Fantasy: Starting with a bowl, you can exchange it for endless cultivation.

Luo'an County.

On the Night Watch side.

Gu Chen distributed the rewards and explained the matter.

He then returned to his residence and sent Wei Zhong to the Cheng family stronghold to inform Cheng Mengling to come over, as he had something to tell her.

A short while later.

Cheng Mengling arrived.

"Brother Gu, you're back." Cheng Mengling greeted him as she arrived.

Gu Chen has been away for the past few days.

When she came to collect the pills, she didn't see anyone. It was only through Wei Zhong that she learned that after Gu Chen wiped out all the demon forces within Luo'an County, he went to report to the headquarters of the Demon Suppression Division in Zhenshi County.

"Hmm." Gu Chen nodded and said to her, "I called you over to explain some things."

"I have made great contributions by wiping out all the demon forces in Luo'an County this time. I will be promoted one rank and transferred to Yuehai County to take up my post." Gu Chen looked at her: "The Cheng family may need to establish a new branch there in the future."

"Brother Gu, you've been promoted!" Cheng Mengling exclaimed with delight. "Congratulations, Brother Gu!"

With Gu Chen's promotion, the Cheng family's backing became even more secure.

In the future, we can expand the industry even further.

As for setting up a new base at Gu Chen's new post location, that's no problem at all.

In this way, the Cheng family can also expand their business there.

"Don't worry, Brother Gu. Establishing a new base at your new location is no problem at all. Just let me know when you're assigned to your new location, and I'll make the arrangements," Cheng Mengling said, puffing out her ample chest.

"Hmm." Gu Chen nodded, then asked, "How many portions of Qi and Blood Pill ingredients does the Cheng family currently possess that haven't been refined?"

"We still have about thirty portions left from the ones we bought earlier. We also bought some cheaper medicinal herbs from places along the trade route, so we bought another sixty portions," Cheng Mengling said. "In total, we have about a hundred portions."

"Don't buy the medicinal herbs yet. Wait until I've refined all one hundred portions of these herbs and taken up my new post before you go to buy them," Gu Chen said. "By then, when the trade routes have expanded, we can buy more herbs for the Skin Tempering Pill and Bone Forging Pill, as the profits from these two pills will be substantial enough."

"Okay." Cheng Mengling nodded.

The time that followed.

Gu Chen was peacefully refining pills in the Night Watch of Luo'an County.

Five days later.

Gu Chen refined a total of twenty batches of Qi and Blood Pills, earning a reward of two thousand four hundred taels of silver.

In addition to the 22,800 taels he had left, there was also that.

He now has 25,200 taels of silver on him.

There are only 2,000 taels left to go from 27,000 taels.

If he refines the pills for another five days, he can secretly go to Zhenshi County to buy pills to break through to the mid-stage of the True Essence Realm.

He broke through to the mid-stage of the True Essence Realm.

That day.

Gu Chen is refining pills.

Suddenly, a special envoy from the Zhenshi County Night Watch came to his door looking for him.

They sent him a letter and a package.

He said it was given to him by Tie Yangtian.

After delivering the gifts, the envoy turned and left.

Gu Chen opened the letter and took a look.

I just found it somewhat interesting.

Tie Yangtian recounted the events in the letter.

The package contained items sent by Tang Hong, the son of the governor of Zhenshi County, as an apology for what had happened before.

It seems that his master, Shangguan Wuqing, has already sent someone to warn Tang Meng, the prefect of Zhenshi County.

Gu Chen found it all very strange.

After the background becomes stronger.

Even someone like Tang Hong, whom he used to worry about retaliating against, can now only send him gifts to beg for forgiveness.

Gu Chen took the package and opened it.

Inside was a box. Gu Chen opened the box, and inside was a scroll of secret manual.

"A secret manual, is it a martial arts manual?" Gu Chen was a little curious about what kind of thing Tang Hong had sent to him to reconcile and make him forgive past grievances.

Gu Chen was startled when he opened the scroll.

According to the description of this secret technique, it is a mental technique specifically designed to attack the soul.

According to the description, the Soul Piercing Cone is a secret technique that can only be practiced by experts of the upper three ranks who have already developed divine soul power.

Extremely rare.

The power of the soul is something that can only be born when one has reached the fourth rank of Core Formation realm and opened up the Divine Platform Purple Mansion.

Tang Hong deduced that since he was accepted as Shangguan Wuqing's seventh personal disciple, he must be exceptionally talented and would surely be able to break through to the upper three ranks in the future.

So I gave him a secret technique for enhancing the soul in advance.

"Tang Hong is quite generous." Gu Chen was delighted. This secret technique far surpassed ordinary martial arts and elixirs and spiritual medicines as gifts.

It's something that money can't buy.

That really hit the nail on the head.

For other powerful individuals, it might take breaking through to the fourth rank or higher, entering the upper third rank, and opening up the spiritual platform and purple palace to generate divine soul power.

But he doesn't need to.

He used the Soul Pearl and the copper bowl to exchange for divine soul cultivation, and divine soul power was born immediately.

If he were to master this secret technique, he would possess a method specifically designed to attack the souls of others.

This is quite remarkable.

To possess attack methods of the upper three ranks at the seventh rank of True Essence Realm—isn't that defying the heavens?

Gu Chen took out the copper bowl, put the secret technique inside, and wanted to see how many taels of silver it would cost to learn the basics of this technique.

The copper bowl provides a clue.

This instantly poured cold water on Gu Chen.

[The special soul-piercing attack technique, "Soul Piercing Cone," can be learned by exchanging 100,000 taels of silver.]

One hundred thousand taels of silver!

With so many pills, he could directly raise his cultivation level to the peak of the True Essence Realm.

The required silver is too much; he estimates that he won't be able to exchange copper bowls for enlightenment of this soul attack technique in the short term.

He needs money everywhere right now, so he can't possibly spend it on mastering this secret technique first.

"The cost of exchanging the copper bowl for enlightenment is too high. I can just spend my own time cultivating and comprehending it." Gu Chen thought to himself, "Maybe I can master it on my own in no time and save a lot of money."

One must rely on oneself to honestly and diligently cultivate oneself to be a good person.

It cannot rely on external objects.

Gu Chen thought to himself.

At this time.

Outside his house.

A night watchman rushed in to report: "Sir, something terrible has happened!"

He came in a hurry.

Gu Chen asked, "What's all this fuss about?"

"Sir, this matter cannot be explained in a few words. Boss Duan has already led his men over there. You should come with me first." The night watchman said, "Another demonic disturbance has occurred within the territory of Luo'an County!"

"And this time, it's even more serious than before!"

"A calamity!" Gu Chen narrowed his eyes.

He had already wiped out all the demonic forces within Luo'an County.

Now that another demonic calamity has appeared, could it be that a new demonic force has emerged in the Ten Thousand Mountains and has taken over the Nine Kings Mountain?

Gu Chen followed him and quickly left the Night Watch, heading towards the scene of the incident.

We left the county town.

Following the night watchman, Gu Chen arrived at a border village in Luo'an County.

This village is the same one that Gu Chen passed through when he first came to Luo'an County to take up his post, and where he asked for water.

It is also the only way to reach Luanshipo in Jiuwang Mountain.

A very bad premonition arose in Gu Chen's heart.

As soon as he arrived outside the village, he could smell a strong stench of blood wafting out from ahead.

The smell of blood doesn't belong to demons, but to humans.

at this time.

Duan Xingchen and the rest of the group had arrived earlier and, together with a group of Night Watch guards, set up a checkpoint at the village entrance to prevent outsiders from entering.

Upon seeing Gu Chen arrive.

"My lord." Everyone bowed to Gu Chen.

"Hmm." Gu Chen nodded and asked, "Has a new demonic calamity occurred here?!"

Upon hearing this, sadness and anger flashed in everyone's eyes. Duan Xingchen said, "Well, sir, you should come in and see for yourself."

Gu Chen crossed the checkpoint and entered the village.

All that could be seen was a row of muddy roads at the entrance of the village, littered with the corpses of villagers.

They were all dismembered, their heads and limbs violently torn off, a truly gruesome sight.

The limbs and heads of these villagers were placed next to their torsos; there were hundreds of corpses in total.

The two bodies at the very front were a young child and an old woman.

Gu Chen arrived in front of the two bodies.

Looking at the toddler's limbs and head, which had been violently torn off.

Gu Chen remembered that a month ago, it was these little hands that brought him two ladles of sweet and delicious spring water.

I drank her water.

He then promised the grandmother and granddaughter that from the moment he arrived in Luo'an County, there would be absolutely no more demonic disturbances there.

The little girl's name is Daya, and she has two cute pigtails.

A few days ago.

When Gu Chen passed by the village entrance again, Daya asked him:

"Master, are you going to kill a demon?"

"Yes!" Gu Chen remembered that he answered with utmost confidence at the time.

He broke his promise!

Looking at the small body in front of me with its limbs torn off, and those tiny hands clenched tightly.

Gu Chen stood up and said in a low voice to Duan Xingchen, who was following behind him, "Have you found any clues? Which demon did this?"

These demons killed people but did not eat them.

Instead, all four limbs were torn off and placed here.

It was clearly for venting anger and for demonstration.

This was in response to his complete annihilation of all demonic forces in Luo'an County during this period.

"They left a message," Duan Xingchen said. "It was done by Tiger Seventh Master's fourth son, Tiger Mountain Lord."

"It has come out of the Ten Thousand Mountains and said that you killed its son, the Giant Tiger King. It tells you to go to the Rocky Slope within three days to apologize to it, or it will slaughter all the villages along the border of Luo'an County."

Upon hearing this, Gu Chen's eyes blazed with murderous intent.

"Tiger Seventh Master's fourth son, I understand." Gu Chen looked towards the rocky slope outside the village.

Gu Chen withdrew his gaze.

clam down.

He addressed the Night Watch personnel and guards, saying, "Bury all the villagers' bodies first."

These demons were actually after him.

If he doesn't go, these demons won't leave.

First, dispose of the villagers' bodies, then proceed with the cooking.

"Yes." The Night Watch personnel and guards accepted the order.

Gu Chen personally dug a large pit under the locust tree next to the village entrance and buried the bodies of the grandmother and granddaughter in it, with the grave facing the direction of the rocky slope.

I hope they will see me avenge them.

After everyone buried the bodies of all the villagers.

Gu Chen led his group back to the Night Watch Division in Luo'an County.

This incident was a big blow to him.

These demons are all flesh and blood beings with thoughts, friends, and family; they are not mindless monsters.

He had previously thought he was invincible against the demons within Luo'an County.

They then launched a large-scale extermination campaign against them.

This ultimately attracted even stronger demons from the Ten Thousand Mountains, directly causing this tragedy.

He didn't know exactly how strong Tiger Mountain Lord was, but it dared to come to avenge the Giant Tiger King and claimed to be the Giant Tiger King's father.

Presumably, his strength surpasses that of the Giant Tiger King, and he must be at least at the True Essence Realm.

Furthermore, he did not know whether the demon Tiger Mountain Lord was the only one seeking revenge, or whether there were other helpers.

It would be unwise to rashly confront it on the rocky slope.

Moreover, if I were to kill Tiger Mountain Lord, would his father, Tiger Seventh Master, immediately come down from the Ten Thousand Mountains to avenge him?

If a beast tide is attracted, the entire Luo'an County will be devastated.

Therefore, he had to make preparations before going to deal with Tiger Mountain Lord.

First, we need to find out its exact strength and the number of demons it brought with it this time.

After dealing with it myself, how should I handle the retaliation from Tiger Master Qi?