Becoming a Saint From the Iron Armor Skill

Chapter 419: Chapter 212: Ghost-faced Mountain Demon

Chen An clucked his tongue repeatedly.

Li Hong also said, "Lord Chen, you really ought to sell this bear meat."

"It’s fine." Chen Cheng chuckled. "I’ve already collected the most valuable part of the Polar Bear Demon—its Demon Blood. That alone should sell for about ten thousand taels of silver.

As for the meat we can’t finish, I’ll arrange for someone to sell it off tomorrow as well. Nothing will go to waste."

"Ten thousand taels of silver!" Chen An and Li Hong’s jaws dropped again.

This was a fortune they couldn’t have earned in several lifetimes.

In truth, Chen Cheng’s estimate was quite conservative. Pizzly Bear Blood is the primary ingredient for practicing the Bear Skin Grinding Technique.

A single portion of Pizzly Bear Blood would fetch a purchase price of over thirty taels of silver from a merchant.

A single adult Polar Bear Demon contains scores of pounds of blood. When converted into the Herbal Decoctions for the Skin Grinding Technique, that’s at least five hundred portions. One can only imagine its total value.

...

「At midnight.」

Chen Family Gully Village.

Chen An’s family courtyard, which contained several large, tile-roofed houses, marked them as a rather well-off family in such a small mountain village.

In the main house, Chen Cheng and his uncle, Chen An, finally had time to be alone.

"Ah Ping... he really passed away from his illness?"

Upon learning that Chen Ping had died from a serious illness two years ago, Chen An’s eyes turned red and his voice choked with emotion.

...

「The next day.」

Chen Cheng had just finished breakfast when, before long, Zhang Yan and his men arrived at Chen Family Gully.

Arriving with them were Hu Weilun, the village chief of Qingxi Town, and a retinue of Qingxi Town Officials.

When Zhang Yan and the others learned that Chen Cheng had slain the Gray Wolf Demon and killed the Polar Bear Demon right after arriving in Chen Family Gully, they were all profoundly shaken.

This was especially true for Chief Constable Zhang Yan. He had previously considered his Martial Arts Power to be inferior to Chen Cheng’s, but he had thought the gap wasn’t very large.

But after Chen Cheng effortlessly dispatched the Polar Bear Demon, Zhang Yan knew his own Martial Arts Power was not even in the same league.

After all, the Polar Bear Demon was incredibly powerful. If Zhang Yan were to face it alone, he’d be lucky to escape with his life, let alone kill it.

Zhang Yan was thoroughly humbled.

Therefore, after Chen Cheng meticulously questioned village chief Hu Weilun about the demon infestation in Qingxi Town, he laid out a simple plan for the demon-slaying operation.

Zhang Yan listened to his orders with the utmost respect.

...

Of the demons plaguing Qingxi Town, the Gray Wolf Demon near Chen Family Gully and the Polar Bear Demon in Bai Shi Village had been among the most aggressive.

However, the most severe problem was an Ape Demon lurking near Qingshui Stream.

Qingshui Stream is located at the headwaters of Qingshui Creek. Several villages used to be in the vicinity, with a combined population of nearly two thousand people.

A few days ago, the Ape Demon attacked two villages in succession, taking hundreds of lives.

The residents of the other villages fled as soon as they caught wind of the attacks.

According to the survivors, the Ape Demon was covered in black fur, was about the size of a strapping man, and had a large, patterned face.

It was savage by nature, killing on sight and fond of drinking the blood of young maidens.

After the Ape Demon appeared, no one dared set foot in the area, so its true power remained a mystery.

Village chief Hu Weilun speculated that this Ape Demon was at least a Tier Two Demon Beast.

Before the Ape Demon’s arrival, a Tier Two Leopard Demon had been seen in the forests near Qingshui Stream.

After the Ape Demon arrived, the Tier Two Leopard Demon fled to a forest not far from the town, where it died shortly thereafter.

When it was discovered, the Leopard Demon was on its last breath, one of its hind legs having been violently ripped off.

As for the Ape Demon’s whereabouts, they weren’t hard to guess. It should be in the forests near Qingshui Stream.

The Ape Demon had killed all the inhabitants of those villages—men, women, and children alike. The only survivors were the young girls, aged twelve to sixteen.

More accurately, the Ape Demon was keeping them like livestock.

If they tried to escape the mountain forest, they would be knocked unconscious by the Ape Demon and brought back.

The Ape Demon, apparently afraid the girls might starve, would even hunt prey for them to eat.

The whole affair sounded like a bizarre tale from a storybook, utterly incredible.

On a mountaintop over six miles from Qingshui Stream, Chen Cheng gazed into the distance toward the stream.

He could faintly make out dozens of young girls down by the stream, sitting in small groups around several bonfires and roasting meat. Even he found the sight secretly astonishing.

"Lord Chen, I’m afraid this is no ordinary Ape Demon. It’s very likely the legendary Ghost-faced Mountain Demon."

"A common Ghost-faced Mountain Demon is already a Tier Three Demon Beast. This one knows how to rear its own ’blood food,’ which means it has probably achieved Spirit Communication. It’s likely far more formidable.

Perhaps we should return to Moshan County Town first, report to the County Magistrate, and then we can make a long-term plan," Zhang Yan said from the side, his face filled with dread.

"Ghost-faced Mountain Demon: Tier Three Demon Beast, body of an ape with a human face, its features as vibrant as a malevolent ghost’s. Relishes human blood, possesses immense strength, and its claws are comparable to a Profound Gold Weapon. Martial Artists of the Bone Marrow Cleansing Realm should proceed with caution."

This was the entry for the Ghost-faced Mountain Demon in the Demon Suppression Department’s Demon Beast Atlas.

’I can’t believe I’ve actually run into a Tier Three Demon Beast,’ Chen Cheng thought, ’and one as formidable as the Ghost-faced Mountain Demon, no less.’

’A Demon Beast comparable to a Martial Artist of the Bone Marrow Cleansing Realm... I have to be careful.’

With this in mind, Chen Cheng said, "Let’s wait and see."

At these words, Zhang Yan drew a sharp breath.

Village chief Hu Weilun, He Xingwen and his brother, and all their subordinates were terrified.

’This is a Tier Three Demon Beast! An existence that two or three ordinary Perfect Martial Artists of the Bone Forger Realm couldn’t hope to match, and Lord Chen wants to *wait and see*?’

’Don’t tell me Lord Chen is actually going to try and slay a Tier Three Demon Beast?’

A long time passed with no sign of the Ghost-faced Mountain Demon. Suddenly, Chen Cheng asked:

"Lord Hu, why did you only report a Tier Two Demon Beast to your superiors before?"

Hu Weilun replied with a bitter look, "My lord, this mountain demon is incredibly vicious. The two villages it attacked... nearly everyone was killed. There were no survivors.

The stories from those who escaped were mostly hearsay and couldn’t be trusted.

It was only yesterday morning that I managed to find an old hunter who had caught a glimpse of it.

And even he only saw it from over three miles away; he didn’t get a clear look."

The Ghost-faced Mountain Demon was powerful and notoriously savage, leaving no one alive. It made sense that eyewitnesses were hard to come by.

Chen Cheng didn’t dwell on the issue. After a brief moment of thought, he said, "Wait here. I’m going to pay a visit to this Ghost-faced Mountain Demon."

Everyone turned pale with shock. Zhang Yan hurriedly tried to dissuade him, "Lord Chen, the Ghost-faced Mountain Demon is incredibly powerful! You mustn’t risk it!"

He Xingwen also said, "Lord Chen, you can’t be reckless!"

"Don’t worry. If I’m outmatched, I have ways to retreat."

Chen Cheng said calmly, then his figure flickered. In an instant, he was dozens of feet away, speeding toward Qingshui Stream.

Zhang Yan and the others wanted to stop him, but it was already too late.

"What do we do now?" Zhang Yan was so anxious he stomped his feet repeatedly.

’If anything happens to Lord Chen, how will I ever explain it to County Magistrate Shen Zhiming?!’

He Xingwen and the others were also sweating with anxiety.

"How about... we... we go too?" After He Xingwen said this, he immediately regretted it, wishing he could slap himself hard across the face.

’We know it’s a savage Tier Three Demon Beast. Going into its territory is just asking to be killed!’

The group fell silent, no one taking him up on the offer.

After a long moment, Zhang Yan gritted his teeth, pointed to a nearby peak, and said, "We’ll go to that mountain and provide backup for Lord Chen."

Hearing this, everyone’s expression changed drastically.

However, when they saw that the peak Zhang Yan indicated wasn’t far from their current position and was still over three miles from Qingshui Stream, everyone breathed a massive sigh of relief.

’The Purple-clothed Guard from the Demon Suppression Department is out slaying a demon; as his subordinates, we naturally have to do *something*.’

’Whether we’re near or far, we’re still providing backup for the Purple-clothed Guard. Nothing wrong with that logic.’

Weapons in hand, the men headed toward the nearby peak, their hearts filled with trepidation.

...

Meanwhile, Chen Cheng raced onward. After just a quarter of an hour, he was only a few miles from Qingshui Stream.

"ROAR!"

Suddenly, an enraged roar echoed from Qingshui Stream, the sound shaking the very earth.

"Hah! This beast’s Perception really is sharp," Chen Cheng thought.

In the distance, Zhang Yan and his men paled once more. Their legs felt like jelly, and they had the overwhelming urge to turn and flee.

They still hadn’t reached the designated mountain peak.

This was, of course, the result of their dawdling.

Fortunately, the roar quickly faded. They strained their ears for a long while but heard nothing more, and only then did they summon their courage and continue toward the peak.

Meanwhile, having pinpointed the Ghost-faced Mountain Demon’s location, Chen Cheng was no longer in a rush.

He suppressed his aura and began to slowly sneak toward the source of the roar.

’You can’t be too careful,’ he thought. ’Even if it’s only a Tier Three Demon Beast, I have to take it seriously.’

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