Shocking the Nine Heavens With My Sword

The strength of this Three-tailed Wolf Eagle was at least thirty percent greater than his own!

Zhou Heng speculated in his mind, paying no mind to the wound on his abdomen, which was merely a scratch that hadn't caused much damage. However, had his sword been just a tad slower, that claw could have easily sliced open his stomach and severed his intestines!

The claws of this Demon Beast were akin to sharp weapons.

Once a martial artist completes Skin Refinement, their skin becomes as tough as cowhide, resistant even to blade cuts without considerable effort! After completing Flesh Refinement, the muscles become dense. Even if a sword could slash through the skin, it would get entangled in the dense muscle, preventing significant injury.

As for the Bone Refinement Realm, it was even more formidable, with bones like fine steel, capable of clashing directly with sharp weapons! The ultimate stage, Blood Refinement Realm, infused one with vibrant blood and vitality, immune to all diseases, and repelling evil—the mere release of their aura could cause the faint-hearted to pass out.

Zhou Heng had already completed Skin Refinement, but under the claws of the Three-tailed Wolf Eagle, he was as fragile as paper, a testament to the terrifying sharpness and power of the Demon Beast's claws.

"Awoo—" Failing to kill with one strike, the Three-tailed Wolf Eagle howled skyward, a sound like metal ripping through the air, making ears reverberate with a thunderous echo.

After the howl, the Demon Beast pounced fiercely once more, clearly aware of Zhou Heng's approximate strength from the previous strike, fearlessly launching another attack.

A gleam of excitement flickered in Zhou Heng's eyes as he recalled the moment his intestines had nearly been slashed; his mind buzzed, seeming to edge into a special state, yet remained just on the threshold, unable to fully enter.

"Not enough! It's not enough! I need more pressure!"

He maneuvered with his feet, his long sword clinking continuously against the Three-tailed Wolf Eagle, warding off the Demon Beast's repeated attacks.

This was an extremely dangerous situation, the slightest negligence could plunge him into irreversible doom!

Smack, smack, smack—his arms, chest, and back were splashed with blood as wounds appeared, the deepest of which was about an inch deep and almost reached his heart! In just a few minutes, he had hovered between life and death over a dozen times, each brush slightly sparing his life!

Yet Zhou Heng relished it, his eyes growing increasingly crazed with excitement. Only now did he realize how fervently obsessed he was with the Martial Path—to become stronger, he was willing to risk his life!

If he couldn't cultivate successfully, he would most certainly perish in despair before reaching thirty!

He was born for the Martial Path!

Boom!

Zhou Heng's mind shook violently, suddenly entering a marvelous state. The nine patterns of Sky-soaring Nine Forms spontaneously surged from his mind, continuously transforming!

So that's how it is!

With a long howl, he swung his sword, tracing a mystical trajectory!

The fierce eyes of the Three-tailed Wolf Eagle suddenly showed a look filled with terror; it was unable to dodge or move, as if subjected to an Immobilization Skill, and could only watch helplessly as the sword struck!

Thud!

The sword pierced directly through the chest of the Three-tailed Wolf Eagle. As the blade entered, a spray of blood splattered, and the tip emerged from the back! The Three-tailed Wolf Eagle didn't even whimper, merely swayed and collapsed onto the ground, quickly staining the earth with a pool of blood.

Zhou Heng panted heavily, nearly collapsing onto the ground himself.

That stroke had drained half of the True Yuan Force in his body!

It was precisely because of this that he was able to pierce through the Three-tailed Wolf Eagle's fur, which was an excellent defensive layer, hardly inferior to the chainmail worn by martial artists, let alone being fully penetrated by a single sword thrust!

"I've finally... fully mastered the form of the Sky-soaring First Form!" A smile appeared on Zhou Heng's lips, finding this achievement more thrilling than slaying the Three-tailed Wolf Eagle.

"Just the form alone is so formidable; should I come to understand its essence and truly execute this sword technique, what kind of power might it unleash?"

"Moreover, there are nine forms!"

He took a clean bandage from his backpack and hastily dressed his wounds. Though every cut was merely superficial, without proper care, simply bleeding out could kill a man!

His physique was now extremely robust; within such a brief period, his wounds began to scab over.

After dressing his wounds, Zhou Heng's gaze shifted toward something behind the rocks—during the battle with the Three-tailed Wolf Eagle, the black Broken Sword had constantly pointed in the direction of the rocks without changing.

This meant that the object triggering the reaction of the black Broken Sword was not the Three-tailed Wolf Eagle, but something behind the stone, and the Three-tailed Wolf Eagle was merely guarding it.

Just as he was about to approach, he heard the rustling of footsteps from behind. Zhou Heng immediately halted, spinning around.

Six men and two women emerged from the trees on the side, all in their twenties, each armed with weapons either on their backs or at their waists. These eight individuals were dressed in rugged attire, and the two women, particularly eye-catching in their tight clothing, fully outlined their youthful bodies—their perky breasts, round firm buttocks, combined with beautiful faces, created a potent allure.

Upon seeing Zhou Heng, they were all slightly startled, but their eyes turned greedy when they spotted the Three-tailed Wolf Eagle on the ground.

"Lucky us, just a few days out and we've encountered a Demon Beast!" A man in his twenties laughed heartily; handsome, yet overwhelmingly arrogant as though he had already claimed the Three-tailed Wolf Eagle as his own.

"Senior Brother Zhao has such good fortune!" A seventeen or eighteen-year-old youth flattered, then turned towards Zhou Heng, drawing his sword and pointing it at him, "Kid, roll away from that Demon Beast's corpse!"

The others remained silent but did not intervene, evidently condoning his actions.

They naturally recognized the Three-tailed Wolf Eagle, and seeing Zhou Heng covered in wounds, guessed that he had slain the demon beast alone, yet they weren't wary of him!

— Their Senior Brother Zhao was in the Bone Refinement Realm, able to kill a Three-tailed Wolf Eagle alone and with ease!

Therefore, they were confident against Zhou Heng!

Speaking of which, their behavior was still somewhat "merciful"; faced with someone ruthless, they would have attacked and killed without a word!

Why?

Because of the Three-tailed Wolf Eagle, of course!

Every part of a demon beast is a treasure; the fur can be used for armor since it is light and soft, not only comfortable and beautiful to wear but also offers greater defense than regular mail. And, the beast's sharp claws can be detached and embedded into weapons, causing formidable damage.

The final treasure is the meat of the demon beast!

Demon beasts, the martial artists among wild beasts capable of cultivation, have flesh rich in energy, a significant tonic for martial artists!

Some demon beasts have unique functions, like the gall of a Golden Crown Snake used in medicine to detoxify, or the bones of a Crimson Fire Tiger that can improve the toughness of a martial artist's skin, flesh, tendons, and bones when stewed and bathed in!

In the world of martial artists, strength is most respected, regardless of who came first; now that they had seen the Three-tailed Wolf Eagle, it belonged to them!

Zhou Heng was furious in his heart, but with eight of them, each radiating a profound aura, their cultivation levels no lower than his, and facing eight to one, he had almost no chance of winning. More critically, he hadn't fully recovered his True Yuan Force after executing the Sky-soaring First Form.

He held back his anger!

Zhou Heng slowly backed away; although the demon beast's body was valuable, he didn't set his heart on it much. Rather, it was what the Three-tailed Wolf Eagle was guarding behind the stone. Since it reacted with the black short sword, it must be extraordinary.

He memorized the looks of these eight people, intending to make them pay back everything with interest should they meet again!

Seeing Zhou Heng intelligently back off, the eight of them showed disdain.

However, being able to kill a Flesh Refinement Realm demon beast single-handedly was impressive in itself. Although they held an absolute advantage, they couldn't guarantee that in a desperate struggle, Zhou Heng wouldn't drag one of them down with him.

Thus, Zhou Heng's decision to retreat was a welcome relief for everyone.

The young man with a sword walked up to the Three-tailed Wolf Eagle, bent down, and hoisted up the demon beast. Although it weighed several hundred 'jin', for someone in the Flesh Refinement Realm, this wasn't too great a burden.

Besides, there were eight of them to share the load.

Having snatched the spoils, the group started to move forward but had barely taken a few steps when one of them suddenly stopped and said, "Why is this demon beast here?"

His question was quite abrupt, but the other seven quickly caught on.

Generally, land-based demon beasts live in caves and rarely venture out. Apart from a large rock, this area had no cover, giving the beast no reason to nest here!

"There's treasure here!" another shouted.

All eight showed excitement. Indeed, when demon beasts encounter natural spiritual objects, they guard them until they mature and can consume them.

"Kid, you can go now! Otherwise, die!" Senior Brother Zhao yelled at Zhou Heng.

Clearly, they intended to drive Zhou Heng away and search slowly for the treasures guarded by the Three-tailed Wolf Eagle.

"Sister, aren't we being too harsh?" a girl with large eyes showed a touch of hesitation as she whispered to another girl.

"You're just too soft-hearted! In the world of martial artists, it's all about seizing by force. Without strength, how can one be worthy of possessing treasures!" the other girl responded nonchalantly.

Zhou Heng's face was expressionless, but the flames within him were growing fiercer. He could tolerate them taking the Three-tailed Wolf Eagle's body, but the treasure hidden behind the stone was definitely something he was determined to obtain!

"Kid, don't just stand there looking stupid, we are disciples of the White Jade Valley!" A young man with triangular eyes stepped forward, his demeanor full of arrogance.

White Jade Valley, what was that?

Seeing the confusion inadvertently showing on Zhou Heng's face, all eight displayed a hint of disdain, as if not knowing the name of the White Jade Valley was ridiculously ignorant.

Because of this, they scorned Zhou Heng even more, paying him even less attention.

"Hurry up and scram!" The triangular-eyed youth, feeling bold, reached out to push Zhou Heng.

Swish, a sword slashed through, its chilling brilliance tearing through the sky!

The triangular-eyed youth was drastically shocked; he had never expected Zhou Heng to strike at him! By the time he thought to defend, it was already too late, and he quickly energized his feet, trying to pull back.

However, he discovered in horror that he couldn't move his body!