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Compared to the vastness of the heavens and earth, the human body is incredibly small.
Even using just a tiny fraction is enough to look down upon the mundane world.
The things described in the upper volume of the Wind-Thunder Precious Scroll actually involve using the weak essence of medicinal substances to refine the body, allowing the mortal coil to gradually become accustomed to the qi of the heavens and earth before it is qualified to carry them.
Shen Yi had long passed this stage by now.
What remained was the laborious task of using time to fill the twelve great apertures.
Without precious medicines to assist, this process could be very slow.
But the one thing Shen Yi was not short of was time.
[Remaining demon lifespan: 76 years]
[Initial Realm. Wind and Thunder Demon Subduing True Solution (Uninitiated)]
[Five years have passed, you have used the essence of heaven and earth to repair your own damage and eliminate the hidden ailments accumulated over the years]
[In the fifteenth year, thanks to your calm demeanor, there were no twists and turns in your practice, and you successfully filled the first aperture]
[In the thirty-fifth year, the Three Apertures were perfected, and you initiated the Wind and Thunder Demon Subduing True Solution]
[In the thirty-eighth year, your progress began to slow, and after careful investigation, you discovered it was because the qi stored in the apertures had taken on your own scent, which conflicted with the pure qi of heaven and earth]
[There is no solution to this matter, only to maintain a calm mind and proceed slowly]
[In the sixty-fifth year, you filled five of the great apertures, just one step away from minor achievement in the Wind and Thunder Demon Subduing True Solution]
[Remaining demon lifespan: 1 year]
[Remaining personal lifespan: 46 years]
…
This was the first time his own lifespan exceeded that of the demon.
Shen Yi sat on the stone steps, eyes closed, sensing the brand-new world around him.
More than the additional twenty-five years of lifespan, his joy came mainly from within his body.
The abundant qi in the five apertures flowed slowly through his limbs and bones, like the sweet nectar of a lotus pond, intoxicatingly fragrant.
He lifted his palm and slightly curved his fingers.
A layer of faint white mist rose up from his fingertips, tinged with strands of scarlet.
This was due to the Wind and Thunder Demon Subduing True Solution, a technique derived from exhausting the body, constantly transforming blood energy through the Positive Yang Blade Technique, so that even the pure qi of heaven and earth was somewhat tinged with blood energy.
Now, with a casual swing of his sword, Shen Yi's strike would far surpass the previous day's Demon-trapping True Sun Sword.
Furthermore, he no longer depleted himself, but drew strength from the apertures.
Having reached the Initial Realm, he naturally did not need to rely on that crude blade technique that could only provide temporary transcendence.
Shen Yi stood and walked out of the alley, feeling light as if he could ascend to the heavens with a single step.
"A bit heady, huh..."
He calmed his spirits, somewhat dazed by his newfound formidable power.
He was now entangled with three different demons, which could be said to be fraught with crises.
It would be a waste to lose the forty-plus years of lifespan he had fortunately gained.
Of course, should they dare show up in front of him, Shen Yi would not mind testing the sharpness of the qi within his body.
Only one year of demon lifespan remaining indeed made one feel quite insecure...
…
The office room of the Demon-suppression Bureau.
It was well into the morning by now.
Six yamen runners stood upright in the courtyard, staring intently at the broken door.
Song Changfeng had been sitting inside since early morning, his forehead wrapped in bandages, his face grim, not having moved all morning.
Chen Ji glanced with the corner of his eye toward the ground.
Two corpses covered in white cloth were just the two people who had come looking for Shen Yi the previous night, now giving off a foul stench, clearly dead beyond doubt.
On an ordinary day, Shen Yi's subordinates would not have feared Song Changfeng and merely performed superficial duties.
But now someone had died.
```
On the other side, a group of errand runners from other departments stood with arms folded, radiating an air of arrogance.
These people had come with Song Head, and it was obvious that they weren't good news.
Normally, an outsider wouldn't get to a crime scene before the insiders, but that was exactly what had happened today.
The most unsettling thing for Chen Ji was that Shen Yi had still not appeared.
"..."
Just then, a tall figure slowly stepped into the courtyard.
All eyes instantly gathered on him.
Once they saw who it was, the expressions of the errand runners from the other departments vanished in an instant, and their palms uniformly rested on the hilts of the sabers at their waists.
Song Head had unusually called these elite members early in the morning.
This could only mean that the higher-ups in the bureaucracy had changed their attitude and the man surnamed Shen would probably have no more chances to be arrogant.
Seeing their movements, Chen Ji's own men's faces changed color, but Chen Ji alone furrowed his brows and silently gripped the handle of his blade.
At this critical, tense moment,
Song Changfeng, dragging his injured body, finally stood up from his chair and limped to the door of the house.
He leaned against the wall, squeezing out a reluctant smile, "You're here?"
Shen Yi nodded lightly, "Mmm."
Although he didn't understand why the poor old man wasn't resting at home, at least the latter had the sense to find someone to handle his affairs, which spared himself some trouble.
"I thought you wouldn't be able to come over until the afternoon," Song Changfeng extended his hand in greeting.
"A rat was causing trouble at home and I couldn't sleep well, so I decided to get up early," Shen Yi walked into the house, settled in his seat, and raised his head, "Something's the matter?"
Hearing this, the people outside subconsciously looked up at the sky.
Then looking towards the inside of the room, where Officer Shen sat in the main seat and Song Changfeng stood by his side, holding his waist, the hands holding the knives unconsciously relaxed.
Song Changfeng's wariness towards Shen Yi was not uncommon news.
But his initiative to come over, bringing a group of elite members with him to make a spectacle of themselves, was truly bizarre.
"Damn…"
The errand runners from the other departments felt their faces burning with embarrassment, all they could think about was to leave this wretched place quickly.
To their surprise, Song Changfeng actually pointed at them.
"Do you want to pick a couple to fill out the ranks? They are all carefully selected."
At these words, the group's faces changed instantly.
Baiyun County was not large, and news traveled fast.
Mixing with Shen Yi would mean living comfortably, but his methods were too dirty; within half a day, their reputations would be as foul as his.
To the truly unscrupulous, it didn't matter, but anyone who still cared for a shred of decency didn't want to be the one to turn a blind eye when he bullied innocent women.
"Can they be used?"
Shen Yi raised his eyebrow, inquiring.
He actually had some ideas.
Since the former self was dead and he intended to join the Demon-suppression Bureau, using the previous group of people was not quite fitting.
But he also had his standards.
At the very least, they should be able to survive and report back when facing situations similar to that of the Liulimiao Village.
His words obviously irritated those outside.
They, given to indulgence and pretense, also dared to question their abilities.
Still, it was better than Shen's long-abandoned Bone-penetrating Grappling Technique.
However, under the gaze of everyone there, Song Changfeng actually managed a bitter smile, "That depends on who you compare them with, surely not with you, right?"
Though the words seemed fine, why did they sound so strange?
As the crowd was still pondering the subtext,
Only Chen Ji rolled his eyes, displaying a look of deep agreement.
With Shen's absurd talent, and having taken his Seventy-eight-character True Words, it was possible that in a few years, he would breakthrough both the muscle and bone challenges and pursue the realm of perfect physical embodiment.