230: Chapter 230 Slaying Demons, Countermeasures

The morning light was faint, and the horizon was tinged with a cold cyan, like fine Ru ware porcelain, exuding a clear and translucent luster.

The fading stars had not yet completely vanished, and the streets and alleys of the capital were still shrouded in a hazy mist.

The capital, Demon-Slaying Squad headquarters.

Chen Ran, dressed in a black martial outfit, stood in the center, seemingly waiting for something.

Following Lin Wan's reminder, he had stayed in the Demon-Slaying Squad these past few days to focus on Cultivating, without leaving the city.

Since the Nether Soul Heart Sutra had reached the Major Achievement Realm that night, his strength had not seen a significant increase.

However, he felt a distinct difference during his daily martial arts practice; from a third-person perspective.

The Divine Soul enhancement was like a max-level character controlling a low-level alt; his Physical Body perception and control abilities were several times greater than before.

In other words, in this state, it was as if he had activated an experience-boosting cheat.

"No wonder in novels, those Reincarnation and Rebirth big shots have such fast speeds when Cultivating again."

Just relying on this Divine Soul enhancement, when rounded up, could be considered a decent cheat.

As Chen Ran pondered, he didn't keep his body idle and casually picked up a long sword.

The sword light flashed, stirring up gusts of cold wind, like snowflakes in the dead of winter, biting and piercing.

With his current Divine Soul strength, being able to multitask was merely an auxiliary function.

As he swung the sword continuously, that True Qi became increasingly condensed, with several faint sounds of wind cutting through the air.

The Lin Family's ancestral ultimate technique, the Lingxiao Sword Art, was no ordinary martial art.

When Cultivated to the later stages, one could unleash thousands of strands of majestic Sword Qi with a single strike.

However, at his current level, he could not yet achieve this.

His mind was completely immersed in the Dao of the sword, and everything around him seemed to have faded away.

"Roar!"

A deafening beast roar erupted from the refined steel cage ahead, breaking the silence of the arena and causing the weapon racks around the practice field to hum.

Chen Ran looked up.

It was a massive white-browed tiger Yao Beast, with its entire body exuding a thick Demonic Qi.

Its fur was covered in black and yellow stripes, like burning dark fire, and its eyes, like copper bells, were filled with bloodthirsty ferocity; it was clearly a Peak sixth-tier Yao Beast.

"It seems today's Yao Beast has quite the background."

Chen Ran gripped the sword hilt and looked into the depths of the darkness.

A few days ago, he had explained the situation to Captain Xia An, wanting more Yao Beasts to practice on.

He hadn't expected a big one to arrive today; judging by its spirited appearance, it didn't look like those sick ones.

It was likely a Yao Beast just captured by the Demon-Slaying Squad, not yet experimented on, so its Aura hadn't dissipated much.

Seeing someone intrude into its territory, the tiger Yao Beast immediately unleashed an earth-shattering roar, its massive body pouncing over like a small mountain.

A foul wind hit his face, carrying a nauseating stench of blood. The giant tiger claws tore through the air with a sharp whistling sound, as if intending to tear the human before it into pieces.

Chen Ran did not retreat but advanced instead, his figure shifting slightly to the side like a leaf in the wind, narrowly dodging the tiger Yao Beast's lethal strike.

At the same time, the long sword in his hand turned into a flash of brilliance, cutting a perfect arc through the air and piercing precisely into the tiger Yao Beast's throat.

Puchi!

The Sword Qi flickered, and the sharp Sword Intent erupted instantly, directly shredding the tiger Yao Beast's life force.

The massive body of the tiger Yao Beast crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. Blood dripped down the sword's edge, blooming like red plum blossoms on the bluestone floor, a shocking sight.

Chen Ran flicked his wrist lightly, shaking off the blood droplets from the blade, and sheathed the sword.

His expression was calm, his breathing steady, and he casually brushed the dust off his lapel.

At the same time, deep within his Sea of Consciousness, the ancient [heavenly book of prison suppression] emitted a faint golden light.

[Detected that a criminal Yao has died, calculating participation level]

[You personally executed the target, participation level is extremely high]

[Reward: Three years of cultivation, partial blood-Qi power]

A warm current emerged from nowhere, rapidly coursing through his limbs and bones.

Chen Ran felt his blood and Qi surging, and his Physical Body strength grew a bit stronger.

With a thought, he summoned the panel.

[Name: Chen Ran]

[Accumulated Cultivation: 340 years]

[Usable Cultivation: 10 years]

[Cultivation Technique: Nether Soul Heart Sutra (Major Achievement), Lingxiao Sword Art (Not yet initiated) ↑ ...]

Feeling the abundant power within his body, Chen Ran nodded slightly, a flash of realization in his eyes.

"This Demon-Slaying Squad is indeed a good place for training."

Meanwhile, in the Inner City of the capital, inside a luxurious restaurant called "Zuixian Restaurant."

This Zuixian Restaurant was the premier den of indulgence in the capital, frequented daily by high-ranking officials and aristocratic descendants.

But today, the entire Zuixian Restaurant had been booked, and the whole building was not receiving guests, exuding an unusual gravity.

The private room was furnished with extreme luxury: carved rosewood tables and chairs, rare potted landscapes arranged in an orderly fashion, and calligraphy and paintings by famous masters of the previous dynasty hanging on the walls.

The air was filled with a faint scent of dragon incense, refreshing to the heart.

The large round table was filled with exotic delicacies and jade platters of fine food, and the aroma of century-old aged wine overflowed.

However, the atmosphere in the room was somewhat oppressive.

An old man sat in the main seat, his gaze sweeping over everyone present, as he was the first to break the suffocating silence.

"Everyone, I believe you all know why I have summoned you here today."

He paused: "I wonder what your intentions are regarding this decree?"

A middle-aged man with a refined face picked up the teacup in front of him and took a gentle sip, the bitter tea sliding down his throat.

He sighed: "I have looked into it, and that decree is not simple."

"Isn't it just that Cao Yong?" someone said with a look of disdain, sneering,

"Just a eunuch. Even if he has some cultivation, can he really turn the world upside down? Are we really afraid of a eunuch?"

Lin Yitian shook his head, a deep wariness flashing in his eyes: "You underestimate Cao Yong too much; he is no ordinary eunuch."

Upon hearing this, everyone was slightly stunned, not understanding why he was so wary of a eunuch.

Lin Yitian took a deep breath and said slowly: "Do you all know about the Imperial Cabinet's eunuch selection system? It is a horrific Gu-raising technique.

"Every year, the Imperial Cabinet collects tens of thousands of orphans from all over, and after castrating them, throws them into secret camps without seeing the light of day."

"In the secret camps, they are taught extremely domineering martial arts that overdraw their life potential. They must experience cruel slaughter every day; out of ten thousand orphans, those who can finally walk out of the secret camp alive are often fewer than ten."

"These people have been stripped of their humanity since childhood and instilled with the concept of absolute obedience."

Lin Yitian paused, his gaze becoming incomparably grave:

"And Cao Yong is the strongest one who crawled out of that mountain of corpses and sea of blood. He not only survived but also forcibly broke through the shackles of his incomplete body and entered the Innate Realm.

"His Heart-Nature has long been twisted; he is cold, ruthless, and kills without blinking. He has no Family ties, no worldly desires, and the only purpose of his existence is to execute the Imperial Cabinet's orders."

"Such a person is a mad dog; once he bites you, you will lose a layer of skin even if you don't die.

The Wang Family is the best example; the entire household, not even the chickens or dogs were spared, and he didn't even let go of the infants in swaddling clothes."

The private room fell into a deathly silence.

Although they had deep foundations and experts in their Families, facing a ruthless Innate Realm killer with no scruples, they could not help but feel a chill in their hearts.

What aristocratic Families fear most are these lunatics who disregard rules and consequences.

Just as everyone was silent, a strange sound suddenly came from outside the private room.