Demonic Cultivator

He now had a grasp of all information regarding the forces, great and small, in Qingshan County.

Aside from the five major powers and those connected to their five giants, whom he could not touch for the time being,

there were still quite a few forces he could move against.

The Enhancement Points contributed by those forces would be no small sum.

Retracting his gaze, Fang Xing summoned his panel and inspected it.

Name: Fang Xing

Cultivation: Peak Dark Force

Enhancement Level: One Star (70%)

Enhancement Points: Eight

"Eight points..."

Looking at his remaining Enhancement Points, Fang Xing became even more resolved in his cleanup plan.

Eradicating the criminal forces and harvesting a wave of Enhancement Points was the key to whether he could break through to Transformation Force.

Without powerful resources to support him, even though he had now reached the peak of Dark Force, if he relied solely on daily, primitive accumulation to break through to Transformation Force, who knew whether it would take until the Year of the Monkey or the Month of the Horse.

His rapid breakthroughs were due not only to his talent, but more importantly, to the abundant resources that had elevated him.

Without resources, wanting to leap over the Dragon Gate was nothing but a fool's dream.

Knock, knock, knock!!!

Just as Fang Xing was considering where to begin, someone suddenly knocked on the courtyard gate.

Fang Xing came back to himself and stepped forward to open it. Xu Le stood outside, panting heavily.

By now, Xu Le had also broken through to Bright Force with Fang Xing's support, crossing the first Dragon Gate.

Though he could not compare to Fang Xing, for an ordinary Yamen Runner, it was still a tremendous improvement.

"You're in such a rush. What happened?" Fang Xing frowned as he looked at the breathless Xu Le.

Xu Le caught his breath and looked at Fang Xing. "Brother Xing, someone... someone from above has come. The County Magistrate has summoned you."

"Someone from above?"

Fang Xing paused at Xu Le's words.

"Which department?"

"It's a lord from the Heavenly Supervision Bureau," Xu Le answered.

"The Heavenly Supervision Bureau!"

Fang Xing's gaze sharpened upon hearing that.

Instinctively, a figure surfaced in his mind.

Shen Ye!

The last time they had met was when he had only just broken through to Dark Force.

His rise to Chief Constable had been inseparable from Shen Ye's help.

Only a little over a month had passed, and the Heavenly Supervision Bureau had come again?

Could another cult have appeared?

No, that did not seem right. He had not received any information about such a thing.

Though he did not visit the County Yamen every day, he still went every few days to learn about the situation.

As for news of cults, he did not recall hearing any.

"Brother Xing, the lord from the Heavenly Supervision Bureau is already in the inner hall of the County Yamen. The County Magistrate said you have to go immediately."

Fang Xing returned to his senses, looked at him, and nodded. "Mm, I understand. I'll change clothes and head over."

With that, Fang Xing turned and entered the house, changing into a brand-new Yamen Runner uniform.

After closing the courtyard gate, he headed for the County Yamen with Xu Le.

"Is the one who came this time still Lord Shen from last time?" Fang Xing asked as they walked.

Xu Le nodded. "Lord Shen is here, but he isn't alone. There's another lord from the Heavenly Supervision Bureau, a woman. There are two of them in total."

"A woman..."

Fang Xing was rather surprised by Xu Le's words.

It was no surprise that there were women in the Heavenly Supervision Bureau. After all, women could be formidable too.

But what intrigued him more was what kind of matter could make two people from the Heavenly Supervision Bureau move out at once?

When they had eliminated the Fire Worship Cult leader last time, Shen Ye had handled it alone.

This time, two had come. The situation clearly had to be far more serious than before.

Troubled times indeed...

Fang Xing sighed inwardly.

In these chaotic times, life would only grow more turbulent the further things went on.

He had heard that rebel armies had even appeared in Cang Prefecture, conquering several county towns.

The turmoil in Cang Prefecture had also caused prices in the surrounding regions to soar.

Though he did not know how things stood now, judging from the broader situation, the days ahead would certainly become increasingly difficult.

Qingshan County was still quite stable, but no one knew how long that stability could last.

Before long, Fang Xing and Xu Le arrived at the County Yamen.

Xu Le was not qualified to enter the inner hall, so once they entered the County Yamen, they parted ways. Fang Xing headed alone toward the inner hall.

Upon arriving at the inner hall, Fang Xing immediately spotted several figures.

County Magistrate Zhang Chen was chatting with Shen Ye with a beaming smile. In a seat beside them sat a woman in red.

She wore a fitted red martial outfit, carrying herself with a spirited and valiant air.

With willow-leaf brows, striking features, and a fine figure, her red martial outfit accentuated every curve.

As Fang Xing entered the inner hall, everyone's eyes fell upon him.

"Greetings, my lords." Fang Xing cupped his hands in salute.

Shen Ye and the woman beside him looked at him. Zhang Chen then rose to his feet. "My lords, Fang Xing is here. You may speak; I'll take my leave first."

Shen Ye nodded.

Seeing this, Fang Xing was taken aback again, but he said nothing.

After the County Magistrate departed, Shen Ye's gaze fell on Fang Xing. "Sit."

Fang Xing nodded and sat down in a chair to one side.

"Is he the Fang Xing you mentioned?"

The red-clad woman spoke as soon as he sat down, her bright eyes appraising him.

Shen Ye nodded.

"Mm, it's him."

As he spoke, Shen Ye looked at Fang Xing. "This is my colleague, Baili Yanran."

A double surname, Baili... not a name one heard often.

Hearing Shen Ye's introduction, Fang Xing was surprised inwardly. He immediately rose and cupped his hands. "This subordinate is Fang Xing, Chief Constable of Qingshan. Greetings, Lord Baili."

Baili Yanran glanced at him. "If Shen Ye remembers you, then you count as one of our own. No need for formalities. Sit."

Fang Xing nodded slightly and sat back down, looking at Shen Ye. "Lord Shen, have you come this time because something has happened in Qingshan County again?"

"Mm." Shen Ye nodded and looked at him. "This time, it concerns a demonic cultivator."

"A demonic cultivator..." Fang Xing was startled.

Not a cult, but a demonic cultivator instead. These times truly were chaotic enough...

"Lord Shen, who is this demonic cultivator?" Fang Xing asked.

"This man is a demonic cultivator from a sect called the Blood Demon Sect. His alias is the Blood Demon Daoist. He has slaughtered countless people, with demonic nature sunk into his bones. He acts with ruthless cruelty and cultivates a special demonic secret art, feeding on the blood of infants. He has committed numerous cases with grave consequences. His strength is roughly at the peak of Transformation Force."

Shen Ye spoke slowly.

"!!!"

Fang Xing's eyelids twitched at Shen Ye's introduction.

What a savage!

A demonic cultivator at the peak of Transformation Force was absolutely a troublesome existence.

"He was previously severely wounded by members of our Heavenly Supervision Bureau and fled into Qingshan County," Shen Ye said.

Fang Xing's expression could not help turning grave upon hearing this.

"My lord, what do you need me to do?" Fang Xing looked at Shen Ye.

"I need to requisition some of your men to accompany us. Preferably Yamen Runner martial artists who have entered Bright Force. Those below Bright Force need not go."

Shen Ye spoke.

Fang Xing nodded. "Understood, my lord. I'll make the arrangements at once."

With that, Fang Xing rose, but Shen Ye suddenly spoke.

"There's no need to be in such a hurry. Here is a dossier containing the demonic cultivator's precise hiding place. Read it first, then we'll discuss it."

As he spoke, Shen Ye took out a folded dossier and handed it to him.

Fang Xing accepted the dossier and read it carefully.

The contents of the dossier were very detailed.

But what surprised him was that this demonic cultivator's hiding place was actually in a bandit den.

This band of bandits was called Black Wolf Stronghold.

Fang Xing thought back, and quickly recalled some information about Black Wolf Stronghold.

Black Wolf Stronghold was a bandit group entrenched outside Qingshan County.

It numbered roughly several dozen men.

They came and went like ghosts, hiding in secluded places throughout Qingshan County and frequently robbing passing merchants and travelers.

They were a notorious band of bandits.

Moreover, Black Wolf Stronghold's chief was a martial artist who had reached Dark Force.

His strength was no weaker than that of some small and medium-sized forces within the city.

Furthermore, Black Wolf Stronghold had connections with some criminal forces within the city.

Fang Xing knew all of this.

Black Wolf Stronghold was also one of the targets in his cleanup plan.

But Fang Xing had not expected Black Wolf Stronghold to be the hiding place of a demonic cultivator.

And the one controlling Black Wolf Stronghold from behind the scenes was none other than the Blood Demon Daoist.

Black Wolf Stronghold was a force personally fostered by the Blood Demon Daoist, his claws and fangs.