13: The demon reappears

Lu Ming stared at the text on the panel, and the moment the last paragraph appeared, he felt as if his entire body, from head to toe, had become incredibly light.

His cultivation remained at the Initial Realm Early Stage, but it had already reached a level infinitely close to the Middle Stage.

Perhaps he only needed an opportunity to achieve a Breakthrough.

【Consumable Demon Lifespan: 29 years】

To bring the Blood Refining Yuan Gathering Skill to the ninth layer, he had consumed 210 years of Demon Lifespan. Although it was a bit much, Lu Ming believed it was absolutely worth it.

“It seems I need to kill more demons,” Lu Ming muttered softly, looking at the panel.

However, he knew that killing demons was not an easy task. A large part of why he survived last night was because of his good luck.

Demons were not that easy to find; they often hid in deep mountains and old forests, and many demons had a habit of grouping together.

If he were to rashly venture out for Demon Lifespan, it was very likely he wouldn't kill many demons, and instead, he would be the one to fall.

He carefully considered this matter. As his Lifespan increased, he became more and more concerned about his own safety.

The Lu Manor had been thoroughly cleared, and even the demons that fled last night had already escaped.

At noon, after lunch, Lu Daoyuan and Su Jingyi returned to the Lu Manor under the escort of several Demon Suppression Division members dispatched by Zhao Bufan.

Having experienced this incident, Lu Daoyuan had many things to deal with. Not only did he have to spend money for the families of the deceased Lu Manor servants, but he also had to stabilize his businesses to prevent any unexpected issues.

The courtyard returned to quiet once more. Lu Ming was not idle in the afternoon either, choosing instead to practice his martial arts in the courtyard.

He still used the long blade he brought from the Lu Manor. He had also used the steel blade issued by the Demon Suppression Division, but in terms of both toughness and sharpness, it couldn't compare to the specially crafted long blade he held, which was made with great expense.

After performing several rounds of blade techniques, Lu Ming, whose forehead was covered in a fine layer of sweat, rested for a moment.

After drinking the water in the bowl in one gulp, he checked the panel again.

【Name: Lu Ming】

【Martial Arts: Subduing Dragon Fist (Ninth Layer) +, Subduing Dragon Palm (Ninth Layer) +, Subduing Dragon Blade (Ninth Layer) +, Blood Refining Yuan Gathering Skill (Ninth Layer)】

【Current Personal Lifespan: 25 years; Consumable Demon Lifespan: 29 years】

The plus signs had reappeared next to the three martial arts, Subduing Dragon Fist, etc. Lu Ming knew this should be related to his Realm Breakthrough.

And this also gave him many ideas.

Good Cultivation Techniques were hard to find nowadays. Even with the backing of the Demon Suppression Division, obtaining higher-level Cultivation Techniques was not an easy task.

During his confrontation with Liu Chuan last night, he had comprehended two other martial arts from Subduing Dragon Fist in a desperate situation, and he had also comprehended Protective Aura.

Now, could he continue to inject Lifespan to see if there would be new changes?

After weighing it for a moment, Lu Ming felt that this method had great feasibility, but unfortunately, the Demon Lifespan was currently less than thirty years. The possibility of continuing to Breakthrough and improve was probably not high!

Just as Lu Ming was contemplating, Luo Zhong hurried over.

As if there was an urgent matter, upon seeing Lu Ming, he panted and said, “Young Master Lu, news has come from the city that a demon has been discovered. The officials have already rushed over, and we must also go quickly.”

“A demon in the city?”

Lu Ming put away his long blade and looked at Luo Zhong with some confusion.

“Last night, Lord Zhao only defeated the attacking demons. Although the leading Peak Realm Demon escaped outside the city, many demons still remained in the city.”

“In fact, ever since Lord Zhao returned, the Demon Suppression Division has dispatched personnel to encircle and suppress them, but with our limited manpower, we can't search the entire city all at once. Now, an urgent situation has arisen, and other forces are difficult to reach, so we are the closest.”

After Luo Zhong's explanation, Lu Ming showed a look of realization. He had slept too soundly last night and hadn't paid attention to these matters.

“Then let's go,” Lu Ming said calmly.

It just so happened that he had almost exhausted his Demon Lifespan to improve the Blood Refining Yuan Gathering Skill. He was originally worried about how to find lone demons, but now, it was good that one had delivered itself to his doorstep.

Seeing Lu Ming's sharp and decisive appearance, Luo Zhong was also slightly stunned. He wondered if it was his own illusion, but looking at the other party's eager eyes, he seemed to be looking forward to fighting demons.

One must know that ordinary people would avoid them if they could, and even Luo Zhong, who worked for the Demon Suppression Division, was unwilling to deal with demons frequently... The group, guided by Luo Zhong, quickly headed towards the location where the demon was sighted.

Upon arriving at a secluded private courtyard in the city, they found that the surrounding area had already been controlled by constables.

These constables belonged to the Yamen of Lianbo City. Some held bows and crossbows, others carried long spears, and while dissuading passersby, they looked nervously at the tightly shut gate of the private courtyard.

It was as if a terrifying monster would rush out of it at any second.

Upon seeing Luo Zhong and the others arrive, the leading Detective Liu seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

“You're finally here. That demon is in the courtyard,” Detective Liu quickly stepped forward and informed them of the situation.

“Don't panic. Do you know the demon's strength and what kind it is?” Luo Zhong was quite experienced in handling such matters. He said calmly.

“This…” Detective Liu showed a hint of hesitation.

After a pause, he said with a slight embarrassment, “I don't know. The family in that small courtyard was slaughtered by the demon. If it weren't for a neighbor hearing screams and reporting it in time, we probably wouldn't even know the demon was here.”

Hearing this, Luo Zhong was speechless. He hadn't expected these complacent constables to be of much use, but not even clarifying these basic details was truly incompetent.

However, since they had already arrived, they couldn't just ignore it because the information was unclear.

As the two conversed, Lu Ming's gaze turned towards the private courtyard.

The courtyard wall was built of bluestone, about two meters high. It seemed this building had been there for a long time, as moss grew in the corners, and vines climbed up the walls.

Lu Ming sniffed lightly. He could smell a faint scent of blood wafting from the small courtyard. It seemed the people living there had met a grim fate.

When Lu Ming withdrew his gaze, the negotiation on the side was also completed.

The Demon Suppression Division had to participate in all demon-related incidents, and Luo Zhong was well aware that most of these constables were good-for-nothings. Perhaps they were enough to intimidate ordinary citizens, but facing a demon, they would probably be scared witless at first sight... The group, guided by Luo Zhong, quickly headed towards the location where the demon was sighted.

“Young Master Lu, what do you think?” Luo Zhong asked cautiously.

Even he himself was a little unclear why he was asking the other party. Perhaps it was related to people's admiration for strength.

The scene of the other party effortlessly slaying two Green-faced demons was still vivid in his mind.

“Let's do it!” Lu Ming said softly.

He keenly sensed the presence of a powerful demon in the courtyard, but he was not afraid. Instead, he was looking forward to how much Lifespan slaying the demon would bring him.