Chapter 185: Again Seeing Divine Ability Ingredients!

The year's end was approaching, and the weather was bitterly cold.

Qin Shuo went out and bought a He's sesame bun, slowly eating it while pondering in his mind why Fu Lingyuan had sought him out.

The situation in Cloud Prefecture, over the past few days, he only had a vague grasp of.

In the Great Li's five circuits and ten provinces, Cloud Prefecture is remote; further southwest lies an endless expanse of the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, practically a frontier.

Precisely because the emperor is far away and heaven high, Cloud Prefecture's situation is also extremely complex.

Apart from the three biggest local tyrants—Great Dragon Temple, Wind Thunder Valley, and Giant Whale Gang—there are also the factional forces headed by the Four Great Families of Cloud Prefecture,

as well as the governmental forces led by Prefect Chen Muyun, and the military forces commanded by Hong Sixiang of the Cloud Prefecture Army,

plus the independent but immensely powerful Suppress Martial Hall, Divine Constabulary, and Demon Suppression Bureau……

These forces are either connected or opposed, like the tangled roots of an old tree, intricately complex to the extreme.

As the imperial court's institution for monitoring demons worldwide, the Demon Suppression Bureau originally had the most harmonious relations with all the families.

Simply put, under normal circumstances the Demon Suppression Bureau's authority could not interfere with these forces and sects at all, making it the most insignificant presence at this table.

But in recent years, the Ghost Mother Sect has continually grown, and the Demon Suppression Bureau has frequently conducted sweeps against mountain ghosts and the Ghost Mother Sect,

this force, originally invisible like a phantom, gradually revealed its fangs and became an object of fear—and even contempt—for all sides.

Especially after Fu Lingyuan assumed the post of Chief of the Demon Suppression Bureau, whether it was the prefecture office, Suppress Martial Hall, and Divine Constabulary under the imperial court, or the local powers of the Four Great Families and Three Great Sects, all kept their distance from the Demon Suppression Bureau.

Indeed, there was even hidden hostility.

This can be seen from Nie Jinfeng's attitude toward Fu Lingyuan.

From a martial artist's perspective, Nie Jinfeng greatly admires this junior; his nature is pure, his martial talent outstanding, overwhelming the provincial heaven's pride.

Now he has even ignited his furnace, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the older generation's martial masters, his strength formidable.

When, as a sect leader, he was forcibly ordered by imperial officials to search the mountains, if this got out, it would absolutely be considered a tremendous disgrace in the martial world.

Thus, Nie Jinfeng admired Fu Lingyuan, yet still harbored anger in his heart.

However, the other party seemed quite wary of his identity, so even when faced with his provocations, they repeatedly avoided his sharp edge.

Even if the other party attacked unreasonably, they merely stopped at a light touch.

"It seems my direct superior has an unusual background; could she perhaps be a princess or a commandery princess?"

Thinking this, unknowingly he had already arrived before a residence covering considerable ground.

The residence's decor was not lavish, yet it possessed a secluded and noble air, standing out like a crane among chickens on this ordinary residential street.

The gate of the residence was unguarded, with no guardroom on either side to announce visitors, so Qin Shuo simply entered on his own.

Upon entering, the first thing that caught his eye was a huge drill field tamped with yellow earth, several hundred zhang wide.

A glance showed the courtyard stocked with swords, spears, halberds, polearms—all eighteen types of weapons.

And on the eaves of one side of the drill field, a azure giant bird was lowering its head to preen its feathers; in its glance, its expression was lofty and disdainful, like the king of birds, possessing an indescribable nobility and vigor.

"This bird…"

Qin Shuo's eyelid twitched.

Just a hurried glance, and he felt this bird was not ordinary.

Not like a spirit bird, but rather……

A demon beast!

However, unlike the ferocity and brutality of the Howling Moon Demon King, this azure bird gave a feeling of harmony and tranquility, like the auspicious celestial beast of legend, making one feel delighted upon seeing it.

"Hey, kid, what are you standing there dumbfounded for?"

A clear, pleasant female voice rang out; a young girl in green robes at the other end of the drill field waved at him.

Qin Shuo quickened his steps forward.

"Miss, I've been waiting for you a long time!"

The green-clad girl had her hair tied in double buns, a hairstyle commonly kept by maidservants in this world.

"Miss?"

Qin Shuo's heart stirred.

Could it be that his guess was true—that his direct superior really was some imperial princess or commandery princess?

Otherwise, an ordinary young lady from a wealthy family could not suppress the pack of wolves and tigers of Cloud Prefecture.

Following her toward the building, through the doorway Qin Shuo saw a woman clad in azure armor and crimson robes, sitting leisurely in a chair, patiently wiping down the spear whose entire body was golden yellow—the Phoenix Wing Inlaid Gold Halberd.

"This… clang…"

Qin Shuo focused his gaze, instantly feeling his mouth dry and his heart pounding!

【Ingredient Discovered: Phoenix Wing Inlaid Gold Halberd】

【Rank: Thousand-Forged Divine Weapon!】

【Forged from the essence of the five metals, mixed with heavenly mystic iron, crimson fire refined iron, ten-thousand-year cold iron, and various other rare metal ingredients!】

【Refinement yields: Bloodline Divine Ability—Celestial Phoenix Nine Slashes, Celestial Phoenix True Gang, Ancient Phoenix Breathing Method, Celestial Phoenix Divine Intent, Celestial Phoenix True Form, Celestial Phoenix Extreme Speed……】

Thousand-Forged Divine Weapon!

Bloodline Divine Ability?

Qin Shuo's eyes blazed frighteningly, his qi and blood surged upward, and his excitement and exhilaration could not be contained.

Had he not known, this Chief would never allow anyone to touch her divine weapon; at this moment he would probably have already laid hands on it.

Divine Ability!

Again, Divine Ability!

He who possesses the Dragon-Elephant Divine Ability understands better than anyone the power of divine abilities.

Relying on the Four Symbols Power granted by the Dragon-Elephant Divine Ability, upon opening his meridians he could match the peak of Condensed Truth against the Howling Moon Demon King.

After absorbing the demonic spirit of the Howling Moon, he even exterminated Situ Long, the great bandit of Wood Forest Prefecture who had achieved success in viscera refinement.

If he could obtain another divine ability…

Qin Shuo merely thought about it, and his heart filled with excitement and exhilaration.

"Do you like this halberd?"

Seeing Qin Shuo stare fixedly at her Phoenix Wing Jade-Gold Halberd, Fu Lingyuan smiled.

She was naturally of heavenly fragrance and national beauty; this smile made it seem as if spring flowers bloomed, sunlight showered down, and the whole room lit up.

"With such a divine weapon, who wouldn't like it?"

Qin Shuo nodded truthfully.

"This is an ingredient containing divine abilities; how could he not like it?"

However, his divine ability seems to rely on bloodline activation.

In that case, the Demon Suppression Bureau Chief before him is actually a descendant of the Martial Saint?!

"Too bad, this halberd is like a man's wife—I won't lend it out; otherwise, I could let you touch it."

Fu Lingyuan was in a good mood.

She had loved martial arts since childhood, especially liking the Phoenix Wing Jade-Gold Halberd her grandfather used.

But as a woman wielding such a fierce weapon, she often attracted strange looks in daily life.

Thus, seeing Qin Shuo appreciate her golden halberd, unlike others who gave her odd looks, she naturally felt somewhat pleased.

"Who says women cannot wield heavy weapons?"

She not only uses it, but intends to subdue all heroes under heaven with it.

So they would know that women, too, can dominate the martial way and overwhelm a region!

"Do you know why I summoned you today?"

Fu Lingyuan put away her Phoenix Wing Jade-Gold Halberd, stuck it at her side, and gestured for Qin Shuo to sit down.

"It must be to investigate the four great clans of the inner city!"

Qin Shuo voiced his speculation.

On the way here, he had repeatedly pondered why Fu Lingyuan summoned him, not at the Demon Suppression Bureau headquarters, but at her private residence.

He figured there were some matters inconvenient to speak openly.

Moreover, the other party had seemingly on a whim yesterday placed him under their command, making him their first personal attendant, the Cloud Dragon Colonel, after which Qin Shuo roughly understood their intention.

They intended to thoroughly search Cloud Prefecture City, and the four great clans of the inner city could not be avoided.

But it was impossible to search each clan as thoroughly as the Wind Thunder Valley, mobilizing everyone and checking them one by one.

That would be extremely inefficient and likely to alert the enemy.

Nowadays, the various major forces in Cloud Prefecture City may not yet have reacted; their Bureau Chief likely had ulterior motives from the start.

Although searching the Wind Thunder Valley is also in the plan, its true target may have been the entire Cloud Prefecture City from the beginning.

The reason they first used the Wind Thunder Valley as a pilot was, on one hand, to kill a chicken to scare the monkeys,

on the other hand, the timing was perfect to exploit Xue Chengkong's weakness.

Now, the Three Great Demon Suppression Generals have been recalled under the pretense of searching the Wind Thunder Valley, precisely when other forces' defenses are weakest.

Only a sudden search at this time could yield surprising results.

However, the four great clans of the inner city differ from the Wind Thunder Valley.

In terms of power, the four great clans may not match the Wind Thunder Valley, which controls the land of three prefectures.

But regarding connections and difficulty to deal with, they far exceed the Wind Thunder Valley by tenfold.

The Xiao, Chu, Ye, and Lin families—the eldest son of the Xiao family is a disciple of the Celestial Phoenix Dao and the Mysterious Weapon Mountain of the Dao Sect.

Behind the Chu family stands the Yunzhou General who commands three hundred thousand border troops, Hong Sixiang.

The Ye family's legitimate son, Ye Guhong, born with a sword embryo, became a disciple of the Sword Saint Du Guyang; although he has not returned home for ten years, who would dare move against him?

And the Lin family is no pushover,

not only are they closely tied to the Giant Whale Gang, but also have disciples who apprenticed at the White Prefecture White Dragon Palace's Divine Artisan Sect, becoming its artisans.

Each of the four great clans has powerful backing, and none are inferior to the Wind Thunder Valley; some are even stronger.

Compared to the Wind Thunder Valley, the four great clans are the real hard nuts to crack.

To move these hard nuts, the Demon Suppression Bureau must find the sharpest blade!

And Qin Shuo is precisely the blade chosen by Fu Lingyuan!