The Demon Slayer Martial Saint Begins with Insect Refining

Chapter 412 The Sword Steps on the Chijiang River
Li Jiangqing, the patriarch of the Great River Alliance.

His aura was now locked onto Su Yan, preventing Su Yan from making any further moves.

If Su Yan were to strike with his sword, the entire Great River Alliance would likely fall apart.

"Is Senior going to make a move?"

Su Yan countered Li Jiangqing's question, his eyes narrowing slightly, showing no fear whatsoever.

On the contrary, Li Jiangqing's expression was unpredictable, revealing a hint of hesitation.

Su Yan acted out of a sense of righteousness. Even though he acted domineeringly, upon closer examination, his actions were indeed in accordance with the law.

He was not only a party involved in the assassination attempt by the Northern Barbarians, but also a member of the Demon Suppression Guard.

Now that your Great River Alliance's Third Elder is currently in seclusion, even if he uses seclusion as an excuse, it probably won't work.

In cases involving treason, a forced summons is not excessive.

"If Huo Lin's matter is related to the Northern Barbarians, our Great River Alliance will definitely investigate thoroughly and provide a satisfactory answer to the Demon Suppression Guard."

Upon hearing this, Su Yan sneered, took out the Demon-Imprisoning Nine-Dragon Cover, and threw it directly into the sky above Jiujiang City.

In an instant, the Nine Dragons Imprisoning Demon Cover sealed off the entire city, its speed so fast that even Li Jiangqing couldn't react.

What does "Marquis of Champion" mean?

"If you're going to investigate, investigate now. I don't seem to sense any other Dharma Aspect martial artist's aura in Jiujiang City."

Li Jiangqing's face immediately turned ugly. Of course, he knew that Huo Lin was not in the city; he had already scanned the area with his divine sense.

I knew there was probably something fishy going on.

This is why he left room for maneuver in his reply, saying he wanted to give the Demon Suppressing Guards an explanation.

However, Su Yan is clearly going to confess now, leaving no room for maneuver whatsoever.

"Champion Marquis, you..."

Before he could finish speaking, three terrifying auras suddenly locked onto Li Jiangqing.

A chill ran down his spine in an instant, his pupils contracted, and he looked sharply at Su Yan.

will die!

How could he have so many protectors?

Each aura locking onto him was extremely domineering. Although they were only at the Golden Body Realm level, Li Jiangqing had no doubt that if they really made a move, he would be killed on the spot.

For a moment, his face turned as white as paper, and cold sweat seeped through his forehead.

"Let's recognize the person. I don't need to check personally, right?"

With a wave of his hand, Su Yan removed several dried corpses. Although their faces had changed, their original aura remained unchanged.

"Zhang Zhu!"

Li Jiangqing made his choice immediately and shouted in a deep voice.

Zhang Zhu looked sorrowful, struggled to his feet, and knelt on the city wall.

"Disciple knows his mistake. Huo Lin is not in seclusion in the city."

Li Jiangqing shouted sternly, "Tell me everything you know."

"Huo Lin facilitated smuggling between the Great River Alliance and the North, and was mainly responsible for the business in the North. I failed to supervise him and could not control him. But I really didn't know that he was not only involved in smuggling, but was also a Northern Barbarian, and I didn't know that he was so audacious as to attack the Marquis of Champion. I was worried that this matter would leak out and implicate the Great River Alliance, so I spread the news that Huo Lin was in seclusion."

After saying this, he kowtowed three times, saying, "Please punish me, Ancestor. Zhang Zhu is willing to take full responsibility."

"The Marquis of Champion..."

Li Jiangqing wanted to speak, but Su Yan only glanced at him: "An alliance leader is still a bit lacking. Zhang Zhu should depose himself, those involved in the case should commit suicide, the Great River Alliance should be under the jurisdiction of Dali, and the disciples of the alliance should go to Dali to serve."

Li Jiangqing's face turned ashen, but Su Yan ignored his expression, his eyes cold: "I've given you a chance. If you won't listen to reason, you'll have to suffer the consequences. Of course, you can also refuse to suffer the consequences."

If he wouldn't listen to the punishment, Su Yan wouldn't mind building another Jingguan (a mound of skulls) here.

"The Great River Alliance accepts the punishment!"

Zhang Zhu looked sorrowful. However, things had come to this point, and if they didn't give in, Li Jiangqing would probably die here.

The Great River Alliance is completely finished.

Su Yan had their weakness incriminating, and by holding them accountable openly, any further action would be treason.

boom

Zhang Zhu's power dissipated, his Dharma form instantly crumbled, and all his cultivation vanished.

"check!"

Li Jiangqing gritted his teeth and issued a low command, instructing the remaining two elders to immediately order a thorough investigation.

The allies defected, and under their command, a large number of people were quickly captured and sent to the outskirts of Jiujiang City, where they were forced to kneel on the ground.

As Zhang Zhu said, he had indeed noticed something was amiss, so he had secretly taken control of or intentionally monitored all the members of the Great River Alliance who were involved in Huo Lin's connection with the north.

While he may have been somewhat indulgent, he naturally made preparations to silence witnesses after the incident.

In less than half a day, over a thousand people had all knelt down here.

"It seems you didn't get anything out of him."

Su Yan's gaze fell on Zhang Zhu, who smiled wryly: "They only participated in smuggling, but Huo Lin was extremely cautious, and no one knows his identity."

buzz
Su Yan waved his hand, and countless ferocious bees appeared instantly. In the blink of an eye, the bees swept through, and more than a thousand people were devoured of their flesh and blood in an instant, turning into a pile of white bones.

He tossed out a token, which transformed into a stream of light and landed in Li Jiangqing's hand.

"Let's let this go for now; how you perform in the future will be judged by your own actions."

"The Great River Alliance thanks Champion Hou for showing mercy."

Li Jiangqing bowed respectfully; even a martial artist at the Golden Body Realm wouldn't dare disobey Su Yan.

Su Yan nodded slightly, withdrew the Nine Dragons Imprisoning Demon Cover, and his figure transformed into lightning, disappearing outside Jiujiang City under everyone's gaze.

The entire Dajiang Alliance was filled with sorrow as they looked at the mound of white bones piled up like a statue of Jingguan.

"The one who subdues demons is the greatest demon."

Li Jiangqing's face was gloomy, and he finally sighed.

"Ancestors, we..."

"Zhang Zhu, don't even think about arguing with him anymore. We... have no right to."

Su Yan has already reached the seventh level of the Dharma Aspect Realm. Even before he has used all his methods, he already possesses a level of skill that makes those in the Golden Body Realm find troublesome.

When we meet again, will it be at the eighth or ninth level, or perhaps you've already broken through to the Golden Body Realm?

Such a person is someone they simply cannot afford to offend.

"Take a fourth-tier Spirit Spring Rejuvenation Golden Pill to consolidate your injuries and replenish your cultivation. I'm afraid you'll need to go to the Demon Guard in Chijiang Town."

Zhang Zhu looked bitter: "I know it was my fault for not investigating properly, otherwise the Great River Alliance would not be in this predicament."

"Further words are useless. The disciples of this sect will make contact with the Demon Suppression Guard and serve for as many years as they are required to."

"Yes"

……

Not long after Su Yan left Jiujiang City, the news had already spread rapidly to various places.

One person suppressed a major force in Chijiang Prefecture. It should be noted that the Great River Alliance had a Golden Body Realm expert.

However, Su Yan alone managed to suppress the enemy. The Jingguan (a mound of stones) was built outside the Dajiang Alliance, and no one dared to deal with it easily.

The entire martial arts world of Chijiang Prefecture was awestruck by Su Yan's domineering power and strength. "The Great River Alliance has backed down; Alliance Leader Zhang Zhu has been crippled and has personally led three hundred core disciples to Chijiang City."

"Has he gone mad? With Senior Li Jiangqing around, how dare he?"

"Senior Li Jiangqing is at the Golden Body Realm, doesn't the Marquis of Champion have any protectors?"

"It's not just the Great River Alliance; these past few days, the Marquis of Champion has also visited the Ouyang family and Tianhong Pavilion in Jiujiang County..."

In just a few days, the entire Chijiang Prefecture was in an uproar.

Su Yan visited those 'suspected' sects one after another.

Regardless of the degree of suspicion, if they come knocking, we'll be frank and open, and start a direct confrontation.

The elder of the Ouyang family tried to fake his death to escape, but he overturned the coffin, revealing it to be empty.

The Ouyang family's Golden Body Ancestor wanted to keep Su Yan in Jiujiang County, but Su Yan used mysterious means to kill him on the spot, suspected to be the work of a secret protector.

Of the more than ten thousand members of the Ouyang family, more than half were slaughtered, and not a single one survived below the Danqiao level.

When Su Yan found Tianhong Pavilion, the elders who were in seclusion took the initiative to meet with him, thus clearing him of suspicion.

However, Su Yan challenged them to a duel and defeated all seven elders of Tianhong Pavilion single-handedly.

The Heavenly Pavilion's golden statue did not appear. Three days after the battle, the deputy pavilion master of the Heavenly Pavilion personally went to Chijiang City...

The fact that Su Yan could command four Golden Body forces in seven days demonstrates his domineering and powerful nature.

It was precisely because of his domineering style that the sects that had previously been somewhat secretive began to correct themselves one after another. In an instant, the identities of the remaining four Northern Barbarian assassins were also found out, and those who were involved in the investigation died no less than a thousand people.

The pressure had now fallen entirely on the Chijiang Long family.

Among the various forces, only the Chijiang Dragon Clan has not yet made a real statement, and the so-called elder in seclusion is still nowhere to be seen.

Some say that the Long family is guilty and there may indeed be a traitor within their ranks, connected to the north.

This wasn't entirely unfounded; after all, it would be strange if the Long family, who controlled 70% of the canal transport in Chijiang Prefecture, didn't engage in smuggling.

However, the deeper the interference, the harder it is to cut off, which is why it has dragged on to this point.

Some say that the four golden-bodied members of the Long family are only below the strength of the Nine Nether Sect. Even if Su Yan's protectors are powerful, they probably can't do anything to the Long family, which is why there has been this delay.

For a time, not only the sects of Chijiang Prefecture, but also people in the martial arts world focused their attention on these two.

At this very moment, news broke from the Chijiang Long family.

On the eighth day of the third month, Long Cangqing, the eldest son of the Long family of Chijiang, challenged Su Yan to a duel at Longjiangkou in order to be listed on the Dragon Gate List.

The news spread like wildfire, reaching every corner of the country, and the martial arts world was in an uproar.

"My lord, this is a challenge from the Long family."

At the foot of Guyun Mountain, Su Yan had just suppressed the Guyun Sect when the Demon Suppression Envoy of the Demon Suppression Guard found him and presented him with the challenge letter from the Long family.

Su Yan took it and saw that the letter contained the time and place of the challenge. The strokes were powerful, like the marks of swords, and it had a certain imposing presence.

"What did the Long family say?"

"The port strike has brought the canal transport to a standstill. The Long family has sent someone to say that the commotion has gone too far and may damage the harmony. They suggest that we stop the fighting with force and settle the score. If we are lucky enough to win, the Long family will investigate and send disciples to serve in the Demon Suppression Guard. We also ask the Marquis of Champion to show mercy."

"What if we lose?"

"If we lose, the Champion Marquis will deal with us."

Su Yan laughed. What a clever tactic of retreating to advance! The Long family is putting him on the hot seat.

Although he acknowledged that he did have some problems, how to deal with them was up to Su Yan's abilities.

If Su Yan were to lose to Long Cangqing, even if he wanted to deal with the Long family, he would definitely not be able to do so as decisively as he would with other sects.

Taking revenge out of personal motives—that's no small matter.

Similarly, if Su Yan wins, with four Golden Body Realm experts backing him up, they are also betting that Su Yan won't go too far.

"Tell them to meet at Longjiang Estuary on the eighth day of the third month."

"Yes"

……

"That person agreed."

Inside the Long family, the expressions of the three elders and the current family head, Long Qinghai, were not as relaxed as the rumors outside suggested.

"How strong is Cang Qing now?"

"Having refined the Crimson Dragon Lock and the Dragon River Armor, and after consuming the Golden Elixir, his cultivation has reached the peak of the ninth level. He can exchange a hundred blows with me without being defeated."

From the moment Su Yan began suppressing the Great River Alliance in half a day, they had already sensed that something was wrong.

The Great River Alliance has a Golden Body Realm expert in charge, yet Su Yan, alone, managed to subdue the Great River Alliance and even cripple Zhang Zhu.

As soon as this news came out, the Long family knew that the situation was not good.

Even though Li Jiangqing wasn't a particularly powerful figure in the Golden Body Realm, he was still a Golden Body Realm martial artist.

Su Yan's actions were so outrageous that Li Jiangqing would definitely have intervened, but the Great River Alliance remained silent as to why he was stopped.

Su Yan's subsequent battle record became more and more exaggerated, and even if Long Cangqing had the strength of the ninth level of the Dharma Aspect Realm, it would still not be safe enough.

This forced them to keep increasing their stakes and gave Long Cangqing another Daoist armor.

"Lily is probably only evenly matched with that kid."

Long Zhenyue's expression shifted between light and dark. Long Qianhui chimed in, "Cang Qing has already worked hard enough, but his current mental state and comprehension of the rules are insufficient, preventing him from breaking through to the Golden Body Realm. I don't believe that waiter has the ability to kill someone in the Golden Body Realm."

Although there are legends that Su Yan was able to fight against a Golden Body Realm expert in the Battle of Xizhou Prefecture, it is not necessarily true that he did not rely on his military formation.

"But he also has ferocious insects."

Long Hanzhou frowned: "If we could restrict him from using the ferocious insects..."

"how is this possible?"

Long Qianhui interrupted his whimsical thoughts: "He comes from the Beast King Sect, and contracting beasts is one of his methods. Moreover, since he can use Dao weapons, it is difficult to restrict him. I'm afraid we can only ask Cang Qing to be more cautious."

"Rest assured, my three ancestors, I have already made other arrangements. Even if we lose, it may not be a bad thing. It just requires some sacrifices."

Long Qinghai's eyes flickered. As the head of the family, he had many things to consider. He had to think about the possibility of defeat before he thought about victory, and he had to make preparations for both possibilities when making plans.

"Have all the clues been cleared?"

Long Qianhui looked at Long Qinghai and asked him carefully.

"Yes, the Pai Gang, the Guai Zi Gang, and other affiliated forces have all been wiped out. Most of the affiliated forces responsible for transporting goods by boat have been disbanded, and the remaining ones have been brought under control. Within the family, the third branch is too deeply involved and probably cannot escape responsibility. This time, we can only make them suffer a bit, but the direct descendants have been exonerated."

"Give them more compensation, after all, they are members of the Long family."

"Where are the people from the north?"

Long Zhenyue inquired about the contact with the Northern Barbarians, and Long Qinghai's expression changed slightly. He said in a deep voice, "We have made contact, but they are very dissatisfied with our actions."

"Not satisfied? We haven't even bothered them yet, given the trouble they caused."

"So you're looking for trouble!"

Before Long Zhenyue could finish speaking, a figure as ghostly as black smoke suddenly appeared outside the secret chamber.

"who?!"

The four looked up sharply and suddenly saw a man in black robes with a blue face appear outside the door and push open the door to the secret room.

Their expressions were grim and uncertain. The secret chamber was heavily guarded, yet someone had managed to sneak in without triggering anything. They were both shocked and furious.

"Ashina, the Ghost Wolf of the Northern Barbarians, greets all fellow Daoists."

(End of this chapter)