Chapter 464: The Demon Exterminated

"Stop!"

Seeing Li Yan rush into the Dragon King Temple, Huo Jiao grew frantic, letting out a roar like thunder, his throat whistling.

It sounded exactly like some beast bellowing.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Before he could catch up, he was once again engulfed by a hail of bullets.

No matter how fast he moved, he could never outpace bullets.

He was struck by multiple rounds; his clothes exploded, and he staggered backward, then flipped violently, rolling sideways to dodge.

Boom!

The stone lions at the entrance of the Dragon King Temple shattered violently.

"Cowardly bastard!"

Sha Li Fei cursed, quickly reloading his magazine.

Across from him, Huo Jiao also rose to his feet.

Pata-tat!

Round bullets fell from his body one by one; his clothes torn, he ripped off his shirt entirely, revealing a muscular, diamond-like physique, veins knotted like iron.

Only then did the others realize with shock that the ordinary fire guns' bullets had merely scraped his skin, drawing only a trickle of blood.

This old monster feared only modern firearms.

"Shen Da" was a martial art, unique to the Fa Jiao.

Generally, orthodox Daoist sects emphasized that true deities must not possess the body.

But Shen Da involved summoning deities to possess the body, granting divine enhancement.

This martial art had varying levels of power.

When Li Yan had fought Chen Fa's puppet from the Lishan Sect, the man had used it to empower a Zhou family hidden-force expert—summoning a fierce ghost, the lowest grade.

It had many flaws and caused the user to lose consciousness.

But what Huo Jiao used was summoning the Dragon King himself, shielded by incense smoke and gangsha qi, allowing him to remain fully conscious.

In truth, summoning the Dragon King was most powerful in water—not only impervious to blades and bullets, but capable of water Dun, stirring storms and waves, enough for one man to face down an entire fleet.

Even on land, ordinary firearms posed no threat to him.

But now, with the enemy numerous and Bai Wan and Dan He Zi using spells to disrupt him, Huo Jiao could not chase into the temple, and he was growing frantic.

As Li Yan had suspected, he had cultivated dark arts.

Anger triggered his hidden flaws, and combined with the use of Shen Da, Huo Jiao had now completely lost his reason.

His cold, vertical pupils fixed on the opposite side—now filled only with murderous intent.

"Roar!"

With a beast-like bellow, Huo Jiao lunged forward.

At that moment, the garrison's rifle squad had reloaded, forming three rows, raising their guns and pulling the triggers.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A series of gunshots rang out, smoke spreading everywhere.

Huo Jiao had been charging toward Sha Li Fei and others, but was once again engulfed by bullets; despite desperately dodging, he took several hits.

He let out a low growl, eyes blazing with blood-red light, using hands and feet to turn sharply, charging straight into the rifle squad.

Like a mad elephant charging, the ground trembled violently; several soldiers had their breastbones shattered and were flung bodily through the air.

Huo Jiao had fully lost control.

After bursting into the crowd, he swung his right arm, smashing one soldier's head clean into his chest with a single punch.

His left shoulder was wounded, limiting his strength, but his claws remained powerful—he seized another soldier's head and swung it wildly, knocking several more flying.

"Kill!"

Liu Gan was a scoundrel, but the elite officers he brought from the Commandant's Office were brave—they immediately drew their sabers and slashed at Huo Jiao in unison.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Huo Jiao made no attempt to dodge; blades struck his body but left no wound, only faint white marks on his skin.

Whoosh!

At that moment, a figure hurtled toward him.

It was Wan Baoquan, the number one divine hunter of the southwest.

He came from the Bi Can Men; though he excelled in the Heavenly Gang Thirty-Six Closed Hands, his roots lay in Emei, and his swordplay was equally formidable.

A single point of swordlight shot toward Huo Jiao's eye.

He had fought experts skilled in hard qi gong before—no matter how well they trained, their eyes remained a weakness; surely Shen Da was no different.

But Huo Jiao merely lifted his head slightly, then opened his mouth wide, revealing cold white fangs, and bit down on the sword tip.

Damn it!

Wan Baoquan cursed inwardly, sensing disaster.

He felt as if he had stabbed into solid rock—no matter how hard he pushed, he could not advance another inch.

Meanwhile, Huo Jiao, still biting the sword tip, suddenly shook his neck.

Ding!

The fine sword shattered into fragments.

At the same time, Huo Jiao spat violently.

The sword tip shot out like a flying dagger.

Wan Baoquan instinctively performed the Iron Plank Bridge to dodge—he avoided the blade, but his handsome beard was cleanly sliced off halfway.

But Huo Jiao made no move to press his advantage.

Because Sha Li Fei, far away, had fired again.

Boom!

Smoke scattered, flesh and blood exploded.

But the dead were two innocent soldiers.

Huo Jiao sneered coldly, tossing the corpse he held onto the ground.

Faced with this blade-and-bullet-proof monster, the Chongqing Garrison soldiers completely broke down, eyes wide with terror, retreating in disarray.

Clang!

Just as Huo Jiao was about to pursue, a sword hum sounded behind him.

Dan He Zi leapt forward, sword in right hand, left hand forming a sword seal, exhaling a white breath to empower the blade.

It was the Emei secret technique: Heavenly Gang Qi-Pointing Spell.

Huo Jiao sensed the threat and immediately formed a seal, his chest and abdomen swelling.

Dan He Zi saw it and recoiled in dread, stepping back quickly.

He had witnessed this phosphorescent spirit technique just moments ago—he knew he lacked Li Yan's ability to evade it effortlessly.

Hoo~

Huo Jiao blew sharply; black smoke roared forth, coiling in the air like a dragon or serpent. Anyone it touched burst into phosphorescent flame, screaming and writhing on the ground.

Of course, he was also dodging.

Those wielding modern firearms weren't just Sha Li Fei and his men—there were also two elite marksmen from the Commandant's Office.

For a moment, chaos erupted outside…

…………

Darkness, silence, thick stench of rot.

As soon as Li Yan entered the Dragon King Temple, he sensed something was wrong.

The temple was small; the Dragon King statue had clearly been repaired in recent years—its dragon head and whiskers lifelike, its divine robes vivid.

On the altar, all offerings had rotted, emitting foul odor, crawling with maggots—visually nauseating.

Worse still was what lay before the altar.

On the ground lay a corpse, young in appearance, dressed in fine garments, handsome features, pale skin—but sunken inward, collapsed.

The top of its skull had a large hole, as if it had been shed like a pupa.

Li Yan activated his full spiritual power; his face darkened instantly.

He detected no trace of foul odor whatsoever.

The demon must have already used earth Dun to escape.

"Nü Cha" was a demonic qi; once inside a host, it manipulated and influenced them, forcing them to cultivate dark arts to feed it.

When the time came, it would gestate a demonic essence and detach from the host.

The demonic essence was exceptionally skilled in Dun techniques, nearly impossible to capture; if it found another host, it would become even more elusive.

No wonder it used the "Shi Tuo Lin"—it must have reached a critical stage, needing the flesh and yang essence of a child.

Each transformation made the demon stronger.

After nine transformations, even the Yin Bureau's troops could not handle it—only immortals or buddhas could suppress it.

As Li Yan struggled with this thought, a strange sound suddenly echoed in his ear.

It was a cry of agony, despair, and bitter resentment, layered with echoes—impossible for any human to produce.

Li Yan's heart tightened; he turned to the Dragon King statue.

He stepped forward, grabbed the statue, and yanked hard.

Chi ！

The glossy paint on the statue's surface peeled away, revealing its wooden core, long rotted, covered in mold, and riddled with wriggling woodworms.

So that's how it was…

Li Yan instantly understood.

He finally realized where that foul fishy stench came from.

The Dragon God enshrined in the temple was not a true dragon, but a collective force of the people's incense and prayers.

As a folk deity protecting this land, how could such a god allow demons to run rampant within its own temple while receiving constant offerings?

Huo Jiao had not received the Dragon King's legacy—he had enslaved it.

The folk Dragon King had long rotted away, yet never perished; instead, Huo Jiao sustained it with incense offerings to do his bidding.

The people burned incense and prayed for safety and peace.

But Huo Jiao's deeds were demonic, utterly opposed to the pure intentions of the incense and prayers, forcing the Dragon King to endure torment day and night.

Thinking of this, Li Yan's murderous intent intensified.

Though the demon had fled, Huo Jiao must not be spared!

Just as he was about to leave, he paused. From the Dragon King's pained wailing, he faintly heard a weak voice: "Above, above…"

Li Yan instantly understood, pretending ignorance as he searched around.

On the temple's roof, in the dark recesses of the beams, a blood-red head slowly peeked out.

It was the demon, "Nu Cha."

Its body was roughly the size of an infant, entirely blood-red, as if formed from pus and blood, its hair matted with filth, obscuring its features.

In its hand, it held something—the Dragon-Snake Tablet.

So the demon had never left; it had used the Dragon-Snake Tablet to evade Li Yan's spiritual detection and hidden itself on the roof.

Slowly, it opened its mouth, revealing sharp fangs, puffed its cheeks, and gently blew toward Li Yan below.

It looked like a mere pretense.

Not even a breath stirred the dust.

！。

But Li Yan immediately sensed something was wrong.

On the shoulder of his Great Luo Dharma Body, one of his soul flames began to sway erratically, growing unstable.

Damn it!

Nu Cha, now a demonic spirit, had this trick up its sleeve.

If an ordinary person were blown upon like this, their three vital fires would be extinguished one by one, allowing the demon to possess them.

But Li Yan, protected by his Great Luo Dharma Body, was utterly immune.

Li Yan feigned dizziness, staggered a few steps, and collapsed to the ground.

Above, the Nu Cha demon spirit blew several more times; seeing it could not extinguish Li Yan's soul flame, it finally lost patience and slowly descended.

It had other plans with Huo Jiao—it couldn't abandon him.

Possessing Li Yan was the best way to rescue Huo Jiao.

Nvchamojingsuikanshangquyouxingti ， Danbuguoshixueqicanhunningju ， Qingpiaopiaoheqiqiuchabuduo ， Huanhuanluozailiyanbeishang ， Duizhuqijianbangchuiqi 。

At that moment, Li Yan suddenly opened his eyes.

Nvchamojingyechajuebudui ， Xiangshizhandunfataoli 。

But it was too late.

Whoosh!

Two soul-binding chains suddenly surged forth, instantly binding the demon spirit.

"Zhā—!"

Nu Cha thrashed wildly, shrieking in agony.

The demonic wail pierced his ears, filling his mind with chaos, making him dizzy and his vision darken.

"Shut up!"

Li Yan roared.

Ziz!

The soul chains crackled with electricity.

Pata!

Nu Cha's "Dragon-Snake Tablet" finally dropped.

As it fell, the Soul Register responded.

"Heaven has its order, Earth its law; the Underworld binds souls, mortals must retreat!"

Without hesitation, Li Yan chanted the incantation.

Hoo~

Instantly, a fierce wind howled, plunging the temple into darkness.

Capturing demonic energy usually requires the intervention of Underworld divine generals.

Li Yan kept his eyes tightly shut, yet he clearly sensed a massive, overwhelming presence suddenly appearing within the temple.

Meanwhile, Nu Cha, still bound by the soul chains, thrashed even more wildly, shrieking in terror.

But its power had clearly weakened.

Whoosh…

Li Yan quickly released his own soul chains.

He could distinctly feel additional chains materializing out of thin air—far stronger than his own—binding Nu Cha completely.

At that moment, movement stirred behind him.

A piercing, anguished roar rose, filled with hatred and a hint of pleading.

"Hmm… I'll free you…"

A hollow, cold voice suddenly echoed beside Li Yan's ear.

Immediately, the wind howled, and the darkness began to recede.

Inside the temple, Nu Cha's demonic spirit was gone—and the Soul Register now bore an additional divine aura.

Li Yan did not use it to strengthen his soul chains.

Divine auras were extremely precious and held great secrets; even the Salt Gang had plotted to seize them. Thus, Li Yan had hoarded both divine auras he'd acquired.

He would wait until he uncovered their secret before using them.

Crack!

Behind him, the Dragon King statue suddenly shattered.

The rotted statue, deprived of its final support, split cleanly in two and tumbled from the altar onto the ground.

The woodworms inside instantly died.

"Farewell!"

Li Yan bowed respectfully, then strode out of the temple.

At the very moment the Dragon King statue shattered, something stirred outside.

"No—!"

Huo Jiao seemed to sense it, screaming in terror.

But it was too late to undo anything.

The scent of incense vanished from his body.

The divine possession was completely gone.

Boom!

Sha Li Fei fired simultaneously; Huo Jiao stood frozen, unable to dodge, his chest instantly blown open by a massive hole.

Flesh and blood sprayed outward, flying five meters away.

Yet he didn't need Sha Li Fei's bullet—he was already doomed.

Like the Zhou family's curse, Huo Jiao's face rapidly aged, his body swelled, his skin turned blackish-blue, and his blood flowed as black sludge.

Within moments, he was dead.

And just then, Li Yan stepped out of the Dragon King temple.

Whoosh!

Behind him, the Dragon King temple collapsed in ruins…

…………

"By the grace of Heaven and the mandate of the Emperor, this edict declares: I have heard that the way to govern lies in clear rewards and punishments, to secure the state and uphold cosmic order. Now, Governor Du Ling of Chongqing, consumed by greed and embezzlement, has brought the people to ruin and allowed demonic chaos to spread…"

Luo Hai, expression cold, finished reading the imperial decree and turned away without delay.

Several officers from the Capital Security Bureau immediately advanced, stripping Du Ling of his official robes and binding him in chains.

The matter in Chongqing was finally settled.

As Chief Inspector Luo Hai had said, the Emperor in the capital knew everything about this affair—yet he watched silently.

The farce ended, and neither side emerged unscathed.

Du Ling's entire faction was arrested; the Sichuan Merchants' Guild suffered devastating losses; the Canal Guild withdrew overnight from Sichuan; and a high-ranking official from the Chen family of Jiangsu and Zhejiang retired from court.

The Shu Prince's palace in Chengdu suffered the same fate.

The Prince of Shu was imperialy reprimanded and hid at home in self-reflection; his second son was publicly whipped more than ten times outside the Prince's mansion.

After a series of thunderous measures, the chaos in Shu finally subsided.

Du Ling, who had once been so exalted, now had white hair and a withered frame, his face ashen, too apathetic to defend himself.

"Wait!"

Wan Baoquan suddenly appeared and said to Du Ling: "Master Du, your family was framed. Think carefully—who gave you that antique?"

Du Ling slowly raised his head and let out a bitter laugh: "If I could remember, would I have let that man escape? But I've accepted so many gifts over the years—I can't recall them all."

"Take him away!"

Wan Baoquan cursed, "Serves you right, you unlucky bastard!"

As he spoke, he touched his severed beard, his face filled with anguish.

"Senior brother."

After the Commandant's men left, his junior brother hurried in from outside the hall and whispered: "Those people are gone—I went to look this morning, and the place was empty."

"I heard they secretly left Chongqing Prefecture last night—should I send men to track them down?"

"Track them down?!"

Wan Baoquan glared at him. "They're from the Profound Heaven Sect—they're not of our world. Don't meddle in what doesn't concern you."

"A man must never overstep his bounds..."

(End of Chapter)