With the matter of the Blood Piercing Pills settled, Xiao Chen found himself with a lot more time on his hands.

At Mei Yong’s strong urging, the Sect dispatched another group of Qi Refining Stage disciples to Hezhou.

Ye Fei and the others were tasked with establishing a branch of the Demon Extermination Hall in Hezhou and building an intelligence network for the Li Huo Sect.

Since the information the Qi Refining Stage disciples had access to was chaotic and unsorted, the volume of intelligence Xiao Chen had to process each day increased dramatically.

He gradually developed the habit of sitting in a pavilion each evening to read through reports from the Demon Extermination Hall.

This had its benefits, however. With a large volume of intelligence at his fingertips, he quickly gained a general understanding of Hezhou.

In terms of landmass, Hezhou was roughly twice the size of Li State.

It possessed more Spirit Veins and cultivation resources, and its population of cultivators far surpassed that of Li State.

There were originally over a dozen different powers, but the other sects, large and small, were either annexed or driven out, until only three major sects remained.

From north to south, they were the Lingyuan Sect, the Valley of Ten Thousand Flowers, and the Cyan Cloud Sect.

According to intelligence reports, the flames of war were already beginning to spread toward the Valley of Ten Thousand Flowers.

Large numbers of Demon Cultivators had infiltrated the territory of the Valley of Ten Thousand Flowers. They were capturing female disciples, assaulting them, and even abducting them to be used as Tripod Furnaces. The situation was far more dire than the strategic map previously shared by the Lingyuan Sect had indicated.

Strangely, however, the Valley of Ten Thousand Flowers’ counterattacks were quite limited.

"Steward Xiao, an urgent secret report from Hezhou!"

A disciple from the Demon Extermination Hall hurried over, handing him a secret letter sealed with wax.

’Ye Fei?’

Xiao Chen glanced curiously at the sender’s name before breaking the seal and taking out the coded message inside.

The contents were concise. The gist of it was that Ye Fei had learned through a special channel that the Divine Fire Sect had already sent elite members to infiltrate Li State and stir up trouble.

’Infiltrating Li State?’

Xiao Chen was suddenly reminded of the strange incident at Huangque Valley.

Ye Fei speculated that the one responsible for this operation was likely one of the legendary Four Directions Wanderers of the Divine Fire Sect.

He had written specifically to warn Xiao Chen to be extremely careful and avoid acting alone if possible.

The enemy was most likely targeting the Li Huo Sect to interfere with and retaliate for their assistance to the Lingyuan Sect.

"The Four Directions Wanderers?"

Xiao Chen went to the Sect’s main hall and asked Mei Yong, "Mei, have you ever heard of them?"

He had never heard of this group before, but since Ye Fei had sent a warning, it was best to take it seriously.

"Damn... the Four Directions Wanderers," Mei Yong muttered. "This is serious trouble."

Mei Yong’s brow furrowed. "Where did this intelligence come from? Is it reliable?"

When he learned it was a secret report from Ye Fei, he sighed.

He then explained to Xiao Chen, "It’s normal that you don’t know about this. I only ever saw information about the Four Directions Wanderers myself in the records left behind by the previous Sect Leader."

"As you know, the Demon Sect’s Cultivation Techniques are geared toward quick, easy results, so their cultivation speed is naturally faster."

"As a result, many Demon Cultivators reach high Cultivation Realms. They have numerous late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators, but fortunately, most of them have no hope of ever reaching the Golden Core Stage." 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Xiao Chen nodded. He was well aware of this.

Many Demon Techniques required the consumption of one’s own Essence Blood, which inevitably cut off any possibility of further advancement.

Mei Yong continued his explanation. "Back when the Divine Fire Sect was still in its infancy, its followers were scattered everywhere, lying in wait."

"To facilitate communication between Demon Cultivators in different regions, they created the Four Directions Wanderers to relay intelligence."

Xiao Chen blinked. "Oh, so they’re just four messengers?"

’That doesn’t sound very impressive at all.’

Mei Yong’s expression turned serious. "Junior Brother Xiao, you must never underestimate the Four Directions Wanderers."

"They were able to distinguish themselves from hordes of vicious Demon Cultivators. Not a single one of them is to be trifled with."

"It goes without saying that their Cultivation is at the Great Perfection of the Foundation Establishment Stage. But beyond that, their Demon Techniques are also unique, each with its own bizarre and treacherous qualities."

"Even back when the Divine Fire Sect was still a fledgling power, the Wanderers were able to break through the Yingyue Immortal Sect’s tight blockades."

"Furthermore, in the years since, more than sixty of our fellow Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators have fallen at their hands."

That meant each Wanderer had killed, on average, over fifteen Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

Considering that Demon Techniques allowed one to absorb the Essence Blood of others to enhance one’s own power, these so-called Four Directions Wanderers truly could not be underestimated.

’Then again, I have the Small Three Talents Sword Formation now, and I’ve been looking for a target to test my blades on.’

’Even without my Flying Sword, just by relying on my other Top-Grade Magical Artifacts, I’m confident I’m not weaker than anyone else.’

’Besides, this isn’t even confirmed yet. It’s just Ye Fei’s speculation, after all.’

Mei Yong, however, took the threat very seriously and was already considering what preventative measures to take.

「Seven days later.」

When Xiao Chen went to the Demon Extermination Hall to sort through records, he was surprised to see Chen Zhixuan.

Chen Zhixuan greeted him enthusiastically. "Junior Brother Xiao, we meet again."

"Ah, Zhixuan!"

Xiao Chen asked curiously, "Weren’t you growing Spirit Medicine at Stone Rice Valley? What brings you back today?"

Chen Zhixuan just laughed. "Well, the Sect Leader was worried about you being all alone here. He was afraid you’d be overwhelmed if something happened."

"So, he had me transferred over. Starting today, I’ll be working in the Demon Extermination Hall."

In Mei Yong’s eyes, Xiao Chen was only at the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment.

If he were to go up against a late-stage Foundation Establishment Wanderer, he might very well meet a disastrous end.

So, for the past two days, he had been contacting many late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators, asking if any of them were willing to come help manage the Demon Extermination Hall.

But in the end, none of the others were willing to leave their personal holdings to return.

In the end, it was the Chen Family who, concerned for Xiao Chen’s safety, sent Chen Zhixuan over to provide support.

In truth, Mei Yong was worrying too much.

Xiao Chen, however, was quite happy about it. With an extra person to help, he wouldn’t have to be so busy handling the Demon Extermination Hall’s affairs himself.