Journey to the West: The Mountain Shaker

Any action taken by a demon hunter will inevitably bring disaster.

As message talismans flew up, news of the arrival of three exorcists quickly spread throughout the entire Sushan region.

In an instant, the troublemakers disappeared, and the young cultivator went into hiding.

Only the Chen family's dozens of cultivators mobilized, shooting straight towards the notice board in the center of the market.

The old chief of the Chen family village has passed away. The current chief is Chen Jinglong, who was in charge of general affairs eighteen years ago.

His Ironwood Eagle was twice as fast as the ordinary Bamboo Paper Hawk, but because he had come from the farthest Chenjia Village, dozens of people had already gathered below when he arrived at the notice board.

Before Chen Jinglong could land, the old man leaped onto the ironwood eagle and whispered the story to him.

Chen Jinglong frowned, but he had seen his share of storms and remained calm despite his initial panic.

"You stay here. Steward Zhang should be arriving soon. You can discuss this with him in detail later." Chen Jinglong instructed Lao Xiu to return to his position, then raised his voice: "Chen family disciples, listen to my command! Head west!"

"promise!"

Dozens of cultivators responded in unison and instantly took to the air. Spirit bamboo paper kites, crowned lotus swallows, ironwood eagles... all sorts of flying vehicles rose into the twilight, following Chen Jinglong straight west.

From afar, many cultivators followed to watch the spectacle, and Cai Fei mingled among them.

However, they had only flown a short distance from the market when they saw two flying swords hurtling towards them. Several small black dots were also scattered on the horizon, drifting closer.

—Have the exorcists returned home?

Chen Jinglong led his team forward and soon encountered the two flying swords.

The flying sword hovered thousands of meters above the ground. Chen Jinglong knelt on one knee, raised his hand to release a tiger-head signal talisman, and shouted with a voice spell: "Demon Slayer Above, the sinner Chen Jinglong comes to beg for forgiveness!"

The tiger-head talisman rose into the sky and shone brightly. Two sword lights quickly descended, one spiraling down while the other drew a graceful arc and rushed straight towards them.

The cultivator on the flying sword had a high forehead and a broad face, with long sleeves fluttering in the wind. He was elegant and powerful, and was none other than Kong Fande, the big boss of Sushan Workshop.

"Jinglong, this hurdle is probably going to be difficult to overcome." Kong Fande hovered in front of the Ironwood Eagle, his face showing concern.

"I am in great distress today and hope that you, sir, will help me. The Chen family will surely repay you in the future!" Chen Jinglong knelt down and bowed.

"Hehe, easy, easy. But this time, Huaguo Mountain is coming with great force. With my old face, I'm afraid I can't protect your Biao Hu."

Although Chen Jinglong had not yet reached the Foundation Establishment stage, as the head of the number one stronghold in Sushanfang, his kneeling carried considerable weight. Kong Fande was polite in words, but his flying sword shifted slightly to the left, avoiding a direct confrontation.

As they spoke, the thick flying sword above their heads descended.

Three demon hunters sat atop the platform, while another person and a beast lay on the ground bound by celestial silkworm threads, their fates unknown. The beast was undoubtedly the Fearless Beast, and the person, face down and large in stature, was likely Chen Xuanbiao.

"Your Excellency Exorcist, I, Chen Jinglong, a sinner, along with three elders of my clan, have come to plead guilty!" Chen Jinglong prostrated himself and performed a deep bow, while several elders behind him also knelt on one knee on the flying vehicle.

Most of the Chen family cultivators stood still, many of them drawing their swords and staring at the demon hunters with fierce expressions.

The cultivators of Aolai were known for their arrogance. The few demon hunters were used to it.

The scarred man at the head of the group, his face grim, glanced at the standing crowd and sneered, "You've come to plead guilty? That's strange. I never knew that the dignified head of the Chen family, a model cultivator of Sushanfang who has submitted petitions five times in the past ten years, could actually be guilty?"

Chen Jinglong bowed and said loudly, "Your Excellency the Exorcist, the matter of Chen Xuanbiao is entirely the fault of this sinner. He entered the Dao at the age of four and possessed extraordinary talent. Fearing that he would attract jealousy, this sinner arbitrarily altered his birth registration, changing his birth year to be ten years younger. The child was ignorant, and this matter is solely the sinner's responsibility. I am willing to accept any punishment without uttering a single complaint."

Having said that, he prostrated himself on the ground, his forehead striking the ironwood eagle deck, and remained there for a long time.

"Heh, exceptional talent?" The scarred male cultivator pointed at Chen Xuanbiao lying on the ground and sneered, "You may all step back. Someone reported that your Chen Xuanbiao has fallen into demonic possession. I'm taking him to the Soul-Capturing Mirror to have his image examined."

"Who reported this?!" An elder beside Chen Jinglong suddenly stood up, his beard and hair bristling, his eyes wide with rage. "I am willing to confront him! Even demonic possession requires evidence. Without proof, the Chen family will not be wronged!"

The elder was tall and imposing. He suddenly roared angrily, his imposing manner startling the scarred male cultivator.

The Chen family members behind him also drew their swords, and someone shouted, "Whoever dares to wrong Xuan Biao, the Chen family members will fight to the death!"

"Is this some kind of rebellion?" the scarred male cultivator shouted. The scar on his face, stretching from his eyebrow to the corner of his mouth, was as ugly as a centipede, and it looked even more ferocious and terrifying when he glared. "You conceal your age and your cultivation level; isn't it normal to suspect him of being possessed by a demon!"

"So what if we rebel! It's only when officials force people to rebel that they rebel!" Chen Jinghu spurred his ironwood eagle forward, pointing with one hand, his imposing aura overwhelming. "If you hadn't used the guise of exorcising demons to eliminate the talents of my Aolai clan, why would my Chen family have bothered to conceal our ages! I'm telling you this: if you dare let Xuan Biao pass through the Soul-Seizing Mirror, my Chen family will make Aolai a scene of bloodshed!"

"How dare you!"

As soon as Chen Jinghu uttered the words "blood rain and storm," all three demon hunters stood up.

The scarred male cultivator channeled his spiritual power and shouted, his voice booming like thunder, also containing a kind of intimidating spell. Dozens of Chen family aircraft immediately tilted to the side, and the vehicles of several elders in front of him suddenly sank.

However, five or six remained motionless. Under the intimidation spell, their spiritual energy fluctuations were obvious—they had actually activated the second-tier defensive array, which consumed a great deal of spirit stones, long ago.

The most striking thing is Chen Jinglong's ironwood eagle.

He was only two zhang away from the demon hunter's flying sword, and he hadn't activated the second-tier defensive array. Logically speaking, with his innate ninth-tier cultivation, he shouldn't have been able to withstand it at all, but the Ironwood Eagle remained completely still!

"Brother Kong, are you going to get involved too?" The scarred man turned to look at Kong Fande. Others might not have noticed, but he knew perfectly well—it was Kong Fande who had intervened just now, blocking the intimidation spell for Chen Jinglong.

"Hehe, Jinglong is my nephew. He's such a grown man, it wouldn't look good if he fell down like that." Kong Fande laughed from three zhang away, standing on his sword.

Chen Jinglong remained kneeling, only straightening up to bow to Kong Fande with his hands clasped in greeting.

In just a few words, the Chen family cultivators had all stabilized their aircraft. Waves of spiritual energy spread out, and all dozens of aircraft activated their second-tier protective arrays. At the same time, all the vehicles rose slightly, subtly assuming a battle formation behind Chen Jinglong.

Troublemakers come from impoverished and dangerous places; yet, here are demon-slaying warriors, and they dare to form ranks!

The scarred cultivator's pupils contracted, but he remained fearless. The flying sword beneath his feet did not retreat an inch, and even moved up a few feet, getting within ten feet of Chen Jinglong.

"My lord, it is not that we are stubborn and incorrigible, but that Xuan Biao has absolutely no connection to demons. Anyone who falls under the Soul-Seizing Mirror will either become an idiot or go mad. If you insist on taking him to the Soul-Seizing Mirror, we will have no choice but to shed our blood in Aolai—otherwise, how can we face our ancestors..."

Chen Jinglong knelt upright, cupped his hands, and spoke. Before he finished speaking, the scarred cultivator suddenly raised his hand and launched a powerful attack in mid-air.

"Snapped!"

Chen Jinglong was slapped so hard he tumbled over and fell off the Ironwood Eagle, plummeting downwards. Kong Fande intervened urgently and lifted the Ironwood Eagle back up.

"Holy shit!"

Amidst shouts and curses, the Chen family cultivators drew their swords.

"Come on then if you dare!" The scarred monk stood tall. "Do you even deserve to line up before me?"

"Put down all the swords!" Chen Jinglong's chin was bruised, but he remained calm.

The Chen family currently lacks Foundation Establishment, but those who cultivate Qi and fight Foundation Establishment are still capable of putting up a fight on flat ground. However, in the air, no matter how many people there are, they will simply be easy prey for the opposing side.

Moreover, the opponents are exorcists, genuine Heavenly Court-affiliated cultivators, and elites of the Enforcement Department. To oppose an exorcist in broad daylight is tantamount to open rebellion!

"Put down your swords!"

Chen Jinglong shouted repeatedly, and the Chen family cultivators finally sheathed their swords, but the formation remained, and their gazes burned like raging fire.

"I have failed in my duty to manage my subordinates; I have offended you." Chen Jinglong spurred his ironwood eagle closer to Kong Fande, handed him something, and then bowed to the demon hunters. "My lord, the Chen clan has always strictly adhered to the Heavenly Court's rules for centuries. Since I became the chieftain, I have always cooperated with the Heavenly Court in its affairs. Xuan Biao has truly failed my clan's high expectations; tens of thousands of people are eagerly awaiting his return. I beg you, my lord, to show leniency in consideration of the Chen clan's centuries of loyalty!"

After he finished speaking, the scarred monk's expression softened slightly.

Kong Fande leaned closer, shook his hand, and laughed, "Brother, if Chen Xuanbiao really goes mad or becomes stupid, the entire Chen clan village will go mad too. There might be bloodshed throughout Aolai, but Sushanfang will certainly be in turmoil. I still want to make a few more years of peaceful wealth, what do you think…?"

"For Brother Kong's sake, please."

The scarred cultivator extended his divine sense, briefly sensing the object Kong Fande had handed him, before slowly ascending into the air on his flying sword.

"Since there's been a report, we must thoroughly investigate the sea of ​​consciousness. However, a thorough investigation of the sea of ​​consciousness doesn't necessarily require the Soul-Capturing Mirror... If a Nascent Soul cultivator is willing to take action within seven days, everything will be fine. If we can't get one, don't blame us for being impolite."

After uttering these words, the scarred cultivator's flying sword suddenly accelerated, hurtling towards Flower Fruit Mountain.