From the family treasure tree to build an eternal family

Chapter 256 Foundation Establishment Demonic Cultivator, Fearless and Unafraid

The newly appointed prefect of Yuanli County, Xiang Liuyun, took office about ten days later.

The Demon Subduing Bureau.

Inside the main hall, the Demon-Subduing Guards gathered.

Xu Xiaoniu was notified suddenly and rushed over without knowing what had happened. Others were arriving one after another.

Why were we suddenly summoned here?

"I do not know."

"..."

Everyone was talking about it.

Half a day later, everyone in the Demon Subduing Division, from the director and deputy director down to the reserve Demon Subduing Guards, had arrived.

The people took their seats according to their status and rank.

Although Xu Xiaoniu, who was at the fourth level of Foundation Establishment, was still a prospective Demon-Subduing Guard, he was finally no longer at the bottom of the pack. After serving as a celestial official in the Demon-Subduing Division of the Prefectural Government for decades, he had only moved forward a little.

What puzzled everyone was that the person sitting in the head seat this time was not Director Tuoba Hongyang.

After waiting a while longer, the person finally arrived.

It was the newly appointed prefect, Xiang Liuyun.

Xiang Liuyun had a cold face and didn't smile. After sitting down, he didn't waste any words and went straight to the point.

"There are two things I need to say to you, the Demon-Slaying Guards of the Demon-Slaying Division, who have been summoned here today."

As he spoke, he produced a stack of papers in his hand.

"Last month, in broad daylight, thirty-seven children were brutally murdered at a private school in Dagang Village, Lanting County, along with the teacher, making a total of thirty-eight people! That demonic cultivator has still not been caught!"

After saying this, Xiang Liuyun threw a piece of Xuan paper in his hand away forcefully.

The paper spun into the air and then slowly drifted down to the ground, as if slapping the faces of the Demon-Subduing Guards.

This is just the beginning.

Xiang Liuyun picked up the second sheet of Xuan paper: "Half a year ago, in the academy in Qingping County, the students were killed by demonic cultivators as soon as they arrived at the academy in the early morning. More than fifty people died!"

This is a county town, and a school! The demonic cultivators are cruel and utterly devoid of conscience. Have you caught them yet?

He threw out the second sheet of Xuan paper.

Then came the third one.

"A year ago, in Liujiazhuang, Jiangyan County, dozens of members of a large family were brutally murdered..."

"Two years ago, nearly a hundred people died at a martial arts school in Shitan County. The methods used were exactly the same as two horrific incidents in the neighboring Qinghe County. This matter has already been put on the wanted list by Zhennan Prefecture, but our Yuanli County has not made any response..."

Having said that, Xiang Liuyun, too lazy to say anything more, threw the stack of papers in her hand into the air.

Dozens of sheets of paper fluttered in the air. Each sheet recorded a tragic crime, a crime in which the perpetrator had not yet been brought to justice.

"Are all these Demon-Slaying Guards of your Demon-Slaying Division just sitting around doing nothing?!"

Xiang Liuyun's words were quite harsh.

After all, those present were all Foundation Establishment Realm Immortal Officials, holding a prestigious position.

Xiang Liuyun looked at Director Tuoba Hongyang and said, "Especially Director Tuoba, what achievements have you made in all these years in your position? You haven't investigated so many cases, and you haven't arrested so many demonic cultivators. Have you been neglecting your duties every day?"
......"

Tuoba Hongyang's face was extremely ugly.

In terms of cultivation level, he was even stronger than Xiang Liuyun, yet he was publicly scolded and lost face.

He was resentful.

Xiang Liuyun only became the prefect because he climbed onto the coattails of the Prince of Xiaoyao. Otherwise, how could he have become the prefect? ​​In terms of both ability and seniority, he should have been the prefect.

To pull this stunt right after taking office is a way of giving him a hard time.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

offstage.

Xu Xiaoniu had never seen a Foundation Establishment cultivator curse like this, nor had he ever seen Tuoba Hongyang be publicly reprimanded like this.

For some reason, I felt a little secretly pleased.

"Is this the new broom sweeping clean?"

The prefect had just taken office when his first act was to target the Demon Subduing Division.

However, what puzzled him was that there had been a significant increase in the number of demonic cultivators in recent years.

The horrific atrocities committed by those demonic cultivators were truly appalling.

However, Xu Xiaoniu felt something was wrong: he had heard about some of the things, but he didn't even know about some of them.

Could it be that the local county-level demon-suppressing offices failed to report this?

Shouldn't.

If the county government's Demon-Suppressing Division couldn't handle such a tragedy, it would definitely be reported to the prefectural government.

Xu Xiaoniu and the other Demon-Subduing Guards were reprimanded by Xiang Liuyun, but they were also wronged. After those tragedies, the demonic cultivators fled, and they had no information whatsoever, making it impossible for them to find them.

Many cases involved painstaking investigations, only to come to nothing and be a complete waste of effort.

It's not that they're irresponsible; it's just that the demonic cultivators are too cunning.

After Xiang Liuyun finished his rant on stage, he paused for a moment and calmed down.

His tone returned to normal, unlike his previous aggressive tone: "Perhaps I have been too harsh on you, after all, you are short-handed. I have decided to increase the number of celestial officials in the prefectural government and the Demon Subduing Divisions of each county."

Each of the officials in the Demon Subduing Division of the county government will be increased by one.

The number of Demon-Slaying Guards in the prefectural government has increased from twelve to sixteen.

"To encourage everyone, the monthly fixed salary will also be increased."

Previously, the Demon-Subduing Guards received a fixed amount of ten spirit stones per month, which will later be increased to fifteen spirit stones.

The cost of preparing for the Demon-Slaying Guard has increased from five spirit stones to eight spirit stones per month.

The Demon-Subduing Guards, who had just been scolded by Xiang Liuyun and couldn't even lift their heads, were all overjoyed when they heard about his decision.

Verbal encouragement is meaningless; only spirit stones bring real benefits.

The salary of a Foundation Establishment Immortal Official is ten spirit stones per month, so don't think it's too little.

You should know that Foundation Establishment Immortal Officials can live for 250 years. Ten spirit stones a month adds up to a considerable amount of spirit stones over the years.

The monthly price has now increased from ten spirit stones to fifteen spirit stones, a 50% increase.

"In addition, a group of Foundation Establishment cultivators will be specially recruited from outside the region to join the Demon Subduing Division as reserve Demon Subduing Guards, and will be granted official celestial officer status."

I will then dispatch troops from the county garrison to assist you in resolving these remaining cases.

All demonic cultivators who remain in Yuanli County shall be exterminated!
......"

First came the scolding, then the salary increase and the allocation of manpower to help. Xiang Liuyun's words convinced everyone in the Demon Subduing Division.

Furthermore, the previous reprimands were reasonable and based on evidence, and were not unwarranted insults.

Their Demon Extermination Division has indeed been incompetent lately, and they have no choice but to accept the criticism.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

In the following days, the members of the Demon Subduing Division became busy.

Xu Xiaoniu was expanded into a formal Demon-Slaying Guard due to the increase in the number of official Demon-Slaying Guards.

At the same time, he also recommended Xu Xiaohou to join the Demon Subduing Division and become a prospective Demon Subduing Guard.

He discovered that Prefect Xiang Liuyun was not only increasing manpower in the Demon Subduing Division, but also recruiting Foundation Establishment cultivators from outside the county camp.

Originally, the rules of the prefectural government stipulated that a family could have a maximum of two members who could become celestial officials.

It's not a written rule, but rather a customary practice to prevent any one family from becoming too powerful.

As the number of celestial officials increased, Xiang Liuyun changed the rules, stipulating that a family could have a maximum of three celestial officials.

That is why Xu Xiaoniu was able to recommend Xu Xiaohou.

Xu Xiaohou is currently at the fourth level of Foundation Establishment, the same as Xu Xiaoniu, but he is stronger than Xu Xiaoniu.

Xiang Liuyun personally met with Xu Xiaohou, and after a series of tests, recruited him into the Demon Subduing Division, making him a reserve Demon Subduing Guard with celestial official status. After that, the Demon Subduing Division and the county garrison worked together to hunt down and kill demonic cultivators.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Quickly, according to the information I received, it's just ahead."

He Shoucheng is a senior demon-slaying guard of the Demon-Slaying Division. Although his cultivation level is not high, only at the fifth level of Foundation Establishment, he is over two hundred years old and has a wealth of experience.

He and Xu Xiaoniu were very familiar with each other; the two had always worked together on missions.

This time, the two-person team has added another person: Xu Xiaohou.

The three-person team acted together.

He Shoucheng had a good relationship with the people in the Demon Extermination Division of a certain county government. He had just received a message from the Demon Extermination Division that just a few hours earlier, a villager had reported to the authorities that a family of five in the village had been murdered.

Upon receiving the intelligence, He Shoucheng immediately led Xu Xiaoniu and Xu Xiaohou to the location.

The three were stopped halfway through their flight.

"Wait a minute!"

"Who are you?"

Two junior officers from the county camp stopped the three of them.

This was at Xiang Liuyun's request, whereby the county camp increased its manpower to assist the Demon Subduing Division.

There were Foundation Establishment cultivators guarding the airspace, and soldiers stationed every three to five hundred miles. In addition to the cultivators, there were also many soldiers in the late Qi Refining stage patrolling the airspace randomly.

The entire Yuanli County was practically covered by a "net of heaven and earth," ensuring that no demonic cultivator could escape.

He Shoucheng was about to take out the celestial official token to prove his identity when one of the other party recognized him: "Fellow Daoist He? I recognize you. You are a senior Demon Subduing Guard from the Demon Subduing Division."

"Since it's you, let him through."

He Shoucheng cupped his hands in thanks: "Thank you."

The three of them flew swiftly to their destination, a remote mountain village.

"Let's land quickly. That demonic cultivator might be nearby. Let's not alert him."

The three quickly landed on the ground and concealed their presence.

Upon arriving at their destination, the head of the county government's Demon Subduing Division was waiting for them.

This person's name is Liu Hong, a cultivator at the eighth level of Qi Refining.

Upon seeing He Shoucheng, he quickly bowed and said, "Greetings, Lord He."

He Shoucheng briefly introduced the two people beside him: "These two are both from the county government's Demon-Slaying Guards, and they both share the surname Xu."

"Greetings, Lord Xu and his lord."

"Let me tell you the situation first."

Because of the urgency of the situation, they didn't waste time on pleasantries and got straight to the point.

Liu Hong told them, "The family of five who died tragically last night were a young couple and their three children. The three children were two boys and one girl, the oldest being only eight years old and the youngest two years old."

It was discovered by the neighbor next door. They said they hadn't heard any noise all morning, even though the house was usually very noisy and they could smell blood.

Upon opening the door, all that was seen were the bodies of the young couple and bloodstains; their three children were nowhere to be found…

Upon receiving the news, I immediately sent a message to Lord He via a talisman.

The last sentence was an attempt to claim credit.

He Shoucheng nodded and said, "If we capture that demonic cultivator, you will have made a great contribution."

The three then began to discuss it.

"The target is children, just like the demonic cultivator who committed the crime some time ago. It should be the same person."

He Shoucheng analyzed.

Xu Xiaohou had only recently joined the Demon Subduing Division, but he had already reviewed the previous cases of demonic cultivators: "Didn't they say that the demonic cultivators were ruthless and their targets were either private schools or academies, killing dozens of people at a time?"

"That's true, but he committed a major crime before, which attracted the attention of the county government. If he doesn't want to cause a sensation again, he definitely has to restrain himself. But he also has a fluke mentality, so he harms fewer people this time and disguises himself as another demonic cultivator."

He Shoucheng's words make a lot of sense.

"Indeed, he wanted to harm people but didn't want to attract the attention of the county government, so he restrained his methods."

Xu Xiaoniu nodded.

Generally speaking, those who dare to kill dozens of people in broad daylight are all powerful demonic cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage.

Those demonic cultivators in the Qi Refining stage only cause minor trouble, at most harming a few people in secret. If it were a tragedy like this, the Qi Refining stage demonic cultivators would be hunted down and killed in no time, with no chance of escape.

"I wonder if that person is still around after what happened last night?"

“It’s daytime now, so he’s very conspicuous. He and the three children are likely hiding nearby practicing demonic arts. Even if they wanted to leave, they would have done so under the cover of night…”

Flying in the air during the day is too conspicuous and easily seen by people.

Therefore, if a demonic cultivator wants to escape, they often do so at night.

“He definitely didn’t expect us to react so quickly and arrive already. We’ve set up an ambush nearby, divided up the area, and made sure we can cover a radius of several miles.”

All three were mid-Foundation Establishment cultivators.

If they are dispersed, they can cover a large area using only their divine sense.

After discussing it, the three decided on a location where they would stake out the area.

The three people dispersed, forming a triangle that surrounded the mountain village, enclosing an area of ​​twenty miles in radius.

Especially those remote and desolate areas, which were the focus of the three men's surveillance.

They kept watch like that for two days.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

A barren mountain a dozen miles away from the village.

In the cave.

A Foundation Establishment Stage 3 cultivator finished practicing the demonic art, his face filled with satisfaction.

He cultivates a "reverse life magic" that allows him to reverse his lifespan and regain his youth by devouring the souls and blood marrow of children!
His name was Tuoba Luopu.

That's right, he is a member of the Tuoba family.

Tuoba Luopu was originally a mortal from the Tuoba family without spiritual roots, and had no opportunity to embark on the path of cultivation.

This was his lifelong regret. He came from a good family, but because he lacked spiritual roots, he could only watch others cultivate immortality and live a long life, while he could only waste his short life.

When the Tuoba family obtained the "Five Elements Stance Technique" and promoted it throughout the clan, Tuoba Luopu was already seventy years old.

The family only encourages young people to practice this technique. In fact, it is not recommended for older family members to practice it, because it is a waste of effort and the upper limit will not be very high. At most, they can only cultivate to the early or middle stage of Qi Refining.

Tuoba Luopu had finally encountered such an opportunity, and he couldn't possibly miss it.

At the advanced age of seventy, he took elixirs and, with the support of his family's resources, successfully cultivated his spiritual root and embarked on the path of cultivation!
After becoming a cultivator, all sorts of problems have a solution.

For example, demonic cultivation methods.

Without spiritual roots, even demonic cultivation techniques cannot be used.

When he cultivated his spiritual root and embarked on the path of cultivation, he was already over seventy years old, and he only had a pseudo-spiritual root of the fifth element. Even with resources, his cultivation speed was extremely slow.

Moreover, with the explosive growth of cultivators in the Tuoba family, the clan's resources became increasingly scarce, leading to fierce competition among them.

Tuoba Luopu's most important task was to solve the problem of his advanced age and find the "reverse aging magic".

After that, he traveled to various places, secretly murdering children.

His physical condition is also getting younger and younger.

After cultivating to the Qi Refining stage, he successfully advanced to the Foundation Establishment stage with the help of Foundation Establishment Pills given to him by his family.

After becoming a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he became even more ruthless and went even further, eventually becoming a powerful demonic cultivator in the Foundation Establishment realm.

During his Qi Refining stage, he only dared to harm a few people at a time.

After becoming a Foundation Establishment Great Demonic Cultivator, he caused numerous tragedies that resulted in the deaths of dozens or even hundreds of people.

(End of this chapter)