Chapter 86: Qingfeng

It was dusk; the fading light pierced the dense canopy, casting dappled shadows below.

Under the lead of a crimson steed, dozens of demonic horses moved in perfect unison, galloping swiftly toward Qingfeng Mountain.

Shen Yi lagged behind, silently gazing at the armored figure ahead.

Although he never intended to claim the Jiao Dan, its effortless acquisition still slightly startled him.

Logically, this Grand General of Demon Suppression had contributed some effort to slaying the Jiao demon…

Well, a great deal of effort.

Shen Yi felt a touch of helplessness; when he had still been at the peak of the Initial Realm, facing the juvenile Jiao and river demon—both wounded—killing them hadn’t been especially difficult.

He relied on perfected Upper-Grade Qi Liquid martial arts and an endless supply of qi fueled by consumed lifespan.

But against a Golden Core demonic entity, these martial arts gradually proved inadequate.

The ancient Jiao had lost more than half its life to the massive iron halberd, its body still bearing severe old wounds, yet it had endured nearly an hour of his Heavenly Gang Blood Fury.

Only after unleashing both Greedy Wolf’s Annihilation and Severing Veins, Capturing the Dragon did he barely subdue it.

This had been nearly all of Shen Yi’s reserves.

If he encountered a fully potent Golden Core demonic entity next time, he wouldn’t just fail to defeat it—he’d struggle to escape alive.

Fortunately, this expedition had yielded rich rewards.

The Yuan of a Qi Liquid-level Tu Dragon, the Golden Core of a Jiao Dragon, plus the eight hundred years he’d gathered beforehand—totaling over three thousand years of demonic lifespan.

I wonder… could this help me successfully form a Golden Core?

Shen Yi wasn’t sure.

“Shen brother, you’ve got real guts!”

Hong Lei pulled his reins closer, seeing Shen Yi lost in thought, and lowered his voice: “Luckily, Old Man Chen’s realm has advanced again—if he’d been trapped in that sword array and you’d returned alone to pursue the Jiao, and something had befallen you, no one could’ve saved you. You’re young, your future is bright—why risk your life for merit?”

He let out a bitter laugh: “But you actually won it—promoted straight from a Two-Stripe Captain to Personal Deputy General. I’ve toiled for decades and still can’t match your pace in just a few days.”

Judging by Shen Yi’s age, he’d joined the Demon Suppression Bureau no more than ten years ago.

The position of Personal Deputy General carried immense weight in the bureau—only the demon hunters, the Twelve Grand Generals, and the Regional Commander ranked above.

As long as he remained in Qingzhou, even the top-tier factions would treat him with courtesy out of respect for General Chen.

Yet Hong Lei was merely awed, not envious.

Slaying a Golden Core Jiao demon isn’t something just anyone can do; look at the wounds on Shen Yi’s shoulders, and the way the Jiao’s head had been severed.

It must have been a fierce, exhausting battle!

Thinking of it, Hong Lei couldn’t help but feel a surge of admiration: “Hey! That old Jiao demon must’ve been humbled by Shen brother’s strength—finally letting the river folk see the brilliance of our Demon Suppression Bureau’s prodigies!”

“…”

Shen Yi gave a slight nod, sidestepping the topic: “What benefits come with being a Personal Deputy General?”

He hadn’t forgotten his purpose in joining the Demon Suppression Bureau.

“Benefits?” Hong Lei snapped back to attention, holding up his palm: “Let me put it this way—in any sect or clan, a Qi Liquid peak expert like you, unless you’re bloodline Dixi or bound by some blood pact, must serve them for decades just to earn trust enough to gain access to Golden Core methods.”

Hearing this, Shen Yi recalled what the butcher Zhang had mentioned about the Golden Body Sect—not even inferior Golden Core body-refining martial arts required fifty years of chanting and fifty years of doctrinal lectures.

He frowned: “Even Qi Liquid peak cultivators have no more than three hundred years of lifespan—wasting time on useless tasks, what good is the Golden Core method if you’re already too old to use it?”

Hong Lei paused, then chuckled bitterly: “Shen brother, to them, you’re an outsider. The Golden Core method is their foundation. As long as the method remains, their top-tier status endures. But if you take the method to the Demon Suppression Bureau… you know they won’t even let a bureau constable through their gates—clearly, they resist the imperial court.”

“Of course, there’s a faster way—see Qingfeng Mountain? Other clans have similar ancestral swords. If you’re willing to sign a blood pact and become some damn clan guardian, any of them would gladly offer you their methods, given your strength.”

“But you’re already a Personal Deputy—maximum ten years… no, five…”

Seeing Shen Yi’s slightly furrowed brow, Hong Lei clicked his tongue and corrected himself: “If fortune favors you and you achieve great merit, three years isn’t impossible. The imperial court’s collection of Golden Core methods includes many high-grade ones—you can pick freely according to your needs. Far better than those sects.”

Shen Yi’s eyes flickered with interest: “Can it be faster?”

At this, Hong Lei’s expression changed slightly. He glanced around and realized Old Man Chen’s crimson steed had vanished beyond sight.

He then gripped Shen Yi’s reins with his hand and whispered through a secret transmission technique: “Brother, you saved my life—I’m telling you this because I trust you, but if anyone else hears it, you’ll never get another chance.”

“You won’t even wait three years—who’ll vouch for you? Who’ll believe you’ll stay to guard Qingzhou after forming your Golden Core, instead of fleeing to a clan or even joining the demons?”

At this, Shen Yi lowered his gaze slightly.

He suddenly realized: though he’d never deliberately shown it, to others, he’d clearly appeared impatient.

To ordinary people, mastering a single martial art took decades, and cultivation progress was painfully slow—only pills could accelerate it.

Yet his eagerness to grab every method and run off made him look less like a sincere student and more like a thief stealing techniques.

He’d need to be more careful going forward.

“I understand the temperament of talents like you—eager to ascend to heaven overnight. Fang Heng was like that, Lin Baiwei was like that, Bai Ziming too—but now one trains fists in the Regional Commander’s mansion, another became a demon hunter, and the third works as a physician in a clinic.”

Hong Lei sighed, then smiled: “Do the work first, eat later—that’s the Demon Suppression Bureau’s rule. Judging by General Chen’s attitude, you’ve the best chance at the Sword Pool purification—you’ll likely outpace those three.”

“Sword Pool purification?” Shen Yi frowned in confusion.

Hong Lei then remembered: the old man had long since left, and Shen Yi hadn’t been present. “Old Man Chen summoned his Yin Spirit, first beheading the Zhang ancestral patriarch, then the Qingfeng Sect Master, and shattered the Ancestral Sword with his halberd. The Sword Pool became ownerless and is now temporarily under Old Man Chen’s custody. Though it can’t regenerate, it can still be used a few more times—one session equals half your lifetime of pill-pushing and Kuxiu !”

Ownerless?

Shen Yi turned his head, sensing something unspoken: “What about the Qingfeng Sect?”

“That’s why the old grow craftier.”

With Chen Qiankun gone, Hong Lei spoke more boldly: “The General long knew the Qingfeng Sect Master was born with a defect. He deliberately surrounded them without attacking, kept all disciples alive, made them experience firsthand the Ancestral Sword’s power, sowed discord, then destroyed it. The remaining disciples were screened by demon hunters—those without anomalies were absorbed into the Demon Suppression Bureau.”

“Laughable—General Chen suddenly gains two Golden Core Captains.”

Though those two Guardian Elders would soon rise in rank, it was still a amusing tale.

“By the way, you wanted Golden Core methods, didn’t you? The General just demonstrated one for you—if you can catch the hidden tails of clans and sects, and have sufficient strength, you can replicate Qingfeng Mountain’s fate. While transporting their martial arts texts back, copying two won’t be a big deal.”

As Hong Lei spoke, he noticed a strange gleam in the young man’s eyes.

He opened his mouth, wondering if he’d said something wrong.

(End of Chapter)