189: Please invite the Supreme Elder

This Heaven-Reaching Battleship was magnificent and awe-inspiring. Not to mention accommodating a thousand people, it could easily hold tens of thousands.

"So big!"

"In my life, I've never seen such a glorious sight!"

The many Demon Suppression Guards were astonished, their faces beaming with joy, utterly shocked by their superior's immense Divine Ability.

Thump, thump, thump!

Without hesitation, they all stepped onto the golden staircase and boarded the Heaven-Reaching Battleship.

The Void Realm gently trembled.

Chu Jiang's golden throne instantly descended onto the battleship.

"What is this? Could it be a large flying Spiritual Artifact?"

The powerhouses in the VIP seats were dumbfounded. Such a treasure was rare in the world, hard to find anywhere.

How many more methods did Commander Chu have yet to reveal? He was truly unfathomable.

Yinhua Laolao of Nine Nether Valley felt a stormy surge in her heart. She secretly mused that this was probably not just a flying Spiritual Artifact, but a legendary flying Magic Treasure.

An ordinary flying Spiritual Artifact could barely carry a dozen or a few dozen people, but this battleship could accommodate thousands, even tens of thousands.

"Can I still apply to join the Demon Suppression Guard now?"

The onlookers were all shaken, and many of them had the idea of joining the Demon Suppression Guard.

At the stern of the battleship, several massive iron chains pierced through Purple Mountain Monarch, Tianji Star, Earth Treasure Star, Purple Flame Demon Sect's First Grand Elder Hong Tianxiao, Purple Flame Demon Sect's Sect Master, Golden Saber Gate's Sect Leader, and Demon Suppression Division traitor Liu Sanlang, along with other rebels.

With a roaring sound.

The battleship instantly exceeded the speed of sound, disappearing from above the Heavens Pride Gathering in a flash.

"When it comes to showing off, if Commander Chu ranks second, no one dares to claim first place!"

"What a grand display!"

Originally, the biggest highlight of this Heavens Pride Gathering was supposed to be the various Prodigies, but after Commander Chu arrived, the focus was entirely on him.

This was the true peerless Prodigy.

No.

He was a peerless Fiend.

...

At the top of the battleship, Fu Yunxuan and Wang Chao stood on either side of Chu Jiang, looking out into the sea of clouds.

The strong wind howled, and outside the purple gold gourd, the immense speed churned up gusts of air turbulence.

However, it didn't affect the people on the battleship at all.

But Purple Mountain Monarch, Tianji Star, and the others, who were chained to the stern of the battleship by large iron chains, weren't so lucky. They were screaming and wailing under the biting strong wind.

"Sir, this recruitment has brought in 700 Innate Realm cultivators, 50 Vajra Realm cultivators, and 3 Grandmaster Realm cultivators. Among them, many broke through to the Innate Realm before twenty, and to the Vajra Realm before twenty-five!"

"After your domineering display today, even more people will join in the future!"

Fu Yunxuan reported the results of the past few days to Chu Jiang. The reason so many good talents joined was largely because of Chu Jiang.

"Well done!"

Chu Jiang praised.

"However, the number is still too small. The Yun Province Demon Suppression Guard still needs to recruit another eight thousand people!"

Wang Chao was shocked. If they expanded by another eight thousand, the Yunzhou Demon Suppression Division would exceed ten thousand.

"Sir, expanding by another eight thousand people means the court's allocation will need to increase several times. Do we need to ask for instructions from our superiors on this matter?"

Directly expanding by eight thousand people was too big a matter. It was equivalent to tripling the number of Demon Suppression Guards in Yun Province, but the quota given to the Yunzhou Demon Suppression Division by the higher-ups was only five thousand people.

The quota for Demon Suppression Guards in each province was determined according to the local situation.

A slight excess was acceptable.

But not too much.

Otherwise, the higher-ups would suspect that you were trying to defraud the court's financial allocation.

"Moreover, with the financial resources of our Yunzhou Demon Suppression Division, plus what we obtained from annihilating Myriad Sound Valley last time, we can only recruit up to three thousand more people at most!"

These resources seemed like a lot, but every Demon Suppression Guard recruited consumed resources that could last for several years or even decades.

"Recruit them first. As for the court, I will explain it when the time comes!"

"As for resources, I have already annihilated the demon lair in Yun Province. Its wealth is more than that of several major sects combined, so there's no need to worry about resource issues!"

Chu Jiang said indifferently. What he lacked least now were resources, and resources below the Transcendent Realm were almost piled up like mountains.

Furthermore, annihilating the Purple Flame Demon Sect and Golden Saber Gate, two major sects, would yield another large batch of resources. As two of the Seven Great Sects in Yun Province, they were extremely wealthy.

Their pupils constricted.

The fact that their superior had wiped out the demon lair in Yun Province was an earth-shattering event.

It was an unprecedented feat.

Previous Pacification Envoys had never achieved this, even strong individuals like Lord Zhenfu could only deter them.

"Actually, there's another reason why I'm expanding the Demon Suppression Guard: I want to dispatch Demon Suppression Guards to guard every county.

You've all seen the names on the roster.

Most of them are local officials colluding with local sects, working in cahoots, leading to various horrific tragedies.

Countless innocent common people died tragically under their demonic claws.

These people will all be purged in the future, but how to prevent such situations from happening again is the problem we need to ponder deeply."

Both were his confidants, so Chu Jiang didn't hide anything and concisely explained some of his future plans.

"Sir, this is indeed an excellent method. The Demon Suppression Guards are loyal and trustworthy. This way, the probability of local officials daring to defy orders and act recklessly will be greatly reduced!"

Wang Chao nodded repeatedly, expressing his strong agreement.

In the past, it was not that no one wanted to solve this problem, but the difficulties were like mountains, and most attempts came to nothing.

Firstly, resisting demons and monitoring the Jianghu already kept the Demon Suppression Division overwhelmed, leaving no spare manpower to guard at the grassroots level.

Secondly, if they expanded recruitment, new problems would arise: financial scarcity and limited quotas acted as shackles, making it difficult to achieve effective deployment.

Thirdly, dispatching a large number of Demon Suppression Guards to the grassroots would inevitably provoke fierce resistance from various powerful clans and aristocratic families, cutting off their financial lifelines and even leading to extreme bloodshed.

Finally, even if the above conditions were met, the person who gave the order would bear immense pressure, from the local area to the imperial court.

Few were willing to sacrifice their own futures for the sake of the common people at the bottom.

"Sir, if the Demon Suppression Guards stay in local government for too long, they will inevitably form deep ties with the local area. This is a major challenge!" Fu Yunxuan also asked.

"That's a good question. My plan is to dispatch three to nine Demon Suppression Guards to each county, rotating them every three years. Each time there's a rotation, headquarters will send auditing personnel to review their merits and demerits during that term!"

Chu Jiang said, as for why he chose three, he chose to believe in the wisdom of his predecessors.

As the ancients said: Dao gives birth to one, one gives birth to two, two gives birth to three, and three gives birth to all things.

It must not exceed three.

"So Sir had a plan all along. This subordinate is impressed!" Fu Yunxuan said with admiration.

"Sir cares so much for the common people; it is truly a blessing for all the people of Yun Province!"

Wang Chao also praised.

...

Time flowed by.

Purple Flame County, Purple Flame Demon Sect.

In the sky, over a thousand Demon Suppression Guards stood majestically on the battleship transformed from the purple gold gourd.

"Sir, we've arrived!"

Fu Yunxuan, Wang Chao, and others looked at Chu Jiang and cupped their hands.

On this trip, among the Demon Suppression Guards, there were over a hundred Vajra Realm cultivators alone, and nearly a thousand Innate Realm cultivators.

Chu Jiang opened his eyes and said coldly:

"Kill them. Capture the high-ranking officials alive. As for the rest, leave no one!"

"Xiaobai, Longteng, you two will provide support from the side!"

"Hehe, as you command!"

The golden staircase formed again, and over a thousand Demon Suppression Guards surged towards the Purple Flame Demon Sect.

"Who dares to attack the Purple Flame Demon Sect!"

"Heavenly soldiers and generals?"

Some Purple Flame Demon Sect Disciples felt fear.

Layer upon layer of golden stairs connected the sky to the ground. A group of Demon Suppression Guards charged out from the sea of clouds, their Aura vast and their oppressive feeling extremely strong.

"Heavenly my ass! Quickly go and invite the Grand Elder!"

A purple-haired Elder at the Peak Grandmaster Realm, who was left behind to guard, kicked away a babbling Purple Flame Demon Sect Disciple and angrily shouted.

"Reporting, Elder, you forgot, the Grand Elder left a few days ago!"

"Quickly activate the Sect Protection Array!"

A moment later.

"Elder, the Sect Protection Array is broken!"