Heaven-Fallen Black Blood, Willow Lord's Origins!

"Hmm?"

"How could this be?"

Chen Fan stared at the prompts on his Attribute Panel, completely stunned.

The Willow Lord's remaining lifespan was zero. Didn't that mean it had actually died long ago?

Furthermore, the Attribute Panel only gave a prompt for the Willow Tree Demon, but not its realm. Didn't that mean it was just a recently demonized demon, with no cultivation realm at all?

So, he had been fighting for nothing just now?

"Could it be because of this?"

Chen Fan walked over to the black, teardrop-shaped crystal and picked it up. Suddenly, his entire body stiffened, and his brain felt like it had been electrocuted. An image appeared out of nowhere before his eyes.

High above the Nine Heavens.

A terrifying Demon Vine blotted out the sun. It would sometimes transform into a nine-headed demonic dragon, sometimes into an ink-jade Qilin, or perhaps a killing machine covered in weaponry.

Several invincible figures whose might shook heaven and earth appeared beside it, intending to slay it. The Demon Vine fought against them all, growing braver with each battle. The residual shockwaves of their fight shattered the void and broke the firmament!

Just then, the Demon Vine was wounded, and its black blood spilled. One drop of this black blood, carrying rolling heavenly thunder, descended from the sky and landed on an ordinary willow tree on Black Mountain!

From then on, the willow tree slowly turned black, gained sentience, and acquired all sorts of incredible abilities. It soon unified Black Mountain and was called the Willow Lord by the demons!

This was the origin of the Willow Lord!

A single drop of black blood had created such a terrifying Willow Lord. Then, how powerful must the owner of that drop of blood, that world-spanning Demon Vine, have been?

And those several towering figures who had surrounded and attacked the Demon Vine possessed boundless and terrifying might. Although their true forms were unseen, just through the memory fragment carried by this drop of blood, Chen Fan felt a tremor of fear!

What realm were they in? Were they Terrestrial Immortals, or the legendary Divine Saints of the Nine Heavens?

"Actually, when the heavenly thunder fell, the ordinary willow tree on Black Mountain had already turned to ash. The reason it could still exist, and even summon wind and rain on Black Mountain, was entirely due to this drop of black blood!"

Chen Fan gazed at the black blood, now solidified into a black, teardrop-shaped crystal in his hand, and said in a deep voice.

Originally, he had thought this black crystal was the Willow Lord's demon core. But the strength the Willow Lord displayed was at most at the Divine Aperture Realm.

Where would a demon at the Divine Aperture Realm get a demon core? At most, it would have an energy sac, similar to a human martial artist's dantian, for storing its own energy.

To gestate a demon core, one had to be a top-tier demon, cultivating to an extremely high level. Even a demon at the peak of the Divine Aperture Realm probably couldn't condense a demon core; at most, they could condense a virtual core, which was like a large meatball. To turn it into a golden core would require cultivation over a very long period.

Moreover, this was a black crystal. If a demon could temper its demon core to this extent, it would probably be able to kill the current Chen Fan with just a glance!

Ping An County Town.

Lu Xuening's complexion grew paler, a trace of blood at the corner of her lips.

This was the backlash from forcefully using her sword energy to kill enemies.

But these black willow branches were still spreading, and their speed was increasing.

She could only consume herself again and again, shattering these black willow branches.

Now, as these black willow branches spread towards them again, Huang Chengyue and the others also wielded their weapons, constantly chopping at the black willow branches. However, they could only temporarily slow their spread, not repel them as Lu Xuening did!

These black willow branches seemed to understand military strategy, advancing step by step, like a ferocious beast with its maw wide open, continuously devouring the entire Ping An County Town.

"Did Chen Fan fail?"

Lu Xuening stood on the roof of the county yamen, using her long sword as a crutch to support herself. She knew she was everyone's spiritual pillar now and absolutely could not fall.

But she was so tired, so sleepy, so exhausted. She really wanted to have a good sleep!

She blinked, took a deep breath, and mustered a sliver of spirit to once again overexert herself, to repel these black willow branches that had already spread to her feet.

But in an instant, these black willow branches instantly turned into a pile of black powder, scattering throughout Ping An County Town. This sudden change made her think she was hallucinating.

She blinked hard and found that the sea of black willow branches before her had collapsed with a roar, turning into flying ash!

This was real!

"He succeeded!"

"Chen Fan succeeded!"

Lu Xuening murmured to herself. After speaking, she fell headfirst onto the roof, then rolled off and onto the ground, completely losing consciousness.

Three days later.

Lu Xuening remained unconscious for a full three days before waking up.

Fortunately, she was already a martial artist at the Divine Aperture Realm. She could go three days without eating or drinking, and it would be fine. If an ordinary person had been unconscious for these three days and nights, the whole village would have been feasting.

Under the administration of County Clerk Ye, Ping An County had begun to return to peace. The evidence against Cao De, the county magistrate, and others had also been sent to Dragon Abyss Prefecture via carrier pigeon.

This time, without the Willow Lord's obstruction, it should reach Dragon Abyss Prefecture quickly. Then, the Dragon Abyss Prefecture yamen and the Brocade Guard Chiliarchy would likely send people.

Although Lu Xuening's body, which had been overexerted, had not fully recovered after waking up, her mood was exceptionally good. Ping An County had overcome the crisis, Chen Fan had returned safely from Black Mountain, and she had also achieved Swordheart Clarity, stepping into the Divine Aperture Realm and opening thirty-six acupoints throughout her body. Compared to her senior brothers and sisters, she could be considered to have caught up.

That night.

On the roof of the county yamen.

Chen Fan and Lu Xuening each held a jar of wine, with some snacks placed beside them.

"Can you tell me your true identity now?"

Chen Fan took a sip of wine, looked at Lu Xuening, and said.

"It seems you've suspected my identity for a long time."

"Then let's officially get acquainted today. My name is Lu Xuening, a member of the Brocade Guard's Dark Guard. My master is Zuo Qianqiu, a Chiliarch from the Dragon Abyss Prefecture's Brocade Guard Chiliarch's Office."

Lu Xuening clasped her fists and said.

"Brocade Guard Dark Guard?"

"Then your transfer from Dragon Abyss Prefecture to Ping An County this time was actually for the ten-year inspection assessment?"

Chen Fan asked with great interest.

The Brocade Guard Dark Guard were a very special group of people. They had their own unique promotion system, divided into ordinary Dark Guard members, Bronze-Rank Inspectors, Silver-Rank Inspectors, Gold-Rank Inspectors, and Dark Guard Leaders.

These individuals were the sharp swords within the Brocade Guard, responsible internally for inspecting and assessing the Brocade Guard and purging its ranks, and externally for finding traces of demons, mapping their territories, and guiding the Brocade Guard in their demon-slaying efforts.

Furthermore, the Dark Guard Leader and the Brocade Guard Leader held equivalent ranks, both being Third-Rank officials, directly reporting to the current Emperor!

"I actually have a dual identity. I am Zuo Qianqiu's disciple, a Chief Squad Leader in Dragon Abyss Prefecture, and also a Dark Guard member. My purpose in coming to Ping An County this time is to conduct a thorough investigation."

"Dragon Abyss Prefecture had already learned that someone in Ping An County might be colluding with demons to harm the populace. Therefore, they specifically sent me here, disguised as a Ninth-Rank Black-Robed Constable transferred from Dragon Abyss Prefecture, to investigate this matter thoroughly."

"This serves as a mission for my graduation and a test of whether I can be promoted to Brocade Guard Centurion."

"If I can complete the mission with excellence, I will successfully graduate and be promoted to Brocade Guard Centurion."

"However, I never expected Ping An County to be so deeply mired in trouble. Brocade Guard Centurion Cao De colluded with demons, practiced demonic arts, and had already reached the Divine Aperture Realm."

"The entire county yamen's officials were controlled by the Black Mountain demons. On the surface, there were three great demons at the Divine Aperture Realm on Black Mountain, but behind them lurked even more terrifying existences. They almost devoured all the people of Ping An County as nourishment!"

"Fortunately, you were here. Otherwise, let alone completing the mission, I probably wouldn't have even kept my life!"

Lu Xuening said with great emotion, revealing her background and the mission she was undertaking in Ping An County.