Heavenly Realm Division.
In Great Zhou, it was a living, walking hallmark.
Those who could enter the Heavenly Realm Division were all dragons and phoenixes among men.
"Since you began your watch, has anyone entered or left the village?" Wei Qing stared at the desolate village as he questioned the leading constable.
"Reporting to Lord Wei, since we began our watch, no one has entered or left," the constable replied with a bow.
"Enough. Leave the rest to Lord Wei and me. You may go back now." Zhu Huan waved to them.
"Yes."
The four men looked overjoyed and did not delay for even a moment.
They hurried to the village entrance, mounted their horses, and galloped away without looking back.
Zhu Huan looked embarrassed. "Sorry to make you laugh, my lord."
"It is only human nature. Let's go."
With that, the two entered the village one after the other.
The instant they stepped into the village, a wave of icy Yin energy swept over them.
Wei Qing could still endure the chill, but Zhu Huan could not help shuddering.
"Captain Zhu, why not wait outside the village first?"
Yet Zhu Huan straightened his back and shook his head. "Lord Wei, this subordinate can still hold on."
Seeing this.
Wei Qing did not try to persuade him further.
The two proceeded slowly along the bluestone path. The entire village was frighteningly silent; only their footsteps echoed through the empty alleys.
That oppressive atmosphere instead gave Wei Qing, who had often licked blood from the blade's edge in his previous life, a strange sense of familiarity.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Zhu Huan's face drawn as taut as iron, fine beads of sweat gathering around his nostrils, his right hand never leaving the hilt of the sword at his waist.
More intriguingly, his breathing secretly aligned with the essence of the Heavenly Realm Division's Heart Illumination Art—one breath every three steps, one adjustment every two.
The corners of Wei Qing's lips curled slightly, and a glint of amusement flashed through his eyes.
"My lord, Li Daniu's residence is up ahead."
Zhu Huan pointed at a courtyard of blue bricks and dark tiles. Against the surrounding mud-brick houses, it looked especially grand.
"This family looks quite wealthy."
Zhu Huan gave a bitter smile and shook his head. "What use is wealth? When demons come, the final outcome is still nothing but death!"
Wei Qing said no more. Qi Force flowed through his palm as he struck out.
He smashed the refined steel lock to pieces and walked straight inside.
"What formidable inner force."
Zhu Huan's expression shifted slightly as he watched Wei Qing shatter the lock with one palm strike.
One had to know.
The lock on that gate was forged from black iron. Shattering it with projected Qi Force was no easy feat!
For Wei Qing to achieve this, his strength was far beyond that of an ordinary Intern Warden.
The instant Wei Qing stepped into the courtyard, a sudden change erupted—
The formerly clear sky changed without warning. Ink-black darkness surged in from every direction, swallowing the entire residence in an instant!
"Drip—"
A drop of viscous black liquid fell onto the tip of Wei Qing's boot, and corrosive black smoke immediately rose from the bluestone ground.
In an instant, the surrounding scenery warped and changed.
A piercing medical alarm abruptly tore through the darkness, while the glaring light of a shadowless lamp shone through his eyelids.
The smell of disinfectant mixed with blood flooded his nostrils.
"Medical Team! Hurry, someone come! Captain Qing's vital signs—"
A familiar roar exploded through the ward. Wei Qing struggled desperately to open his eyes, only to find his eyelids as heavy as a thousand catties.
"Blood pressure, 60 over 40! Prepare one milligram of adrenaline for IV push!" The female doctor's hurried footsteps accompanied her orders. "Prepare the defibrillator!"
Just as the needle was about to pierce his vein, Wei Qing suddenly raised his hand and clamped onto the nurse's wrist like iron pincers.
"Qingzi!"
"Captain!"
Cries of alarm rose one after another in the ward, every Dragon Group member's face filled with wild joy.
"Patient, please let go!" The young nurse blushed crimson, futilely twisting her wrist in Wei Qing's grip.
Wei Qing slowly opened his eyes, his gaze sweeping over every familiar face.
The corners of his lips lifted slightly, and though his voice was hoarse, it was gentle. "Instructor, Qiangzi, San'er... it's good to see you again."
The bearded man at the front furrowed his brow, placing a rough hand on Wei Qing's shoulder. "What nonsense are you talking about? Cooperate with the treatment properly right now!"
"You're a grown man. Why are you grabbing that little nurse's hand? Let go already."
A young man behind him waggled his brows. "Captain Qing, don't tell me you've taken a fancy to the little nurse? Hahaha."
At that, the nurse's face flushed scarlet, and her voice became as faint as a mosquito's buzz. "Patient, p-please cooperate with the treatment..."
"Get the hell out!"
The bearded man glared with tiger eyes. The Dragon Group members immediately scattered like birds and beasts, charging out of the ward as though floodwaters and savage beasts were at their backs.
Watching that "heartwarming" scene, Wei Qing suddenly spoke. "No matter what, I have to thank you."
The moment his words fell.
The ward suddenly rippled and twisted like the surface of water. The white walls, the pungent scent of disinfectant, and the stunned people before him all began to shatter and fall apart...
The hospital bed warped and deformed, turning in the blink of an eye into a five-meter-tall Ghost Face Vine. Its rough bark writhed, gradually forming a wrinkled giant face two meters wide.
The bearded man's arms melted like wax, stretching into two thorn-covered vines that wrapped around Wei Qing's waist and abdomen like lightning.
The syringe in the young nurse's hand transformed into a bone spike glowing with an eerie blue chill. It collided explosively with Wei Qing's Soul Severing Blade as it suddenly left its sheath, scattering a spray of dazzling sparks.
"Kehehe..."
The giant face on the Ghost Face Vine let out an eerie infant-like laugh. A crimson slit split open in the bark, revealing layer upon layer of serrated fangs within. "As expected... someone from the Heavenly Realm Division..."
The giant face twisted, and its voice suddenly turned aggrieved. "Why wake up? In dreams, you clearly have everything..."
As the words fell, the entire Ghost Face Vine shook violently, several vines abruptly spewing clouds of pink mist.
Pink robes floated within the mist, emitting a firefly-like green fluorescence.
Wei Qing turned his wrist, and a flash of cold light cut through the air. Wherever the blade passed, it split the pink mist directly in two.
Qi Force erupted around him, and the vines wrapped around his body shattered inch by inch. Dark red sap dripped down, releasing waves of foul stench.
Using the force of breaking free, Wei Qing spun through the air, his Soul Severing Blade tracing two afterimages through the sky.
Flowing Cloud Cross Slash.
"Ahh..."
The slashes struck the Ghost Face Vine's giant face with precision. It immediately let out a shrill wail, while vines filling the sky lashed wildly in all directions.
"I'll make your body and soul perish together!"
A chilling light surged in Wei Qing's eyes as his right hand formed seals with lightning speed.
A crimson-gold talisman shot from his sleeve, transforming into towering flames in midair.
Leaving Fire Talisman—Burn!
A golden tide of fire surged forth, completely engulfing the Ghost Face Vine.
The demon twisted madly amid the sea of flames. The giant face on its trunk let out a heart-rending howl, while its bark carbonized and cracked at a visible speed.
In only three breaths, the five-meter-tall Ghost Face Vine had turned into a charred, withered corpse.
Only a section of icy blue bone spike remained, glinting coldly as it lay alone on the ground.
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