Attaining Immortality, Starting From Slaying Demons

Chapter 137 Cleaning Up the Aftermath_1

The Secluded Valley was in disarray, filled with a pungent stench of blood.

The Daoist of Purification squatted by the Jade Pond, looking at the waters tainted red with monster blood, casually rinsing the mud from his hands.

Chunyang Zi, that old fool, insisted on burying the body himself and wanted to use his hands; he had clearly wanted to thrust his sword at Yan Xingkong earlier, yet now he posed with a heavy heart.

With this thought, the Daoist of Purification turned his head to look towards the distant grave mounds, his eyes fleeting with emotion.

Having witnessed the deplorable state of Yan Xingkong's wife, he could understand the thief a bit more; had his own closest kin been treated so cruelly, his blood would have boiled to the point of losing reason too.

Regrettably, while understanding was one thing, the strict rules of the Demon-suppression Bureau were in place to prevent more tragedies like this from happening; after all, Yan Xingkong was not the only man in Qingzhou who had a wife.

Fortunately, being able to witness his enemy's death before his own demise was a luxury many in the martial world could not afford, even with their lives at stake.

Even being buried with his wife after death—no wonder he had died with such satisfaction.

"It should be about done," said Chunyang Zi.

Chunyang Zi solemnly inscribed a name on the tombstone, committed to fulfilling a promise to another, even if it was to a corpse that had almost cost him his life, he would not show the slightest negligence.

Planting the tombstone deep into the head of the grave, he clapped his hands, "Alright, let's go back. After returning, I must go into seclusion once more, striving to break through the Dual Polarity True Intent to great achievement before my lifespan is exhausted—it would also fulfill a wish."

On hearing this, the Daoist of Purification nodded in deep agreement.

Having lived too long in the mountains and constantly subjected to the reverential gazes of disciples, one could unwittingly relax one's guard.

Thinking oneself to have mastered profound and high-level understandings, being able to rank among the best in Qingzhou, one would be content.

Little did he know that beyond the mountains and beyond people, a nameless demon hiding in a deep mountain array could leave him so helpless.

Officer Shen appeared silent and reserved, displaying an extremely low-profile demeanor, yet the decisiveness he exhibited when dealing with demons sent shivers down one's spine.

Such a formidable expert, and yet Baiyun Temple had never heard of him.

Could he be a trump card secretly cultivated by the General?

With this thought, the Daoist of Purification's reverence for the Demon-suppression Bureau deepened—had it been Baiyun Temple with such a young generation, they would have wished the entire Qingzhou to know, rather than hiding it.

"But... to suddenly reveal this trump card, could it be that Qingzhou is facing a major issue?"

The Daoist of Purification shook his head, flicking the water from his hands, and stood up to walk back to where he had come from.

Xiao Qiangwei had already dealt with all the valuable demon goods, holding four Long Feathers, their colors split between green and crimson.

Feeling the mystique within, her eyes couldn't help but flicker.

Even after years as a demon hunter, she had rarely seen such precious objects; it was a pity they were after all the innate abilities of a demon, and if forcefully driven by inner core energy, they would not be able to exert even a tenth or a twentieth of their true effect.

"Lady Xiao, we should hurry back to Qingzhou City," the two Daoists forcibly shifted their gaze from the feathers.

"Okay," Xiao Qiangwei infused her energy into the silver bell and quickly received a response.

She laughed at herself—had she not panicked earlier, such an embarrassing situation wouldn't have arisen, and entering the Breath Concealing Array would have made it impossible for Shen Yi to contact her.

Moments later, a young man in dark blue clothes approached from afar.

Xiao Qiangwei hadn't noticed anything unusual, but the two elder Daoists showed traces of surprise in their eyes.

The so-called natural way of Dao, Shen Yi's seemingly leisurely pace, had hints of blending into nature.

But the next moment, they noticed a trace of displeasure in the fleeting glance Shen Yi cast their way... a tinge of mild resentment.

"..."

Chunyang Zi blinked, suddenly becoming much more reserved.

Although he didn't know where he had offended the other party, it was best to be careful—Officer Shen's palm could crush Kong Jing's head to smithereens, and his own old bones could hardly endure such rough treatment.

Shen Yi quickly adjusted his emotions and nodded to the others, "Gather your things and let's go."

In his unfocused gaze, the panel displayed new changes.

[Condensation Elixir: Dual Yin-Yang Truth: Complete]

[Remaining Demon Lifespan: One Thousand Four Hundred Twenty-Nine Years]

A palm-sized golden page, with no more than two hundred characters inscribed in seal script.

These old Taoists, fearing that detail would undermine the subtlety of their cultivation techniques, indulged in such fanciful stuff.

After using more than twelve hundred years of a demon's lifespan, he really wondered if these Taoists could live that long.

He had originally planned to spend a thousand years solidifying a Demon Crystal, attempting to develop another demonic martial arts technique, but now even that seemed insufficient.

"Take these feathers for now. I'll turn in the rest and have them converted into Martial Temple Refinement for you," Xiao Qiangwei said carefully, worried that he might feel she had been greedy and taken more than her share.

Shen Yi glanced at the blue and crimson feathers, seemingly uninterested.

Then, his words left the others frozen in place, "Divide it according to the rules of demon hunters—I'll just take one portion."

"I know you are a Refinement Martial Arts Master…" Xiao Qiangwei, concerned he may not understand, quickly added, "But something like this Crimson Feather, if you carry it with you, can also nourish the body and heal wounds."

"I know," Shen Yi said with a light nod of his chin, but still showed no sign of changing his mind.

This time, the two Taoists' eyes finally blazed with eagerness, casting their gazes toward what they had forcibly ignored all this while—the four long feathers gently swayed, emitting a faint glimmer.

To have obtained martial arts techniques was a surprise, but who knew they would also get a share of the demonic spoils?

"Officer Shen," Chunyang Zi clenched his teeth and closed his eyes, feebly waving his sleeve, "We can't accept rewards for no merit—it would be shameful to speak of."

Qingjing Daoren failed to stop him, and could only sigh.

Besides the Dual Polarity True Intent, Baiyun Temple was also adept at crafting Precious Tools. Such precious demonic materials were like a carpenter seeing a treasure tree, or a cook seeing a plump chicken—without giving them a twirl, one simply felt restless.

"It's a reward from Officer Shen; you don't have the right to refuse," Xiao Qiangwei's eyebrows rose slightly as she handed over all four feathers, then quickly added, "Don't waste good materials. Craft the Precious Tools, keep some for yourselves, and send the rest to the Patriarch Chen's subordinates at the Demon-suppression Bureau Office in Qingzhou City."

Upon hearing this, Chunyang Zi's sleeve, which he had just let fall, trembled in his hand, and he still reached out following his heart's desire, "Thank you for the reward, Officer Shen."

Then, a smile blossomed on his hair-white but youthful face.

"..."

Shen Yi really couldn't understand—they could have simply taken it for free, and now they were working for someone else, yet they were so happy.

If his colleagues from his previous life were anything like this, the boss would probably soon be able to get them a younger sister-in-law.

He rubbed his temples and turned to walk out of the valley.

The advantage of the Refinement Method was that it didn't produce any negative emotions during deduction.

But to deduce these martial arts techniques, the resulting strong feelings of confusion, despair, exhaustion, up until the moment of sudden enlightenment—all these emotions swelling up at once—were truly not something that could fade away in a short time.