At the start of the game, you have one equipment slot; the effects of unequipping the equipment rema

After testing the Seven Wounds Fist, Mu Yang put the corpse of the Green-Shelled Crab Demon into the last equipment slot.

The entry for "Strong Physique" adds 300,000 jin of strength.

The phrase "abundant Qi and Blood" brings forth a surge of Qi and Blood power, which, through the efforts of the Dantian, is entirely transformed into high-grade True Qi, beginning to connect the hidden meridians.

The first sixteen hidden meridians require the use of mid-grade true qi to open, so even though they are only half the size of the main meridians, the consumption is still considerable.

The amount of Qi and blood that could have opened up a major meridian was barely enough to complete the opening of a minor meridian.

It brought a power increase of 25,000 jin and an expansion of the dantian by 500 strands of true qi.

At this point, Mu Yang's single-arm strength reached 1,545,000 jin, and his true qi limit reached 17,500 strands.

With its full force unleashed, the yield exceeded eight million jin, nearly double that of before.

After sensing the changes in power and true energy, Mu Yang then tested the two blue attributes: the hard shell of the blue crab and the heavy claws of the blue crab.

The former, like the thick shell attribute provided by the turtle demon, both have the effect of attaching a protective shield to the surface.

Its defensive effect is only so-so; it can only withstand attacks from ordinary fifth-tier monsters. When it encounters his combined attack of Spider Spear and Sharp Gold Tiger Claw, it shatters instantly.

The entry for "blue crab with heavy claws" surprised him somewhat.

With just 50 strands of high-grade true qi, one can gain a strength increase of 10 jin; the highest strength increase of 100 million jin requires only 500 strands of high-grade true qi.

The mere five hundred strands of high-grade true qi would only increase one's strength by two hundred thousand jin, which is equivalent to gaining an additional fourfold increase.

Most importantly, the effects of the Blue Crab Claw, which belongs to the hand enhancement category, can also be stacked with those of the Spider Spear and the Sharp Gold Tiger Claw!

This is a powerful alliance!

"I wonder if the dragon that the crab demon spoke of is actually at the Three-Forked River..."

With the River God Festival approaching, the green-shelled female crab must be in the Sancha River basin. I just don't know if the dragon is still around after she became the dragon's wife.

That said, why did a female blue-shelled crab and a dragon give birth to a blue-shelled crab demon?

Or perhaps this dragon shares the same hobby as Cao Cao?

Mu Yang looked at the bright moon in the sky and silently complained.

Hopefully, the "River God Festival" in three days will not disappoint him.

............

Over the next two days, Mu Yang waited for the originally scheduled date of the River God Festival to arrive, while also waiting for the arrival of the people from Qinghe County and the Demon Slaying Division.

The Demon Slayer Division acted swiftly, with a small team arriving almost every day until the afternoon of the following day.

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It was someone familiar to Mu Yang—Huang Can's team, one of the teams that was responsible for wiping out the Canal Gang.

"Lieutenant Colonel!"

Huang Can and his men greeted them respectfully.

Mu Yang nodded, then told him about the situation in Sancha County, and incidentally handed over the few remaining officials in the county government to Huang Can's team.

Upon hearing that 90% of the officials in Sancha County had died, Huang Can and the others were completely dumbfounded.

Huang Can even wondered how powerful that monster must be to have slaughtered so many officials in the hands of this Lord Mu.

Fortunately, it was Lord Mu who came to Sancha County; if it had been them, they probably wouldn't have been left with even ashes.

The officials who died in Sancha County: ...

On the morning of the third day, officials sent by the prefectural government also arrived in Sancha County.

The leader was quite old, probably in his forties or fifties, while the others looked very young, the oldest being only in their early thirties.

Most of these people were mediocre in martial arts, and few of them had even reached the third-tier Blood Marrow Realm.

But whether it was Mu Yang's imagination or not, he felt that apart from the leading official who had a calm expression, most of the other officials seemed very excited.

Mu Yang asked Huang Can in private and realized that those officials who looked young would, without a doubt, become the new leadership team of Sancha County.

This means they were directly promoted to the top four positions in the county.

No wonder you're so excited.

That night, the leading official hosted a banquet.

After the meal, the leading official privately approached Mu Yang.

"Lord Mu, may I ask you a question?" said Fu Rui, the leading official.

"Did the officials in this county really die at the hands of a demon?"

Mu Yang toyed with a thin wind blade in his hand, his expression unchanged, and replied calmly, "So what if it is, and so what if it isn't?"

Seeing this, Fu Rui immediately bowed and softened his tone: "Lord Mu, please don't misunderstand. Before I came, Prefect Lu asked me to pass on a message to you. Magistrate Sun and the others did deserve to die, and it's just right that they died at the hands of the demons."

"But a country has its laws, and a family has its rules. You are a member of the Demon Slaying Bureau, so you are certainly skilled at killing demons. However, since this involves the life and death of officials, it would be best to avoid any suspicion."

"Times have changed. His Majesty now has grand ambitions, and his thoughts and actions are not bound by old rules. The Demon Slaying Division is likely in a precarious position. We hope that you, sir, will be more cautious in your words and deeds in the future!"

After saying this, Fu Rui bowed and took his leave.

"At the height of controversy, be cautious in your words and actions..."

Watching Fu Rui's departing figure, Mu Yang sheathed his wind blade, silently repeating those two words in his mind.

Mu Yang had inquired about Fu Rui with Huang Can.

This man is fifty-six years old this year and serves as the Literary Clerk of Qinghe County, an official position responsible for managing the county school, organizing ancient books, and presiding over sacrificial rites.

This is an official position that may seem to have little power, but is actually extremely important.

They are usually appointed by the most trusted confidants of the prefect.

Today, Prefect Lu sent word, presumably because Mu Yang massacred the county officials.

Although a county magistrate is only a minor official, he is still an official appointed by the imperial court.

If you don't take it too seriously, that's fine, but if you actually step on the scale, nobody can say for sure.

In the past, as a first-class demon-hunting captain, Mu Yang would have had no problem killing a county magistrate who colluded with demons.

But today, Prefect Lu sent Fu Rui to deliver a message, clearly emphasizing the seriousness of the matter.

So how did the Demon Slayer Division end up in the eye of the storm?

Wasn't the Demon Slaying Division always a privilege granted by the emperor, allowing for executions without prior approval, making it the emperor's sharpest weapon both inside and outside the court?

"Having grand ambitions, yet not bound by old rules..."

Could it be that this new emperor disapproves of the Demon Slayer Bureau and wants to start anew?

Mu Yang secretly guessed.

The Demon Slayer Bureau was established by the founding emperor of the Great Jing Dynasty and has a history of nearly a thousand years. Its influence extends to almost every corner of the Great Jing Dynasty.

Eliminating such a deeply entrenched and powerful force is not as simple as just talking.

"These are turbulent times..."

Mu Yang sighed inwardly, then clenched his fist and muttered to himself, "Still not strong enough!"

If he had the strength of Brother Pangu, he wouldn't need to think so much; he could just swing his axe at anyone he didn't like!

No, Pangu's strength was actually just average, otherwise he wouldn't have been drained of his marrow and blood by the rulers of the myriad worlds.

Mu Yang's thoughts were racing.

"Forget it, I don't want to think about it too much. Tomorrow is the 'River God Festival,' so I'll solidify the equipment first!"