Stop grinding, I'm really just a free spirit.

Chapter 98 "The Void Emperor's Flying Battle Spell"

Zhang Ruxue didn't waste any words.

With a flick of her fingers, the flying sword was drawn with a clang.

A streak of frosty white sword light drew a sharp arc through the narrow mine tunnel, aiming straight for the throat of "Jin Lei".

Jin Lei neither dodged nor avoided, but parried with his horizontal axe.

"when!"

After a clang of metal striking metal, the sword light was deflected, leaving only a shallow white mark on the axe.

Zhang Ruxue changed her sword technique again, and the flying sword split into three in the air. The three sword lights swirled and intertwined, one real and two illusory, respectively attacking Jin Lei's eyes, throat and the wrist holding the axe.

Faced with this feint attack, Jin Lei was not stupid. It immediately lowered its head and raised its giant axe to cover its throat and eyes, two vital parts.

"Buzz—"

A sword light struck Jin Lei's nape, cutting off only a few strands of hair from his thick, dark gold hair, without even damaging his skin.

"Thick-skinned and robust..."

Zhang Ruxue frowned slightly and urged the sword technique on again.

However, this time it was no longer just a sword aura, but her sword essence, which had been condensed to the extreme and was almost tangible!

Although Zhang Ruxue's swordsmanship at this moment has not yet truly entered the second realm, "Sword Essence," she is only slightly lacking, reaching the level of "half-step Sword Essence." Perhaps one day, by chance, she will be able to break through the bottleneck of "Condensing Qi into罡" and completely transform into Sword Essence!

Suddenly, the frost-white sword light on the flying sword intensified, and wisps of sword energy condensed into a several-foot-long frost sword essence, which slashed straight down at Jin Lei's chest.

She used 20% of her true qi in this sword strike. As the sword energy passed, fine ice crystals condensed in the air and fell down in a flurry.

"laugh--"

The frost-white sword energy, carrying a chilling aura, pierced Jin Lei's chest, creating a wound that ran across his upper body.

Even the dark red demon blood that was about to flow out was frozen at the edge of the wound by the cold air before it could even come out.

However, Jin Lei merely glanced down, letting out a deep, muffled growl. The muscles in his chest suddenly tightened, forcefully closing the wound. In just a few breaths, a thin layer of dark golden flesh covered the edges of the wound, which began to heal at a visible speed.

The fight lasted for nearly the time it takes for two incense sticks to burn.

Zhang Ruxue's sword light crisscrossed the narrow mine tunnel, each strike landing precisely on its joints and vital points. However, the golden beast's regenerative ability was truly astonishing.

The sword wound had just cut through the flesh, and it began to heal in the blink of an eye;

The frost had barely frozen the wound when new growths broke through the ice. Its stamina seemed inexhaustible; each swing of the giant axe was powerful and heavy, forcing Zhang Ruxue to dodge. Seven or eight deep axe marks were already left on the rock walls on both sides of the mine tunnel.

"We can't delay any longer."

Zhang Ruxue took a deep breath, her sword technique suddenly changed, and she decided to take a risky move.

She sheathed her flying sword, the frosty white sword light completely condensing into the blade, making the entire sword resemble a solidified moonlight. She lightly touched the ground with her toes and darted to the left, Jin Lei's giant axe following closely behind. The axe blade grazed the back of her Taoist robe and struck the rock wall, the flying pebbles grazing her cheek and leaving a thin trail of blood.

Just as the axe blade was about to pierce the rock wall and strike her, Zhang Ruxue suddenly twisted her body and activated a magic spell.

"The Void Emperor's Flying Battle Spell!"

Escape Techniques are a mid-level Taoist art recorded in the Lingjian Sect's Taoist Canon. They are named after the phrase "Flying Emperor of the Void, Stepping on the Heavenly Dipper." Within a hundred feet, one can attach an invisible "Flying Emperor True Seal" to external objects, thereby enabling one to escape within a short distance and exchange positions with the True Seal.

More importantly, this Taoist technique was carefully selected by her and can complement her sword essence. If it is truly imprinted into her sword essence, she can borrow some of the power of "Sword Escape" and arrive as fast as a flying star.

In Jin Lei's eyes, with just a flash of sword light, the woman who had just been under his axe vanished without a trace.

When I opened my eyes again, it was already in front of its chest, just inches away!

Push off with your feet and use the momentum to surge forward.

Zhang Ruxue's face was as cold as frost and snow. With her right hand, she drew out the flying sword that she had been accumulating for a long time, and the sword energy almost merged with the sword body.

A clear, bright, and cold arc of light flashed past, mercilessly slicing into Jin Lei's neck.

"laugh--"

Dark red blood mist spurted out.

The sword cut extremely deep, almost severing most of Jin Lei's neck, revealing the stark white cervical vertebrae beneath.

Jin Lei let out a deafening roar of pain, the giant axe slipped from his hand, and his massive body staggered backward, dark golden blood gushing from his neck, staining half of his fur coat dark red.

Zhang Ruxue drew her sword and turned around, her chest rising and falling slightly. Then she took out a Qi-restoring pill from her pouch and swallowed it.

This sword strike was a risky move where she traded one move for another.

If Jinlei were just an ordinary demon beast, this sword strike would have been enough to end the battle. However, Jinlei did not fall down immediately, but instead made a move that surprised her.

Jin Lei covered the wound on the side of his neck, and with his other hand he reached under his fur coat and took out a tattered pouch from his waist.

The pouch was filthy, its leather cracked, and a rough animal sinew was tied to its opening, making it look as if it had been peeled off from some rogue cultivator.

Jin Lei shook the bag on the ground, and several one-legged mandrill corpses rolled out.

They had all died recently and were still warm; one of them was even twitching slightly in the limbs.

Jinlei opened its massive maw, full of fangs, and bit down on the head of one of the mandrill corpses. With a "crunch," it shattered the skull and swallowed the flesh and bones whole. Then came the second and the third bite. It chewed incredibly fast, the crunching sound of its fangs crushing bones echoing through the mine tunnel, dark red blood dripping down its chin.

As it continued to devour its prey, the horrifying wound on the side of its neck, deep enough to expose bone, began to heal at a visible speed.

The severed blood vessels reconnected on their own, the cut muscle tissue sprouted new granulation tissue that intertwined with each other, and even the half of the cervical vertebrae that had been severed by the sword slowly returned to their original positions with a teeth-grinding creak. In just a few breaths, the wound that could have been fatal was reduced to a shallow scar.

Zhang Ruxue's expression turned serious.

This golden beast was completely different from the low-level mountain demons she had ever seen. Judging from its behavior, although it was still far from the innate transformation tribulation of demon beasts, due to its confused racial distinctions, it was actually able to use a storage bag that could only be used by human cultivators.

Furthermore, the method of storing blood and food in a pouch to replenish essence, and the giant axe in its hand made from the ribs of a dragon... all these are advantages that human cultivators excel at: utilizing tools.

"No wonder the immortal sects have been issuing edicts to exterminate mountain demons for years; it's clear that these 'mountain girls' are a menace..."

As Zhang Ruxue pondered this, her resolve to eradicate this demon's lair grew even stronger.

What she didn't know was that among the giant mountain demons born from the mountain maiden, those with a half-human, half-demon body often possessed both human intelligence and demonic physique, making them several times more troublesome than ordinary demonic beasts. And the golden beast before her was clearly one of them.