Chen Guan strode to the entrance of the Warehouse.
There, he saw the soldiers of Qingshi County slaughtering the surrounding civilians in a frenzy.
Hundreds of civilians had already died here, and the survivors no longer dared approach.
"Stop!"
He roared and stepped directly in front of the civilians.
Li Tong walked out with a frown. "Chen Guan? You actually dared to come into the city?"
"It was the Qin Family that colluded with demons. Could it be that Lord Li still hasn't received the news?"
Chen Guan's words left Li Tong speechless for a moment.
Only after a long while did he speak. "This official naturally received the news, but the Qin Family's collusion doesn't mean you weren't involved! Besides, why are you stopping us here?"
"Li Tong, give me back my son!"
"Lord Chen, Li Tong captured the children in the city and has them locked up in this Warehouse!"
"That's right, Lord Chen! You have to uphold justice for us!"
"..."
The civilians all fell to their knees and began wailing loudly.
Anyone who saw such a scene would inevitably feel compassion!
Yet Li Tong looked at them with utter disdain.
"You claim there are children in this Warehouse? This official opened it for you just now. There's nothing inside except grain!"
Li Tong strode forward and loudly declared this.
Chen Guan watched him with a frown.
That day, he had personally seen the children locked up here.
"Lord Chen, don't listen to his blatant lies! He must have hidden the children ahead of time!"
The civilians glared furiously at Li Tong and began loudly denouncing him.
But with the children no longer in the Warehouse, there was no evidence with which to execute Li Tong!
"Everyone, go home for now. I'll find a way to deal with the children!"
Chen Guan knew that the civilians surrounding this place would accomplish nothing!
They would only provoke Li Tong into attacking them.
Only then did Li Tong become smug. "Lord Chen is right. You mustn't wrong this official. This official has poured heart and soul into Qingshi County for many years!"
His words sounded especially ironic at this moment.
The civilians paid no attention to them, but when they saw the look in Chen Guan's eyes, they all agreed.
Just as Chen Guan was preparing to leave,
Li Tong came to his side. "Lord Chen, the Qin Family colluded with demons. This official has already sent men to take over the Chen Family. You needn't involve yourself in this matter any further!"
The sly look in his eyes instantly made Chen Guan understand why the soldiers had only appeared after he dealt with the Qin Family.
It turned out that Li Tong had deliberately arranged everything.
Li Tong now intended to use his hand to wipe out the Qin Family.
That way, all the credit for taking down Qingshi County would belong to him.
"Then I'll trouble you, Lord Li!"
Chen Guan did not refuse. He merely cupped his hands and left.
He believed Li Tong had not completely moved the children away!
So he planned to return and investigate that night. If he could rescue the children, that would be best.
After returning to the Qin Family, he asked Qin Yanran to arrange a quiet room for him.
"Open the System Panel!"
Chen Guan sat cross-legged on the bed and spoke slowly.
[Host: Chen Guan] [Lifespan: Four Years] [Demon Lifespan: One Thousand One Hundred Years] [Martial Art Pecking Sparrow Strength (Mortal Grade High Rank), lifespan required to advance to the next realm: 0/120 years] [Martial Art Whirlwind Wind Steps (Mortal Grade High Rank), lifespan required to advance to the next realm: 0/300 years] [Technique Dragon Elephant Subduing Demon Art (Mystic Grade Low Rank), current progress: 3/9, lifespan required to advance to the next realm: 0/800 years]
He looked at the information displayed on the System Panel.
The Demon Lifespan he possessed was now enough to advance Dragon Elephant Subduing Demon Art by one realm.
It was even enough to advance Whirlwind Wind Steps by one realm.
Next, he had to secretly rescue the children.
He had no idea what realm his enemies had reached. Naturally, the stronger he became, the better his chances would be.
"Advance Dragon Elephant Subduing Demon Art and Whirlwind Wind Steps."
Chen Guan issued the command without the slightest hesitation.
Afterward, his dantian began radiating golden light.
The dragon-elephant phantoms flickering around his body became even more distinct.
He had long since fused with the Dragon Elephant Power, causing it to begin circulating along his meridians.
After a while, all the Dragon Elephant Power converged in his dantian.
[Dragon Elephant Subduing Demon Art advanced to the fourth layer, entering the fourth layer of the Blood Forging Realm. Obtained four layers of Dragon Elephant Power. Lifespan required to advance to the next realm: 0/1,600 years] [Whirlwind Wind Steps (Mortal Grade High Rank) advanced to the Minor Achievement Realm. Speed increased by sixty percent. Obtained martial art Exquisite Leg. Lifespan required to advance to the next realm: 0/450 years]
The System's notification rang out in his mind.
Chen Guan rose and threw a few punches, his face beaming with a smile.
His strength now surpassed a thousand jin and was already worlds apart from before.
Now that he had entered the fourth layer of the Blood Forging Realm, his chances of succeeding tonight would be even greater.
The night was dark, and the winds were high.
Chen Guan wore a black outfit prepared for him by Qin Yanran.
He secretly made his way to the area near the Warehouse behind the County Office.
Although quite a few constables guarded the surroundings, at this hour they had long since fallen into a deep sleep.
Chen Guan entered the Warehouse with ease.
And just as Li Tong had said,
there was nothing in the Warehouse now except grain covering the floor.
The children he had previously seen imprisoned here had also vanished without a trace!
But there had been far too many children. If Li Tong had wanted to move them, it would certainly have caused a great commotion.
Therefore, the children must still be here. Li Tong had merely hidden them somehow.
He walked back and forth through the Warehouse, observing the surroundings.
Yet he failed to notice the silver light flickering within the grain and fodder.
"Where exactly have the children been hidden?"
Chen Guan muttered to himself with his brows tightly furrowed.
At the instant he approached the innermost wall, several hundred constables suddenly burst from the grain and charged out around him.
"Chen Guan, our master guessed long ago that you'd come to the Warehouse tonight. He had us waiting here for quite some time!"
The leader stepped forward and sneered.
Chen Guan looked at them coldly, without the slightest panic!
To find the children, he needed someone who knew the truth to lead him.
"Come on, then!"
He rolled his shoulders and loosened his body.
This was the perfect chance to use these constables to see exactly how powerful he had become.
"Kill him!"
The leading constable roared and charged forward with his men.
Chen Guan used Whirlwind Wind Steps to plunge into the crowd, then struck a constable in the stomach with Exquisite Leg.
The force of a thousand jin directly shattered the constable's internal organs, killing him before he even landed.
The strongest among these constables had only reached the second layer of the Blood Forging Realm. Chen Guan cut through the crowd as if no one stood in his way.
Screams rang throughout the entire Warehouse, yet not a single one escaped it.
Just as he was slaughtering his way through them,
all kinds of mechanisms suddenly extended from the surrounding walls.
Countless poisoned needles and hidden weapons shot out from within, directly surrounding Chen Guan.
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