Attaining Immortality, Starting From Slaying Demons

The next morning dawned.

Chunyang Zi was planning to visit and say farewell, but as he walked out of the courtyard, he found that all the colonels in the Demon Suppressing General's Mansion were in a hurry.

Out of curiosity, he wandered around and, with some difficulty, caught sight of Xiao Qiangwei, only to realize that she was the source of this serious atmosphere.

Orders were passed down one after another, and the colonels and their subordinates immediately turned and left the mansion.

"Every two hundred li, have two skilled travellers on guard duty, rotating day and night, responsible for carrying messages."
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"Tell General You to stay as close to Creek Terrace Mountain as possible without affecting the overall situation."

"If there is any unexpected situation, I will use the bell to notify the demon slayers."

Chunyang Zi was somewhat stunned by what he heard and took a few steps forward to ask uncertainly, "Officer Xiao, has something happened in Tingyang County? Do you need my assistance?"

Normally, those from the pugilistic world should avoid getting involved in the business of the Demon-suppression Bureau, but it didn't seem out of place for him to ask, given that they had faced a great demon together a few days ago.

Xiao Qiangwei waved her hand to dismiss the others, then turned and said, "It's not Tingyang County. We have located the presence of a Mountain Lord. Officer Shen plans to try to slay it before we leave."

At those words, Chunyang Zi was a bit surprised, remembering the words he had just overheard, "Is it that Condensation Elixir Completion tiger from Creek Terrace Mountain?"

Just last night, the Daoist Qingjing mentioned that Qingzhou was about to experience turmoil and that Officer Shen was the ace in the hole revealed by the General; Chunyang Zi hadn't entirely believed it, but now it seemed there was some truth to it.

They had only just returned from Peacock Valley and were now about to take the initiative to attack another great demon.

The Demon-suppression Bureau had always focused on defense and stability, ensuring that demons didn't invade the Twelve Prefectures, and generally wouldn't willingly venture into danger, leaving the safety of familiar cities to chase after demons in the unknown wild.

"Officer Shen is trying to kill the chicken to scare the monkeys, to deter the group of demons," remarked Chiyang Zi. They still had to take care of delivering the martial arts back to the monastery, and if there was trouble in Tingyang County, they wouldn't hesitate to lend a hand, but outside of Tingyang County, they lacked the rich experience of demon slayers.

To kill the chicken to scare the monkeys... Xiao Qiangwei suddenly realized that in the eyes of these pugilistic figures, even the fearsome Mountain Lord became a mere "chicken" used to establish Officer Shen's authority.

She had already promised to invite the Demon-suppression Great General to support them.

But in practice, even with her personal connections, getting General You to devote a portion of his attention here and get closer so that in case of an emergency, he could be notified as quickly as possible, was already the limit of what she could do.

After all, an operation like proactively laying a trap to slay a demon lord could lead to consequences that ripple across the whole of Tingyang County if handled with even the slightest carelessness.

The opportunity to kill the Demon-suppression Great General, who nurtures his Yin Spirit, would be best if he left Qingzhou.

Therefore, she and Shen Yi had to handle this matter themselves and prepare to be responsible for the outcomes. If they encountered an unexpected danger, whether they could last until General You arrived was left to fate.

"I have my own urgent matters to attend to; you two Elders, please do as you wish."

Xiao Qiangwei nodded politely and then stepped toward the outside of the mansion.

Shen Yi stood beside two demon horses, heard footsteps, and looked back: "Are you going too?"

Xiao Qiangwei mounted her horse and replied, "Although I can't be of much help, my years of experience tracking and seeking demons can at least save you a lot of time. With your powerful skills in concealing presence, you need to stay in the dark, strike unexpectedly to slay, and then quickly withdraw."

At this point, she seemed to recall the time when Shen Yi "escorted" her to the Black Stone Pool and laughed, "You were quite adept at it before; just do it the same way you did then."

For Shen Yi, slaying a Mountain Lord wasn't the issue; the question was how to kill it and how long it would take.

If he got stuck in that quagmire, extricating himself would be difficult.

Shen Yi also mounted his demon horse and said calmly, "I'll do my best to protect your life."

When it came to seeking demons, her suggestions were definitely valuable experiences gained at the cost of many lives.

"Then I'll thank Officer Shen in advance," Xiao Qiangwei pulled on the reins, and the majestic demon horse stomped its forehooves on the ground, accompanied by a series of crisp hoofbeats, quickly dashing out of Tingyang City.

...

Outside Tingyang County.

About three hundred li from Creek Terrace Mountain lay a low hill.

Two figures tied their Demon Horses to a tree, seeing the two originally graceful and proud Half-Demons now anxiously surveying their surroundings, uneasily stamping their front hooves.

Xiao Qiangwei took out a silver bell, transmitting information.

The demon hunter she had called upon in advance quickly replied.

"All ready," Xiao Qiangwei looked sideways and asked in detail, "If you use your full strength, what's the farthest distance you can attack in an instant, the kind that doesn't allow the demon to react?"

Shen Yi pondered for a moment, conservatively estimating: "Three hundred zhang."

He wasn't quite sure what "an instant" meant, but within that distance, even a demon with Condensation Elixir Completion wouldn't be able to dodge his Ceremonial Blade.

Xiao Qiangwei's movement of putting back the silver bell stalled slightly, and it took her a moment to confirm she hadn't heard wrong.

Is a Refinement Martial Arts Master's burst of speed really that strong?

She calmed her mind and did not voice her skepticism, even though this distance was related to her own life.

Since she was out here, it was natural to trust her colleagues unconditionally.

"Then three hundred zhang it is. It's also far enough not to expose my tracks because of proximity to you."

Xiao Qiangwei checked the Demon Seeking Treasure she carried one more time before striding towards Creek Terrace Mountain.

The vast, boundless mountain range belonged to the territory of a fierce tiger, who had remained the Mountain Lord of this place over many years.

The occasional demon hunter who trespassed here never even managed to collect its scent before they were killed in vain.

Now stepping into this place,

Xiao Qiangwei was not at all flustered, even though the young man's presence had completely disappeared from her senses. She knew he was right behind her, and whenever she thought of how decisively he had slain demons, her mind grew even more tranquil.

The shadows of the trees were dense, the forest dark and gloomy.

A mixture of foul odors mingled with the scent of rotting leaves seemed so muddled.

She constantly operated the Precious Tool in her hand, distinguishing the traces belonging to the Mountain Lord, carefully scanning her surroundings, and committing every detail to memory.

As time slowly passed, she delved deeper into Creek Terrace Mountain.

The arc of the setting sun grew increasingly blurred, and the sky began to show a thin layer of grey mist.

Joy finally appeared on Xiao Qiangwei's face as she transmitted her voice through the silver bell, "It just appeared here, according to the guidance of the Precious Tool, it's roughly in the southeast direction, about seventy li away in the hinterlands of the back mountain... Be extra careful."

Still, she subconsciously added an unrelated sentence.

Having finished her part, following further would only cause disruption; the executioner lurking soundlessly in the deep mountains did not need another presence that could expose him.

Leaving Creek Terrace Mountain and waiting for Shen Yi's message was what she should do next.

All around was still quiet, only the messages from the silver bell conveyed the young man's departure.

"Thank you for your hard work."