Staying Alive Cautiously in the Celestial Realm and Becoming the Strongest

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[Potential +1]

Wang Chen ignored the information alert flashing through his vision and summoned the panel.

[Name: Wang Chen (Ling Zhiyuan)]

[Age: 16]

[Cultivation Level: Martial General]

[Cultivation Technique: Mysterious Sun Haven Seven Fiend Wheel (Swallowing Thief): 37/400]

[Potential: 971]

Earlier, while he was condensing the fourth Evil Wheel, he had exhausted a vast amount of potential points. Now, not only had he fully replenished them, but he had also reached the record-breaking level of nearly a thousand points.

Wang Chen had a vague feeling that if his potential points were to reach a thousand, there might be some kind of change!

What kind of change that might be, Wang Chen certainly didn't know at the moment.

But he was very much looking forward to it.

To be honest, boiling, steeping, and drinking medicinal concoctions every day was both bitter and exhausting; persevering daily was not easy.

Beep—

Just at that moment, a sharp whistle suddenly entered Wang Chen's ears.

Startled, he leaped out of the open window without a second thought, landing in the courtyard outside.

Bang!

Wang Chen looked up to see a brilliant burst of fireworks exploding high in the sky.

The Blood Cloak Summoning Order!

This was precisely the signal for the Blood Cloak Guards to convene their colleagues. Whenever something important happened, any guard who saw the signal was required to rush to the meeting place immediately.

And the direction from which the fireworks rose was exactly the location of the Defense Area.

Wang Chen immediately mounted the Yellow Fatty Horse tied at the entrance and galloped rapidly towards the Defense Area.

Ordinary people were strictly forbidden from riding horses on the streets of the county town because it could easily harm innocent bystanders.

But the Blood Cloak Guards were exempt from this prohibition, which was why Wang Chen always used a mount for transportation each time he went to the house he rented.

In just the time it took to finish a cup of tea, he arrived at the Defense Area.

Just as Wang Chen dismounted at the entrance, he saw Qiu leading people hurriedly coming out from inside.

One of the Blood Cloak Guards, upon seeing Wang Chen, immediately frowned and said, "Wang Chen, you don't stay inside the Defense Area as you should, always running outside, what kind of behavior is that!"

Wang Chen paid no attention to the man, focusing only on Junior Flag Qiu.

This guy, named Dong Zhihui, belonged to the same team as Wang Chen under Qiu, but from the very day the two met, Dong Zhihui had taken a dislike to Wang Chen, causing him trouble both openly and secretly on several occasions.

But Wang Chen was only busy with his own matters, too lazy to squabble with him. Moreover, Qiu had always had a good impression of Wang Chen, so Dong Zhihui never stirred up any real trouble.

Unexpectedly, this jerk seized some petty issue to cause trouble for him in public!

Qiu said in a serious tone, "Stop bickering, the task is crucial, all of you follow me!"

He didn't really like Dong Zhihui either. The man was arrogant despite his mediocrity, and with average abilities, he had lingered for several years in the Defense Area, still just a Badge Guard.

Indeed, Dong Zhihui's dislike for Wang Chen stemmed from this very reason.

On the surface, Qiu looked quite easygoing, almost weak, but how could a truly meek person ever be promoted to Junior Flag of the Blood Cloak Guard!

With a few words, he shut Dong Zhihui up and then led the group, including Wang Chen and three other Blood Cloak Guards, along with a yellow-coated thin hound, to the site of the incident.

Iron hooves clattered against the cobblestones as four riders sped down the main street, startling passersby into giving way.

The site of the incident was a tailor shop to the west of the city. By the time the four riders arrived, a large crowd had gathered around the shop, looking on eagerly.

Two blue-clad constables guarded the entrance, maintaining order.

Whinny—

Qiu pulled the reins, halting his horse, and picked up the thin hound as he jumped down from his steed.

Upon the arrival of the Blood Cloak Guards, the onlookers dispersed in an instant, none daring to approach further.

The two constables quickly saluted, "Head Constable Qiu!"

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"No need for such formality!" Qiu waved his hand and led Wang Chen and the other two into the shop.

This tailor's shop had a storefront in the front and living quarters in the back. The living quarters were a house behind the business front.

The main room's door was wide open, and a thick scent of blood wafted from inside.

Inside the house, there were two constables, one of whom was Head Constable Li, with whom Wang Chen had dealt before.

As Wang Chen stepped into the inner room, the first thing he saw was a corpse sprawled on the ground.

A corpse that had been skinned, revealing its muscles!

The victim had clearly suffered immense pain before death; its limbs were twisted, and even without facial skin, one could still discern its tormented state.

On the adjacent bed, there were two more bodies, similarly skinned!

Such a horrific scene was enough to give anyone nightmares.

A coroner was examining the corpse on the floor.

"The Skinning Demon!"

Qiu's pupils suddenly constricted, his expression revealing a hint of ferocity, "Daring to appear again!"

It was said that originally there was only one type of demon, the Heavenly Demon.

But as the original demon descended into this world, infecting and taking possession of human Divine Souls and bodies, over hundreds of years, they gave rise to different kinds.

The Skinning Demon was one of them.

This kind of demon liked to flay human skin alive and then repaint the skin to wear as its own, masquerading as someone else.

The Skinning Demon would often hoard several or even dozens of human skins, assuming different identities to blend into the crowd.

Seeking new targets!

Such fiends were extremely vicious and difficult to detect, thus posing a significant threat once they appeared.

Linjiang County had seen the emergence of a Skinning Demon before, but it soon vanished without a trace under an intense search by the Blood Cloak Guard.

Now it had appeared again!

"The coroner just checked, and it seems these people were killed last night during the Hai hour," Head Constable Li said gravely, "Someone came to pick up clothes this morning and discovered them. Tailor Lin's family of five—we found four skinned bodies. All four adults were accounted for, but the five-year-old daughter was missing."

"I've already sent people to search the area carefully. It's also possible that she was taken by the Skinning Demon…"

Saying so, he couldn't help clenching his fists, displaying his inner rage.

Although this head constable was not exactly a good man, seeing his fellow villagers, Tailor Lin's family, suffer such a fate, he couldn't help but feel a fox mourning the death of a rabbit.

Demons were the common enemy of mankind!

"Woof woof!"

Just then, the small dog Qiu had brought in, after sniffing around the entrance, suddenly barked toward the outside and then dashed out rapidly.

"Follow it!" Qiu motioned with a wave of his hand.

The fine dog's sense of smell was extremely keen, and it could even detect the scent of demons. It had helped him solve numerous crimes several times.

Thus, Qiu trusted it enormously.

A group of people followed.

They saw the fine dog run out the door and immediately dart into an alley.

Everyone followed it all the way to the base of the city wall, where the dog began barking madly up at the wall.

Qiu picked it up and held it in his arms, saying, "We'll chase it outside the city."

The four Blood Cloak Guard members returned to the tailor's shop, remounted their horses, and took up their previous positions outside the city.

They set the fine dog down once more.

This time the dog ran towards the north, all the way into the dense woods!

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The second update is here.