A bounty of three thousand spirit stones? Wasn't that just Slaughter Points delivered to his door?

"Enough."

A low voice thundered through the courtyard, and the bronze gates swung open to either side.

The dull scrape of metal grated against everyone's eardrums as a middle-aged man clad in black battle armor stepped over the threshold.

His boot soles touched the ground.

The atmosphere on the training ground changed instantly. The airborne dust lost its original trajectory and plunged straight to the ground.

Invisible spiritual pressure surged out through the gates, sweeping across the entire field in a fan-shaped wave of tangible oppression.

Lin Xiao's legs buckled sharply. He braced both hands against his knees, clenching his teeth.

Drip!

Drip!

Sweat ran down his jawline and splashed against the flagstones.

Dozens of Demon Suppression Guards from Nanhe County dropped to one knee in unison.

Their kneecaps slammed against the stone slabs with a series of heavy thuds.

Their chests heaved violently, yet they could not draw in the slightest breath.

Su Yu, who bore the brunt of it, stood with both feet nailed to the spot, as though a ten-thousand-pound boulder pressed down on his head.

His blood and Qi circulated of their own accord, and dark blue-green patterns emerged beneath his skin.

The depths of Vajra Demonic Baleful Intent were fully roused by the absolute external force, and a rapid series of cracks erupted from his spine.

Mystic Realm ninth level-an absolute gulf between cultivation realms.

The spiritual pressure released alone was enough to crush every bone in a Mortal Realm martial artist's body.

Shen Yang climbed out of the broken timber, his moon-white brocade robe torn in several places.

He raised his right hand and pointed his index finger straight at Su Yu.

"Commandant! This brat has no respect for rank and has viciously attacked his colleagues!"

"He gravely injured two Spirit Realm Demon Suppression Guards and even dared to draw his saber on me! He must be colluding with the Demon God Cult and plotting rebellion!"

The entire field fell deathly silent.

Everyone from Nanhe County was stunned by his accusations.

"Are all the people from Tiannan Commandery out of their minds?"

Su Yu was colluding with the Demon God Cult? Then what did that make the Liu Family he had wiped out? Loyal and virtuous subjects?

The black-armored man stopped and turned his head toward Shen Yang, making no unnecessary movements.

He did not even touch the saber hilt at his waist, merely letting out a cold snort.

The sound wave, mixed with violent spiritual power, instantly became a tangible blast that tore through the air ahead.

It crossed thirty feet and slammed straight into Shen Yang's chest.

Bang!

Shen Yang's feet left the ground, and his entire body flew backward more than a hundred feet.

His back smashed into and toppled a solid wooden weapon rack, scattering refined-iron spears and halberds across the ground.

Pfft!

He spat out a mouthful of dark red blood, his breastbone visibly caved inward.

The red-robed woman and the tall man who had followed him lay collapsed on the ground. They watched their Spirit Realm third-level captain suffer a grievous injury from a single cold snort, yet did not dare move at all.

Such was the terrifying deterrence of a great Mystic Realm cultivator.

"When the Mystic Realm puppet on Cloud Wolf Mountain awakened, you hid on the official road ten li away and didn't dare take a single step forward."

Lu Cang enunciated clearly, every word striking at the heart.

"Now that you've come to this remote county town, you've started throwing your weight around as a captain from Tiannan Commandery."

Lying among the weapons, Shen Yang clawed desperately at the dirt with both hands when he heard this.

His head was buried between his arms, fear completely overwhelming his physical pain.

The name of Tiannan Commandery's Shen Family was worth less than a scrap of wastepaper before this commandant who held the power of life and death.

Lu Cang turned to face Su Yu.

Boom!

In an instant, the spiritual pressure permeating the training ground rapidly converged around Su Yu alone.

The flagstones creaked beneath the unbearable burden, fine cracks spreading from Lu Cang toward Su Yu's feet.

Su Yu set his left thumb against his saber guard. Divine sense gathered in his mind, and Vajra Demonic Baleful Intent activated on its own.

He looked levelly at the black-armored man ahead, his back taut as a fully drawn bow, without retreating half a step.

The upheaval on Cloud Wolf Mountain had already subsided. As a commandant, the man would never lower himself to make trouble for a squad leader from a remote county town like him.

This was a test.

"Fine courage. Fine physique."

Clearly, his guess had been right. After that praise, Lu Cang reined in his presence, and the terrifying pressure on the training ground vanished instantly.

The kneeling Demon Suppression Guards slumped to the ground, greedily gulping air.

Tang Shan braced both hands against the ground, his clothes already soaked in cold sweat.

He looked up at Su Yu, who remained standing immovably in place, and an unusual glint flashed deep in his eyes.

Lin Xiao pushed against his knees and stood, his gaze fixed on Su Yu's back. The returns on his earlier efforts to win him over and invest in him had far exceeded expectations.

At that moment, he knew full well that the little mud puddle of Nanhe County could no longer hold this true dragon.

Lu Cang took two steps forward, stopping three feet in front of Su Yu.

"You've tempered your body to the limit. Your bone density is unlike that of ordinary people, and your blood and Qi contain an extremely heavy murderous savagery."

"The entire Liu Family, and the demons on the outskirts of Cloud Wolf Mountain-did you kill them all?"

Su Yu released the thumb pressed against his saber guard and nodded calmly.

"Good!"

Lu Cang nodded, making no attempt to conceal the appreciation in his eyes.

He clasped his hands behind his back.

"But I must warn you. An old bastard from the Demon God Cult has put the word out in the commandery city."

"A bounty of three thousand mid-grade spirit stones for your head, as an offering to the Liu Family."

"If you dare take on this game, you'll qualify to join the Shadow Guard."

With that, Lu Cang turned and strode away.

As he passed Shen Yang, he paused briefly.

"Take your people and get the hell back to Tiannan Commandery."

"If I catch you making a disgrace of yourself here again, I'll twist your head off myself."

Shen Yang trembled violently and struggled to his feet, enduring the agony of his fractured breastbone.

He kept his head lowered throughout, not even daring to look in Su Yu's direction. He called to the two injured people, and the three left the training ground in a sorry state.

Lin Xiao walked over to Su Yu's side.

"Do you really intend to go to the commandery city?"

"The Demon God Cult's elder stationed in the commandery will be at least a Mystic Realm cultivator. Assassins from every major black market will have their eyes on you."

"They'll be in the shadows, while you'll be out in the open."

Lin Xiao left it at that and said no more, turning to leave.

Thanks to the destruction of the Liu Family and the Demon Suppression Guard's shortage of manpower, he had kept his position as captain for the time being.

Even so, Lin Xiao did not dare relax in the slightest. If anything else went wrong in Nanhe County...

Even Jesus himself would not be able to save him.

After Lin Xiao left, a thoughtful look flickered in Su Yu's eyes.

If he stayed in Nanhe County, there were no demons left.

With his supply of Slaughter Points cut off, his cultivation would inevitably stagnate.

There were also the subsequent cultivation methods for the Spirit Realm section of Suppressing Prisons and Subduing Demons. He had to go to the Demon Suppression Pavilion in Tiannan Commandery to exchange for them.

The enormous bounty of three thousand spirit stones would inevitably attract large numbers of high-level martial artists and desperate outlaws.

To him, these were merely Slaughter Points delivered to his door. There was no reason to turn them away.

With a slight stir of Su Yu's thoughts, a pale blue screen unfolded in his vision.

[System updating. Time remaining: 10 hours, 15 minutes]

Once the system finished updating, it would be time for him to set out.

Having made up his mind, Su Yu turned and headed toward his small courtyard.

Watching Su Yu's departing figure, Tang Shan's eyes flickered, and then a look of resolve crossed his face.

"If I rely on myself to take revenge, I'm afraid there'll be no hope in this lifetime. I can only borrow someone else's strength!"

Meanwhile, Su Yu returned to his room and packed briefly, stuffing some banknotes, healing medicines, and Body Tempering Pills into his storage pouch.

"I wonder whether there are any natural treasures in Nanhe County that come with Sha Qi of their own!"

Su Yu murmured under his breath.

Cultivating Vajra Demonic Baleful Intent required absorbing Sha Qi into his body to strengthen his physique.

He had originally planned to try his luck on Cloud Wolf Mountain the previous night, but his luck had been poor, and he had encountered the awakening of a Mystic Realm puppet.

"I'll go ask the captain!"