Chapter 40: Righteous Justice Against Demons

At the summit of Ramhorn Mountain, the wolves howled incessantly, their cries filled with ferocity and fury, yet beneath it all was a faint hint of weakness. In stark contrast, the blood-smoke rising from the mountaintop grew ever more intense—a force waning in one, waxing in the other. The scales of victory had already tipped decisively.

"What terrifying vitality!"

Standing midway up the mountain, watching the surging aura, Lu Xuanping's expression grew grave. Above his head floated an oil-paper umbrella, shrouding them from all detection; neither rats nor wolves sensed their presence.

"Yang Lie, you are a martial artist—what do you make of this?" With doubts crowding his mind, Lu Xuanping turned to the burly man. At that moment, Yang Lie gazed at the blazing blood-smoke spiraling skyward, his face full of astonishment, only returning to himself upon hearing Lu Xuanping's question.

"Captain, this vitality is pure—not like a demon beast. I suspect there's a martial arts grandmaster up there." Hesitating, Yang Lie offered his opinion. Born with innate strength, he was a promising candidate for martial training, his own vitality formidable, yet he had never witnessed something so overwhelming. The killing intent mixed in with the aura made him immediately think of a grandmaster.

Lu Xuanping fell into deep thought. Martial arts grandmasters were exceedingly rare; in some ways, even less common than cultivators. He himself knew only a handful, and none should have appeared here.

"Could it be that Ironman Tu, the notorious bandit of the river, is here? In this region, he is the strongest in the martial path, with exceptional talent and connections to the Gao family. If aided by them, he might indeed break through to grandmaster."

Names drifted through Lu Xuanping's mind as his thoughts wandered.

Seeing him lost in contemplation, Yang Lie and the female cultivator Yue Xiu exchanged glances, both feeling a growing urge to withdraw. Though a martial arts grandmaster was inferior to a Qi-cultivator, they were still far more terrifying than the wolf king, even at its peak.

With their combined strength, they could perhaps retreat from the wolf king, but facing a martial grandmaster would be another matter. Should conflict arise, Lu Xuanping, as captain, might escape unscathed, but the two of them—both from humble origins—were far less certain.

As the three hesitated, a mournful howl echoed. A green shadow—none other than the wolf king—leapt desperately down from the summit. Compared to before, the wolf king was utterly battered, its eyes blinded, body smeared with blood, and one of its legs broken.

After a bout with Jiang Chen, its pride and ferocity had been utterly shattered. Now, its sole thought was escape; to the wolf king, Jiang Chen was nothing short of a monster wearing human skin.

"That's the wolf king..." Sensing its savage and tragic aura as it drew near, Yue Xiu instinctively prepared to cast a spell, fingers forming a seal, but Lu Xuanping stopped her just in time.

It was then that Jiang Chen's phantom-like figure appeared.

“Struggling in its death throes.”

He seemed to skim lightly atop the wolf king’s back, as a dragonfly touches water, yet the impact was as crushing as a mountain. The wolf king collapsed, its demonic wind dispersed, and before it could recover, Jiang Chen’s palm pressed down upon its head.

Though Jiang Chen’s hand carried no visible force, at that moment the wolf king truly sensed the approach of death.

“It’s time to end this.”

With the demonic wind no longer shielding it, Jiang Chen’s hand touched the wolf king’s fur, and he invoked the Skinning Art.

In the next instant, with a gentle tear, the wolf king’s pelt was stripped away, whole.

A final howl, torn alive and already gravely wounded, the wolf king convulsed several times before its life ended.

Beneath the concealing umbrella, Lu Xuanping and his companions held their breath at the bloody spectacle. They had never expected the wolf king, whom they had approached with such caution, to die so abruptly before their eyes.

Just then, a cold gaze fell upon them.

At the same time, an undercurrent stirred—the rats began to converge from all directions.

Lu Xuanping sighed inwardly, knowing it was almost certainly because Yue Xiu had inadvertently revealed their presence.

Indeed, it was so—her spellcasting had caused a fluctuation Jiang Chen detected. The umbrella, though ingenious, was ultimately a low-grade talisman, its abilities limited.

“Hundred-man captain of the Demon Slayer Bureau, Lu Xuanping, eldest son of the Lu family, greets you, fellow cultivator.”

Suppressing all stray thoughts, Lu Xuanping put on a gentle smile, stowed the umbrella, and bowed to Jiang Chen.

Traveling outside, identity mattered. Facing such a dangerous figure, Lu Xuanping did not hesitate—he quickly invoked his two greatest sources of backing, hoping to avert any unpleasant outcomes.

Jiang Chen’s gaze swept over the three figures now revealed, lingering for a moment on the umbrella.

Feeling his scrutiny, Lu Xuanping’s expression remained unchanged.

“Demon Slayer Bureau? You came for the wolf demon?”

Seeing their mix of two cultivators and a martial artist, and their almost iconic attire, Jiang Chen was certain of their identity.

Though newly arrived, he knew a bit about the Demon Slayer Bureau and the Lu family; the former was the most formidable force in the Southern View Kingdom, the latter a powerful clan in Qingyuan County, rumored to have a Qi-cultivator presiding over their household.

Seeing Jiang Chen refrain from attacking immediately, Lu Xuanping felt some relief.

“You are correct, fellow cultivator. We were ordered by our superior to investigate the wolf demon’s situation. We had hoped to use this umbrella to ascend the mountain, but unexpectedly witnessed your heroic slaying of the wolf king.”

Once again, Lu Xuanping subtly emphasized their backing, and proactively presented the umbrella.

Jiang Chen’s gaze again fell upon the umbrella; it was his first time seeing a talisman artifact. Though he inherited teachings, he’d never possessed one himself.

In truth, few cultivators bothered crafting talisman artifacts—they were inefficient, troublesome to use, and required considerable skill. Ordinary cultivators could rarely harness their full potential.

Catching Jiang Chen's interest, Lu Xuanping knew his guess was correct.

“Fellow cultivator, you have not only slain the wolf king but purged the entire pack—a deed of great merit. I wish to present this talisman artifact to you, as a token of gratitude from the people of Qinghe County for your righteous act.”

With these words, Lu Xuanping offered the umbrella to Jiang Chen.

To him, the talisman was valuable, but not indispensable—its worth depended on the recipient.

Seeing Lu Xuanping’s gesture, Jiang Chen looked at him deeply; meeting his gaze, Lu Xuanping remained composed. In that moment, as the mountain breeze swept by, the stench of blood on Ramhorn Mountain seemed to fade away.