Making a Decision, Eradicating the Demonic Menace

"The crying I heard outside the town earlier must have been them."

"Why would that old devil blood-sacrifice everyone else, yet leave them alive?"

"Hmm?"

Chen Nianzhi's eyes flickered. He gripped the young girl's wrist, and a hint of pleasant surprise quickly appeared on his face.

He could clearly sense that this girl possessed a Fire-Wood Dual Element Spiritual Root. The cultivation speed of such mutually generating roots was even superior to ordinary dual roots, making it an extremely rare find.

"A dual root, indeed. No wonder the devil slaughtered the entire Peaceful Reach Town but spared them."

"Since she is a dual-root cultivator, what about this one?"

Chen Nianzhi's gaze shifted to Chen Ling, filled with a measure of anticipation. Twins conceived together often shared similar innate talents.

Thinking this, he hurriedly tested the boy's spiritual roots and, sure enough, discovered that he possessed a Fire-Metal Dual Element Spiritual Root.

Having found a pair of dual-root children, Chen Nianzhi did not linger. After a brief inspection of the town to confirm there were no other survivors, he immediately took the children and headed toward Pingyang County Town.

As for the corpses in Peaceful Reach Town, there were simply too many; he could only have the authorities in Pingyang County Town arrange for their disposal.

Upon returning to Pingyang County Town, he relayed the news to everyone immediately. A few days later, the Chen Clan cultivators sent back the results of their investigation.

It turned out that several years ago, the demonic cultivator had hidden his identity and settled in Peaceful Reach Town. After gaining the townspeople's trust, he ambushed the Chen Clan cultivator who maintained the town's defensive formation, which led to such a catastrophe.

"Damn that demonic cultivator, to be so cunning."

"Even a thousand deaths would not be enough to quell the hatred in my heart!"

Chen Nianyang could not help but say angrily upon hearing the news.

The Great Elder waved his hand, looked at the dozen or so cultivators present, and shook his head.

"The disaster has already occurred; it is too late to speak of such things now."

"Pass down the order: from today on, all towns and cities are to conduct a census. Every unfamiliar face must be strictly investigated."

"For anyone not of the Chen Clan bloodline, their identity must be verified repeatedly. As for the clansmen within the city, we must also guard against demonic possession."

"We must ensure we do not repeat the same mistakes..."

After giving these instructions, Chen Qingxu looked at Chen Nianzhi: "When you return to Qingyuan Mountain, have the Third Elder dispatch more manpower here."

"Understood."

Chen Nianzhi nodded. The demonic cultivator's sins were monstrous; the blood sacrifice of an entire town was truly an atrocity against humanity.

To prevent such a tragedy from happening again, he decided that upon returning to Qingyuan Mountain, he would immediately report the situation to the Clan Leader, convene a Council of Elders, reformulate strategies against demonic cultivators, and arrange for a thorough screening of the mortals.

Currently, the Chen Immortal Clan's mortal descendants numbered nearly two hundred thousand; screening them one by one would be a massive undertaking.

There were only twenty-some cultivators in Pingyang City. Now, not only did they have to guard the city, but they also had to root out hidden demonic cultivators. Their manpower was simply insufficient, and they would likely need to mobilize more from Qingyuan Mountain.

Thinking of this, Chen Nianzhi cupped his hands and said: "There is no time to lose; I shall depart shortly."

"No rush." The Great Elder stroked his long beard: "The demonic cultivator has already been slain by your hand; there is no need to hurry over these one or two days."

"You have been testing spiritual roots for days and fought a great battle against a demonic cultivator; your spirit and mana are quite depleted. Why not rest here for the night and take the children with tested roots back to Qingyuan Mountain tomorrow?"

Hearing this, Chen Nianzhi nodded: "That would be for the best."

Early the next morning, Chen Nianzhi set off for Qingyuan Mountain with the five children who had tested positive for spiritual roots.

It had taken him only two days to arrive, but the return journey, burdened with five children, took a full seven or eight days to reach Qingyuan Mountain.

Upon returning to Qingyuan Mountain, he went straight to the Spirit Spring at the back of the mountain, where he met the Clan Leader, Chen Changxuan.

As a member of the Chang generation, the Old Clan Leader was now over one hundred and ten years old. Compared to the two-hundred-year lifespan of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he was still considered quite young.

Logically, given his remaining lifespan, there was still a chance for him to break through to the Purple Mansion realm. However, he had been besieged two years ago, which damaged his meridians, and now his path of cultivation had become increasingly uncertain.

Chen Nianzhi looked at the Old Clan Leader and sighed inwardly.

He knew that even if the Old Clan Leader recovered from his injuries, the clan in its current state had no capacity to support him in purchasing the resources needed to break through to the Purple Mansion realm.

Such was the cruelty of fate. In truth, sixty years ago, at the peak of the Chen Immortal Clan, they would have had the ability to support a cultivator in breaking through to the Purple Mansion.

At that time, the Chen Clan not only had several Foundation Establishment cultivators, but the then-Clan Leader was a great cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Grand Completion. The Chen Clan had exhausted the foundations accumulated over hundreds of years to purchase a Violet Sun Jade, a heavenly treasure that assisted in breaking through to the Purple Mansion.

If that Clan Leader had succeeded in his breakthrough, the current Chen Immortal Clan would likely be a Purple Mansion Immortal Clan renowned throughout the Chu Kingdom.

Unfortunately, during the Beast Turmoil sixty years ago, the Chen Immortal Clan was likely targeted by a conspiracy. Almost all the Chen Clan cultivators who went to battle, including that generation's Clan Leader, were lost, and the Violet Sun Jade vanished without a trace.

"Cough, cough."

Seeing Chen Nianzhi, the Old Clan Leader's pale complexion gained a slight flush.

He coughed, hiding a trace of sorrow in his eyes, and offered a rare, warm smile.

"Nianzhi, what brings you to see me this time?"

"I have returned because the clan has encountered a demonic calamity."

Chen Nianzhi collected his thoughts, pondered for a moment, and recounted the events that had transpired in Peaceful Reach Town.

After hearing the story, a sharp, cold light flashed in Chen Changxuan's eyes.

"These demonic whelps are becoming increasingly brazen."

"Do they truly think my Chen Clan has no one left?"

Seeing the Old Clan Leader's anger rising, Chen Nianzhi worried it would aggravate his injuries and hurriedly consoled him:

"Uncle-Grandfather, please do not be angry."

"The demon has already been executed; there is no use in being angry now."

Hearing this, the Old Clan Leader restrained his emotions slightly and said with a grave expression.

"Qingxu is right; the top priority now is to prevent such things from happening again."

"Demonic cultivators are pervasive. I fear there is more than one hiding in Pingyang County; they are most adept at infiltration and concealment."

"I am severely injured and cannot act easily. To prevent this calamity from repeating, you must use thunderous means to eradicate the hidden threats within the clan."

Chen Nianzhi nodded: "I have already made plans for this."

"I will convene a Council of Elders shortly to arrange for the screening of the mortals in Pingyang County. Once a demon is found, I will show no mercy."

"Good." The Old Clan Leader said with relief: "The elders in the clan are all steady and experienced. Discuss this matter thoroughly with them; safety must be the priority."

"..."

After leaving the Spirit Spring, Chen Nianzhi immediately convened a Council of Elders.

The Great Elder was in Pingyang County, and the Second Elder had gone to Yuyang Market after the New Year.

For this clan meeting, besides Chen Nianzhi, only the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Elders were present.

The four of them sat in the Clan Affairs Hall. Chen Nianzhi glanced at the Sixth Elder's seat, and the Third Elder, seeing his expression, said with a heavy heart.

"After the New Year, Qing Meng entered a life-or-death seclusion."