30: Chapter 30 Conclusions and Facts

On a hillside.

Pei Qingyun and his group dismounted one after another.

"This is where Team Four and Team Five last lost contact," a scout said.

Pei Qingyun didn't answer, but simply looked in the direction the scout was pointing.

Suddenly.

He noticed a broken riding crop next to a large, smooth rock.

"Come, let's go over there and take a look."

At his command, the dozen or so people walked toward the large, smooth rock.

Soon, everyone arrived at the large, smooth rock.

Besides the broken riding crop, a set of skeletal remains and a horse carcass lay beneath the rock.

Seeing this scene, a chill couldn't help but rise in everyone's hearts.

Before Pei Qingyun could speak, someone in the group recognized the identity of the skeletal remains.

"This is Liu Dafu from Team Four. I didn't expect him to die here."

Pei Qingyun had some impression of the name; he was one of the four members of Team Four, and his strength was at the Mid-Stage Divine Strength.

Looking at the way the man had died, Pei Qingyun could be certain he had died at the hands of a Demon.

As for whether he died at the hands of a Tier 3 Demon or a Second-Order Demon, he couldn't judge directly yet.

Whether a Martial Artist was killed by a Tier 3 or a Second-Order Demon, the characteristics were basically the same: their flesh and blood were devoured by the Demon.

It was impossible to tell based on the corpse alone.

As for even higher-tier Demons, Pei Qingyun had never seen one, so there was no way to tell.

However, it wasn't as if there were no clues at all.

Based on a Martial Artist's identity and strength, when encountering different Demons, even if they truly died, there would be a corresponding counterattack.

This is just like a person instinctively struggling before death.

The same logic applied to Martial Artists.

After examining Liu Dafu's skeletal remains, the group surveyed the surroundings again.

Aside from the hoofprints left by normal riding, there were no traces of battle at all.

In other words, Liu Dafu had died directly at the hands of a Demon without any resistance.

If it were an ordinary person, it would be one thing, but Liu Dafu was a Mid-Stage Divine Strength Martial Artist and was on a mission to clear out Demons.

His alertness could not have been low.

Even if he had encountered multiple Second-Order Demons, it would be impossible for there to be no traces of combat.

Once all other possibilities were eliminated, the only remaining possibility had to be the truth.

No one spoke this conclusion aloud, but everyone understood it in their hearts.

Liu Dafu had encountered a Tier 3 Demon.

Before coming, Pei Qingyun had mentioned this possibility and even guaranteed he would keep the Tier 3 Demon in check.

But when the cold hard fact was laid before them, everyone couldn't help but feel a surge of intense fear in their hearts.

A Tier 3 Demon—any one of them would die if they encountered it.

For a moment, the atmosphere suddenly grew heavy.

Pei Qingyun knew that he couldn't let the silence continue.

"Everyone, look for the bodies of other members nearby. If you find anything else, report it immediately. For safety's sake, no one is to be more than five hundred meters away from me."

In fact, even if Pei Qingyun hadn't said the second half, no one would have objected.

And so, not far from Liu Dafu's skeletal remains, the group discovered the bodies of several team members one after another.

The condition of each corpse was similar to Liu Dafu's; they had died without the power to resist. Only the captain of Team Four, a Late-Stage Divine Strength Martial Artist, had fought back before he died.

"The situation here is mostly clear; a Tier 3 Demon wiped out Team Four and Team Five. I need someone to report this to Director Chen. Who is willing to go?" Pei Qingyun said solemnly, looking at the group.

Except for the Pei family Martial Artists, the people from other factions bowed their heads one after another, not daring to look Pei Qingyun in the eye.

Normally, a task like delivering a message wouldn't be considered difficult.

But after learning of the existence of a Tier 3 Demon, this sense of fear invisibly affected them.

If they were to run into a Tier 3 Demon on the road...

They wouldn't even have a place to cry.

At this moment, Pei Tianlin also realized the atmosphere was off. He took a step forward, wanting to take on the task.

But Pei Qingyun gave him a meaningful look.

"Since the bodies of several people from Team Four and Team Five haven't been found, they might still be alive. Next, we will conduct a search in this area. However, it's unclear whether the Tier 3 Demon has left. I hope someone can convey the situation here to Director Chen as soon as possible." This casual remark from Pei Qingyun immediately alerted the people from the other factions.

If delivering a message was dangerous, wouldn't it be even more dangerous here?

The first person to react immediately accepted the task.

In fact, Pei Qingyun's words weren't just to trick them.

He wasn't sure if the Tier 3 Demon had truly left either.

But he was confident that even if a Tier 3 Demon appeared, he had the strength to contend with or even kill it.

This way, the Pei family Martial Artists would actually be safer staying by his side.

However, he couldn't explain this to everyone at this time.

The lives of Martial Artists from other families were naturally not as important as those of his own family.

However.

Not long after the Martial Artist who accepted the task left, he ran into the Wang family's group.

"Brother Lin, where are you heading in such a hurry?" Wang Yang greeted him warmly.

This Martial Artist Lin hadn't expected Wang Yang to take the initiative to speak to him, so he stopped and replied.

"Head Wang, I have an urgent message for Director Chen, so I'll be going now."

"Don't be in such a rush. What's the urgent news? If it's appropriate, why not tell me about it?" Wang Yang said quickly.

Hearing this, his riding speed slowed down again.

Even if he didn't mention the Tier 3 Demon, once the news reached the Evil Suppression Bureau, the Bureau would notify the heads of each family.

Besides, since everyone was out clearing Demons, saying it early was a good thing.

He might even gain some goodwill from the Wang family.

Thinking of this, the Martial Artist decided to speak.

A sentence or two wouldn't take much time.

Moreover, saying it would be beneficial to him.

"Near Lingshi, the Ancestor of the Pei family discovered a Tier 3 Demon. He specifically ordered me to convey this matter to Director Chen."

"A Tier 3 Demon! That truly is a terrifying thing." Wang Yang's face showed shock, as if he were surprised by the news.

"I didn't expect a Tier 3 Demon to appear so soon. Thanks to your reminder, otherwise I wouldn't have realized the situation had become so dire. It just so happens I also have important business to discuss with Director Chen. Why don't we go together? We can look out for each other." After his exclamation, Wang Yang's attitude suddenly became much friendlier.

Hearing that Wang Yang was also going to see Chen Yuanba, Martial Artist Lin didn't think much of it. With a look of joy, he immediately agreed.

At the same time, he couldn't help but feel that his luck was quite good.

With a Five-Viscera Martial Artist like Wang Yang and many Divine Strength Martial Artists from the Wang family, he would be much safer even if they really encountered a Tier 3 Demon.