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Chapter 19 Exterminating Demons (10.2k)
After wounding the monster, they heard it scream in agony. All the constables turned to look, and what they saw startled Liu Mao and the others.
What I was seeing was absolutely terrifying!
The figure turned around, and in the dim moonlight, everyone saw a terrifying face. The eyes were sunken, and one of the eye sockets was crawling with maggots. A long knife wound ran across the face, the flesh was torn and rolled up, and the rotting flesh was covered with white maggots crawling in and out.
After just one glance, everyone almost vomited.
"Holy shit!"
Liu Mao retreated repeatedly to avoid the monster's pounce. He saw the monster extend its hands, its scarlet fingernails about a foot long, like sharp knives. If he were to be cut by them, he would surely die.
At this moment, the constables were almost scared out of their wits.
"Oh my god, it's a ghost!"
A scream rang out, and one of the constables was terrified. He screamed and turned to run away, which triggered the emotions of the other constables. Although they did not immediately break down, they all showed expressions of fear.
As the squad leader, Liu Mao forced himself to calm down. He knew that if they scattered in the face of such an inhuman being, they would only be killed one by one.
Only by uniting, taking a gamble, and waiting for support can we have a glimmer of hope.
Thinking of this, Liu Mao shouted, "Everyone stop right there! No one is allowed to run away!"
Fortunately, his usual prestige was high enough that he managed to calm his group of constables down. They gripped their long swords tightly, formed a circle, and stared warily at the monster in front of them.
The monster was clearly not very agile. Although it looked terrifying, Liu Mao and the others breathed a slight sigh of relief when they actually faced it.
The previous slash had left a deep gash on the opponent's body, a result that greatly encouraged Liu Mao and the others.
No matter what kind of monster this is, since it can be cut by a knife, there's nothing to be afraid of. If one cut isn't enough, cut it twice; if two cuts aren't enough, cut it ten times.
It must be said that although Liu Mao and others were not well-educated, they understood the most basic principles.
There's a saying that goes, "If you show your health bar, you can kill even a god."
Although the unknown monster looked terrifying, resembling a walking corpse, as constables, they had seen all kinds of corpses. At this moment, Liu Mao and the others were full of confidence.
However, the monster's skin was very tough. Liu Mao and the others attacked and slashed it several times, but each time they hit it, it only caused minor injuries. On the contrary, the monster's counterattacks put Liu Mao and the others in danger, and they could be injured by the monster if they were not careful.
"Everyone, just hang in there a little longer. The Immortal Master and Lord Li will be here soon."
While boosting morale, Liu Mao took a moment to wipe away his cold sweat and catch his breath.
There was no way around it; high-intensity combat was simply too exhausting for ordinary people. If it weren't for the inappropriate circumstances, Liu Mao, as the main force in this battle, would have wanted to lie down and rest.
Just then, accompanied by a long howl, a figure flew over, none other than Xu Xian.
Seeing a disheveled figure fighting with Liu Mao and the other constables in the distance, Xu Xian secretly breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that the constables were not in mortal danger.
Leaping forward, Xu Xian suddenly drew his sword and unleashed a sword beam that slashed fiercely down at his opponent.
"puff!"
A fierce sword beam swept over and slammed into the monster, causing black blood to gush out. The monster was instantly cleaved in two.
Seeing that the immortal master had cleaved the monster in two with a single sword strike, Xu Mao and the others breathed a sigh of relief.
As expected of the immortal masters descended from Qianyuan Mountain, the monsters they had dealt with for so long were no match for Xu Xian and were killed on the spot.
"Greetings, Immortal Master!"
Liu Mao stepped forward and bowed to Xu Xian.
Xu Xian nodded, his gaze falling on the monster, and muttered, "What kind of monster is this?"
With Xu Xian by his side, Liu Mao became bolder and followed behind Xu Xian toward the monster.
Although the monster had been cut in two, it was still struggling. Xu Xian frowned and stepped forward. Just then, a tiger's roar came.
Immediately afterwards, a black tiger pounced out of the darkness, striking Xu Xian like a bolt of lightning.
"ah!"
A muffled groan escaped Xu Xian's lips. Driven by instinct, he swung his sword, the sharp blade striking the black tiger, sending both of them flying backward.
A human-like look flashed in Black Tiger's eyes, and he let out a roar. Then, the surrounding Yin energy gathered, and figures suddenly appeared, all of them looking like children.
Upon seeing the scene before him, Xu Xian exclaimed in shock, "This is... a mad ghost... what a wicked tiger demon, committing such a heinous crime."
Upon seeing the ghostly figures of children all around him, Xu Xian immediately realized that the missing children in Qiantang County had likely all been murdered and turned into vengeful spirits by the tiger demon.
Those who are eaten by tigers become ghosts after death, known as accomplices of tigers, attracting humans to become their prey. This is called being an accomplice to a tiger.
The Fisherman and Woodcutter's Idle Talk says: "The hunter said, 'This is a vengeful ghost. It used to be a person eaten by tigers. Now that it is a ghost, it serves the tigers.'"
Xu Xian had heard this rumor while on the mountain, but now this was the first time he had actually seen the tiger demon and its accomplices.
Although Xu Xian had some suspicions when Li Gongfu came to invite him to come out of seclusion, after all, the role of young boys and girls is very important, and many evil cultivators who practice evil arts will also capture some young boys and girls to practice their evil arts.
But Xu Xian never expected that a black tiger would actually become a spirit.
"You vicious tiger, prepare to die!"
Thinking of the dozen or so children who had gone missing in the county, all of whom had now been killed by the tiger demon, Xu Xian's eyes widened in fury. He roared and charged toward the tiger demon.