Biochemical Martial Arts: Supreme Heavenly Venerate

After sprinting for about half a day, Lin Rui finally reached the target valley.

He held the bounty order from the county yamen in one hand and compared it with the terrain in front of him, "This should be the place!"

There was a hint of exhaustion in Lin Rui's eyes, mixed with a trace of excitement.

The Wang City county yamen had issued a bounty of 1,200 taels of demon silver for this cold-attributed, fifth-realm demonic creature.

Lin Rui, as the Defense Envoy of Wang City, for the well-being of the people and also as a reward for the monster hunt, had offered a bounty of 1,000 taels of demon silver, rewarding those who contributed.

He was still quite particular, keeping the bounty half a notch lower than that of the county yamen.

Thus, this hunt was both for collecting materials for Wang Sen's synthetic blood serum and for suppressing this demonic threat to ensure the safety of the local residents' lives and property.

"What a pity, the body of this Ice Claw Demon is too severely deformed, otherwise it could have been a suitable Guardian Demon for Twenty-Seven as well."

According to the experience of predecessors, the closer a Guardian Demon is to the human form and the more aligned its elemental attributes are, the less mental strain there is on the demon handler.

Lin Rui's 'Blood Blade Ji' was just such a case, a perfect Guardian Demon for him.

Upon hearing this, Wang Sen could not help but laugh, "Let's talk about that later, my spiritual power strength is not enough right now."

Of course, he also wanted to become a demon handler, and if he could contract a Guardian Demon, it would not only enhance his combat ability but also provide conveniences in various aspects.

The problem was his spirit truly could not withstand it. Experience tales at empire

Wang Sen greatly admired Lin Rui, who currently not only bore the responsibility of a top-ranking, fourth-realm Guardian Demon but also had two top-ranking, fifth-realm bred-in artifacts and five advanced-stage bred-in artifacts implanted in his body, in addition to a full set of fourth-generation casting gear, and he still seemed quite at ease.

Bred-in artifacts like these couldn't just be implanted with money.

Take Fang Ranran, for instance, her family was wealthy enough to afford any powerful bred-in artifact outright, yet currently, she was only an S+ ranked Major.

This was quite outstanding among the wealthy second generation but could not compare to Lin Rui's talent for bred-in artifacts.

Brother Rui not only had a hall-of-fame level martial cultivation talent but also in terms of spiritual power, the combination of the two making him a top-tier talent for bred-in artifacts.

The two of them did not rush into action but rather stopped at a larger village nearby to rest for a bit.

Physically, they were far from matching Ji Xueying; the Blood Blade Ji was still bursting with energy after charging on a horse for half a day, showing no signs of fatigue.

Lin Rui, however, felt as if his bones were about to be shattered by the iron-scale horse's gallop.

The mounts beneath them couldn't take it either, and although the two of them alternated between two horses each, after a mad dash of seven hundred li, all six iron-scale horses were so exhausted that they were panting heavily, lying on the ground and sticking their tongues out.

It had just turned night when they entered this village, which was dark and silent, with not a sound to be heard anywhere, a complete stillness.

However, Lin Rui, with his powerful perception, clearly sensed that many people inside the surrounding houses were peering out.

He also noticed a thin layer of ice covering the rooftops of the houses around him and the fields beside them.

Lin Rui, after pondering the thin ice in the fields briefly, made his way to the most imposing blue-brick courtyard in the village.

As expected, the owner of this blue-brick courtyard was the local village chief.

The Song Dynasty had a Baojia system in place, where ten households formed a Jia and appointed a Jia head; Ten Jia formed a Bao, and appointed a Bao head, or village chief.

When the village chief confirmed Lin Rui's identity as a defense officer and learned that he had come for the fifth realm Ice Claw Demon, he respectfully invited them into the main house, provided food and water, and served their six Ironscale Horses with the best beans and grains.

Not long after that, the deathly quiet village burst into a frenzy; hundreds of people gathered in front of the courtyard, all shedding grateful tears and prostrating themselves.

Some of the better-off families even brought gifts they deemed presentable, including various precious furs and rare medicinal herbs.

Yet most of the villagers were sallow, emaciated, and skin and bones.

Lin Rui glanced outside and saw that the vast majority of them were scarcely clothed, with even some women and children naked.

The village chief was also terribly thin; a man of merely forty looked like he was in his sixties.

With joy, he described the situation, "Sir, that Ice Claw Demon appeared in March, and after we reported it to the authorities, no one came to deal with it. Although the government issued a reward, it only attracted some demon hunters who were no match for the Ice Claw Demon. They either fled far away or were fed to the demon.

As time went on, it wreaked havoc around the area for miles, and we missed the spring farming season. If we can't replant crops before autumn arrives, who knows how many people nearby will starve, so our dozen villages put together 600 taels of Demon Silver to increase the reward in the county town. We didn't expect you to arrive today, Sir, and that you are the defense officer of our very own county!"

He immediately felt his words were improper, as if he was hinting that the defense officer was motivated by money. The village chief hurriedly knelt and kowtowed, explaining anxiously, "Your servant didn't mean that, Sir. I visited the county town seven days ago about the additional reward, and I heard of your esteemed name. That the defense officer has just assumed office and promptly arrived here to help us exterminate this demon is indeed a blessing for us!"

"There's no need for that, village chief," Lin Rui said with a generous smile, personally helping the village chief up, "What blessing? It is we who have arrived late. You should let the people outside disperse now and have a rest yourself. We will recuperate here overnight and will surely eradicate this demon for you tomorrow morning."

After the village chief left with endless gratitude, Wang Sen looked out the window, his expression conflicted, and whispered, "Sir, maybe we should forget about the reward from Wang City?"

As he looked at the group of villagers kneeling outside the courtyard, he suddenly felt the weight of the reward.

——It was all the blood and sweat of the commoners.

"I have a sense of it," Lin Rui said, his mood heavy as well. He had read the human records of the Sky Extremity Star and knew the plight of the lowest class was harsh.

Back in Yinyue County's town, Lin Rui felt that the commoners were having a tough time. Most of the people he interacted with from the Sky Extremity Star lived with great difficulty.

Yet these rural farmers outside the city were suffering even more than those in the city.

In fact, the fields of Sky Extremity Star were highly productive, with vast lands and abundant resources, and sparsely populated.

Under normal circumstances, people could live quite comfortably, with no problem in providing themselves with food and warmth.

However, to suppress the demons across the land and to guard against 'the Inferno', the authorities had to levy heavy taxes on the common people to support a large number of Martial Cultivators.

This is also related to the corruption of the bureaucratic governance, as the Great Song dynasty had enjoyed a reign of 6,700 years, and the entire court structure had become thoroughly decayed.

Lin Rui considered that he should still collect the bounty from Wang City, but he could think of a way to return the reward money from the county seat to these villagers and farmers.

However, he could not return it directly; he had to think of a pretext.

He understood the story of Zilu receiving an ox.

His mood was downcast, dispirited, and he heaved a silent sigh in his heart, originally thinking he could earn two bounties this time, but now he still had to spit out one of them.

Ji Xueying sat beside him, silently watching the two.

A hint of amusement was hidden in the depths of her eyes.

Ji Xueying had always felt that her master and that chubby boy, although they were Heavenly Demons from beyond the realm, were far more human-like than any of the powerful elites she had encountered in the capital.

It was at this moment that Ji Xueying's expression slightly tightened, and she turned to look outside the house.

Just in that instant, a cold wind brushed past outside, causing the temperature around the small blue-brick courtyard to plummet abruptly within a hundred paces.

The extreme chill caused a thin layer of ice to form on the nearby ground, while the ice layer on the surfaces of the houses became even thicker.

At this time, several hundred villagers were still gathered outside the blue-brick courtyard without dispersing, and they become panicked at the sight.

"This is terrible! It's the Ice Claw Demon!"

"The monster has come, drawn by our commotion."

"So cold! I feel like my blood is frozen solid."

"Damn monster, I really want to fight it to the death!"

The middle-aged security chief was standing outside the house, persuading the villagers to leave, but now he also turned pale. He react quickly, starting to organize the villagers to enter his own small courtyard and nearby houses for shelter.

But the bone-chilling wind, the extreme cold, made all the villagers move sluggishly, and in the blink of an eye, a layer of white frost formed on their bodies.

At this moment, Ji Xueying's ice-jade-like eyes turned fiery red, and a crimson flame ignited on her body. She cast intense light in all directions, not only instantly restoring the surrounding temperature to normal but also warming the bodies of all the villagers.

Her figure immediately turned into light and fled, flashing to a spot a hundred paces to the south in an instant, looking down at a large demon that was three Zhang tall.

This demon had the body of a huge ape, but with horns on its head and a turtle shell on its back.

Its pair of hands were exceptionally large, almost as big as its body, and the tips of its hands were claws that were one Chi long and extremely sharp.

"Early Fifth Realm, with imperial bloodline?"

Ji Xueying couldn't help but narrow her eyes.

It seems the intelligence provided by these villagers was inaccurate, but this was a stroke of luck for Wang Twenty-Seven.

Previously, when facing an Ice Claw Demon of the Early Fifth Realm and imperial rank, Ji Xueying at best had a slight advantage, but now—

Ji Xueying swung her sword fiercely, her figure descending like a crimson thunder onto the head of the Ice Claw Demon.

The Fifth Realm Ice Claw Demon also let out a 'gaga' roar, swinging its claws to strike upward.

It was confident in its claws, but when the demon and sword collided, the Ice Claw Demon's right arm suddenly burst out a cluster of bright red blood.

Not only were the ice claws forcibly chopped off by Ji Xueying, but that arm also got severed by the incredibly powerful and swift sword light she wielded!

The corners of Ji Xueying's lips curved up slightly.

This was the 'Genetic Completion Serum' that her master had injected into her! This was the enhanced warblade 'Astonishing Snow'!

Together, they brought her combative power infinitely close to the 'Imperial rank'!

After Ji Xueying left, Lin Rui also swiftly flew out, arriving outside the gate of the blue-brick courtyard.

"Be careful!"

Lin Rui squinted, his gaze solemn.

Besides that Fifth Realm Ice Claw Demon, he sensed the presence of other demons nearby.

Wang Sen's expression was equally grave as he pulled out a sky-blue shield, positioning himself in front of Lin Rui, ready for battle.

This was the 'Cold Blood Shield' he had traded for with that Blood Blade, a superior Fifth Realm artifact!

Normally, trading for a magic artifact was a cumbersome affair, but with the help of Professor Han and using the professor's connections, Wang Sen had successfully acquired this artifact the day before.

And while Lin Rui was observing the battle situation with Ji Xueying and remaining on guard,

he felt a chill invade his body, accompanied by the sound of a cold, arrogant chuckle, "Your body belongs to me now!"

At the same time, a message appeared in Lin Rui's mind.

Alert: Detected invasion by a Brigadier-level alien spiritual power. Your combat spirits No. 1 and No. 2 can help you absorb and refine the original essence of the alien spiritual power. Do you wish to host them?

Lin Rui's expression instantly became unusually strange.

He chose yes—