and they don’t even get an office.

This young man...

Who is he?

A guardian god of Longyu?

Fox Master didn’t think his "charm" was so great that he could alarm the three Guardian Gods stationed in the capital to take action against him.

"Linglong, urgently."

A calm voice rang out.

In Fox Master’s stunned gaze, a pagoda shooting brilliant golden light soared into the sky.

Another Immortal Item!

Damn it! Another Immortal Item!

Fox Master suddenly felt.

He seemed to have died without resentment.

At the same time, he was astounded.

He was thinking hard.

What did he do to deserve attracting a top Seventh Realm with two Immortal Items?

At this level.

Even the Guardian Gods of Longyu might find it hard to compete with him, right?

Fox Master was not belittling himself.

Even if the real Guardian Gods of Longyu had come, he, as a Seventh Realm Monster, would not have been defeated so easily, let alone die so simply.

At least, he should have had the chance to use the abilities he had cultivated over the years.

His consciousness began to scatter.

"Boom!"

An earth-shattering noise came, crushing the pile of container apartments in Subspace.

At the same time.

With two "thumps", the headless bodies of Fox Master and Su Mei fell to the ground, gradually revealing their original form of fox demons.

Li Jing’s gaze fell upon them, his eyes lighting up.

Su Mei’s body, nothing special.

It was just a large green fox.

However, Fox Master was different.

His body was not very large, but it was pure white.

And behind him, he had nine fox tails that far exceeded the length of his body.

Nine tails!

He possessed the Thousand Faces ability like Jiu Li!

Thousand Faces.

A rare talent that only the fox demon species can awaken.

Fox Master, a Seventh Realm cultivator, had nine tails, each of which was just as valuable as Mister Long’s Dragon Horn!

If the realm was equal, it might be less valuable.

But he is a Seventh Realm!

A Seventh Realm Monster whose body is imbued with the aura of immortality!

Brilliant!

Li Jing was both surprised and delighted and hastily moved forward to collect the corpses of the two, not forgetting their heads.

He made a killing this round.

Summoning the Linglong Tower back and swiftly pocketing the Flying Sword Blue Edge, Li Jing hastily left the scene.

He did not expect to find any remnants of the monsters below the Fifth Boundary.

This time, he was in a hurry.

He had overheard Fox Master and Su Mei talking earlier and learned that besides this stronghold, the Demon Beast Union also had another branch in the capital.

If something happened to the stronghold and it lost contact, the branch would notice something was wrong before long.

If he wanted to reap more, he had to hurry up and find their hiding place before the Demon Alliance Branch could sense something was wrong.

So, Li Jing chose to use the Linglong Tower to annihilate the entire field.

However, to a certain extent, he did show mercy.

On the one hand, Fox Master and Su Mei had been killed by him, their bodies hadn’t been collected yet and the level of their flesh, no longer supported by their cultivation level, would naturally decline. If he had been ruthless, their bodies might have been damaged.

On the other hand, there were two more Sixth Realm monsters in this place.

He could dismiss those below the Fifth Boundary, but not Li Jing.

Anyway, if it didn’t have any unique qualities, it would only be worth tens of thousand Spirit Crystals.

At this point, he isn’t lacking tens of thousands of Spirit Crystals.

However, a Six Realm Monster, it would be a bit of a pity to miss out.

Moreover, Li Jing could not help but consider the rewards for Yulian and Jiu Li.

Although he had not discussed the remuneration with both women, he still had some considerations about it.

The Fox Master and Su Mei are both fox demons, it’s not guaranteed that Yulian and Jiu Li would accept them.

After all, they’re of the same kind.

Without expending much effort, Li Jing found two Six Realm Monsters that had been pitifully suppressed and killed.

Poor pair of Six Realm Monsters.

They couldn’t even figure out what had happened when they were pulled into the subspace and were immediately suppressed and killed by the Linglong Tower.

From the moment Li Jing killed the Fox Master and Su Mei to when he activated the Linglong Tower, there was only a span of ten-odd seconds. They did not have time to react at all.

Upon finding the two suppressed and killed Six Realm Monsters, Li Jing’s heart was set at ease.

The two were a monkey demon and a rabbit demon respectively.

Not only were they not fox demons, but their "species" were considered luxury ingredients.

Gathering up the corpses with a joyful mood, Li Jing brought out a Boundary Stone to release the stored energy inside it.

The subspace boundary dissipated, and Li Jing returned to the real world to take out his mobile phone and glance at it.

There’s no signal underground.

Without thinking too much, he directly made his way towards the surface.

...

Soon, Li Jing returned to the surface.

He took out his phone, found Leader Jin’s number, and directly sent his location. He described the situation where he had wiped out a Demon Beast Union base underneath the sewage treatment station.

As for the Fox Master, this Seventh Realm Monster, Li Jing did not mention.

This matter couldn’t be mentioned.

By reporting this to Leader Jin, the main purpose was to have her dispatch people to clean up afterward.

After sending the message, Li Jing turned around to find Black Butterfly’s number, and sent her an inquiry.

"I’ve dealt with the situation here, how are things on your end?"

Message sent.

Before Black Butterfly could reply, Leader Jin sent a message first.

"A patrol will arrive within two minutes. Have you confirmed if the Demon Beast Union is connected to the disappearance of the three patrol?"

"Confirmation has been made. It’s definitely their doing."

Li Jing replied to the message, and then continued to type.

"Whether they are alive or dead have yet to determine, at least no human cultivators were found here. The Demon Beast Union also has another branch in the capital, I’ll continue to investigate. If I can find any clues, I’ll confirm with you."

"Good, I’ll wait for your update."

Leader Jin replied.

Just then, Black Butterfly sent a message.

"No developments here, the male demon did a round outside and has returned to the bar, accompanied by his partner."

Upon receiving her reply, Li Jing was a bit disappointed, but not surprised.

Although Su Mei and the Fox Master had mentioned a branch, the former hadn’t been able to issue orders to her subordinates to hide in the branch. Therefore, it’s highly likely that her two men didn’t head to the branch.

After a moment of thought, Li Jing sent a reply.

"Keep an eye on them, I’ll be there soon."

Then, he turned to dial Yulian’s number.

"Xiaoyu, I need your help with something. Can you come to No.996, Changsheng Road as quickly as possible?"

After sending the message, Li Jing activated Silent Shadow and took to the sky.

...

A moment later.

Li Jing returned to the vicinity of No.996, Changsheng Road.

Just like before, Black Butterfly was quietly waiting on the street.

Landing silently, Li Jing deactivated Silent Shadow.

Having been "frightened" once before, Black Butterfly was not surprised when someone suddenly appeared beside her, she said indifferently,

"Those two demons are inside, they haven’t made a move yet."

Then she asked,

"You messaged earlier saying that the situation has been solved, what exactly happened?"

"Nothing much, there was a Demon Beast Union base, which I’ve destroyed."

Li Jing said, then added,

"The disappearance of the three patrols was indeed their doing. However, I don’t have a definitive conclusion about their fate yet."

Upon hearing this, Black Butterfly nodded.

She was a smart person.

The fate of the three missing patrols was undoubtedly grim.

Not to mention the fact that the last one disappeared more than a week ago, encountering the Demon Beast Union, there was little chance they were kept prisoners.

Li Jing said this purely out of the necessity of the patrol’s investigation.

See the living in person, see the dead in person.

Without seeing the bodies, it cannot be ruled out that they are still alive, and the related investigation cannot be stopped.

Not to mention the three missing are the patrol.

Even if they were civilians, one should not give up any hope.

As for the Demon Beast Union base being single-handedly flattened by Li Jing, Black Butterfly didn’t take that into consideration.

Li Jing has knocked down two branches of the Demon Beast Union before, this was not unknown to Black Butterfly.

But news of Li Jing’s remarkable accomplishments in the Chongyuan Holy Realm had already spread throughout the capital.

Black Butterfly, unlike Tongyan and Ji Youyu, had not visited the Chongyuan Holy Realm, but the rumors alone were enough for her to deduce that Li Jing’s achievements were not a matter of luck.

Compared with the awe-inspiring collective strength of the Ancient God’s descendants in the Chongyuan Holy Realm, what is the Demon Beast Union worth?

"What should we do now?"

Asked Black Butterfly.

"Wait a little bit."

Li Jing replied.

"I have a friend who will be here soon. Two Fifth Boundary monsters won’t be much of a match for her. The situation at the base has been resolved, we don’t have to worry too much. We’ll question them later."

As soon as he finished speaking, he felt something in his heart and looked up at the sky.

At the same time, a beautiful figure descended from the sky.

Yulian has arrived.

Seeing Yulian landing in front of him, Li Jing smiled.

"Ayu, there are two Fifth Boundary fox demons inside. I may need your help with this."

"Fox demons?"

Yulian was stunned but then nodded.

She was a bit surprised to hear that creatures of her own kind were involved in the case.

Without overthinking, she put her hand on Li Jing’s arm and said,

"I can sense them. Shall we go in now?"

"Hmm."

Li Jing nodded and started walking towards the main entrance of the bar across the street.

Black Butterfly followed, slightly frowning as she noticed Yulian naturally holding onto someone’s arm as if it were routine.

...

Soon.

The three entered the bar.

Even in the early hours of the morning, the bar was bustling.

It was clear where Su Mei’s two subordinates were.

In the bar, there were only two demons.

Li Jing could see at a glance who the only two with health bars above their heads were.

When he saw them, they also turned to look back at him.

Helpless.

Demons could sense each other, even without face-to-face contact.

They had sensed Yulian outside.

They even realized that she was flying in.

This was, admittedly, a bit unusual.

Flying is forbidden in the city, that’s a rule.

How could a great demon be flying in?

Since Yulian was a demon, they didn’t think about the possibility of a patrol and just found it strange.

Now that Yulian was here, they had to be on alert.

Seeing Yulian not alone but accompanied by a man and a woman, the two fox demons realized that something was not right.

They weren’t stupid.

At this moment, not only was Yulian looking at them, but Li Jing and Black Butterfly were also staring at them. They had made eye contact.

This...

Clearly, they were their targets!

Unfortunately, the two demons were a beat too slow in their realization.

Before the two could figure out whether the arrival of Li Jing and the others was for good or ill, Li Jing sent a Spirit God whisper their way, causing their minds to scatter and they sat rigidly in place.

Yulian seeing this, shot a look at them from afar.

Then, they got up one after another with a fascinated look on their dazed faces.

Originally, it would take Yulian a bit of effort to charm these two transforming demons.

Because they were fox demons with the same charming ability, it’s wasn’t easy to charm each other.

However, with Li Jing’s "support" in damaging their Primordial Spirits, the task became a lot easier.

Having taken care of the two from a distance, Yulian gently tugged on Li Jing’s arm.

Li Jing understood and walked towards a quieter corner.

Black Butterfly followed and gave the two obviously completely controlled fox demons a light look, and then stared at Yulian, who was acting lovey-dovey with Li Jing.

Black Butterfly’s Sinister Gate, like the Canglan Holy Land, has the ability to distinguish demons.

From the moment she saw Yulian, she knew that the latter was a demon, and a powerful one at that.

Therefore, she was somewhat surprised to see Yulian and Li Jing being so intimate.

As a disciple of the sect, Black Butterfly didn’t have any prejudice against demons, but she wasn’t particularly fond of them either.

Demons and humans are not the same species after all.

Moreover, for a long time, they have been generally opposing each other on the larger scale.

There are many examples of demons and humans living in peace and even becoming friends, but more often, they manipulate or hurt each other.

The close relationship between Li Jing and Yulian was a big surprise to her.

Upon witnessing Yulian’s abilities, Black Butterfly, who had little interest in her at first, couldn’t help but think about befriending her.

Previously, when Li Jing said the two fox demons in the bar wouldn’t be much of a match for Yulian, she thought it was due to some kind of realm suppression, but to her surprise, Yulian was able to control them so easily.

Fox demons have a certain resistance to each other, and yet it still happened.

What if it were other demons or even humans...

This ability was, after all, too convenient.

Considering they had more pressing matters to handle, Black Butterfly decided to stay quiet for the time being.

Li Jing, Yulian, and Black Butterfly settled into a quiet corner of the bar together. The fox demons, now under their charm, approached them.

Once both sides gathered, Li Jing broke the ice.

"Three patrol members have gone missing in Guodu this past month. Was it the work of your Demon Beast Union?"

"Yes."

The two fox demons responded in unison.

"Are they still alive?"

Li Jing asked again.

"They were killed and devoured."

The two fox-demons respond blandly, their voices echoing each other.

This response made both Li Jing’s and Black Butterfly’s eyebrows furrow.

Yulian’s complexion also changed.

Monsters eating humans were able to benefit from the human cultivators’ bodies as well.

However, cannibalism was a taboo amongst taboos.

Setting aside the fact that cannibalism would intensify the conflict between humans and monsters.

To the monsters themselves, cannibalism was a forbidden and dangerous act.

The monsters that resort to cannibalism would become increasingly ferocious, bloodthirsty, and prone to violence, akin to a human cultivator falling into the Evil Way. The beastly nature within them would become increasingly agitated.

Even with a formidable realm supporting them, it would become increasingly difficult for them to suppress their beastly nature.

What principles lay within this, no one knew.

But in short, monsters engaging in cannibalism would gradually become crueler. Eventually, they may even lose their rationality completely, turning into bloodthirsty beasts that kill on sight, much like the ruthless creatures that have long since gone extinct in the mortal world.

Even humans who fall into the path of evil still know the importance of restraining themselves based on the situation.

But a completely degenerated monster only knows how to kill.

"Who devoured them?"

Li Jing asked in a quiet voice.

"Su Mei."

The two fox demons answered in unison.

Upon receiving this answer, Li Jing fell silent for a moment before posing another question.

"Where is the Demon Beast Union’s branch in Guodu?"

"West Suburb Industrial Park, Cangwu Industrial Spare Parts Warehouse."

The two fox demons replied.

Upon ascertaining the exact location of the branch, Li Jing turned to look at Black Butterfly.

"Black Butterfly, I’ll leave these two fox demons to you and your shadow members from Sinister Gate. Take them to a secluded area and kill them. Their bodies can serve as your reward for participating in this case; you can dispose of them as you see fit. Once everything is settled, I will put in a word for you with Leader Jin about your interest in joining the Major Crime Unit. At that point, she should get in touch with you."

"Okay."

Black Butterfly nodded.

The two Fifth Realm fox demons weren’t worth her attention as a sect disciple.

Sixth Realm ones, perhaps.

However, having a reward was better than not having one.

Without bothering to ask about the shadow members from the Sinister Gate who were still hiding somewhere in the bar, Li Jing walked out with Yulian.

...

Upon exiting the bar, Li Jing led Yulian into a dark alley off the main street.

"Yulia, I will handle the branch of the Demon Beast Union in Guodu alone. I need you to make another trip to the Patrol Office."

While he was speaking, he waved his hand and summoned Su Mei’s corpse.

"This fox demon is Su Mei, as mentioned by those two fox demons just now. Help me hand her over to Jin Ruixin and explain the situation we’ve just uncovered. She was a cannibalistic fox demon, so it wouldn’t be appropriate to exchange her for money. Moreover, we need to answer to the sacrifice of the three patrol members. Let Leader Jin decide how to handle it."

"Understood."

Yulian nodded, accepting Su Mei’s corpse.

Seeing this, Li Jing proceeded to summon the bodies of two more Sixth Realm monsters.

"You take these two as well, one for you and one for Brother Jiu. Consider them your reward for participating in this case."

Upon hearing this, Yulian looked somewhat taken aback.

"These two... All for us?"

"If I’m giving them to you, then it’s yours. At this point, I don’t really miss this much."

Li Jing smiled, responding.

"You’re about to face the tribulation. Brother Jiu has been suppressing his for a long time. If you eat well, you’ll have more assurance when crossing the tribulation."

After saying this, he didn’t linger. He took out a Spirit Soldier, rose into the sky, leaving behind a sentence.

"I’ll go take care of business. When I’m done, I’ll visit you guys at Brother Jiu’s house. Furthermore, there’s something I need to learn from you two."

Watching Li Jing leave in a hurry, Yulian looked at the two bodies. Although they were small in size, they emanated strong Demonic Qi. Smiling, she waved her hand and collected them both.

Being affiliated with Li Jing was veritably brightening her future prospects.

A whole monster, undoubtedly, was more nutritious than its mere flesh and blood.

However, some expensive materials, even in the hands of a monster, are extravagantly consumed.

Usually, a monster would save these materials, thinking they might be useful someday, instead of consuming them immediately.

But since it was given by Li Jing, she didn’t mind indulging in the luxury.

Li Jing had a point.

With the impending tribulation, she needed to accumulate more.

Brother Jiu wasn’t even worth mentioning.

He had been suppressing the sky tribulation all along because he lacked the confidence to overcome it. He continued to build on his cultivation in the hopes of passing the tribulation more reliably.

...