Chapter 133

The next day, early morning.

Early in the morning, Qin Ruobing brought a pile of spiritual objects and placed them on the table in the center of the pavilion.

"Your appointment will be issued soon, but from now on, you can receive spiritual objects according to the treatment of a Deputy Hall Master."

"As your strength and talent increase, your monthly salary will also become more and more."

Qin Ruobing wore a smile, her voice as crisp as an oriole.

Seeing this, Lu Zhangsheng's expression shifted slightly; he hadn't expected to receive cultivation resources so quickly.

It seemed the Imperial Court still attached great importance to these key personnel.

According to the other party, a Prefecture City Deputy Hall Master could likely obtain even more resources.

"With your talent, after the decisive battle, your strength will likely improve again; by then, it won't matter if you are exposed, the Innate Dao is just your starting point..."

Qin Ruobing said with a smile.

She had also witnessed Lu Zhangsheng's growth over the past few years.

At this moment, he had truly given her a big surprise.

"Thank you, Hall Master, for your care over the years."

Lu Zhangsheng cupped his hands, his expression kind.

After joining the Demon-Suppressing Division, he had always been very free, which was also thanks to the other party's protection, and their relationship had become increasingly close.

"I am a few years older than you, so call me Sister Qin from now on."

Qin Ruobing smiled sweetly, then turned and walked out of the pavilion.

Not long after, she left the pavilion.

A light breeze brushed past her white long dress, and her heart became increasingly calm.

She had a premonition that Lu Zhangsheng would likely become one of her most important partners in the future; after the assessment, she no longer treated him as a subordinate, but rather like an old friend.

After Qin Ruobing left, Lu Zhangsheng picked up the spiritual objects on the table and scanned them one after another with the panel.

【Discovered spiritual objects: Heavenly Crystal Stone, Dragon Saliva Incense, Hundred-Year Spirit Milk...】

【Absorb?】

Dense panel prompts appeared in the void.

【Source Energy Points +50.】

【Source Energy Points +50.】

【Source Energy Points +300.】

As the spiritual objects on the table gradually disappeared, the resources in his hand were also rising slowly.

Not long after, he had absorbed all the spiritual objects.

The resources in his hand had also risen by about a thousand.

"Such abundant cultivation resources; the position of Deputy Hall Master is truly extraordinary."

"A thousand a month; over the years, it's also a huge fortune."

Lu Zhangsheng was quite happy in his heart.

This was only the lowest-ranked Deputy Hall Master; later, as his strength increased, his monthly salary would likely be even more, no wonder so many Town Demon Envoys fought desperately to climb up.

The level of Deputy Hall Master was already two different worlds from an ordinary Town Demon Envoy.

With his status as a Patrol Envoy, he only got 100 resource points a month.

After this assessment, it had soared tenfold.

Once the official appointment was issued, he would also have the qualifications to lead a branch hall, and he would have a share of the rewards for the tasks completed by his subordinates.

Combined with the spiritual objects in the depths of the Shiwan Dashan, with both approaches, resource points would surely be endless, and his own cultivation could also improve rapidly.

The next day, noon.

Qin Ruobing led Lu Zhangsheng and others on the journey back to Changping County.

The group rode horses on the official road, heading toward the county city.

Along the way, Qin Ruobing was quite happy; before leaving today, she had fiercely humiliated Zhou Mei'er and won ten Heavenly Crystal Stones, making her feel as if she had eaten honey.

With the strength of the group, no bandits dared to intercept them.

By the evening of the second day, Lu Zhangsheng and the others had returned to the county city.

Over the next few days.

Lu Zhangsheng stayed at home practicing martial arts, and went to search for resources at night.

Sometimes he would drink in a tavern, sitting for a whole day, his days becoming increasingly peaceful.

The heretic cult forces around the entire county city seemed to have disappeared, rarely coming out to stir up trouble.

This made the numerous martial artists in the county city quite unaccustomed.

However, Lu Zhangsheng knew that this was just the calm before the storm, and a great battle could break out at any time.

Sure enough.

A month later.

County Magistrate Du Wentao directly ordered all the Xuanjia Army in the city to assemble and stand by at any time.

The three Deputy Hall Masters also began to summon the Town Demon Envoys in the city, and even the older generation of powerhouses appeared one after another.

The entire county city instantly entered a state of full martial law, with a large number of armored soldiers patrolling the streets day and night.

Numerous Town Demon Envoys also received orders to wait at home for the action to begin.

An extremely tense atmosphere shrouded the entire county city.

Inside a courtyard.

Lu Zhangsheng and the siblings Fang Qing and Fang Tao sat on stone chairs.

"Brother Changsheng, is a great battle about to break out?"

Fang Tao's expression was extremely grave.

He had also felt the changes in the city; once this great battle started, the city might not necessarily be safe.

Fang Qing's eyes also revealed worry.

Her Martial Dao had long since entered the entry level, and she had also received some information from the martial artist circle.

In this final decisive battle, Tuotai Perfection experts would all go all out.

That kind of scene would surely be extremely terrifying.

Even Blood Exchange martial artists didn't have absolute certainty of surviving.

The two were quite worried about Lu Zhangsheng.

They had always thought Lu Zhangsheng was at most at the Blood Exchange Perfection realm.

"Changsheng, will anything happen during this mission?"

Fang Qing's tone was somewhat hesitant.

She knew she couldn't stop Lu Zhangsheng; according to her own thoughts, the three of them hiding in the cellar together would be the safest.

"Don't worry, seal the cellar iron gate well and don't come out easily; the food inside is enough to eat for half a year."

Lu Zhangsheng smiled faintly.

As early as half a year ago, he had instructed the two to build a refuge.

Even if Zhao Yuanjing's backup plan erupted in the city, the two could survive.

Inside the County Government Office.

Du Wentao and the three Deputy Hall Masters sat in the main hall.

"Magistrate Du, when can we launch the general offensive?"

Xiao Tianci's eyes were like lightning.

They had been waiting for this day for several years.

"Three days later; the batch of equipment from the prefecture city has arrived, and we will dispatch experts to directly flatten Black Mountain."

Du Wentao's face was full of majesty.

The cancer that was Black Mountain had been entrenched around the county city for over a hundred years and was finally about to be eradicated.

His grievances with the other party could also be completely settled.

"Shouldn't we send people to guard the county city? If the other party launches a sneak attack..."

A trace of worry appeared in the depths of Qin Ruobing's eyes.

Those heretic cultists were deeply rooted and not so easy to eradicate.

If the other party took advantage of the empty defenses of the county city to launch a counterattack, they would be in trouble.

"Don't worry, Hall Master Qin; this official will leave 30% of the Xuanjia Army to guard the city, and combined with Master Tai Shi, those demon people cannot break through the county city."

Du Wentao stroked his beard, full of confidence.

He had long thought of this layer, and this attack could be said to be fully prepared.

Hearing this, Qin Ruobing and the others nodded one after another.

The Master Tai Shi mentioned by the other party was the expert protecting the County Magistrate, and his strength was not weak.

With him there, plus a portion of the Xuanjia Army, they didn't fear an attack from those demon people.

Even if the situation changed, they could quickly come to support.

Subsequently, the few exchanged details about the general offensive and then left the main hall one after another.

After Qin Ruobing and the three left the County Government Office, they arrived at the Demon-Suppressing Division.

After the three sat down, their expressions were quite grave.

"Hall Master Qin, the heretic cult has planted moles in our Demon-Suppressing Division? Is this intelligence accurate?"

Cold light flickered in He Chunlin's eyes.

When he received Qin Ruobing's letter, he was also somewhat incredulous.

Given the other party's status, the moles mentioned were at least of Tuotai-level strength.

Some low-end martial artists were simply not qualified to be mentioned separately by Qin Ruobing.

"I am 80% sure; we must be careful in this battle."

Qin Ruobing's tone was quite solemn.

Since knowing Lu Zhangsheng's identity and strength, she had attached increasing importance to this intelligence.

The intelligence obtained from Lu Zhangsheng slaughtering a large number of heretic cultists must have high accuracy.

The first thing she did upon returning to the county city was to inform her two colleagues.

"No matter, even if there are older Town Demon Envoys who have secretly defected, I will personally take action to clean them up."

Xiao Tianci's face was grim.

Black Mountain.

An underground space.

In the center of the space was a large blood pool, with waves of blood-evil aura rising, emitting a nauseating smell.

Zhao Yuanjing sat on the steps, her gaze scanning the entire hall coldly.

The numerous figures below lowered their heads one after another, not daring to breathe loudly.

"That old fox Du Wentao has already made his move; immediately summon half of the sect members to ambush the other party at Black Mountain."

"The remaining people will act according to the original plan; I want to completely take down the entire county city."

Zhao Yuanjing's expression was extremely grim.

For this day, she had prepared for decades, leaving enough backup plans both inside and outside the city.

As long as she got that thing in the county city's treasure vault, it would be the time for her to ascend to the Innate realm. Any Deputy Hall Master or mysterious powerhouse would be ground into powder by her.

She thought to herself.

"We obey your command."

The people below cupped their hands one after another, full of awe.

The loud voice echoed in the main hall.

Late at night, it was silent.

The County Magistrate's residence, in a gorgeous inner courtyard.

The room was pitch black, appearing quite eerie.

Du Ling sat on the edge of the bed, holding a small black cat in her arms.

The cat's pair of eyes emitted wisps of blood-colored light, making one's hair stand on end.

"Giggle... the good show is finally starting."

Du Ling gently stroked the black cat's back with her right hand, her eyes revealing wisps of evil intent.

"Creak..."

At this moment, the black cat suddenly jumped out of Du Ling's arms, opened the door, and rushed out, soon disappearing into the night.

Three days later.

At noon, black clouds covered the sky, and gloomy winds howled.

A terrifying storm seemed about to sweep in.

Making the hearts of everyone in the county city feel somewhat heavy.

In the center of the county city, in a huge square.

At this moment, the crowd was surging, and a large number of powerhouses gathered together, a powerful aura rushing straight into the clouds, as if to shake the clouds in the high sky apart.

On the high platform ahead stood four figures, their aura extremely astonishing.

They were the three Deputy Hall Masters Qin Ruobing and the Xuanjia Army Commander Wei Shaoxuan.

In the square, the powerhouses of the Demon-Suppressing Division and the Xuanjia Army were clearly distinct.

A large group of people stood together densely, full of oppressive force.

Lu Zhangsheng also gathered among the Town Demon Envoys, in a relatively front position.

Not far behind him stood his former teammates, Yue Shulan and Xiao Chao.

The few all looked quite worried.

Lu Zhangsheng's gaze scanned the powerhouses in the entire field; there were about a dozen Tuotai powerhouses, and even more Blood Exchange martial artists.

A total of two thousand Xuanjia Army soldiers were present, each of them above the Flesh Refining level, belonging to the elite of the army.

And this group of people wore heavy armor, were well-equipped, and under the formation of the army, even Tuotai powerhouses had to retreat three times.

Combined with the four top experts on the platform, this force was also quite terrifying.

"It seems the county city has made up its mind to wipe out that group of heretic cult bandits in one fell swoop."

Lu Zhangsheng thought to himself.

However, according to the intelligence he had obtained over the years, the other party was not so easy to eradicate.

Just the three leaders of the Black Mountain Bandits were Tuotai Perfection ten years ago, and combined with that demon witch Zhao Yuanjing, their strength was not inferior to the county government.

No one knew what other backup plans this demon witch had hidden.

This battle would definitely not be easy.

"Everyone, after our discussion, we have decided to leave the city today to wipe out that group of heretic cult bandits."

Qin Ruobing said faintly, full of majesty.

A purple long dress perfectly displayed her slender figure, and the whole person was full of a different kind of temptation.

"We obey your command."

The people below cupped their hands one after another, full of respect.

Under the suppression of Qin Ruobing's powerful aura, no one dared to act presumptuously.

Lu Zhangsheng looked up and met Qin Ruobing's eyes; the two's eyes shifted slightly, as if they had made up their minds.

Tong Yuhua discovered some abnormalities, turned her head, and looked at Lu Zhangsheng.

Her heart was extremely surprised; her own Hall Master Qin had always been quite cold, but she hadn't expected her to have such "deep affection" for Lu Zhangsheng.

Since the two returned to the county city, their relationship seemed to have changed, which left her completely confused.

"Set off."

Qin Ruobing waved her hand and took the lead in walking off the platform.

The people on both sides dispersed one after another.

Subsequently, the four powerhouses including Qin Ruobing took the lead and walked toward the outside of the city.

"Tread, tread, tread..."

A large number of Town Demon Envoy powerhouses and the Xuanjia Army followed closely behind.

A group of people marched toward the outside of the city in a mighty force.

Waves of powerful auras intertwined, stirring up violent winds.

The next day, evening.

The setting sun was like blood, and waves of gloomy winds brushed past.

Beside a dense forest at the foot of Black Mountain stood numerous figures.

It was the large group of government powerhouses led by Qin Ruobing.

After a day of trekking, the group finally arrived here.

Lu Zhangsheng looked up and scanned the mountains ahead, seeing that from the top of the mountain to the foot, it was filled with dense forests everywhere.

There were also many small fortresses made of huge stones, and various giant logs and rolling stones were clearly visible.

Black Mountain belonged to a small branch of the Shiwan Dashan and was itself extremely steep.

Combined with the century of operation by this group of bandits, it had long been like an iron bucket.

Moreover, for this battle today, the other party had built many fortresses from the foot of the mountain, and the numerous government powerhouses could only flatten them all the way up.

"This hard battle will not be easy to fight."

He Chunlin scanned the mountains ahead with cold eyes.

He hadn't expected this group of bandits to actually build the entire Black Mountain into an iron bucket.

"Hmph... no matter how the other party builds it, in the face of absolute strength, there is only a dead end."

Killing intent was exposed in Xiao Tianci's eyes.

"Indeed, the County Magistrate has long been prepared."

Wei Shaoxuan looked cold and waved his hand.

"Push the bed crossbows forward."

Following his order, a large number of Xuanjia Army soldiers behind him began to act one after another.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

One strange small cart after another was pushed to the front of the formation.

Each small cart looked like a pair of wooden horses side by side, with a huge crossbow mounted on top, emitting wisps of pitch-black light.

"Is this the bed crossbow modified by the prefecture city?"

Looking at the dozen or so bed crossbows in front of him, Lu Zhangsheng was quite surprised.

The bowstrings of this kind of crossbow arrow were clearly made of exotic beasts, and combined with the special crossbow arrows, the power was extremely terrifying, and even Tuotai powerhouses didn't dare to take it head-on.

"Da, da, da..."

At this moment, a group of Xuanjia Army soldiers behind carried giant crossbow arrows and walked forward.

Each crossbow arrow was as thick as an arm, the arrowhead gleaming with metallic cold light.

This group of people mounted the crossbow arrows on the strange carts ahead, tightened the bowstrings, and prepared to fire at any time.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

Subsequently, a group of people moved forward again and began to advance slowly.

"Woo, woo..."

Waves of low horn sounds came from Black Mountain, clearly the other party had already discovered their traces.

A large group of men in black began to act, standing by at various checkpoints.

At the top of Black Mountain, in a gorgeous main hall.

Zhao Yuanjing and three men sat on chairs, their expressions solemn.

The three men were the three leaders of the Black Mountain Bandits.

The first leader was nicknamed "Violent Dragon" Su Qilong, the third leader was nicknamed "Poison Snake" Liu Shiqi, and there was the most mysterious second leader, who had long used a pseudonym to walk in the county city, and few even knew his real name.

Now he was just called "Hunter".

The three had dominated the county city for decades and were notoriously famous.

"The other party has already killed their way here; are you sure you can defeat this group of people? These four are not weaker than us."

Su Qilong's eyes were fierce, his aura rolling.

"Don't worry, First Leader, this little girl has long been prepared; after breaking through the county city, I don't want anything, just one item."

Zhao Yuanjing smiled brightly, her waist swaying gently, emitting amazing charm.

"Then we'll see the means of your Wenxiang Sect."

Su Qilong looked at Zhao Yuanjing with burning eyes, wishing he could swallow her alive.

"Giggle... Brother Su, just wait with peace of mind."

Zhao Yuanjing twisted her body and walked gracefully out of the hall.

After leaving the main hall, Zhao Yuanjing's eyes turned cold; Su Qilong's gaze made her feel extremely disgusted, and the killing intent in her heart rose infinitely; after getting that thing, the other party would surely die.

Seeing the other party leave, Liu Shiqi's gaze was cold.

"Brother, this demon witch cannot be trusted."

"No matter, it's just mutual utilization; after breaking through the county city, I want to see what that item is that is worth the other party plotting for decades."

Su Qilong smiled coldly.

"Immediately pass the order to ambush the county city forces with all our might; I will wait for them at the top of the mountain."

At the foot of Black Mountain.

The numerous government martial artists gathered together in a mighty force, holding various weapons, full of killing intent.

At the checkpoint ahead, a large number of heretic cult bandits were also standing by, and an extremely tense atmosphere lingered over the entire battlefield.

"All mountain-breaking crossbows fire immediately."

Wei Shaoxuan directly issued the attack order, and the great battle broke out instantly.

"Shoo, shoo..."

Following the harsh sound of breaking through the air, a large number of specially made crossbow arrows shot toward the first checkpoint suddenly.

It was like a giant dragon roaring in the void, its momentum extremely astonishing.

(End of chapter)