After killing Shangguan Jiang, Gu Qingfeng searched his body and found a thin secret book along with an identity token. The title on the book's cover sent a wave of ominous energy, "The Magic of Spiritual Communication: The Heart-Eating Demon."
Gu Qingfeng frowned but stowed the book away, turning his attention to the token. The front bore Shangguan Jiang's name, while the back displayed three large characters: "Evil Suppression Department."
"So, he really was from the Evil Suppression Department," Gu Qingfeng muttered to himself. Shangguan Jiang had revealed his identity before dying, but the token now confirmed it.
As Xu Jun had explained, the Evil Suppression Department was a secretive organization in the Taixuan Dynasty tasked with dealing with malevolent spirits. But from what Gu Qingfeng had encountered, these agents were not simple themselves.
Just then, Shangguan Jiang's corpse trembled slightly, as if something inside it was stirring. Gu Qingfeng's face darkened, and without hesitation, he grabbed Gu Yang and hurriedly fled the scene.
With no further obstruction, they passed through the blood mist, the oppressive chill that had gripped them vanishing as soon as they escaped. The sight of Lin County was nowhere to be found, swallowed by the swirling mist behind them.
Gu Qingfeng glanced down at his injuries. The wounds on his body were festering and emitting a foul odor. For any ordinary person, these injuries would have been fatal. But having broken through to the Blood Refining Realm, his life force was far stronger than most. Even so, if left untreated, his condition would only worsen.
"Let's go. We need to get out of here," he said, leading Gu Yang away.
Not long after they left, Shangguan Jiang's body in the blood mist convulsed violently. A grotesque black shadow emerged from his remains—its dark blue face twisted in a monstrous expression, its arms unnaturally long, and sharp claws extending from its hands.
Its first act upon awakening was to feast on Shangguan Jiang's corpse, tearing through the flesh with ravenous hunger. Within moments, nothing remained but a scattering of bones.
The creature let out a roar, and a cold, terrifying aura swept through the blood mist, reverberating across Lin County. In the nearby yamen, Ye Yuan felt the disturbance and his face paled.
"Evil energy... No, it's the Heart-Eating Demon!"
Without hesitation, Ye Yuan rushed towards the mist. When he arrived, he saw the scattered bones and shredded clothes. His heart sank.
"Shangguan Jiang is dead!" His voice trembled with shock. But more concerning than Shangguan Jiang's death was the question of what had killed him.
After all, Shangguan Jiang was a warlock, and even the weakest warlocks were not easily matched by ordinary warriors. In Lin County, the most powerful warriors were barely at the Skin Refining Realm.
"How could a warlock have been killed?"
And worse—if Shangguan Jiang was dead, it meant that the entity within him had already been released.
Just as Ye Yuan realized this, a chilling aura surged toward him. Without thinking, he dodged to the side as sharp claws slashed through the air. The Heart-Eating Demon appeared before him, its malevolent eyes locked on its next prey.
"The Heart-Eating Demon…" Ye Yuan's heart sank further.
The worst-case scenario had come to pass. Shangguan Jiang was dead, and the demon inside him had fully awakened.
The demon lunged, and Ye Yuan's eyes narrowed. "Damn it! I'll find whoever killed Shangguan Jiang. This won't end here!"
In a distant courtyard, a middle-aged warrior stood respectfully before Gu Qingfeng.
"Still no word?" Gu Qingfeng asked, his voice calm but commanding.
"Master, we've tried everything to gather information, but it's as if Lin County has vanished. There's been no news at all," the man reported.
Gu Qingfeng nodded thoughtfully. "Very well. You may go."
The man bowed and left. Gu Qingfeng stroked his beard, a cold gleam flashing occasionally in his deep-set eyes.
No trace of Lin County had been found. That meant something must have happened. How could an entire county simply disappear?
It had been nearly half a year since Gu Qingfeng and Gu Yang left Lin County. After their departure, they had journeyed to Baishi Road in Guangyang Prefecture.
The Taixuan Dynasty consisted of thirty-six counties, twelve of which made up one prefecture. Guangyang Prefecture, where they now resided, was under the jurisdiction of Taishan County. Lin County, now lost, had also been a part of Guangyang Prefecture.
Upon arriving in Baishi Road, Gu Qingfeng had kept a low profile while carefully observing the martial forces of the region. Baishi Road, he discovered, was much more powerful than Lin County. In Lin County, the Jinniu Martial Arts School was considered prominent, though its strongest warrior was only at the peak of Skin Refining.
But here in Baishi Road, warriors who had perfected Skin Refining were far more common, and even those who had reached the Blood Refining Realm were not rare.
Two of the strongest factions were the Qin Family, with five Blood Refining warriors, and the Iron Bone Gang, led by four Blood Refining experts. Beneath these two dominant forces, many smaller factions vied for power.
In this new environment, Gu Qingfeng settled down and quietly established his own force—the Gu Family.
Naturally, the appearance of an unfamiliar family drew attention, with some factions even targeting the Gu Family. But when Gu Qingfeng demonstrated his Blood Refining Realm strength, most opposition quickly faded.
Strength ruled this world. Despite the Gu Family's humble beginnings, with a Blood Refining expert like Gu Qingfeng at the helm, most problems were easily resolved.
Forces with Blood Refining warriors saw no reason to provoke him, and those without dared not act against him.
Thus, after half a year of careful cultivation, the Gu Family was firmly established in Baishi Road.