Attaining Immortality, Starting From Slaying Demons

Chapter 138 First Hearing of Jiang Qiu Lan_1

Tingyang City.

Yang Gui pulled on the reins, guiding the carriage slowly into the city. As an officer of the Demon-suppression Bureau, not many could delegate the task of driving a carriage to him.

He had been somewhat dissatisfied upon receiving the obscure order from his superiors, but now he was extremely pleased and respectful.

What was an officer driving a carriage? To carry four individuals in the Condensation Elixir Realm in one vehicle—now that was a scene that even made him feel somewhat unworthy.

Inside the carriage, two old Taoist priests had previously delivered a letter to General You. Now that their task was complete, even knowing that the recipient was not in the city, they felt it necessary to come in person to express their gratitude, not daring to neglect the proper courtesy.

As for the Dual Polarity True Intent they carried with them, they were not particularly worried.

After all, there weren't many who could take something from them, especially with Officer Shen by their side. Who in Tingyang County would dare to disobey or harbor such crooked thoughts?

"..."

Shen Yi closed his eyes to cultivate his spirit while simultaneously contemplating the Wind-Thunder Sun-Melting Manual.

With his current strength, facing a Great Demon at the peak of the Condensation Elixir Realm alone should not pose any problem. The trace of the Mountain Lord's essence could finally be put to use.

Yet, he still habitually tried to increase his strength wherever he could.

The Wind-Thunder Sun-Melting Manual came as a reward from the Demon-suppression Bureau after he had slain a River Demon.

It was an internal cultivation method for breaking through the Jade Liquid Boundary, but the Precious Furnace it built inside the body was intimately related to the Fiendish External Elixir of the Skyprowler Yama.

Ever since he had communicated with the two hundred and seventy-five apertures, the Fiendish External Elixir had not caused any more trouble.

Unfortunately, the half-filled Outer Elixir was only equivalent to the foundation of the Nascent Pill Realm.

Shen Yi had newly learned a move from the Dual Polarity True Intent. Although he had not yet had a chance to use it, judging from the behavior of the two old Taoist priests earlier, it appeared to be a major consumer of cultivation base.

In this situation, the Fiendish External Elixir had become his weak point...

[You have successfully communicated with the twenty-sixth new major aperture.]

[The Sun Melting Furnace, which is constructed from three hundred and one major apertures, seems to have reached its limit...]

[Remaining demon lifespan: twelve years]

He had spent every bit of a demon's lifespan of over fourteen hundred years.

Shen Yi felt the changes within his body as the dark red veins became even more distinct, and the force of suppression washed over his sea of energy again and again.

He had a vague feeling that relying on the Demonic Martial Arts to advance might give rise to some oddities in his body—like the Fiendish External Elixir or the consciousness of a Great Demon, for example.

To prevent any mishaps during cultivation, such methods of suppression could never be too strong.

"..."

Shen Yi opened his eyes again. If he wasn't mistaken,

In just a short hour, the woman beside him had "casually" glanced at him twelve times.

"Senior Xiao, if you have something to say, you can just say it."

In the pursuit of Yan Xingkong, Shen Yi had learned many demon catcher experiences from her. Moreover, after braving danger together, even the two old Taoist priests had gained something, yet this woman hadn't taken anything for herself.

If she truly had some trouble,

She might as well just speak up directly. Whether it could be done was another matter, but there was no need to hesitate so much.

Xiao Qiangwei had just glanced his way, and hurriedly averted her gaze: "I was wondering if you were thirsty."

"..." Shen Yi rolled his eyes silently.

A Silver Bell Demon Catcher of her stature, to be even more timid than Lin Baiwei—Lin at least knew to call out for food when hungry or to find clothes to wear when cold, appearing much more astute.

Just then, the silver bells of the two people simultaneously trembled.

Shen Yi brushed his hand over the silver bell, and then seemed a bit disappointed.

He had thought it was news about a Great Demon, but it turned out to be some trivial gossip left behind by someone.

Xiao Qiangwei also recovered from her awkwardness, and unlike Shen Yi, she looked quite interested, "Jiang Qiulan left Linjiang Prefecture?"

The two old Taoist priests across from her instantly sat up straight, quietly perking their ears.

Catching the expressions of those two old men, Shen Yi grew curious, "Who is Jiang Qiulan?"

As soon as he asked, the entire carriage fell silent.

The remaining three exchanged glances, equally puzzled.

Chunyang Zi, the most straightforward among them, looked as though he had seen some monstrous ghost, his eyes bulging as he stammered, "Officer Shen hasn't heard of this name?"

Someone from the Demon-suppression Bureau who didn't know Jiang Qiulan was as absurd as a scholar who couldn't write.

Even Xiao Qiangwei, who had some understanding of Shen Yi, felt befuddled at this moment. Forget everything else, but if he had spent two months in the Demon-suppression Bureau Office, how could he possibly have no idea about her?

Moreover—

Xiao Qiangwei's eyelids twitched, "She was invited by Patriarch Chen to subdue demons in Linjiang Prefecture, didn't Patriarch Chen tell you?"

If her memory served her correctly, the young man in front of her had claimed to be a close follower under the command of General Chen Qiankun.

"Not really acquainted,"

Shen Yi shook his head. To be precise, he had only met Chen Qiankun once and hadn't spoken a single word. He had been too busy grabbing the Jiao Jun's inner core and hadn't spared any attention to the old man.

Such a thing wasn't necessary to conceal. Every deputy general who went to Qingfeng Mountain knew about it.

Hearing this, Qingjing Daoren quickly intervened, "It's quite normal not to be acquainted. There are hardly a few people in Qingzhou who are familiar with Lady Jiang. Demons knew her better, but unfortunately, most of them are dead."

Seeing Shen Yi's calm demeanor, Xiao Qiangwei suddenly felt a surge of pleasure.

Shen Yi realized they had misunderstood something, but he did not explain. Rather than dealing with a famous martial hero, he was more interested in the demons of Linjiang Prefecture, "What kind of demon did they ask her to subdue?"

Just a Mountain Lord wasn't enough to satisfy Shen Yi's appetite. If the timing was right, he wouldn't mind making another trip to Linjiang Prefecture to look for opportunities, preferably to take the demon's inner core.

"You should know about the extermination at Qingfeng Mountain, right?" Xiao Qiangwei had now completely grown accustomed to his obliviousness to worldly affairs, thankfully, he finally nodded.

She let out a sigh of relief and continued, "Originally, Patriarch Chen slayed the Jiao Jun of Yangchun River, as well as the master of Qingfeng Mountain and the Ancestral Sword. Just as he was about to leave, suddenly there emerged the aura of a demon at least in the Nascent Pill Realm from the mountain."

The two Taoist priests listened with keen interest, puzzled, "For a Nascent Pill Realm, why would they need Lady Jiang to make a move?"

Xiao Qiangwei rolled her eyes at them, "If it were that simple, that would be great. The demon made no attempt to conceal its aura, clearly provoking Patriarch Chen. Just as he prepared to deploy the Yin God to eliminate the demon, the aura vanished in an instant."

"The Teleportation Art!" Chunyang Zi blurted out confidently, "To directly evade General Chen's pursuit, it must be at least a Great Demon comparable to the Completion of the Condensation Elixir Realm, or even the Embrace Pill Realm is not out of the question."

"Patriarch Chen thought the same," Xiao Qiangwei nodded, then suddenly noticed the young man next to her looking out the window again, falling silent.

"..."

Under Shen Yi's hair, a pair of pitch-black eyes flickered with resignation.

The Teleportation Art, comparable to the Completion of the Condensation Elixir Realm.

How did these people manage to get the process entirely wrong but the conclusion entirely right?

Clearly, the demon that suddenly appeared on Qingfeng Mountain was most likely himself, who had just solidified the Fiendish External Elixir.

That was a leak he dared not exploit.