33: Lingshi, veteran!

Jiang Chen didn't take Ding Wuhen's disrespectful words to heart.

However, seeing his original enemy killed by Ding Wuhen, Jiang Chen immediately checked his panel.

【Enemy Kill Value: 39】

“Good, good.”

“The number is just right.”

Jiang Chen breathed a sigh of relief.

If he killed Ding Wuhen, he would have exactly 40 Enemy Kill Value, enough to open a martial arts scroll again.

Otherwise, it would be extremely frustrating to be just a little short of being able to open it.

“What’s just right?”

Ding Wuhen heard Jiang Chen's murmur and couldn't help but ask.

“Nothing major.”

“By the way, may I ask, are you also a rat spirit?”

Jiang Chen asked, putting down his hunting bow and drawing his machete.

Rat spirit?

Ding Wuhen instantly crushed the heart he had just bitten into, his eyes filled with killing intent.

He was from the noble Diaolei Rat clan.

Seeing Ding Wuhen's angry expression, Jiang Chen knew that he must have misunderstood.

“Brother, don’t misunderstand, I’m not insulting your identity.”

“I’m just distinguishing. If you’re a demon, then I’ll leave your corpse intact later so I can exchange it for contribution points.”

Jiang Chen said with a sincere expression.

Ding Wuhen immediately scoffed at his words.

“Heh heh, overestimating yourself.”

“It seems that the drop of Xiantian Realm demon blood should be in your hands.”

“It wasn’t in vain for me to come here.”

Ding Wuhen said indifferently, glancing at the corpses at his feet.

If he had really left things to these people, there was no telling how badly they would have messed it up.

“Demon blood?”

“Yes, it’s in my hand.”

Jiang Chen nodded.

Upon receiving a definite answer, Ding Wuhen also gave a cruel smile.

The next moment, with a loud crack.

A black rat tail suddenly lashed out from behind Ding Wuhen.

The rat tail swept over with a strong gust of wind.

Crack!

Jiang Chen had seen rat demons' tails before; they were extremely flexible, and this was a good chance to test his footwork.

Even in such a critical moment, Jiang Chen did not abandon the thought of Cultivating.

Step!

As the Teng Snake Step was executed, Jiang Chen's figure immediately shifted around.

Ding Wuhen's tail lashed out continuously, carrying a terrifying gust of wind.

“Crack!”

After more than forty consecutive attacks,

Ding Wuhen's tail was, after all, a fraction faster than Jiang Chen's.

It instantly entangled Jiang Chen.

“Heh heh.”

Ding Wuhen's lips curled up.

A mere human, still dreaming of slaying demons and achieving fame?

The slender tail, despite its size, possessed immense power and could also extend.

It directly pulled Jiang Chen in front of him.

“Don’t struggle.”

“It’s nothing to kill Ding Maoshan; that guy was just a servant, and after transforming, he barely reached the Houtian Realm.”

“You want to break free from my restraints.”

“You’ll need at least thirty thousand catties of strength.”

“Do you… have it?”

Ding Wuhen wantonly mocked Jiang Chen.

He loved watching these weak humans struggle, fear, and even beg for mercy due to their insufficient strength.

But the scene Ding Wuhen anticipated did not occur.

Jiang Chen merely exerted a slight force with both hands.

It was as if he was stretching, but with a bang.

He directly broke free from Ding Wuhen's tail.

The tail snapped into several pieces.

A searing pain struck, but at this moment, Ding Wuhen couldn't care about the pain in his tail.

At this moment, one of Jiang Chen's palms was covering the top of Ding Wuhen's head.

“How is that possible…?”

“To break free from my restraints, you need at least thirty thousand catties of immense strength!”

“Thirty thousand catties is at least Houtian Realm Sixth Rank.”

“How could this human boy in front of me possibly have Houtian Realm Sixth Rank Cultivation!”

“He clearly has no Spiritual Qi at all!”

Ding Wuhen was utterly horrified.

Pressed down by Jiang Chen's head, he couldn't utter a single word.

He only heard Jiang Chen say indifferently,

“To kill you, a hundred thousand catties of strength should be enough.”

The next moment, Jiang Chen's fist, like a cannon, slammed heavily into Ding Wuhen's chest.

Boom!

At that instant, Ding Wuhen seemed to see his great-grandmother.

“Thump!”

As he saw his great-grandmother waving to him,

Ding Wuhen's internal organs were also pulverized by Jiang Chen's power.

He was ultimately pierced through by the immense force.

A bloody hole burst open in his back.

His pulverized internal organs and flesh splattered out, falling to the ground.

Ding Wuhen's eyes lost their focus, eventually dimming.

His limbs fell limply.

At the same time, without the support of his demonic power, Ding Wuhen's body transformed back into the appearance of a black-furred rat.

“Although the internal organs are empty, it should still be acceptable for delivery.”

Jiang Chen thought to himself.

“Ding… Enemy Kill Value +1”

“Ding… Cultivation Value +10”

Ten Cultivation Value?

Jiang Chen's heart was filled with joy.

Ding Wuhen had just said that the one he killed before only had Houtian Realm strength after transforming, which meant he was originally in the Body Tempering Realm.

So, it could be understood that Body Tempering Realm demons give five Cultivation Value.

And Houtian Realm demons give ten Cultivation Value.

At least, that's how it seemed for now.

The main thing was that a Houtian Realm demon could bring Jiang Chen a hundred contribution points.

This was still very useful for Jiang Chen.

As long as he accumulated enough contribution points, he could go to the Shangwu Pavilion to exchange for more powerful Martial Skills, or even some resource Medicinal Pills.

The opportunity for a martial arts scroll was extremely precious.

If it wasn't a particularly powerful Medicinal Pill, Jiang Chen naturally wouldn't exchange for it, so some daily Cultivation resources still had to be exchanged at the Shangwu Pavilion.

Of course, there was another source.

Jiang Chen took off the Storage Ring from Ding Wuhen's hand.

Ding Wuhen's Storage Ring was much larger than Ding Maoshan's previous one.

There were also many good things inside.

“Ten Qi-Enhancing Pills worth three thousand taels.”

“Two Body Tempering Pills worth forty thousand taels.”

“What kind of Medicinal Pill is this… it seems to be of a higher Rank, I haven’t seen it before.”

Jiang Chen took out a medicine bottle and poured out a pale yellow Medicinal Pill.

He sniffed it, and the fragrance of the Medicinal Pill seemed to have a refreshing and invigorating effect.

“It should be for Mental Energy enhancement; I’d better not eat it carelessly for now.”

Jiang Chen put the Medicinal Pill away.

Besides these main Medicinal Pills, Ding Wuhen’s ring actually contained a thousand taels in gold notes and a hundred thousand taels in silver notes.

Adding them up, it amounted to two hundred thousand taels of silver.

“Catching a wanted criminal from the Black Tiger Gang only gives a hundred taels, but killing a useless demon gets two hundred thousand taels…”

No wonder the imperial court was starting to purge these demons; each and every one of them was incredibly wealthy.

Moreover, these demons were also exploiting the hard-earned money of the common people.

“Hmm? This thing… could it be the legendary Spirit Stone?”

Jiang Chen finally pulled out two stones emitting a faint glow, three fingers long and half a finger wide. They weren't cut but polished. From these transparent stones, Jiang Chen also felt a refreshing aura, an aura similar to the effect produced after he set up the Nine Yang Spirit Gathering Array.

It is said that after one's Cultivation reaches the Xiantian Realm, the resources, martial arts, weapons, and even daily Cultivation all require Spirit Stones for exchange.

Ordinary gold and silver are already useless.

Spirit Stones are the true hard currency.

Jiang Chen had only heard of them; whether the items in his hand were Spirit Stones still required further research.

Afterward, Jiang Chen also used a sack to pack Ding Wuhen's corpse. After this guy reverted to his original form, his original appearance could still be faintly discerned.

He could directly go to the yamen to claim the reward later.

As for the Ding Family guards he had killed, they were naturally all considered accomplices of the demons.

The commotion here quickly attracted the city guards, as this was within the inner city, and such a large disturbance could hardly be ignored.

And the first person to arrive was actually the constable Nie Wenlong, whom Jiang Chen had met before.

Nie Wenlong, with a few junior constables, arrived at this bamboo forest. When he saw the tragic aftermath of the great battle and the corpses scattered everywhere, he immediately gasped.

“This is… Feng San, a guard from the Ding Family?”

Nie Wenlong was startled when he saw the corpses of Feng San and others.

Suddenly, they saw a figure emerge from the forest and quickly drew their swords in alert.

“Who goes there!”

The first thing that caught their eye was a token.

It had the words “Black Yamen” written on it.

“Black Yamen!?”

Nie Wenlong's heart skipped a beat, and his expression softened slightly.

When he saw that the person who emerged was Jiang Chen, Nie Wenlong's expression became shocked again.

“You… you are Jiang Chen!?”

“Lord Nie, long time no see.”

Jiang Chen said with a smile.

Nie Wenlong recognized Jiang Chen, and then looking at the surrounding scene, which resembled Hell, he wondered, “These people… were all killed by Jiang Chen?”

When he first saw Jiang Chen in Da Huai Village, he knew Jiang Chen was not simple.

But he never expected Jiang Chen to hide his true abilities so deeply.

And he had transformed into a member of the Black Yamen; even as an External Guard, he was their superior.

After all, External Guards were specifically for dealing with demons.

“I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare. You are now my superior, I should address you as Lord.”

Nie Wenlong quickly said.

“These people are all connected to demons and were killed by me.”

“You take the rat tail back tonight and have these corpses removed. As for the demon's corpse, I will personally deliver it to the verification hall tomorrow.”

Jiang Chen said.

Giving the rat demon's tail to Nie Wenlong was also to give Nie Wenlong some explanation.

Otherwise, so many people dying for no reason would inevitably be a major case.

But if it was related to demons, then all matters would not be Nie Wenlong's responsibility; he would only need to follow orders.

“Yes, Lord!”

Nie Wenlong nodded, saying respectfully.

Seeing the demon rat tail, although it was only a small section, it was comparable to an ox's tail. If the tail alone was so powerful, then how extraordinary must the demon's strength be.

Seeing Nie Wenlong's constrained demeanor, Jiang Chen also felt quite emotional.

Indeed, the strong are respected.

“Thank you all for your hard work.”

Jiang Chen handed Nie Wenlong a silver note worth a hundred taels.

It was also a repayment for Nie Wenlong guiding him earlier.

Afterward, Jiang Chen returned to Purple Bamboo Manor.

Jiang Chen had just activated the Formation, and the sounds of fighting outside were isolated.

Cheng Yurou stood in front of the door, her eyes filled with worry as she looked towards the main entrance.

It wasn't until Jiang Chen returned that she finally smiled.

“Rou’er, why are you standing here? It’s cold outside, hurry inside.”

Seeing Jiang Chen covered in the scent of blood, Cheng Yurou didn't ask much, but obediently went to prepare hot water.

After Jiang Chen's repeated persuasion, Cheng Yurou finally went back to her room to sleep. After all, it was already late at night, and Cheng Yurou's body was inherently delicate and couldn't endure staying up late.

At this moment, Jiang Chen was soaking in the bathtub.

He closed his eyes to rest, but in his mind, he brought up the System panel.

The icon for the martial arts scroll glowed once more.

When Jiang Chen's thought moved, and he chose to consume forty Enemy Kill Value to open the martial arts scroll,

he heard another voice.

“Ding… Cumulative Enemy Kill Value consumed has reached 100 points. Novice guidance completed. Rewarding Veteran’s Gift Pack.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chen's heart trembled.

Huh!?

Veteran’s Gift Pack!?

How fun!

Jiang Chen looked closely and, sure enough, a treasure chest-shaped icon popped up in the place of the original Novice Gift Pack.

It clearly said “Veteran’s Gift Pack.”

Jiang Chen immediately decided to open the Veteran’s Gift Pack first, and then look at the three-choice option for the martial arts scroll.

After all, the contents of the gift pack were fixed.

He could make his choice for the martial arts scroll based on what he received from the gift pack.

“Open Veteran’s Gift Pack.”

“Ding… Opening Veteran’s Gift Pack.”

“Obtained…”