Sword Qi to the Sky

Chapter 355 Demon Hunting Disc

The imperial army arrived one after another, blockaded Shenmu Manor, and dispatched the Demon Suppression Army to garrison and guard it.

In an instant, the Qinghe County Demon Suppression Army was everywhere in Qinghe County. It was as if the imperial army had come out in full force overnight, which made the people of Qinghe County feel that the imperial court was serious.

In addition, news spread within the city that the Prince of Qinghe wanted to gather ambitious individuals from Qinghe County and lead the county's army to the wilderness to wipe out demons and eliminate future troubles.

This made many cultivators suspicious. The Prince of Qinghe had always been a carefree prince, so why did he suddenly become so tough? And it didn't seem like he was just making empty promises, but rather that he was serious.

For several days in a row, the situation in Qinghe County was turbulent. The demons did not dare to continue their invasion, whether because they were severely weakened in the battle or because they were intimidated by the imperial court.

The people of Qinghe County were much more at ease, and cultivators from all sides seemed to have sensed the court's determination. Many cultivators began to contact the court, willing to join forces with it to go to the wilderness to exterminate the demons.

Soon, news spread throughout the city that demons might be lurking in Qinghe County, and the royal palace would dispatch cultivators to search the entire area of ​​Qinghe County.

Li Fan and his group have been staying at Grandpa Wang's house for the past few days, quietly observing the situation.

This turmoil is far from over; there will certainly be more to come.

At this moment, a figure burst through the air; it was Wang Yuyao.

"Young Master Lu," Wang Yuyao called out to Li Fan as she landed.

"Miss Wang," Li Fan asked, "how is the situation outside?"

"The battle that day left all sides severely weakened. Many elite cultivators from Yukun Academy perished at Shenmu Manor, as did cultivators from the Cui and Xie families. Currently, both families are recovering, while the imperial court is making frequent moves. It is said that they have dispatched a person skilled in finding demons to search the entire region for their traces," Wang Yuyao said. "Furthermore, once the search in Qinghe County is completed, they will go out to exterminate the demons."

"Currently, many cultivators in the city have responded to the call."

Li Fan's expression changed slightly; the Prince of Qinghe he had heard about before was not like this.

People don't change suddenly, unless the Prince of Qinghe has been keeping a low profile all along.

But it makes sense. His Majesty the Emperor is no ordinary man. Since he has been granted the title of Prince and sent here, how could the Prince of Qinghe be an ordinary person? He must have been hiding his talents before.

He had a vague feeling that this operation was the imperial court vying with the powerful families for control of Qinghe County, and trying to completely seize control of the region.

"This Prince of Qinghe is probably a formidable figure," Li Fan said in a low voice.

Wang Yuyao seemed to be deep in thought.

Just then, a whooshing sound came from the air. Li Fan and Wang Yuyao turned around and saw a group of figures flying through the air in the distance, arriving directly over there.

“A member of the Cui family.” Wang Yuyao showed a surprised expression. Upon seeing the arrival of the other party, she bowed slightly and said, “Wang Yuyao greets all seniors.”

The people who arrived were from the Cui family, a prominent clan in Qinghe County. The leader was an old man dressed in black, with deep, unfathomable eyes and a restrained aura, yet one could still feel an invisible pressure.

The elder from the Cui family didn't look at Wang Yuyao, but instead focused his gaze on Li Fan. After scrutinizing Li Fan for a moment, he said, "The Cui family would like to invite you to come to the Cui family for a chat."

"What is it?" Li Fan asked.

"I don't know either. It's the patriarch's intention. Please cooperate, young hero." The old man continued. Li Fan was not familiar with the Cui family, and he had never met the patriarch of the Cui family. He didn't know why the other party had come to him.

"Okay." Li Fan nodded in agreement.

"Please, young hero," the old man said.

“I’ll go with you,” Lu Yuan said, stepping forward.

“Okay.” Li Fan nodded and looked at the others, saying, “You guys wait for me here.”

"it is good."

Everyone nodded in agreement, and Li Fan and Lu Yuan rode their swords, following the Cui family as they soared into the sky.

The Cui family, a family with hundreds of years of history in Qinghe County, did not live in the city, but in the suburbs outside the city, which looked like a city at first glance.

With a foundation built over hundreds of years and generations of reproduction, the Cui family now numbers in the tens of thousands.

Li Fan followed the elder of the Cui family and arrived at the central area of ​​the Cui family. There were many cultivators of the Cui family here, and they all looked at Li Fan and Lu Yuan with curiosity.

Thinking to himself, these two were indeed exceptionally handsome. Li Fan was elegant and dashing, while Lu Yuan was beautiful and aloof like the moon. When they stood side by side, they looked like a perfect couple.

Li Fan spotted a familiar figure: Cui Kuan, the prodigy of the Cui family.

“We’ve met before,” Cui Jian said to Li Fan and Lu Yuan.

Li Fan nodded. He had met her twice, once at Grandpa Wang's house and once at Shenmu Mountain Villa.

I heard that Cui Kun was injured at Shenmu Manor, but it seems he has recovered. The powerful families have deep foundations, and unless it is a fatal injury, they recover quickly.

"That day at Shenmu Manor, I saw you leave first, and you took Wang Yuyao with you. Why was that?" Cui Kun asked. "Because of my special cultivation, I sensed something was amiss. I informed Wang Yuyao and asked her to tell Chen Zhen and the others. Unfortunately, they didn't believe there was anything wrong with Shenmu Manor, so I had no choice but to leave on my own," Li Fan said.

"Why didn't you tell the others?" A man beside him asked coldly, his voice laced with a hint of sternness. In the battle at Shenmu Manor, the Cui family suffered heavy losses, with many people losing their lives, including several sixth-realm cultivators.

Li Fan glanced at the other person coldly upon hearing their words.

At this moment, an old man walked out of the courtyard, his aura unfathomable; he was none other than the patriarch of the Cui family.

"When I rushed to Shenmu Manor that day, I saw you fleeing. I didn't expect that the tree demon couldn't stop you," said Old Ancestor Cui, staring at Li Fan.

"It was lucky." Li Fan bowed and said, "That day, things happened suddenly. Chen Zhen and I were acquaintances, but they still didn't believe me. Even if I told others, I'm afraid no one would believe me. Instead, it would alert them, and I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to escape myself."

“That’s true.” Old Ancestor Cui nodded: “If you hadn’t left the manor beforehand, you probably wouldn’t have escaped death either.”

“However, you shouldn’t be from Qinghe County, right?” asked the Cui family patriarch.

"I come from Jiangzhou, traveling the world to slay demons and undergo trials," Li Fan replied.

"Jiangzhou, I don't seem to have heard of any top-tier swordsmanship forces there?" The Cui family patriarch smiled at Li Fan. "However, the White Deer Academy does have some reputation."

Li Fan didn't say much; he didn't need to explain so clearly.

Just then, a sound came from outside.

"Ancestor, the Xie family requests an audience."

"Please." The Cui family patriarch replied, looking outside. A moment later, another group of people arrived. Li Fan looked at the group, and Xie Lingxuan was among them.

“It’s you.” Xie Lingxuan exuded a commanding presence, her aura lingering on Li Fan. She had noticed Li Fan’s departure from Shenmu Manor that night.

Li Fan frowned, a sharp edge also emanating from him.

Several elders from the Xie family stepped forward simultaneously, pressing down on Li Fan.

"Please calm down." The Cui family patriarch waved his hand and said, "This young man has already given his explanation, and I will believe him for now."

Upon hearing this, the Xie family members restrained their breathing. Since the Cui family patriarch had said so, Xie Lingxuan naturally did not continue.

"How is Elder Xie now?" asked the Cui family patriarch.

"It's nothing serious," Xie Lingxuan replied. "Thank you for your concern, Elder Cui."

The Cui family patriarch did not press further, but the Xie family patriarch's injuries were more severe than his, and he would not recover so easily.

"What is your Xie family's view on this incident?" asked the Cui family patriarch.

"That old demon was once revered, so he shouldn't have colluded with demons. Unless he was injured and nearing the end of his life, which led him to take the risk and join forces with the tree demon. Now, we don't know if he's human or demon," an elder from the Xie family said angrily.

“When I fought him, Xie Laoguai could no longer be called a human being.” The Cui family patriarch said, “He lured cultivators from Qinghe County there, so he must have been practicing demonic magic, using the devouring of cultivators to replenish himself. I suspect that old monster is already dead.”

"Old Monster Xie hunts cultivators to survive, so why did that old beast appear? Did Old Monster Xie collude with the old beast after becoming a demon? What is the old beast after?"

"Also, did the Prince of Qinghe in the city play any role in this?" the Cui family patriarch asked with some suspicion.

"Not long ago I encountered people from the imperial court. They were hunting down demons in Qinghe County, and quite a few demons that had been hiding among the people had already been hunted down," Xie Lingxuan said. "Looking at it this way, it seems that it has nothing to do with them."

"Oh, how will the imperial court conduct the search?" asked the patriarch of the Cui family.

"The imperial court has invited a master who possesses a magical artifact that can track demons. It is said that demons have nowhere to hide," Xie Lingxuan replied.

Li Fan frowned upon hearing the other party's words and said, "If there is nothing else, senior, I will take my leave now."

The Cui family patriarch and the Xie family members all turned their gazes toward Li Fan.

After a moment of silence, the Cui family patriarch nodded and said, "Go ahead."

Li Fan bowed slightly, then he and Lu Yuan turned and left. Once outside the Cui family, they immediately flew away on their swords and returned at high speed.

The patriarch of the Cui family gazed into the distance, his eyes deep, and said, "Follow them and take a look."

"Alright." One after another, figures soared through the air, heading in the direction where Li Fan and Lu Yuan had left.

Meanwhile, not far from Old Man Wang's house, a group of cultivators marched in a grand procession, with a man in a Taoist robe at the front holding a magic wheel in his hand.

The roulette wheel is now spinning, pointing to a certain direction.

"Over there." The man looked in the direction indicated by the roulette wheel and walked forward. Immediately, the group followed. The direction they were heading was precisely the direction where Old Man Wang's house was located.

(End of this chapter)