Chapter 157 - 103: Divine Skill Melting Furnace, Refining Evil Spirits, Who Exactly is the Demon Dao!

Chapter 157: Chapter 103: Divine Skill Melting Furnace, Refining Evil Spirits, Who Exactly is the Demon Dao!

BANG!

In the nick of time, No. 12’s head twisted away at an unnatural angle.

The near ninety-degree rotation made one wonder if the bones in his neck were made of water. Otherwise, how could he possibly pull off such a maneuver?

However, despite his timely dodge, the Sword Qi from the strike inevitably grazed his cheek.

SLASH!

No. 12 leaped to the side, landing on the exposed second-floor balcony of a nearby shop, and stared at Lu Chen with a grim expression.

A large chunk of flesh had been sliced off his right cheek by Lu Chen’s sword, revealing the bone beneath in a gruesome display.

Lu Chen was somewhat surprised that No. 12 had actually managed to dodge his attack. After all, that sword strike had been aimed directly at his head. Logically speaking, at that distance, it should have been impossible for No. 12 to evade. At least, it was impossible with a human’s anatomical structure.

At this thought, the Cyan Lotus Pupils in Lu Chen’s eyes began to spin.

Meeting Lu Chen’s eerie gaze, No. 12 instantly felt as though he had no secrets left—as if he had been completely seen through.

And just as he suspected, with only a simple glance, Lu Chen saw right through No. 12’s true nature.

[No. 12 Black Lotus Missionary (Scaleless Snake Demon)]

[Cultivation: Foundation Establishment Third Level]

[Features: A Cultivator who has fused with a portion of a Snake Demon’s bloodline through a special method. While retaining the cultivation traits of a Cultivator, he has also assimilated some traits of a Snake Demon.]

A Half-Demon. This was the first time he had encountered such an entity.

Still... he had slain even a Corpse Dragon, let alone a measly Snake Demon.

"Zheng Tongxue, I’ll trouble you to escort Chai Tongxue and Xu Tongxue back. Leave this place to me."

"Alright."

Zheng Liu glanced at Lu Chen, who was in a standoff with No. 12, then immediately ran over to help Chai Xi up from the rubble.

Although Chai Xi had taken two consecutive hits from No. 12, he was fortunately a Body Cultivator, and No. 12 hadn’t been taking the fight seriously earlier. This allowed him to recover his strength after just a short rest.

The two then hurried to Xu Jianliang’s side, each grabbing an arm to hoist him up.

Throughout this process, No. 12 didn’t dare to make a single move. He could sense that if he tried anything, the black Spirit Sword in Lu Chen’s hand would absolutely decapitate him. He wasn’t about to gamble on whether he’d have the same good luck as before.

Watching Lu Chen, No. 12 couldn’t help but think of No. 10, whom he had met at a secret meeting not long ago.

They were both at the Qi Cultivation Stage, yet they both possessed power comparable to the Foundation Establishment Stage. Since when did so many geniuses suddenly pop up in the little city of Luocheng?

A sudden thought struck No. 12. Judging by No. 10’s behavior back then, could he also be a student like the kid in front of him?!

At this realization, an inexplicable wave of jealousy surged in No. 12’s heart. He had put in untold effort to obtain the power he had today. Even he couldn’t articulate all the suffering he had endured. Yet, the strength he had barely managed to achieve through such grueling struggles was just a trivial feat for some people—something they could accomplish with ease! He cursed the heavens in his mind, "Damn it, why is it so unfair?!"

Down below, Lu Chen was unaware of No. 12’s inner turmoil. Or rather, he simply didn’t care. Why would he care about the thoughts of a dead man?

If he hadn’t wanted to pry more information out of No. 12—and if he hadn’t needed to avoid injuring Zheng Liu and the others with his Sword Qi—he would have sliced the man down long ago. There was no way he would have let this guy live this long.

As Zheng Liu’s group of three walked past him, Lu Chen advised, "Head in the direction of the ’Ice and Snow Milk Tea Shop’. Teacher Chen has brought people to stand guard there. If you go that way, you won’t have to worry about Demon Fiend attacks."

Hearing this, Zheng Liu and Chai Xi, who were still capable of walking, nodded.

Despite being so severely injured that his face was pale with pain, Xu Jianliang still said earnestly, "Be careful of his chains. That’s his Lifebound Magical Artifact."

To this, Lu Chen calmly replied, "Thanks for the reminder."

With that, the three of them supported one another as they walked toward a certain direction on the Pedestrian Street. Before long, they clearly saw the heavily mutilated corpses of countless Rodent Demons scattered all along the path.

Seeing this, Chai Xi couldn’t help but ask, "Liu, did Lu Tongxue do all this?"

Zheng Liu immediately recalled the scene after he had found Lu Chen and explained Chai Xi and Xu Jianliang’s situation: Lu Chen had led him, carving a bloody path from the end of the street all the way to its center.

"Yeah," Zheng Liu said in profound admiration. "I didn’t even see clearly what Lu Tongxue did, but every Rodent Demon along the way was killed by a single strike of his sword.

"Anyway, let’s not talk about this anymore. Since you have the strength to speak, you might as well use it to recover from your injuries.

"I don’t mean to scold you, but you guys were just lucky this time to hold on until Lu Tongxue arrived.

"If he had been a little later, Lu Tongxue and I probably would have had to collect your corpses.

"Two Qi Cultivation Stages trying to take on a Foundation Establishment Stage... Did the two of you get your heads slammed in a door? Is that something you can even handle?!"

Listening to Zheng Liu scold them like an old mother, Xu Jianliang and Chai Xi could only lower their heads and keep quiet. They couldn’t help it; what Zheng Liu said was the truth. If Lu Chen hadn’t shown up in time, they really would have been done for. Being lucky this time didn’t mean they would be just as lucky the next time.

Back on the Pedestrian Street.

Now that Zheng Liu and the others had left, Lu Chen finally no longer had to worry about his attacks catching them in the crossfire.