Chapter Nineteen: The Demon

The gust carried by the axe blade struck Yu Qi’s face, causing a slight sting, and his hair was lifted by the wind. At that moment, his originally open fingers suddenly clenched tightly. The droplets of water swirling around Shi Mingfeng trembled instantly, each one seeping into his body.

The axe, which was about to strike Yu Qi, abruptly halted. Shi Mingfeng’s eyes remained blankly fixed ahead, but no sign of life could be detected in his body. A horrifying scene unfolded as his skin gradually crumbled like a sheet of paper ignited by flames, scattering in the wind.

“This is...” Even Yu Qi hadn’t expected the Gentle Rain Sword to be so powerful.

In his childhood, his father had once explained that the Gentle Rain Sword had two modes of attack. The first, called the Rain Style, conjured devastating raindrops around the enemy that then penetrated the body to cause internal destruction, leading to a fatal explosion. It was a superb lethal technique, but if one’s skill was insufficient, the enemy could easily repel it.

The second was the Light Style, named for its swift and agile attacks that aimed for unparalleled speed, catching opponents off guard. When mastered to perfection, it could be combined with the Rain Style to achieve the full potential of the Gentle Rain Sword.

However, Yu Qi noticed that the Rain Style he executed differed markedly from his father’s description. In his hands, the Rain Style no longer caused the enemy to explode but instead seemed to corrode them from within.

“Could it be that the Gentle Rain Sword, fused with the Qi Clan’s demonic seed, has altered its nature?” Yu Qi pondered deeply. Only such a fusion could explain the change in the Rain Style’s effect.

At that moment, the sword hilt in Yu Qi’s grasp trembled slightly. A faint, pale aura gradually seeped from Shi Mingfeng’s dissolving body into the hilt.

Yu Qi quickly withdrew the hilt and examined it closely. To his surprise, a slender blade had begun to sprout at the tip of the hilt—so subtle that it was almost imperceptible unless scrutinized carefully.

“The ancestor once said this sword is born from drinking blood. I never imagined it did not truly suck blood but absorbed internal energy to regenerate itself,” Yu Qi said, a gleam of excitement shining on his face. He had once thought the sword was just a hilt, but now he realized it could absorb internal energy and grow. A surge of exhilaration welled up within him.

The servants nearby saw their master vanish mysteriously on the spot, and fear rose in their hearts. One by one, they hastily mounted their horses and fled.

“Knowing who I am, and yet you still want to run?” Yu Qi flicked his right hand forward. The iron sword in his hand shot out, tracing a streak of light through the air before piercing the chest of the servant who had fled first. Blood immediately poured from the man’s mouth as he fell from his horse.

Yu Qi burst forward in an instant, catching up to another servant in two or three strides. He slammed out his palm with a fierce blow, sending the man flying, then pursued the next.

The fleeing servants, watching Yu Qi as if he were a killing god, grew even more terrified. They wished their horses had extra legs to outrun this relentless pursuer.

Yet escaping Yu Qi’s grasp was impossible. With his current strength, he needed only two steps to cover a distance of ten meters.

The servants fell like wheat in a harvested field, ruthlessly reaped by Yu Qi. Within ten minutes, over twenty had lost their lives.

The ground was soaked with blood, shining crimson under the sunlight. Yu Qi stood amidst it, exuding a sinister aura intertwined with waves of black demonic energy. His pale eyes now carried a tint of red, and the blood dripping from his hands stained the earth below. At that moment, he resembled a demon god.

After killing Shi Mingfeng, a murderous intent rose in his mind, as if a voice whispered incessantly in his ear: “Kill them all, kill them all...”

Yu Qi understood this was the influence of the Qi Clan’s demonic seed. Though he had coincidentally turned to the path of evil, his roots remained in the demonic realm. Consequently, each time he took a life, the demonic energy within him would surge outward, gradually making him crave slaughter.

Fortunately, the Qi Clan’s demonic seed had merged with the Gentle Rain Sword. Though it made him bloodthirsty when killing, it prevented him from losing his reason. Otherwise, given his current state of mind, he would have long succumbed to the demonic energy and become a merciless monster.

As he dispatched the servants, the demonic seed stirred again, but this time Yu Qi’s naked eyes saw no change in the newly sprouted blade.

Because the servants’ internal energy was too weak, even with the demonic seed absorbing all of it, the effect was minimal.

In the forest, Li Changchu watched Yu Qi eliminate everyone and felt a chill run down his spine. As an ordinary man, he had never encountered such a scene.

In his heart, Yu Qi had always been a bright and cheerful youth, but now he seemed transformed into a remorseless killer.

“Dad, let’s go find Brother Yu Qi. It looks like the bad guys are all dead,” Li Yuelian tugged at his arm. Though young, she could distinguish who was good and who was evil.

Seeing his daughter and reflecting on Yu Qi’s actions toward them, Li Changchu nodded. Even if Yu Qi truly was a demon, at least he treated their family well.

The three figures slowly emerged from the forest. Before they could approach Yu Qi, Li Yuelian called out, “Brother Yu Qi!”

Hearing the familiar voice, the murderous urge in Yu Qi’s mind gradually lessened. The sinister aura dissipated, and his eyes returned to their original color.

He glanced at the three who were approaching and quickly ran to the river to wash the blood from his hands before walking toward them.

As they drew near and saw the pile of corpses, a shiver ran through them. The adults remained composed, but fear was evident on Li Yuelian’s face. She clutched Li Changchu’s arm tightly, her eyes unable to meet the ground.

Noticing Yu Qi’s pale complexion, Li Changchu hurriedly asked, “Yu Qi, are you alright?”

“Uncle Li, don’t worry. It’s just that I’ve exhausted too much internal energy. Let’s go; the house has been destroyed and is no longer livable. I’ll take you somewhere else,” Yu Qi said with an embarrassed smile. He then turned to pick up Shi Mingfeng’s axe before leading them toward the town.

After walking some distance, Li Yuelian’s expression brightened somewhat. She looked at Yu Qi curiously and asked, “Brother Yu, you use a sword, right? Why are you carrying this axe?”

“This axe is made of valuable material. Selling it should fetch a good price,” Yu Qi replied, holding the axe. Although he couldn’t tell the exact material, it felt smooth and refined to the touch, undoubtedly a fine weapon.

Though he still possessed the luminous pearl, it could only be exchanged for a few thousand taels—an enormous sum to ordinary people, but as a member of the Yu family, he knew it was merely a modest amount.