The information on the panel began to update rapidly.
Unable to find an exit, Xue Ling could only circle the small courtyard, with the fox Yao Beast in hot pursuit!
The fox Yao Beast, looking insane, screamed, "You trash! You harmed my fox cub and dared to betray me! Run all you want, the warmer you are, the tastier!"
Every second of life hanging by a thread was torture!
Xue Ling had never run like this before; his throat was raw with Qi, and his ribs ached!
"Exchange successful."
"Cultivation Technique: Vajra Fist (Great Perfection)"
"Lifespan: One year"
"Points: Zero"
The words changed, the values sharply decreased; the points he had just gained were gone, and his twenty years of Lifespan had dropped to one.
And the Vajra Fist, after Intermediate and Advanced, had reached Great Perfection!
Finally, it was done!
In minutes, over a decade of his Lifespan was gone... Fortunately, fortunately, he still had one year of Lifespan left. If the Cultivation Technique had been any harder, he would have killed himself before the fox Yao Beast devoured him alive!
Xue Ling lowered his eyes and glanced at his arm.
His knuckles were thick with calluses, his arms had grown several sizes, and his upper body clothes had become tight!
Thankfully, he hadn't aged due to the consumption of Lifespan; instead, by focusing on martial arts, the 'bugs' in his head had hibernated, and his physique had become much stronger.
He clenched his fist; the sense of power was immense, the effect truly astonishing!
Xue Ling grinned; these points were really a good thing!
Extreme joy turned to sorrow; his feet slipped on the greasy blood, and Xue Ling tumbled into the remains!
He choked on corpse water and foul blood, gagging!
The fox Yao Beast pushed off with its hind legs, immediately pouncing to bite and tear; he could smell its pungent odor even against the wind.
"I'm going to tear you apart piece by piece!"
This dog-thing is still coming!
Too late to get up, Xue Ling stared intently at the fox Yao Beast's movements, calming his Qi, twisting his body, bending his knees, and shrinking down to dodge the fangs.
Gritting his teeth, he threw a punch, a powerful force surging from his shoulder!
"Eighty!"
The fierce punch landed by his ear, followed by a crisp "Crack!"—the sound of bones snapping in unison!
"Ow Woo..."
The fox Yao Beast collapsed heavily to the ground, whimpering in agony, blood oozing from the corner of its mouth, its legs twitching and curled up, just like the little fox Yao Beast earlier.
Several of its ribs were broken, and it said in disbelief, "No... impossible! You trash, how did you suddenly become so powerful!"
This cunning trash, could he have hidden some trick?
It had underestimated him; it had seen him but had been too lazy to dodge. It was due to its carelessness that it suffered such severe injuries!
Xue Ling's breathing was ragged; everything before his eyes seemed to be in slow motion, his instinctive reactions faster than his mind!
His hearing was good; he heard the fox Yao Beast's forced words were interspersed with wheezing, indicating broken bones had pierced its lungs.
It would be better if it just died!
The air after escaping death smelled exceptionally sweet!
Fighting for his life with a fox Yao Beast in a pile of corpses in the dead of night was a thrill he hadn't experienced in both his lifetimes combined!
It was a million times better than the constant anxiety of trickery and deceit!
The fox Yao Beast stared at Xue Ling with venomous eyes: "What did you do? How did you suddenly become so strong?"
"Or did you use some secret medicine? Offer it to me now, and I can give you a quick death!"
Xue Ling was secretly alarmed; with that last blow, his right hand had dislocated, and even a giant turtle shell should have been smashed into meat paste.
This fox Yao Beast still had a breath left? Kill it!
Playing along with its words, Xue Ling secretly gathered strength in his hand: "...There is medicine. Is what you say true, Elder Brother Fox?"
With his right hand hanging, Xue Ling appeared timid and fearful.
"Of course!" The fox Yao Beast lay sprawled on the ground, chin raised high, a cold glint flashing in its eyes, waiting for Xue Ling to kneel and submit as he always had.
Humans were fragile, but they had many tricks: martial arts, secret medicines... a wide variety of methods.
Considering the timing, this trash had suddenly become powerful, likely because the secret medicine had just been ingested. As long as the medicine's effect remained, whether a human took the medicine or it ate the human, it was all the same.
Once this trash exposed his nape, it would bite his neck off in one go!
Revenge for its fox cub!
Xue Ling cautiously approached, muttering, "Elder Brother, you are magnanimous. Little brother was timid and frightened, losing his mind..."
His right hand was unusable, but he still had his left hand; he would beat it to death!
One step... two steps... getting closer and closer, this distance was just right.
Xue Ling pretended to trip, and the fox Yao Beast immediately turned its head to bite!
Xue Ling was prepared, dodging and shifting his steps, striking its eyeball with a punch: "Now I am the butcher, and you are the fish on the chopping block. Just wait to die!"
The fox Yao Beast wept uncontrollably, its single eye useless, wriggling backward, the wheezing in its throat growing heavier, like a broken bellows.
Strike while the iron is hot!
Xue Ling kicked its wound; die, you evil beast!
The fox Yao Beast cried and howled, its screams carrying far: "You dare? I'll eat you!"
"I especially dare!"
Grabbing its scruff, Xue Ling chose to focus on the back of its head.
His left fist was less practiced than his right, but its power was even more astonishing, completely different from the initial weakness of the Elementary level!
Vajra Fist, defeating enemies with strength, the power of Great Perfection was truly so formidable!
Every punch broke bones and tendons, striking the fox Yao Beast like a string of muffled firecrackers!
That Elementary punch was just a feast for ants, not even worth mentioning!
Martial arts Cultivation Techniques are truly good things!
The fox Yao Beast was disoriented and screamed repeatedly, only able to take the beating like a rag doll!
"Ah! Stop hitting me! We... we can continue to cooperate, I won't hold it against you..."
The fox Yao Beast's voice grew weaker, and the wheezing in its throat became heavier.
No matter how unwilling it was now, it could only beg for mercy, recover, and then find an opportunity to bite this audacious traitor to death!
Gasping and wheezing, Xue Ling couldn't hear clearly, simply dismissing it as farts!
Punch after punch, each leaving an indentation!
Satisfying!
"Ah!"
Suddenly, a bloodcurdling scream rang out behind him. Xue Ling jumped in fright, rolling over, fearing the fox Yao Beast had accomplices.
He looked closely and saw it was Chun Rou, who had unluckily been splattered with beast blood.
He told her to scram, why did she come back?
And whimpers came from the opposite wing room; the original owner had abducted more than just Chun Rou, and he hadn't expected them to still be alive.
Xue Ling instantly understood; she wanted to save them!
Those abducted were all half-grown children; he hadn't expected them to still be alive.
The fox Yao Beast's eyes lit up, drooling: "Fresh ones..."
This dog-thing had a peculiar habit of eating people, saving the fresh ones; luckily, the people were still alive.
Not good!
The fox Yao Beast, cornered by him, would surely retaliate!
This little girl was foolish; one escaping was good enough, but coming back now was just adding to the trouble!
Kindness without regard for timing or severity only harms oneself and others!
"Run!"
He had to finish it off quickly; a headless snake could still bite people to death!
The fox Yao Beast struggled desperately. Xue Ling used all his strength to hold it down; if he had a weapon, he could deliver a fatal blow, but in the small courtyard, there were only body parts and bricks.
Xue Ling simply picked up a scattered brick and smashed it down hard!
Its left eye was severely re-injured, directly exploding!
"Ow! You traitor, I'll bite you to death! I will definitely bite you to death!"
He couldn't give it a chance to breathe.
His dislocated right hand was useless!
Xue Ling used both hands and feet, his left hand suddenly pulling back, preemptively tearing off its fox tail!
He bent his knee and pressed down on its throat, controlling its vital point, and seized the opportunity to grit his teeth and reset his dislocated right hand!
"Crack!"
The fox Yao Beast stiffened its neck and swallowed the small fox Yao Beast with a muffled sound; the wounds on its body actually began to heal!
Even a tiger doesn't eat its cubs!
"You evil beast!" Xue Ling stomped on its mouth!
Chun Rou stumbled and opened the door, "Hurry!"
Several children who had been locked inside swarmed out; they saw the bloody scene before them and froze like stunned quails.
The fox Yao Beast drooled, lunging forward, still wanting to swallow them to heal its wounds!
Xue Ling grabbed its back fur with both hands, leaped into the air, and stomped down with both feet, completely crushing its recently healed bones.
"What are you standing there for! Run!"
The children finally came to their senses, stumbling and crying out for their parents as they ran outside!
Dozens of small, short legs, scrambling quickly!
The fox Yao Beast suddenly turned its head, biting back at Xue Ling, and at the same time, its hind legs kicked forcefully at his abdomen!
Xue Ling quickly pulled his hand back, leaped behind it, and, ignoring the disgust, scooped up a corpse chunk from his feet and jammed it into its mouth!
"Bang!"
Another punch aimed at its throat!
The fox Yao Beast grunted, its mouth jammed with bones, unable to spit them out, swallowing all the spurting blood back down, scrambling erratically!
Xue Ling was dragged to the ground by it, his right leg pinned. He simply focused on its throat, clenching its fur, pulling the fox Yao Beast's head, and performing a cross choke!
Both fists swung left and right, "Bang bang bang! Bang!" pummeling the fox Yao Beast's head and face!
The fox Yao Beast cried out in pain, its four legs flailing, trying to break free from Xue Ling's grip.
"Hah... I... I'll kill you!" Its claws were sharp, and Xue Ling's arm was gouged with deep bloody marks!
Fortunately, the Vajra Fist had reached Great Perfection, and Xue Ling's arms were much stronger; otherwise, that blow from the fox Yao Beast would have broken his arm into several pieces!
It stubbornly twisted, still trying to scratch Xue Ling's head and neck!
His head and neck were vulnerable; if it managed to scratch him, it would be no different from decapitation!
Xue Ling endured the intense pain, straightened his spine, arched his entire body backward, and, relying on his astonishing arm strength, locked the fox Yao Beast's head tightly. With the coordination of his legs and feet, he forcefully twisted its neck!
With a muffled "Swoosh!" sound, blood oozed from the fox Yao Beast's mouth, mixing with the bloodstains on the ground, quickly congealing.
Adrenaline surged, Xue Ling's scalp tingled; he was so close!
From the fox Yao Beast's throat, white bones protruded through the skin—the corpse chunk it hadn't had time to swallow, and a tuft of light yellow fur, belonging to the small fox Yao Beast.
Xue Ling's chest heaved and trembled, coughing up a mouthful of stagnant blood, "Pah, didn't you like fresh ones? Keep eating!"
The secluded small courtyard was utterly silent.
A centipede may die but never fall, he had to finish it off.
Recovering his senses, Xue Ling found an old candlestick, first stabbing its heart, then knocking out its fangs, and finally, slowly cutting off the fox Yao Beast's head.
"Hoo..."
Now he could rest assured.
Although it was his first time killing, Xue Ling seemed to have a bloodthirsty gene naturally in his bones, acting cleanly and decisively.
Looking up at the sky, the moon was already high in the sky.
Beside him, the enormous fox Yao Beast head, its beast eyes cloudy, still retained a trace of greed.
Xue Ling's knees went weak, his body swayed, almost collapsing on the spot from exhaustion. He forced himself to take a breath and checked the other wing rooms in the small courtyard, confirming there were no other survivors.
Xue Ling dragged the cart laden with corpses, pulling the fox Yao Beast's head, covered in stench and foul blood, slowly walking towards the yamen.
This was a meritorious deed, enough to prove his innocence to the yamen and the Demon Suppression Division.
As for the Yao Beast side, he could only take it one step at a time.
Once he had rested, he would have to choose a good spot to bury these remains in the courtyard.
He summoned the panel.
"Cultivation Technique: Vajra Fist (Perfection)"
"Lifespan: One year"
"Points: Seven"
His points had increased again!