’I never would’ve thought... Supervisor Du looks so old, yet he’s still so formidable in a fight,’ Han Yuan muttered while cracking open melon seeds.

RUMBLE~~~~~

The clash between the two grew more intense. Nearby houses were caught in the crossfire and began to collapse one after another.

Such was the destructive power of a True Qi Martial Artist.

Unleashing their True Qi at full power was more terrifying than a bulldozer.

A dozen or so breaths later.

Du Qiuxu gradually gained the upper hand.

His Staff Technique was too vicious and masterful; he smashed the green-faced ghost until its bones cracked and its flesh was pulverized.

"The Yellow Springs Saint Mother will descend!"

"I’ll be waiting for you on the other side of the Yellow Springs!"

The green-faced ghost roared frantically.

The next moment, its ghastly body swelled violently.

Seeing this, Du Qiuxu’s expression changed drastically. He tapped his foot and shot away.

A few breaths later.

BOOM!

The green-faced ghost’s body detonated, erupting into a violent, sky-filling shockwave.

For a moment, sand and stones were sent flying in a radius of dozens of meters.

When the dust settled, Han Yuan saw a large crater where the green-faced ghost had been.

’These guys... are a real pain to deal with.’

Han Yuan shook his head, speechless.

These Wangling Sect fanatics were all more fearless than the last, making it nearly impossible to take any of them alive.

After all, it was difficult to stop them if they were determined to self-destruct.

He vaulted through the air, landing beside Du Qiuxu.

Du Qiuxu was panting heavily; the recent battle had clearly taken a huge toll on his stamina.

"Still sharp as ever, Supervisor Du," Han Yuan said with a smile.

"You were just up there watching, you brat?" Du Qiuxu snorted.

"With my level of strength, I’d only be making a fool of myself."

"Right... wasn’t there someone else?"

Han Yuan glanced toward the ruins of the manor.

"Dead."

"The green-faced ghost killed him outright. Probably to keep him from leaking information," Du Qiuxu said, shaking his head in resignation.

’So ruthless...’

A glint appeared in Han Yuan’s eyes.

"In any case, destroying this Wangling Sect stronghold is a great achievement."

"The two thousand Contribution Points... they’re yours," Du Qiuxu said gravely.

"I knew you were generous, Supervisor Du," Han Yuan laughed.

"Let’s head back. We’ll let the Black Death Guard and the Flying Eagle Guard clean up this mess," Du Qiuxu said gravely.

......

Such a huge commotion was bound to attract attention.

The Five Great Noble Families soon learned that the Wangling Sect’s stronghold in Cangshui County Town had been destroyed.

The news then spread like wildfire.

However, the common folk weren’t particularly surprised.

After all, the Government Office had branded them an Evil Cult long ago and issued warrants for the Wangling Sect.

Even the Five Great Noble Families didn’t react much.

They considered it a perfectly normal event.

They had no ties to the Wangling Sect anyway, so who cared if they were wiped out?

Han Yuan, on the other hand, was riding high.

He had earned two thousand Contribution Points for reporting the Wangling Sect stronghold, and Tian Xiong’s head had been worth another eight hundred.

All told, he had earned another two thousand eight hundred Contribution Points from this venture.

Adding that to the three thousand five hundred he had previously earned, he now had a total of six thousand three hundred Contribution Points.

’With five thousand Contribution Points, I should be able to visit the third floor of the Martial Arts Pavilion.’

Han Yuan planned to go take a look and find a suitable True Qi Technique for himself.

That way, he would know how many more Contribution Points he needed and could set a clear goal.

He was a man of action.

Han Yuan never dawdled. He immediately set off for the Martial Arts Pavilion.

This time, after presenting his Demon Extermination Token, he entered the third floor without any issue.

Compared to the densely packed bookshelves on the first and second floors, the third floor was far more sparse. Most of the bookshelves were empty, holding only a few Secret Manuals and serving mostly as decoration.

Han Yuan walked over to the section for True Qi Heart Methods.

He discovered that he had underestimated just how expensive these Innate True Qi Skills were.

The cheapest started at seven thousand Contribution Points, with some costing as much as eight or nine thousand.

Han Yuan began to look through them one by one.

Naturally, the complete True Qi Heart Methods weren’t on display—only the first page or two, containing the general summary.

Still, after reading them, he could get a general idea of each Cultivation Technique’s characteristics.

The Purple Qi Heart Method, the Crimson Sun Divine Skill, the Great Demon Subduing Divine Skill, the Withered Wood Scripture...

Each True Qi Heart Method had its own unique characteristics, leaving Han Yuan dazzled by the variety.

However, he was still looking for a True Qi Technique in the style of Horizontal Hard Qi Training—one that could strengthen his Qi Power and physique.

Only then could he build upon the foundation he had laid with the Black Whale Sea Covering Technique.

But after a thorough search, he still hadn’t found the type of Cultivation Technique he had in mind.

The power of these Innate Techniques was certainly impressive, and some did enhance one’s physique and explosive strength.

But none of them were the kind of extreme Cultivation Technique Han Yuan was looking for.

That’s right.

He felt they just weren’t extreme enough.

He wanted a terrifying Cultivation Technique that was pushed to the absolute extreme.

He kept looking.

A dust-covered Secret Manual caught his eye.

Han Yuan picked it up and brushed the dust from its cover.

Innate Great Demon Scripture.

The name of the Cultivation Technique alone sounded extreme.

Han Yuan opened it.

"To become a demon, one must embrace madness."

Those were the opening words.

Han Yuan continued reading.

He realized this was the exact Cultivation Technique he had been looking for.

The Innate Great Demon Scripture had a total of twenty-one layers.

The first ten layers corresponded to the True Qi Realm.

The next ten layers were for the Gang Essence Realm.

As for the final layer, it allowed one to break through the limits of the human body and reach the Innate Realm!

Upon starting Cultivation, the Innate Great Demon Scripture would condense an incredibly tyrannical form of True Qi called Great Demon True Qi.

This Great Demon True Qi would continuously refine the practitioner’s physique, causing it to undergo constant transformation. Upon reaching the Realm of Perfection—the Twenty-First Layer—one’s body would evolve into a Demon Body.

According to the Secret Manual, once a mortal body transformed into a Demon Body, one would enter a stage of being ’Extraordinary to Saint.’ With physical strength alone, one could move mountains and part seas—it was terrifying beyond compare.

However, the Cultivation Technique also came with an extremely terrifying drawback.

During Cultivation, all sorts of strange thoughts would arise in one’s mind, unconsciously twisting one’s temperament into something manic, restless, tyrannical, and cruel.

If one’s mind succumbed, they would have Fallen into Demon.

After having Fallen into Demon, one would lose all reason and become a violent, beast-like demon.

That was why so few people dared to cultivate this technique.

After all, the price for having Fallen into Demon was a little steep.

But this was exactly the kind of Cultivation Technique Han Yuan liked.

When he saw the required Contribution Points for the Innate Great Demon Scripture, he frowned.

Nine thousand Contribution Points.

This was two thousand Contribution Points more than he had budgeted.

Based on his current total, he would need to earn another two thousand seven hundred Contribution Points.

’Sheesh...’

’Looks like I’ll have to earn some more.’

Seeing the number, however, Han Yuan had no intention of changing his mind.

Two thousand seven hundred Contribution Points... If he worked hard, he could earn that in a little over half a month.

If he got lucky, it might only take a few days.

Putting the Innate Great Demon Scripture back, Han Yuan left the Martial Arts Pavilion and returned to his room to rest.

「The next day.」

Just as Han Yuan was about to head to the Dust Hall to pick up a mission, an attendant found him. "Lord Han, Supervisor Du requests your presence."

Han Yuan was taken aback for a moment. But knowing the attendant wouldn’t have any more information, he simply waved him away and went to find Du Qiuxu.