Yuan Guanshan sat cross-legged on the ground.
The coffin stood upright at the city gate, like a silent banner.
Without making any movement, the old ape seemed to be waiting for something.
His presence was barely perceptible, as though he had become one with heaven and earth.
Yet his very existence had turned all of Qianqiu County's walled city into a sealed coffin.
No one was allowed in, and no one was allowed out.
With the strength of a single demon, he held an entire city captive.
Yu Qianqian was stunned, her heart plunging to rock bottom.
She had never imagined that the ape demon's death could draw the attention of a great demon of the Inner Landscape Realm.
"An ape..."
Among the demonic powers within You Province, one capable of such a feat, with such distinctive characteristics-Yu Qianqian already had a vague answer in mind.
"If it really is that demonic power, Lu Guan is in trouble."
Seeing that the ape demon had locked onto the entire city with his Qi presence, making departure a road to certain death, she abandoned the idea of fleeing.
She took a long look at the old ape's figure.
He was not tall, and was even somewhat stooped, like an old monkey one might see anywhere.
Yet that stooped figure made the knees of every guard on the walls tremble.
The woman turned and retraced her steps.
The bailiffs worked together to slam the city gates shut.
The iron gates closed, and the bronze bar dropped into place with a deep, thunderous crash.
As though shutting the gates could keep that terrifying being outside.
But even so, the shadow of impending catastrophe refused to fade.
The city gates had closed.
Like the lid of a coffin shutting.
Noon had passed, and the blazing sun slanted westward.
The horizon was stained red, like clouds aflame, the entire sky looking as though someone had splashed a basin of blood across it.
Inside the Demon Suppression Bureau, the vast compound was silent as the grave, its stillness terrifying.
Demon Suppression captains in flying-fish robes paced back and forth, their footsteps soundless, their brows deeply furrowed and their faces filled with unease.
Many unconsciously pressed their fingers against their saber hilts, gripping and releasing them, releasing and gripping them again.
Clearly, waves were already raging within their hearts.
Yet no one knew what to do.
Lu Guan watched the crowd, his expression calm.
He was met by gazes carrying a trace of hope.
No, rather than hope, it was more like desperately seeking any physician when gravely ill.
The young commandant before them had brought them so many miracles in such a short time that, without realizing it, they had come to regard him as their pillar.
This came not merely from his rank, but even more from the youth's staggering achievements.
Only days after taking office, he had completely changed the situation with demons in Qianqiu County.
But this time was different...
Although they did not know the exact realm of the old ape outside the city.
The mere fact that he could single-handedly seal off the entire city through uncanny means-
Told them that even the combined strength of the entire city would be utterly outmatched.
The two sides were simply not on the same level of strength.
No matter how many miracles this young commandant could create, it could not change the fact that he was only a True Qi Realm martial artist.
Never mind the True Qi Realm-even if the Gang Condensation Realm deputy suppression commissioner from a few days ago were still here...
Could he match such a terrifying being?
That would probably still warrant an enormous question mark.
Fear spread through the crowd.
Even these Qi and Blood Realm martial artists were like this, so what of the ordinary people who had never cultivated?
After discovering that taking a single step outside the city would cause sudden, inexplicable death, the city had already descended into chaos.
Some knelt in the streets and kowtowed, some burned incense in temples, and some hid beneath their beds, trembling.
Some even slaughtered a chicken and set it out as an offering in their courtyards, who knew to which god.
"He's wary of something," Lu Guan said.
The youth's voice held a calm far beyond that of ordinary people.
Everyone's gaze fell on him at once.
"This demon appears to have sealed off the entire city single-handedly, but looked at another way, he's clearly using the people of this city as bargaining chips."
"Otherwise, there's simply no explaining why he'd surround us without killing us."
As Lu Guan offered this analysis, he already had the answer in his heart.
The other party had clearly come for him.
He had just slain an ape demon, and this one had arrived right on Yin Shisan's heels.
He really did not let a grudge wait overnight.
As for what the other party feared, he knew that too.
Great Li, the Demon Suppression Bureau!
Although demons keep appearing everywhere, there have never been rumors of high-realm demons slaughtering an entire city or commandery.
Even Gang Condensation Realm demons rarely show themselves, appearing only in certain fixed locations.
Clearly, the Great Li court and the demons have reached some sort of tacit understanding.
Once they reach a certain realm, they can no longer act lightly.
...And that old ape is very likely in precisely that restricted realm!
Above the Gang Condensation Realm!
At this thought, Lu Guan immediately understood that the other party was merely bluffing.
If he truly wanted to kill him, he could simply storm the city. Why sit outside the gates and wait?
He surrounded them without killing them because he was gambling.
Gambling that Great Li's Demon Suppression Bureau would back down first, gambling that someone would hand over the culprit.
His true aim was probably to trade the lives of an entire city's people for the life of the culprit-Lu Guan!
Lu Guan pressed his lips together.
Would Great Li's Demon Suppression Bureau protect him?
That might depend on the person.
If the one who came was a powerful figure like Zhou Kaishan, who took an appeasing stance toward demons, his life would most likely be forfeit.
After all, exchanging one life for an entire city's lives was a deal that required no thought.
If the one who came was a powerful figure who hated demons to the bone and attacked without another word, then not only would he be fine, he would even earn their appreciation.
Fuck, why should someone who hasn't even shown their face get to decide whether I live or die?
After thinking for a moment, Lu Guan rose and headed outside.
He was not accustomed to gambling his fate on an uncertain person or an uncertain future.
He wanted even more to hold a certain future in his own hands.
Even if the enemy was strong and he was weak, how could he know the outcome without trying?
In the end, one had to rely on oneself.
Of course, there was also... the panel.
Nearly seven hundred years of cultivation gave Lu Guan ample confidence.
Aside from him, Qianqiu County had three other True Qi Realm martial artists.
One was Qianqiu's county magistrate, who governed the area, and another was Qianqiu's county commandant, who oversaw the county's bailiffs.
Of course, neither held the status of the Demon Suppression Bureau.
The last was the head of the Li Household, a great local clan of Qianqiu County.
The first two, together with Lu Guan, were Great Li's three major officials in Qianqiu County.
As for the Li Household, it had been rooted in Qianqiu County for two hundred years, with numerous descendants and landholdings everywhere-a local snake in every sense.
The head of the Li Household could also be called blades, spears, and cannons.
All three possessed True Qi Realm internal cultivation methods.
Lu Guan only needed to obtain one of them, and he could use the Dao Seed to successfully extrapolate a Gang Condensation Realm cultivation method.
With both his internal cultivation and body tempering at Gang Condensation, perhaps he would have a thread of hope for survival.
Just then, a sudden commotion arose at the compound entrance.
Three figures arrived together, coming face-to-face with Lu Guan as he was about to leave.
"Where are you headed, Lord Lu?"