Tracing the Demonic Cult's Trail

Chapter 41: Tracing the Demonic Cult's Trail

Li Kaiyao cleared his throat and said in a low voice:

"I heard that three Captain Bai squads went out last night to capture members of the Demonic Cult, but they suffered heavy casualties."

"More than two hundred Imperial Guards were lost, and all three Captain Bais died in battle!"

"What? All three Captain Bais are dead?"

Ren Hong was stunned, his expression changing drastically.

Bai Yan, however, remained calm.

After all, they had been dealing with the Demonic Cult.

The Demonic Cult was teeming with experts. There were at least ten Grandmasters, and even more masters below that level.

A Captain Bai was only at the Innate Realm. In the eyes of the Demonic Cult, he was no more than an ant that could be casually cut down.

"How did they track down the Demonic Cult's trail? How come we didn't hear the slightest rumor?"

"That doesn't make sense..."

Ren Hong frowned and muttered from the side.

He prided himself on being the all-knowing scholar and gossip king of the Northern Commandery Investigation Bureau. There was nothing he didn't know about.

Whenever the slightest thing stirred, he was always the first to hear about it.

He never expected Li Kaiyao to beat him to the punch this time.

Li Kaiyao cast Ren Hong a disdainful glance and said contemptuously:

"It's because you went to Qionghua Pavilion and fooled around all night. You even said you couldn't tear yourself away. Bah!"

"Look at me. I was on night duty the entire time."

"I knew the moment they returned after failing their mission."

"Tsk... So that's how it was. I was careless!"

Ren Hong smacked his forehead in frustration. If only he had known, he would have put in a little more effort. If he had tried harder, perhaps he could have gotten lucky.

Bai Yan pondered for a moment before reminding them:

"All right, don't spread this around. This concerns the Demonic Cult, and the Imperial Guards won't let it go easily."

"I expect the thousand-household commander will issue a mission soon."

As soon as he finished speaking, an Imperial Guard constable hurried over, panting heavily.

"Captain Bai, the thousand-household commander requests your presence!"

Bai Yan raised an eyebrow.

Speak of the devil, and he appears.

"I'll go at once."

Bai Yan nodded and headed straight for the thousand-household office. When he arrived, he saw three other Captain Bais hurrying there as well.

The three of them, along with Bai Yan, were all under Zheng Haihan's command.

The group exchanged nods and entered the central hall of the thousand-household office together.

Zheng Haihan stood before the hall with his back to the entrance, an oppressive aura radiating from him.

"Your subordinates pay their respects to the thousand-household commander."

Bai Yan and the other three Captain Bais clasped their fists and saluted in unison.

"That's enough. At ease."

Zheng Haihan turned around and swept his gaze over the four men, lingering on Bai Yan for a few seconds longer.

"You have presumably already heard about this. The Imperial Guards have located several Demonic Cult strongholds."

"Last night, Thousand-Household Commander Wang Zheng sent three Captain Bai squads to investigate one of them. They returned defeated, with more than half of each squad wounded or dead. All three Captain Bais were killed."

He paused, and his voice grew heavy.

"We've alerted the enemy. We must surround and wipe out the other Demonic Cult strongholds as quickly as possible!"

"I summoned you four so that you can act together. I will personally join the operation as well!"

"The thousand-household commander will act personally?"

Aside from Bai Yan, the other three Captain Bais all wore shocked expressions.

Zheng Haihan nodded.

"The Demonic Cult is teeming with experts. We cannot afford to be careless."

"The deaths of the three Captain Bais last night have sounded the alarm for us."

"The Demonic Cult has been lying low in Yongtang for some major purpose. Those coming here are certainly not minor followers. It is very likely that a Heavenly Gang Hall Master is leading them."

"A Heavenly Gang Hall Master!!"

At those four words, the expressions of the three Captain Bais changed drastically, and a trace of panic appeared in their eyes.

The so-called Heavenly Gang Hall Masters were a collective title within the Demonic Cult, as well as their code name.

Within the Demonic Cult, setting aside the Old Ancestor who had transcended the mortal realm, their strength ranked from highest to lowest as follows: the Cult Master, the Three Great Demonic Heads, the Six Great Protectors, the Thirty-Six Heavenly Gangs, and the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends.

A demonic expert granted a Heavenly Gang title had to possess at least Grandmaster-level strength to qualify for the position of hall master within the Demonic Cult.

In other words, the Demonic Cult had at least thirty-six halls and thirty-six Grandmaster-level experts in the open.

That alone put the number of Grandmasters they openly possessed nearly on par with the Imperial Guards.

If a Grandmaster truly made a move, dealing with a few Innate-realm Captain Bais would naturally be effortless.

Zheng Haihan looked at the four men and said in a low voice:

"To ensure that this operation goes off without a hitch, I must personally take action."

"However, I won't reveal myself openly, lest they flee."

"Bai Yan will lead this operation, while I conceal myself in the shadows."

"The moment a Heavenly Gang Hall Master appears, I will strike."

Zheng Haihan's reputation was not merely renowned within the Northern Commandery Investigation Bureau; within the Demonic Cult, his name was equally thunderous.

His ranking at the very top of the Northern Commandery Investigation Bureau, where talents abounded, came from his genuine combat strength. Zheng Haihan was a Grandmaster!

Moreover, he had broken through five years ago. No one knew how powerful he was now.

Precisely because his reputation was so resounding, the Demonic Cult had long since investigated Zheng Haihan down to the smallest detail.

If Zheng Haihan revealed himself from the start, the Demonic Cult members would flee the moment they discovered him, making it difficult to capture the Heavenly Gang Hall Master.

"All right. Assemble the men at once and set out!"

"We obey!"

The four men clasped their fists and answered in unison.

The other three Captain Bais had no objections to Bai Yan leading the operation.

The Imperial Guards only cared about hard strength. Although Bai Yan was young, his abilities were plain for all to see, and the three Captain Bais were thoroughly convinced.

At the same time, the system's prompt rang out, sweet as music to the ears.

Ding! The host has triggered a new mission: Subdue the Demons

Eliminating demons and defending the righteous path is our duty!

As an Imperial Guard Captain Bai, the host is naturally opposed to the Demonic Cult. Please destroy one Demonic Cult stronghold and capture one Heavenly Gang Hall Master, dead or alive.

Mission reward: Talisman of Life and Death at full level

A flicker of excitement flashed through Bai Yan's eyes when he heard the system announce the new mission.

In other people's eyes, these Demonic Cult criminals might be vile beasts who had committed every evil under the sun. But in Bai Yan's eyes, they were all fresh-faced, self-propelled fragments for exchanging divine arts. Kill one, and one fragment would drop. Once he pieced them together into an unparalleled divine art, the feeling would be simply incredible.

The four Captain Bai squads departed the Northern Commandery Investigation Bureau in grand fashion. Their combined numbers exceeded six hundred, making for a truly imposing sight.

After leaving Yongtang City, they quickened their pace and headed straight for West Mountain on the outskirts, where Yiping Villa stood.

The villa occupied an enormous area and was Mad Saber Xiao Yiping's territory.

When he was young, Xiao Yiping had joined the major martial sect Mad Saber Sect to study martial arts.

After mastering his art, he had roamed the Martial World alone.

With a long saber and the Mad Soul Chasing Life Saber Art, he made a name for himself throughout the Martial World and earned the reputation of Mad Saber.

Later, while roaming the Martial World, he met a female hero. Having sensed the dangers and treacherous crises of the Martial World, he withdrew while he was still ahead, retiring from the Martial World with the woman. The two married and had children.

Relying on his own martial strength and connections, Mad Saber Xiao Yiping built up a considerable fortune. He moved outside Yongtang City and established Yiping Villa there.

Over the years, Xiao Yiping had befriended Yongtang's powerful figures, donating money and supplies during droughts and floods. He had gained a measure of fame in Yongtang City and was deeply respected by commoners and Martial World figures alike.

Yet no one could have imagined that this charitable Xiao Yiping was actually a hidden agent planted by the Demonic Cult in Yongtang City.

"Whoa—!"

Bai Yan led his men to the entrance of Yiping Villa and raised a hand. The troops behind him immediately halted.

Seeing hundreds of Imperial Guards bristling with killing intent, the two Martial Masters guarding the gate were scared out of their wits. They shut the main gate, then scrambled into the villa to report the news.

"All troops, heed my order! Surround Yiping Villa. Don't let even a single fly escape!"

"Anyone who tries to force their way in is to be killed on the spot!"