Demon Extermination Division

Zhang Tianyang led Han Zheng all the way to a barren hill outside South City, where a shabby shack stood—likely used by woodcutters from the village for occasional rest.

He then pulled out a bone flute no bigger than a thumb and blew a few strange notes that echoed through the valley.

"I know what you're worried about. It's not just the danger—you don't trust the County Yamen either, right?"

Han Zheng said nothing, but his silence was already an admission.

The Great Zhou had stood for three thousand years, and now it was in its twilight. The grassroots yamen were rotten and decayed, barely worth a damn.

Take Black Stone County, for example.

Zhang Tianyang was the only real expert here. Before he came, the county's constables were nothing but a pack of leeches feeding off the people, and even the County Magistrate was a drunken fool who only cared about poetry and pleasure.

The entire Black Stone County Yamen had just one Xiantian expert—a retainer the Magistrate had hired from the prefectural city to guard his own hide. He never got involved in county affairs.

So for years, Black Stone County had never been ruled by the yamen. It was the two families and three gangs—the martial world's powers—that called the shots.

Han Zheng couldn't trust a yamen like that, and he sure as hell didn't want to get dragged into this storm.

"The yamen bunch really are useless. Even I can't stand them. But I never said I was sent by the yamen."

A cryptic smile crept across Zhang Tianyang's face. "Let me reintroduce myself. I'm Zhang Tianyang, squad leader of Mountain Camp, under Chen Baxian, Demon Extermination Commissioner of Shannan Dao's Demon Extermination Division.

You don't trust the yamen. But you can trust the Demon Extermination Division, can't you?"

Surprise flashed in Han Zheng's eyes. He never expected Zhang Tianyang to be from the Demon Extermination Division.

Great Zhou had three divisions: the Dragon Martial Division, the Heavenly Supervision Division, and the Demon Extermination Division.

The Dragon Martial Division was controlled by the Great Zhou royal family, staffed by imperial clansmen, tasked with guarding the throne.

The Heavenly Supervision Division kept the lowest profile, rarely seen in the world. Most people had heard the name but had no idea what it actually did.

The Demon Extermination Division was the most famous of the three. Any martial artist worth their salt knew its name, though in a backwater like Black Stone County, its people rarely showed up.

Three thousand years ago, when Great Zhou was founded, the first emperor rose from nothing. He led his heroes to sweep the land and pacify the chaos.

Outwardly, he drove the mighty Demons into the northwestern wilds and built the Demon Suppressing Pass to hold them back.

Inwardly, he ordered the era's greatest martial artist—Yu Jiucang, the "Martial Saint" who was said to "sweep ten thousand miles without a rival, the reincarnation of the Sword Saint"—to establish the Demon Extermination Division, purge all Demons within Great Zhou's borders, and suppress the Sects of the world.

That year was the Jiazi year, so history called it the "Jiazi Demon Extermination."

For a thousand years after the Jiazi Demon Extermination, Great Zhou enjoyed its most peaceful and prosperous era.

They say Demons were almost nowhere to be found within the realm. If one did pop up, Demon Extermination Division experts would swarm it and tear it to shreds in no time.

At the same time, the martial Sects kept their heads down. Demonic cults and evil sects were nothing but rats in the sewers, skulking in the shadows.

But then, no one knows exactly why, disasters struck—natural and man-made. The people struggled to survive. Demons grew more numerous. Evil cults and demonic sects ran rampant. The martial Sects warred without end. And the world became what it is today.

In recent years, the Demon Extermination Division had been stretched thin. Its grassroots offices only stationed personnel in prefectural cities. A small county like Black Stone would never see a Demon Extermination officer.

Still, though the Division's power and prestige weren't what they were in Great Zhou's founding days, its reputation still held. It wasn't something the yamen's useless lot could match.

Just then, a whistle rang out from another hilltop.

A black speck suddenly dropped from the sky. Only when it got close did Han Zheng realize—it was a human figure!

That other peak was extremely high, with a drop of several hundred meters. And that figure had leaped straight down.

Thump.

With a soft impact, the figure landed before them, leaving only two shallow footprints in the ground.

Han Zheng's expression shifted.

Jumping from that height, it wouldn't have been strange if the impact had cratered the earth.

But this man landed with barely a sound, leaving only shallow prints—proof of terrifying control over his own strength.

Han Zheng looked up. The man before him was tall and burly, with a full beard, clad in a Purple Gold Sky Wolf Armor. His aura was immense, like a mountain peak.

The armor wasn't as heavy as a general's battle plate. It was more form-fitting and light, protecting only the chest, with the arm joints left bare for flexibility.

On the chest, a purple-gold sky wolf bared its fangs, lifelike and fierce.

"You called me here. Does that mean Black Stone County has results already?" the man asked.

Zhang Tianyang shook his head. "Boss, I'm just one man. How could I have results that fast?

I was planning to recruit an external operative to stir up trouble in the county, but he's still on the fence. So I called you over to boost his confidence."

With that, Zhang Tianyang pointed at the newcomer. "This is my direct superior, Yuan Longshan, Demon Extermination Captain of Mountain Camp, under Chen Baxian, Demon Extermination Commissioner of Shannan Dao. A Profound Gang Realm grandmaster.

You don't need to worry about the Incense Cult's threat. Even if they do march on Black Stone County in the end, the boss will step in. Black Stone County is the gateway to Jingzhou Prefecture. It may be a small county, but the higher-ups won't just let it fall into the Incense Cult's hands."

Yuan Longshan glanced at Zhang Tianyang, then at Han Zheng, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

Given Zhang Tianyang's standards, he rarely took a liking to anyone. Even the new recruits in the Demon Extermination Division didn't impress him.

Yet now he wanted to recruit an external operative to help him. That meant Han Zheng had some ability far beyond ordinary martial artists.

"Greetings, Lord Yuan," Han Zheng said.

Han Zheng quickly cupped his hands.

Above the Xiantian Mortal Transformation Realm lies the Profound Gang Realm.

When the physical body reaches perfection, internal force transforms into True Essence, and Gang Qi is externalized. At its peak, the Gang Qi can extend several zhang, its might terrifying beyond compare.

The Profound Gang Realm is also known as the "Ten-Thousand-Man Foe."

With several zhang of Gang Qi sweeping down, ordinary soldiers simply cannot withstand it; even iron armor can be torn apart.

Thus, in theory, a martial artist at the Profound Gang Realm could slay tens of thousands of ordinary soldiers.

Of course, this is only in theory. In actual combat, even common soldiers without martial arts can wear down the opponent with bows and crossbows, resist with formation tactics, and eventually exhaust their internal force.

After sizing up Han Zheng for a moment, Yuan Longshan nodded slightly. "Not bad. Your foundation is solid and deep, no less than disciples from major sects.

From the look of you, you should be close to entering Xiantian.

The emperor doesn't starve his soldiers. Working for my Demon Extermination Division won't leave you shortchanged.

Take this pill—it can help you step into Xiantian. Whether or not you ultimately root out the spy, it's yours."

With that, Yuan Longshan tossed a small porcelain bottle to Han Zheng.

Han Zheng caught it instinctively. Without much hesitation, he cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, my lord. To serve the Demon Extermination Division is an honor I do not take lightly."

In truth, from the moment the other party revealed his identity with the Demon Extermination Division, Han Zheng had little room to refuse.

He could play along with Black Stone County's Chief Constable Zhang Tianyang, but he could not do the same with Demon Extermination Division Squad Leader Zhang Tianyang.

The Incense Cult was a behemoth to Han Zheng now, and so was the Demon Extermination Division—an even larger one.

And Yuan Longshan had also given him a pill.

To Yuan Longshan, this pill was trivial, nothing worth mentioning.

But to Han Zheng, who had just experienced the benefits of a medicinal bath, this thing was a treasure, enough to push him into Xiantian.

When someone offers you face, you take it. Han Zheng now knew Zhang Tianyang's identity in the Demon Extermination Division and his mission. If he still refused at this point, he would be spurning goodwill.

Zhang Tianyang shook his head lightly. "You won't let go of the falcon until you see the hare. You're quite the realist, kid."

Han Zheng smiled. "Don't take offense, Lord Zhang. I'm just a small-town nobody caught up in a big affair like this. I have to be cautious."

"Go back and wait for my news. I'll make some moves on Gao Kaiyuan's end to hold him off for now."

Han Zheng nodded, took the pill, and immediately descended the mountain.

Watching Han Zheng leave, Yuan Longshan said, "Can this man deliver? He's only at the Peak Acquired Stage. With the pill I gave him, he'll barely scrape into early Xiantian at best."

Zhang Tianyang sighed. "He should be able to. This kid reminds me a bit of myself when I was young—ruthless and decisive, striking when the time comes.

In Black Stone County, he made an enemy of one of the gangs. When he found out they were investigating him, he went straight to silence them. Decisive as can be.

Besides, he has to work. I've got no one else to use. Tell me, I'm supposed to be a squad leader, but I don't have a single subordinate—just a commander with no troops. Is there a more pathetic squad leader than me?

If you could give me Su Wuming, would I have to go through all this trouble developing peripheral members?"

Yuan Longshan snorted with a laugh. "Dream on. Su Wuming's name is even registered with Commander Chen. How could I possibly give him to you?

Besides, that kid Su Wuming has something off about him. Even if I gave him to you, would you dare use him?"

Zhang Tianyang rubbed his nose, apparently recalling some rumors, and gave a dry chuckle.

"True. Forget using him—even going on a mission with him, you'd have to watch your back."

Yuan Longshan patted Zhang Tianyang on the shoulder. "Troubled times. The higher-ups are stretched thin as it is.

Once Huainan Dao fell, it was like lips and teeth—Shannan Dao couldn't just sit by and do nothing. Commander Chen has taken nearly eighty percent of our strength to Huainan Dao.

Black Stone County is left to you. I need to head to Huainan Dao to back up the other brothers."

Zhang Tianyang nodded. "Don't worry, boss. Leave this to me."

Yuan Longshan nodded, then leaped, vanishing into the forest in an instant.