20: Xuanyang Temple! Monk Xiushan!
Before long, the silence in the hall was broken.
The Underworld Officials spoke up one after another, creating a clamor.
"The Demon Slaying Division members went and never returned; most likely, they met with misfortune!"
"A seventh-grade Chief Flag Bearer, along with over a dozen skilled individuals, all elites of the Fengyang Demon Slaying Division, are now all lost..."
"How can we explain this to their families!"
"What time is it? The most important thing now is how to explain this to the imperial court! There are dozens of cities bordering the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, and they've been peaceful for over ten years. Only our Region has such an incident. What will the General Division think?"
"Will they charge us with incompetence in governing the area...?"
Immediately, the faces of the Underworld Officials grew even graver.
The loss of the Demon Slaying Division personnel was one thing, but this incident could very likely affect their official positions!
They were already Yin souls; if their official positions were stripped, they would become lonely, wandering ghosts!
This matter must be suppressed!
The Fengyang City God's expression was grim as he whispered, "That beast must be eliminated, or the repercussions will be endless. This is also an opportunity to atone for our mistakes!"
"How do we eliminate it?" the Judge on the side asked. "If we send the Demon Slaying Division again, and more people are lost, then Centurion Li will come knocking on our door!"
"We can't easily leave the Fengyang County area, so we can't take action!" a Captain said.
"We don't need them." The Fengyang City God shook his head and pondered for a moment, saying, "Haven't the monks of Xuanyang Temple always wanted to hold a Dharma Assembly? Let them go. If they handle the task, it will be approved."
"If those monks hold a Dharma Assembly and collect Incense Offerings, our offerings will decrease significantly!" an Underworld Official said.
"What time is it? Do you still care about this? Do as this official says!"
The Fengyang City God rebuked.
The Underworld Officials in the hall nodded one after another and dispersed... Taihang Mountains.
After several days of continuous diligent cultivation by Xu Qing, more than half of his female demon wives were already pregnant.
His Bloodline had evolved multiple times, and combined with his demon-transformed wives, the Bloodline born would undoubtedly be much stronger than before.
"There are still over forty, I must continue to work hard!"
Xu Qing silently calculated the time and once again threw himself into the cave below the mountain, continuing his arduous cultivation.
At the same time.
Inside the Fengyang City God Temple.
A secret discussion had just concluded.
"Amitabha." The bald, stout monk in a kasaya narrowed his eyes and smiled, "City God, rest assured, after the Dharma Assembly, a portion of the collected Incense Offerings will certainly go to the City God Temple."
"Abbot Xiushan, what do you mean? Slaying demons is for the benefit of the people, and the Dharma Assembly is to pray for the people. This official is grateful to you!" The Fengyang City God said earnestly.
Monk Xiushan, the Abbot of Xuanyang Temple, smiled, "City God, you guard the Fengyang area, and the people live in peace. It is only right that a portion of the Incense Offerings collected during the Dharma Assembly goes to the City God Temple!"
Polite words were exchanged back and forth.
The Fengyang City God and Monk Xiushan exchanged glances, both revealing smiles.
"Excellent!"
"Goodness! Goodness!"
...Another part of Fengyang County.
A cluster of black buildings stood, with three large characters written on the plaque at the entrance.
Demon Slaying Division!
Inside one of the pavilions.
"Centurion, Chief Flag Bearer Xue and their dozen-plus men have all seemingly fallen into the hands of that beast!"
"That damned beast! I will tear it to shreds!"
"Sir, I volunteer to go and slay that beast!"
Waves of impassioned requests for deployment rang out.
At the head seat sat a middle-aged man with a sinister appearance.
Li Yun, the Centurion of the Demon Slaying Division's Fengyang Centurion Office!
Hearing his subordinates' discussions, he frowned and shouted, "Enough!"
Immediately, the building fell silent.
"When have other nearby Centurion Offices ever had such an incident?"
"If this gets reported, neither I, the Centurion, nor your official positions will remain!"
"…"
The previously agitated crowd immediately quieted down.
The camaraderie was deep, but the dead were dead, and the living still had to continue their lives.
Centurion Li Yun's words were identical to those of the Fengyang City God earlier.
Finally.
They tacitly arrived at similar conclusions.
Preserve their own strength and let Xuanyang Temple take action.
Xuanyang Temple, as one of the top Buddhist temples near Region, had many masters, and even two Buddhist cultivators at the sixth-grade Realm.
After Monk Xiushan and the Fengyang City God concluded their discussion, he immediately returned to Xuanyang Temple and gathered the temple's masters.
He selected nearly thirty Disciples with profound cultivation and personally led the team, preparing to go to the Taihang Mountains to slay demons and monsters, restoring peace and order to the Fengyang territory... Another ten days passed.
Through Xu Qing's efforts, all ninety-nine wives, including Liu Mei, were pregnant!
Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief, a glimmer of hope in his heart.
On this day, as the sun set.
Xu Qing moved his body, leaving the Taihang Mountains, and burrowed into the jungle to patrol the forest.
Now, the safety of the Taihang Mountains needed to be taken seriously.
Otherwise, all his hard work and the System's rewards would be for naught.
Under the moonlight, the massive snake body in the forest was faintly visible.
Unconsciously, Xu Qing arrived at the edge of the Taihang Mountains.
Gazing at Dongshu Village, which had fallen silent not far away.
Xu Qing chanted the six-character formation eye.
A breeze blew, and the small old man in white cloth and sackcloth reappeared.
Earth God Zhu Gang looked at the ominous star before him, wailing inwardly, his eyes filled with shock.
He had clearly hidden in the furthest place from the edge of this mountain range, yet he was still directly summoned by the other party!
What kind of Spell is this?
Even the experts of the Fengxian Division back then didn't have such a method, did they?
Xu Qing came here not for anything else.
Ever since he killed those dozen Demon Slaying Division members, he had been preparing for the next wave of attacks.
But half a month had passed, and there was still no movement.
He was a bit puzzled, a string in his heart constantly taut.
Something abnormal must indicate a demon.
He needed to inquire about the situation.
Zhu Gang, as the Earth God of Dongshu Township, couldn't run away, was well-informed, and most importantly, was timid, making him suitable for questioning.
Xu Qing voiced his doubts and warned, "This King possesses the Art of Discernment. If you lie, I will dismantle your Earth God Temple."
"Dare not, dare not!" Zhu Gang quickly said, deeply shocked by Xu Qing's arrogance.
He had never seen such an arrogant demon.
Killing members of the Demon Slaying Division, not fleeing, but instead actively inquiring about the situation.
Arrogant, cold-blooded, brutal, bloodthirsty.
This demon must not be provoked!
Zhu Gang already regarded Xu Qing as the most ferocious demon.
"This old man does know some news." He didn't dare to lie and honestly said, "The City God has found the bald monks from Xuanyang Temple and invited them up the mountain to slay demons."
"When did this happen?"
"About ten-plus days ago."
"It's been so long, and they haven't arrived yet?"
Zhu Gang shook his head and said, "Great Immortal, you don't know, those bald monks are like geese plucking feathers everywhere they go. After descending the mountain, they've been wandering around collecting Incense Offerings from believers, even wanting to dig up graves to insert peace talismans. How could they bear to come directly to the Taihang Mountains!"