Chapter Sixty-Three: Exorcising Demons at Gao Village (Part Two)

Battle erupted in an instant!

But the first to launch an attack was not Fang Xiao.

Perhaps sensing the fighting intent radiating from Fang Xiao, the green-faced boar demon that had been lazily sprawled on the ground suddenly sprang up. Its four thick, powerful hooves slammed heavily onto the earth.

Boom!

The ground shook violently. Dust and debris rained down from the rafters above. At the point where the demon’s hooves landed, cracks spread out like a spiderweb in all directions, reaching the very spot where Fang Xiao stood in the blink of an eye.

At the same time, the boar demon lowered its head and arched its back high.

Sss! Sss! Sss!

Countless bristles as hard as steel needles shot from its body, flying toward Fang Xiao with lightning speed!

Though this green-faced boar demon had not yet gained the power to take human form, its cunning and ferocity were by no means inferior to any human.

The series of attacks it unleashed were seamlessly linked, ruthlessly executed—a lion uses its full strength even to hunt a rabbit. The demon did not underestimate Fang Xiao in the slightest; it intended to kill with a single blow.

However, Fang Xiao was no defenseless rabbit.

The boar demon’s ground-splitting attack was indeed a surprise, but Fang Xiao had already entered a state of combat before it even moved. He gripped the refined black-iron spear tightly in both hands, legs slightly bent, weight centered, feet firmly rooted as though he had sunk deep roots into the earth—unshakable even should mountains collapse or the world fracture.

The perfected form of the "Tiger-Dragon Stance" now revealed its true might.

Facing the barrage of countless bristles, Fang Xiao suddenly thrust his spear forward.

In that instant, a cold flash burst forth, exploding into myriad points of starlight that met the boar demon’s sneak attack head-on.

It was the Stardust Shatter technique from the Lin Family Spear Style, designed specifically to counter hidden weapons.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Amidst the dense, rain-like patter, the demon’s bristles were shredded, shattered, extinguished one after another. Fragments of bristle drifted and scattered through the air.

Snort!

Seeing its deadly move thwarted, the boar demon flew into a rage. Its tail lashed from side to side as its massive body thundered forward, smashing through the pigsty’s fence, twin curved tusks aimed straight at Fang Xiao.

Despite weighing nearly a ton, its charge was as swift as it was violent, carrying a crushing, destructive force. Anyone of weaker will would have been scared witless by such a brutal assault.

But Fang Xiao stood his ground, undaunted.

He did not dodge; instead, he strode forward to meet the charging demon head-on.

Once again, he thrust his refined black-iron spear!

This thrust condensed all the strength in Fang Xiao’s body, infused with the searing internal energy he had just roused: the Pure Yang Tiger-Dragon Qi.

In truth, even when Fang Xiao had first begun practicing the Tiger-Dragon Stance, he could already draw forth a faint flow of heat from his tailbone. As his mastery deepened, that current grew thicker and longer, and under his control, could flow throughout his organs, limbs, and bones—bolstering his power and banishing fatigue.

At first, Fang Xiao did not understand the true nature of this searing energy, believing it a simple result of practicing the stance. Only after enrolling at the Six Rivers Society and learning the foundational theories of martial arts did he gradually come to realize its significance.

When Daoist Pang had handed over the Tiger-Dragon Stance manual, he once said that as long as Fang Xiao could cultivate even a thread of Tiger-Dragon Qi within three years, he might have hope of reaching the Innate Realm.

Yet Fang Xiao had achieved this feat in just a dozen days!

Now, the Pure Yang Tiger-Dragon Qi he could summon was thicker than his thumb.

One breath, forming a rainbow!

The black-iron spear shot straight through the air, its three-edged tip erupting in a golden-red flame nearly a foot long. The target of his attack: the toughest spot on the boar demon’s brow.

At this moment, the demon was less than five paces away—collision was imminent.

Just as the flaming spearhead was about to strike its brow, the demon suddenly twisted its head to the right, raising its left tusk high to meet the incoming blade.

Crack!

The refined iron spear was knocked aside, but a scorched mark, branded by flames, was left on the demon’s brow.

Rather than cowing it, this only stoked the beast’s savage instincts. Its hind legs tensed, and the force of its charge grew even more ferocious!

Fang Xiao had not expected his seemingly foolproof strike to be deflected. In that split second of crisis, he suddenly leaped high, man and spear shattering through the roof of the pigsty.

Dragon Soars to Heaven!

It was the Rising Dragon move from the Tiger-Dragon Stance.

The boar demon charged on beneath him, barreling forward dozens of paces, almost out of the pigsty.

Snort!

The bloated monster skidded to a halt, shaking its head violently and bellowing in frustration.

At that moment, it suddenly sensed something amiss and instinctively glanced upward.

Boom!

Fang Xiao, trailing a shower of shattered bamboo and wood, swooped down from above. The spear in his hands blazed with dazzling fire as he thrust downward from on high!

The boar demon dared not take the blow head-on and hastily used its famed "Lazy Boar Rolls" move, rolling on the spot to dodge.

Its reflexes were swift, but Fang Xiao, still airborne, altered the spear’s angle mid-flight. The three-edged spearhead slanted and plunged into the demon’s right shoulder.

Squelch!

The demon’s thick, supposedly impenetrable bristles were useless. The silver-grey spearhead slid effortlessly through hide and flesh, piercing muscle and bone, nailing the boar demon to the ground.

Fang Xiao landed.

A howl shattered the air—a wail of agony from the boar demon. The weapon was too deadly; never had it dreamt that its supposed iron hide and steel bristles would be like paper before Fang Xiao’s spear.

The searing pain drove the demon mad. It writhed furiously, eventually tearing itself free from the spear impaling its shoulder and bolted for the exit.

"You little beast!"

As it fled for its life, the boar demon roared, "Just you wait! When I return, I’ll eat every last soul in Gao Village!"

"You won’t escape!"

"My king is Zhu Ganglie!"

Boom!

It crashed through Gao Village’s outer wall, charging toward the distant mountains.

As long as it made it to the deep forest, the boar demon would have nothing to fear. If Fang Xiao dared to follow, it swore it would make the boy’s life a living hell.

But as it ran, the boar demon soon realized something was wrong.

Blood was still gushing from its shoulder, leaving a trail of crimson behind. It was forced to slow down, straining to contract its muscles and close the wound by force. No matter how hard it tried, the wound would not close, and the blood would not cease to flow.

How could this be?

The massive blood loss quickly sapped the demon’s strength; its mind began to blur. It toppled headlong to the ground.