Demon Slaying, Gaining 60 Years of Cultivation From the Start

Time flies like a stream, and since Gu Chen left the Nine Provinces to venture to lands beyond, it has now been a year and a half.

In this past year and a half, other than the initial commotion caused by Diancang Pavilion Master Zhou Yuan seizing a massive number of people to accommodate the descent of the nine Heavenly Being realm cultivators to the lower world, the rest of the time, the entire Nine Provinces remained extremely tranquil.

So much so that one wonders if it's due to Gu Chen heading towards the space channel that even the number of demons and ghosts in the Nine Provinces world seemed to have lessened.

The common people lived in peace and worked happily, enjoying security and health throughout the realm, everything evolving in a positive direction, with rich smiles blooming on everyone's faces.

During this time as well, Emperor Ji Yuan pushed for various new policies that received effective feedback and garnered unanimous approval from the civil and military officials and even from the people across all lands.

Because of this, Emperor Ji Yuan's status in the hearts of the people soared dramatically.

In the past, when the Nine Provinces were in chaos and wars flared up, Emperor Ji Yuan hardly had any opportunity to exert his influence, as martial arts were not his area of expertise—a matter of talent, which no human effort can change.

Therefore, before this, the people of the Nine Provinces actually didn't have much recognition for him as an emperor, knowing of him only by name.

But now, things were different. Before leaving, Gu Chen had resolved all the troubles in the Nine Provinces and helped Emperor Ji Yuan unify the lands. Thus, the emperor of Da Xia finally had the opportunity to demonstrate his talents in governance.

In fact, from what we've seen over this past year and a half, Emperor Ji Yuan indeed possesses a great talent for ruling the realm, proving to be a rare and benevolent monarch who loves the people as if they were his children.

The civil and military officials, the nobles and high ministers, have all submitted to Emperor Ji Yuan, recognizing him as a good emperor, and the court has achieved a united front.

However, factional conflicts still existed, for wherever there are people, there are rivalries, there are interests. But all were evolving favorably, so sometimes Emperor Ji Yuan turned a blind eye as long as they posed no harm to Da Xia or its people.

On this day, in the imperial study of Tiandu's royal palace.

At this moment, Emperor Ji Yuan, dressed in his dragon robe with a majestic visage, the very picture of an emperor, was reviewing petitions.

Suddenly, Eunuch Huang entered and whispered in Emperor Ji Yuan's ear, "Your Majesty, the Qin Command has arrived."

"Let him in."

Hearing of Qin Wu's arrival, Emperor Ji Yuan stopped poring over the petitions on his desk, lifted his head, and ordered the guards and palace maids around to leave, keeping only Eunuch Huang.

"This servant, Qin Wu, greets Your Majesty," said Qin Wu, clad in a black robe, as he entered the imperial study and gave the emperor a fist salute.

"Qin Command, please rise," Emperor Ji Yuan nodded slightly and asked, "The matter I had you investigate, is there news?"

"Indeed," Qin Wu nodded with a solemn expression, and said gravely, "I am here precisely because of that matter."

A year and a half ago, a series of disappearances suddenly occurred across the land. Within less than half a month, as many as tens of millions of people vanished, causing immense panic at the time.

Even Wei Cang and Luo Xun, both at the perfection stage of the Divine Intent Realm, investigated without finding the slightest clue.

Although the incident eventually calmed down, and there have been no repeats since, Da Xia had never ceased its secret investigations.

Hearing there was news on this case, both Emperor Ji Yuan and Eunuch Huang couldn't help but adopt serious expressions.

"Speak, who is responsible for this?" Emperor Ji Yuan's fist clenched unconsciously.

Hearing this, Qin Wu replied with a fist salute, "Your Majesty, after a year and a half of collaborative efforts by Jing Tian Department and Red Dust Tower using all kinds of methods, we finally found some traces not long ago, and everything points to one person—the Master of Diancang Pavilion—Zhou Yuan!"

"Zhou Yuan?" Hearing this name, Emperor Ji Yuan frowned immediately.

"Zhou Yuan, the current master of Diancang Pavilion, known as the King of Thousand Hands in the martial world, often in seclusion, entrusting all affairs to several Deputy Pavilion Masters," Qin Wu provided more information about Zhou Yuan for Emperor Ji Yuan.

"Being the Pavilion Master of Diancang, why would he do such a thing?" Emperor Ji Yuan asked, puzzled.

"About that, this servant is not certain, still investigating," replied Qin Wu, shaking his head.

Emperor Ji Yuan's face turned grave as he said seriously, "I have a premonition that this matter was premeditated, it's not something he could have done alone, after all, we're speaking of tens of millions of the Human Clan's people."

At this moment, Emperor Ji Yuan even considered dispatching Wei Cang and Luo Xun to directly go to Diancang Pavilion, capture Zhou Yuan, and interrogate him for the truth.

...

Elsewhere, within Tiandu's inner city, at the residence of Prince Wu.

At this moment, the Gu Chengfeng family of three was dining together, but the atmosphere at the dinner table was somewhat silent.

So much time had passed, yet there was still no news of Gu Chen, naturally causing the Gu family great concern.

Or rather, they had been anxious every day since Gu Chen's departure, hoping that he would reappear before them soon.

And so this wait had already stretched for a full year and a half.

"Master, with the eldest young master still not returned, should we go and inquire?" At that moment, Aunt Xu Qinge spoke up, her worries prompting her, unable to remain seated after a year and a half with no news.

"Inquire? Who shall we ask?" Gu Chengfeng responded with a somber face, somewhat preoccupied.

"Your Majesty, the Tower Supervisor and the others should know some news, right?" Xu Qinge frowned and said.

Gu Chengfeng shook his head, "I've already asked not long ago, no one knows the current situation of Eldest Son, all we can do is wait."

"I believe that nothing will happen to the Eldest Son, no matter where he is, he will come back one day." Gu Chengfeng said this with determination in his eyes, sure that Gu Chen would be safe.

"But... what if something happened to Eldest Son..." Xu Qinge couldn't let go of her worries, and she hesitated to continue.

"There are no 'buts' and no 'what ifs,' what we can do now is just to believe. Also, the matter of Eldest Son not being in Shen Zhou must absolutely not be leaked out, Eldest Son made this very clear before he left." Gu Chengfeng admonished Xu Qinge, implying it's best to mention this matter as little as necessary.

"I also believe that nothing will happen to Big Brother!" At this moment, Gu Qingyan, who had been keeping her head down, suddenly spoke up. In her mind, she remembered some words someone had said to her not long ago, which had caught her attention.

"Qinyan, what has been troubling you lately? Why do you always seem absent-minded?" Seeing her daughter speak, Xu Qinge also looked over, concerned and feeling that Gu Qingyan had been acting strangely lately.

At this, Gu Qingyan's pretty face suddenly became serious, and looking at Gu Chengfeng and Xu Qinge, she said, "Dad, Mom, I've made a decision."

...

In the number one restricted area of the Jiuzhou, deep within the Hundred Thousand Mountains.

In a dense primeval forest, several figures sat cross-legged. A radiant glow flowed around their bodies, as dazzling as the morning glow, revealing their extraordinary nature.

These were a few of the heavenly beings who had come down from the upper realms one and a half years ago, now sitting here to heal their wounds.

Due to the unique environment of the Jiuzhou world, even the spiritual medicine they had brought down from the upper realm had failed to completely heal their injuries or restore their peak conditions, even after such a long time.

Moreover, most of the spiritual medicine was damaged upon their arrival to the lower realm, which was another significant factor hindering the restoration of their strength.

"Finally can't suppress it anymore, huh?" At this moment, a figure whose aura was as scorching as flames opened his eyes and looked into the distance, sensing something.

This person was Lang Tian from the Burning Heaven Valley.

Hearing this, surrounded by the radiance of the great sun and hailing from the Pure Yang Martial Sect, Qi Jin spoke, "It doesn't matter. Letting him take the lead to test out is fine too. It will help us gauge the strength of Da Xia, or perhaps that Gu Chen's actual power."

As these words were spoken, the rest nodded in agreement. Although they were confident in their own strength, this was not the upper realm but Jiuzhou, where they were suppressed by the heavens and the earth, unable to fully unleash their power.

Gu Chen also had a record of slaying demons. Although they were confident they could suppress Gu Chen if they joined forces, what if they were injured in the process?

No one wanted to be the one to make that sacrifice.

Meanwhile, elsewhere, a menacing-looking, burly man burst out from the depths of the Hundred Thousand Mountains, his eyes fierce as he flew toward the direction of Shen Zhou's Tiandu.

"At this rate, who knows how long it will take to recover our strength, I can't wait any longer!" With this thought in mind, a fierce light surged in the burly man's eyes.

In his view, everyone in Jiuzhou was merely ants. He did not agree with Lang Tian and the others' caution.

"A year and a half has passed, and with my current strength, I am surely able to blast that Gu Chen to pieces. It's been so long since I've savored the taste of genius!" The burly man sneered with confidence in his own strength.

After all, he was a being of the Divine Intent Realm; he was extremely fast. The Hundred Thousand Mountains were located in Yan State, some distance from Shen Zhou, but he reached his destination in just a few hours.

"Tiandu? It does have a lot of people, but I wonder what the taste of these lower realm beings is like." Standing high above the clouds, the burly man looked down upon Shen Zhou like a god, his eyes shimmering with a bloodthirsty glare.

"Unfortunately, most of these numerous beings are commoners without cultivation." The burly man smacked his lips, his true nature starting to show. Even though he had joined the Five Elements Sect, it did not mean he could restrain his innate instincts.

"Nevermind, they can still be of great use. I'll first take control of this human dynasty's emperor and make him obey me."

With this thought, the burly man flashed, appearing instantly in the royal study of the palace.

At the moment, Emperor Ji Yuan was handling state affairs, and Eunuch Huang, upon seeing the sudden appearance of the burly man, let out a cry of alarm.

"Protect His Majesty, protect His Majesty!" His response was swift. The moment he spotted the intruder, instinctively he called out, signaling the imperial guards outside.

The burly man just stood there, watching Emperor Ji Yuan and Eunuch Huang with a mocking look on his face.

When the imperial guards heard the noise, they rushed in, surrounding Emperor Ji Yuan with a protective stance, their weapons pointing at the burly man.

"Who are you?" asked Emperor Ji Yuan gravely, eyeing the newcomer.

"A bunch of ants dare to point weapons at me?" The burly man laughed coldly. Without any visible movement from him, the bodies of the imperial guards exploded, blood and viscera spraying everywhere. Some blood even splattered onto Emperor Ji Yuan's dragon robe.

At this scene, not only was Emperor Ji Yuan stunned, but Eunuch Huang was too; the latter let out a loud scream as the thick blood soaked him red, the acrid smell of blood assaulting his senses right to the top of his head.

Dozens of imperial guards had not even been able to scream before they died such horrible deaths!

This shocking and exceptionally bloody spectacle froze Emperor Ji Yuan on the spot.

And that was exactly the outcome the burly man wanted.

"Kneel down and submit to me, and I will spare your life. Remember, this is not a choice I'm giving you, it's your only chance for survival!" The burly man laughed boisterously. His smile was wild and unrestrained, clearly, the recent slaughter had exhilarated him.