Demon Suppression Division

With the blond man's loud roar, the other four men around him closed in on Qi Yuan. Fierce, menacing scowls spread across their faces. Rubbing their fists and palms, they wore the mocking smirks typical of street thugs. Right then, Qi Yuan swung his fist, his voice cold and cutting. "By the Tianke Code, those who serve demons as slaves shall be executed without mercy!" The blond man laughed boisterously. "What era do you think this is? Tianke Code, my foot!" Yet in the very next instant, the smile froze on his face. A pair of iron fists slammed squarely into his chest at a speed he could not even begin to register. Gastric acid churned in his gut, and golden stars exploded before his eyes. His bloodshot eyes bulged outward as his body bent double like a boiled prawn, scarlet vessels visible across his eyes. The burly men flanking him froze in bewilderment, too stunned to react. Yet the young man before them had draped a red bridal veil over his fists. Looking at the thug with sheer disgust in his eyes, Qi Yuan muttered, "How long has it been since you last bathed? Good thing I had the foresight to wrap my hands in this red veil, or your chest hair would've gotten them filthy." Unfortunately, the blond man was in no condition to reply. Right now, he could not draw a single breath. Not far away, Xiao Mei's eyes widened. What was unfolding before her had far exceeded her expectations. Yet before she could recover from her shock, Qi Yuan casually reached out and pulled a butcher knife from a woodpile. "No wonder ancients used knives to kill and modern people use guns—it's all just to keep from dirtying their hands." Holding the butcher knife, Qi Yuan felt he had grasped yet another profound truth. A glint of cold light flashed. Qi Yuan leapt up abruptly, using the downward momentum of his descent—swish, swish, swish—to send a fine head tumbling downward. Blood splattered everywhere, adding yet another splash of red to this celebratory day. Qi Yuan moved astonishingly fast. In the split second before the head even hit the ground, the butcher knife slashed again. Mists of blood sprayed outward before the metallic stench even had time to spread. Those present heard the dull thud, thud, thud of severed heads hitting the ground. Cleaver in hand, Qi Yuan stood with killing intent in his eyes, resembling an incarnate god of slaughter. Fourth Master Huang narrowed his eyes slightly, a hint of surprise in his gaze. "A blood martial artist... You're actually a blood martial artist!" Yet it was merely surprise. "You hid it deeply enough, breaking through quietly to become a blood martial artist and embarking on the path of transcendence," Fourth Master Huang remarked, a note of genuine admiration in his voice. "However, don't think that becoming a blood martial artist lets you forget the heights of the heavens and the depths of the earth. In this Yunyan County Seat, it is not your place to act wild!" With haughty arrogance in his eyes, Fourth Master Huang reached out and drew a walking stick. The cane was entirely translucent, snow-white like jade, clearly no ordinary item. "This cane was crafted from the bones of a blood martial artist." Fourth Master Huang had a kindly face, and he spoke these words in a gentle, warm tone. "He was just like you, relying on a bit of skill to act lawless and unrestrained. "My eldest brother's grandson took a fancy to his pregnant wife—which was his wife's honor. "Yet who would have guessed that his wife would be as senseless as him? She actually died on my grandnephew's bed, and even bit my grandnephew's lip till it bled. "Our Huang Manor hadn't even gone looking for trouble with him yet, but... relying on his bit of ability, he dared to storm our manor. "Seeing him overestimate himself so thoroughly, my eldest brother slaughtered him. "I saw that his bones were quite hard, so I asked my eldest brother for a few of them and carved them into this walking stick. "Oh, right—the bead on top was ground from his wife's skull!" Fourth Master Huang spoke unhurriedly. Hearing this from the side, cold sweat broke out across Xiao Mei's forehead. The demonic beings of Yunyan County truly ate people. Hearing this, Qi Yuan's expression remained serene. "Your character design is indeed that of a classic archvillain. "To think the villain boss of my game would actually be inside a game within my game." His emotions did not waver in the slightest. This surprised Fourth Master Huang a little. He had said all this partly out of natural habit to warn Qi Er, and partly to enrage Qi Yuan. Blood martial artists... their bloodlines were inherently flawed, making them prone to fury and losing their sanity. When that happened, their strength might increase slightly, but their speed and agility would plummet. And what Fourth Master Huang excelled at most was speed. Yet his words had failed to provoke any anger from Qi Yuan. "You are smarter than this bone's previous owner, but only marginally so!" With Fourth Master Huang's sneer, his scrawny frame leapt nimbly into the air, agile as an ethereal monkey. The cane in his hand lashed viciously toward Qi Yuan's back. Nimble Crane Tapping the Azure! What Fourth Master Huang unleashed was none other than demonic martial arts. This martial art was renowned for speed; at great mastery, it could strike a target thirteen times in the blink of an eye. A single strike could heavily wound an ordinary blood martial artist, let alone thirteen. Qi Yuan immediately felt wind howling at his back. A grin surfaced in his eyes. "Dodging!" With a shift of his body, he dodged Nimble Crane Tapping the Azure cleanly. "The martial arts in this game... are pretty interesting. They buff you quite a lot." Martial arts and Daoist arts were two entirely different concepts. In fact, magical duels and martial combat were fundamentally distinct matters. His experience from the Canglan Realm could not be directly applied here. However, martial combat experience was something Qi Yuan lacked not in the least. Back on the Wangyue Continent, he had slaughtered his way through Tianjue; he possessed ample close-quarters combat experience. Facing Fourth Master Huang, he held an absolute crushing advantage. The only area where Fourth Master Huang surpassed him was martial arts—or rather, martial techniques. Such bloodline martial techniques could unleash the power hidden within one's qi and blood, erupting with formidable force. This was remarkably similar to the spells of the cultivation world. In terms of cultivation, the current Qi Yuan was essentially a cultivator who possessed realm cultivation but lacked spells. "How... ever, I have active skills!" Heaven-Cleaving Sword-Drawing Technique! Ever since he had grown powerful, Qi Yuan rarely used his skills anymore. Yet his skills were universal across all realms. This time, he unleashed it directly! A fierce whirlwind ripped through the air. The butcher knife in Qi Yuan's hand seemed coated in a sheen of blood as it descended from the sky. Crack. The blade struck Fourth Master Huang right on the skull. An expression of sheer disbelief froze across Fourth Master Huang's face. He never could have imagined that Qi Er, who had just stepped into the Qi-Blood Realm, could actually kill him with a single stroke. Furthermore, what was that sword technique just now? Sheathing the butcher knife, Qi Yuan smiled happily. "Not bad. Finally getting that gaming vibe. And I harvested three drops of blood." From Fourth Master Huang's corpse, Qi Yuan extracted three drops of blood. These three drops of blood were the demon's core essence, the most valuable thing here to Qi Yuan. On the ground now lay the corpse of a weasel, reeking of foul musk. Xiao Mei stood nearby, trembling all over. Even so, she gritted her teeth and warned, "Brother Qi, you can't drink that blood! Without the government's Blood-Calming Pills, drinking a demon's blood will drive you mad!" Qi Yuan combed through his memories, but found nothing regarding Blood-Calming Pills. "How do you know so much? Are you some special NPC?" Qi Yuan looked at Xiao Mei with keen anticipation. Xiao Mei's body shivered, confused by Qi Yuan's words. In the end, she gritted her teeth and confessed, "I won't pretend anymore. Actually... I'm from the Jiangcuo Zhao Family." "Never heard of them." Qi Yuan shook his head. "The Jiangcuo Zhao Family is a martial arts clan that often runs escort caravans..." "Get to the point." "I once heard that the most precious thing on a demon is its essence blood. "Consuming their essence blood can increase your strength. "Furthermore, consuming demonic essence blood can dramatically increase your mastery of martial techniques. "However, demonic essence blood is toxic. For an ordinary blood martial artist, consuming a single drop takes a year or two to digest. "If you consume too much, no amount of digestion will help; you'll go mad, become a monster, and be suppressed and executed. "Only by taking the Blood-Calming Pills produced by the government can one consume slightly more demonic essence blood. "Even then, you still can't take too much, or you'll go crazy!" Xiao Mei explained nervously. In simple terms, a martial artist's cultivation meant gradual training; swallowing demonic blood was a shortcut. Yet taking shortcuts easily invited backlash, driving one mad, turning them into a fiend, and ultimately causing them to explode and die. The Blood-Calming Pill could neutralize the toxicity in demonic blood, allowing martial artists to consume a bit more demonic essence blood. Still, one could not consume too much, or death was certain. "Oh, is that so? Got it." Qi Yuan shrugged. Sure enough, players had special privileges. Did he need Blood-Calming Pills? Not at all. Besides, taking Blood-Calming Pills still carried limits, whereas he... had obtained the Devouring Primordial Physique from the Holy Mother of Inedia. The Devouring Primordial Physique claimed to devour all things; swallowing some demonic essence blood should be a piece of cake. "No worries, I'm a player, and I have a certificate. Even if I really go crazy, I'm not afraid." Qi Yuan put away the three drops of blood, refraining from consuming them for the time being. According to Xiao Mei, essence blood not only boosted one's strength, but also raised mastery over martial techniques. He definitely had to save them for that. Fourth Master Huang's martial technique earlier had caught his eye. Since he had to complete this game, he would certainly need to learn its martial techniques. Where was the fun in training martial techniques the hard, stupid way when he could just spend demonic essence blood to add stat points? Diligently study martial arts? Wrong! Demonic essence blood, level up skills! Correct. "Brother Qi, you killed Fourth Master Huang! Hurry and run! "Fourth Master Huang's eldest brother is a demon at blood martial arts great completion!" Mentioning this, Xiao Mei grew intensely worried. Fourth Master Huang was a demon at the initial stage of blood martial arts, considered a figure of note in Yunyan County Seat. Yet the reason he could be addressed as 'Master' in Yunyan County was all thanks to his eldest brother, who had reached great completion in blood martial arts. "Oh? Great completion in blood martial arts? That's a bit troublesome," Qi Yuan mused. According to his conversion, blood martial arts great completion was probably comparable to Qi Refinement perfection. Whereas his martial cultivation was only at the fourth layer of Qi Refinement, leaving a considerable gap. Relying solely on martial cultivation, if he bumped into Eldest Master Huang right now, he would probably bite the dust. However, if Qi Yuan employed immortal cultivation methods, the outcome... "Looks like I need to keep a low profile." Qi Yuan was always steady and cautious. In this county seat, there were existences comparable to Qi Refinement perfection, and perhaps even some comparable to the Yang God realm. He needed to lie low. "Eldest Master Huang might seek revenge against me, and I won't have time to protect you. You should make a run for it." Qi Yuan was kindhearted after all, always considerate toward NPCs. Seeing this, Xiao Mei's face lit up with wild joy. "Brother Qi, I'm leaving right away!" Clearly, she had wanted to flee long ago. She had no deep affection for Qi Yuan anyway. After all, keeping one's life came first. "So sleepy. Time for bed. I'll go work on the quest tomorrow." For some reason, after that fight, Qi Yuan felt quite exhausted. Presumably, martial combat consumed too much qi and blood. Watching Xiao Mei leave with her valuables, Qi Yuan collapsed onto the bed and fell fast asleep. …… Inside the county yamen of Yunyan County. The county magistrate wore a tense expression as he looked at the four men and women clad in black martial attire before him. Flattering smiles plastered across his face, he said, "My lords, all the case dossiers regarding the Luo Residence and the Chen family are right here. "This affair occurred under strange circumstances. Some say demons were at work, while others claim that Luo Bufan consumed too much demonic essence blood and, in a fit of madness, slaughtered everyone in both the Luo and Chen residences." The magistrate bowed low before the four, acting as though he were standing before high-ranking superiors. The four before him were Demon Suppression Emissaries of the Demon Suppression Division. In this world where demons and monsters ran rampant, the reason the Tianke Dynasty could still stand firm was precisely because of the Demon Suppression Division. The exact date of the Demon Suppression Division's founding was unknown, nor were there detailed records in the history books. The Demon Suppression Division gathered a group of eccentric martial artists from across the world, all dedicated to slaying demons as their personal duty. "Mm. You may withdraw," a raspy voice rang out at that moment. Receiving the order, the county magistrate instantly breathed a sigh of relief and departed from the room. Only the four remained inside. If Qi Yuan had been present, he would have recognized the speaker as Chen Fan—the man he had met aboard the yacht. Clad in black martial garb, Chen Fan bore a faint look of reminiscence on his face. The other three were leafing through the dossiers. Eventually, the only female Demon Suppression Emissary present spoke up, "Captain, what do you think of this mission?" Chen Fan was the strongest among them, which was why he had been chosen as captain. They had been dispatched on a mission to Yunyan County. Though they appeared formidable and prestigious on the surface, peril lurked at every turn. Who knew whether this county magistrate harbored ill intentions? Moreover, the demons in Yunyan County were rather numerous. They did not dare make a commotion, fearing they might provoke those demons. Slay demons? Forget it; completing the mission and staying alive took precedence. Unless related to their mission, they would never provoke those demons on their own initiative. Setting down the dossier, Chen Fan's gaze grew profound. "We must locate this key figure, Luo Bufan." "But... didn't Luo Bufan ascend?" "Ascension is definitely fake. How could an ordinary martial artist possibly ascend?" the round-faced woman said with certainty. "The mission specifically mentioned him, which proves he's definitely not simple." "How strange. If I remember correctly, there was also a Luo Bufan in the real world who broke through the martial arts limit and ascended. Could they be the same person?" Yang Xuewen asked. "You're on your first mission, so you might not understand, but this sort of thing is very common," the round-faced woman explained. "Most of our missions are altered versions of reality. Some say... it might be a parallel world. As for the specifics... I'm not clear either." Hearing this, the nostalgic look on Chen Fan's face deepened. He cautioned, "In Yunyan County, there are three factions we must not offend lightly: the fish by the sea, the weasel in the gambling den, and the snake in Yihua Courtyard." "Don't worry. Before we make any progress on the mission, I have no desire to clash with the local factions. Even if they're rude, I'll endure it," the round-faced woman said pragmatically. "Mm. Our primary objective is to find Luo Bufan," Chen Fan said. …… "Sigh, if I form my core here, where will my Stellar Golden Core appear? "Here... or back in the real world?" The next morning, munching on a steamed bun as he gazed up at the sun, Qi Yuan had a sudden whimsical thought. He was already right on the verge of forming his core. "Forget it, better form it outside. Otherwise, if it manifests inside a game within a game, what kind of ridiculous mess would that be?" Qi Yuan grumbled silently under his breath, shoved the steamed bun into his mouth, and ambled slowly toward the Luo Residence.