Demon Slaying, Gaining 60 Years of Cultivation From the Start

At this moment, on the main path of Shen Zhou's Appointed Heaven Administration, a group of riders was hastening along the way. Leading them was a man dressed in dark robes, tall and upright, with an aura of vitality. His black hair flowed like a waterfall, and he had handsome features, with sword-like brows and sparkling eyes.

A long sword hung at his waist—this was none other than Gu Chen and his party, who had set out from Tiandu.

This time, the first group sent by the Jing Tian Department to Yan State numbered thirty-five people. The leader, Gu Chen, was a Metropolitan Procurator of the first rank, accompanied by thirteen Procurators of the first rank and twenty-one of the second rank.

Moreover, once the situation in Shen Zhou stabilized, the Jing Tian Department in Tiandu planned to dispatch even more personnel to support Yan State.

At the moment, even though all the others were significantly older than Gu Chen, they still took him as their leader.

Song Yu and Wang Yan were also among them.

Originally, due to the high risk associated with the affairs in Yan State, Gu Chen preferred not to involve the two of them, but the Jing Tian Department was critically short-staffed, which meant even two fresh Vajra Stage first rank Procurators had to be included in the group.

Truthfully, the talents of Song Yu and Wang Yan weren't lacking. They had advanced quickly, but compared to Gu Chen, they seemed decidedly ordinary.

Gu Chen sat astride his horse, unaware that just days after his departure, some had already marked him as a nuisance, a thorn in their side, someone they wished to eliminate.

Now, Gu Chen had been traveling with his people day and night for five days straight because Qin Wu had instructed him to reach Yan State as swiftly as possible in light of their urgent plea for help.

Even though the weakest among them were at the Outer Qi Stage and could subsist for a short period without food or drink, sustaining their bodies with their internal Qi, they were merely ordinary in comparison to Gu Chen.

Who knew what mishaps might occur along the way, so conserving necessary energy was indeed crucial.

Therefore, as evening drew near, Gu Chen raised his arm. Seeing this, the others behind him immediately tightened their reins and came to a halt, all eyes turning towards Gu Chen.

Song Yu and Wang Yan, guiding their steeds, drew near to Gu Chen and asked, "What is it?"

"Let's take a brief rest," Gu Chen said with a faint smile, turning his horse to face the crowd. "Tonight we'll find a place to rest outside the city and camp there. We'll resume our travel early in the morning."

Upon hearing this, the crowd exchanged glances before responding in unison, "Lord Commander Gu, there's no need for that. We are not tired. Let's press on."

Song Yu and Wang Yan added, "That's right, we can endure this much. Given the dire situation in Yan State, we should press forward and try to arrive as soon as possible."

Gu Chen looked at them and said, "Reaching Yan State from here will take at least another month. What, do you all plan to go without rest for this time? If something unexpected happens on the way, will you all be relying on me then?"

"This..."

At Gu Chen's words, all the Procurators from the Jing Tian Department displayed hesitant expressions. Gu Chen could go a month without eating, drinking, or sleeping, but none of them could make the same claim.

After the battle with Ananda, Gu Chen's prestige and fame, both within the Jing Tian Department and Tiandu, had risen significantly, and the people were willing to heed his words. After a moment of contemplation, they no longer insisted and nodded in agreement.

So, Gu Chen led them to a clear area by a small river. They took out the dry food and water sacks from their horses' packs and began to eat and drink.

Although it had only been five days, and Gu Chen along with the Vajra Stage first rank Procurators were unaffected, the twenty-one second rank Procurators were indeed worn down. After eating and drinking, they felt much relieved.

Gu Chen, of course, noticed this. He had risen from the Outer Qi Stage himself; if he demanded that these people keep persevering, they certainly would not refuse, but it might lead to serious consequences.

"I didn't expect you to be so considerate of your subordinates," Song Yu said with a smile.

Initially, due to the gap in status and strength, Song Yu and Wang Yan had been somewhat restrained around Gu Chen. However, as they spent more time together, they realized that Gu Chen hadn't changed at all, and they became closer to him again.

Wang Yan was still as silent as ever, munching on his dry food without a word.

With nothing else to do, Song Yu began to chat idly with Gu Chen. "You have no idea. During the time you were in seclusion, Wang Yan's family introduced him to a fine girl. Wang Yan may appear reserved, but he has a keen eye. The very next day, he asked the girl out on his own."

"Oh?"

Gu Chen's interest was piqued; Wang Yan was over twenty years old and at the age to marry and start a family in Da Xia.

However, due to the constant external engagements of Jing Tian Department being far more perilous than other agencies, Song Yu and Wang Yan had been devoid of such thoughts.

This was something Gu Chen had discussed with them before.

"What made you change your mind?" Gu Chen asked Wang Yan, curious and smiling.

Wang Yan glanced at Song Yu, not blaming him for revealing the matter. After all, Gu Chen shared an extraordinary relationship with them both. They had been through countless battles together, and from the moment Gu Chen entered the inner city, he had been acquainted with Song Yu and Wang Yan. Their bond ran deep.

Setting aside his dry food, Wang Yan slighting hesitation before saying, "There's nothing to it. I just thought it was about time, and my parents have been pressing me. Being the only son, I felt it was time to look around. I didn't expect to find the right one so quickly. Perhaps it's just fate."

After speaking, Wang Yan seemed to drift into thoughts of his own, a rare smile touching the corners of his mouth.

Gu Chen could see that Wang Yan had already found someone special. In his previous life, Gu Chen had experienced much in matters of the heart and was familiar with the various stages, which is why he could easily see the signs.

Song Yu joked, "Don't listen to that guy Wang Yan; he seems reserved but he's just pining after the girl. I tell you, the young lady is not only gorgeous but comes from a good family too. For a mute dolt like Wang Yan to meet her—that's fortune he's cultivated over eight lifetimes."

"Bullshit!"

Enraged by Song Yu's words, Wang Yan quickly got up to chase and hit him, while Song Yu hurriedly stood up to run away.

Seeing this, the rest of the Procurators from the Jing Tian Department sat by, enjoying the commotion.

"Alright, alright, my bad, I apologize," Song Yu relented after a while, once Wang Yan caught him, and he apologized profusely. Wang Yan then let him go.

Gu Chen's face was full of smiles as he watched the two, feeling a sense of relaxation after a long while.

At that moment, Song Yu turned to Gu Chen and asked, "What about you? Don't you plan to look for someone?"

"Me?"

Gu Chen's expression faltered, then he chuckled, "Forget it, I am still young, not like the two of you, practically turning into old snappers."

Upon hearing this, Song Yu's face stiffened, then with a helpless shrug, he said, "I'd forgotten, you are only twenty-one this year. Indeed, it's about time, but it seems you aren't interested."

Gu Chen smiled but said nothing, clearly agreeing with this point.

Song Yu looked up, leaning back with his hands supporting him on the ground, gazing at the starry sky, and said, "Actually, I used to think like you, but now I've changed my mind. I know Wang Yan shares the same thoughts. With great changes underway in the world and chaos descending, as members of the Jing Tian Department, we are on the front lines.

Who knows if we might lose our lives on a mission one day, so it's normal for Wang Yan to have such thoughts."

Wang Yan, upon hearing this, remained silent, not uttering a word, obviously agreeing with this point.

Gu Chen looked at Song Yu, the smile on his face gradually fading. After a long silence, he spoke in an extremely firm tone, "Don't worry, all of us will come back alive, I guarantee it!"

"Right, none of us will have any trouble, Da Xia will be victorious!"

"All of us will come back alive!"

At this moment, the rest of the officials from the Jing Tian Department also gathered around, their voices robust and resonant, their conviction tremendous.

After all, having reached this point, they had all been through numerous bloody battles and their will was very strong.

Song Yu, looking around at everyone, was at first taken aback, then also smiled and said, "Of course, all of us will live and return together to Tiandu. Then we'll go for a drink, and of course, Lord Gu is treating!"

"Hahaha…"

At these words, everyone burst into laughter, and a trace of a smile appeared on Gu Chen's face as well. The distance between them was narrowed because of this incident.

"Oh, and when you get married, don't forget us brothers," the crowd turned their gazes towards the silent Wang Yan.

Seeing this, Wang Yan's face turned red, and he could only nod.

Gu Chen's eyes twinkled with mirth. Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly twitched his nose, detecting a peculiar scent.

Ever since Gu Chen's physique had reached the Vajra Stage, his perception had greatly improved. Smelling this odor, his expression changed dramatically and he urgently whispered, "Hold your breath!"

Song Yu and Wang Yan, as experienced Metropolitan Procurators of the Jing Tian Department, instead of asking questions, immediately chose to heed Gu Chen's words and held their breaths.

Despite this, three officials of the second rank, with slightly weaker cultivation, felt dizzy and their faces flushed with a purplish hue.

"It's no good, they've been poisoned!" Everyone was suddenly alarmed.

At that instant, Gu Chen flashed behind the three second-rank officials. Flicking his fingers, he injected three hot streams of Gangqi into their bodies.

"Hmm…"

The three groaned, receiving assistance from Gu Chen's Gangqi, the toxins in their bodies were rapidly being expelled.

Fortunately, the poisoning wasn't severe, and with Gu Chen's timely intervention, the toxins were expelled without any significant harm, leaving the three looking gratefully at Gu Chen.

Whoosh!

Then, the faint sound of something cutting through the air arose. Gu Chen heard it distinctly; countless cold glints were shooting towards them from all directions, a myriad of hidden weapons.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Gu Chen's eyes darkened; he raised his hand and sent a palm strike, creating a fierce wind that sent the hidden weapons flying back where they came from.

"Ah…" From a distance, muffled screams were heard.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

In the pitch-black night, dozens of figures clad in blood-red garments emerged from the adjacent dense forest. In this darkness, they appeared somewhat terrifying and chilling.

"Blood Shadow Sword!"

A cold killing intent flashed through Gu Chen's eyes. It was this assassination organization again. Gu Chen had made up his mind that sooner or later, he would uproot the entire Blood Shadow Sword organization and erase it from Shen Zhou.

Boom!

Just then, an intense surge of Gangqi rushed towards him. Gu Chen suddenly turned to see a figure charging at him from a short distance away.

"Ananda!"

Gu Chen recognized him at a glance. The person approaching was the top assassin of the Blood Shadow Sword's Black List, Ananda, who had previously tried to assassinate Gu Chen in Qiongtian City.

At this moment, Ananda was dashing towards Gu Chen. Gu Chen could clearly see that the place where Ananda's right arm should have been was empty, having been severed by Gu Chen with the Blood Shadow Sword in the past.

"Die!"

Ananda let out a cold shout as a large amount of blood-red Gangqi surged from his body, eye-catching and unusually concentrated.

It was Blood Refined Gangqi, the top-ranked exotic Gangqi of the Blood Shadow Sword!

Moreover, from observing his aura and the concentration of his Gangqi, Gu Chen instantly realized that Ananda had already broken through to the Returning to True Stage and had become a true cultivator!