The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Unaware of the Oriole Behind

East Suburbs of Ping'an County.

Jinyiwei Baihu Office Barracks.

Chen Fan's Residence.

After washing up, Chen Fan sat cross-legged on his bed. With a thought, he checked his status panel:

[Name: Chen Fan]
[Realm: Spirit Concealment Realm (Limit)]
[Cultivation Methods: Body Tempering Fist (Perfection), Draw Sword Slash (Perfection), Heaven and Earth Grinding Disc Fist (Perfection)]
[Remaining Lifespan: 100 years]
[Remaining Demon Lifespan: 3175 years]

Ever since he cultivated the Heaven and Earth Grinding Disc Fist to the Great Perfection level, he had broken through the ten realms of martial arts, condensed a congenital body, improved his innate talent, and even his lifespan had greatly increased.

However, a normal peak Spirit Concealment Realm cultivator had a lifespan of about 150 years. This body of his was only sixteen years old this year, and although he had reached the limit of the Spirit Concealment Realm, his remaining lifespan was only 100 years.

He felt quite unlucky!

But being able to reach the extreme of the Spirit Concealment Realm made him invincible among peers, even stronger than demons and devils of the same realm. He was quite content with that.

Most of the demons and devils they had killed today were personally slain by him, so he had accumulated a massive amount of Demon Lifespan for the day.

This was over three thousand years! When had he ever fought such a lucrative battle?

"I must go to Longyuan Prefecture to exchange for a Spirit Aperture Realm cultivation method. It would be even better if I could also get a powerful saber technique and movement technique."

"Three thousand years of Demon Lifespan seems like a lot, but my talent and comprehension are truly average. To cultivate a Spirit Aperture Realm cultivation method to Great Perfection might require even more Demon Lifespan."

"If I want to further deduce it into a more perfect, more suitable, and more powerful cultivation method, it might require an enormous amount of lifespan. These over three thousand years of Demon Lifespan might not even be enough!"

"Besides, I also need to learn more profound saber techniques and movement techniques, all of which require lifespan for deduction. At first glance, I seem wealthy, but in reality, I'm still quite poor."

"However, with this capital, stepping into the Spirit Aperture Realm will become much easier. It can also speed up the process of opening my acupoints and rapidly improve my strength. This can be considered a significant step forward."

Chen Fan thought to himself, looking at the Demon Lifespan on his status panel like a wealthy landlord counting his grain stores. This was his capital for cultivation!

The next second.

Chen Fan seemed to feel the surrounding aura changing. A dangerous aura struck him, causing him to suddenly get up from the bed and casually grab the Embroidered Spring Blade placed on the bedroom table.

BOOM!

Suddenly, a deafening roar echoed. A massive, pitch-black figure descended from the sky, smashing through Chen Fan's residence.

Chen Fan leaped up, creating several yards of distance between himself and the colossal figure. Only after the behemoth landed did he realize it was a huge Black Gorilla!

"ROAR ROAR ROAR!"

The Black Gorilla pounded its chest and let out a roar. It opened its bell-sized eyes, stared at Chen Fan, and roared again. It swung its fists and ferociously smashed towards Chen Fan:

"Revenge for my two cousins!"

Chen Fan: "???"

Could it be the two Ape Demons he killed in the Ping'an County tutor's house?

They were White Apes, and you're a Black Gorilla. Why are you claiming kinship?

BOOM!

Facing the fist the size of a sandpot, Chen Fan showed no fear. He threw out a punch in return. It was as if a savage dragon stirred within him. With a mighty force, his punch was like a dragon, unstoppable!

CRACK!

The large and small fists collided fiercely. With a crisp sound, the Black Gorilla's fist was directly crushed by Chen Fan.

Chen Fan leaped up and kicked out, fiercely striking the Black Gorilla's head. Under the impact of the immense force, the Black Gorilla was sent flying backward, smashing through half the wall. Chen Fan's house completely collapsed!

The Black Gorilla landed heavily on the ground, a huge indentation on its head. Chen Fan's kick had directly crushed its skull. Blood flowed from its seven orifices, and it was clearly on its last breath.

Just then, Chen Fan felt the ground shake slightly. Two hands suddenly emerged from the ground, grabbing his legs and pulling him down!

He stumbled and then stomped down forcefully, directly snapping the two arms that were firmly gripping him. He plunged one hand deep into the soil and yanked out a small Pangolin, grabbed its head, and twisted it, killing it instantly!

"Kill!"

At that moment, Li Mo, leading seven Jinyiwei Xiaoqi Officers, wearing night clothes and with their faces covered, along with over a dozen demons and devils, surrounded him from all directions, charging straight at Chen Fan!

However, the Embroidered Spring Blades in their hands and the standard Jinyiwei boots on their feet had already betrayed their identities. In fact, they didn't care if Chen Fan saw through them.

Because tonight, it was either you die or I die. There was no other path.

Their symbolic covering of their faces was merely a self-deceiving act, born from a guilty conscience!

"A bunch of weaklings! Even if twice as many came, I can still kill you all!"

"Cao De, you scoundrel, why don't you make a move yourself?"

"Instead, you incite demons and devils and a group of fools to attack me?"

"Are you trying to exhaust my stamina?"

Chen Fan roared, drawing his thousand-forged Embroidered Spring Blade made of profound iron. He unleashed the Great Perfection level Draw Sword Slash. With a single slash, a cold light flashed, and the head of a Snake Demon was immediately split in two by him, its demonic blood staining the sky!

"How dare you be so presumptuous, I will slay you!"

"Raging Blade Eight Slashes!"

From within the crowd, Li Mo roared, wielding his Embroidered Spring Blade. He unleashed a set of even more profound and unfathomable blade techniques. The Embroidered Spring Blade danced in his hands like a tempestuous storm, a dense gale erupting as it charged directly towards Chen Fan!

This was a blade technique Li Mo had exchanged from the Longyuan Prefecture Jinyiwei Thousand-Household Office's armory using years of accumulated merit points. It could be considered an advanced version of "Draw Sword Slash."

When cultivated to its peak, this technique could unleash eight blade energies with a single strike, a terrifying and unparalleled power. Currently, Li Mo could only unleash three, but even that was enough to make him proud.

With this technique, he could kill Demons and Devils of the fourth level of the Spirit Concealment Realm upon entering the fifth level, and even contend with Demons and Devils of the fifth level!

He knew he might not be Chen Fan's match, but today, he wasn't Chen Fan's only opponent. With so many Demons and Devils and martial arts experts surrounding him, he couldn't fight them all alone!

"Ping'an County Jinyiwei Baihu Office subordinates, follow me to slay demons and eliminate devils!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

Just then, the entire Ping'an County Jinyiwei Baihu Office was brightly lit. Lu Xuenning, Huang Chengyue, Wang Chao, Qin Yuan, and Zhao Changfeng, three Xiaoqi Officers, arrived with over forty Jinyiwei.

Clad in Flying Fish Robes and wielding Embroidered Spring Blades, they charged directly at the dozen or so Demons and Devils and seven Xiaoqi Officers!

"How can this be?"

"Who leaked the wind?"

Seeing this, Li Mo's face turned ashen. His blade technique became erratic, and Chen Fan seized the opening, severing his right hand with a single strike. The Embroidered Spring Blade in his right hand clattered to the ground.

He tried to move again, but Chen Fan's blade was already at his neck.

"Li Mo, you thought your plan was flawless, deliberately arranging for Zhang Kai to monitor every move of Lord Chen Fan. In reality, he was also under our surveillance!"

"Today, after Lord Chen Fan returned to the Baihu Office, Zhang Kai quietly slipped away to tip you off. Little did he know, everything was under the watch of Big Brother Wang Chao."

"Our purpose in doing this was to lure you out."

"Now, under the witness of over forty Jinyiwei brothers, three Jinyiwei Xiaoqi Officers, the former Jinyiwei Zongqi Officer, and a ninth-rank Black-Robed Head Catcher from the County Yamen, the evidence of your collusion with Demons and Devils to harm your colleagues is conclusive. What do you have to say for yourselves?"

Zhao Changfeng, a Jinyiwei Xiaoqi Officer, stepped before Li Mo and ripped off his mask, revealing his true face.