Demon Slaying, Gaining 60 Years of Cultivation From the Start

Upon reaching the boundary between the inner and the outer city, the soldiers guarding the gate immediately stopped the carriage. After Gu Chen showed his waist badge, they let them pass.

Even so, the soldiers still instructed, "Please make sure to leave the city before curfew."

Gu Chen nodded, signaling his understanding. Because his aunt and sister wanted to go shopping, they got off the carriage after entering the inner city, and Gu Chen accompanied the two as they began their stroll.

Seeing the bustling traffic in the inner city, the streets laid with green bricks, and the intersections extending in all directions, Xu Qinge exclaimed, "I thought the outer city was already quite nice, but compared to the inner city, it's as simple as the countryside.

Gu Qingyan and Maid Xiao Yu, standing beside her, kept nodding their heads, obviously in full agreement with this statement.

Every building in the inner city was exquisite and extremely refined. On both sides of the streets, merchant calls were incessant, and pedestrians were all dressed in luxurious clothes, either rich or noble.

The eyes of Gu Qingyan sparkled with curiosity. Her lively big eyes roamed around, as she was extremely curious about everything in the inner city. The last time she came to the inner city, she had been very young, and her memories were already somewhat blurred, with only a vague impression remaining.

Seeing that they still had time, Gu Chen continued to accompany his aunt and cousin as they leisurely wandered.

It must be said, even in the vast inner city, Gu Chen's group attracted a lot of attention.

After all, Gu Chen had a handsome face and an extraordinary temperament. By his side, his aunt Xu Qinge and Gu Qingyan were like two gorgeous flowers; Xu Qinge was mature and seductive while Gu Qingyan was gentle and lovely. Moreover, the aunt had taken good care of herself, and standing together, they looked not like mother and daughter but more like sisters.

On the streets, countless men's gazes turned towards them periodically, and if Gu Chen weren't standing beside them, some might have even approached to inquire about Gu Qingyan's name.

Even Gu Chen, when he first saw the mother and daughter, had secretly marveled at his uncle Gu Chengfeng's luck in marrying Xu Qinge and having a daughter as beautiful as Gu Qingyan.

Aware of the many gazes, Gu Qingyan did not feel too uncomfortable, as she had gotten used to it since childhood. Continue your adventure with m|v-l'e m,p| y- r

After accompanying the three women for a while, Gu Chen looked at the sky and said to his aunt Xu Qinge, "Auntie, I have some matters to attend to and will leave for a while. You and Qinyan keep shopping and buy whatever you like, don't be polite."

Hearing this, Xu Qinge, knowing that Gu Chen was now busy with his promotion, nodded and said, "Alright, my boy, if you have matters to attend to, then go ahead."

Soon after, Gu Chen arranged a time and place to meet up with them later and then went his own way.

Prince Huai's Mansion lay deep in the inner city, not far from the imperial palace. Technically, given Prince Huai's status, he had a residence in the imperial city as well, but due to personal preference, he favored living in the inner city. Only when there were major matters requiring him to stay overnight in the palace did he choose to reside within the imperial city.

Prince Huai's mansion was situated on the most central street of the inner city, in an excellent location. The entire mansion was grand and imposing, the huge doors adorned with Vermilion Paint Gold Plated Bronze Nails, extremely luxurious and spectacular. With countless halls and courtyards, it covered an area of thousands of acres.

In front of the mansion's gate stood two solemn-faced warriors, their aura very focused, their vital energy exceedingly robust, even comparable to Gu Chen's, each like a small mountain guarding the entrance, giving an inscrutable impression.

A thought emerged in Gu Chen's mind—without a doubt, the warriors guarding this gate must possess the cultivation of the Vajra Stage.

Otherwise, they would certainly not have made him feel this way.

When he arrived at the main gate of the mansion, Gu Chen adopted a solemn expression, took out his waist badge, and said, "I am Gu Chen from the Jing Tian Department, second-grade Metropolitan Procurator, here by the order of Prince Huai. I would trouble you to pass on the message."

One of the Vajra Stage warriors nodded, took the waist badge, and went inside to make the announcement.

Inside the mansion, adorned with green glazed tiles and dotted with palaces, pavilions, and waterside gazebos, the towering pavilions and painted halls revealed a grand atmosphere, luxurious yet maintaining dignity.

Within one of the great halls of the mansion, Prince Huai, dressed in a simple cyan attire, was reviewing some documents.

This man, renowned throughout Da Xia and holding immense power, was not as willful and overbearing as one might imagine; rather, he was a handsome, scholarly, and gentle middle-aged man.

Standing behind Prince Huai was an elderly man with grizzled temples and a ruddy complexion, whose presence seemed to meld seamlessly with the surroundings, like a sculpture without the slightest breath of life.

He was Prince Huai's confidant and personal bodyguard, known with respect by the people of Prince Huai's Mansion as Mr. Gongsun.

At that moment, a servant arrived to report, "Prince, Gu Chen from Jing Tian Department is here."

Prince Huai, immersed in his documents, looked up with some surprise and said, "Someone from the Jing Tian Department?"

The old man standing behind Prince Huai said in a low voice, "Your Highness, previously you had ordered me to find someone from the Jing Tian Department; that person is this Gu Chen."

Upon hearing that, Prince Huai slapped his forehead and said, "Right, I recall now. There was such a matter. It seems that after a certain age, the mind indeed doesn't serve as well as it used to."

Mr. Gongsun heard this and a look of concern crossed his face, "Your Highness, you haven't rested for several days. Please pay attention to your health."

Prince Huai smiled slightly and said, "Don't worry, as the emperor is in seclusion now, the world shows signs of chaos. When he went into seclusion, I promised him that I would help him protect the lands of Da Xia."

As he spoke, Prince Huai suddenly coughed a few times, clearly indicating that his health really wasn't good.

Seeing this, Mr. Gongsun hurriedly transferred a few strands of internal energy into Prince Huai's body, making Prince Huai's complexion instantly ruddy.

"All these years, it has been hard on you, Mr. Gongsun," Prince Huai said with a faint smile, seemingly unconcerned about his chronic illness.

After all, he had been frail since childhood, it was innate, and over the years, he had gotten used to it.

Upon hearing this, Mr. Gongsun said gravely, "Your Highness, this matter is truly nothing for me, but it is you who should not let these trifles harm your body. There is no need to personally attend to everything. Some matters can be handled by your subordinates.

The Six Union God Sect has been gone for many years, even if they re-enter the jianghu, with the strength of Da Xia, they won't be able to stir up any trouble."

Prince Huai smiled without saying much and then ordered the servant, "Alright, don't keep the guest waiting. Go and summon Gu Chen."

"Yes," the servant replied and silently withdrew.

Shortly after, Gu Chen was brought in by the servant and met this renowned figure, who in all of Da Xia, was second only to one but above millions.

"Greetings to Your Highness," Gu Chen said with a bow, fists clasped. As the Metropolitan Procurator of the Jing Tian Department, unlike other officials of Da Xia, he could meet with the princes and nobility, or other dignitaries without having to kneel, a simple salute was sufficient.

This was a special privilege granted by the Emperor of Da Xia to the Jing Tian Department.

"Please, take a seat," Prince Huai nodded, indicating for Gu Chen to sit down.

Gu Chen, upon hearing this, didn't hesitate and obediently took the seat below the host, only then noticing Mr. Gongsun standing behind Prince Huai.

Gu Chen's heart grew cold; he hadn't realized someone was behind Prince Huai until he actually saw him with his own eyes. Unlike the two martial artists at the entrance, Gu Chen couldn't feel even a trace of internal energy from Mr. Gongsun, and if he were to close his eyes, it would be as if this person didn't exist at all.

No, or rather, this elderly man seemed to have blended in with the world around him, becoming a part of nature itself, which was why, in Gu Chen's perception, it was as if no such person existed.

Without a doubt, one who could reach such a state was definitely a great master of the Innate Realm!

Gu Chen hadn't expected that today, apart from meeting Prince Huai, he would also have the chance to see a martial arts grandmaster with his own eyes.

One should know, within the Jing Tian Department, those of such a level of cultivation, aside from the twelve Protectors stationed in various states, were only a few Commanders with considerable seniority.

Yet such a powerful figure was the personal protector of Prince Huai.

Moreover, Gu Chen knew that Prince Huai couldn't just have this one protector. While he couldn't sense them, Gu Chen speculated that within this room, there might be many hidden operatives, it was just that the opposition was too strong for Gu Chen to detect.

Upon seeing Gu Chen, Mr. Gongsun maintained his silence; after all, in the vast Prince Huai's Mansion, apart from Prince Huai himself, there were few who could prompt him to speak, let alone a junior like Gu Chen.

Prince Huai, with a gentle demeanor and deep, restrained eyes, seemed to perceive Gu Chen's thoughts and said with a smile, "Don't be tense, and don't pay too much attention to Mr. Gongsun; let's just have our chat."

At this, Mr. Gongsun also said, "Indeed, you may act as if I'm not here."

"Yes," Gu Chen responded respectfully.

At the same time, he took the opportunity to observe Prince Huai. The Prince appeared to have a ruddy complexion, but his body was thin, his internal energy weak, no different from an average person, and there were wrinkles by his eyes, making him look just like the rumors suggested, a man with mediocre natural talent in martial arts, truly devoid of any real cultivation.

"I summoned you because of your encounter with the demon sect members on Phoenix Crying Mountain a few days ago; you were the first to get a close look at demon sect martial artists merging with demonic spirits. Thus, there are some issues I would like to inquire about," Prince Huai said slowly.

"Your Highness, please proceed," Gu Chen replied with a fist salute.

Prince Huai nodded, "Please recount the events that took place in detail."

"Yes." Immediately, Gu Chen described everything that had transpired during the martial arts tournament in exhaustive detail.

After listening to Gu Chen's account, Prince Huai's brows slightly furrowed and said, "As I suspected, I knew the Six Union God Sect hadn't been completely eliminated; they've been lurking in the shadows. But now with the increasing number of demonic spirits over the years, we haven't had the resources to address it, and I never expected it to grow into such a menace."

"I've heard Chen Yu's speculations, and you've encountered quite a few demon sect martial artists recently. What do you think, how many martial artists within the demon sect have perfectly merged with demonic spirits?"

After pondering for a moment, Gu Chen replied, "The proportion is small; merging with demonic spirits is not easy. I've killed quite a few demon sect martial artists, but the instances of such perfect mergers are not many."

"But..." Gu Chen hesitated for a moment, then, after Prince Huai nodded to him, continued, "We don't know how many operatives the demon sect has been amassing in secret, and moreover, the martial artists who have merged with demonic spirits advance greatly in strength.

Demonic spirits are inherently mysterious and unpredictable; the Jing Tian Department has expended a great deal of energy just to suppress them and maintain balance. Now, however, the emergence of demon sect martial artists has broken this balance, and I fear many people in the jianghu will secretly pledge allegiance to the demon sect."

"Furthermore... demon sect martial artists are ruthless and after merging with demonic spirits, they may commit mass slaughter, mercilessly killing innocents to boost their own power. The Jing Tian Department confronting them will be countless times more difficult than dealing with mere demonic spirits," Gu Chen said gravely.

Prince Huai nodded slightly at this, it was indeed one of his concerns. While there were many demonic spirits, due to their low intelligence, they could be eliminated once found. But with demon sect martial artists merging with demonic spirits and becoming malevolent and otherworldly, hidden among the populace, the difficulty had greatly increased.

Consequently, the strength of the Six Union God Sect would multiply greatly, which was the very confidence behind declaring their return to the jianghu.

"Mr. Gongsun, if an Innate Realm great master were to merge with a hell-class demonic spirit, would you be confident in handling it?" Prince Huai asked Mr. Gongsun, still facing away from him.