40: Chapter 40 Blood Demon Sect

The two of them looked toward the source of the sound simultaneously.

A tall, straight man dressed in a mysterious black robe slowly walked out from behind a thick tree that was wide enough to require two people to encircle it.

As the man appeared, a cold and majestic aura radiated from him, like an immovable iceberg, inspiring awe in others.

This person was none other than the Chief of the Evil Suppressing Department, Chen Yuanba.

Almost at the same moment, the pupils of the other two constricted sharply.

Pei Qingyun felt more surprise than anything else.

He was surprised by why Chen Yuanba would appear here.

And exactly when he had arrived.

Had he been here from the start, or had he just arrived?

Ling Ziwen was completely different; his face was incredibly gloomy, and his expression was terrifyingly cold.

But soon, Chen Yuanba's words confirmed Pei Qingyun's suspicion.

"Ancestor Pei is right. His target was never you or me, but everyone in the entire Wuyang County."

As he spoke, he turned his gaze toward Ling Ziwen. "Blood Demon Evil Servant—it's not a problem if I address you like that, right?"

"What Blood Demon Evil Servant? I, Ling Ziwen, am just an ordinary Martial Artist. Director Chen really is sparing no effort to pin a convenient crime on me."

"Does Director Chen really think that by pinning such a fabricated crime on me, he can rest easy and be absolved of all his own responsibilities?" Ling Ziwen was startled inwardly and secretly looked for an escape route, but on the surface, he remained composed.

While speaking, he even intentionally or unintentionally glanced at Pei Qingyun nearby.

Pei Qingyun ignored him, but a storm was brewing in his heart.

The name 'Blood Demon Sect' did not appear many times in his memories. But every time it did appear, it inevitably brought about a massive disaster.

By unlocking his memories, Pei Qingyun learned that this world was extremely vast.

The Great Jing Dynasty occupied only a corner of it.

However, for ordinary people, the Great Jing Dynasty was already large enough; the vast majority of commoners never left Jinhuai Prefecture from birth to death.

Therefore...

They did not care about the world beyond the borders of the Great Jing Dynasty.

But Pei Qingyun was no ordinary person; he was a Five-Viscera Martial Artist.

In his youth, he had dreamed of becoming a Grandmaster of Meridians. To that end, he chose to travel throughout the Great Jing Dynasty.

After several years of travel, he had accumulated a wealth of knowledge and experience. From these experiences, he learned that there was a vast world beyond the Great Jing Dynasty.

That vast world also had a name within the Great Jing Dynasty: the Outer Lands.

The Blood Demon Sect was precisely one of the many Sects from the Outer Lands, and it was an Evil Path Sect famous for its slaughter.

In the Outer Lands, Evil Path Sects were not uncommon. However, the territories governed by these Evil Path Sects did not border the territory of the Great Jing Dynasty.

Only the Blood Demon Sect, this particular Evil Path Sect, shared a border with the Great Jing Dynasty.

This also led to a Blood Demon Calamity occurring within the Great Jing Dynasty every so often. However, these calamities basically only happened in the border regions.

As for a place like Jinhuai Prefecture, which was located in the central part of the Great Jing Dynasty, let alone a Blood Demon Calamity, even something like a Blood Demon Evil Servant—the lowest existence within the Blood Demon Sect—rarely ever appeared.

But looking at the current situation, Chen Yuanba was certain that Ling Ziwen was a Blood Demon Evil Servant.

Just as Pei Qingyun was considering the truth of the matter, Chen Yuanba spoke again, his voice full of disdain.

"Pinning a crime on you? You're not worthy. Since I say you are a Blood Demon Evil Servant, I naturally have evidence. Will you come with me obediently, or will you put up a desperate struggle?"

"Chen Yuanba, you are as arrogant as ever; that's exactly what I hate most about you. You don't actually think a single word from you will make me follow you obediently, do you? You think far too highly of yourself." As he spoke, an astonishing surge of blood Qi erupted from Ling Ziwen, and he dashed away in a certain direction.

In just the blink of an eye, Ling Ziwen appeared dozens of feet away. This startling burst of speed also surprised Pei Qingyun.

Dozens of feet away, Chen Yuanba seemed to have expected all of this.

At almost the same time, Chen Yuanba's figure also vanished from where he stood.

Just as Pei Qingyun was marveling at the speed of the two men, Chen Yuanba's voice rang out in his ear.

"Ancestor Pei, please lend me a hand."

Pei Qingyun looked up in the direction where Chen Yuanba had disappeared and immediately gave chase.

...

Time flew by.

In the blink of an eye, evening had arrived.

Sunset Valley.

Above the valley, lead-gray clouds churned, obscuring the weak sunlight as the sky grew increasingly gloomy. The distant mountains were faintly visible through the mist, appearing like monsters baring their fangs and claws.

Just then, two figures appeared within the valley.

These two were Chen Yuanba and Pei Qingyun.

With their appearance, a wild wind howled through the empty valley like the roar of an angry beast.

"He still got away." Chen Yuanba's face was full of frustration.

He had been overwhelmed with stress lately trying to catch Ling Ziwen. Yet, just when it seemed he was about to catch him, the man had managed to escape.

No matter who it was, they would likely feel frustrated.

Pei Qingyun understood this feeling, but he knew it was only temporary, so he said nothing and simply stood aside, waiting quietly.

He was not disappointed; after a moment of silence, Chen Yuanba regained his composure, though a hint of gloom remained in his eyes.

"It was my fault that he escaped this time. But regardless, I still want to thank Ancestor Pei for lending me a hand."

"There's no need for words of thanks; this was my duty. However, I also have a request, and I hope Director Chen can grant it." Pei Qingyun waved his hand.

"Please speak, Ancestor Pei." Chen Yuanba glanced at Pei Qingyun; he neither agreed nor refused.

"Over the years, the grudge between me and the Wang family is something Director Chen is surely well aware of. I only hope that Director Chen can hand the Head of the Wang Family over to me to handle." Pei Qingyun said calmly.

"I agree." Without much thought, Chen Yuanba granted his request.

Chen Yuanba's quick agreement surprised Pei Qingyun slightly.

In fact...

Although Pei Qingyun appeared calm on the surface, he had already thought things through thoroughly in his heart.

In this battle, he had already exposed his full strength.

Mid stage of Five Viscera Realm, with combat power approaching the Late Stage of Five Viscera.

Since his strength was exposed, he naturally couldn't walk away without some gains.

Whether in clearing out Demons or dealing with Ling Ziwen, he played a crucial role in the situation.

Under these circumstances, Chen Yuanba would never offend him; it was even possible he might go a step further and try to win him over.

In other words, there was no way Chen Yuanba would offend him for the sake of a half-crippled Wang Yang.

But to agree so decisively without even any additional conditions still exceeded his expectations.