0089 Blood and Flesh Sacrifice

Fortunately, he had the Nameless Ring; otherwise, if he were exposed before this captain-ranked demon, Jiang Feng would surely be dead without a doubt!

His breathing grew even shallower, almost imperceptible, as the Celestial Cube operated in silence, collecting these exceedingly rare demon data.

The demon had two sharp ears sprouting from its head, a snout that elongated forward, and eyes that narrowed to slits, giving it the appearance of a fox. Clearly, this was a fox demon.

Suddenly, it let out a piercing scream, the sound wave sweeping outward and instantly clearing away all the demonic aura before it.

Next, it turned around and screamed again.

In an instant, Jiang Feng understood its intent.

The sound waves fanned out before it; it was trying to use this method to find and flush out the invisible Jiang Feng!

After two or three tries, the fox demon finally faced in his direction and opened its mouth wide once more.

He didn’t know whether the Nameless Ring could conceal him. If it failed...

At this critical moment, Jiang Feng only grew calmer. He shifted his gaze from the fox demon, looking behind him.

Suddenly, his heart skipped a beat.

There was a subtle change in the data from over there—could something unexpected be about to happen?

His thought was not yet complete when the ground suddenly shook violently!

The fox demon whirled around, its legs tensing as it shot toward the alley entrance!

It seemed to have discovered something, bursting into wild laughter: “Hahaha! If you won't come out, no matter! I'll deal with the old one first, then the young one!”

No sooner had it finished speaking than the ground trembled once more.

At last, Jiang Feng realized that the fox demon had previously set up a faint gray barrier at the mouth of the alley, sealing him and the demon inside.

Thank goodness Miao had run fast enough earlier; if she’d hesitated for even a moment, she too would have been trapped, and then Jiang Feng would have been forced either to abandon her or to risk himself further by trying to protect her.

Now, someone had arrived at the alley entrance, forcefully breaking through the barrier!

Judging by the way the barrier shuddered, whoever was outside was not much weaker than the fox demon!

From a distance came a tender girl’s voice: “Uncle, that big brother went in here and hasn’t come out!”

A calm voice replied, “Hmm, I see. Thank you.”

Then, the ground shook for a third time, and with a resounding crash, the barrier shattered like glass, breaking into countless fragments!

Hearing this familiar voice, Jiang Feng was both shocked and elated.

It was Hua Su!

Even now, Hua Su possessed the Realm of Manifest Light, just matching the captain-ranked fox demon. Having spent years in the Demon Suppression Corps, he was extremely experienced in dealing with demons, and his chances of victory were high.

Jiang Feng had no idea why he was here, but his arrival brought a glimmer of hope.

Yet—Jiang Feng’s heart sank again.

The circulation of Manifest Power within Hua Su was incomplete; under normal circumstances, his power would continuously leak away. Each time he fought using Manifest Power, the leakage accelerated, shortening his lifespan.

In other words, any battle of even moderate duration meant he was wagering his life.

Jiang Feng clenched his teeth, his heart in his throat.

With the barrier broken, Hua Su strode into the alley, sweeping his gaze around before suddenly sneering, “No wonder this stench is so familiar. Huang Gui, so it’s you!”

Before him, the air rippled, forming a shadow. Hua Su flicked his hand, dispersing the shadow, which then wavered and gathered again.

The fox demon cackled shrilly, “Hua Qianfu, my old friend, who would have thought we’d meet here?”

Hua Su snorted coldly, “Some creatures managed to escape with their lives before, and now come seeking death again—what am I to do?”

The fox demon, Huang Gui, burst into laughter. “Hua Qianfu, I just love that confidence of yours!”

Suddenly, Hua Su raised his hand just as a small yellow fox darted from the corner. With a swipe of his fist, the yellow form exploded before him, the blast wave whipping his hair and clothes wildly.

Hua Su frowned. “You’re just as fond of these pointless feints as ever.”

He stepped back, taking a ready stance, and said gravely, “Come—let me show you what true combat is!”

No sooner had he spoken than countless yellow shadows shot out like lightning toward Hua Su. With a deep shout, the half-transparent fox-shaped wind blades shattered. The fragments didn’t vanish but swirled around Hua Su, rapidly forming a massive whirlwind.

Trash, droplets, and all manner of debris were swept up; even the little tufts of grass between the stones were ripped out, all hurtling madly towards Hua Su.

It was the first time Jiang Feng had witnessed a demon’s battle. He held his breath, watching with grave composure.

Amid the raging winds, Hua Su stood unmoved, shrouded in a faint golden glow that hovered just an inch from his skin. Neither wind nor debris could breach it.

He walked to the wall, where there was an iron railing. Grasping it, Hua Su wrenched it free.

With a flick of his hand, the iron bar became a spear, smashing down at the heart of the whirlwind with a sharp crack!

A howl of agony rang out, the whirlwind faltering as the fox demon snarled, “Not bad! At this stage, you can still see through to my true form!”

Hua Su leveled the bar, sneering, “Is that really so difficult?”

Before the words had faded, a blur of strikes followed as Hua Su pressed the attack.

The walls on either side began to crack, trembling violently and ready to collapse at any moment. A third-tier martial artist could already project Manifest Power externally, and in this confined space, the immense forces churned together, putting unbearable strain on the walls and houses.

The Celestial Cube suddenly accelerated its data absorption. Jiang Feng realized that the fox demon excelled at transformation, merging entirely with the air to become the whirlwind.

Yet even in this form, its core remained. Attacking the whirlwind directly could not harm the fox demon much; only by striking its core could it be fatally wounded.

Jiang Feng gradually saw the pattern of the fight, his heart rising with tension.

Hua Su could not afford a drawn-out battle; he had to win quickly. But the fox demon seemed well aware of this, hiding its demon core and stalling for time.

After a moment, Hua Su pulled back, staff at the ready, and called out, “Hiding and skulking—what sort of hero are you? If you have any guts, come out and fight me face to face!”

The fox demon laughed triumphantly, “A hero? That’s a human concern! I am a demon, a demon! Hua Su, you never expected I’d know your condition!”

Hua Su’s tone darkened. “You lured me here deliberately. Where is my apprentice? What have you done with him?”

Even as he fought, his mind was elsewhere, scanning for Jiang Feng’s presence and growing uneasy when he saw no sign of him.

The fox demon chuckled. “That boy is my bounty target. My employer wants him dead—do you really think he’d still be alive?”

Hua Su retorted sharply, “Impossible! That boy would never die without taking someone with him. If you’d killed him, you wouldn’t be so relaxed now.”

“Oh, such confidence in a mere novice...”

Before the words had faded, a pebble shot out from the corner, striking straight at a spot within the whirlwind. It was as if Hua Su had anticipated this; his staff flashed, its tip glowing gold as he thrust precisely where the pebble struck.

The staff touched the pebble, which instantly shattered into dust. At the same moment, a spurt of black, foul-smelling blood burst forth, the whirlwind scattering it into countless droplets.

“Aaah!” the fox demon howled, this time in genuine pain, not feigned.

The fox demon roared in fury, “Boy, where are you? How did you know my location?!”

A figure suddenly appeared behind Hua Su, standing at his back and smiling. “Thank you, Teacher Hua, for having such faith in me.”

Even Hua Su was surprised—not just the fox demon.

His own strength had been diminished by three ranks; his abilities greatly weakened. With the fox demon hiding its core, even he couldn’t easily pinpoint it.

But he had always trusted his instincts. Just now, he’d caught a glimpse of the pebble, and on a hunch, struck out.

He hadn’t expected that blow to succeed, nor had he noticed Jiang Feng’s hiding place until now.

Quickly, he asked, “Jiang Feng, are you alright?”

Jiang Feng’s voice sounded odd. “I—I’m fine...”

Hua Su sensed something amiss and was about to turn when, in front of him, the injured fox demon let out a deranged laugh, “Well, don’t think that just because you’re united, you’ll win. I haven’t spent all these years here for nothing!”

A thick miasma of demonic energy surged at them. Hua Su’s nose twitched, his expression changing as he spun and grabbed Jiang Feng around the waist, leaping into the air.

His timing was perfect; Jiang Feng felt the ground give way beneath him just as he was whisked up into a tree.

Just now, Jiang Feng had used a pebble to guide Hua Su to the fox demon’s core, leading to a successful strike. The demon core exploded with a torrent of demon blood, and as Jiang Feng rushed to Hua Su’s side, he passed through the spray.

Each drop of demon blood that touched his body burned like acid. His heart pounded violently, and the golden blood energy within him surged toward the demon blood like a shark scenting blood, nearly bursting from his veins.

His heartbeat and blood flow became erratic, blood rushing to his head and turning his face crimson.

Now, his vision grew blurred, a hazy red mist clouding his eyes.

Soon he realized it wasn’t just bloodshot eyes.

From every corner of the alley, from cracks in the walls, between bricks, on the well platform, under the eaves—blood was seeping out everywhere.

Bright red blood—human blood!

It flowed from all directions, converging on a single point in the alley.

There, centered on a core, the blood gradually coalesced into a humanoid form.

The blood quickly solidified, turning into a sickening black. The shape grew taller and more grotesque.

It had a head and limbs, but its head was that of a fox, utterly inhuman.

Jiang Feng had never heard of such a thing before, but beside him, Hua Su gritted his teeth and spat out four words—

“Flesh and Blood Sacrifice!”