Chapter 18: The Vast Land

"You, a Nurturing Essence Realm cultivator, how could you deal with a Weird that possesses a Ghost Domain?" Meng Lingyun looked at Li Heng as if he were looking at a monster.

"Is that very strange? I naturally have my own methods."

Li Heng said indifferently; he saw no need to hide his surface-level strength. Playing the pig to eat the tiger was not a good habit; if one played it for too long, one would truly become a pig.

He felt that the strength he had displayed was just right.

Although it would shock some people, it was still within the range of a genius, and could still be considered within the bounds of Reason.

Meng Lingyun fell into thought. Methods? Hidden cards?

Could it be related to this kid's background and origins?

He had not forgotten that Li Heng's origins were extremely mysterious, as if he had fallen from the Third Heaven.

Previously, he had always speculated that Li Heng might be from some reclusive Transcendental Family, which was why he had included Li Heng on the list of candidates.

But later observations had overturned this speculation.

After all, Li Heng's aptitude was truly ordinary.

But now, if what Li Heng said was true, then the combat power he had displayed was definitely not something an ordinary person could achieve.

It was enough to call him a genius, the stronger kind.

This left Meng Lingyun in deep doubt, doubting whether his own judgment had gone wrong—could he have misjudged someone to this extent?

He could not help but let out a long, slow sigh.

"What a pity. If you had shown this earlier by a few days, perhaps..." Meng Lingyun's expression was somewhat complex.

He did not regret his decision.

After all, given Meng Hao's aptitude, he was indeed capable of succeeding him, practicing that cultivation technique, and becoming his successor.

Yet, he still felt some regret.

If he had known about this matter in advance, would the result have been any different? Perhaps it could have led to a brighter, unpredictable future.

"There is nothing to regret; everyone has their own opportunities."

Li Heng remained calm and unruffled.

"Forget it, forget it, let's not mention this matter."

Meng Lingyun shook his head.

In his heart, he actually had a feeling that perhaps Li Heng would not be limited to this, and so even if he practiced that technique of his, it would be somewhat of an insult, right?

"I suggest you send people to seal off Zui Xiang Lou."

Li Heng said indifferently.

"That is somewhat troublesome; after all, it is not within the jurisdiction of my Demon Suppression Division, and it must be transferred to the County Government."

Meng Lingyun frowned.

The reason the Demon Suppression Division had such a transcendent status that no one dared to cause trouble for them was, first, because it was the most powerful violent organization in Great Li, and second, because the Demon Suppression Division truly only suppressed demons.

"Rules are dead, but people are alive."

"Zui Xiang Lou is the territory of that Weird; if it's related to a Weird, what good would sealing it do?"

Facing Li Heng's words, Meng Lingyun felt somewhat of a headache. If it were an ordinary brothel, he might really be able to do so, but that was Zui Xiang Lou; its hidden influence was somewhat great.

Take, for example, the third floor, which was filled with all sorts of strange ways to play. Within Bei'an City, almost all the high-ranking officials and nobles had been there.

Sealing it rashly would definitely make many people dissatisfied, and they would then use all sorts of relationship networks, or even memorialize the General Administration to pressure them.

"I will think about this matter some more."

"If possible, I hope to keep it as is. After all, didn't you say that the female Weird is highly likely just a clone? We can use this to fish out the true body."

Since things had reached this point, Li Heng was too lazy to be proactive again, talking about eliminating danger or pleading for the people. He could see it now: this old man Meng Lingyun was just slacking off.

However, this was the current state of the Great Li Dynasty.

The County Government was slacking off, preventing others from reporting to the authorities. The Demon Suppression Division was also slacking off, only suppressing demons and ignoring everything else. He would not be surprised if this dynasty collapsed the next moment.

It was just that he did not know what the Great Li Emperor was actually thinking.

Was he truly unaware, or was it done on purpose?

Li Heng pulled back his thoughts, which had drifted far away. His strength was not yet strong enough to consider things at the national level.

When he became stronger, he would think about helping the world when he was successful.

Li Heng chatted with Meng Lingyun a bit more, then left the Demon Suppression Division directly and headed quickly toward the Giant Wave Gang in the outer city.

He wove through the streets, feeling some doubt in his heart.

Why did the old man's words also reveal an intent to let him slack off and not be so proactive in suppressing demons?

It couldn't really be because the losses were too heavy, could it?

He shook his head and stopped thinking about this matter.

Killing Evil Demons and exterminating Weirds were things he would definitely be the first to be proactive about. After all, those were his lost, walking Source Power.

If others slacked off, it was because they were exhausted and gained no benefits. But he had Source Power to account for; he could not afford to slack off. If he didn't use his cheat, he would truly be a complete waste.

It was already approaching noon.

Although Li Heng was not very hungry, he smelled the aroma of food nearby and still bought some things to eat.

For example, the fragrant scallion pancakes, and the rich, meaty braised pork; rolling the two together and taking a bite exerted a power of one plus one being greater than two—it was incredibly delicious.

He arrived in the West City, near the Giant Wave Gang.

At this time, no one dared to approach the Giant Wave Gang's side; after all, the people nearby could more or less guess what kind of weird event this was. Even the County Government had only left a few bailiffs standing outside to prevent ordinary commoners from approaching.

"Hold it, who are you!"

Seeing Li Heng approach, a burly bailiff with his nostrils flared spoke very coldly.

"Quick... if you don't have the consent of the Ren County Magistrate, please leave."

Seeming to sense Li Heng's unusual aura at close range, the bailiff quickly changed his tone and spoke politely.

"The Demon Suppression Division is here, move aside."

Li Heng displayed his Jade Tablet of identity and walked straight into the Giant Wave Gang, not bothering to pay any mind to these yamen runners.

These yamen runners were also very sensible and hurriedly shut their mouths.

They were hoping for someone from the Demon Suppression Division to come.

After all, such a Weird incident had occurred; even just standing outside, they felt panic in their hearts. If not for that County Magistrate saying he could increase their salaries, they would have needed the courage of a bear and the guts of a leopard to dare stand here.

The Weird is terrifying, but having no money is even more terrifying.

Li Heng walked into the Giant Wave Gang and felt an incomparable deathly silence.

At this moment, sunlight could not shine into those tall rooms; such rooms were somewhat dim, pitch-black.

They seemed to have turned into individual coffins; if an ordinary person were to look in there, they would likely be scared to the point of trembling and fleeing in a panic.

He raised his eyebrows; it was indeed the Weird that had struck.

There was still some lingering Yin energy in the surroundings; judging by the purity of that Yin energy, the level of that Weird was likely not low.

After thinking for a moment, Li Heng did not intend to perform the Visualization of the Great Sun True Form to directly purify this place. After all, that would be equivalent to destroying the crime scene, and he did not want to get involved in any trouble.

Li Heng walked straight into the guest reception hall.

He let out a sigh of relief in his heart.

Just as Meng Lingyun had said, that Weird had not moved any of the objects inside, merely abducting the people.

Ignoring the other exquisite porcelain and precious ornaments, he went straight to the corner and picked up that Vast Earth Map.

That unique artistic conception made Li Heng's eyes light up.

It seemed this was another object for Visualization.