Tang Dynasty Demon Suppression Division

"Chase!"

A look of resentment flashed in Chen Shuo's eyes. He let out a sharp shout and soared into the sky.

But the demon king who made the move was extremely fast, seemingly intending to silence them from the very beginning, and had already vanished without a trace.

The group chased for dozens of miles, their spiritual senses sweeping across the mountains and forests within a hundred miles, but they could no longer find any trace of him.

"hateful!"

Chen Shuo slammed his fist into the rock wall beside him, sending shards of rock flying. The cooked duck had flown away; the most crucial clue had been abruptly erased right before his eyes.

Everyone's faces were grim. The matter involved the level of a demon king, which was beyond the ability of demon-hunting guards of their rank to handle.

The group silently returned to the source of the Blackwater River. The scene was a mess. Canglang and Huaixue huddled behind a large rock, trembling, clearly terrified.

With the trail broken and staying here pointless, the group decided to return to Wuwei City to discuss the matter further and to report what had happened to the authorities as soon as possible.

Seeing the water monster tightly embracing Huai Xue, everyone felt a bit awkward. According to the rules, it was a demon that had been entrenched in the Blackwater River for many years. Although it had never actively harmed anyone, a demon was still a demon.

"My lord, please don't kill Little Stone, I beg you!" Huai Xue knelt down on the ground with a thud, pleading desperately.

Chen Shuo sighed, took out a bottle of healing pills from his pocket, and handed it to Cang Lang: "Fine, considering that you helped my Demon Suppression Division quell the demons this time, and that Miss Huai Xue vouched for you, I will not pursue the matter further."

"Thank you, sir!" Upon hearing this, Huai Xue kowtowed repeatedly, her face beaming with joy.

Chen Shuo waved his hand, "But this place is no longer safe. Since that demon king was able to kill the Xuan Snake to silence him, he might very well notice you. Take your pills and leave the Wushui River basin as soon as possible. Find a secluded body of water to cultivate in seclusion."

Then, he sternly warned, "Remember, you must not do evil, otherwise, if we meet again, I will surely kill you without mercy!"

Upon hearing this, Canglang felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He immediately kowtowed to the ground, saying, "Thank you so much for sparing my life, my lord! I will remember this forever! I will certainly abide by my duty and never do evil!"

It took the pill, looked at Huai Xue deeply once more, and whispered, "Sister Huai Xue... take care."

After saying that, it flashed with light and transformed back into its original form as a water monster, only much smaller. It plunged into the Wushui River and quickly disappeared into the vast waves.

Huai Xue gazed in the direction it had disappeared, silently shedding tears. "Little Stone, take care!"

The group did not linger. They took the belongings of their fallen comrades, escorted Huai Xue back to the village, and then returned to Wuwei City overnight.

Upon returning to the Demon Division branch in Wuwei Town, Deputy Chief Han Chong was already waiting for them. His face was extremely pale, and his eyes were bloodshot. He strode forward to greet them as soon as he saw them.

"Captain Chen, you're finally back! Something terrible has happened at Tiger Wolf Gorge to the east!"

"Something happened at Tiger Wolf Gorge?" Chen Shuo frowned. He remembered that Han Chong had mentioned that most of the branch's elite troops had been transferred outside the city to handle important cases. Could this be referring to Tiger Wolf Gorge?

It should be noted that Tiger Wolf Gorge is the most formidable pass in Liangzhou and one of the gateways to the northwest. It is heavily guarded by troops year-round. If something happens here, it will directly affect the safety of thousands of people.

"Half a month ago, the garrison at Tiger Wolf Gorge sent an urgent report that a large number of monsters had suddenly appeared in the gorge, attacking merchants and blocking key roads. Furthermore, the monsters were using poisonous miasma, which had already injured many of our border soldiers. The garrison was unable to suppress them effectively, so they requested assistance from the headquarters."

Han Chong quickly explained, "The department sent a group of people to help, but the news that came back later said that there was a powerful demon in charge, so the head of the branch department, Luo, personally led two teams of elites to suppress it."

"We only received the news today that the Demon Suppression Division encountered a powerful enemy and suffered heavy casualties. Chief Luo himself was also seriously injured. We sent a message for reinforcements, but there is no one in the division to send. We can only report to Longyou Road immediately and request support."

The branch office manager was at least at the Core Formation Realm, yet he was severely injured, indicating that his opponent was quite powerful. Everyone was taken aback. "What exactly happened?"

"According to the messenger, it is a bear demon with strength comparable to a demon king, and it has gathered hundreds of mountain spirits and wild monsters under its command, making it extremely difficult to deal with."

Demon King?

Chen Shuo and Li Yuan exchanged a glance and instantly remembered the demon king who had just killed the Blackwater Serpent. But that demon king was clearly a bird-type demon king, and its aura was wrong. It seemed that it was not the same group as the demon king who attacked Tiger Wolf Gorge.

"It will take at least three to five days for reinforcements to arrive. The Sizhong is severely weakened, and I am worried that we will not be able to hold Tiger Wolf Gorge. If these demons are allowed to advance unimpeded, the consequences will be unimaginable."

Han Chong looked worried, implying that he wanted to ask Chen Shuo and the others for help again, but he was a little embarrassed to ask.

Chen Shuo pondered for a moment before speaking, "Vice Chief Han, our trip can be considered to have come to a temporary end. Since the branch office is facing difficulties, we should do our best to help."

Han Chong was overjoyed upon hearing this and quickly bowed, saying, "Commander Chen is truly righteous. If we can obtain your assistance, it will be a great fortune for Wuwei and our division!"

"It's my duty." Chen Shuo nodded, then, as if remembering something, took out the thin black piece and asked, "This is evidence in our case, Lord Han. Take a look, is it from the Northwest?"

Han Chong took the thin slice, examined it carefully for a moment, pondered deeply, and hesitated before saying, "These patterns look somewhat familiar, as if I've seen them somewhere before... Captain Chen, please wait a moment, I'll go and check the files."

A moment later, Han Chong returned carrying a stack of files, quickly flipping through them until he finally pulled one out. Pointing to a rubbing, he said, "Captain Chen, please look. This was found at the scene of a case two years ago. Isn't it extremely similar?"

Chen Shuo quickly took it and compared it. Sure enough, they were seven or eight parts similar. He hurriedly asked, "May I borrow this file?"

"Captain Chen, just keep watching. The person handling this case is a veteran demon-hunting guard named Feng Kun. He happens to be in Tiger Wolf Gorge right now, so you can just ask him directly."

Two years ago?

Li Yuan frowned. At that time, he had not yet tested his level nine talent and was just an ordinary, unknown child in Chang'an City. Therefore, it was impossible for them to have already set their sights on him at that time.

"There's no time to lose, let's set off immediately for Tiger Wolf Gorge." Chen Shuo made a decisive decision. "Firstly, to assist in resisting the demon scourge, and secondly, to find Feng Kun and investigate the origin of this evidence. Deputy Chief Han, please send a brother familiar with the route to guide us."

"That's only right!" Seeing that the group set off without resting, Han Chong quickly said, "Shi Yong is most familiar with the terrain around Tiger Wolf Gorge, so let him go through the trouble of leading the way for you all."

"Tiger Wolf Gorge is about eighty li from here. At a fast pace, it can be reached in half a day. I have prepared horses and dry rations for you all."

The group first reviewed the case file, which turned out to be an unsolved case. A caravan of merchants had been robbed by demons, and the Demon Suppression Bureau was ordered to investigate, but they found nothing and the case was eventually dropped and shelved as a cold case.

The case record is quite simple, indicating that it is not a major case. To find out the details, we would probably have to find Feng Kun to get a clear answer.

After a short rest, Chen Shuo and his group of eight, along with Shi Yong, rode their fast horses out of the east gate of Wuwei City, raising a cloud of dust as they sped towards Tiger Wolf Gorge.

They rode at full speed, and by dusk, they could already see the rolling mountains in the distance.

Tiger Wolf Gorge is nestled between two precipitous mountains, a place of turbulent chaos and extremely treacherous terrain. Upon arriving at the pass, after verifying their tokens, the nine men reined in their horses and slowly entered the gorge.