chsdbacks Chapter 38: Demons? Xu Rulin, Demon Extermination Bureau of the Prefectural City.
Chapter 38: Demons? Xu Rulin, Demon Extermination Bureau of the Prefectural City.
The Lu family, the Elders' Council.
The night was deep, enveloping the residence that was specially built to house the meritorious elders of the Lu family.
The air was still in the flickering candlelight of the hall.
The shadows of the nine elders of the Lu family were projected onto the wall, and a conspiracy concerning the fate of the family was brewing in the silence.
"We can't wait any longer!" Third Elder Lu Shan slammed his hand on the table, causing the candlelight to flicker violently.
"We must contact the Earth Dragon Martial Arts School immediately and completely eliminate that bastard!"
A hesitant voice came from the corner: "But the Earth Dragon Martial Arts School is asking for too much; they're asking for half the shop right off the bat..."
"Hmph!" Lu Shan's eyes were as sinister as a venomous snake as he coldly swept over the speaker. "That bitch sold half of her shop to Sitong Martial Arts School for a pittance a few days ago in order to ask for help. What are we afraid of?!"
"This... I'll consider it further..."
Before he could finish speaking, Lu Shan's expression changed drastically. He abruptly turned around and shouted, "Who's outside?!"
boom--!
A ten-meter-long, jet-black blade of light tore through the thick wall without warning! Wood chips and bricks flew everywhere amidst a deafening roar!
The house collapsed instantly!
Boom...boom...boom...
Heavy footsteps shattered the rubble, and a towering figure slowly emerged from the smoke-filled night.
"Cough...cough cough..." Lu Shan forced out his qi and blood, lifted the pieces of beams that were pressing down on him, and stared in fear at the giant covered in iron armor in the darkness.
"demon?!"
As their gaze swept past the giant's feet, they discovered that the guards who had been standing watch outside the courtyard had long since turned into several black, withered skeletons, their deaths bizarre and terrifying.
Tonight's private meeting concerns his life and fortune, so he specifically dismissed all the guards at the Body Refinement Realm.
"Where did these demons come from? Aren't they afraid of the Lanjiang Demon Extermination Bureau's ruthless methods?!" Lu Shan shouted fiercely, his flesh-refining realm qi surging wildly within him, ready to unleash its power.
"Oh…"
A cold, mocking laugh echoed from beneath the armor. The only response was the giant suddenly raising his massive cleaver!
Dragon-Slaying Saber Technique!
The nearly three-meter-long blade tore through the air and crashed down with a fierce wind!
Lu Shan's pupils contracted sharply, and he rolled to the side in a disheveled manner to dodge, while screaming for help and frantically groping for the fallen longsword with both hands.
"You bastard! Do you really think the Lu family has no one to rely on?!" Lu Shan exclaimed in shock and anger.
The eerie black aura surging from the giant's body and its inhuman size instantly led him to equate it with a ferocious demon.
But why did this demon specifically target the Lu family?
We must stall it! Stall it until the Demon Extermination Bureau notices the commotion and arrives!
With a quick thought, he grabbed the longsword from the ground and instead of retreating, advanced, the longsword transforming into a streak of cold light that pierced straight at the giant!
"Demons, die!"
Faced with the incoming sword light, the armored giant coldly uttered two words:
"ridiculous!"
After being branded with the Ghost Blade Beast Mark, his strength in his divine power state reached the late stage of Flesh Refinement!
Furthermore, with the added advantage of Ghost Blade's talent, his swordsmanship has reached a state of perfection!
The giant sword seemed to flick casually, but its trajectory was incredibly tricky, and it struck Lu Shan's side ribs with unbelievable precision from an impossible angle!
Lu Shan was terrified and could only frantically gather all his blood and energy in his waist to withstand the attack!
boom!
An irresistible force struck, and he was smashed away like a broken sack!
Just as Zhang Ping was about to give chase, a loud shout suddenly rang out from behind him:
"Demons, cease your madness!"
He didn't even bother to turn around, and swung his sword backhand! The dragon's momentum rose again!
A jet-black blade of energy, several meters long, roared out!
The martial artists who had just arrived never expected that Zhang Ping could release his sword energy!
Before he could even think of dodging, he was cut in half in mid-air, and blood rained down from the sky!
"impossible!"
The two flesh-refining martial artists who arrived shortly after witnessed this scene, their faces drained of color, and their eyes were filled with horror.
Late-stage meat refinement... gone in one strike?!
Zhang Ping was also slightly surprised; he hadn't expected the effect of this strike to be so astonishing.
"Then..." A deep voice echoed in the night wind.
"Let's begin."
The moment the words fell, a violent and ferocious aura, no longer concealed, surged into the sky! The pitch-black blood and qi burned and surged like tangible flames!
Both men were utterly terrified and their fighting spirit had vanished. In just a few breaths, their fatal weakness was seized, a flash of blade, and their mangled bodies fell to the ground.
When Zhang Ping turned around to look for the Third Elder, all that remained was a scene of devastation.
"They ran away?" He frowned slightly.
Looking up, I saw several powerful auras rapidly approaching from different directions within the city.
Well then... I might as well use him to test the pollution effect of this black blood.
The thought flashed through his mind, and he didn't linger. With a leap, his massive figure disappeared beyond the high walls of the Lu family in a few undulations.
"Demon, stay!"
Zhang Ping had just firmly planted his feet on the stone slabs of the alley when a figure flashed across the layers of rooftops like lightning, exuding a chilling killing intent!
"A filthy martial artist!" Alarm bells rang in Zhang Ping's mind.
Without hesitation, he poured all his violent black blood energy into the giant sword in his hand, spun around, and unleashed his strongest slash towards the pursuers behind him!
"Ghost Sword One Style, Shining Light!"
hum-
A massive, perfectly condensed black blade of light tore through the night, roaring silently as it slashed backward!
Xu Rulin, who was chasing after him, suddenly stopped, his expression changed slightly, and he pushed out with both hands. His powerful Qi and blood from the Refining Realm surged out and transformed into layers of defense in front of him!
Boom! ...
The sword energy clashed violently with the protective qi and blood!
Centered on the point of impact, a violent surge of energy swept outwards like a storm! Within a twenty-meter radius, the walls of houses were torn apart and blown away like paper! Smoke, dust, and debris shot into the sky!
When Xu Rulin emerged somewhat disheveled from the billowing dust, there was no trace of Zhang Ping. The lingering scent in the air had also been completely wiped away, vanishing without a trace!
"Hmph, a mere trick!" Xu Rulin sneered, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
He reached behind his back and pulled out an ancient bronze compass, a demon-hunting artifact. Without hesitation, he poured his vital energy into it.
However, the compass needle in the center remained completely still.
"How is this possible?!" Xu Rulin's composure finally crumbled, revealing an expression of disbelief.
"Even the demon-finding artifact can't track it down?!"
At this moment, powerful figures from all over the city who had been alerted also arrived at this devastated place.
A burly man recognized Xu Rulin and asked in a gruff voice:
"Old Xu? What are you doing here?"
Xu Rulin, captain of the seventh squad of the Demon Extermination Division, entered the Refining Realm ten years ago. Although he has not yet reached the middle stage, his strength should not be underestimated. His martial arts skills of the Demon Extermination Division are extremely fierce.
The Demon Extermination Bureau has always been aloof and rarely intervenes in disputes within the city unless demons cause trouble.
"The one that attacked the Lu family was a demon we've never seen before." Xu Rulin suppressed his surprise and doubt, put away the demon-finding disk, and clasped his hands in a deep voice to the several martial arts practitioners from the city who had rushed over.
These people are mostly martial arts school owners, family heads, or top instructors, so they must be given enough face.
"Demons?" The big man sensed his surroundings in confusion, but couldn't detect the slightest demonic aura.
The others also showed the same puzzled expression.
Xu Rulin explained, "I didn't know this was the work of a demon. I was not far from here when I sensed the commotion and came to check. I just happened to see that demon, which was nearly three meters tall, rushing out of the Lu family's house."
They intended to keep it, but this demon was not only highly skilled in swordsmanship, but its methods of concealing its presence were also incredibly unpredictable, rendering even the Demon-Sniffing Compass ineffective.
"Such a bizarre demon exists?" Everyone was shocked.
The demons were waging war, their aura impossible to conceal.
Only a very few special demons, either gifted with extraordinary talents or practicing secret techniques, can conceal their aura; relatively speaking, their profound swordsmanship is not uncommon, after all, high-level demons are not unintelligent and it is not surprising that they can imitate human martial arts.
But the combination of these two things... has raised doubts in some people's minds:
"Captain Xu, is it really not man-made?"
Xu Rulin shook his head, his tone certain: "That person's body was surrounded by surging black blood energy, carrying a turbid and eerie corrosive power. Coupled with its enormous size, which could not have been achieved by humankind, it must be a demon without a doubt. The fact that it was able to sneak into the city silently suggests that it possesses some kind of disguise technique."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a figure stumbled out of the shadows of the nearby ruins, running and shouting at the top of his lungs:
"Lord Xu! It's Lu Wanrou! It must be that vile woman colluding with demons! She's trying to harm my Lu family!"
Lu Shan was on the verge of death, his exposed skin a ghastly gray-black, with wisps of black energy seeping from his pores, as if he were alive.
"Lord Xu! The Demon Extermination Bureau must stand up for my Lu family!" Lu Shan fell to the ground, his voice filled with grief.
Xu Rulin's eyes suddenly sharpened like knives:
"You've been corrupted by that demon's blood and energy?!"
All eyes turned to Lu Shan, and their expressions turned serious as they saw the black lines writhing under his skin and the foul aura emanating from him.
"I am Lu Shan, the third elder of the Lu family!" Lu Shan hissed, enduring the excruciating pain within his body.
"Tonight's demons must be Lu Wanrou's doing! They're here to get rid of me and seize control of the Lu family!"
He grasped at this lifeline and poured out all the inside stories of the power struggles within the Lu family.
"Is this true?" someone asked.
"I swear on my life!"
Xu Rulin's cold gaze swept over everyone present, his voice resolute:
"Effective immediately, the Demon Extermination Bureau will take over the affairs of the Lu family! At the same time, a city-wide search for demons will be launched, and we ask for your full cooperation!"
The owners and heads of the households cursed inwardly.
Just when it seemed like they were about to snatch the Lu family's prize, they unexpectedly attracted demons and dragged the Demon Exorcism Bureau into the mess.
They weren't afraid that Xu Rulin would take advantage of the situation; everyone in the city knew that he was upright and incorruptible.
But he was too upright, which made it impossible for those who wanted to take advantage of the situation to do anything.
"The Lu family really got lucky..."