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The wound on his back, thanks to the Myriad Realms Physique's astonishing regenerative power, closed and scabbed over in just two days, barely affecting his movements.
But Cheng Mo did not immediately venture deep into the mountains again.
That life-or-death struggle with the Bone Blade Demon had sounded an alarm for him.
He found a more secluded inn in Fujisawa Town and became even more low-key.
During the day, he still acted like an ordinary merchant, chatting with people, but asking more detailed questions.
He began consciously inquiring about vague information regarding "Wisteria Family Crests" and even "Mount Fujikasane," trying to find clues to contact the official Demon Slayer Corps system.
At night, he no longer recklessly chose to confront demons head-on.
Instead, relying on the Eye of Truth's keen perception of demon aura, he, like a true hunter, began systematically clearing out relatively weaker, isolated demons around Fujisawa Town.
Cheng Mo no longer sought to kill them head-on.
Instead, he utilized various complex terrains such as narrow valleys, rushing streams, and dense thickets.
By digging shallow pits, setting tripwires, and pre-setting light traps with UV lamps.
He mimicked the scent of a lone traveler or used a small amount of fresh blood as bait.
His targets were usually those demons with the weakest aura and slightly slower movements.
The combat process was precise and efficient.
First, he used UV lamps to interfere and burn from a distance, creating openings, then attacked joints or necks swiftly with his Tang blade.
After each battle, he would carefully review, summarize gains and losses, and adjust his force application techniques and footwork coordination.
He performed four hunts, all targeting the lowest-tier demons.
The process was surprisingly smooth, becoming even more fluid with each attempt.
His control over the Tang blade became increasingly proficient, and he gained a deeper understanding of demon movement patterns, gradually reducing hesitation and misjudgment in combat.
That sense of control, of "hunting" supernatural beings using information asymmetry and modern equipment, slowly began to replace his initial awkwardness and fear.
But Cheng Mo's mind remained clear.
He noticed that as the weaker demons in the surrounding area disappeared one after another, the lingering dark purple auras in the air seemed to become somewhat… restless?
Occasionally, the Eye of Truth would catch one or two denser, swifter demon auras sweeping through from deeper in the distant mountains, as if searching for something.
"The reduction of lower-tier predators might attract more powerful predators…"
A realization dawned on him, and an invisible pressure quietly built up in his heart.
The "balance" of this area was being broken by him.
Late one night, as this premonition grew stronger.
Cheng Mo was lurking on a ridge, routinely scanning the pitch-black valley below with his Eye of Truth.
Suddenly, his eyes narrowed!
In the southeast direction, about two or three li away in the depths of the forest, the previously calm "aura" suddenly became violent!
A dense, brutal, dark red demon aura, filled with bloodlust, erupted!
It was stronger than any demon he had hunted before!
And almost simultaneously, another completely different aura fiercely ignited.
These were several streams of blazing, pure, incandescent white energy, carrying a resolute will.
They were agile and sharp, fiercely colliding and intertwining with those dark red demon auras.
It was humans!
It was Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen!
And they were under attack; the energy reactions were extremely intense, indicating that the battle had already reached a fever pitch.
Cheng Mo's heart skipped a beat.
An opportunity!
An opportunity to contact the Demon Slayer Corps!
But the danger was equally immense; the intensity of that demon aura far surpassed all his previous opponents.
With almost no hesitation, Cheng Mo's body reacted before his thoughts could catch up.
He sprang from his hiding spot like a leopard, accelerating to his maximum speed, and raced towards the direction of the energy eruption.
The rain and night became his best cover; his enhanced physique allowed him to maintain high-speed movement through the rugged mountain forest.
The closer he got, the clearer the sounds of fighting and roaring became!
He stealthily crept behind a dense thicket at the edge of the battlefield, carefully parting the branches and leaves.
In the clearing below, the battle was fierce.
Three Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen in black uniforms were fighting desperately, back to back.
They were all injured, their breathing rapid and ragged, clearly having expended a great deal of energy.
Their opponent was an extremely grotesque demon!
Its four arms had mutated into four huge, hideous, twisted scythes made of pale bones!
As the bone scythes swung, not only was their power immense, but their speed was also astonishingly fast.
The scythe demon's attacks created bursts of air-shattering sounds, clashing head-on with the swordsmen's nichirin blades.
The bone scythes collided with the nichirin blades, emitting dull, terrifying impacts, forcing the swordsmen to retreat constantly.
Two other Demon Slayer Corps members lay on the ground, their fates unknown, their blood staining the earth.
"Arai! Kojima!"
Among the three swordsmen still fighting, a resolute-faced young swordsman who appeared to be the leader cried out hoarsely.
But each time his nichirin blade collided with a bone scythe, the immense force numbed his arm, and the skin between his thumb and forefinger was already split and bleeding.
"Captain Murata! Its joints! Attack its joints!"
Another female member shouted in panic.
Her swordplay was agile; she tried to bypass the bone scythes to attack the scythe demon's body.
But the scythe demon's reaction speed was extremely fast; while its bone scythes defended and blocked, it delivered a swift side kick fiercely towards her waist and abdomen!
Murata wanted to rescue her, but two bone scythes from the front suddenly came down with a powerful, heavy chop, forcing him to grit his teeth and take the blow!
"Clang!"
The immense force nearly knocked Murata's single blade from his hand, and he staggered backward, leaving his guard wide open!
The scythe demon let out a bloodthirsty roar, and another bone blade shot out like a venomous snake, stabbing directly at Murata's defenseless chest!
It was a moment of extreme peril!
Cheng Mo's eyes behind the thicket instantly turned cold and sharp.
Opportunity and risk coexisted.
He didn't rush out immediately but quickly took out his UV lamp and Tang blade.
Just as that bone scythe was about to pierce Murata's chest, in the nick of time!
A dazzling, scorching beam of ultraviolet light shot out from the side of the forest without warning.
It wasn't aimed at the demon's body, but at an extremely tricky angle, it precisely illuminated the scythe demon's eyes, which glowed with malevolent light in the darkness!
"Agh! My eyes!!"
The scythe demon's shriek was so sharp it pierced the rainy night.
The instantaneous burning of its eyes by the UV light caused excruciating pain and blinding effects.
Its stabbing motion suddenly froze, and it instinctively tried to cover its eyes with its arms.
This sudden turn of events stunned everyone!
In that critical moment, Cheng Mo's left hand flicked again.
A makeshift smoke bomb, temporarily wrapped in thick paper and a small amount of mud, mixed with a trace of crushed wisteria flower powder, arced through the air and landed precisely at the demon's feet.
Poof—
A not-so-dense but sufficient cloud of grayish-white smoke, mixed with a faint scent of wisteria flowers, quickly spread.
The scent of wisteria flowers instinctively caused a momentary aversion and hesitation in the scythe demon.
The simultaneous interference with its vision and smell caused an extremely brief moment of confusion!
"Who's there?!"
The scythe demon roared in anger, its offensive momentarily slowing, as it frantically swung its bone blades to disperse the smoke.
And in this chaos, Cheng Mo moved!
He slid out from the shadows of the forest like a ghost.
His target was not the demon's vital points, but the female member who had been kicked to the ground and couldn't get up immediately!
As he slid past her, Cheng Mo's arm exploded with powerful strength, wrapping around her waist.
Using the momentum of his forward slide, he forcibly dragged her out of the scythe demon's attack range and threw her towards the safe thicket behind!
At the same time, his right hand, gripping the Tang blade tightly, did not pause for a moment, and using the momentum of the slide, he thrust it precisely and viciously from below upwards.
Rip!
The blade tip accurately pierced the ligament of the scythe demon's supporting leg, just behind the knee joint!