Chapter 23 Undercurrents

The Demon Suppression Division.

Recently, Qinghe County has been in turmoil. Ever since obtaining clues about the activities of the remnants of the "Blood Worship Cult," the atmosphere throughout the Demon Suppression Division has been extremely oppressive.

After reporting the remnants of the Blood Worship Cult to the prefectural government, Zhao Shan did not wait passively. Once the other party started to act, they would not give up easily.

For several days in a row, Zhao Shan personally allocated manpower, dividing the demon-suppressing envoys into two teams.

One team, led by Chen Biao and Sun Yan, intensified street patrols and city defense inspections; the other team, under the command of Zhou Wu, focused on investigating areas such as the land temple and the moat.

For several days in a row, nothing happened in Qinghe County.

The more this is the case, the more uneasy people become. The remnants of the Blood Worship Cult are hiding in the shadows, and no one knows when they will make their move.

Martial arts training ground.

Shen Lian practiced the three forms of the "Demon Subduing Blade Technique" over and over again.

The "Mountain-Splitting Style" is powerful and fierce, the "Wave-Cutting Style" is swift and fast, and the "Mountain-Severing Style" is cunning and tricky.

He repeatedly executed the three sword techniques, his swordplay becoming increasingly fluid and seamless.

[Martial Arts]: Tiger Subduing Stance (Mastery) (1/10), Demon Subduing Blade Technique (Minor Mastery) (4/5)

After several days of practice, he has mastered the Tiger-Taming Stance to a high level, his own blood and energy have become more abundant, and his control over power has improved significantly.

The Demon-Subduing Blade Technique has also improved significantly, and it is about to reach the minor perfection level. It is only one step away from breaking through to the major perfection level.

"Brother Lian, your swordsmanship has improved again." Li Hu looked at Shen Lian and said enviously, "When will my 'Demon-Subduing Sword Technique' be as fluid as yours?"

Shen Lian looked at Li Hu and said seriously, "The essence of swordsmanship lies in the 'intention' rather than just the 'form.' Before you master the 'Tiger Subduing Stance,' your waist and stance power will be difficult to fully develop, and your swordsmanship will naturally be difficult to perfect."

Shen Lian then began to instruct Li Hu in the cultivation of his swordsmanship.

After Li Hu broke through to the Body Tempering Realm, his blood and qi surged, but his cultivation of the "Demon Subduing Blade Technique" was still somewhat lacking.

It was very stiff to execute, completely lacking any sense of fluidity.

In response, Shen Lian instructed Li Hu on swordsmanship and practiced with him to help Li Hu improve his swordsmanship proficiency.

As dusk fell, the wind howled over the training ground.

Li Hu was panting heavily, his flying fish robe soaked with sweat.

Shen Lian had mastered the "Demon Subduing Blade Technique," and although he hadn't used it at full power, he was still finding it very difficult to deal with.

"Tiger, that's enough for today," Shen Lian said. "The key to the intercepting force of the 'Mountain-Slaying Style' lies in the timing of the gathering of qi and blood. Your third strike was a bit hasty. If you encounter a strong enemy, you'll be easily countered."

Li Hu nodded and said, "Brother Lian is right. I will think about it some more."

After receiving guidance from Shen Lian, Li Hu felt he had gained some insight into the "Demon Subduing Blade Technique" and believed that his swordsmanship would improve soon.

After nightfall.

The newly appointed Demon Suppressor began patrolling Qinghe County at night, following the veteran Demon Suppressor.

Given the recent turmoil in Qinghe County, the Demon Suppression Division's night patrols are more thorough than before, and all suspicious places are to be investigated.

Shen Lian participated in several night patrols, but nothing happened.

Whether it was the womanizer who had previously suffered a setback at Shen Lian's hands, or the remnants of the "Blood Worship Cult" that had recently caused such a stir, they all seemed to have vanished into thin air.

Although things were peaceful, the Demon Suppression Division dared not relax its vigilance.

It is precisely at times like these that we must be most vigilant.

No one knows if the remnants of the Blood Worship Cult are secretly plotting something. In any case, we must take precautions.

After a night of patrolling, no new discoveries were found.

It was approaching dawn.

Shen Lian and Li Hu dragged their tired bodies back to the office.

Li Hu sprawled on the bed: "We've been patrolling for days and haven't seen a single hair. We really don't know where those remnants of the 'Blood Worship Cult' are hiding."

Shen Lian took down his longsword and placed it on the table: "It's still unclear, but their intentions are clearly not pure."

Li Hu snorted, "The 'Blood Worship Cult' was almost wiped out more than a decade ago, and now they dare to resurface. I really don't know what they're up to."

Shen Lian pondered, "The reappearance of the 'Blood Worship Cult' after more than a decade of dormancy is definitely not a small-scale operation. Often, what we cannot see is the most terrifying."

Upon hearing Shen Lian's answer, Li Hu couldn't help but feel a sense of lingering fear.

The Blood Worship Cult could have remained dormant, but its decision to reveal itself is not a normal occurrence.

[Host]: Shen Lian

[Realm]: Body Tempering Realm (2/10)

[Combat Strength]: 22~30

[Martial Arts]: Tiger-Taming Stance (Mastery) (1/10), Demon-Subduing Blade Technique (Minor Mastery) (4/5)

Skill Points: 0

Shen Lian lay on the bed, checking his own attributes.

Having been in the Demon Suppression Division for more than three months, and through diligent training, he has successfully broken through to the second level of the Body Tempering Realm, with a combat power stat of a terrifying 22-30.

The 'Tiger-Taming Stance' is the foundation of cultivation. Shen Lian has cultivated it to the Great Perfection level, and the 'Demon-Taming Blade Technique' has also been cultivated to the Lesser Perfection level.

With the training of stances and hammering, his physical strength was greatly enhanced, and with the support of powerful blood and qi, he was able to use the "Demon Subduing Blade Technique" more skillfully.

Looking at the data on the panel, Shen Lian was not complacent.

He knew very well that his strength at the second level of the Body Tempering Realm might be considered decent in Qinghe County, but it was far from enough compared to those true martial arts masters.

Moreover, there are currently undercurrents in Qinghe County.

Numerous incidents, both big and small, have occurred, including a series of disappearances and deaths, making the matter widely known.

The Demon Suppression Division investigated for some time, but still didn't find many clues.

The Demon Suppression Division has explicitly forbidden its members from spreading information about the remnants of the Blood Worship Cult, so the people of Qinghe County are unaware of what is going on.

Although news of the "Blood Worship Cult" has not spread, recent events in Qinghe County have caused panic among many residents.

"Things are indeed a bit troublesome," Shen Lian thought to himself.

If the remnants of the "Blood Worship Cult" are not dealt with, there is no guarantee that more people will be killed in Qinghe County. Once the higher authorities investigate, no one in the Demon Suppression Division will be able to escape responsibility.

For the next few days, Qinghe County remained calm and peaceful.

Zhao Shan, however, did not slack off in the slightest. He convened meetings with junior officers such as Chen Biao and Sun Yan every day to discuss matters, while also intensifying the training of the newly promoted Demon Suppression Envoys.

Among the newly appointed Demon Suppressors, only a few have broken through to the Body Tempering Realm.

The vast majority have not yet broken through to the Body Tempering Realm.

As demon-suppressing envoys of the Demon-Suppressing Division, these people are not strong enough.

"Hurry up, all of you! With your strength, don't even call yourselves members of the Demon Suppression Division. You're disgracing the Demon Suppression Division!" Sun Yan roared.

During this period, Sun Yan was in charge of giving extra training to the newly appointed Demon Suppression Envoys.

Everyone practiced daily, and it was clear that the training intensity had increased significantly. At first, everyone was able to persevere.

As the training intensity increased, those who were slightly weaker found it somewhat difficult, but they still gritted their teeth and persevered.

Recent events have made them acutely aware of their own inadequacy.

They are now being led by veteran demon-suppressing envoys to carry out missions.

From now on, they will all have to carry out their own missions. At that time, without the guidance of veteran demon slayers, they can only rely on themselves.

After a period of continuous training, two more of the newly appointed Demon Suppressors broke through the Body Tempering Realm and became true martial artists.