The world is like a prison, my body is holy

Chapter 162 Cleansing Evil Spirits
A gentle evening breeze blew as Wang Wen stood atop the mast of his boat, overlooking the city of Haozhou bathed in the setting sun.

Before nightfall, Xuzhou was already deserted, with hardly any pedestrians in sight. There were also few wisps of smoke rising from chimneys. The entire city was eerily quiet, like a ghost town.

When he opened his divine eye again, he saw billowing black smoke surging into Haozhou City from the mountains at the western end of the city. It merged with the black mist rising from within Haozhou City, gathering in the sky to form a low, thick, leaden cloud like a snow cloud. It densely covered the entire Haozhou City, and even his spiritual smoke could only tear through a very small piece of the leaden cloud, unable to shake the overall situation!

If he were passing through this place at night, he would surely mistake it for a ghost town!
The weather was many times worse than what the Haozhou General's Office had reported to him!
This was the first time he had ever seen such a powerful and imposing demonic aura.

It was also the first time he had ever seen a city so deeply ravaged by demons.

'This is a bit tricky.'

He frowned and murmured to himself.

Just then, a discordant sound of gongs and drums came from the dock where the fleet was about to dock. A group of demon-suppressing guards dressed in black with black swords emerged from the dock, their red and green skins adorned with red and green ornaments, banging and beating.

A portly middle-aged civil official dressed in a crimson official robe with a silver fish-shaped pouch hanging from his waist stood in front of a group of demon-suppressing guards, smiling broadly as he bowed and said, "This humble official, Shen Ze, Junior Supervisor of the Demon-Suppressing Division of Haozhou, along with all the officers and staff of the Demon-Suppressing Division of Haozhou, respectfully welcomes our colleagues from the Demon-Suppressing General's Mansion to Haozhou!"

This was the first time their general's fleet had received such treatment since leaving Yangzhou. In the past, it was always the deputy supervisors of various prefectures who would lead twenty or thirty Demon-Suppressing Guards to greet them...

Wang Wen lowered his head and scanned the group of Haozhou Demon Guards on the dock with his Dharma Eye. He saw that most of them were exhausted and their faces were sallow. They were all sweating profusely just by standing. Some of them were even pale and had bluish lips, looking like they might faint at any moment.

Only Shen Ze, who claimed to be the Junior Supervisor of the Demon Suppression Division of Haozhou, had a layer of stable, faint golden light protecting his body. Although he also looked like he was depleted of vital energy, there were no signs of external evil entering his body.

He shook his head and looked up to continue observing Haozhou City.

Below, Xu Wu had already led a group of battalion commanders ashore, exchanging pleasantries and greetings with the Haozhou Demon Suppression Division group with beaming smiles...

Just as the fleet was slowly approaching the shore, a group of servants in red robes suddenly emerged from the empty city gate with a pink, flowered sedan chair, swaggering into the dock.

Upon seeing this, the many Demon Guards who were being polite at the dock abruptly stopped their laughter.

Xu Wu glanced at the beautiful young woman with a puzzled look, then scanned the Haozhou Demon Guards around him, whose faces were filled with fear, and slowly frowned.

Shen Ze stepped forward with a wry smile, repeatedly bowing and saying in a low voice, "Brother Xu, you must put in a good word for your old brother..."

Hua Hua Jiao Zi stopped, surrounded by a group of demon-suppressing guards. The young man in red, dressed as a pimp, who had been supporting her, stepped forward and bowed to Wang Wen on the mast with a smile: "This humble one is Hu Liu'er, the head steward of Tianxiang Tower, who pays his respects to General Wang!"

Wang Wen coldly looked down at him. Under his discerning eyes, a red fox the size of a wolfhound, wagging its two bushy tails, grinned at him.

If it weren't for that malevolent aura emanating from it, which seemed to boil like hot water, its smile would actually be quite cute...

The man in red bowed deeply, then stood up on his own and bowed again, saying, "My mistress heard that General Wang is honored to grace Haozhou with his presence, and specially ordered me to escort my fourth young lady here to serve General Wang. Please accept this as a token of my gratitude, General!"

"interesting!"

Wang Wen narrowed his eyes, the corners of his mouth slowly turned up, and he said softly, "Your fourth young lady is too inexperienced. This general has no interest in her. If your grandmother is sincere, she might as well come in person. Perhaps this general can reluctantly reward her with a basin of water to wash her feet."

"Hahaha……"

Xu Wu burst into laughter, laughing so hard he bent over backwards, behaving wildly.

Those under the general's command also burst into laughter upon seeing this.

Xu Wu laughed loudly while patting Shen Ze's shoulder forcefully, and asked in confusion, "Big brother, why aren't you laughing? Don't you like to laugh?"

Shen Ze kept wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. Hearing this, he forced a smile and nodded meekly, saying, "I like to laugh. I've always liked to laugh since I was a child..."

"General, you are joking!"

Hu Liu'er smiled without changing his expression and said, "My grandmother has achieved great success in her cultivation and is pure and virtuous. How could ordinary cats and dogs sully her discerning eyes... However, if General is willing to marry into my Hu family, my Hu family is willing to spend a million of our wealth to hold a grand banquet to welcome General!"

Its voice was sharp and high-pitched, causing the demonic energy that enveloped the entire city to vibrate and create a huge buzzing sound, which immediately suppressed the loud laughter at the dock.

"You sharp-tongued little vixen! I, the general, am discussing this with you in a serious manner. How dare you insult me ​​by making veiled accusations?"

Wang Wen laughed and cursed, then slowly extended his right hand and slapped it down at the pretty girl's face: "Slap her in the mouth!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a fiery red palm strike the size of a carriage descended from the sky, slamming into the ornate sedan chair with lightning speed.

Then came a series of terrified screams, and a two-tailed red fox with a bloodied head, carrying another two-tailed red fox in its mouth, darted out of the dust and screamed hoarsely, "Grandma, help me!"

In an instant, the sky and earth changed color. A huge black mist surged out from within Haozhou City, condensing into a giant fox head in mid-air. The fox head, with a fierce expression, opened its mouth and shrieked at Wang Wen, spewing out billowing black mist like a dam breaking, surging towards Wang Wen in a mighty torrent.

Its sound startled the clouds, its momentum was overwhelming, like the power of heaven and earth!

The many generals' guards who were lined up on the dock were all stunned by this scene. Their hands, which were tightly gripping their waist knives, froze, and they were filled with a sense of bewilderment as they looked around, wanting to draw their swords.

Faced with such catastrophic power, are the knives in their hands... really useful?

Wang Wen sensed their panic and confusion, and slowly released his hands from the incantation.

With a blank expression, he raised his hand and pulled out the Dawn Spear that was being used as a hairpin. With a flick of his wrist, it transformed into a ten-foot-long spear as thick as a bowl. Then, he shattered the mast and soared into the sky, his body radiating a magnificent burst of fire. Facing the black mist, he used the spear as a staff and cleaved Mount Hua with all his might.

He swung his spear, and the raging flames around him instantly transformed into an incomparably powerful flaming spear aura. It cleaved through the billowing black mist like waves, blasting apart the ferocious fox-head phantom in the sky above Haozhou City!
"boom……"

With a deafening roar, a bright, fiery red wave of energy spread slowly across the sky above Haozhou City like ripples. The overwhelming power tore a large hole in the thick layer of demonic cloud.

The demonic aura is formless and colorless, like leaden clouds.

But at this moment, as the setting sun shone through the large hole into Haozhou City, it suddenly became much brighter and warmer, and that vibrant life force seemed to have suddenly come from the underworld to the world of the living...

Wang Wen stood expressionless in mid-air, casually firing the Dawnbreaker Spear without turning his head.

A scream of agony rang out, and the red-skinned fox, fleeing for its life, was pinned to the ground by the Dawn Spear...

"Three days!"

Wang Wen pointed to the long mountain range to the west of Haozhou City and held up three fingers.

He knew that the real culprit was currently crouching somewhere in that mountain range, staring at him with a sinister look: "Within three days, I will raze your Tushan Fox Tomb to the ground!"

"Ha ha……"

A cold, resentful, and aged voice echoed throughout Haozhou City: "Young man, you have quite the audacity. I'll be waiting for you to come and raze the Fox Tomb of Tushan to the ground!"

After this sound spread, the tightly closed doors of houses in Haozhou City suddenly burst open, and countless figures with gloomy faces and dull eyes rushed out of their homes, carrying wooden and stone statues of old women, and devoutly kowtowing to the sky, saying, "Grandma Fox Fairy has appeared! Grandma Fox Fairy has appeared..."

Wang Wen's face was ashen as he surveyed the dense crowd below, a nameless rage rising within him. Without a word, he turned and flew back to the dock, slapping Shen Ze, who was being dragged towards them by Xu Wu, to the ground with a resounding slap: "Listen carefully to your achievements!"

Shen Ze covered his cheek, his face turning red at a visible speed. He gritted his teeth and tried to endure it, but in the end he couldn't hold back anymore. He stood up angrily and shouted, "What the hell can I do? I only have a few men under my command. If I send them up, they won't even be enough for that servant monster to eat a mouthful of incense!"

"Do you think everyone is like you? Every temple and Taoist monastery within a hundred miles closes its doors faster than if it had turned its back on you the moment it hears of her name?"

"I appealed to the imperial court for help, but the court has been slow to send reinforcements..."

What do you think I can do?

Wang Wen glanced at the five-finger mark on his face, then slapped the other half of his face with his other hand, sending him tumbling to the ground once more: "So what? I have to praise your incompetence?"

Shen Ze glared at him angrily, his eyes red.

Wang Wen: "You said you asked the imperial court for help, so why has my Demon-Slaying General's Mansion never received your letter requesting help?"

Shen Ze was taken aback.

Wang Wen: "Speak!"

Shen Ze opened his mouth, but didn't say anything.

Wang Wen: "You say you have no choice, but didn't this monster only become powerful during your tenure? What were you all doing before?"

Shen Ze lowered his eyelids and head, not daring to look directly into his eyes.

Wang Wen took a deep breath and suppressed the anger in his heart.

He could understand Shen Ze and his team's incompetence.

After all, Shen Ze was right; not everyone is like him.

If Wang Wen hadn't had the underworld messenger's order, his abilities wouldn't have been much better than these people.

But he couldn't accept that Shen Ze and his group were so incompetent that they could justify it!
Because they are the Demon Suppressors!

"Xu Wu!"

Wang Wen shouted.

Xu Wu stepped forward: "Your subordinate is here!"

Wang Wen: "Immediately lead the brothers into the city, search every house for the statues of that old fox spirit, destroy them on the spot, and arrest and imprison the stubborn ones... The priority is to protect our own safety. Anyone who launches an armed uprising, kill them!"

Xu Wu: "This subordinate obeys the order!"

He immediately turned around and summoned the commanders of each battalion, assigning tasks according to the directions of east, west, south, and north.

Wang Wen calmed his anger and glanced sideways at Shen Ze, who was still lying on the ground: "What, do I have to help you up?"

Shen Ze hurriedly got up, chuckling awkwardly as he repeatedly said, "I dare not." His already obese face was now so swollen that his eyes were barely visible.

Wang Wen turned and walked into Haozhou City, slowly extending his divine sense to bring the entire city under his surveillance: "During this special period, your Haozhou Demon Suppression Division is temporarily under my command... Immediately send someone to notify the Xiang Army to seal all city gates. Without my General's order, no one is allowed to leave!"

Shen Ze felt a chill in his heart, inwardly exclaiming, "It's here, it's here, the city is under lockdown again!" But he responded without hesitation, "Everything is up to the general... Zhongjie, go to the Xiangjun Yamen immediately!"

"Here!"

A captain of the Haozhou Demon Suppression Guard responded loudly, casually picked up a squad of Demon Suppression Guards, and rushed into the city gate at a speed equivalent to a hundred meters per second.

Shen Ze stared in astonishment at his hurried retreating figure, momentarily lost in thought...

Wang Wen walked ahead, unaware of the expression on his face: "Send men to herd all the constables from the government office onto the streets and have them maintain order!"

Shen Ze snapped out of his daze and immediately appointed another captain of the Haozhou Demon-Suppressing Guard, sending him to the government office.

After taking a few steps, Wang Wen suddenly asked, "What kind of place is Tianxiang Tower?"

Shen Ze chuckled awkwardly, "That vixen runs a brothel in the south of the city..."

"You guys in Haozhou really know how to have it!"

Wang Wen made a joke, then his divine sense quickly located the brothel called "Tianxianglou" in the south of Haozhou City. His right hand, hidden in his sleeve, formed a thunder spell, and he thought to himself, "Hmph!"

"Kacha."

Like a bolt from the blue, a dazzling white lightning bolt ripped through the dim evening sky in an instant.

Shen Ze turned his head in shock and saw that the place where the white lightning struck seemed to be the location of Tianxiang Tower.

In an instant, his fear of Wang Wen deepened.

Under Shen Ze's leadership, Wang Wen took over the Demon Suppression Division of Haozhou, sitting in the main hall to monitor the entire city of Haozhou with his divine sense. At the same time, he mobilized the Demon Suppression Guards, the Underworld Cavalry, and the Navy from the General's Mansion to annihilate all kinds of demons and evil spirits in Haozhou.

It's not just the demons and monsters under that old fox spirit's command.

There were also some cultists who had been completely brainwashed by demons and monsters. Taking advantage of their local status, they gathered a large force and launched an armed resistance against the Demon Suppression Guard's campaign to exterminate the demons and monsters in the city.

Wang Wen showed no mercy to these scoundrels, killing them all without exception!

Throughout the entire night, the city of Haozhou was filled with chaotic footsteps and shouts of battle.

The entire city's residents dared not sleep all night, instead peering out from behind doors and windows, watching the demon-suppressing guards in black robes and wielding black swords, running back and forth in front of their homes, torches held high...

Wang Wen sat upright in the main hall of the Haozhou Demon Suppression Office for the entire night, waiting all night long.

But he didn't live to see that old vixen return...

Clearly, during that exchange of blows in the evening, everyone had already tested each other's strengths and weaknesses.

That old fox spirit is waiting for him to come knocking on her door.

This is exactly what Wang Wen wanted!

(End of this chapter)