'Have my Empress disciple go kill the Blood Demon?'
After hearing the system's prompt, Qin Yang frowned, glancing at Li Zixuan, who was busy reading her book.
She was only at the Postnatal Eighth Realm.
With her current Cultivation level, how was she supposed to fight a Blood Demon?
What was the difference between that and just throwing her life away?!
'This damn system is the same as ever. Completely unreliable!'
'It has some intelligence... but not much.'
Qin Yang shook his head. He was gradually getting used to it.
After five hundred years of temporal displacement, he knew he absolutely could not just follow the system's instructions.
Otherwise, he probably wouldn't get a single benefit out of it!
'Speaking of which, now that the Blood Demon has appeared, if I kill it myself, will I get a new reward?!'
Qin Yang wondered, suddenly recalling the previous hundredfold reward multiplier.
'If I want to score big off this damn system, I absolutely can't play by its rules!'
'And this Bloodthirsty Leech's head... I have to be the one to take it!'
That's right, that's how it has to be!
As his thoughts cleared, Qin Yang extended his senses toward Li Shui Lake.
The terrifying aura from the Blood Demon was growing thicker, as if it could appear at any moment.
This bounty was his for the taking!
'If I'm late and someone else snatches it, it'll be a huge loss!'
At this thought, Qin Yang stopped hesitating. He decisively left the railing and prepared to head out the door.
"Hey, hey! Old Qin, where are you going?"
Seeing this, Xia He immediately reached out to stop him. "We're still on the clock!"
"I'm going out to buy something. Keep an eye on things for me, and cover for me. I'll be back soon!"
Qin Yang shook off Xia He's hand and eagerly strode toward the main entrance at an incredible speed, leaving Xia He standing there, stunned.
'Buy something?'
'What could he possibly need to buy right now?'
Xia He watched Qin Yang's retreating back, then turned to look at Li Zixuan, who was still reading. Suddenly, a thought struck him.
'Don't tell me Old Qin still hasn't given up! Is he going to buy flowers to confess to Li Zixuan?!'
Xia He thought worriedly, sighing in resignation.
He remembered how useless all his previous attempts to persuade him had been and couldn't help but worry.
'Old Qin, you'd better not be digging your own grave...'
Meanwhile, at the reading table, Li Zixuan seemed to sense something. She suddenly looked up, her delicate brows furrowed as she gazed to the southeast.
'Strange... such a thick, bloody stench.'
'It's coming from the direction of Li Shui Lake... What's happening over there?'
...
「Li Shui Lake, on the shore.」
The faint roars of Low-tier Star Beasts echoed along the lakeside.
A yellow-and-black cordon had been set up along the shore, where dozens of heavily armed guards stood watch, using riot forks to suppress several Star Beasts.
The subdued Star Beasts roared in fury, the noise instantly engulfing the entire shore.
The sound carried for miles.
"It's time. Prepare to draw blood! Everyone, to your positions!"
The Chief Commander hovered above Li Shui Lake, gripping a Star Beast that resembled a wild horse as he commanded the others.
"Yes, Commander!"
The other Postnatal Martial Artists moved at the command, grabbing their assigned Star Beasts and flying up to the Commander's side.
"Good. Today, we are Jianghai City's line of defense. We cannot let our guard down for even a moment."
The Commander placed one hand on the Star Beast's neck, ripped it open, and bellowed, "Bleed them!"
SSSHHHRRRIIIP!
With a gruesome tearing sound, the Low-tier Star Beast's skin burst open. Flesh was peeled away, and foul-smelling blood gushed out.
Blood rained down onto the surface of Li Shui Lake, instantly creating ripples.
SPLASH! SPLASH!
One by one, the Star Beast corpses fell from the sky, crashing into the water's surface.
As the last of the blood and bodies fell, the water churned violently!
After the last Star Beast corpse had fallen, a dead silence descended...
Everyone on the shore held their breath, their focus completely fixed on the lake, waiting for the "prey" in the water to take the bait.
The Commander stared intently at the lake's surface, nervous sweat trickling down his back, as he muttered under his breath, "Come out, you beast."
A vast expanse of the Power of Stars covered the water, forming an enormous sensory Domain.
At that moment, everyone sensed something moving beneath the water.
It was a terrifying aura, surging up from the depths, displacing millions of pounds of water as it rapidly approached the surface.
'What kind of terrifyingly massive body...'
'...could create such a shocking sensation?!'
Sensing that aura, Elder Li's expression grew grim. His gaunt hand rested on his longsword, poised and ready to strike.
At such a critical moment, he didn't dare to be careless, choosing to immediately prepare his killing blow.
And this move was the Sword-Drawing Technique.
It was the very Swordsmanship he had comprehended from that murderous intent back in the valley.
Even if it was just a sliver of Emperor Level Martial Arts, it had already surpassed the Peak of all the Swordsmanship Elder Li had mastered in his entire life!
'Senior,' Elder Li thought, 'since I have received your grace, I will not fail this mission.'
Elder Li, gripping his longsword and gathering his power, suddenly raised his aged eyes and locked onto the southeast corner of Li Shui Lake!
"It's here! Everyone, attack with me!"
The Commander's expression tensed, and he roared sharply.
The moment his voice fell, the surface of Li Shui Lake began to churn and boil as if it had been brought to a rolling boil. A massive vortex formed, consuming more than half the lake.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion echoed through the air!
A colossal pillar of water shot into the sky. White mist filled the air, and sunlight piercing through it created a dazzling array of rainbows.
A massive black creature burst from the water, like a pillar of flesh that could part the seas and prop up the heavens. The pungent, rotten, bloody stench instantly permeated the entirety of Li Shui Lake.
The Bloodthirsty Leech had appeared!
When such an enormous creature appeared, everyone who saw it was momentarily stunned.
Its sheer size, as vast as a mountain, was far beyond anyone's expectations.
Some of the weaker Star Martial Artists began to tremble, their bodies shaking uncontrollably out of pure instinct.
"Everyone! Hold your ground!"
The Commander's order boomed like a great bell, echoing in everyone's ears.
Subtly, it carried an ability to calm one's heart.
Hearing his voice, everyone's turbulent, panicked hearts began to calm, no longer in the disarray they were just moments before.
"Humans... so many..."
The Bloodthirsty Leech twisted its bloated body, sensing the auras hovering over the lake. It actually managed to spit out halting, human words.
"Die!"
As the word fell, everyone present frowned, their newly calmed hearts once again thrown into turmoil.
"It can speak! It's a Demon Insect that has awakened its intelligence!"
Elder Li didn't dare to delay. Gripping his sword hilt, he bent his knees and crouched, assuming a sword-drawing stance.
He concealed all killing intent, brewing its power.
However, the next moment, the leech's main body in the center of Li Shui Lake turned its mouthparts. As if sensing something, it suddenly faced Elder Li's direction.
"You... are dangerous!"
A sense of crisis made it instinctively shift its attention, focusing on Elder Li, who had the highest Cultivation.
Seeing this, Elder Li no longer held back. Fury surged in his chest, the veins on the back of his hand bulged, and he drew his sword!
"Die, you beast!"