Chapter 15

Ding——

Sparks flew.

Chen Changqing turned to look at Zhang Long, who held a long sword and wore a look of shock, his face showing regret.

"Headman Zhang, you were too hasty!"

He had originally planned to play with the strange creatures in the illusion, but Zhang Long's attack forced him out of the illusion directly.

This was inevitable.

The strange creature that created the illusion was not very powerful. Without external interference, Chen Changqing would still need some time to break through the illusion.

However, with external interference,

The illusion would be shattered directly.

"How is this possible? How could you be completely unharmed—?" Zhang Long cried out in disbelief, knowing very well the power of his sword strike.

Even an expert at the Meridian Passage realm,

If caught off guard and struck by his sword, would have no chance of survival.

Not to mention,

He had aimed at vital areas like the neck.

But—

Zhang Long never expected that Chen Changqing would have completed the Thirteen Bodyguards' Hard Qi Training to the fullest, no, not just to the fullest, but even advanced to the unprecedented 15th level.

At the 15th level of the Thirteen Bodyguards' Hard Qi Training,

While not completely impervious to water and fire, it was still at the level of being invulnerable to blades and bullets.

For a martial artist at the Body Tempering realm, even if Chen Changqing stood there and let him strike, there would be no problem except for vital areas like the eyes.

"You were too hasty, I told you."

Chen Changqing shook his head and slowly approached Zhang Long.

An无形的压力让张龙不由自主地步步后退。

Suddenly,

He slashed through the air, a fierce blade light infused with Pure Yang true qi cut off Zhang Long's arm holding the sword in a flash, the scorching heat even cauterized the wound.

"Ah—"

The intense pain made Zhang Long scream, his face instantly turning pale.

Just as Chen Changqing took his second step, the surrounding illusion suddenly changed, returning to the courtyard.

The figures of the black shadows were now clearly visible, revealing themselves to be several small children.

But they were different; their faces were as pale as corpses, their lips blue, and some parts were even rotten to the point of being infested with maggots, emitting a putrid stench.

"Scram!"

Chen Changqing roared, his Pure Yang true qi bursting forth.

With eight layers of Pure Yang true qi, combined with the Seven Kill Blade Technique, he instantly tore apart the few figures in front of him.

Their bodies were torn apart,

A scream that was not human echoed, and the children dissipated like black mist.

In the next moment,

The scene vanished.

The severed arm with the sword still lay on the ground, but Zhang Long was nowhere to be found.

Looking at the blood on the ground, Chen Changqing's face was cold as he pursued him with large strides.

In the desolate village,

Zhang Long, clutching his severed arm, was staggering and fleeing, occasionally glancing back, his face still filled with fear.

Even now,

He couldn't believe he had come to this.

"It's impossible—"

"I clearly poisoned the cake, and by now, the poison should have taken effect. Why is he still able to display such power!"

Zhang Long couldn't believe it.

To ensure the timing was precise and to guarantee success, he did not act immediately when Chen Changqing was trapped in the illusion. Instead, he waited for the poison to take effect before daring to strike.

Despite this,

He still failed.

And—

He really failed.

The strike that severed his arm left him no time to react, a power far beyond that of an ordinary Meridian Passage expert.

At that moment,

A fierce wind came from behind.

Years of combat experience made Zhang Long dive to the left, and at the same time, he saw a scorching blade qi cut into the ground, leaving a shallow mark.

Chen Changqing approached with his sword in hand.

Looking at Zhang Long, who lay on the ground with no strength left, his killing intent rose.

"Why?"

He didn't understand.

Why did Zhang Long try to harm him.

After coming to Lin'an City, Chen Changqing understood many things, but he couldn't understand why Zhang Long had attacked him.

"If I tell you, will you spare my life?"

Zhang Long panted heavily, his eyes revealing a desire to live.

Chen Changqing pondered for a moment: "If you tell me and disable your own martial arts, I will spare your life."

"Alright!"

—

Chen Changqing still stood in place, the bloodstained long sword in his hand, and Zhang Long's body lay severed on the ground.

He broke his promise.

When Zhang Long revealed the truth, it meant the end of his life.

In fact, when Zhao Fang said all the villagers had been relocated, Chen Changqing didn't notice anything amiss in Lin'an City.

But later,

He noticed the different atmosphere in Lin'an City and realized the problem.

Silent!

Peaceful!

It didn't seem like a place where demons and evil spirits had appeared.

For ordinary people, the appearance of demons and evil spirits should have caused panic, but the people of Lin'an City did not.

It was obvious.

The news of the demons and evil spirits had not spread.

This contradicted what Zhao Fang and Zhang Long had said.

Moreover,

When Zhang Long gave him the cake, he noticed something was wrong with it as soon as he took the first bite.

Unfortunately, although the poison in the cake was not weak, it couldn't withstand his Pure Yang true qi.

In the presence of eight layers of Pure Yang true qi,

The poison in the cake was silently neutralized.

For various reasons,

Chen Changqing was almost certain that the demons and evil spirits in Lin'an City were not as simple as they seemed, and both Zhao Fang and Zhang Long were involved, but he couldn't figure out their motives.

It wasn't until Zhang Long confessed that he truly understood.

"The villagers had long been killed, all by the demons and evil spirits, but Lin'an City only reported a few deaths, spreading the news to attract the Demon Suppression Bureau's attention.

A strange creature judged to be barely at the Ghost level would not prompt the Demon Suppression Bureau to send a powerful demon hunter.

The most likely scenario is that they would send apprentice demon hunters as a test mission."

"A few apprentice demon hunters, even at the Meridian Passage realm, would not be very strong!"

"A powerful Ghost-level strange creature, after devouring a few Meridian Passage experts, could very likely evolve to the Grievance level—"

This was Zhang Long's goal.

To quietly cultivate a Grievance-level strange creature.

After all, a Grievance-level strange creature, if normally cultivated, would require a significant amount of living flesh and blood, far more than what a few villages could provide.

By then,

With so many deaths, the Demon Suppression Bureau would definitely take notice.

If a powerful expert from the Demon Suppression Bureau focused on Lin'an City, the Ghost-level strange creature might not have a chance to advance and could be killed by the Demon Suppression Bureau.

Therefore,

They had to use high-quality blood to nourish the Ghost-level strange creature, ensuring it advanced before the Demon Suppression Bureau fully realized the problem.