Slaying demons and eliminating evil, a martial saint among mortals.

Qin Lie wasn't too surprised after hearing Gu Qianji's words.

If they want Zhenyao Pass to recognize Duanfeng Pass again, then he, as the owner of the Zhenguan Seal, must personally deliver the Zhenguan Seal.

Thinking of this, Qin Lie nodded directly.

"I have no problems on my end. I can leave anytime I need to."

Li Xuance stood aside and pondered for a while before making a decision.

"Then let's do it this way. Gu Qianji will take Qin Lie to Zhenyao Pass. The Duanfeng Formation has just been restored, and the road between the two passes cannot remain blocked indefinitely. This matter should be resolved as soon as possible."

Gu Qianji nodded immediately after hearing this.

"Sure, I also need to go to Zhenyao Pass to report the situation at Duanfeng Pass."

He clearly had no objection to this arrangement.

Li Xuance then turned his gaze to Xu Qinghe, and his tone became noticeably more serious when he spoke.

"We'll need you to come along on this trip as well."

Upon hearing this, Qin Lie couldn't help but glance at Xu Qinghe.

This is not the first time.

Li Xuance was the lord of Dongxuan City.

In the context of the entire Great Qian Dynasty, he could be considered a truly important figure.

But every time he faced Xu Qinghe, he was exceptionally polite, even showing a degree of respect.

This made Qin Lie increasingly curious about Xu Qinghe's true identity.

However, Xu Qinghe herself did not react much, only nodding slightly.

"Can."

He then fell silent.

Just then, Li Hu suddenly jumped out from the side.

"What about me and Boss Lu? Qin Lie and the other two are going to Zhenyao Pass, should we go with them?"

His face was full of anticipation, clearly showing great interest in the first formidable pass of the human race.

Unfortunately, Li Xuance simply shook his head.

"Neither of you need to go."

The smile on Li Hu's face froze instantly.

Why?

Li Xuance glanced at him.

"Although the Wind-Breaking Formation has been restored, the garrison inside the pass has not been fully replenished, and there are still many places on the city wall that are under repair."

"These past few days, traces of demon spies have been spotted outside the pass. Nobody knows if the demons will take this opportunity to attack."

At this point, Li Xuance looked at Lu Chen and Li Hu.

"You all stay here and continue doing what you're good at: patrol the city walls and, while you're at it, go out and gather some information."

Li Hu looked visibly disappointed after hearing this.

However, he knew that now was not the time to be impulsive, and finally nodded.

"Alright."

"Then I'll stay at Broken Wind Pass."

"I'll visit Zhenyao Pass again when I have the chance."

Lu Chen had no objections.

For him, defending the city was simply his duty.

After everything was arranged, Gu Qianji did not stay at the town gate.

He led several array masters and hurriedly returned to the underground stone chamber.

Qin Lie was somewhat puzzled.

"Where has Lord Gu been going?"

Li Xuance explained, "He needs to prepare the formation plate in advance."

Qin Lie was taken aback.

"A fixed formation?"

Li Xuance nodded.

"The Zhenguan Seal must accompany you to Zhenyao Pass."

"But the Wind-Breaking Formation has only just resumed operation."

"Once the Zhen Guan Seal leaves the core of the formation, the power of the formation will definitely be affected."

"Therefore, Gu Qianji wanted to place a formation plate in the center of the formation in advance to temporarily replace the Zhen Guan Seal."

Qin Lie then realized what was happening.

Li Xuance continued, "Although the Array-Stabilizing Plate is not as good as the true Gate-Suppressing Seal..."

"But there is no problem maintaining the basic operation of the Wind-Breaking Array."

"At most, it can only unleash about half the power of the great formation."

"However, it is enough for Duanfeng Pass now. At least the formation will not suddenly fail."

Qin Lie nodded.

In this way, leaving with the Zhenguan Seal will not affect the safety of Duanfeng Pass.

Li Xuance looked at the city wall in the distance.

"Unless the demon race launches a massive attack on Duanfeng Pass at once."

"Otherwise, with the current garrison and the established defenses, holding the pass should not be a problem."

"And if there really were such a big commotion, it's impossible for us to not receive any news at all."

"It's still not too late to send reinforcements in advance."

At this point, Li Xuance withdrew his gaze.

"So taking the Zhenguan Seal and leaving for a few days shouldn't be a big problem."

After hearing Li Xuance's explanation, Qin Lie was finally relieved.

Since the Wind-Severing Formation will not become ineffective simply because the Town-Suppressing Seal is gone, there is no need to worry about the outcome of this trip to the Demon-Suppressing Pass.

After the matter was settled, Li Xuance did not linger and quickly returned to the garrison commander's residence.

Heading to Zhenyao Pass is no small matter; relevant military orders and documents need to be prepared in advance.

In addition, the records of the formations and guards of Duanfeng Pass over the years should also be compiled and brought along.

After all, it takes more than a few words to get Zhenyao Pass to acknowledge Duanfeng Pass again.

Gu Qianji was equally busy.

The entire town quickly returned to its previous bustling state.

Qin Lie and Xu Qinghe also returned to their respective residences to pack the things they needed to take on the journey.

To be honest, Qin Lie didn't have much to pack.

Several sets of clothes to change into, some dry rations for the road, and a snow-crushing knife at his waist.

That should be enough.

After packing everything up, he put the clothes and dry food into the space of the Demon Suppression Token.

Just then, a line of familiar text suddenly appeared before my eyes.

Family members Liu Yunniang, Hu Zi, and Xiao He have arrived in Dongxuan City.

Qin Lie paused slightly, his gaze immediately falling on the system notification.

The next moment, new text continued to appear.

The family members have moved into their new home.

The living environment has improved.

The family business crisis has been resolved.

[Gained 20 points of family business value.]

Qin Lie breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the last line of text.

Liu Yunniang eventually brought her two children to Dongxuan City.

Now that the reward has arrived, it means that the three of them have safely moved into that courtyard.

After leaving Black Mountain Town, this matter had been weighing on Qin Lie's mind, but now it has finally come to a conclusion.

As for whether Liu Yunniang will tell the two children about Zhang Erniu in the future.

That was her own choice.

Qin Lie has already made everything clear, and he will not interfere in the rest.

Thinking of this, Qin Lie looked at the system panel again.

Twenty points of family business value have been credited to your account.

The most important thing now is naturally to improve our strength.

No one can predict what will happen on the way to Zhenyao Pass.

He has now reached the peak of the seventh rank, and is only one step away from the sixth rank.

If you can exchange for a suitable cultivation technique in advance, your strength might even increase further.

That way, you'll have more confidence when facing danger.

Qin Lie directly opened the Family Business Mall, and new exchange options quickly appeared before him.

At the very top, there was a new martial arts technique that I had never seen before.

【The Heavenly Skill of Suppressing Mountains (Volume 1)】

[Required for exchange: 15 points of family business value]

[Applicable Realm: Rank 7 to Rank 4]

Technique Introduction: This technique primarily cultivates Qi and blood, as well as the physical body. After cultivation, one's Qi and blood become abundant, and one's meridians become strong. It can be used in conjunction with most sword techniques, palm techniques, and fist techniques.

Upon seeing this, Qin Lie's eyes immediately lit up.

"The Heavenly Skill of Suppressing Mountains?"

He read the introduction carefully and became more and more satisfied.

Specializing in Qi and Blood.

Strengthen the physical body.

Moreover, its application scope covers from the seventh rank all the way down to the fourth rank.

This is practically tailor-made for me right now.

His biggest weakness right now is that he lacks a true primary cultivation technique.

Although his strength increased rapidly thanks to the Demon Suppression Token, he kept adding points to his character.

However, without the support of corresponding techniques, much of the power cannot be fully utilized.

Now that we have the Zhenyue Heavenly Skill, we won't have to worry about our main cultivation method for a long time to come.

"Volume 1?"

Qin Lie suddenly noticed this name.

Since there is a first volume, there must also be a second volume.

Thinking of this, he immediately continued reading.

Sure enough, a new redemption message appeared in the store shortly afterward.

【The Heavenly Skill of Suppressing Mountains (Volume 2)】

[Exchange Required: 50 points of Family Business Value]

Qin Lie fell silent upon seeing the number.

Fifty points.

His entire fortune is only worth twenty points.

Even if you empty all your family fortune points, you can only exchange them for the first volume.

However, the first volume should last him a long time.

However, compared to the Zhenyue Heavenly Skill, Qin Lie's gaze quickly fell on the next secret technique.

[Burning Body to Suppress Demons Seal]

[Required for exchange: 5 points of family business value]

Secret Technique Effect: By burning one's own blood, essence, and part of one's soul, one can gain power far exceeding one's current level for a short period of time, and can concentrate the power gained from burning into a single attack.

[Usage Costs: Depletion of Qi and Blood, Severe Physical Injury, Risk of Regression in Cultivation Level, and Loss of Lifespan.]

[Warning: Once the secret technique begins, it cannot be stopped manually.]

Upon seeing the last sentence, Qin Lie couldn't help but frown. The side effects of this secret technique were truly significant.

Any one of these points alone would be enough to deter most martial artists.

However, this secret technique is also incredibly powerful.

Burn everything within yourself, concentrating all your power into a single attack.

When it comes to a life-or-death situation, this is a trump card that can turn the tide, and may even provide an opportunity to defeat a powerful enemy of a higher level.

Qin Lie stared at the system introduction for a long time.

to be frank.

He was somewhat tempted.

Because that's exactly what he lacks right now.

The free attribute points given by killing demons can increase one's physical attributes and improve one's cultivation level, but these are all normal means of improvement.

When you really encounter a desperate situation, you still need to have a trump card to fight back.

The Demon Suppression Pass is not close to the Broken Wind Pass, and no one knows what they will encounter along the way.

Gu Qianji's mastery of formations was very high, but Qin Lie was unsure of his actual strength.

Xu Qinghe is indeed very strong, but her condition is also not very stable.

If we really encounter any danger, we can't put all our hopes on others.

Qin Lie took another look at his family fortune value.

Twenty o'clock.

The first volume of the Zhenyue Tiangong requires 15 points, and the Fen Shen Zhen Mo Yin requires 5 points.

If I exchange for these two items, I'll have spent all my family fortune points.

Qin Lie remained silent for a moment before finally making his decision.

"exchange."

As the thought crossed my mind, the system panel flickered slightly.

[The first volume of the Zhenyue Heavenly Skill has been successfully redeemed.]

[The Burning Body Demon Suppression Seal has been successfully redeemed.]

[Remaining family fortune value: zero.]

The next moment, a large amount of cultivation techniques flooded into his mind.

The operating route of Zhenyue Tiangong, the method of transporting qi and blood, and the way to cast the Burning Body Demon Suppression Seal.

After a long while, Qin Lie slowly opened his eyes.

Although he had spent all his family's wealth, he did not regret it.

These two items solved my future cultivation problems and my life-saving problems.

This deal is a great deal.

However, now is clearly not the time for cultivation.

We're about to set off for Zhenyao Pass, and there's simply not enough time. We can only study it slowly when we have some free time on the way.

With that thought in mind, Qin Lie closed the system panel.

Just as I was about to get up, Li Hu's loud voice suddenly came from outside the courtyard.

"Qin Lie, Master Gu is all ready and we're about to leave. What are you still dawdling about in the room for? You're not a young bride, do you need to get dressed up?"

Qin Lie's lips twitched, then he pushed open the door and walked out.

"You're the one who's the submissive wife! Can't I even tidy up my things?"

Outside the courtyard, Li Hu was standing next to three fast horses.

Upon seeing Qin Lie emerge, he immediately chuckled.

"What's there to pack up for grown men? One man and one horse are enough to roam the world freely."

Qin Lie was too lazy to argue with him, so he walked directly to the horse, mounted it, and did so in one smooth motion.

He then glanced down at Li Hu.

"You'd better take care of yourself first. Don't slack off when you're patrolling the city walls, or you'll let the demons in."

Upon hearing this, Li Hu's eyes widened immediately.

"When have I ever slacked off? Explain yourself clearly. How can you slander someone's innocence out of thin air?"

Qin Lie pulled on the reins, a smile spreading across his face.

"You're the one who slandered my innocence first."

"Alright, I'm done arguing with you, I should get going."

"You'll have to buy me drinks when I get back."

"Don't forget that I treated you to chicken soup dumplings back in Black Mountain Town."

Li Hu immediately patted his chest.

"Don't worry, I'm not like you. You're still holding a grudge about me even for asking you to buy me a steamed bun. When I treat you to drinks, I'll make sure you drink your fill."

Qin Lie felt somewhat helpless after hearing Li Hu's words.

"You have the nerve to call me stingy? Aren't you petty too? You've been holding a grudge about a few steamed buns until now."

Just as Li Hu was about to retort, Gu Qianji walked over from the direction of Zhenguantai.

"Is everything ready?"

Qin Lie nodded.

"Ready."

Xu Qinghe stood to the side, her face still expressionless. When she heard Gu Qianji's words, she simply nodded slightly.

Seeing this, Gu Qianji did not delay any longer.

"In that case, let's set off."

The three of them mounted their horses.

With the sound of hooves, three warhorses slowly rode out of Duanfeng Pass.

Li Hu stood at the gate and waved vigorously.

"Come back soon, and I'll treat you to all the drinks you want when you get back."

Qin Lie turned around and waved to him.

"Then remember to defend Duanfeng Pass well, and take care of yourself."

What Qin Lie originally wanted to say was to ask Li Hu to save his own life.

But when he got to the point of saying it, he changed his words.

When faced with an attack from the demon race, no one could guarantee that they would survive.

The three of them walked further and further away.

The towering city walls of Duanfeng Pass gradually disappeared into the distance.