76: The state capital was shaken! It has become a legend!

Prefecture City exploded.

It wasn't the Demon Luring Formation that exploded; it was the people's hearts.

“Did you hear? About what happened in the mountain valley outside the city! The Lin Family's Young Master, Lin Yunzhi, was going to detonate some Demon Luring Formation and blow up the entire Prefecture City!”

“My heavens! Is that true? Wouldn't that mean all of us would be buried with him?”

In every street and alley, teahouse and tavern, anyone who could breathe was discussing it animatedly. The news spread like a rabbit with legs, running swiftly and becoming more outlandish with each telling.

“Exactly! I heard that in that mountain valley, Demonic Qi soared to the sky, and it looked like everything was about to be doomed!” A storyteller, dressed as such, gesticulated wildly in a restaurant hall, surrounded by a circle of listeners, all craning their necks.

“And then? And then?” someone eagerly pressed.

“Then! A golden light flashed! A young Cultivator named Li, like a Heavenly God descending, single-handedly charged into the encirclement!” The storyteller slammed his gavel. “It is said that this Young Hero Li, though young, had already reached the Transcendent Stage in his cultivation! With a flick of his hand, he sliced up those Lin Family dead soldiers! Even that scoundrel Lin Yunzhi was subdued by his single move!”

“Li Dong! His name is Li Dong, right?” someone in the crowd shouted. “Didn't we hear that name in the market a while ago?”

“Yes, yes, yes! It's him! They say he alone broke that Demon Luring Formation! And he even captured Lin Yunzhi alive! Goodness, that Lin Family Young Master is a formidable character at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage!”

“More than just Late Foundation Establishment Stage! I heard that Lin Yunzhi used some sinister secret technique at the time, and his strength surged, comparable to the Golden Core Stage! But what happened? He was still taken down by Young Hero Li!”

“Golden Core?!” Everyone gasped, then felt their blood boil. “Then isn't Young Hero Li… a Prodigy seen once in a hundred years?”

“I say once in a thousand years!”

“The hope of the Prefecture Demon Suppression Division! With such a person, why would we fear demons not being eradicated!”

Various versions of the rumors, each more fantastical than the last. Some said Li Dong had three heads and six arms, others that he could breathe true fire, and still others that he was actually the Reincarnation of a powerful being, specifically here to save the common people of the Prefecture.

The name Li Dong, in just one day, soared from a somewhat known newcomer to a legendary figure.

Within the Prefecture Demon Suppression Division, an even greater storm was brewing.

“Lin Xiaotian has been suspended!”

“Is that true? He's a Vice Commander!”

“How could it be false? Inspector Zhou of the Surveillance Division personally issued the order! It is said that Commander Luo couldn't even save him.”

“Serves him right! His son did such a heinous thing; it would be strange if he weren't implicated!”

“I heard that a large number of people the Lin Family had planted in our Demon Suppression Division are going to be rooted out this time.”

“That's great! The Lin Family, relying on their power these past years, hasn't oppressed us without connections any less.”

The Lin Family indeed suffered an unprecedented blow. Lin Xiaotian was suspended for investigation. Although, relying on the Lin Family's deep Foundation cultivated in the Prefecture for many years, they wouldn't collapse immediately, their authority and influence in the Demon Suppression Division had plummeted. Covertly, the remaining Lin Family forces were still frantically operating, trying to reverse the decline, or rather, to protect themselves.

At this moment, in a hidden courtyard within Prefecture City.

“Useless! A bunch of useless people!” Lin Fan furiously smashed the teacup in his hand to pieces. “That idiot Lin Yunzhi, more likely to mess things up than succeed! Now it's good, he's dragged all of us down with him!”

Before him, several Lin Family collateral descendants who usually followed him to throw their weight around, and representatives of some small families allied with the Lin Family, all looked ashen and were silent as cicadas.

“Brother Fan, what do we do now?” one person asked tremblingly. “I heard… I heard Li Dong has evidence of our previous… activities…”

Upon hearing this, Lin Fan's heart trembled even more. He had originally thought Li Dong was just a talented hothead. Who would have thought that this kid had quietly grown to a level where they had to look up to him, and could even decide their lives and deaths?

“He… he can't know everything…” Lin Fan's words were firm, but his heart was extremely weak.

“But what if? What if he really hands the evidence to Inspector Zhou…”

“How about we go to Li Dong… and plead for mercy?” someone suggested softly.

“Plead for mercy? Do you think he'll let us go?” Lin Fan gave a bitter laugh. “Now, it's either him dying or us perishing!”

Despite these words, looking at the desperate eyes of the crowd, Lin Fan also knew that the tide had turned. Perhaps… it was time to consider escaping? But the Prefecture was so vast, where could one run to?

Mu Shi County, Demon Suppression Division branch.

Zhang Wu put down the secret report, let out a long sigh of relief, and a long-lost smile appeared on his face.

“Good kid! You really did it!” he couldn't help but exclaim.

With Lin Yunzhi captured and Lin Xiaotian losing power, the pressure he felt in Mu Shi County from the Prefecture Lin Family instantly lessened by more than half. Those fiends who had previously relied on the Lin Family's backing to cause trouble in Mu Shi County should probably quiet down now.

However, amidst his relief, Zhang Wu's brow unconsciously furrowed again.

“This kid is too sharp…” he muttered to himself. “The Prefecture is a very deep place. He has offended the Lin Family and Luo Yi badly this time; his future days will likely not be easy.”

He thought for a moment, then picked up his pen and wrote a letter, preparing to send someone to the Prefecture with urgent speed to remind Li Dong to be extremely careful.

At the same time, in the Li Family of Mu Shi County.

Li Qingyan held the Jade Slip with the news from the Prefecture, her small face flushed red, not from shyness, but from excitement.

“Brother… my brother is too amazing!”

She seemed to see her brother's heroic figure outside Prefecture City, fighting against demons alone and saving the common people.

“I must also work hard to Cultivate! Reach Foundation Establishment as soon as possible! And go to the Prefecture to help my brother!” The girl's eyes shone with firm light, and she turned to immerse herself in even more diligent Cultivation.

Prefecture, Demon Suppression Division headquarters.

Luo Yi's expression had not been good these past few days. Lin Xiaotian was an important assistant to him, and now being suspended was undoubtedly like losing an arm.

The other two Vice Commanders, however, had different thoughts.

One of them, surnamed Qian, had always been neutral and did not participate in factional struggles. After hearing about the matter, he merely sent some innocuous condolences to the Lin Family and showed no further reaction.

The other, surnamed Sun, had always been at odds with Luo Yi and Lin Xiaotian. Naturally, he was pleased to see this outcome, and even secretly fanned the flames, trying to get a share of the power vacuum left by the Lin Family's loss of influence.

Inside Vice Commander Sun's residence.

“My lord, this Li Dong is truly a talent,” a strategist said. “So young, yet with such strength and courage. If he could be used by us…”

Vice Commander Sun took a sip of tea, his eyes flickering: “Talent? He's also a hot potato. He's too much in the limelight right now; quite a few people are watching him. Luo Yi, I'm afraid, wishes he could eat his flesh and sleep on his skin.”

“Then we…”

“No rush.” Vice Commander Sun waved his hand. “Let's wait and see. Let's see how far Inspector Zhou can take this case, and also see how much this Li Dong is truly worth. Whether he is a true Dragon or merely a passing fish, we will soon know.”

The power structure of the Prefecture's high-level officials had already seen subtle ripples due to Li Dong's sudden rise. Some previously neutral factions also began to reassess the situation, some developing an intention to win over Li Dong, while others were filled with apprehension.

The New Recruit Camp had long since completely erupted.

“Did you hear? Brother Li Dong! My heavens! He captured Lin Yunzhi all by himself!”

“More than that! I also heard he punched through the core of the Demon Luring Formation!”

“Is that true? Wasn't that thing supposed to be able to flatten the entire Prefecture City?”

“In front of Brother Li Dong, it's nothing!”

Those who had previously mocked Li Dong, saying he didn't know his place and would die offending the Lin Family, were now filled with regret. Each one wished they could slap themselves several times, wondering how they had been so blind and failed to latch onto this truly powerful figure.

Meanwhile, Qian Youliang, Zhao Tiezhu, and others who were on good terms with Li Dong felt honored and walked with a spring in their step.

“I told you so! Brother Li is no ordinary person!” Qian Youliang boasted proudly to those around him. “Back then, we were together in the market…”

He spoke animatedly, recounting his glorious deeds of “fighting alongside” Li Dong, though most of it was his own fabrication. But the rookies in the New Recruit Camp listened, dumbfounded and filled with envy.

Li Dong had already become a living legend in the New Recruit Camp, and even among the younger generation of the entire Prefecture Demon Suppression Division.

The legends about him grew increasingly divine.

“My third uncle's second grand-uncle's neighbor's son's comrade said that Lord Li Dong is actually a star deity descended from the heavens, specifically to slay demons and monsters!”

“No, no, the version I heard is that Lord Li Dong Cultivates an ancient secret technique, and can pierce a great demon to death with just one finger!”

“You're all outdated! The latest news is that Lord Li Dong is actually the Reincarnation of a Sword Immortal, and with a single thought, he can take someone's head from a thousand miles away!”

Some of these rumors even reached Li Dong's own ears.

He lay on the bed in the temporary residence assigned by the Demon Suppression Division, listening to the faint discussions from outside, feeling somewhat amused and exasperated.

“Reincarnation of a Sword Immortal? How come I didn't know?” He touched his nose. “These people, their imagination is truly rich.”

With great fame, troubles also seemed to follow. He could feel that the number of people secretly watching him seemed to have increased. Some gazes carried goodwill and curiosity, while others were not so friendly.

“A variable?”

In an unknown corner of Prefecture City, a hoarse voice sounded.

“This Li Dong has disrupted many plans. Whether it's an opportunity or a greater trouble, it's hard to say right now.”

“Keep watching him. The secrets on him seem to be even more than we imagined.”

As night deepened, the clamor of Prefecture City gradually subsided, but the undercurrents grew stronger. Li Dong knew this was just the beginning. The real storm was yet to come. He had to recover his strength as quickly as possible to face the upcoming challenges.

Lin Xiaotian would not let it go, and that old fox Luo Yi would certainly not sit idly by.

And then there was that Jade Slip he sent out; he wondered what kind of waves Inspector Zhou would stir up with it.

He closed his eyes and silently circulated his Cultivation Technique, as the Spiritual Qi in the air slowly gathered towards him.

No matter what lay ahead, he would walk on.