Encounter

A massive excavator rumbled along the riverbank as the men from the Demon Suppression Bureau dug up the coffin and loaded it into a vehicle.

Several Demon Suppression Bureau officers wrapped the zombie in layer after layer of specially made chains, then stuffed its mouth with an iron ball.

They grabbed the zombie and hauled it into the vehicle.

Mei Ye was also aboard the armored transport. He had fought the zombie earlier, but unfortunately, his blade had failed to break its skin.

"Palace Storage Realm...?"

Thinking of the strength the mayor had displayed earlier, Mei Ye could not help feeling a surge of longing.

At Jiangnan Martial Arts University, the strongest professors he could meet were only at the Dragon Extreme Realm.

Anyone stronger had gone out to make a name for themselves. Who would still become a teacher?

"But experts of the Palace Storage Realm... I'll definitely reach that level someday too, as long as I kill more demons and monsters and earn enough merit points."

Mei Ye gripped the hilt of his saber. He could only steadily kill demons and monsters according to plan. One day, he would surely reach a higher realm.

"What an ugly zombie. And it's a monster from the Qing Dynasty."

At that moment, a Demon Suppression Bureau officer examined the growling zombie and spoke.

"What is this cult trying to do? Why does it feel like there are more and more demons, monsters, and ghosts in Linjiang City?"

"Who knows? Maybe Mei Ye knows?"

One of the Demon Suppression Bureau officers shrugged and shot Mei Ye a sidelong glance.

Mei Ye looked over at those words and saw a young man with a sallow face and a monkey-like mouth, someone who gave off an extremely unpleasant impression.

Staring at that ugly face, Mei Ye thought for a moment before finally recalling who he was.

Tian Ge's cousin, his former teammate—Tian Mao!

So he had been assigned to this vehicle too?

What good luck...

Seeing Mei Ye remain silent, Tian Mao assumed the kid was still as weak as before and became even more unscrupulous. "I really envy certain people. After attaching themselves to a captain, they got to show their face in front of both the captain and the mayor."

"Unfortunately, in this world, cultivation and strength come first. Scheming is useless."

Tian Mao wiped his scabbard, his peripheral vision fixed on Mei Ye.

Jealousy drove people mad. Tian Ge had viciously slandered Mei Ye in front of him.

After hearing it, Tian Mao had been upset for half a month.

Why?

My brother and I risk our lives every day, so how did that poker-faced brat suddenly make it big?

Having spent years within the system, Tian Mao could only think of one explanation after turning the matter over in his mind.

Mei Ye... had latched onto some big shot to get promoted!

Now that his former teammate was right in front of him, Tian Mao could no longer suppress his jealousy. His tone was more unpleasant than if he had eaten dog shit.

A cold glint flashed through Mei Ye's eyes, and the pressure around him abruptly dropped.

This man had baselessly insinuated things about him, and he was also someone who had bullied the original owner of this body.

Mei Ye truly had no mood to deal with him kindly.

"Our Demon-Suppressing Guard promotions have always been based on military merit. How could anyone possibly falsify them?"

Mei Ye revealed a trace of his aura.

Qi Gathering Realm!

Tian Mao's expression changed drastically. He had not expected Mei Ye to have broken through, and to be at the same initial Qi Gathering Realm as him!

Tian Mao's face darkened. Now he had nothing left to attack him over.

Mei Ye gave him a cold glance. This man was useless against outsiders and could only bully the original owner of this body.

The Demon-Suppressing Guards present all looked at Mei Ye differently, then turned teasing gazes toward Tian Mao.

Bullying culture ran deep in the Demon-Suppressing Guard. Everyone enjoyed watching a spectacle.

But if the bully got beaten back, that was entertainment too.

Feeling the gazes around him, Tian Mao kept a gloomy face and said nothing.

He could bully those weaker than himself, but when facing the strong, he was a sensible man.

Because a sensible man knew when to yield!

Bang!

At that moment, the armored transport suddenly shook violently, and the world seemed to turn upside down.

Everyone was jolted from their seats and hurriedly grabbed onto objects inside the vehicle to steady themselves.

"Enemy attack!"

One of the Demon-Suppressing Guards reacted and immediately shouted.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

One group after another leaped from the vehicle. Gleaming longsabers reflected the city's skyscrapers as the men stood back-to-back, weapons in hand, waiting in formation.

Then, continuous footsteps echoed along the street.

A group of black shadows emerged from the darkness and surrounded the Demon-Suppressing Guards.

"It's the Sinking Cult!"

One of the Demon-Suppressing Guards recognized them and turned pale. "They still have so many people in Jiangbei City? What exactly are they trying to do?"

"Protect that Qing Dynasty zombie and its coffin lid! This must be part of a major conspiracy!"

A captain shouted, true qi circulating through his body.

The Sinking Cult's believers charged at the Demon-Suppressing Guards. From beneath their black robes, they drew broadswords and spears, and blood soon filled the battlefield.

The pedestrians on the street saw the armed conflict erupt and wished they had grown four legs, fleeing into the distance without looking back.

The Demon-Suppressing Guards had mastered well-practiced formations. They arranged themselves into dense ranks and met the Sinking Cult's believers from every direction.

Meanwhile, the Sinking Cult's scum pulled out several thousand flags. As the banners fluttered in the wind, several leaders led saber squads and spear squads forward, chanting prayers as they charged the Demon-Suppressing Guards with fanatical fervor.

Although technology had advanced into the modern age, firearms and bullets were still somewhat inadequate against martial artists with high attack speeds and powerful bodies.

Unless they were specially made bullets, ordinary ammunition found it difficult to cripple an enemy's combat ability.

Thus, to save money, the court equipped the Demon-Suppressing Guards with broadswords, spears, and similar weapons.

Firearms and artillery had instead become tools for specific Demon Suppression Bureau tactics, usually left gathering dust in warehouses.

Mei Ye and his teammates formed their ranks as a group of black-robed men slipped through their gaps like a swarm of rats.

Mei Ye shifted his footing. His three-foot saber flashed with cold light, leaving several bloody wounds across the cultists' bodies.

A cultist with slaughter paint on his face tore open his robes, revealing a bundle of explosives strapped to his chest. Roaring, he charged at the Demon-Suppressing Guards.

The Demon-Suppressing Guards felt their scalps tingle. Filled with dread toward such suicidal lunatics, several farther away hurriedly retreated, disrupting the formation.

But Mei Ye saw that madman close by. Exchanging a glance with a companion beside him, he slashed the lunatic's throat and kicked him flying.

Bang!

An explosion rang out nearby. Blurred chunks of flesh flew into the sky, opening a gap in the black tide, but even more frenzied enemies quickly filled it.

"What are the people in Jiangbei doing? There are so many cultists here. Are they just getting paid to eat?"

With countless cultists reflected in his eyes, even Mei Ye, someone with cheats, could not help feeling pressured.

Only now did he understand why the Demon-Suppressing Guard's casualty rate was so high.

Across the lands of Divine Land, all sorts of extremist organizations and cultists stirred up trouble.

They had formed alliances with the fiends of Southeast Asia, jointly eroding Divine Land.

The court had to resist the invasion of demons and monsters on one side while also diverting troops to suppress domestic rebels on the other.

The Demon-Suppressing Guard's pay was low and its benefits poor. The fact that it had endured for so many years was already a miracle.

[Killed a Third Body Tempering Stage expert! Merit Points +400]

[Killed a Seventh Body Tempering Stage expert! Merit Points +700]

Mei Ye swung his saber and severed a bandit's head. The prompts ringing in his ears lifted his spirits slightly.

The gap between realms was not something numbers could erase.

A higher realm meant a higher status.

The higher one's realm, the greater one's advantage over lower-level martial artists.

Atop a tall building by the street, two figures stood quietly, overlooking the chaotic battle below.

Both possessed extraordinary bearing. Standing with their arms folded, their eyes brimmed with sinister energy.

"Tell the brothers to hurry up and take back the zombie."

One man said this. His skin was pale, his lips crimson, and his ears unusually long. His voice was strange and full of weight.

"No rush. That Qing Dynasty zombie is only one of our targets. We have another target as well."

The other man stood with his arms folded. A breeze stirred his cloak, sending his blue hair flying, while his chiseled face remained incomparably cold.

"Wei Wushuang is here."

The snow-white man spoke, licking his lips. "I'll go meet him. I'll leave this place to you, Epstein."

With that, he shot into the sky from the rooftop. True qi erupted around him as he rushed like a fighter jet toward Wei Wushuang, who was charging in from the distance.

Epstein, the blue-haired man, swept his gaze over the chaotic street below, a cold smile curling at the corner of his lips.

"Let's make the commotion even bigger..."