He had slain Shangguan Jiang.
Gu Qingfeng searched the corpse and finally found an identity token and a thin secret manual on the body.
Spirit Summoning Treasure Skills—Heart-devouring Demon!
The bloody aura seemed to rush at him as he read the few characters on the cover, causing Gu Qingfeng to frown and immediately pocket the Spirit Summoning Treasure Skills.
When he looked at the token again, it bore the name of the deceased on the front and the three large characters of the Evil Suppression Bureau on the back.
"Truly a man from the Evil Suppression Bureau!"
Gu Qingfeng had already surmised Shangguan Jiang's identity when the latter divulged it before his death, but now he had complete confirmation with the token in hand.
According to Xu Jun, the Evil Suppression Bureau was a secretive organization within the Taixuan Dynasty, dedicated to dealing with evil spirits.
Now it seemed,
the people of the Evil Suppression Bureau were not so simple.
At that moment,
Shangguan Jiang's corpse, long dead, quivered slightly as if something was about to awaken from within. Gu Qingfeng's expression changed subtly, and without hesitation, he took Gu Yang and swiftly left the area.
With Shangguan Jiang no longer hindering them, Gu Qingfeng found it easy to break through the blood fog.
As he emerged from the blood fog, the eerie and chilling aura that had lingered in his mind dissipated without a trace.
Looking back, the blood fog remained, enveloping the vast Lin County, leaving no sign of life visible.
His tense mind relaxed slightly, and suddenly a sharp pain overwhelmed him. Gu Qingfeng looked down to find his many wounds were severely rotted and emitting a foul stench.
A normal person would have died from such injuries long ago.
But Gu Qingfeng had broken through to the Blood Refining Realm, and his vitality was much stronger than an ordinary person's. Despite his grave injuries, they were not enough to take his life.
However,
if the situation continued to drag on, it would only become more troublesome.
"Let's go, we'll leave this place first!"
Gu Qingfeng took Gu Yang and left.
...
Not long after his departure,
inside the blood fog, Shangguan Jiang's body suddenly shuddered violently as if a sinister black shadow was detaching from the corpse. The shadow had a dark green face twisted in a ghastly expression, its arms unusually long and fingers tipped with sharp claws that seemed capable of easily tearing skin and excavating flesh and organs.
As soon as this sinister presence revived, it eyed Shangguan Jiang's corpse with a greedy look and then pounced on the ground to devour it.
In moments,
the corpse was stripped of flesh, leaving only scattered bones behind.
The sinister black shadow let out a blood-curdling scream, its chilling and horrifying aura bursting forth from the blood fog, alarming everyone in Lin County.
Ye Yuan, who was in the magistrate's office, felt this aura and his expression changed dramatically.
"The aura of an evil spirit!"
"No... this is the Heart-devouring Demon!"
In an instant,
Ye Yuan dashed out of the magistrate's office. When he plunged into the blood fog, he recognized the identity of the scattered bones and tattered clothing at a glance.
"Shangguan Jiang is dead!"
His complexion suddenly turned ashen.
Shangguan Jiang's death was not of great concern, but what could have caused him to die here was critical.
Shangguan Jiang was a magician, and even the weakest magician was not something an ordinary martial artist could compare with, especially in Lin County, where the strongest were just martial artists of the Refining Skin Realm.
Such martial artists,
how could they possibly slay a magician.
Moreover—
Shangguan Jiang was dead.
And it seemed that whatever was inside him had already come out.
Just as this thought crossed Ye Yuan's mind, a chilling and sinister aura suddenly struck, setting off intense alarms within him. Without a second thought, he sidestepped in a flash, and the next moment, he saw sharp claws slashing through the air, and the sinister black shadow appeared in sight.
"Heart-devouring Demon!"
Ye Yuan's heart sank.
The worst possible outcome had already unfolded before his eyes.
Shangguan Jiang had perished.
The Heart-devouring Demon inside the opponent's body had completely awakened.
Seeing the Heart-devouring Demon charging towards him, Ye Yuan's eyes turned fierce and ruthless, "Damn it, don't let me find out who killed Shangguan Jiang, otherwise, this matter is far from over!"
——
"Family Head!"
In a certain courtyard, a middle-aged martial artist clad in combat attire stood respectfully before another person.
This person was none other than Gu Qingfeng, who had left Lin County.
"Still no news?"
"Reporting to the Family Head, we have been fully engaged in covertly probing the situation in Lin County, but it has vanished without a trace, leaving not a single piece of news," the man answered truthfully.
Upon hearing this.
Gu Qingfeng nodded and then waved his hand, saying, "If that's the case, you may leave for now!"
"Yes—"
The man respectfully took his leave.
Gu Qingfeng stroked his beard thoughtfully, his deep gaze occasionally flashing coldly.
Unable to find any trace of Lin County.
Meant that something must have transpired in Lin County.
Otherwise.
A county of such size couldn't possibly leave no trace whatsoever.
From the time he left Lin County until now, nearly half a year had passed.
After departing from Lin County, Gu Qingfeng had taken Gu Yang to the White Stone Dao in Guangyang Prefecture.
Taixuan Dynasty.
The Nine States, thirty-six counties.
Each county divided into twelve prefectures.
Guangyang Prefecture was one of the prefectures under Taishan County. Qingjiang Prefecture, which was reportedly wiped out by an epidemic, also belonged to Taishan County, while Lin County came under Guangyang Prefecture.
When he first entered White Stone Dao, Gu Qingfeng had acted discreetly, gradually ascertaining the true strength and foundation of White Stone Dao.
The investigation revealed.
The martial arts foundation of White Stone Dao was much stronger than that of Lin County.
For instance, in Lin County, the Golden Bull Martial Arts Hall was considered a renowned martial force within the county town, with its strongest member only reaching the Refining Skin Perfection Realm.
But within White Stone Dao, martial artists with Refining Skin Perfection were not very numerous, yet certainly not rare.
Above Refining Skin.
Blood Refining Realm martial artists also existed.
One such power called the Qin Family, which had five Blood Refining Realm martial artists to its name, and another called the Iron Bone Gang, with four Blood Refining Realm martial artists.
These were the two most powerful forces in White Stone Dao.
Beneath the two great forces were also many other large and small intertwined forces, but no matter what, anyone who stepped into the Blood Refining Realm could be called a powerful warrior in White Stone Dao.
After understanding the situation in White Stone Dao, Gu Qingfeng decided to settle down there.
A power known as the Gu Family appeared quietly.
For the established powers of White Stone Dao, the emergence of a new prominent family naturally attracted the attention of many.
Even.
Some set their sights on the Gu Family.
However, when Gu Qingfeng revealed his Blood Refining Realm strength, many voices fell silent.
After all.
The Martial World still revered strength above all.
Although the Gu Family's foundation was weak, having a Blood Refining Realm martial artist was enough to resolve most troubles.
Like other powers with Blood Refining Realm martial artists in residence, they did not wish to clash with a peer without good reason, and those without a Blood Refining Realm presence dared not provoke the Gu Family.
In this manner.
Over the course of half a year, the Gu Family established by Gu Qingfeng had also managed to firmly plant its roots in White Stone Dao.