148: I'm sorry, thank you

The Gemini Fierce Demons, having finished splitting, suddenly smiled in unison and then shot toward Xie Ning even faster than before.

Pfft!

Little Mantis used its Talent [Sound Kill], slicing through space to appear in front of Xie Ning. The Gemini Fierce Demon's four claws were all severed and fell to the ground, before Little Mantis followed up with two kicks that sent them flying over ten meters away.

"Jie jie~ We want to eat meat!" The Gemini Fierce Demons charged again, their four claws regrowing mid-flight.

Little Mantis met the female Fierce Demon. Although its Rank and grade were inferior to hers, it managed to barely hold its own with its speed, occasionally using Sound Kill to wound her.

On the other side, Xie Ning, White Fang, and the Single-headed Fierce Demon were also locked in combat with the male Fierce Demon. However, their speed couldn't match his, and after a dozen rounds, they were quickly covered in wounds, causing the three fighting the Wandering Souls nearby to worry.

"Fei Shanqiu, take over!"

Qin Tianyu assessed the situation and decisively abandoned the Wandering Souls to join the battle against the male Fierce Demon.

Fei Shanqiu shouted exasperatedly, "What the hell! You really think that highly of me!"

Despite his roaring, his hands didn't slow down at all as he summoned a Flesh Demon to pin down one of the Wandering Souls.

Qin Tianyu's speed was second only to Little Mantis when not using its Talent. With his addition, Xie Ning finally gained some breathing room.

Suddenly, the Gemini Fierce Demons engaged in battle flashed sinister crimson smiles. In the next second, the female Fierce Demon in front of Little Mantis disappeared, reappearing beside the male Fierce Demon who had just blocked everyone's attacks.

Not good!

Xie Ning thought to himself, and then he saw the female Fierce Demon take advantage of the moment when everyone's old strength was exhausted and their new strength had yet to gather to pierce the Single-headed Fierce Demon's heart with a claw.

"Roar—"

The Single-headed Fierce Demon let out a scream of agony and collapsed to the ground.

Unlike the Gemini Fierce Demons, who were like the walking dead, it could feel pain.

The female Fierce Demon moved to attack again, but an infuriated Little Mantis had already rushed over and sent her flying, and the battle continued.

Seeing the Single-headed Fierce Demon's heart pierced from a distance, Fei Shanqiu was so angry his face contorted. He shouted, "Damn it! You despicable bastards, even using sneak attacks!"

Having its heart struck, the Single-headed Fierce Demon completely lost its combat capability. Though not dead, it only had enough strength left to breathe.

With its defense gone, Xie Ning's side of the battlefield fell into a complete crisis.

On Fei Shanqiu's side, while cursing at the Single-headed Fierce Demon, the fire in his heart became increasingly difficult to suppress. He ignored his own defense and attacked like a madman, quickly resolving several Wandering Souls and leaving one for Su Qin to handle while he ran to the Single-headed Fierce Demon's position.

"Hey! Turtle son, how are you doing?"

"Are you dead yet? If not, let out a roar."

"You really are..."

Before Fei Shanqiu could finish his rambling, he was sent flying by a punch from the Single-headed Fierce Demon.

"Fei Shanqiu! Form the contract quickly! If you don't, it will definitely die here, and so will we! Hurry!" Xie Ning shouted without looking back, relying on his Flame Ring to withstand the male Fierce Demon's attacks.

Creatures like the Fierce Demon were easily influenced by consciousness.

Having been away for so long, the Single-headed Fierce Demon had already passed the stage of needing to constantly consume demon meat and had even mimicked human combat styles. When it performed Body Integration with the Flesh Demon again, it would surely no longer be just a Fierce Demon. As for what it would become, that depended on what it was thinking.

"Ah, ah, okay." Fei Shanqiu suddenly snapped out of it and crawled back over.

He looked at the Single-headed Fierce Demon and took a deep breath. His expression lacked any of its usual exaggeration as he said seriously, "I know you understand what I'm saying. I know you look down on me. But you see the situation we're in."

"If you want to defeat those shameless sneak-attacking bastards, you have to complete your body. A contract is the only way. That kid is still fighting for you; you can't bear to watch him die, can you?"

As Fei Shanqiu spoke, he pointed toward the perilously situated Xie Ning.

The Single-headed Fierce Demon couldn't help but hesitate, but it still looked at Fei Shanqiu with displeasure.

"I can promise that I won't force you to do anything you don't like. If one day you feel I'm not qualified, you can leave again." Fei Shanqiu spoke with total sincerity, then couldn't help but mock himself, "After all, my Rank isn't as high as yours; I couldn't stop you if you wanted to leave."

"...Roar."

The Single-headed Fierce Demon was a bit hesitant. It looked at Fei Shanqiu, wavering, before finally letting out a roar.

"Huh? Hey! You didn't run away from home just because of that nickname, did you?" Fei Shanqiu's eyes suddenly widened in Shock.

"...Roar."

"Fine, fine, fine. I won't call you turtle son anymore. I'll call you Good Son... Uh, no, no, didn't I give you a name before? Let's call you Meat Marshal. From now on, you're Meat Marshal."

"Roar!"

"Alright, alright, Tur—*cough cough*, we'll do as you say. Demon Commander, Lord Demon Commander, alright?"

After much persuasion, Fei Shanqiu finally coaxed back the Single-headed Fierce Demon. Then, the man and demon re-established their contract.

As the contract was completed, the Single-headed Fierce Demon let out a loud roar. The nearby Flesh Demon quickly approached, with some of its flesh filling the damage in the heart, while even more flesh enveloped its entire body.

"Holy crap! Tur—ah, no, Demon Commander, what are you doing? Isn't this Flesh Demon supposed to be eaten?"

Fei Shanqiu cried out in surprise.

But the Single-headed Fierce Demon ignored him and continued to let the Flesh Demon merge with itself. At the same time, the light of evolution began to shine brilliantly.

Within the light of evolution, the flickering form of the Fierce Demon gradually became sturdier. A single horn grew from its head, a black mist-like cape spread from its back, a giant shield appeared in its left hand, a blood-colored saber hung at its waist, and its body was covered in scales gleaming with a dark luster.

When the light of evolution faded, what appeared before everyone was a brand-new form—a majestic and awe-inspiring demon warrior clad in armor and holding a shield.

[Yao Beast Name] Fierce Demon General

[Yao Beast Grade] Extraordinary Medium Grade

[Yao Beast Rank] Silver Rank 5

[Yao Beast Attribute] Dark

[Yao Beast Weakness] Light

[Yao Beast Status] Excited

[Yao Beast Talent] Shock

[Yao Beast Description] A branch evolution of the Fierce Demon. Compared to the Fierce Demon form, it is now more like a qualified warrior, and the shield in its hand can easily stun enemies.

[Evolution Path] 6

The Fierce Demon General's strength surged after the evolution. Still ignoring Fei Shanqiu, it raised its shield, which was swirling with dark light, and leaped high into the air. With a roar, it slammed the shield toward the male Fierce Demon like a descending black cloud.

"Now's the time!"

A sharp light flashed in Xie Ning's eyes as he and White Fang flanked the male Fierce Demon from the left and right, activating their Flame Rings to pin him down. Qin Tianyu's black daggers split into two, pinning the male Fierce Demon's legs.

The female Fierce Demon tried to come to the rescue but was sliced into four pieces by Little Mantis's Sound Kill. Although she didn't die, it would take some time for her to regenerate.

Accompanied by a roar, the giant shield slammed heavily onto the male Fierce Demon's head, releasing a pitch-black shockwave.

Boom!

The male Fierce Demon was dazed by the strike, the crimson light in his eyes fading slightly as the evil consciousness was temporarily knocked unconscious.

"Quickly, kill me..." The male Fierce Demon, or rather Yang Kai, shouted to Xie Ning.

Seeing this from afar, the female Fierce Demon let out a piercing shriek, but Yang Kai remained unmoved. He shouted urgently, "This body is still getting stronger! If you don't kill me now, everyone around here will die! Hurry!"

Finally, Xie Ning gritted his teeth, raised his sword, and swung it down fiercely.

"I'm sorry!"

Following Xie Ning's low-voiced apology, the changhong sword pierced through Yang Kai's head. He showed no fear at all, asking with a smile in his eyes, "Is everyone in the village okay?"

Fei Shanqiu was about to speak but was sent flying by a hammer blow from Su Qin.

Xie Ning nodded, "Yes, everyone is fine."

Hearing this, Yang Kai felt a weight lift from his shoulders and said weakly to Xie Ning, "...Thank you."

Xie Ning's body trembled as a tear seemed to fall from his eye. He tightened his grip, and golden flames erupted, burning inside Yang Kai's head.

On the other side, the female Fierce Demon's aura ceased instantly at the moment of Yang Kai's death. she collapsed to the ground and turned into black mist, which was gradually absorbed by the evolved Fierce Demon General.

Xie Ning slowly sat on the ground, looking at the deceased Yang Kai.

The heavy stone weighing on his heart didn't lift, nor did his anger dissipate.

He was dissatisfied with the villagers' actions yet felt helpless, and he was also angry at his own incompetence—having the System but being powerless against Yang Kai's condition.

In the end, what had Yang Kai done wrong?

Seeing Xie Ning's state, Su Qin hesitated for a moment before saying, "Big Brother Xie, um... don't be too sad. If Yang Kai had recovered and known he had eaten people, he wouldn't have been able to live with himself."

"Ye-yeah, exactly. This outcome is good enough for him," Fei Shanqiu said stumblingly.

"I know, but..." Xie Ning took a deep breath and closed his eyes, "but this frustrating business just makes one feel miserable."

Just then, several figures walked out from among the Demon-repelling Trees in the distance, with a few Demon Tamers Beasts following beside them.

Before the people even drew near, arrogant laughter and words reached them.

"Ahahaha~ I didn't expect you to have some skill, actually killing this evil spirit."

"These idiots are actually still sitting there. Do they think killing it means the mission is over? How naive."

"The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. Heh heh heh~"

These people were none other than the five from Yuzhang Academy who had said they were leaving earlier. Now they were full of smugness, looking at the four of them with the posture of victors.

The group approached and saw the two corpses on the ground, their faces full of disgust:

"What a disgusting fellow. Although she looks different than before, the level of ugliness is about the same."

"Isn't it? This is much filthier than previous mission targets."

"She just had a cute face; her body is as disgusting as a ghost's. Blegh~"

"Forget it, as long as the mission is complete. It's not like you're being asked to do anything to her. Just chop off the head and take it back."

Xie Ning slowly turned his head, staring at Wu Tian's group, and said slowly:

"I think I've found a way to vent my anger."