Ape Demon Offers a Treasure

Shen Yi picked up the blade that shimmered with a dark, obsidian light.

Compared to his previous sidearm, the blade was narrower and straighter. The edge was as thin as a cicada's wing, yet it felt several times heavier than his old weapon.

It was clearly no ordinary object.

Yet, even a precious blade such as this could not break through his own skin.

The efficacy of the Golden Sun Eight Treasures Profound Body had already exceeded Shen Yi's expectations.

According to Butcher Zhang, this was merely a technique he had cobbled together by referencing the Initial Realm martial arts of the Vajra Sect. If he were to obtain the complete Jade Liquid Realm martial arts from that sect, wouldn't it be even more formidable?

Shen Yi shook his head and used the blade to pry out the Beast Essence from Yuan Tongtian.

He walked over to the young Ape Demon he had slain earlier, repeated the process, and finally picked up the scabbard to slide the dark blade back inside.

It was a pity this fine blade had no name.

Shen Yi pondered for a moment. Since the blade shimmered with darkness and the scabbard was as black as ink, he decided to simply call it Erhei.

He raised his gaze and summoned the panel.

[Slayed Initial Realm peak-stage Ape Demon, total lifespan seven hundred seventy-four years, remaining one hundred ninety-seven years, absorption complete]

[Slayed Initial Realm late-stage Ape Demon, total lifespan six hundred thirty-one years, remaining two hundred seventy years, absorption complete]

[Remaining Demon lifespan: six hundred fifty-one years]

"..."

First, an Ape Demon had offered up a precious blade, and now he had reaped such a bountiful harvest of lifespan.

He should have been in high spirits.

Shen Yi looked at the neatly arranged skulls on the table, but for some reason, he lost interest.

He turned and walked toward the crowd.

Chen Ji silently rose to follow him. Seeing this, the Niu Brothers and Zhang Dahu scrambled up from the ground, though their expressions were inevitably tinged with terror.

Officer Shen had never been a particularly kind-hearted soul.

But compared to the scene they had just witnessed, he was absolutely the picture of mercy.

To beat a demon into a pulp of flesh and blood was a visual shock too great for these ordinary bailiffs to bear; they would likely not recover for days or even weeks.

"What are you lot standing there for? Get out of my sight!"

Seeing Shen Yi walk away, Butcher Zhang kicked at the soldiers and bailiffs on the ground.

He felt a sense of relief in his heart.

Compared to the damnable Liu the Clerk, these men were merely blades in the hands of the yamen, acting under orders.

After the Clerk was beheaded, they had not dared to make a move.

He had truly feared that Shen Yi's killing intent would flare up and he would slaughter these ordinary men on a whim.

The Vajra Sect had slight ties to the Buddhist faith. Although Butcher Zhang did not believe in any nonsense like karmic retribution, excessive slaughter would inevitably affect one's spirit and could even lead to demonic obsession in one's martial practice.

It was truly unnecessary.

As long as the rot in the yamen was purged, these soldiers could be managed by others; with a little discipline, they would remain the backbone of the county's defense.

To put it bluntly, if they were all killed, would he really have to rely on a handful of martial artists to stand guard over the city walls day and night?

"Thank you for sparing our lives, Master Shen!"

The young men kneeling on the ground finally felt their tightly wound nerves relax, and they kowtowed repeatedly in the direction the young man was walking.

Butcher Zhang recalled the scarred-headed man who had fled earlier, then looked at the corpse in the green robes, which had been shredded beyond recognition by blade qi: "He..."

"The Clerk was killed by a demon, we know that."

The young men were all shrewd; while they lacked the courage to slay demons, they were sharp enough to read the situation.

Baiyun County was finished!

Master Shen had slain demons one after another; this matter could absolutely not be kept under wraps.

For three consecutive years, the yamen had reported that the city was peaceful, the people were healthy, there were no demonic disasters, and no public grievances.

Once this matter was exposed, the County Magistrate wouldn't have enough heads to pay for it.

It was clear that even though the demonic incidents had all occurred within a few short days, the County Magistrate had sensed something was wrong, which was why he had arranged for that expert to accompany them.

Thinking of the way the Thin Ascetic had fled for his life...

Everyone understood who the lamb waiting for the slaughter was now.

"Hmph!"

Butcher Zhang flicked his sleeves and chased after Shen Yi with some annoyance.

The man had easily slain two demons without sustaining a single scratch, while he himself couldn't even handle the Thin Ascetic.

So, the sparring match today...

That wasn't just holding back; that was letting the ocean flow!

And the man had kept calling him "Senior" the whole time—it was enough to make the butcher die of shame!

Late at night, the County Magistrate's residence.

In the main hall, the old man wore only white undergarments, leaning against the back of a rosewood chair. He wore a pair of loincloths and soaked his feet in a wooden basin.

He kept his eyes closed, his fingers tapping rhythmically against the armrest.

He didn't even notice that the water in the basin had gone cold; clearly, his mind was not on his feet.

The night watchman's clapper had already sounded three times.

By all accounts, the matter should have been settled long ago.

Song Changfeng and that dog Liu had truly had a keen eye—one chose, one cultivated, and they had managed to raise a disaster for him.

They had previously claimed that with that little bailiff around, the demon lords were perfectly satisfied and had not a single word of complaint.

Well, they were all lying in the mortuary now; what could they possibly complain about?

If he were truly a peerless martial artist, it would be fine if he just wiped out all the surrounding demons for him; he wouldn't have lacked for silver or beauties to offer the man.

But he was neither here nor there, useless for anything except ruining things. Damn him!

"Why have you only just returned?"

The County Magistrate opened his eyes and looked at the disheveled figure who had crashed through the door.

"Quick! The silver! Load all the silver that belongs to me onto the carts! I'm going back to Qing Prefecture, I'm leaving now!"

The Thin Ascetic gasped for air, took two or three strides forward, and under the County Magistrate's suspicious gaze, reached out and grabbed his collar.

"You... what is the meaning of this? Your mentor sent you to protect me; it has only been a few months, and you are leaving?"

"Protect your grandmother! What kind of idiotic demons did that Liu fellow collude with? He's provoked a Baleful Intent star! If I don't leave now, he's going to break down the door and take my head!"

The Thin Ascetic's eyes were bloodshot. He had only come to Baiyun County to earn some silver; he had never intended to lose his life here.

How could such a remote, backwater place produce such a martial arts expert?

"Let go of this Magistrate first... what's the rush... he is just a bailiff, a man of the imperial court! He is not one of you martial arts wanderers!"

As the County Magistrate spoke, he grew anxious and reached out to pry the man's fingers off.

To his surprise, the fingers actually gave way.

The County Magistrate froze, watching helplessly as the man lost his breath, with nothing but a needle as thin as an ox hair protruding from his throat.

The next moment, the thin, small youth carrying a sugar-figure pole smiled and put away his blowpipe, stepping into the room from the shadows.

Behind him came men dressed as carriage drivers, wealthy merchants, and even beggars...

A dozen people entered the room one after another and found seats for themselves. The only thing they had in common was the expression on their faces, which did not match their attire.

It was a look of detached condescension.

And the object of this condescension was none other than the County Magistrate, who was trembling as he pushed the dead man off his body.

"Who... who are you people? How dare you trespass in the County Magistrate's residence."

The group did not speak, instead casting their gazes toward the door.

As footsteps echoed, a figure stepped over the threshold.

The newcomer was tall, dressed in a long robe of ink-black brocade, with a white jade belt at his waist. On his shoulder, a fierce wolf that looked ready to devour men was embroidered in gold thread.

The cuffs were also embroidered with cloud patterns—three in total.

The man walked into the hall, scanned the room casually, and spoke in a voice tinged with coldness: "Colluding with demons. Check his identity."

"Understood."

At these words, the man dressed as a beggar walked over, his grimy fingers moving rapidly over the Thin Ascetic's body. A moment later, he looked up and laughed: "Body-tempering path, practiced finger techniques... Divine Eagle Claw. It's a disciple of the Vajra Sect. Not bad, old Liu, even the neck of this body-tempering martial artist couldn't block your hidden weapon."

The youth carrying the sugar-figure pole chuckled and waved his hand: "Any harder and it wouldn't have worked."

The man sat in the main seat and nodded slightly: "Send a letter to the Vajra Sect and tell them to go to the Demon Suppression Division to accept their punishment."

From the moment he saw the man's clothing, the County Magistrate's face had turned deathly pale, no better than a corpse.

This was the attire of a Captain of the Demon Suppression Division, and the three cloud patterns indicated that he was a veteran of the highest seniority among the captains.

"What is your surname?" he asked, summoning his courage. In truth, he wanted to ask why the man had arrived in Baiyun County ahead of schedule.

"You are too polite, Magistrate. No need for formalities, I am Li Xinhan." The man glanced sideways, a hint of a smile appearing on his face: "Please trouble yourself to tie yourself up. We have other important matters to discuss."