Bird Demon of Unknown Origin

After his jaw was reset with a few slaps from County Lieutenant Hu, the interrogation finally began to proceed smoothly.

County Lieutenant Hu wiped his hands, picked up the teacup on the desk, took a sip, and said in a deep voice, "Name!"

"Cao Yongjun."

"Place of origin?"

"Shiwu Village, Yuzhou."

"Cultivation realm?"

"Meridian Opening Realm, sixth level."

"Why... hmm?"

The hand holding the teacup trembled slightly. County Lieutenant Hu suddenly looked up, his eyes wide as he stared at the other person.

Meridian Opening Realm, sixth level...

This meant the other person had opened six meridians, and could be considered certain to break through to the Innate Realm, with a very low chance of failure.

Generally speaking, the Innate Realm martial artists that had appeared in Qiulin County before had basically attempted to break through after opening four or five meridians.

This was because the process of opening meridians became increasingly difficult the further one progressed.

Most martial artists who felt their talent was lacking wouldn't waste time continuing to open meridians, and would instead directly attempt to break through to the Innate Realm.

County Lieutenant Hu had already opened four meridians, but he wasn't rushing to break through because he came from a good background. His family could provide considerable assistance and cultivation resources.

Furthermore, by serving as the County Lieutenant of Qiulin County, as long as someone under his command hunted a demon, he could claim a share of the merit. Thus, he was confident he could open one or two more meridians with little effort.

Even so, in his own estimation, being able to open six meridians would already be quite good.

After opening six meridians, the possibility of breaking through to the Innate Realm would greatly increase, making it almost a certainty.

Moreover, there would be a chance to glimpse realms beyond the Innate.

But now, this Demonic Cultivator before him was actually... wait!

He suddenly realized something was wrong.

How did that guy Shen Lin manage to subdue him???

Meridian Opening Realm, sixth level, and a Demonic Cultivator at that!

Martial artists of the same realm were almost certainly no match for him.

Before reaching the Innate Realm, even if a martial artist possessed vital energy, they were still mortal.

Even martial artists who had opened all the meridians within their bodies could still be injured by sharp weapons or arrows.

But these Demonic Cultivators who practiced demonic arts were different.

Even at the Meridian Opening Realm, they could master many strange techniques.

When Hu Dongxing first entered the County Yamen, he had followed the previous County Lieutenant in an encirclement of a Demonic Cultivator.

That Demonic Cultivator was at the Meridian Opening Realm, third level.

The County Lieutenant at that time was at the Meridian Opening Realm, fifth level, capable of attempting a breakthrough to the Innate Realm at any time.

Even so, the former County Lieutenant didn't act carelessly. Instead, he gathered almost all the martial artists in Qiulin County and, in coordination with the armored soldiers of the Patrol Inspection Division, launched an attack.

That battle left Hu Dongxing unforgettable for the rest of his life.

Three Meridian Opening Realm martial artists died, including the former County Lieutenant who had failed his breakthrough attempt, and two family retainers.

More than half of the martial artists in the County Yamen were killed or injured, and the armored soldiers of the Patrol Inspection Division were almost completely wiped out.

This was because that Demonic Cultivator's techniques were extraordinary; he could control blood.

Ordinary people below the martial artist level would have their blood instantly drained by him.

The sturdy armor of the Patrol Inspection Division soldiers offered no protection.

Martial artists could last a bit longer, but they would become completely exhausted and unable to focus on fighting.

Only those at the Meridian Opening Realm could suppress the surging blood within their bodies with their profound vital energy.

But even then, they still couldn't defeat him.

Because that Demonic Cultivator could condense blood to form armor and weapons. Even direct hits from the Patrol Inspection Division's crossbow bolts couldn't penetrate his defenses.

His defense was comparable to the True Gang Body Protection of the Innate Realm.

County Lieutenant Hu had originally thought that this miserable-looking fellow before him was just a Demonic Cultivator who had barely entered the Meridian Opening Realm.

In that case, it wouldn't be a problem for Shen Lin to have defeated him by sheer luck.

But now, upon hearing his realm, County Lieutenant Hu felt his head spin.

Meridian Opening Realm, sixth level, even more formidable than the Demonic Cultivator in Hu Dongxing's memory.

How exactly did Shen Lin...

"Then how did you..."

County Lieutenant Hu subconsciously began to ask, but as soon as he spoke, he seemed to recall something. His expression immediately turned serious, and he changed his words: "With such cultivation, why did you intercept the County Magistrate's nephew? Do you have accomplices? What is your objective?"

The barrage of questions seemed to catch Cao Yongjun off guard; he just stared blankly at County Lieutenant Hu.

"Speak up! Haven't you had enough of our methods?"

County Lieutenant Hu's expression soured, his heart filled with urgency.

A Demonic Cultivator of such cultivation couldn't have appeared out of thin air.

Without someone providing resources, even a Demonic Cultivator couldn't easily break through six meridians.

But if this was an organized Demonic Cultivator, then their targeting of the County Magistrate for this incident...

Thinking this, County Lieutenant Hu grew even more anxious, abruptly standing up, wanting to find out the answer as quickly as possible.

The next moment, his expression suddenly froze, his pupils contracting slightly.

Standing up and looking down from above, he finally noticed a small black feather that had appeared on the crown of Cao Yongjun's head at some point.

Not good!

He violently looked up, spotting the starry sky through a small opening in the roof.

"Audacious scoundrel!!!"

He roared, his vital energy erupting instantly, and he forcefully smashed through the roof, leaping out.

Cao Yongjun was dead!

Right before his eyes, silenced without a sound.

That black feather had deeply embedded itself into the man's head; even a Demonic Cultivator would have been beyond saving.

The most important thing now was to capture the one who had done this.

As expected, the moment County Lieutenant Hu leaped out of the roof, a black shadow entered his vision.

The shadow moved as if treading on the wind, flitting between rooftops without making the slightest sound.

The next moment, the shadow's body paused slightly, and it looked back.

Compared to him, County Lieutenant Hu's commotion was far greater.

With a roar, County Lieutenant Hu charged towards the figure like a cannonball.

"Reckless fool, if it weren't for... Hmph!"

The shadow muttered something helplessly and sped up its escape.

He could kill Cao Yongjun with a single blow, so his strength was naturally not weak.

Or rather, it far surpassed that of the reckless fool, County Lieutenant Hu.

Hu Dongxing understood this principle.

But the reason the other party could chase after him so brazenly was because this was Qiulin County!

It was a county city under human control!

The next moment, surges of vital energy erupted from various parts of the city.

Those were the Meridian Opening Realm Martial Artists in the city.

At least a dozen of them, far exceeding the number of Meridian Opening Realm cultivators openly present in Qiulin County.

If he were surrounded by so many people...

Thinking this, the shadow sighed and suddenly stopped.

Hu Dongxing, who had been pursuing him, narrowed his eyes, drew the long saber at his waist, and his face was filled with wariness.

However, the other party didn't attack. Instead, he bent his legs slightly and then leaped violently into the sky.

With a single jump, he instantly reached an altitude of over ten meters.

Flap!

With a tearing sound, two wings covered in black feathers extended from his back. With a gentle flap, he flew towards the high heavens.

"Damn it!"

Hu Dongxing watched the small black dot fly into the distance, gradually disappearing, his face extremely grim.

When did such a powerful Bird Demon appear in the territory of Qiulin County?