Demon Clan Token

Taian City was deep in the night, and the Xu residence was quiet.

A wisp of azure flame swayed without wind, reflecting the silhouettes of a man and a woman on the paper window.

"Entering the pass this time was faster than planned!"

Shen Yan held a wine cup in one hand, swaying it slightly, and said with lingering fear, "I thought I would be stopped by the officials stationed in Fengsui City... but I didn't expect everything to go so smoothly. The Revered One's Heavenly Guidance was indeed accurate. Although I don't know where that Xie fellow came from, being attached to him allowed us to pass through without hindrance."

"It's not that the Xie fellow is powerful, but that the Revered One is!"

Xu You smiled, "What kind of person is the Revered One? Since he has spoken, we only need to obey. Is the token still well preserved?"

"Of course."

Shen Yan also smiled.

She gave Xu You a look.

The deputy city lord of Taian City raised his hand and clenched his fist!

Bang!

In the next moment, the flames flickered, and the entire room was illuminated by dense fluorescent light, but from the outside, it was pitch black, as if falling into an abyss.

This small room, the beams, pillars, and all four sides, were covered with nearly a hundred densely packed talismans. Without exception, all of these talismans were used to isolate auras and prevent external detection.

"Rest assured, this place is safe, and the walls have no ears."

Xu You said calmly, "The token... can be taken out now."

Only after receiving this reply did Shen Yan feel a little relieved.

She took deep breaths, adjusted her mentality, and finally hardened her heart and tore open the talisman on her calf...

Tear!

A crisp sound like tearing paper echoed in the room. The other end of the talisman was tightly connected to her flesh and blood. After tearing it open, blood and muscle adhered and stretched like silk. Shen Yan's face suddenly turned pale, but her movements remained firm. She completely tore the talisman off her calf.

Then, with her other hand, she reached deep into the flesh.

Her slender fingers grasped a hard object and slowly pulled it out—

Throughout the entire process, Shen Yan did not utter a single groan.

It was as if she was extracting her own bone!

After a few breaths!

A crisp "clang" sounded!

The object, stained with blood, fell to the ground, making a clear sound.

Shen Yan sat on the ground, gasping for breath... She was close to exhaustion, using the last bit of her strength to slowly stick the talisman back on. The talisman merged into her blood-soaked calf, and the originally torn wound gradually returned to its original appearance.

No one would have thought that this talisman was actually used to stitch flesh and blood!

If it wasn't torn open.

No one would know... that Shen Yan had such a thing hidden in her calf.

Xu You's eyes were burning, staring intently at the object Shen Yan had taken out.

"What exactly is this so-called token? Why does it look like a piece of bone?"

Shen Yan's face was pale, and her eyes were full of confusion.

She examined this strange, hard object that was only about a foot long.

It looked like a finger bone.

But... it was definitely not a human bone. If this was truly a finger bone, the complete hand would be at least as big as her chest!

"You don't need to know what this object is. You only need to know... that this object is extremely important. Now that it has been successfully sent to Qing Province, both you and I have made great contributions."

Xu You took the object, grabbed a piece of white silk, carefully wiped it clean, and carefully placed it in his arms.

He murmured, "Next, I only need to hand over the token to the next messenger before the agreed date, and I will have successfully completed the task."

After resting for a long while.

Shen Yan then slowly opened her mouth, "Completing the task is a good thing."

"But in order to send this object into Qing Province, I painfully killed the entire Lingluo Mountain sect... Even though Northern Prefecture has been abandoned by the Great Chu Dynasty, this matter will inevitably be investigated sooner or later."

"There is no need to worry about the subsequent investigation. I will naturally help you smooth over the trouble at Lingluo Mountain."

Xu You softly comforted, "Look further ahead. Once this matter is settled, the Revered One will give you ten times, a hundred times the reward. By then, you will be more than just a small Shen family head. When the Demon Realm moves south, half of Northern Prefecture will be your territory!"

"Half of Northern Prefecture?"

Shen Yan lowered her eyes and smiled, mocking herself, "Although I work for the demons, I am very clear about my own capabilities. If this matter is settled and I can safely become the master of Lingluo Mountain, I will be content."

"It's you, on the other hand..."

She paused, and asked somewhat puzzled, "Five Azure Origin Pills, that's not a small amount. You just gave them away so easily? Without making any excuses?"

"To achieve great things, one must not be concerned with trivial matters."

Xu You sat at the desk and said this casually, pretending to be relaxed.

He paused for a moment.

"If Jing'er is present, any action of mine that deviates from my usual persona will surely arouse his suspicion."

With a soft sigh, Xu You said helplessly, "Now, within Qing Province's Eight Hundred Li Forbidden Zone, all cities, large and small, are under the surveillance of the Imperial City Division. King Youhai is determined to uncover the 'Demon Realm traitor.' Any anomaly within Taian City, even the slightest movement, could be detected and amplified."

Upon hearing the words "Demon Realm traitor,"

Shen Yan's expression shifted slightly, but she quickly regained her composure. "Haven't you personally confirmed that Xie Zhen truly possesses not a trace of Primordial Qi?"

"Caution is the parent of safety. The Eight Hundred Li Forbidden Zone isn't frightening, nor is King Youhai."

Xu You's expression turned grave as he slowly said, "The young Imperial Advisor behind King Youhai is the one we truly need to be wary of. The Revered One has repeatedly warned us not to allow the 'Primal Chaos Monitor' to detect even the slightest bit of karma. From my understanding of the Imperial City Division, all thirty-six cities in Qing Province are likely within the 'Primal Chaos Monitor's' range of surveillance. If we take action within the city, we will surely be seen."

Shen Yan raised an eyebrow. "Take action within the city... be seen? What do you mean?"

"That's right, the Primal Chaos Monitor can monitor Heavenly Guidance and capture karma. But no matter how powerful it is, it can't possibly cover the entire Qing Province..."

Xu You licked his dry lips and muttered, "I've already set up a Spirit Severing Array outside Taian City. As long as Xie Zhen leads his men out of the city tonight, it will be our chance to strike. With the Heavenly Guidance isolated and murderous intent unleashed, I refuse to believe that the 'Primal Chaos Monitor' can still see this deadly scheme."

Shen Yan sighed deeply.

She asked with a hint of admiration, "I knew you must have a backup plan. So, you were planning to kill Xie Zhen from the start?"

"If it were just one or two Azure Origin Pills, it would be fine. Even three, I could bear it with a bit of pain."

Xu You's eyes turned cold. "It's just that this boy's appetite is too great. He learned a few second-rate talismans from the Daoist Sect and became arrogant, daring to make outrageous demands from me..."

Shen Yan recalled the details of their interactions on the road.

And the strange change in the resident official of Fengsui City afterward.

She couldn't help but warn him, "I always felt that Xie Zhen was very strange. Aren't you worried that he's pretending to be weak?"

"Pretending to be weak? Does he deserve to?"

Xu You scoffed upon hearing this. "I've already seen through this kid. He doesn't even have a trace of Primordial Qi on him, and to make matters worse, he doesn't even have a Lifebound Artifact."

I can't sense any Primordial Qi.

Either Xie Zhen is an ordinary Qi Refiner!

Or, Xie Zhen is several realms higher than me, unimaginably high!

Even the peak of the Grotto-Heaven realm couldn't achieve this...

This boy looks only a little over sixteen years old. Could he be at the peak of the Grotto-Heaven realm?

Impossible, absolutely impossible!

In the entire Great Chu, there hasn't been such a genius in nearly a hundred years!

Unless he's a Daoist Sect Reincarnated Adept!

That possibility is as likely as finding a needle in a haystack... At least Xu You doesn't believe it. If he were truly a Reincarnated Adept, would he covet my few Azure Origin Pills? Would a top figure, treated as a distinguished guest by the Daoist Sect, even look at my meager possessions?!

Just then, a "buzz" sounded.

Within the room, a tremor erupted, and a talisman hanging from the beams emitted a brilliant white light, reminding Xu You... the array patterns outside Taian City had been activated, someone had entered the trap!

"Good!"

A gleam of light burst forth in Xu You's eyes.

"As expected, this kid has a guilty conscience. He took the Azure Origin Pills and wanted to run!"

At this point, the weight in Xu You's heart finally lifted.

He reached out his palm.

The great spear lying horizontally on the weapon rack suddenly flew up and landed in his palm.

"Xie Zhen, ah, Xie Zhen..."

Xu You clenched the great spear in his palm, feeling the coolness of the cold iron, and said coldly, "You took the goods and thought you could just leave? There's no such thing in this world!"

"zzz~~~"