Demon Suppression Division

"When did the big shots of the Demon Suppression Division find the time to drink tea in a tiny place like ours?" Ma Ruhu's expression changed, his tone completely lacking its earlier ease.

The dark-faced burly man beside him did not look much better either. Although the government and the Demon Suppression Division both served under the imperial court, their relationship was actually extremely poor.

Seeing these people appear and knowing the situation could not be salvaged, he snorted coldly and simply turned around and left.

They could hardly be blamed for reacting this way.

At present, Cloud City's major forces could roughly be divided into three groups: the Demon Suppression Division, the government, and the martial halls. As for those scattered gangs and associations, they were basically not worth mentioning.

On the surface, the government held the upper hand over the martial halls. But the martial halls had formed alliances among themselves and shared a common hatred of the enemy, so the two sides generally kept to their own waters and lived in peace.

After all, both sides needed Cloud City to maintain order and stability. Falling out benefited no one, which was why Ma Ruhu had treated the dark-faced man so casually earlier.

But the Demon Suppression Division alone was an exception.

This was a special force personally established by the first emperor at the beginning of the Great Radiance Dynasty.

Its sole purpose was to ensure the stability of the Great Brilliance Dynasty, and it had even been granted the privilege of executing first and reporting afterward.

It was precisely because they held this emperor's sword in their hands that these people had always acted arrogantly and tyrannically, stopping at nothing to achieve their goals. Throughout Cloud City and even the entire dynasty, they were notorious.

Yet it had to be said that these people were indeed powerful. The Demon Suppression Envoys beneath them also possessed all manner of bizarre abilities, which was the main reason other factions did not wish to provoke them.

Ling Yun lowered his head and surveyed these so-called Demon Suppression Envoys from the corner of his eye.

He did not know whether it was an illusion, but Ling Yun sensed a familiar aura from these people, one somewhat similar to Situ Ying, whom he had killed last night!

Do all Demon Suppression Envoys have similar auras, or is there some other special reason? Ling Yun's thoughts raced, but he could not figure it out for the moment.

He immediately calmed himself and shifted his attention back to the group.

All four were very young, three men and one woman.

The leader looked no older than twenty-something.

A familiar bronze token hung at his waist, inscribed with the words: Eight-Star Demon Subduer—Qing Li.

An Eight-Star Demon Subduer? Ling Yun withdrew his gaze, deep in thought.

At this man's age, reaching such a realm was already exceptionally impressive.

From Zhang Mu last night, he had also learned some basic information about this world.

Demon Suppression Envoys were an extraordinarily special group.

First, to become a Demon Suppression Envoy, one had to possess a certain special talent.

But people with such talent were exceedingly rare. Usually, one could not find even one among a hundred people.

As for their ranks, they ranged from the lowest Nine-Star to the highest One-Star.

Martial artists, meanwhile, were divided into three realms: Force Conduit, Intent Conduit, and Spirit Conduit, corresponding respectively to the first, second, and third layers of the Tiger Blade Technique.

Force Conduit meant that one's strength flowed through the entire body, allowing every move and stance to unleash power far beyond that of an ordinary person.

Intent Conduit referred to the union of heart and intent. One's eyesight, hearing, and other faculties would be enhanced. Ordinary weapons such as bows and arrows were already useless against martial artists at this stage; they could detect an opponent before the opponent even made a move.

Spirit Conduit martial artists possessed abundant qi and blood throughout their bodies, feared neither cold nor heat, and had their essence, qi, and spirit fused into one. Their endurance was maxed out, and they could unleash astonishing power.

Although he had raised the Tiger Blade Technique to the fourth layer through the system, it seemed no qualitative transformation had occurred. He was still stuck at the Spirit Conduit Realm.

As for whether activating Tiger's Might had allowed him to reach another level, there was no way to know without anything to compare it to.

After all, throughout Cloud City, Intent Conduit Realm martial artists were already considered relatively famous experts. As for Spirit Conduit Realm martial artists, they were fully qualified to establish a new martial hall.

As for realms above Spirit Conduit, Cloud City had not yet heard of anyone at such a level.

Yet even a Spirit Conduit Realm martial artist was only roughly equivalent to an Eight-Star Demon Subduer!

If they truly fought, they might even fall into a disadvantage because of the opponent's various bizarre methods!

From this alone, the other side indeed had the capital to be arrogant.

At this moment, the Eight-Star Demon Subduer named Qing Li looked at Ma Ruhu with disdain and said, "How the Demon Suppression Division conducts its affairs—is that something a mere Intent Conduit Realm martial artist like you gets to question?"

"Where is that old fellow Yan Tu? Tell him to come out and speak to me."

Yan Tu, the master of the Black Tiger Martial Hall, was an older-generation expert of the Spirit Conduit Realm. Yet Qing Li's words carried not the slightest respect, as though Yan Tu were some stray cat or dog he could summon and dismiss at will.

Faced with Qing Li's utterly contemptuous manner, Ma Ruhu's face darkened, and his clenched fists crackled. At last, he understood how the dark-faced man had felt earlier.

But circumstances were stronger than he was. Even if he crushed his teeth and swallowed them with blood, he could only endure it. "The hall master has gone out on business. He is not currently in the martial hall."

Qing Li snorted coldly. "Gone out? I think he is hiding because he does not dare show himself."

After speaking, he swept his gaze over Ling Yun and the other man. "Fine. I do not care whether that old fellow Yan Tu is here or not. I am taking these two away today. You have no objections, do you?"

Though it sounded like a question, his tone allowed no refusal whatsoever.

Ma Ruhu's face turned black, and he felt incomparably stifled.

He could not understand it either. Although this incident had indeed become quite serious, these lofty people should have disdained interfering.

Yet this time, they had not only come personally but had even dispatched four Demon Suppression Envoys at once!

With such a lineup, he would not believe it even if beaten to death that they had come merely for two martial artists who had only reached the Force Conduit Realm!

There had to be some other hidden purpose behind these people.

But what could he do even if he knew something was wrong? As before, the Black Tiger Martial Hall could not afford to provoke the Demon Suppression Division.

Even if the hall master were present today, he would never offend the Demon Suppression Division at the height of its power over two disciples.

With that thought, Ma Ruhu exhaled deeply, cupped his fists toward Qing Li, and said, "Since this is the request of the Demon Suppression Envoy lords, the Black Tiger Martial Hall will naturally give its full cooperation."

The moment those words were spoken, he had essentially declared that Ling Yun and the other man had been abandoned.

Ling Yun's expression did not change much upon hearing this.

From the moment the Demon Suppression Division's people had appeared here, he had known this would be the outcome.

In the end, his own strength was still insufficient.

If he possessed the strength to kill everyone present with a single punch, where would all these troubles have come from?

Qing Li was not surprised by Ma Ruhu's answer in the slightest. He gave him a disdainful glance. "In that case, I will take them."

Only after everyone had left the room did Ma Ruhu's face turn gloomy. After a moment of silence, he suddenly slammed his palm onto the wooden table.

The poor table had been battered time and again. At last, it could no longer hold up, breaking apart on the spot with a CRACK.