The Demon Slayer Martial Saint Begins with Insect Refining

Chapter 410 Assassination Storm
The Chijiang River meanders nine times, vast and mighty.

Chijiang City is located in the center of Chijiang Prefecture, bordering the Chijiang River to the east and backed by Chihong Mountain. Its walls are hundreds of meters high, and the city is prosperous and bustling with thousands of sails and countless goods coming and going every day.

However, beneath the prosperous surface of Chijiang City today, an atmosphere of unease is brewing.

Su Yan entered Chijiang City and arrived at the gate of the Demon Suppression Guard.

The Demon Suppression Guard's grand courtyard exuded an air of authority, with members of the guard standing on both sides, dressed in black robes and holding swords, standing solemnly.

As soon as Su Yan approached, some of the Demon Suppression Guards tried to stop him.

He tossed a token into the hands of the Demon-Suppressing Guard: "Where is the Commander of the Prefecture?"

The man was about to curse when he saw the token and was startled.

The Demon Suppression Guards have different tokens, and this one in front of us is particularly special. It is the token of the Inspector, in other words, it is the token of the Demon Suppression Guards from Zhongzhou Prefecture.

The young demon-suppressing guard quickly clasped his hands in greeting: "I was blind and did not recognize you, sir. Please forgive me. I do not know your name, sir, so that I may report to the town magistrate."

"Su Yan"

The Demon Suppressor's pupils constricted sharply as he immediately remembered this person, and an excited look flashed in his eyes.

"Champion Marquis, please come with me."

Su Yan was led into the Demon Suppression Guard's residence by the Demon Suppression Guard and taken to the main hall, where tea was served.

Before long, an elderly man in black strode into the hall. He had a full head of silver hair, deep eyes, and a smile on his face. His voice preceded his arrival.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, Marquis Champion. I was wondering whether you were going to Youyuan Prefecture or coming to my Chijiang Prefecture. I didn't expect you to have arrived first."

As he entered the lobby, his gaze fell upon Su Yan.

Su Yan cupped his hands in greeting: "Greetings, Prefect Fan."

Fan Zhen, the governor of Chijiang Prefecture, also known in the martial arts world as Chijiang Ape, is a veteran Golden Body Realm martial artist who has been stationed in Chijiang Prefecture for many years.

The two sat down and exchanged pleasantries. After looking Su Yan over, Fan Zhen was quite surprised.

'As expected of the Grand Commandant's closed-door disciple, he's only at the Dharma Aspect realm, yet his aura is as deep as an abyss. His blood and qi suggest his physical body is comparable to a fourth-tier wild beast.'

Fan Zhen had no ability to observe qi, but the fact that the two were so close, his Golden Body Realm instincts gave him a faint sense of danger, which was enough to explain the situation.

"Back then, I was also a demon-suppressing envoy under the Grand Commandant. Together with the lord, we stormed into the Northern Barbarians, slaughtered eighteen tribes in the Outer Northern Mountains, and avenged the great hatred of those who went south. That was when we truly had a good time killing."

Fan Zhen and Su Yan started chatting about everyday things, and Su Yan then showed a surprised expression, never expecting to have such a past.

"Did my master have a grudge against the Northern Barbarians back then?"

"hatred?"

Fan Zhen laughed: "You could say that. If your master were to set foot in the Northern Barbarian Lands, it would probably be more than just the Holy Priest who would take action; even the Eternal Heaven might be able to kill him."

Su Yan: ?
Seeing Su Yan's surprised expression, Fan Zhen explained, "More than two hundred years ago, the Barbarian Kingdom produced three high priests. The old, middle-aged and young priests took turns leading the way, and they were truly powerful for a time."

The high priests of the barbarian kingdoms are generally martial saints, but among these high priests, there is only one type of person who can be called a holy priest, and that is a martial saint at the ninth level.

A ninth-level Martial Saint, aside from terrestrial immortals, is already the pinnacle of humanity.

Back then, the Northern Barbarians had three Holy Priests. This meant that if they succeeded, as long as one of the Holy Priests broke through, the Northern Barbarians would have one more Immortal-level being, and the world's fortunes would change.

"How many sages and martial saints did our Dali Dynasty have back then?"

"There was only one, the old Grand Tutor Fang Jingde. Now the old Grand Tutor has passed away. The situation back then was not like it is today."

Since Fan Zhen didn't know Su Yan, he decided to explain in more detail.

"The Northern Barbarians are powerful. Although the terrestrial immortals are not as powerful as those of the Great Li Dynasty, they are mutually restraining and will not easily make a move. Therefore, their methods of negotiation are inferior to those of the terrestrial immortals."

Su Yan could understand. After all, a confrontation between two countries is a comprehensive contest. Which side would drop a nuclear bomb right from the start?

"The Northern Barbarians launched seven southward invasions, attacking the borders and causing more than half of the Northern Mountain Prefecture to fall. They did this all in order to seize the destiny through war, so as to help their Holy Priest break through and achieve the second Eternal Heaven for the Northern Barbarians."

Su Yan's eyes flickered slightly: "My master ruined their plan?"

"Yes"

Fan Zhen said with a smile, "The Grand Commandant led the Demon Suppression Guards into the northern mountains outside the northern barbarians, fighting for three thousand miles, slaughtering eighteen tribes, and killing no less than a million barbarian soldiers. He even killed three Martial Saints. Through war and tribulation, only a hundred of the three thousand Demon Suppression Guards returned. The Grand Commandant became a sage and beheaded their youngest Holy Priest on the border."

Fan Zhen was deeply moved as he spoke, having been a participant and survivor of the events.

Although by the late stages of the war, when the thirteenth tribe had been slaughtered, the Grand Commandant had already ordered the Demon Suppression Guards to disperse and withdraw.

He was not fortunate enough to witness the subsequent battles, but as a participant in those battles, he had reason to be proud.

Su Yan frowned slightly upon hearing this; this was more than just a deep-seated grudge.

What his master Hong Wuji did was equivalent to interrupting the pace of the barbarian kingdom's growth. Now, with his sage-like strength and the addition of a right prime minister, the two of them are in charge of the Dali Dynasty.

It will likely be extremely difficult for the Northern Barbarians to use their methods to revive their rise.

No wonder those northern barbarian assassins were so excited.

While pondering, Fan Zhen reminded him, "Marquis of Champion, you should be more careful in the future, especially when you arrive at the northern prefectures. With your reputation as the Grand Commandant's close disciple, there are probably many northern barbarians who want your life. They are also worried about the emergence of a second Grand Commandant."

Everyone knows that although Hong Wuji's three disciples, Yu Yun, Ji Liyang, and Lin Jiuge, are all exceptionally talented, the cultivation techniques they practice are not his Heavenly Gang Demon Suppression Scripture.

As the last disciple, Su Yan undoubtedly inherited his mantle.

The Heavenly Gang Suppresses Demons, and the Thirty-Six Heavenly Gang Heart Demons are the Thirty-Six Supernatural Powers.

Others may not know the details, but those who experienced it firsthand in the Northern Barbarians know how terrifying this technique is, and they also know that if another 'Hong Wuji' were to emerge, it would be a tremendous loss for the Barbarian Kingdom.

Therefore, Su Yan will undoubtedly become the target of public criticism.

However, Su Yan smiled after hearing Fan Zhen's words: "They have already made their move."

"what?!"

Fan Zhen's expression changed, and Su Yan said, "Senior, I apologize for the offense."

With a wave of his hand, he released twelve mummified corpses from the insect realm.

The corpse was dried up, but the face was preserved, though it was somewhat grotesque.

The lingering aura made Fan Zhen's face turn ugly, and his tone became serious: "A Golden Body Realm expert and eleven Dharma Aspects, what a grand scheme to launch an attack in Chijiang Prefecture?"

"Above the Red River"

Fan Zhen took a deep breath: "I will investigate this matter thoroughly, Marquis Champion, please rest assured."

His tone was filled with suppressed anger, not only because he was Hong Wuji's former subordinate, but also because the fact that the Champion Marquis, as Hong Wuji's last disciple, had been ambushed and killed without his knowledge, and on such a large scale, was clearly a slap in the face to him.

"Then investigate thoroughly." Su Yan remained calm, took a sip of tea, and acted as if he wasn't the one who had been attacked.

Twelve corpses, all of them Northern Barbarians. Whatever the reason, someone deliberately handed them a knife. He wasn't that stupid to not use a knife when he had one.

……

Fan Zhen's anger was clearly three times greater than expected. All the Demon Suppression Guards were dispatched. Whether by force or by roundabout means, he gave a strict order: find out the identities of these twelve martial artists within ten days.

Twelve high-level martial artists are not twelve cabbages.

Those who can reach this level of cultivation are generally limited in number.

Chijiang Prefecture is not a border area, so it is extremely difficult to have so many people completely infiltrate this location.

Therefore, most of these twelve Northern Barbarian warriors must have had another identity in the Dali Dynasty; they were all spies.

If this matter is not handled properly, Fan Zhen will not only lose face, but he will also be held accountable.

Although Chijiang Prefecture was weak, Chijiang River runs through the north and south of Dali, making it a thoroughfare connecting the seven prefectures and a crucial location.

If the Northern Barbarians invade, the central operation of Chijiang Prefecture will collapse, and Beishan Prefecture, Youyuan Prefecture, and Xuanshan Prefecture will likely face serious problems.

Fan Zhen had no choice but to investigate, and he had to investigate thoroughly.

"Have the Demon-Suppressing Guards gone mad?"

The Demon Suppression Guards' troops came and went, causing chaos throughout Chijiang Prefecture. The small gangs affected alone lost hundreds of people in just a few days.

Boos

The muttering man was pulled back by the martial artist beside him: "Don't you know what happened? A Northern Barbarian assassin killed the Champion Marquis on the Red River. It's no wonder the Demon Suppression Guards are going crazy."

"what?!"

The person who heard this was taken aback, looked around cautiously, and lowered their voice: "How did you know?"

"Who doesn't know? Several sects have already been exposed and arrested..."

……

"Tian Yi, the leader of the Southern Eagle Sect; Fang Yuwen, the leader of the Azure Wolf Sect; Du Tian of the Frost Blade Society; Li Yunzhang, the patriarch of the Li family in Dongjiang City; and Mo Chen, the rogue cultivator Jinghu Jian—five Dharma Aspect Realm martial artists—disappeared seven days ago and have not reappeared since. Judging from the time when these sects rose to power and the aura of the mummified corpses, there is a 90% probability that they are among the Northern Barbarian assassins."

In the Demon Suppression Guard, Fan Zhen sat in the main hall, with Su Yan sitting next to him. Below them sat three people on each side, all of whom were the commanders of the Demon Suppression Guard in Chijiang Prefecture.

A tall woman at the head of the group was explaining the situation she had investigated.

Fan Zhen frowned slightly: "How did their subordinates react?"

Xing Menglan said calmly, "The core disciples of the sect have all been imprisoned. Most of the disciples are unaware of their identities as Northern Barbarian spies, but some core disciples have already confessed."

"how?"

"They all contacted the Northern Barbarians through single-line communication. They didn't know much about the other spies either, and they've all been arrested. Four people at the Danqiao Realm and twenty-seven people at the Zhenyi Realm are all in prison."

This time, many of the Northern Barbarians' spies in Chijiang Prefecture have been removed, but it is clearly not enough.

There are only five.

Fan Zhen's expression was grim: "The leader is a Golden Body Realm expert, and there are six others remaining. We have no leads?"

"Yes, but we can't get anywhere with the investigation."

Chen Meng chimed in, "A Dharma Aspect Elder from the Great River Alliance has been in seclusion for over a month and hasn't shown his face; the Ouyang family of Jiujiang Prefecture also had a Dharma Aspect Elder killed by a fourth-tier water beast, and their funeral was held three days ago; several Dharma Aspect Elders from the Chijiang Dragon family are in seclusion, and the whereabouts of Dharma Aspect Elders from the Tianhong Pavilion and the Dihuo Sect are uncertain."

Chen Meng paused slightly at this point, glancing at Su Yan out of the corner of his eye: "These forces all have Golden Body experts in charge, so there are some methods they can't use."

"Even if it involves Northern Barbarian assassins, they can't find a single clue?"

Su Yan gave a subtle smile and looked at Chen Meng.

Chen Meng replied, "Lord Champion, you may not know this, but our investigation over the past few days has already affected the interests of many forces. There are thousands of cargo ships coming and going on the Chijiang River every day, and various businesses are involved. Just investigating these clues has already interfered with their businesses, and the resistance is already considerable. Moreover, there are rumors among the martial arts sects that the so-called assassins are just a pretext for Lord Champion to take action against the martial arts world of Chijiang Prefecture."

"Bastard!"

Fan Zhen's face showed anger, but this anger was not directed at Chen Meng.

"They used something related to the country as an excuse to use force. The Grand Commandant was right. Such martial arts sects should be rectified."

"It's time for some adjustments."

Su Yan's voice suddenly came, and Fan Zhen looked at him: "What does the Marquis of Champion think?"

The clues cannot be forcibly pushed forward. If this is the approach of the Demon Suppression Guards, they must be closely monitored, and there will naturally be times when they slip up.

However, Su Yan did not seem to be someone who was willing to slowly waste his time in Chijiang Prefecture.

"I think the list is too small. Please list all the top sects in Chijiang Prefecture for me."

what?
Everyone looked at Su Yan in astonishment, their eyes filled with surprise.

Su Yan's actions are tantamount to confirming the rumors that he wants to take action against all sects. If this is the case, it will probably be even more difficult for the Demon Suppression Guard to investigate further, and there will be more obstacles.

Xing Menglan frowned: "Please, Marquis Champion, do not act rashly. If you act in this way, I'm afraid the Demon Suppression Guard will not have enough manpower, and it will be even more difficult to take advantage of the situation."

"No need to leverage existing trends"

Su Yan said calmly, "What they said is true. Since that's the case, I'll go and see who is really in seclusion and who is just pretending. Either way, I'll have to go through with it."

Now that he has entered Chijiang Prefecture, it is impossible for him to remain calm. Now that he has such a good excuse, he might as well use it.

Fan Zhen frowned slightly: "The enemy is in the dark while we are in the light. The Grand Commandant has many enemies, I'm afraid..."

"They even knew about my arrival in Chijiang in advance. Even if I stayed in Chijiang City for the rest of my life, I probably wouldn't be able to avoid it."

Su Yan's mind was made up, and no one could persuade him otherwise. They could only shake their heads inwardly, for that was a sect with a Golden Body Realm expert in charge.

Even if one or two people don't directly fight you, but merely suppress you and force you to retreat, what can you do against them?
It's unacceptable that the Grand Commandant's lineage would resort to even stronger forces to suppress someone who has just reached the Golden Body Realm. That would be utterly shameless.

If Su Yan is defeated, his accumulated momentum will be destroyed, and his future ambitions of conquering the martial world will likely become empty words.

In their view, Su Yan was being overrated.

While his combat strength is certainly not weak, his actions in this manner are ultimately inappropriate.

However, since Su Yan was a special envoy, they could not interfere with his decision.

On that day, Su Yan left Chijiang City alone.

As soon as he stepped out of the city gate, the messenger birds in the city flew out like snowflakes, heading in all directions to spread the news.

(End of this chapter)