“Glug”
Li Xi couldn't help but swallow. Even with his slow nerves, he realized things had gone terribly wrong.
Li Xi hadn't considered running away first. But if something were to happen here after he left, no one would know. What if an inferno or an abyss lord leaped out? Kaduo City would be lucky to last an hour. In such a scenario, what difference would escaping make?
Watching the wind vortex still spinning, with no objects or life being teleported through, Li Xi couldn't help but pull out a steel needle.
"Swish."
The needle pierced through the wind vortex, shooting into the unknown world.
Seeing that his needle had no reaction, Li Xi took out another and shot it into the wind vortex.
This time, there was a reaction.
"Roar!"
A roar emanated from within the wind vortex, so powerful it almost caused the vortex to collapse.
Two dark, blade-like horns, two meters apart, slowly emerged from the vortex. These magnificent, imposing horns reminded Li Xi of a long sword being unsheathed, a flash of cold light like a death invitation. If the vortex had been any smaller, these horns wouldn't have fit.
Each horn was a meter long, thick enough to serve as gateposts for goblins.
As the horns fully emerged, a head the size of a meter followed. Its blood-red skin was covered in scars.
Some scars revealed the skull beneath, indicating its owner had faced many life-or-death battles.
Unfortunately, two precarious steel needles were lodged in it, making the grim atmosphere slightly awkward.
A pair of eyes, filled with bloodlust, slaughter, hatred, and madness, locked onto Li Xi. Li Xi could feel that these eyes were larger than a honeydew melon.
Next came the face. This demon's face was covered in small scales the size of copper coins, making him appear even colder, despite his already ferocious demeanor.
His mouth was full of small, sharp teeth, making Li Xi suspect that even steel wouldn't escape being crushed in his jaws.
This large head emerging from the vortex allowed Li Xi to recognize the demon's identity: a horned demon.
A demon of level five, capable of terrifying countless people even in their nightmares.
Horned demons could reach heights of seven meters, wield greatswords proficiently, and possessed physical strength comparable to a level six demonic beast. Most importantly, they could use magic, making them a crucial force among demons.
During the Great Cataclysm, horned demons were responsible for a top-ten number of deaths, with countless beings falling before their greatswords. Furthermore, they were the pre-evolutionary form of inferno demons.
Strength, power, muscle – these words seemed to have been created for him.
Recognizing the horned demon, Li Xi's heart leaped into his throat. While he could easily defeat high-level warriors, facing a horned demon comparable to a level six demonic beast left him with absolutely no confidence.
While Li Xi was thinking, after its head was fully out, the horned demon continued to struggle. However, only its head had emerged; its body simply wouldn't follow.
After struggling for a long time, it was as if its head were stuck.
Li Xi immediately understood what had happened. Because he had taken fifty demon crystals, the teleportation vortex wasn't large enough. The horned demon's body was too big to be transported, thus getting stuck.
Seeing the horned demon still trying to push through at various angles, Li Xi grinned maliciously. Fire ninjutsu would be useless against such a renowned race from the abyss, but this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to face a stationary target.
So, Li Xi drew his curved blades and said to the horned demon, "Say, big brother, you wouldn't mind if I borrowed your horns to build a toilet back home, right?"
"Roar!"
Li Xi's question was answered with a roar. The horned demon opened its cavernous mouth, emitting a stench so potent it could fell a person from several feet away. Even with his filter mask, Li Xi could smell it.
"You need to brush your teeth."
Li Xi vanished from his spot using Body Flicker Technique, instantly appearing on the horned demon's head. With two swift slashes, his curved blades struck the bald skull.
This was Li Xi's first close-quarters combat after his physical strength had been enhanced. The ripping sound of the curved blades slicing through the air filled Li Xi with confidence.
However, the result was…
"Schlick!"
The curved blades felt as if they had struck diamond. The horned demon's skin didn't even break.
Li Xi looked at his curved blades in astonishment. With his refined weapons and his strength, this shouldn't be the case.
Earlier, the horned demon had even allowed the steel needles to pierce it, albeit only slightly. It had been a penetration. Now, his full-force attack couldn't be weaker than a steel needle.
Seeing Li Xi's bewildered gaze, the horned demon's face contorted into a mocking expression. "Insect, your strength isn't even enough to tickle me. I advise you to kneel and beg for my forgiveness. Otherwise, when I get out, you'll be the first one I eat."
"You still want to get out? Ask my curved blades first."
With that, Li Xi began to hack at the massive head, circling it. After a long time, with sparks flying, the horned demon remained completely unharmed.
"Heh heh, such weak power. I can even feel your soul crying out in agony." The horned demon didn't even resist, letting Li Xi attack while it continued to try and free itself from the wind vortex.
Li Xi hacked countless times, his wrists aching. Panting, he put away his curved blades and took out his steel needles, firing them at the horned demon with the speed of a machine gun. The result was a cacophony of 'ding ding dong dong,' yet not a single needle could penetrate the horned demon's skin like before.
"Heh heh, little insect, accept reality. I am someone you cannot defeat. I'll give you one last chance. If you refill the demon crystals on the altar, I won't kill you when I get out. I'll let you go kindly. How about it?"
The horned demon grinned widely, like a predator teasing helpless prey. This feeling ignited a primal thrill within him.
Li Xi, enraged by the horned demon's words, formed hand seals.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
A four-meter diameter fireball enveloped the horned demon's massive head. The intense heat could be felt several meters away by Li Xi, but the horned demon, in the center of the fireball, roared with laughter.
"You dare use fire against me? Didn't your teacher tell you that we Abyss dwellers are masters of fire?"
"Hahahahaha!"
The horned demon laughed unreservedly. This feeling of being attacked without any damage being inflicted was exhilarating.
Li Xi increased his chakra output, extending the duration of the Great Fireball Jutsu to six seconds. Even for a master of fire like the horned demon, this was long enough to force him to close his eyes to prevent damage.
The moment his eyes closed, two empty bottles fell to the ground beneath Li Xi. He vanished using Body Flicker Technique and reappeared on the horned demon's head, just as the Great Fireball Jutsu dissipated.
The horned demon naturally felt Li Xi's attack but didn't take it seriously. The countless attacks before had been unable to harm him, and this would be no different.
But when Li Xi's curved blades sliced across the horned demon's eyelids, they hissed as if doused in sulfuric acid, emitting wisps of smoke.
The horned demon instinctively closed his just-opened eyes, howling in pain, "What did you do?"
Li Xi had no time to answer. Strike while the iron was hot. He fiercely swung his dual blades, creating illusions, and in the span of a breath, delivered dozens of cuts.
Each cut managed to penetrate the horned demon's skin, leaving new gashes on its already scarred head. These wounds sizzled and emitted smoke.
"It's holy water, you despicable insect! I'll stuff you into the backside of a maggot!"
Li Xi had taken advantage of the horned demon closing its eyes to douse his blades in holy water, allowing the horned demon to be attacked by it.
However, even with the holy water's assistance, Li Xi could barely scratch the horned demon's skin, let alone reach its bones.
The horned demon's massive head shook, trying to dislodge the holy water from its wounds. It even slammed into the wind vortex with increased ferocity, causing it to contort to its limits.
Finally, after four consecutive impacts from the horned demon, the wind vortex, unable to bear the strain, shattered.
"Bang!"
Like shattered glass, it was broken by the horned demon.
The instant the wind vortex broke, an invisible giant hand seemed to push the horned demon back. Accompanied by the horned demon's final, venomous curses, the wind vortex completely vanished.
The second level of the underground space returned to its former tranquility. The difference was that the pile of skeletons that had been there earlier was gone, as were the demon crystals. Everything else remained as it was.
Li Xi quickly took a soldier's ration pill and swallowed it to replenish his stamina. "This place is not meant to be lingered in. It's best to leave."
Having witnessed such a significant event, Li Xi cautiously guarded against any potential dangers. However, upon emerging from the sewer entrance and seeing daylight, nothing happened.
Level two demon rats, the abyssal altar, the horned demon – Li Xi dared not conceal these matters. He quickly returned to the mercenary hall, found Aisi, and told her everything. He downplayed his own strength, and the encounter with the horned demon was described as him having withheld all the demon crystals, causing the horned demon to only expose an eye before being forced back into the abyss with his two bottles of holy water.
Aisi listened, her expression extremely solemn. "The matter of the horned demon is of paramount importance. Take me to see it."
"Alright."
Li Xi led Aisi back to the sewers, and through the mole's underground palace, they arrived at the second level, where they encountered the abyssal demonic monument.
Aisi examined it repeatedly, occasionally illuminating her palm with white holy light to check for something.
After a good ten minutes, she finished and said to Li Xi, "What you've discovered is incredibly important. Although I cannot upgrade the mission's rank, I can compensate you with gold."
Upon hearing "gold," Li Xi was no longer as excited as before. Possessing tens of thousands of gold worth of demon crystals, he found the mission's commission of a few dozen gold coins insignificant.
"Sister Aisi, if you really want to reward me, please give me a few bottles of holy water. I've found this stuff is truly effective. It's a shame the holy water I bought was only the lowest grade, not a higher one. Otherwise, this horned demon I encountered today wouldn't have escaped back to the abyss so easily."
Aisi couldn't help but roll her eyes at Li Xi. "Higher-grade holy water? I don't even have that. I have five bottles of intermediate-grade holy water here. You can make do with these for now. When you run out, you'll have to figure it out yourself."
Aisi produced five bottles, the size of Wahaha drinks, filled with pure white, divinely glowing holy water, from a ring on her finger.
Li Xi's gaze fell upon Aisi's ring, and he involuntarily licked his lips. "Good stuff."
Aisi was speechless. He truly desired whatever was good. But seeing the envious look in Li Xi's eyes, she relented and took a ring from her embrace, tossing it to Li Xi. "This is an additional reward from me. The space inside isn't large, only one square meter, but it should be enough to hold some things."
Li Xi clasped the spatial ring with both hands and fiercely wiped the corner of his mouth. "Thank you, Sister Aisi. When I earn money, I'll buy you delicious food."
Impatiently, he put on the spatial ring, dripped a drop of blood on it, and instantly, his mind felt like it had discovered a new world. A meter-square, hazy gray space appeared, allowing Li Xi to retrieve and place items.
Like a child discovering a new toy, Li Xi placed his soldier's ration pills, steel needles, demon crystals, and the five bottles of intermediate-grade holy water from the mission into it. With a thought, a steel needle instantly reappeared in Li Xi's hand.
Seeing how convenient it was, Li Xi smiled. "This is great."