Chapter 55: Encounter with the Demon Race!

As the night deepened, reaching the latter half, the temperature in Luofeng Canyon sharply dropped. The surrounding wild beasts' howls grew increasingly frequent, echoing like the cries of ghosts and the howls of wolves.

The starlight dimmed, causing Ling Feng to furrow his brows as a strong sense of unease surged within him.

In the end, Ling Feng had strayed from the route Li Liang provided. However, logically, this area remained on the outskirts of Luofeng Canyon, and there shouldn't be any overpowered demonic beasts.

Suddenly!

A subtle sound reached Ling Feng's ears.

In an instant, he stood up, fixing his gaze upon a scene that left him astonished.

A demonic beast, resembling a fox and shrouded in a faint black smoke, moved with graceful strides. Its form was nimble, and like lightning, it effortlessly crossed the warning devices placed by Luo Jianying and the others on the outskirts of the cave. Stealthily, it approached their location.

"What kind of demonic beast is this, displaying such extraordinary intelligence?"

Ling Feng furrowed his brow and promptly shouted, "Get up quickly, there's a demonic beast approaching!"

Upon hearing Ling Feng's call, the demonic beast seemed taken aback. Nevertheless, within its crimson pupils, a cold gleam flashed, and it abruptly stood upright, accelerating its dash towards the cave.

Ling Feng's shout instantly woke up the members inside the cave. Each of them grabbed the weapons at their sides and rushed out.

However, upon witnessing the demonic beast standing upright, they were all taken aback. This was because the beast not only stood up but also held a large club crafted from an unknown beast bone in its hand!

A demonic beast with a weapon?

"T-This is no ordinary demonic beast; it's a member of the demon race!" Jiang Wanqing, being a true disciple at the Pulse Formation Realm, possessed much higher knowledge than the others.

"The demon race?" Luo Jianying's pupils suddenly contracted. "How can there be demon race in the Luofeng Canyon?"

The demon race, distinct from common demonic beasts, possessed human-like intelligence. They cultivated like humans and even had their own forces and territories.

Innately gifted with formidable cultivation instincts, surpassing ordinary humans, they might have dominated the entire Xuanling Continent if not for their reproductive capabilities lagging behind humans.

In the history of the Xuanling Continent, there have been countless large-scale wars between humans and the demon race, resulting in heavy casualties on both sides.

As the proverbial wisdom went, 'Different races harbor different hearts.' Whether belonging to the demon race or humanity, both harbored a relentless desire to eradicate the other.

Unfortunately, over tens of thousands of years, neither side has been able to achieve a decisive victory.

Following each major war, there would be a few centuries marked by relative tranquility. The present era could be classified as one of these stable periods.

In this era, humans dominated the grand cities and vast lakes, while the demon race claimed the great wilderness as their own.

Although Luofeng Canyon was categorized as a wilderness area, it functioned as a training ground for several sects and fell within human territories. Typically, demon races wouldn't be found in this region.

Therefore, the only plausible explanation was that this creature, with a fox-like appearance, had successfully undergone a self-induced mutation.

Originally, the demon race evolved from demonic beasts, and it was quite common for ordinary demonic beasts to undergo mutations, making such transformations a reasonable occurrence.

𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"Let's not ponder the origins of the demon race for now, let's eliminate it first!" Ling Feng abruptly unsheathed the Abysmal Inkblade.

The primary objective of this expedition was to have team members slay demonic beasts, the demon race was never included.

Given that Ling Feng had never encountered the demon race before, he considered it safer to personally intervene for added assurance.

"Jiang Wanqing, instruct the others to remain inside the cave. I'll take care of the demon myself," declared Ling Feng as his longsword gracefully swept through the air, initiating the Boundless Sword Steps. He moved with the fluidity of celestial clouds, leaping several times to swiftly approach the demon.

Clang!

Ling Feng thrusted his sword, targeting the demon's eye with a fierce strike.

The demon, its blood-red eyes displaying a hint of surprise, found itself taken aback by the unexpected speed of the human. Despite the seemingly modest aura, Ling Feng's ability to unleash such formidable speed in an instant was beyond the demon's anticipation.

Seizing its bone club, the demon swung it forcefully, colliding with Ling Feng's longsword.

Clang!

As the bone club collided with the sword, it produced scattered sparks. Ling Feng experienced a numbing sensation in his grip, prompting a deep furrow of his brow.

The demon's formidable strength was undeniably impressive.

If not for Ling Feng's use of the Xuanyuan Refinement Pill provided by Sect Leader Lin Canglang and the considerable progress in the Rock Body technique, his longsword might have slipped from his grasp after that forceful strike.

With a low growl, the demon swiftly retaliated with a reverse claw strike, tearing down fiercely.

The demon, in addition to its weapon proficiency, hadn't forgotten its instinctual use of sharp claws and fangs.

Suddenly, a faint black demonic qi spewed forth, aiming to disembowel the human before it.

"Get lost!"

Ling Feng's sword qi rippled, emanating a dark red glow. Ignited by the fiery essence of his true qi, it activated the sword qi of the Sunset Sword Technique, releasing a searing aura. The demon, seemingly averse to the flames, hastily retreated a few steps.

However, Ling Feng's sword had already descended with a forceful cleave.

"Crimson Sunset!"

The killing move of the Sunset Sword Technique erupted. In the air, a robust fiery aura enveloped the jet-black sword, erupting into a crimson brilliance with a swift 'whoosh.' The demon, caught off guard, failed to evade in time. One of its steel-like claws was severed by more than half.

Roar...

In agony, the demon let out a roar. Its pair of claws could easily rival mystical-grade weapons. Thankfully, Ling Feng's Abysmal Inkblade, refined under Broken Sword Elder meticulous craftsmanship, had ascended to the level of a top-grade mystical weapon. Otherwise, this sword clash might not have yielded such a favorable outcome.

However, this single strike completely enraged the demon, and amidst its roaring, it became even more savage and ruthless.

Every part of its body transformed into a potential deadly weapon—claws, sharp fangs, and a long tail...

Coordinated with the beast bone club in its hand, it appeared to go into a frenzy, willingly trading injuries to inflict even greater harm, determined to retaliate against Ling Feng.

Naturally advantaged by its beastly physique, demonic beasts inherently possessed superior defensive and regenerative abilities compared to humans. The demon, being a demonic beast by nature, shared these characteristics.

In an instant, dust engulfed the area, and sword qi surged as the human and the demon engaged in a frenzied battle.

The demon's body displayed multiple sword wounds, while Ling Feng's body bore numerous claw marks.

In these critical moments, the effectiveness of Ling Feng's cultivation in the Rock Body technique manifested. Without this technique, a single claw strike to his chest could have proven fatal.

"Azure Dragon Subdues the Vast Sea!"

Ling Feng's sword deflected the demon's beast bone club, leaving the demon's chest wide open. Seizing the opportunity, he delivered a fierce punch, executing the lethal move of the Ninefold Ocean-Guarding Fist, which landed forcefully on the creature's chest.

Bang!

In the void, the faint illusion of an azure dragon seemed to appear. As the dragon danced through the air, it overturned rivers and seas, creating tumultuous waves. This overwhelming force instantly shattered the defense of the demon.

Hiss!

Sent soaring for over ten meters, the demon left behind six deep claw marks on the ground. Its blood-red eyes glared menacingly at Ling Feng.

The fur on its chest was now dyed in a pungent red hue, and droplets of blood fell to the ground.

Yet, there was no evidence of significant harm; instead, it seemed to have been invigorated. The blood-red intensity in its eyes increased, and with a roar, it aggressively lunged back towards Ling Feng.

"It's still alive!" Ling Feng marveled at the demon's remarkable resilience. The continuous unleashing of lethal techniques had left him somewhat depleted.

"This is bad; he might not be able to withstand it alone!"

Jiang Wanqing clenched her teeth, drew her sword, and turned to Luo Jianying, stating, "You all stay here; I'll go help him!"