The divine manifestations began at the Gongwei Division.

The group of bodyguards from Zhenyuan Escort Agency stood at the temple gate, looking ahead with tense expressions.

Upon hearing footsteps, they involuntarily turned around to look.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief after discovering it was their own head镖师 (bodyguard/escort).

Zhou Heng ignored the bodyguards and instead turned his gaze forward.

In the darkness, pairs of green eyes stared at them.

A deep roar came on the wind, and it was clearly a group of monsters.

A quick glance revealed at least a dozen monsters in the opposite forest.

Lin Qingshan's face turned pale, and his heart sank to the bottom.

If it were just one or two monsters, they could still put up a fight.

With so many monsters, even the expert beside me would probably have a hard time dealing with them.

Just as Lin Qingshan was thinking this, he saw Zhou Heng calmly take half a step forward.

He pressed his palm against the hilt of the knife and pushed it away an inch.

The deep clang of the blade slowly spread through the air.

An indescribable chill permeated the air.

Lin Qingshan and the others all instinctively shuddered, a strong sense of fear welling up inside them.

The monster on the other side seemed to shrink back, but with a low roar, a strong demonic aura emanated from the forest on the other side.

Immediately afterwards, several monsters pounced on Zhou Heng from mid-air.

The faces of all the bodyguards from Zhenyuan Escort Agency changed drastically. Their hands, which were gripping their knives, trembled. Several of the younger bodyguards couldn't even hold their knives, and the knives clattered to the ground.

Just then.

A clear, resonant sound of a sword rang out.

The bodyguards stared wide-eyed.

Zhou Heng's long sword had already severed the claws of the monsters, and the blade then slicing into their necks.

Amidst the sound of tearing cloth, the blade severed the necks of the monsters, and several monster heads flew into the sky.

Zhou Heng strode forward.

The Dragon Sparrow Blade swept across, simultaneously blocking the two monsters' claws, which resembled swords.

With a flick of his wrist, Zhou Heng had already guided the two monsters to collide.

Then he slashed horizontally with his sword, and a blinding crimson light appeared on the blade.

Swish!

Two more enormous heads flew up.

In a single step, he killed several monsters.

This bloody scene only fueled the monster's ferocity.

More than a dozen demons rushed out of the forest and pounced on Zhou Heng.

Some lunged at his legs, others at his face, and still others wielded wooden sticks as weapons.

Lin Qingshan unconsciously tightened his grip on the knife in his hand.

He wanted to help Zhou Heng, but as soon as he took a step, he felt a strong sense of weakness.

At the same time, he felt a sharp pain in his lower back, and a knife tip emerged from his stomach.

"you--"

Lin Qingshan turned around abruptly and saw a face that both shocked and angered him.

"It really was you!"

Lin Qingshan struck out with his palm, knocking the attacker off balance.

When he tried to give chase, he uncontrollably knelt on the ground and spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Why!"

Lin Qingshan said, his face filled with sorrow.

……

Zhou Heng's face remained unchanged as he walked slowly forward, his footsteps deep and resonant.

With each step he took, he swung his Dragon Sparrow Blade.

Visible to the naked eye, the surge of qi and blood spread out in the air like ripples.

With the sound of flesh being pierced, one monster after another fell to the ground and died.

The heads of the monsters were lifted up by the blade and landed behind Zhou Heng, forming a mound of skulls.

Zhou Heng swept his Dragon Sparrow Blade horizontally.

The qi and blood exploded, and the monster was blown to pieces, turning into a pile of mangled flesh scattered on the ground.

Even though the monsters are tough and thick-skinned, how could they withstand the sharpness of the Dragon Sparrow Blade?

The Imperial Guard Commander is a powerful figure capable of suppressing demons and monsters throughout a province.

Such a person should be someone that demons and monsters should flee from.

The Dragon Sparrow Blade cleaved Mount Hua in one strike, unleashing a fierce wind.

A large, muscular monster was split in two.

Just then.

The remaining demons began to retreat.

Within the forest, a powerful demonic aura rose up.

Zhou Heng stood expressionless, his sword held horizontally.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

Amidst the heavy footsteps, a figure over two zhang tall emerged from the woods, its pair of gleaming green eyes fixed on Zhou Heng.

Zhou Heng looked up and examined the monster that had appeared.

It's a bear-man.

The other person's body had transformed into human form, with bulging muscles from top to bottom, dark and shiny skin, and an animal skin wrapped around their lower body.

The bear's head still retained the characteristics of a wild beast, its face ferocious.

Zhou Heng frowned slightly.

He had assumed that the leader of this group of monsters would be the fifth-rank demon who had escaped from his clutches before.

I didn't expect it to be.

The monster that attacked him earlier was small and swift, and it was definitely not the same one as this bear demon.

Unexpectedly, a piece of demon king bone attracted two fifth-rank demons.

Fifth-rank demons are extremely rare, and are difficult to encounter even in ordinary times.

Many of the demon-slaying captains of the Imperial Guard have spent their entire lives slaying demons without ever encountering a fifth-rank demon.

I'm so lucky, I've encountered two fifth-rank demons all at once.

Zhou Heng flicked his wrist, shaking off the blood from the blade.

The next moment, he stepped forward and, without hesitation, swung his sword at the bear demon.

The bear demon roared and swung its fist, as big as a casserole dish, forward.

A dense black aura emanated from the fist, enveloping the entire fist.

clang!

The clash of swords and fists produced a crisp, metallic clang.

The bear demon's burly body involuntarily leaned backward.

Zhou Heng raised his Dragon Sparrow Blade high, while clenching his other fist.

boom!

He punched the bear demon in the stomach.

With the burst of surging power, the bear demon was directly knocked off the ground and flew into the air.

Amidst the horrified gazes of the镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) and the demons, Zhou Heng appeared above the bear demon like a shadow, gripped the hilt of his sword with both hands, and thrust it downwards with a fierce motion.

boom!

Zhou Heng stepped on the bear demon, stomping it back to the ground, while the Dragon Sparrow Blade pierced its heart.

"you--"

The bear demon's face was full of resentment.

With a flick of his wrist, Zhou Heng sent the Dragon Sparrow Blade swirling inside the bear demon's body, completely extinguishing its life force.

At the entrance of the dilapidated temple, a knife that was about to fall on Lin Qingshan suddenly stopped in mid-air, and the person holding the knife stared ahead in horror.

No one expected that the powerful bear demon with the strength of a fifth-rank cultivator would die so quickly.

Who exactly is this young man?

How could he be so powerful?

call!

The sound of wind breaking rang out.

Zhou Heng instantly drew his long sword and slashed out without turning his head.

A crisp, ringing sound.

A dark shadow somersaulted several times in mid-air before finally landing on the trunk of a large tree not far away.

It was a monster that resembled a cat but was not quite a cat.

"I've been on guard against you for a while now."

Zhou Heng turned around, flicked his long sword, and said calmly.

The raccoon-like monster stared intently at Zhou Heng, its green eyes filled with apprehension.

"Who are you?"

The monster spoke in a human voice, shrieking, "Why are you meddling in other people's business?"

"have a finger in the pie?"

Zhou Heng smiled faintly and said loudly, "Zhou Heng, the Garrison Commander of the Imperial Guard, is here. You may all face your deaths."

The mountain wind howled, blowing Zhou Heng's clothes and hair. His back, holding a knife, stood tall and straight like a mountain.