The Divine Intent Qi Seed, Remnants of Calamity Ash

What a mood killer!

Commander Han put down his chopsticks and said angrily, "Do you know what it means to have depth? Do you know what dignity is? If he didn't speak first, how could I, as his immediate superior, speak before him? That would be beneath my station!"

"..."

The honest-looking middle-aged man scratched his head, then looked toward Duke Lu and asked, "What about you, sir?"

Duke Lu picked up a piece of tofu and said indifferently, "I'm the oldest, and this concerns their Heavenly Supervision Department. What does it have to do with me?"

At last, everyone's eyes turned toward Lin Yan.

"And what are you pretending to be so deep about, boy?"

"I worked all night and was starving, so I had to put something in my stomach first."

Lin Yan raised his head and said seriously, "With higher cultivation, I have a bigger appetite, and I get hungry faster too."

As his voice fell, he took out the small flag of the Lin Jiang Department and placed it on the dining table.

Then he picked up his bowl and swallowed the remaining half-bowl of porridge in one gulp.

After wiping the corner of his mouth, he said, "Banner Commander, this Lin Jiang Banner suddenly changed color last night."

This banner was the symbol of the Lin Jiang Department Banner Bearer's identity.

It had a black background with a silver border, a willow branch design on the back, and the words "Lin Jiang" on the front.

But after Lin Yan destroyed the evil spirit, the willow branch design on the back of the Lin Jiang Banner had turned green.

"I was born in Gao Liu City, and ever since I was young, I have heard of Willow Venerable's divine might—how he protected the city, kept the people safe, and sheltered all living beings."

"Under heaven and earth, demons and evil spirits in every direction all feared the name of Willow Venerable."

"Thus, Gao Liu City had stood in this world and endured through the ages."

"Why, then, did an evil spirit appear last night that feared neither the divine might of Willow Venerable nor anything else?"

Lin Yan pointed at the willow branch design on the Lin Jiang Banner, now so clear and vivid it seemed to drip with green, and said, "I imagine our Heavenly Supervision Department must know the truth behind this!"

"..."

Commander Han was silent for a moment. Then he reached into his robes and took out another flag, placing it on the table.

The words "Lin Jiang" were clearly written on it.

This was a new Lin Jiang Banner.

He had evidently prepared it in advance.

"Let me think carefully about where to begin."

Commander Han casually put away the original Lin Jiang Banner, the one that had already changed.

Then, after pondering for a moment, he slowly said, "Actually, whenever Willow Venerable falls into slumber, some special 'qi mechanisms' appear in Gao Liu City."

"They have currently been designated as 'Divine Intent Qi Seeds.'"

"Normally, these 'Divine Intent Qi Seeds' can destroy evil spirits."

"But certain 'evil spirits' are special. Instead, they can absorb the 'Divine Intent Qi Seeds.'"

"Once fused, that evil spirit is equivalent to possessing Willow Venerable's 'aura.' It can even be regarded as one of 'His' branches."

"That is why the evil spirit that appeared last night could remain unafraid of Willow Venerable's divine might."

"Based on what happened in the past, it may fuse with Willow Venerable's divine might and become even stronger."

Commander Han raised his head and said, "These qi seeds are extremely rare. They only appear in small amounts whenever Willow Venerable falls into slumber..."

Lin Yan was silent for a moment before asking, "How were they dealt with in the past?"

Commander Han said, "When the evil spirits were destroyed and the demons slain, the qi seeds would scatter."

Then he reached out and tapped the flag on the table, saying, "For example, this Lin Jiang Banner was specially made by Phoenix Perch Prefecture City. It attracts the free-floating qi seeds, allowing them to attach themselves to it!"

"Besides, the Temple of Lord Liu isn't completely helpless against such evil spirits."

At that moment, Duke Lu spoke up. "At the very least, the twelve shrine priests each have their own means of suppression!"

Hearing this, Lin Yan nodded and said, "So Mr. Jing simply wasn't skilled enough, and still hadn't received the true inheritance?"

"That's more or less what it means."

Duke Lu gave a laugh and then said, "Besides, 'He' only fused with a wisp of Willow Venerable's qi mechanism. At heart, 'He' is still an evil spirit."

Lin Yan responded thoughtfully, "So, those whose cultivation is above the Inner Fortification level and has reached the Essence Refining Realm can expend their own vital essence and use the supreme yang qi of the Human Body to destroy this evil spirit."

As he said this, realization dawned on him.

As things stood, the only effect of the Divine Intent Qi Seed seemed to be granting demons and evil spirits Willow Venerable's qi mechanism.

Although most of the Temple of Lord Liu's methods were completely useless against demons and evil spirits that had fused with a Divine Intent Qi Seed, the temple's true-inheritance Secret Arts, or figures above the Essence Refining Realm, could still restrain them.

"If that's the case, they don't seem all that terrifying. But why did they cause such a great calamity sixty years ago?"

Puzzled, Lin Yan immediately asked this question.

Commander Han slowly began, "The temple only has twelve shrine priests, and the number of Essence Refining Realm cultivators in Gao Liu City is likewise small enough to count on one hand."

"What if the number of demons and evil spirits that fused with Divine Intent Qi Seeds exceeded the number of experts in the city?"

"Even if the excess consisted of only a single ordinary Wandering Spirit, it could still unleash a tremendous calamity!"

"Other than the twelve shrine priests, the other temple servants would have no way to deal with them."

"And when martial artists faced evil spirits, they might not even be able to protect themselves."

"And back then, there was far more than a single evil spirit!"

At this point, Commander Han's expression grew slightly complicated.

Lin Yan thought for a moment, then asked, "What about the Worshipper of Evil?"

Commander Han pondered before saying, "Judging from the information we currently have, that Worshipper of Evil from last night probably secretly obtained a Divine Intent Qi Seed. But out of selfish motives, he concealed it and hoped to use it to seek a higher position."

"A higher position?"

Lin Yan raised his brows and said, "In other words, there really is a force lurking in the shadows?"

"Weren't you expecting that already?"

Commander Han said solemnly, "This force calls itself 'Calamity Ash.' It should have been utterly destroyed sixty years ago."

"But over the past three to five years, their traces have appeared behind many events. It seems the Remnants of Calamity Ash have risen from the ashes."

"By the way, it can be confirmed that Chen Yuannü was the work of Calamity Ash."

"As you expected, they weren't targeting Impermanence, but Lin Yan."

At this point, Commander Han filled another bowl of porridge and said, "We haven't figured out why they targeted you yet, but we should be able to give you an explanation before dusk today."

Lin Yan asked in surprise, "You're that confident?"

The corners of Commander Han's mouth curved into a smile.

"I've already fixed my eyes on the person behind the scenes!"

"Oh?"

The middle-aged man couldn't hold back his curiosity. He leaned closer, his broad, dark face blocking the space between Lin Yan and Han Zheng.

Looking at Han Zheng, he asked in astonishment, "You're here. How are you keeping watch?"

"..."

Commander Han slowly turned his head, looking past the man's face toward Lin Yan, and said, "The four constables you had people investigate were silenced last night, weren't they?"

"Actually, I discovered Liu Guangding's corpse early that morning. I was simply waiting for them to come clean up the aftermath."

"So those four constables who handled the corpse had already caught my attention."

"When someone acted and silenced them, I saw it all clearly."

"This person's methods are no worse than average. Within Calamity Ash, he should belong to the upper ranks."

"But he holds a fairly high official position in the Outer Southern Prefecture Office. So I have to wait for an official document from the Heavenly Supervision Department headquarters in the Inner City before I can break into the Outer Southern City Guard Office and arrest him openly!"

Commander Han had not even finished speaking when he discovered that the broad, dark face had slowly crept over again, blocking his view.

"But what if the news leaks? One look at that scarred face of yours and I can tell you're unreliable." The honest-looking man shook his head at once.

"..."

Commander Han rubbed his brows and reluctantly explained, "This document comes from the Supreme Commander. It will be sent over secretly, so the news won't get out."

"I've also had people watching the Outer Southern Prefecture Office. Nothing can go wrong."

"All right. The porridge is finished, the flag has been replaced, and everything has been explained. I'm heading back to the Outer Southern Department."

Commander Han put down his bowl, stood up, and pointed at the bundle beneath his feet. "Your salary for this month is inside."

"Also, how many small flags do you have under your command? You'll need to make a roster and send it to the Outer Southern Department later."

"Only once the number has been confirmed can it be reported to the Inner City and next month's salaries claimed."

"Oh, right. You've earned considerable Merit Points over the past two nights. Write up a battle report later so the Heavenly Supervision Department headquarters in the Inner City can calculate your achievements and record your Merit Points."