There's Demonic Energy Here!

One had to know that this was the mortal world, and the human race was extremely weak.

Those who cultivated their martial arts could reach the peak of the Innate Realm, but a demon that surpassed Level 4 of the Spirit Refinement could stir up the world.

If the demons had a clan, would they not be able to destroy the world?

"There are fish demons in the Luo River outside Luojing. Are they from your clan? " Yuanhe's face darkened as he demanded an answer in a low voice.

In the past, the temple master had guessed that the demons in Luoshui were related to her. Now, it seemed like he was right.

"The Luo River? What?!" Yu Honggu was shocked, and she quickly said, "My clan of merfolk from the East China Sea?

"The mermaids would never leave the East China Sea unless something bad happened. Did something happen?"

The merfolk of the East China Sea?

Yuan He was slightly stunned.

He had never seen the demons in the Luo River.

He had only seen the scale that Luo Chen brought back.

He did not know the demon's race.

"Most merfolk stay in the East China Sea. We rarely step on land. I don't think anyone would come here." Yu Honggu revealed an anxious expression.

She looked at Zhang Li and bowed. "Exalted Immortal, please let me go. I want to know if the demon in the Luo River is from the merfolk clan of the East China Sea."

"No!" Before Zhang Li could say anything, Yuanhe had already shouted.

How could he let Yu Honggu out of the Demon Subduing Pavilion?!

They needed three martial arts grandmasters to capture her and bring her to the pavilion in the past. On top of that, Daoist Yu Ji, the founder of Jing Yang Temple was seriously injured.

Now, the three martial arts grandmasters were not working together.

"I-I promise... " Yu Honggu whispered softly, but she did not know how to give them her word.

She was a demon.

The other demons just observed quietly.

Zhang Li did not care about these things.

He entered the Demon Subduing Pavilion to cultivate his body-tempering technique, and he was only curious about the demons.

Whether it was subduing demons or exterminating them, what did it have to do with him?

Before Yu Honggu's anxious gaze, Zhang Li merely shook his head and strode up the stairs.

Yuanhe, who was following him, turned around warily. He pressed his hand on the hilt of his wooden sword. He heaved a sigh of relief when he finally returned to the fifth floor of the Demon Subduing Pavilion and closed the passage.

A martial arts grandmaster could only survive an hour on the lower levels of the Demon Subduing Pavilion. If this grandmaster stayed there any longer, he would not be able to hold on.

Yuanhe did not know what kind of cultivation this grandmaster had. He did not seem to be harmed at all on the first underground level, and he was even borrowing the pavilion's power to cultivate.

Was he a great grandmaster?

Yuanhe dared not think about it.

"Your wooden sword is too weak." Zhang Li glanced at the sword in Yuanhe's hand and threw a pale-yellow talisman over.

It was the golden whip talisman that he had used to whip the black wolf. Its power had been exhausted, but it could still be activated one more time.

Unlike ordinary paper talismans, this talisman was a spirit talisman of a higher level.

The techniques and materials required to draw this talisman were also different.

Zhu Yunshan had boasted that he knew how to draw a type of spirit talisman.

Each spirit talisman cost two spirit stones.

Even though he did not recognize the talisman, Yuanhe could already sense the immense power within it.

This power shocked him, and it was difficult to control!

This talisman was definitely something he had never seen before. It was an extremely powerful talisman!

"Grandmaster, this—"

"This is a golden whip talisman. If used properly, even a demon like the ones in the Demon Subduing Pavilion can be severely injured." Zhang Li waved his hand gently and looked at Yuanhe with a smile on his face.

It could even injure such great demons!

The demons in the Demon Subduing Pavilion had been subdued by the joint efforts of great grandmasters!

Yuanhe only felt his heart beating rapidly, and he could not help but clench the talisman in his hand tightly.

"Yuanhe, in the future, I would like to come to the Demon Subduing Pavilion to cultivate more often. Please don't tell anyone about it," Zhang Li said softly. "Otherwise, it will bring trouble to Jing Yang Temple."

'Don't tell anyone?'

He was right, though. It would be difficult to explain the matter of borrowing the Demon Subduing Pavilion to cultivate.

If news of it spread, it might even attract the covetous eyes of outsiders.

Yuanhe felt that he had found a good reason to keep this secret for his grandmaster.

It was definitely not because of the talisman, even though it was very precious.

Yuanhe nodded.

This was their secret to keep; outsiders could not know how powerful his grandmaster was.

Only he knew in the whole of Jing Yang Temple.

Zhang Li smiled lightly and patted his shoulder. A small jade bottle then appeared in his hand. "Yuanhe, it must have been tough for you to accompany me on this trip. You've consumed a lot of your vitality. Take this pill. It will increase your vitality and prolong your life slightly."

...

Outside, Yuanhe bowed and shouted, "Farewell, Grandmaster!"

After Zhang Li left, Yuanhe returned to the Demon Subduing Pavilion.

Qing Mu, the disciple on duty, was a little confused as he stood outside.

This senior of his had always been stern and upright. Why was he so attentive to the grandmaster today?

"I won't listen in or ask unrelated questions in front of the Demon Subduing Pavilion…" He closed his eyes and whispered.

Zhang Li was in a good mood.

He had gained a lot from his body tempering today and had even found a place that was very suitable for cultivation.

Once he returned, he would find a few martial arts techniques suitable for body tempering.

He walked back to the courtyard and stopped at the door as his eyes flashed with excitement.

He lowered his head and looked at the Demon Mirror hanging on his waist with a Ruyi buckle.

Faint green light was shining from it, which meant there was demonic energy there.

...

Luojing Academy had green bricks, black tiles, and white walls. It was also surrounded by flowers and trees.

In its quiet courtyard, stones lined a mysterious path, and fish swam alongside it.

Su Ming stood there with his head lowered. His face was filled with shame.

"Alright, you are my disciple. I know that you won't lie, so I'll prove it for you." An old in greenish-gray robes was sitting on the stone platform. He shook his head and spoke softly.

In Zhao, the only person who would address Su Ming that way was Minister Dongfang Jing.

Dongfang Jing looked like someone in his 50s. He had a thin face and a cultured air.

If one did not know his identity, it would be hard to imagine that this man was the minister of Zhao, Dongfang Jing. He had been in charge of Zhao's imperial court for 100 years and had reached the Innate Realm as a great grandmaster.

This scholar carried a sword, and he was skilled in both literature and martial arts.

"Master, I originally thought that by drawing out the matter in Yongzhou Prefecture and diverting the imperial court's attention, I could also help Mengmeng and the others. I didn't expect…" Su Ming stopped speaking and shook his head. "This is the imperial family after all."

The imperial family did not care about the people. They only cared about power.

Prince Yu only used Su Ming's identity as the state minister's disciple to report that there was a demon in the Luo River. He did not even ask where the demon in the Luo River came from.

The emperor only cared about eliminating the demons and ending the chaos in Luojing. He did not care about the lives of the people in Yongzhou.

The world cared about a water demon whose authenticity was unknown because it cared about the generous rewards offered by Jing Yang Temple. It did not see the hundreds of thousands of people in Yongzhou who were living a hard life.

Dongfang Jing put away the book in his hand and looked at Su Ming.

"Do you still think that the three people I sent, Xu Mingji, Cao Liang, and Chen Yu, are not bold enough to protect the place?" Dongfang Jing said softly.

Su Ming did not retort.

That was what he thought.

If he went to Yongzhou, killed the corrupt officials, and opened granaries, the flood in Yongzhou could be dealt with in three months.

"Su Ming, you still have a long way to go before you can sit in my position…" Dongfang Jing sighed and looked into the distance.

"The Gathering of Immortals is filled with powerful cultivators. How are we going to deal with those people? 

" There are already people in Yongzhou who are preparing to rebel. How do you think we should deal with them? 

"Also, the East China Sea spirit practitioners are suspected to have set foot on the Central Plains again. Jixia Learning Palace of the Chu state has already sent us a private message. What do you think we should do?"

Dongfang Jing's questions made Su Ming speechless.

He did not expect to be powerless in the face of all these issues.

Without the cultivation of a grandmaster, how could he care about those banished immortal cultivators?

Yongzhou's rebellion should also be a matter for the generals.

Only martial arts grandmasters were allowed to deal with the East China Sea spirit practitioners.

"As such, the Demon Extermination Order can solve all these problems directly."