The Demon Slayer Martial Saint Begins with Insect Refining

Chapter 417 Fan Zhen Injured
The old monk's words made Su Yan's gaze darken: "What does the abbot mean?"

"Champion, please follow me."

The old monk Ping An led Su Yan along a path to the left. After walking two or three miles, they came to a small village.

The village was quiet, the houses were old and seemed to have been abandoned for some time, but had recently been cleaned up.

The two entered the village, where faint signs of human activity could be seen.

The old monk walked straight to the largest thatched hut in the village, gently pushed open the door and entered, sighing, "Champion, please take a look."

Su Yan's pupils suddenly contracted, and what came into view were more than twenty children who were only seven or eight years old.

The children were all fast asleep, dressed in tattered clothes, mostly coarse linen shirts from poor families. Bluish-purple marks could be vaguely seen on their exposed skin, and upon closer inspection, they were all children with rather large frames.

Where did these children come from?

The village is abandoned; the children couldn't possibly be from that deserted village.

Su Yan already had some guesses in his mind, and the old monk Ping An's answer confirmed his guesses.

"The old monk dealt with some of the bandits' cargo ships on the Chijiang River and found these children on board, along with these items."

Wow

The old monk Ping An took out several pieces of black armor from his storage ring. Su Yan glanced at them and immediately showed a solemn expression.

"Second-tier armor, body armor, arm guards, leg armor, combat boots, and a scimitar. I suppose that's all the armor the Dali Demon Suppression Army has."

He gave a cold laugh. Selling armor, and on a large scale at that, was a serious crime.

Ordinary sects would either build their own sects or handle things on a small scale, and the Dali Dynasty would just turn a blind eye to it.

But now, population, armor, and weapons—which one hasn't crossed the bottom line of the Great Li Dynasty?

"The ship is heading north"

The old monk Ping An lowered his eyes and said, "The hundred ships that were transported contained people from all walks of life, and all kinds of techniques. There were also people from the Long family who transported more than a hundred weapons. As for the rest, the Marquis of Champion and the Demon Suppression Guards need to investigate them carefully."

“If there are no criminals at Xuanjiang Temple, let the monks go into the world to gain experience, and the affairs of Buddhism here will be settled.”

"Thank you, Champion Marquis."

"Don't rush to thank me. This matter is probably much bigger than the Buddhist matter."

Su Yan said, "Please help me check, Abbot."

“Amitabha Buddha, so be it. Consider this my experience in the world.”

……

Instead of bringing the child back or arranging for the Demon Suppression Guards to take care of him, Su Yan went to find Qu Qinglan first.

Qu Qinglan then secretly sent people to hide these children in the village and take good care of them.

This matter is not so simple. The demon-suppressing guards found no clues about the smuggling, but instead, Zen Master Ping'an noticed something amiss.

This in itself implies that something is amiss.

Someone is manipulating the situation; even the Demon Suppression Guards are being led by the nose.

Although Zen Master Ping An did not explicitly state who might be the mastermind behind the scenes, the answer can be found simply by looking at who the biggest beneficiary is.

Long family
Only the Long family or the Nine Nether Sect possess the power to stir up the entire Chijiang Prefecture.

However, the fact that the Demon Suppression Guards were challenged by Long Cangqing to a duel with Su Yan, and that the exposure of the Youlong Sect triggered a major battle, has allowed the Long family to successfully go into hiding.

From this perspective, the Long family is the biggest beneficiary.

"The people have been arranged."

Inside the Lancang Medicine Pavilion, Qu Qinglan entered the room and told Su Yan about the outcome of the matter.

"Thank you, fellow Taoist."

Qu Qinglan smiled and then sat down in front of Su Yan: "The materials are all prepared, and the alchemy room here has been cleared out. Does the Marquis of Champion intend to refine the Demon-Suppressing and God-Refining Pill before the Battle of Longjiangkou, or afterward?"

"It's better to do it sooner rather than later; that fellow Daoist is probably getting impatient."

Although Qu Qinglan didn't say it, it's not hard to see from the Lancang Medicine Pavilion's urgent collection of materials that their willingness to endorse it naturally comes with a lot of pressure.

"Then I'll have to trouble the Champion Marquis."

Su Yan did not see the person who had entrusted him with the alchemy. He followed Qu Qinglan to the alchemy room, where all the rare and precious materials needed to refine the Demon-Suppressing and Divine-Refining Pill had been prepared.

After explaining the layout of Su Yan's alchemy room, Qu Qinglan left the room and handed it over to Su Yan.

"A fourth-grade top-quality earth vein spirit fire is sealed inside, which is quite impressive."

Spiritual fire and alchemy furnaces can both increase the success rate of alchemy. Chijiang City does not have any particularly powerful fire veins, so it is indeed not easy to gather and seal such a ball of spiritual fire as a fire source for alchemy.

"It's still more convenient to use the Spirit Fusion Fire."

Su Yan activated the Ferocious Insect Technique, connecting with the Giant Flame God Scorpion, and the Fusion Flame ignited on his body, directly igniting the furnace.

As he cast out incantations, Su Yan gradually became immersed in alchemy, and the main ingredients were incorporated into the furnace.

At this moment, the malevolent energy and demonic energy began to continuously erode Su Yan's body.

His gaze turned slightly cold, and then the power of the Divine Fiend Locust emerged, sweeping away all the fiendish energy. The remaining demonic energy, on the contrary, seeped into his body and became part of the power of his inner demons.

Su Yan was quite surprised by this change, and then a slight smile appeared on his lips. This would actually accelerate the cultivation of the Heavenly Gang Demon Suppression Scripture.

Su Yan focused on refining pills, and this batch of pills was indeed extremely troublesome to refine.

The main ingredients are repeatedly refined, while the remaining auxiliary ingredients also need to be processed using different alchemy techniques.

This process was repeated until Su Yan had completely refined the rare and precious materials, which took three days.

Qu Qinglan was already shocked by the changes in the alchemy room.

Over the course of three days, the alchemy room absorbed a large amount of spiritual energy, and faint ripples of alchemy incantations appeared and disappeared.

Finally, on the day the elixir was completed, a fragrant aroma filled the air, enveloping the entire Lancang Medicine Pavilion branch in a sweet scent.

Buzz

The alchemy room trembled slightly, and a powerful medicinal force surged forth.

Became
Qu Qinglan looked excited as Su Yan opened the door and came out of the alchemy room, handing her the pill.

"Fortunately, I did not disgrace my life."

Qu Qinglan's eyes flickered slightly, and she immediately said, "The Marquis of Champion's alchemy skills have probably reached the threshold of the fifth level."

Su Yan smiled without saying a word, then said, "Fellow Daoist, please go and deal with the matter of these pills. I'll be leaving now."

Watching Su Yan's departing figure, Qu Qinglan couldn't help but sigh. With such talent, it was no wonder he could stir up such a great trend.

Su Yan strode away, the third inner demon within him now more than halfway grown.

'This elixir is strange. Although it has the effect of refining the spirit, it requires malevolent energy and demonic energy as a catalyst, which has actually increased my inner demons by at least 30%.'

If someone else were to experience a sudden 30% increase in their inner demons while cultivating the Heavenly Gang Demon Suppression Scripture, they would probably start to worry.

After all, the faster the inner demon grows, the faster it manifests, and then you will have to fight it.

The danger of such a battle is self-evident. However, Su Yan was already looking forward to seeing what kind of supernatural power the third inner demon would be.

"Defeated! Defeated!"

In Chijiang Prefecture, someone shouted to cross the street, and a powerful horse galloped through the street.

The yamen runners, their faces flushed, shouted loudly.

"The Old Ancestor of Youlong suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Town Guardian, the Youlong Sect was routed, and the Demon Suppression Guard achieved a great victory!"

The news of the Demon Suppression Guard's great victory spread throughout the entire Chijiang Prefecture almost instantly.

"Is it over so soon?"

Su Yan narrowed his eyes slightly. Since the Youlong Sect had prepared to resist, it was impossible for the matter to end so quickly, or at least not so decisively.

Loud propaganda campaigns that travel through the streets and alleys may not necessarily lead to complete victory.

He quickened his pace and returned to the Demon Suppression Guard's residence.

"Champion Marquis!"

"Is the garrison commander here?"

Su Yan asked the demon-suppressing guard, who immediately replied, "The town envoy just returned not long ago."

Su Yan nodded slightly and strode inside, arriving at the courtyard of Fan Zhen.

"Is it the Marquis of Champion?"

Fan Zhen's voice came from the courtyard, still full of vigor: "Champion Marquis, come in, no need to be polite."

Su Yan strode into the courtyard and found Fan Zhen sitting cross-legged in the middle of the courtyard. His armor was off, revealing his half-naked upper body, strong muscles, and a scar across his chest.

"Senior, were these injuries inflicted by the Old Ancestor Youlong?"

Su Yan frowned slightly, took out the Nine-Turn Jade Purity Golden Pill, a fourth-tier healing pill he had refined from his spatial storage, and said, "Take this medicine first to remove the residual power from the wound."

Fan Zhen had no doubts and swallowed the pill in one gulp. The powerful medicinal effect immediately activated the power within his body, and the wound on his chest was healing rapidly.

"I had long heard that the Champion Marquis was a fourth-level alchemist, and now that I have seen him, he is indeed extraordinary."

Su Yan glanced at the old man. Fan Zhen seemed to be a loyal follower of Hong Wuji, and seemed to be constantly finding excuses to praise himself. For a moment, Su Yan couldn't tell whether Fan Zhen wanted to improve or genuinely thought Su Yan was capable, or both.

"Senior, let's not talk about this for now. Let's talk about Ancestor Youlong instead."

Fan Zhen snorted coldly: "That old guy was no match for me. He was defeated by me in a head-on confrontation. Unexpectedly, someone rushed out to save him, and that's why he was taken away."

Fan Zhen concealed his true abilities, which provoked the Old Ancestor Youlong to fight. He originally intended to settle the matter with the Golden Body Realm, but an unexpected event occurred.

They have only managed to defeat the entire Youlong Sect, but they have not achieved complete success, and quite a few people have still escaped.

Especially the injured Old Ancestor Youlong.

"Who made the move?"

"He was completely covered up and acted ruthlessly; he was probably the Grand Commandant's enemy from back then."

Fan Zhen paused slightly, his eyes flashing coldly: "Or perhaps someone from the Long family."

Upon hearing about the Long family again, Su Yan revealed a subtle expression.

"The Youlong Sect has connections with the Long family, and this exposure was probably orchestrated by the Long family."

Seeing that his wounds were healing quickly, Fan Zhen wrapped the bandages around his neck and put on his armor.

“How come you see?”

Su Yan asked from the side, and Fan Zhen replied, "Three thousand sets of armor were found in the Youlong Sect. Among the disciples wearing armor, there are thirteen hundred in formation. The reason why Chen Meng and his group's progress has been slowed down is because these martial artists are extremely difficult to deal with."

1,300 people is not a large number, but if they are dealt with in a military formation, the summoned battle beasts may be comparable to those of a Dharma Aspect Realm warrior. If the person in charge of the formation is strong enough, even a Dharma Aspect Realm warrior might not be able to fight against them.

It was precisely for this reason that Chen Meng and the other leaders were unable to break into the Youlong Sect with only minor casualties and were thus held back.

Fan Zhen continued, "As far as I know, almost every blacksmith in Chijiang Prefecture, if they wanted to, would be in the Hidden Dragon City of the Long family. They are probably the only ones capable of forging three thousand sets of armor and forming battle formations."

"The abduction of Patriarch Youlong and the deaths and injuries of his remaining disciples probably do not directly prove that the Youlong Sect is related to the Long family."

Su Yan knew that since the Long family dared to use the Youlong Sect as a pretext to restrain the Demon Suppression Guards, it meant that they had cleared themselves of any involvement. Even Fan Zhen probably wouldn't dare to directly attack the Long family.

Even if Fan Zhen were incredibly bold, he wouldn't dare to face four Golden Body Realm experts.

Fan Zhen pondered for a moment, then said decisively, "As long as we keep a close eye on them, they will inevitably slip up. However..."

Fan Zhen looked at Su Yan with concern: "Right now, Long Cangqing has invited you to fight at Longjiangkou. This battle is unavoidable. If you go, many people will probably target you, and you may not be safe."

"Even if we don't go, we'll become targets. This time, we can use it as a warning to others and see what they're really capable of."

Fan Zhen looked at Su Yan and was slightly taken aback. What a spirited young man! He vaguely resembled Grand Commandant Hong before he invaded the Northern Barbarian territory.

Although Fan Zhen had been injured and was gradually recovering, Su Yan did not stay long.

After leaving Fan Zhen, Su Yan rested for a few days. The Jianghu was in turmoil. At this time, the Youlong Sect had become a thing of the past. The Youlong Sect disciples scattered throughout Chijiang Prefecture had become shadows of revenge and had disappeared without a trace. Some people said that they were preparing to assassinate Fan Zhen, while others said that they would definitely assassinate Su Yan, and that Su Yan was the instigator.

Three days left

Su Yan calculated the time and realized that there were only three days left until the Longjiangkou Grand Competition.

Su Yan pushed open the door, wind and thunder merged into his body, and with one step, he appeared outside the gate of Chijiang Prefecture.

"You have a flying mount but don't ride it? It seems your Wind and Thunder Wings are more practical."

Fan Zhen was already waiting outside Chijiang City, unaware that he had been there at some point.

He grinned and said, "I'll go with you. I'll be the one to fight the Dharma Protector."

"Thank you, senior."

The two headed towards Longjiangkou one after the other, without making any attempt to avoid it.

Each step covered a hundred zhang, and several hundred zhang; in a very short time, they had already covered more than a hundred li.

……

"Young Master, Su Yan has set off."

Long Cangqing stood in the midst of the raging torrent of the Red River, constantly experiencing the power of the current. His surging true essence poured into his body, almost squeezing his meridians to the point of collapse.

Someone transmitted a message from the riverbank. Long Cangqing didn't even look up, but simply said, "Let him come. All those who are attending the ceremony can also be invited."

"Yes"

Several dark figures disappeared into the crowd. They were all loyal followers of the Long family. Now, with Long Cangqing's orders, they spread the word outwards. On one hand, they sent out invitations to Wuming, and on the other hand, they spread the word that the Longjiangkou duel was imminent.

In an instant, a large number of people flocked to the vicinity of Longjiang Estuary, all wanting to witness the competition for the Dragon Gate Ranking and the prowess of the champion.

When Su Yan arrived, Longjiangkou had already become a gathering place for many martial artists.

Second-tier True Intent Realm, third-tier Danqiao Realm, and even fifth-tier Golden Body Realm experts were all secretly observing.

"He's here, Su Yan is here!"

Someone recognized Su Yan and immediately exclaimed in surprise.

(End of this chapter)