34: Long Village Demon Catastrophe

“This is… a Breakthrough.” Yue Tuyao looked towards the Void Realm, where the giant funnel of converging qi of heaven and earth emitted a wave of pressure.

“A hundred-mile phenomenon. He just stepped into the Aperture Opening Realm, yet his control over the qi of heaven and earth can reach a hundred miles.”

In the Aperture Opening Realm, the larger the range of qi of heaven and earth one can control, the faster one can refine the qi of heaven and earth and open acupoints.

It also provides a greater advantage in combat.

Typically, a Martial Artist who has just broken through to the Aperture Opening Realm can only control qi for about ten miles.

Weaker ones might only manage seven or eight miles.

At this moment, many forces inside and outside Tianyuan City witnessed this Breakthrough phenomenon.

“Drawing in the qi of heaven and earth, someone is Breaking through to the Aperture Opening Realm; what a huge commotion.”

“That direction is the Demon Suppression Division!”

“Could it be the one who ranked first in the Demon Suppression Division Officer assessment?”

“This child is terrifying.”

In front of a pavilion, Guo Huai looked at the phenomenon in the sky, a pained and resentful expression on his face, and he abruptly crushed a vermillion-purple railing.

With this exertion of force, a sharp pain immediately shot through his Divine Soul, his face turned pale, and he coughed up blood.

Behind him, a middle-aged beautiful woman in a brocade robe hurried forward: “Huai’er, your Divine Soul injury hasn’t healed, it’s not good to get angry.”

As she spoke, she suddenly turned back, her eyes tearful, and said: “You, surnamed Guo, are you just going to watch the enemy who harmed Huai’er like this be so triumphant?”

Behind her, the tower-like man snorted coldly: “If your skill isn’t as good as others, who can you blame? Am I, a dignified Demon Slaying General, supposed to attack a junior?

A doting mother spoils her child; Huai’er’s current situation is the consequence of your indulgence.”

“You! Huai’er is your only son!” The middle-aged beautiful woman was indignant.

A moment later, Guo Yun looked at the pale-faced, unconscious Guo Huai, and sighed inwardly: “I have already reported to the Sect and will find a soul nurturing wood to heal him.

Then I will send him to join the Sect, and his martial Dao might still have a future.”

Hearing this, the middle-aged beautiful woman’s emotions calmed down slightly. She naturally knew what kind of existence her husband’s Sect was.

However, thinking of Guo Huai leaving her, she became reluctant again.

At this moment.

Inside the Demon Suppression Division.

Li Jiangchen was frantically consuming Demon to draw the qi of heaven and earth into his acupoints.

Soon, an acupoint shaped like a bubble was born in his Meridians.

The qi of heaven and earth and Azure Lotus True Qi fused, gradually liquefying into a drop of emerald green liquid, filling the acupoint.

【In the eleventh year, you refined the qi of heaven and earth, fused Azure Lotus True Qi, and filled one acupoint.】

【In the twelfth year, you filled the second acupoint.】

...【In the sixtieth year, you filled the fiftieth acupoint.】

Li Jiangchen opened his eyes; at this moment, the Demon on his panel was completely exhausted.

“So this is the Aperture Opening Realm.”

With a thought, the qi of heaven and earth in the Void Realm vibrated, and a sound of thunder echoed.

Controlling the qi of heaven and earth, activating the power of acupoints, and performing Dao techniques, his combat power increased by more than tenfold.

According to the Aperture Opening Realm division, only by filling all the acupoints corresponding to the Meridian count can one reach the Middle Stage of Aperture Opening.

Before this, no matter how many acupoints were opened, as long as they were not yet filled, it was still the Early Stage of Aperture Opening.

“Unfortunately, the Demon I had accumulated earlier is exhausted again. The three Sword Body opening methods, Star Pointing Method, and Azure Lotus Sword Art are all waiting to be cultivated…”

“It’s a good time to take on a Demon Suppression Division mission and accumulate merit.”

Li Jiangchen arrived at the mission hall, where a jade tablet stood in the center, with Officers of the Demon Suppression Division in mysterious armor constantly entering and exiting.

On the jade tablet were reports of Demon disasters from various parts of Qingzhou.

They were divided into four grades: Yellow, Black, Earth, and Heaven, according to difficulty.

Yellow and Black grades were the tasks that Officers of the Demon Suppression Division could undertake.

“Black-grade mission—Changcun Village Lewd Sacrifice Demon Disaster.” Li Jiangchen checked it.

It turned out that Changcun Village worshipped a mountain god, offering virgin boys and girls as sacrifices every year in exchange for good weather, mountain hunting, and fishing harvests in the coming year.

This time, it was the turn of a Han family in Changcun Village. The Han family was unwilling to sacrifice their children, so they reported it to the government, which then fell to the Demon Suppression Division.

“mountain god… it seems to be another mountain Demon.” Li Jiangchen thought of the previous Lanruo Temple; in times of turmoil, mountain Essence Spirits and various Demons would transform to deceive the common people, secretly preying on humans.

“I’ll go there once.”

The next day.

Outside Changcun Village.

“This is Changcun Village…” Li Jiangchen stood at the village entrance, seeing lanterns and colorful decorations everywhere. From afar, he could see a sacrificial altar built in the village’s ancestral hall, piled high with grain and livestock, and several bare-chested villagers with painted faces dancing a sacrificial dance.

At this moment, a voice came to his ears.

“Go, go, go, what kind of bullshit Demon Sealer are you? Let me tell you, our village only has a mountain god, no Demons. If you disturb the sacrifice again, the guys in my hands won’t recognize anyone.” Several villagers dressed as hunters pushed and shoved two Jianghu-dressed men out of the village.

One of the young men in a short shirt was pushed too hard and got angry. Qi circulated in his palm, clearly indicating he had practiced martial arts, and he was about to make a move, but the older man in a yellow robe stopped him.

“Earthen Birth, the villagers are ordinary people, do not make a move,” Master shouted.

“Second Uncle,” Earthen Birth grumbled, turning his head away.

The two of them, upon seeing Li Jiangchen, immediately changed their expressions, and then left.

“Demon Sealer…” Li Jiangchen’s gaze shifted.

There are also rogue Martial Artists in the Jianghu who kill Demons for people and receive silver as compensation, earning the title of Demon Sealer.

He didn’t expect that the Han family, besides reporting to the Demon Suppression Division, also paid people to subdue the Demon.

Why, upon seeing him, they didn’t even greet him? Were they afraid the Demon Suppression Division would steal their business?

Li Jiangchen entered the village and was about to ask questions, but found that the villagers all hid from him. When pressed, they would only say a word or two about the mountain god protecting them and not needing the imperial court to interfere.

However, he was, after all, wearing the Demon Suppression Division’s mysterious armor, so even if the mountain villagers disliked him, they dared not act.

After walking for a while, an old man with a Crown (shùguān) hurried over.

“This humble old man, Village Chief Han Feng of Changcun Village, greets the Lord of the Demon Suppression Division.” The Village Chief cupped his fists.

“So it’s the Village Chief, perfect. My Great Shang Dynasty strictly prohibits Lewd Sacrifices, so why is there an unregistered mountain god temple in this village?” Li Jiangchen asked.

Hearing this, the Village Chief became hesitant, then sighed for a long time: “Changcun Village is not ignorant of the law. It’s just that worshipping the mountain god has been a custom passed down for hundreds of years, from our ancestors.

Every year, the entire village draws lots to select a pair of virgin boys and girls to offer to the mountain god, and only then can the year have good weather, mountain hunting, and fishing harvests.

Decades ago, that year, the lot happened to fall on the previous Village Chief’s family. The Village Chief was unwilling to sacrifice his own children to the mountain god, and as a result, the mountain god became angry, causing a mountain fire and drying up the land, with countless deaths and injuries in the village.”

“Please, Lord of the Demon Suppression Division, do not make things difficult for Changcun Village and disrupt the ceremony.”

After a detailed discussion, Li Jiangchen turned and left.

‘This mission is designated as Black-grade; most of the difficulty is probably with these villagers.’

‘demon slaying is secondary. The key is what comes after the demon slaying…’

These mountain villagers are not ignorant of the law, but rather aware of the consequences.

Sacrificing one or two virgin boys and girls each year in exchange for good weather is much better than begging for food in barren years.

They calculate this account very clearly.

“However, that Village Chief is a bit strange.” Li Jiangchen noticed that the Village Chief was wearing coarse linen clothes, but a corner of his inner lining revealed soft silk.

Where would a mountain village get that kind of money?

Moreover, in his words, the other party implied that he should leave.

“Forget it, I’ll go to Han Wan’s family first.”