The divine manifestations began at the Gongwei Division.

"Who told you that the Lin family is refining the Heaven-Reaching Pill?"

Xue Zhiwei looked at Zhang Jinying and the others, and slowly spoke.

She knew where these people came from.

Alchemy was flourishing in Shu Prefecture. Although her maternal grandfather, Lin Hanyuan, was the most famous, there were still some top alchemists in Shu Prefecture.

There are a few other alchemy families whose strength is comparable to that of the Lin family.

The group of people in front of us, including Jin Ying, are from these families of alchemists.

The Tongtian Pill is of great importance, and these people have seen the benefits involved, so they have come to try and get a share of it.

If one could participate in refining the Heavenly Pill, it would be an achievement that an alchemist could boast about for a lifetime.

Once the Heavenly Pill is refined, those who obtain it will have to feel indebted to them.

You must know that those who can obtain the Heavenly Pill are absolutely the strongest in the world, and even if they are not, they will become so after obtaining the Heavenly Pill.

For these powerful figures to remember their kindness is an extremely rare and precious thing.

Those who can establish a relationship with such powerful individuals will surely have their families prosper for hundreds of years to come!

Moreover, once the Heavenly Pills are refined, the people who refined them are the most likely to obtain them!

Driven by such great benefits, Zhang Jinying and the others no longer cared about being afraid of the Imperial Guard.

"Look closely, it is Lord Zhou who is going to personally refine the Heaven-Reaching Pill. The Lin family is just here to assist Lord Zhou."

Xue Zhiwei continued, "Does Lord Zhou need to explain to you who he wants to use?"

"Considering this is your first offense, you can leave now and I can pretend nothing happened. But if you remain obstinate, don't blame the Guard for their strict enforcement of the law!"

"You, a mere demon-slaying captain, dare to represent the Imperial Guard?"

Zhang Jinying sneered, "Lord Zhou personally refined the Heaven-Reaching Pill? Do you want to hear what you're saying?"

Do you really think that just because Lord Zhou dotes on you, you can distort the truth and confuse right and wrong?

We want to hear what Lord Zhou says himself, so please step aside!

"presumptuous!"

Xue Zhiwei was so angry that her face turned red. She shouted loudly, and a hurricane suddenly rose from the sky around her.

call!

Whirlwinds appeared around her body, poised to strike.

Upon hearing the commotion, the soldiers and demon-slaying officers guarding outside rushed over and lined up around Xue Zhiwei.

However, their numbers are not large.

With Zhou Heng stationed in Longcheng, there aren't many people left to guard the area.

Most of the troops were sent to Feilai Peak outside Dragon City to guard against a sneak attack by the Demon Court.

Although few in number, these people were full of imposing presence.

"Anyone who dares to take a step forward will be killed without mercy!"

Xue Zhiwei shouted.

Zhang Jinying and the others' faces darkened, and they exchanged glances.

The Gongwei Division still wields considerable power.

However, since it was a demon-slaying captain who said this, they were not afraid.

They come from a family of alchemists; who wouldn't know a few important figures in the imperial court?

The Imperial Guard can frighten ordinary people, but it can't frighten them.

"Does Commander Xue really think he can control everything?"

Zhang Jinying sneered, "It's a pity that this Shu Prefecture doesn't belong to the Xue family, nor the Lin family!"

He took a step forward, and flames suddenly erupted from his body, making him look like a torch.

A fifth-rank celestial official!

Zhang Jinying was not only an alchemist, but also a fifth-rank celestial official.

Xue Zhiwei frowned slightly.

With a wave of her hand, a gust of wind blew towards Zhang Jinying and the others.

She didn't attack to kill anyone, but rather to blow everyone away so as not to disturb Zhou Heng.

Seeing her make a move, Zhang Jinying sneered and also waved her hand forward.

call!

Two fire dragons roared out.

The fire dragons collided with the gale, and the wind fueled the fire, causing both fire dragons to instantly swell to a size larger.

As the fire dragon, aided by the wind, surged in power and pounced towards Xue Zhiwei and the others.

Just as Xue Zhiwei and the others were about to make their move to defend themselves.

suddenly.

It started to rain.

L.

Raindrops the size of soybeans fell from the sky and landed on the fire dragon, instantly creating countless holes in its body.

Before they could even reach Xue Zhiwei, they were completely extinguished by the rain.

Zhang Jinying's expression changed drastically.

Swish!

The raindrops spun rapidly, instantly coalescing into a three-foot-long sword.

With a soft sound, the longsword pierced Zhang Jinying's heart.

Zhang Jinying stared wide-eyed at Zhou Heng, who was walking out of the alchemy room, his eyes filled with disbelief.

He couldn't believe that Zhou Heng would actually try to kill him.

And they killed him without saying a word beforehand!

How dare Zhou Heng? How could Zhou Heng possibly do that?

Filled with doubt, Zhang Jinying's strength drained away from his wound like a tidal wave, and he slowly collapsed to the ground, dying with his eyes wide open.

"Pass on the order."

Zhou Heng remained expressionless and said calmly, "The Zhang family led their men to attack the Imperial Guard, a crime equivalent to treason, and deserves to be exterminated."

"Yes, sir!"

Xue Zhiwei and the others all spoke in deep voices.

Those who came with Zhang Jinying were dumbfounded.

They came here to negotiate, why are they trying to exterminate the entire clan right away?

This isn't right.

In the past, they were the commanders of the Imperial Guard, and those who wanted to gain a foothold in Shu Prefecture had to rely on them.

It was wrong of them to barge in, but they weren't plotting a rebellion; they came to help.

They can all help with refining the Heavenly Pill.

They simply wanted to talk to Zhou Heng about getting a share of the profits from refining the Heavenly Pill.

They really didn't intend to rebel.

"Lord Zhou, I—"

One of them said weakly.

Think it through before you speak.

Zhou Heng said calmly, "You are accomplices. You may be spared the death penalty, but you will not escape punishment."

The person: "..."

Not long after Zhou Heng took office as the garrison commander of Shu Prefecture, the Demon Court established its own kingdom, and then the world fell into chaos.

Immediately following this, Zhou Heng wreaked havoc in Chengdu.

At that time, these aristocratic families actually wanted to befriend Zhou Heng.

Unfortunately, Zhou Heng didn't give them a chance and directly attacked Longcheng.

By the time the alchemy families of Shu Prefecture reacted, Zhou Heng had already fought his way in and out of the Ten Thousand Mountains.

Moreover, Zhou Heng has already been promoted to a third-rank Grandmaster.

The changes are happening so fast.

These families hadn't even gotten to know Zhou Heng's style of doing things yet.

That's why they misjudged the situation and followed Zhang Jinying to negotiate with Zhou Heng.

Based on their past experience, even if someone is the Commander of the Imperial Guard, they can't have all the benefits in Shu Prefecture; they should at least share some of the spoils with them.

Otherwise, even if they can't accomplish anything, they can still cause trouble if they want to.

They never expected that Zhou Heng would disregard the rules.

He killed Zhang Jinying in one fell swoop and wiped out the Zhang family.

Is this still the commander of the Imperial Guard?

This style of doing things is more demonic than any demon.

"Lord Zhou, we heard that you are going to refine the Heaven-Reaching Pill, so we came here specifically to ask if there is anything we can do to help you."

The man's expression changed, and he finally cupped his hands in greeting and said in a deep voice.

"Our alchemy skills may not be as good as Master Lin's, but each of our families has been studying alchemy for many years. Moreover, we are all in the business of medicinal herbs. If you are lacking any of the spiritual herbs needed for alchemy, we can provide them."

As for how much the lord may ask the court for, we will not take a single penny.

This person's name is Du Shiqi.

The Du family's strength is second only to the Lin and Zhang families, and they are also a well-known alchemy family in Shuzhou.

With Zhang Jinying dead, everyone took him as their leader, and he could only muster up his courage to speak.

These words were completely different from their initial plan.

He was practically begging Zhou Heng.

We've come to deliver a miraculous medicine to you. If you take the medicine, then please spare us.

"Captain Xue, you investigate."

Zhou Heng said noncommittally, "Investigate thoroughly whether they have committed any crimes or colluded with demons."

If any are found, kill them without mercy.

"it is good."

Xue Zhiwei nodded in agreement.

Zhou Heng then turned to look at Lin Hanyuan.

"Mr. Lin, this batch of Five Spirit Pills will take a few more days to complete. Please wait patiently."

Zhou Heng spoke up.

Lin Hanyuan was startled and quickly said, "No need to wait, I'm not senile yet."

Judging from your technique just now, Lord Zhou, your alchemy skills are at least at the third rank.

Du Shiqi and the others were initially uneasy, but upon hearing Lin Hanyuan's words, they all couldn't help but look up at Zhou Heng, their faces full of surprise.

Is Zhou Heng a third-grade alchemist?

How is that possible?

I'd never heard of Zhou Heng knowing anything about alchemy before.

When Xue Zhiwei said that Zhou Heng would personally refine the Heaven-Reaching Pill, they thought Xue Zhiwei was just fooling them.

So it turns out that Zhou Heng, the Commander-in-Chief, is actually an alchemist.

Moreover, his alchemy skills were quite advanced?

This is too incredible.

They were all alchemists, and they knew very well how difficult it was to cultivate alchemy to the third rank.

How old is Zhou Heng?

How could someone have mastered alchemy to such a high level?

Even after Xue Zhiwei led them away from the mansion, they were still in shock.

"Captain Xue, is Lord Zhou really a third-grade alchemist?"

Du Shiqi couldn't help but ask.

Xue Zhiwei glanced at him and said, "Who told you that Lord Zhou is a third-grade alchemist?"

He is not.

Du Shiqi and the others breathed a sigh of relief.

So it was that old bastard Lin Hanyuan who was flattering me.

They said, "How could there be such a young Rank 3 alchemist?"

Moreover, Lord Zhou is a martial artist of the upper third rank.

If someone spends so much time on martial arts training, where would they find the time and energy to practice alchemy?

If Lord Zhou were truly a third-grade alchemist, then all of them might as well find a block of tofu and smash their heads against it.

They've already reached the third rank by only doing minor cultivation, while these people who are solely focused on alchemy still haven't reached the third-rank alchemist level.

"Lord Zhou is a second-grade alchemist."

Before everyone could even catch their breath, Xue Zhiwei continued speaking.

Cough!

Du Shiqi and the others choked and coughed repeatedly.

Dare you say that again?

Is Zhou Zhenfu Shi not a third-rank alchemist, but a second-rank one?

"Brother Zhang died a just death."

After a long while, Du Shiqi finally spoke slowly, his back hunched over.

They underestimated the strength of Commander Zhou.

If they had known earlier that Commander Zhou was not only a third-rank martial arts master but also a second-rank alchemist, they wouldn't have dared to barge in like this even if they had a lot of guts.

The reason they approached him with such confidence was because they assumed Zhou Heng was ignorant of alchemy.

If Zhou Heng doesn't understand alchemy, he will inevitably have to rely on alchemy families like theirs in the future.

After all, a large portion of the taxes in the entire Shu Province came from elixirs, and Zhou Heng had to rely on them if he wanted to gain a foothold in Shu Province.

But if Zhou Heng himself is a second-grade alchemist, then they will no longer have the chance to fool him.

What they know, Zhou Heng also knows; what Zhou Heng knows, they may not.

They want to threaten Zhou Heng? Isn't that like an old man hanging himself, courting death?

"Captain Xue, you may speak. Since we have done something wrong, we will obey your orders whether you want to punish us or not."

But we absolutely did not collude with demons!

Du Shiqi cupped his hands in greeting to Xue Zhiwei and said in a deep voice.

"The Demon Court is eyeing us covetously. Dragon City is currently short of soldiers and generals. Each of you should send one hundred cultivators to Dragon City to garrison it."

Xue Zhiwei didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point, "Whether they are your own disciples or hired by you, these one hundred cultivators must be delivered to Dragon City within fifteen days."

If I can do it, today's matter will be wiped clean.

"If you can't do that, then I will follow Lord Zhou's instructions and investigate your home to find out what you've been doing."

A chill ran down Du Shiqi's spine.

Their family is so wealthy and powerful, how could they withstand an investigation?

Every family has its share of shady dealings and unsavory stories.

But sending out a hundred cultivators is really difficult.

Even if they did have that many cultivators, they couldn't possibly send them all to Dragon City to die.

Although Zhou Heng, a third-grade Grandmaster, is now in charge here, everyone knows that the Demon Court is not to be trifled with.

Even though the Demon King Pingtian is dead, the main force of the Demon Court is still there, especially the generals under the Demon King Pingtian.

They command millions of monsters and are plotting revenge against the Heavenly Demon King.

To be honest, these powerful and influential families had already been preparing for their future.

No one believed that Zhou Heng could really protect the entire Shu Province.

"Half a month is too short, Captain Xue. Could you please grant us a few more days?"

Even if we were to hire a cultivator, that would take time.

Du Shiqi said.

"It's okay, if we can't gather enough people, I'll go to your homes to find them."

Xue Zhiwei said calmly, "You have fifteen days. You either find someone or clean up your own mess."

If you're confident I won't find any fault with you by then, you're welcome to persist.

Du Shiqi cursed inwardly.

It's one thing for Zhou Heng to be so arrogant because he's so strong, but what's with all the arrogance from a mere demon-slaying captain like you?

If it were before, would I be afraid of a mere demon-slaying captain like you?

Du Shiqi thought of Zhang Jinying, who had just died tragically, and felt somewhat helpless.

This Zhou Zhenfu Envoy is absolutely the most powerful and unyielding Zhenfu Envoy in the history of Shu Prefecture.

He has no choice at all now.

If he refused, Du Shiqi believed that Xue Zhiwei would report something to Zhou Heng in the morning, and the Du family would not report it in the afternoon.

"Understood, we'll do our best."

Du Shiqi's smile was more unsightly than his crying.

Hiring a hundred cultivators to guard the city would cost each of them a fortune.

Not only will there be significant bleeding, but the procedure also needs to be swift.

There are only so many cultivators in Shu Prefecture. If they don't act quickly, what will happen to them if someone is hired by another family?

"Captain Xue, you may go ahead. I will personally escort the person to Longcheng later!"

Having figured all this out, Du Shiqi finished speaking and hurriedly left.

Du Shiqi wasn't the only clever one; the others also bid farewell to Xue Zhiwei and rushed away, each one faster than the last.

Xue Zhiwei's little scheme directly caused the alliance of these people to collapse.