Chapter 123: The Supreme Executor

"This river is home to at least several hundred demonic beasts at the Demon Marquis rank; it is essentially a forbidden zone for humans in the Demonic Beast Wilderness." The Profound Ice White Tiger explained this with an air of indifference.

Xiao Yang could not help but take a few more glances.

Several hundred Demon Marquis-rank beasts?

If he were to slaughter them all... he would strike it rich overnight! He could become a Martial Marquis-rank powerhouse in a matter of minutes.

Almost instantly, it felt as if a nest of kittens had taken up residence in Xiao Yang’s heart, scratching at his curiosity every single second.

Consequently, he had already set his sights on this river. Xiao Yang had already made up his mind: if the place he was heading to turned out to be too dangerous, he would return and find a way to deal with this river. Several hundred Demon Marquis-rank beasts would be enough for him to level up quite a few times.

Just then, two splashes erupted in the water below, and two jet-black tentacles lunged out from beneath the surface, aiming directly at Xiao Yang and the Profound Ice White Tiger.

Xiao Yang remained unfazed, but the Profound Ice White Tiger was thoroughly incensed.

"I am a Demon King! A Demon King! How on earth do you have the audacity to lay a hand on me?"

Simultaneously, it spat out a breath of ancient, frigid frost. The tentacles shattered in mid-air, frozen so thoroughly that not a single drop of blood escaped. The beasts in the river, clearly sensing the formidable power of the White Tiger, retreated to the bottom, not daring to move, quietly waiting for it to leave.

"Damn little scum, daring to attack me—you must be tired of living."

The Profound Ice White Tiger was truly provoked. It might not be able to handle that corpse, but a bunch of stinking fish? It could certainly handle them.

It opened its mouth and unleashed a concentrated blast of frost downward. The surrounding temperature plummeted rapidly. Soon, the moisture in the air condensed into ice, falling in a rattling shower. But this was merely the prelude.

The moment that breath of frost touched the water's surface, the previously surging, turbulent waves were instantly frozen solid. The expanse of ice continued to spread, and within a few breaths, a strange spectacle appeared in the two-to-three-hundred-foot-wide river: a small glacier island had formed in the center.

"That breath of yours—impressive!" Watching the small glacial island below, Xiao Yang had to admire it. He even suspected that the Profound Ice White Tiger was fully capable of freezing an entire stretch of the river with its frost.

"If I don't vent my anger, they really start thinking I'm a sick cat." It cast a disgruntled look at the water below before continuing to carry Xiao Yang onward.

Having learned from this precedent, the other Demon Marquis-rank beasts were clearly much better behaved. They hid at the bottom of the river, trembling, not daring to act recklessly again. As for the beast that had attacked, it was currently at the riverbed, silently becoming an ice sculpture.

***

"Young Master, why don't we turn back?" The moment Xiao Yang’s feet touched the ground, he heard the Profound Ice White Tiger’s voice. It was clear the creature was still uneasy. Carrying a black donkey hoof and a bag of rice to hunt a Zombie King—no matter how you looked at it, the whole thing sounded unreliable.

"With me here, you can set your mind completely at ease." Possessing the top-tier "Zombie-Fighting Starter Kit," Xiao Yang was not the least bit panicked. Even if he couldn't win, he was confident he could at least manage to escape.

How the Profound Ice White Tiger longed to retort: "It’s precisely because you’re here that I’m not at ease." But saying it aloud made no difference, and he was better off using that time to think about how they would make their escape later.

"Why are you such a coward? Hurry up and lead the way," Xiao Yang said with some dissatisfaction.

The Profound Ice White Tiger plodded forward slowly, but due to its size, each stride covered several yards, so it was not actually slow.

"There are people fighting in the direction ahead," the Profound Ice White Tiger said to Xiao Yang, its ears twitching slightly.

In truth, Xiao Yang had already heard the sounds of combat before it spoke, and judging by the noise, there seemed to be quite a few people.

"Shrink down quickly; let’s go take a look." Xiao Yang gestured to the tiger and spoke in a low voice. In an instant, a small white cat appeared in his hand, and Xiao Yang, wasting no time, slipped forward stealthily.

Soon, they saw a group of people surrounding and attacking a beast. It was a Wilderness Lion at the Demon Marquis rank, surrounded by the corpses of its own kind. Yet, despite its power, it was being steadily pushed back by a group of Great Martial Masters.

"Roar! Damn humans! I shall definitely have my revenge!" The Wilderness Lion realized the situation was dire; if it stayed, it would likely end up torn to shreds. It turned to flee, but just then, a young man leaped into the air, gripping a massive, wide-bladed saber, and brought it down fiercely toward the beast.

At that same moment, a dozen chains, each as thick as two fingers, whistled through the air—*whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!*—and bound the Wilderness Lion’s four limbs. In a single encounter, the beast was immobilized, and the young man’s saber came crashing down.

*Puff!* A spray of blood erupted. The Wilderness Lion let out a pained howl.

"Roar!"

"Damn scum!"

The strike had sliced through fur and flesh, exposing the white bone of its skull. Yet, that was all. Although the Wilderness Lion looked disheveled, it had not suffered any truly grievous injuries; they were all superficial wounds.

"Just you wait!" With an angry roar, a burst of violent, monstrous strength erupted from its body. The people controlling the chains were, after all, only Great Martial Masters and could not contend with a Demon Marquis. The sudden explosion of power sent the dozen men flying, crashing hard into the ground.

Having gained its freedom, the Wilderness Lion dared not linger; if it kept fighting, it would surely die.

"Damn it!" Zhao Zhongtian watched the lion break free, a flash of frustration in his eyes. He was at the Half-Step Martial Marquis realm, and with a dozen subordinates working in perfect coordination, he had failed to take down a beast that had only just broken through to the Demon Marquis rank. He considered this a personal humiliation.

"Humans, just you wait. Once I have recovered, I will settle this score with you."

"Hmph!"

Just then, a cold grunt echoed. A martial manifestation over three yards tall appeared. It was a humanoid figure, but it possessed four arms and six eyes. The moment it appeared, it drew back a bow. The target of the attack was the fleeing Wilderness Lion.

*Whoosh!* A sound of air being pierced rang out. The Wilderness Lion sensed the impending danger and turned its head—and it was precisely this movement that caused the arrow to pierce directly through its skull.

*Puff!* A mass of red and white matter burst forth, and the Wilderness Lion lost all momentum in an instant, collapsing to the ground.

"Go dismember the body, then prepare to move out," Old Wu said blandly.

Zhao Zhongtian did not dare to delay and hurried to comply. Although his own status was more noble, while on a mission, Old Wu was the supreme commander, and everyone had to obey his arrangements.

Soon, the carcasses of the Wilderness Lions were dismantled, and the demon cores were collected by Zhao Zhongtian. Before long, aside from the lingering scent of blood in the air and the stains on the ground, nothing remained to suggest that dozens of corpses had been there just moments before.

Watching this group, Xiao Yang had only one word in his mind: Professional.

There was no wasted effort, and their coordination was near perfection. If he hadn't been certain these were living people, Xiao Yang would have suspected they were a group of high-precision robots.

After securing the battlefield, the group set off once more.