Everyone was frozen in terror, but a figure shot forward like a bolt of lightning.
Song Ying gasped and reflexively cried out, “Senior Sister Yun!”
Everyone present knew Yun Fuzhao’s level of strength.
What was she, a mere Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator, doing charging in?
Was she trying to get herself killed?
Song Ying gritted her teeth and looked at the other Outer Disciples.
“We can’t just stand by and do nothing!”
One of the Outer Disciples hesitated.
“There’s no way the few of us can beat this Demon Beast.
We’d be better off evacuating the villagers as soon as possible.”
He had a point.
Even if they joined the fight, it would be a suicide mission.
“I just sent a signal to the Sect,” Song Ying said.
“They’ll send reinforcements soon.”
Song Ying drew her longsword.
“I’m going to help them.
If you’re afraid, then stay here.”
The remaining disciples exchanged glances.
All but the one who had first hesitated followed after her.
“Let’s show Duan Wenhao that we Outer Disciples aren’t completely useless!”
“Exactly!
If you’re afraid to die, what’s the point of cultivating?!”
Just then, an earth-shattering roar ripped through the air.
The disciples were steeling themselves to sacrifice their lives when they saw a white figure brandishing a treasure sword, bringing it down viciously upon the Demon Beast.
The biting sword qi was unstoppable, carving a deep trench in the ground as it sliced the several-meter-tall Demon Beast clean in half.
The beast didn’t even have time to dodge.
Everyone stared, dumbfounded.
One disciple’s longsword fell from his hand, CLANGING against the ground.
‘That was a third-rank Demon Beast, and it died before she even completed a single move?
It was killed by a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator?’
“Senior Sister Yun’s aura…
it’s clearly not that of the Foundation Establishment Stage.”
Most of these disciples had only just reached the Foundation Establishment Stage, so of course they couldn’t discern the strength of a cultivator with a higher cultivation level.
Yun Fuzhao withdrew Wuji, her heart pounding in her chest.
‘This is the first time I’ve ever used Wuji, but it felt completely natural.
Is this the bond between a master and their Lifebound Sword?
In truth, I don’t even know how I managed to charge forward.
The original owner of this body had average strength, but her physical conditioning was excellent.
My body must have reacted to the danger before my mind could even process it.’
She looked at the Demon Beast she had split in two and was hit by a wave of belated nausea.
The single sword strike had been like slicing a vegetable, cleaving the Demon Beast down the middle.
Yun Fuzhao could even see its bisected organs, and a sticky, reddish fluid was pooling on the ground.
The thick, cloying stench of blood filled her nostrils, making her want to gag.
The sight was too overwhelming.
Yun Fuzhao couldn’t hold it in any longer and ran to the side to throw up.
When Song Ying and the others arrived, they were greeted by the sight of Yun Fuzhao squatting at the side, vomiting her guts out.
It was a stark contrast to the cool, heroic figure who had just delivered that incredible sword strike.
Two disciples ran over to help up the unconscious Duan Wenhao and fed him a Blood Stopping Pill.
Song Ying went to Yun Fuzhao’s side and patted her back.
“Senior Sister Yun, are you all right?”
Yun Fuzhao was practically limp from vomiting.
“No.
I was scared to death.”
‘Before I transmigrated, I’d never even killed a fish, and now I’ve just slaughtered a massive Demon Beast.
My poor heart can’t take it.’
Song Ying found this a little amusing.
“You didn’t look scared at all when you were cutting down the Demon Beast.”
After a moment, Yun Fuzhao felt a bit better.
She stood up and said, her voice still shaky with lingering fear, “I was terrified.”
Song Ying just assumed she was being modest, and her eyes filled with even more admiration.
Yun Fuzhao’s sword strike had been simply incredible.
Floating in midair with her robes fluttering, she had looked like a true Great Power.
Soon, disciples from the Wuya Sword Sect arrived.
The one leading them was Cui Hong, a Direct Disciple from Qingluo Peak.
The Cui siblings were Yu Nian’er’s loyal lackeys.
‘When did Duan Wenhao get this strong?’ Cui Hong wondered in surprise upon seeing the bisected Soul-devouring Beast.
‘To think he could kill it in a single blow.’
He assumed that among the group present, only Duan Wenhao had that kind of power.
Just as Duan Wenhao came to, Cui Hong walked over to him.
“You did very well.
I will report your meritorious deed to the Sect.”
Duan Wenhao started, his gaze shifting to Yun Fuzhao.
“Senior Brother Cui, I wasn’t the one who killed the Demon Beast.”
Cui Hong looked puzzled.
“Then who was?”
“Yun Fuzhao killed it.”
Before he lost consciousness, Duan Wenhao had seen Yun Fuzhao take down the Demon Beast in a single move.
Although he’d always looked down on Yun Fuzhao, he wasn’t so shameless as to be ungrateful.
If it weren’t for her, he would have died in the beast’s jaws.
“Yun Fuzhao???”
Cui Hong let out a squawk of disbelief.
He whipped his head around to look at Yun Fuzhao, who was standing off to the side with a pale face.
She looked nothing like someone who could kill a Demon Beast in a single blow.
‘That was a Demon Beast—a third-rank Demon Beast, no less—not some stray cat or dog.
What kind of joke is Duan Wenhao playing?’
“Duan Wenhao, what nonsense are you spouting?
How could Yun Fuzhao possibly kill it?”
Song Ying quickly spoke up.
“Senior Brother Cui, I’ll vouch for it.
Senior Sister Yun is the one who killed it.”
The other Outer Disciples chimed in as well.
“We all saw it.
It was Senior Sister Yun.”
Even the spectating villagers chimed in with their agreement.
Cui Hong’s brow furrowed.
He shot back at Song Ying, “Enough.
Everyone knows you’re close with Yun Fuzhao.
These villagers are just siding with you; of course they’ll repeat whatever you say.”
To be frank, Cui Hong despised disciples who came from villages.
All of his peers were either rich or noble.
He and his friends often gossiped about how disciples from villages had a certain stench about them.
He absolutely loathed dealing with such poor, shabby cultivators.
‘I used to just look down on Yun Fuzhao, but to think she’d start mixing with these paupers after leaving Purple Sun Peak.
How degrading.’
“I can’t be bothered to waste any more time on you,” Cui Hong said, walking over to the Demon Beast’s corpse.
He retrieved a Beast Core from its Dantian.
“Since none of you will tell the truth, I’ll be taking this Beast Core.”
Song Ying was furious at his shamelessness and was about to argue, but Yun Fuzhao held her back.
“The Sect’s rules cover both demon beasts and Demon Beasts: whoever kills one, claims it.
Is Junior Brother Cui attempting to claim this for himself?”
Yun Fuzhao was the oldest among their generation of disciples, so there was nothing wrong with her calling him junior brother.
Cui Hong, however, was furious.
“Who are you calling junior brother?
Do you still think you’re a disciple of Purple Sun Peak?
The kill belongs to the killer, sure.
But do you have any proof that you killed this Demon Beast?”
Yun Fuzhao knew he was determined to take the Beast Core for himself.
‘Beast Cores can be used for refining elixirs or for feeding spirit pets.
Cui Hong must want to give this to Yu Nian’er for her Alchemy.’
‘I’m the one who killed it.
Why should I just hand it over to someone else?’
“There’s no point arguing with you.
We just need to take this Beast Core to the Merit Hall for appraisal.
They’ll be able to tell who killed it.”
The elders at the Merit Hall can extract a beast’s memories from before its death to determine its killer.
This is to prevent disciples from making false claims within the Sect.
Cui Hong sneered.
He didn’t believe for a second that Yun Fuzhao could have killed the Demon Beast.
“Since you’re so intent on humiliating yourself,” he replied, “I’ll be happy to oblige.”