As the Rat King absorbed the Essence of the Moon, hundreds and thousands of rats swarmed below it, crawling on the ground and burying their heads in the dirt to show their reverence. Even the four Sect Martial Artists were stunned by the sight of the Rat King absorbing the Essence of the Moon. No one noticed that a figure had quietly approached the creature.
CLANG. Suddenly, a crisp sound rang out in the silent night sky. The four Sect Martial Artists couldn't be more familiar with this sound. It was the sound of a blade being drawn!
"That's..." The pupils of the four Sect Martial Artists suddenly shrank. Through the silent night, they saw a brilliant flash of Blade Light that seemed to tear through the entire darkness.
Fast! Too fast!
The Blade Light was magnificent; they had never seen such a gorgeous strike before. Moreover, this flash of Blade Light was not just beautiful—it was fatal! It aimed directly at the Rat King.
SWISH. The Rat King sharply raised its head, its face actually revealing a hint of human-like surprise. Unfortunately, the Blade Light was simply too fast. Even though the Rat King had noticed it, there was no way for it to react. The Blade Light fell, slashing ruthlessly into the creature's body.
"Huh? It didn't even break its skin?" Ji Qing's expression shifted slightly.
He was the one who had drawn his saber just now, and his opening move had been his Ultimate Technique, Heavenly Line. He had unleashed this strike while the Rat King was absorbed in taking in the Essence of the Moon. Everything had gone smoothly. However, Ji Qing never expected that his blade wouldn't even be able to break the Rat King's skin. Just how strong was its physical defense?
SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK. The Rat King let out a sharp, piercing shriek. At the same time, the dense swarm of rats below seemingly grew incredibly frantic and furious, charging madly toward Ji Qing. The Rat King extended its sharp claws and viciously swiped at him.
BANG. Ji Qing held his saber horizontally to block, but a tremendous force transferred through the blade, sending him flying.
WHOOSH. He began to fall through the air toward the dense swarm of rats below. If he landed, he would likely be devoured until not even scraps remained. His feet tapped against the body of one of the rats, and then he executed Cao Shangfei. With a light push, he launched himself back into the air, flying toward the Rat King once more.
Another magnificent flash of Blade Light erupted. Ji Qing's Inner Power exploded, surging by thirty percent!
"Heavenly Line!"
This strike carried even fiercer momentum than the last.
BANG. The Rat King allowed Ji Qing's blade to slash into its body, then abruptly thrust out its claws, instantly grabbing the blade. A bizarre smile even crept onto the corner of the creature's mouth.
However, Ji Qing also smiled. Unbeknownst to anyone, he was already holding a hidden weapon in his hand. A Bone-Piercing Nail, crafted by the Lingdong Three Monsters!
SWISH. Ji Qing flicked his right hand with the speed of lightning. A streak of dark light suddenly shot toward the Rat King's eyes, which were mere inches away.
SQUELCH. The dark light pierced into the Rat King's eye. Blood instantly splattered as the eye burst open.
"It worked!" Ji Qing violently gripped the long saber with both hands, yanked it free from the Rat King's claws, and thrust it directly into the creature's ruined eye.
The blade sank deep, plunging in through the burst eye socket. Yet, the Rat King's physical body was simply too resilient. Even with the blade buried inside it, the creature didn't die outright; instead, the saber got stuck. Ji Qing leaped up and delivered a savage kick to the hilt with his right foot. A tremendous force instantly transferred into the long saber. This time, the Rat King could no longer stop it. The blade ruthlessly pierced completely through its head and out the other side.
THUD. The Rat King's massive corpse tumbled off the boulder and crashed onto the ground.
Dead! The Rat King, which had seemed so incredibly mysterious and demonic just moments ago, had actually died just like that. In the blink of an eye, Ji Qing had slain the beast.
With the Rat King dead, the swarm descended into total chaos. Some rats still charged at Ji Qing fearlessly. However, these were just ordinary rats; no matter how many there were, they posed no real threat and were slaughtered one by one by Ji Qing's saber. The vast majority of the swarm scattered in all directions, vanishing into the mountain forest. The entire process only took a few breaths of time.
Still hiding in the forest, the four Sect Martial Artists widened their eyes in disbelief.
"The Rat King... is dead?"
"We haven't even made a move, and the Rat King is already dead?"
"Then what did we even come to the mountains for?"
The four of them looked at each other in sheer bewilderment. As for trying to steal the credit or ganging up to kill him, they didn't dare entertain a single thought of it. Given the strength "Li Mu" had just displayed, how could they dare try to snatch his prize?
"This Li Mu absolutely possesses the strength of a Second-class Martial Artist!"
"Li Mu's blade is way too fast. When did such a young Martial Artist with such a swift Saber Technique appear in the Martial World?"
"Li Mu... We really haven't heard of such a figure in the Martial World. Could it be an alias?"
The four all had their own speculations. However, after witnessing how cleanly and decisively Ji Qing had slain the Rat King, any ulterior motives in their hearts were completely extinguished. The Martial World was a place where strength spoke volumes. So-called Sects, connections, and reputations were utterly meaningless in the face of absolute power!
At this moment, Ji Qing was inspecting the Demon Monster Record. Right after he killed the Rat King, a line of small text had appeared on the Demon Monster Record.
"Killed the true body of a Mouse Demon, obtained 10 Source Points."
Simultaneously, Ji Qing flipped open the Demon Monster Record.
"Mouse Demon, an unshaped Littlen Monster with thick, rough skin. Excels at burrowing and can command swarms of rats."
Ji Qing grew thoughtful. "Demon Monsters are also divided by tier and strength. This Mouse Demon hasn't yet taken human form, so it can only be considered a Littlen Monster. Its true body is only worth ten Source Points. But what about the Painted Skin Demon? Just one of its clones is worth a single Source Point. If it's the true body..."
He understood that the Painted Skin Demon was probably far stronger than this Mouse Demon. Dealing with the Mouse Demon just now had already been strenuous. If he hadn't happened to have the Bone-Piercing Nail, a hidden weapon from the Lingdong Three Monsters, it truly would have been difficult to kill it.
Through this recent battle, Ji Qing also realized some of his own shortcomings. For instance, while his Saber Technique was incredibly fast, it lacked power. This didn't have much impact against Martial Artists, as they couldn't withstand a sharp blade anyway. However, if he faced a Demon Monster and his Saber Technique lacked power, it would be extremely strenuous. Therefore, Ji Qing would need to practice some powerful Saber Techniques in the future to make up for his weaknesses.
His gains this time were quite good. Not only had he successfully "exterminated the rat," but he had also acquired ten Source Points. His Martial Arts would be able to advance by leaps and bounds once more.
Ji Qing approached the Rat King's corpse again, reached his hand into its ruined head, dug around forcefully, and retrieved the Bone-Piercing Nail. This Bone-Piercing Nail truly was a good item; it could work wonders at critical moments. He wiped the nail clean and placed it back inside his robe.
The Rat King's corpse remained on the ground, but it was so massive that it would be somewhat strenuous for him to carry it alone. Fortunately, Ji Qing wasn't the only one here—weren't there four others?
He looked up toward the distant bushes and shouted, "The four of you didn't lift a finger to fight, but carrying the Rat King's corpse down the mountain shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"No problem! Leave the Rat King's corpse to us. We will definitely carry it down the mountain!"
The four Sect Martial Artists obediently walked out. Together, they hoisted the Rat King's corpse and quickly made their way down the mountain.