Chapter Twenty-Six: Dignity
At the instant he unleashed his punch, a sudden heat surged through Fang Xiao’s tailbone. A blazing force shot upward along his spine, instantly splitting into countless threads that surged into his organs, limbs, and every bone in his body.
Every joint in Fang Xiao’s body trembled in unison. Under the stimulation of that scorching energy, every muscle on him generated even greater power.
All of it gathered at his fist.
And then, with a thunderous crash, he slammed his iron fist into the giant grass demon’s chest!
This grass demon was far larger than any ordinary little fiend. Its body was solid and its limbs were thick and powerful. Across its chest, a shell resembling armor was woven from a mass of black-brown vines, a testament to its formidable defense.
Yet the moment Fang Xiao’s fist struck the vine armor, it shattered instantly, breaking into pieces.
His iron fist drove straight in without resistance, smashing into a withered vine inside the monster’s body—a vine that served as its spine!
A crisp crack rang out as the withered vine snapped.
The giant grass demon shuddered; its massive arms, poised to strike Fang Xiao, fell limp and powerless.
In the next instant, its entire body collapsed, scattering countless leaves and vines across the ground!
[Experience +20]
Fang Xiao exhaled deeply and withdrew his fist.
Blood was already streaming from the back of his hand.
The punch had indeed felt exhilarating, its power beyond anything he’d imagined. But it had come at a price.
With Fang Xiao’s crushing blow, the surrounding little grass demons immediately scattered in terror, squealing in panic as they fled in all directions, no longer daring to continue the fight.
But Fang Xiao would not let them go so easily!
He had come to Ten Li Slope to grind experience and hone his martial skills—how could he let these precious points escape?
Ignoring the pain in his right hand, he spun his arm and unfastened his combat belt.
Then began his pursuit of the little grass demons!
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The familiar sound echoed once more across Ten Li Slope.
The little grass demons were driven into a frenzy by Fang Xiao, finding no escape either above or below. Their cries and wails did nothing to save them from his whipping belt.
One by one, they burst apart into nothing but scraps!
He hunted them relentlessly for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, until not a single grass demon could be seen on Ten Li Slope.
Only then did Fang Xiao return to his original spot, still unsatisfied.
He wiped the sweat from his face with a towel, then opened the Red Sun Codex to check his gains for the night.
[Experience: 97]
Just three points shy of a hundred!
He recalled a few little grass demons that had managed to escape into the forest, having outrun his pursuit.
Fang Xiao slapped his thigh in annoyance.
He then checked the experience required to upgrade Dragon Tiger Stance.
It was more than enough.
So there was nothing to worry about!
Fang Xiao didn’t immediately invest his newly acquired experience points.
His previous experience had taught him that leveling up in the wild was far from wise.
If a giant grass demon suddenly appeared while his mind was dazed from leveling up…
He’d be better off smashing his head into a block of tofu!
With that thought, Fang Xiao wrapped his injured fist with his towel. Based on past wounds, it would heal quickly—aside from the pain, it was nothing.
He had no intention of returning to the temple just yet.
He wanted to stay longer, to see if any new grass demons or other monsters would appear.
After all, these creatures weren’t very bright.
For all he knew, the ones who fled might come right back.
Just then, Fang Xiao’s gaze sharpened.
He saw scattered glimmers of light across the slope, twinkling like stars in the night sky.
There weren’t many, but he understood immediately.
He rose to his feet at once, grinning as he went to collect his spoils.
The sparkling objects on the grass were demon crystals, left behind when the little grass demons were destroyed.
Demon crystals didn’t glow on their own, but under the moonlight, the stones refracted a faint radiance.
It made them easy for Fang Xiao to spot and pluck from the grass.
One, two, three…
To his great delight, Fang Xiao even found a demon crystal the size of his thumb.
This one had dropped from the giant grass demon!
He hadn’t noticed it during the heat of battle, all his focus on the fight itself.
Luckily, he’d recovered it now.
While Fang Xiao was gleefully gathering his spoils, Daoist Pang was hurrying along the mountain road under the stars and moon.
Though his frame was rotund, his movements were nimble and swift. A flick of his sleeve would send him gliding a hundred paces in an instant.
The tangled forests posed no obstacle to him.
Before long, Daoist Pang arrived at the entrance of a pitch-black cave.
He gazed into the darkness and let out a cold laugh, his voice ringing out: “Old Monster Yellow Wind, get out here now and face me!”
No sooner had he spoken than a large yellow weasel poked its head out of the cave, its eyes full of suspicion.
The moment it spotted Daoist Pang, the creature was startled and tried to retreat.
But Daoist Pang’s eyes were quick; he flicked his horsetail whisk forward in a flash.
A hundred snowy white strands shot out like lightning, wrapping the yellow weasel tightly even as it retreated into the shadows.
With a yank, he hauled it out!
“Aaagh!”
The yellow weasel tumbled to the ground, the whisk’s threads strangling it so tightly its eyes nearly bulged from their sockets. A wretched scream escaped its lips.
Daoist Pang sneered, “I’ll count to three. If you’re not out by then, don’t blame me for showing no mercy!”
“One!”
As he counted, the threads binding the yellow weasel tightened further, burrowing into its fur and flesh.
The pain left the weasel speechless.
“Two!”
“Xuan Pingzi.”
An old yellow weasel, draped in a yellow robe and leaning on a vine-wood staff, slowly emerged from the shadows of the cave.
It fixed Daoist Pang with a sinister gaze. “Don’t go too far.”
“Me, going too far?”
Daoist Pang flew into a rage. “You dared attack my people while I was away, and now you accuse me of excess?”
The old yellow weasel fell silent for a moment before replying, “It was your people who killed my descendants first.”
“Bah!” Daoist Pang spat thickly. “Your brat barely gained sentience before it tried to block the road, then ran off to Zhen Village to extort and do evil. It deserved to die!”
Flames of anger flickered in the old weasel’s eyes.
But it did not lash out. Instead, it spoke gravely, “Xuan Pingzi, you once held the title of Adept. Shouldn’t you show some dignity befitting your station?”
“Dignity? To hell with your dignity!”
Daoist Pang flicked his sleeve, tossing five shriveled yellow weasel corpses—two large, three small—onto the ground. “Here’s your dignity!”
“Xuan Pingzi!”
The old yellow weasel muttered in rage, its cloudy eyes brimming with venomous hatred.
“Angry, are you?”
Daoist Pang grinned. “Good! If you’re angry, then fight me, old thing! Come on, Ke Mang!”
He flicked his hand, instantly retracting the whisk strands from the yellow weasel.
At the same time, his left hand formed a spell seal.
The old weasel’s eye twitched, the claws gripping its staff creaking with tension.
A fierce battle seemed about to erupt.
But the old yellow weasel only let out a dispirited sigh and said dully, “Forget it. I’ll restrain my kin; we won’t approach the temple or Zhen Village again.”
With that, it waved its staff, conjuring a gust of demon wind from thin air.
It swept the yellow weasel and the five corpses into the cave.
At the same time, the old weasel’s figure vanished as well.
Daoist Pang snorted, making no move to stop them.
His eyes rolled slyly, and he suddenly turned, lifting the hem of his robe.
He aimed his pig-like rear at the cave.
BOOM!
With a deafening roar, an overwhelming and unspeakable surge of noxious gas blasted into Yellow Wind Cave like a tidal wave.