Chapter 139: Uninvited Guests

If the rust is removed, just how terrifying would this sword become?

Li Tan thought about it and couldn’t help but feel excited. Moreover, the third floor of the Desolate Pagoda remained unopened. Since the rusted sword had been sent out from inside, could it be that the third floor was, like the first floor’s sea of books, a treasury of weapons?

The possibility seemed quite high.

Thinking of this, Li Tan felt a growing urgency to improve his cultivation. Once he breaks through to the Grandmaster stage, assuming no complications, the third floor of the Desolate Pagoda would open. Additionally, the Dantian World created by the Primordial Star Cultivation Technique would also undergo changes.

Returning his thoughts to reality, Li Tan glanced at the astonished burly man but ignored him. He thrust the sword into the beast’s skull, then stirred it around inside. Soon, he touched something hard. Reaching in, he pulled out a blood-drenched beast core entwined with crimson blood vessels. It was as hot as an iron lump freshly taken from a fire.

This was clearly a fire-element beast core.

Li Tan stored it inside the Desolate Pagoda. The burly man beside him had now regained his composure and asked in shock, “Little brother, have you already reached the peak of the Innate stage?”

Only someone at the pinnacle of the Innate Stage could slay a third-tier Fierce Beast with such ease, correct?

“No, I’m just at the early stage.”

Li Tan replied casually.

The burly man looked puzzled as he stared at the ferocious beast’s corpse and continued, “But how could someone at the early stage possibly…”

Li Tan could guess what the man was about to say next. Perhaps because he was in a good mood after completing the mission, he instead asked, “What’s the biggest difference between a ferocious beast and a human?”

Without hesitation, the burly man answered, “Their brains, of course.”

Li Tan nodded. “No matter what kind of beast it is, even if it possesses immense strength, it still operates purely on instinct when hunting. Killing them is far easier than killing humans or demonic creatures. You just need to know their weaknesses. As an experienced mercenary, you should understand this principle.”

“Ah.” The burly man looked half-understanding, but Li Tan had no intention of elaborating further. He simply waved and started walking back toward Chize City.

It was still morning, the sun wasn’t too intense, and the temperature wasn’t particularly high. The two walked for about half an hour when suddenly they heard a strange howling sound. Turning their heads, they saw in the left rear direction three creatures resembling horses but much taller, their bodies covered in pitch-black scales, and each had a pair of horns on their heads. These creatures were galloping toward them, carrying three people on their backs.

The burly man muttered, “These are Scale Horses. They’re extremely difficult to tame. Those three riders must be people of some importance.”

Li Tan, watching the approaching trio, coldly replied, “You’re only half right.”

“Little brother, why do you suddenly seem a bit off?”

The burly man felt an inexplicable sense of dread. Li Tan’s usually expressionless pupils were now filled with a faint killing intent.

Li Tan gazed forward. When the silhouettes of the three riders on the Scale Horses grew close enough to be clearly seen, he finally spoke, “These three aren’t humans. They’re demons.”

The burly man froze instantly. “Demons? You mean, the demon race?”

Li Tan nodded, his eyes brimming with even more killing intent.

Before Li Tan’s rebirth, the demon race had seized an opportunity to launch a massive invasion against the human race.

At that time, Li Tan was nowhere near strong enough to make a difference. His strength during that great battle was barely better than cannon fodder.

He had been caught up in the war, watching helplessly as his friends, elders, and juniors were slaughtered one by one by the demon race’s blades. He could do nothing but hide in the shadows, watching everything unfold.

The human race suffered defeat after defeat, losing more than half their territory, but managed to drag the war on for over a hundred years.

During this time, Li Tan trained relentlessly, eventually gaining enough strength to become powerful.

Nine expeditions into the Great Wilderness, slaying Demon Emperors, and reclaiming the Desolate Pagoda—humanity flourished once again.

As for what happened afterward, there was no need to elaborate.

That was why Li Tan felt such intense anger toward the three demons before him now.

However, since the great war had not yet erupted, Li Tan was well aware of the dangers of letting emotions dictate actions. Thus, he suppressed his raging fury.

“But why would the demon race come looking for us?”

The burly man asked in confusion.

Li Tan was also puzzled. Logically, the two sides had no reason to interfere with each other. There seemed to be no justification for the three demons approaching them.

“Who knows? If you want to know, just ask them directly.”

Li Tan replied casually. By now, the three demons, riding their Scale Horses, had approached close enough for their facial features to be clearly visible.

Out of the three demons, two were male and one was female. Their appearances were close to human, though each bore certain non-human features.

The female demon had pointed ears with a faint greenish hue, while the two males had horns protruding from their heads.

It was said that the higher a demon’s cultivation, the closer their appearance would resemble that of a human, with their demonic features becoming increasingly well-concealed.

That was indeed somewhat strange—why would higher cultivation levels make them look more human?

Before his rebirth, Li Tan had once tried to investigate this phenomenon but ultimately found no answers. However, this wasn’t a particularly important issue, so not knowing about it wasn’t a big deal, and thus, he felt no regret.

The three young-looking demons riding the Scale Horses came to a stop. They examined Li Tan and the burly man, their gazes unfriendly, conversing in their demonic language.

The burly man swallowed hard, stepped forward cautiously, and asked, “May I ask what business you have with us?”

The three demons did not respond.

The burly man awkwardly asked again, “Are you lost?”

“xxxxxxxx.”

The female demon pointed at Li Tan and spoke a long string of incomprehensible words, then glanced at the burly man with disdain before adding a few more sentences.

Helplessly, the burly man asked, “Little brother, do you understand what they’re saying?”

“I do.”

Li Tan replied expressionlessly.

The burly man eagerly asked, “What did they say?”

Li Tan smirked coldly, “They want to take you back to be their servant. As for you, they think you’re too ugly, so they’re just going to kill you.”

The burly man was stunned. “Little brother, don’t scare me like that.”

“I’m not that bored.”

As if to confirm the accuracy of Li Tan’s words, right after he finished speaking, one of the male demons suddenly leapt into the air. His massive body crashed down in front of Li Tan and the burly man.

The burly man’s expression changed drastically. But after all, he was an experienced mercenary who made his living on the edge of a blade. He quickly accepted the situation and his expression turned fierce. “If you think killing me will be easy, you’re mistaken! Take this!”

With veins bulging, he unleashed a surge of true energy and charged forward wielding his large blade.

He employed his most formidable martial arts technique, aiming to deliver a warning strike to these demons, ideally to frighten them away.

However, the demon swung its spiked club sideways, colliding violently with the burly man’s blade.

With a loud crashing sound, the burly man’s face turned pale. He let out a muffled groan, spat blood, and was sent stumbling backward several steps.

“This… this…”

Li Tan supported him from behind, unfazed as he explained, “Demons are known for their immense strength. If you’re trying to match them in brute force, you’ve already lost.”