Start slaying demons from the proficiency panel.

"I don't know, I don't know who this person is," Lu Han quickly shook his head.

As Ning Xiu lowered his hand, the man's toes touched the surface of the black pool. In that instant, the surface of the black pool rippled slightly, showing a mild reaction.

"Pull me up quickly, don't go any lower." Lu Han's tone was pleading, but he was terrified of what was underwater.

Clearly, they've been provoking us here quite often, doing things that incite hatred, which is why they're so afraid.

"Do you know Fang Jingzhou?" Ning Xiu asked again.

"Yes, I know, I've heard of it," Lu Han quickly replied.

He could sense that if he didn't admit it, Ning Xiu would really throw him into the pool.

With both arms severed, I'd probably be violently torn to shreds by the guy at the bottom of the pool before I even got ashore.

Upon hearing this answer, Ning Xiu lifted Lu Han a few feet off the water.

"Tell me, where is Fang Jingzhou?"

【115】The Four Symbols Altar

"He's gone! He's already gone with the Holy Envoy! He's not here with me!" Lu Han shouted.

"Where did he go? And why did you ask Fang Jingzhou to bring you the Vermilion Bird Blood?" Ning Xiu continued to ask.

At this point, Lu Han's expression became hesitant again, as he pondered whether or not he should answer the question.

As a high-ranking member of the Black Heaven Gate, he knew very well what fate the sect leader would give to traitors who sold information. If he were to suffer the same fate, it would probably be worse than death.

Seeing that this person still dared to hesitate, Ning Xiu directly immersed half of his body into the black water pool, letting the water submerge his chest.

"No! Pull me up quickly!" Lu Han shouted hurriedly.

The trembling body created numerous ripples that spread across the pool's surface, instantly making the entire pool feel unusually heavy, as if something powerful and terrifying was about to appear.

Sensing the approaching aura, Lu Han struggled even more violently, but in terms of strength, he was no match for Ning Xiu's suppression. He was firmly pressed down in the black water pool and could not rise an inch.

"If you don't talk, I'll sink your head down too," Ning Xiu shouted.

"I don't know! Those are matters for the Holy Envoy and the Sect Master. I'm just a steward; I don't know anything about them!" Lu Han shouted.

"All I need is for you to tell me where Fang Jingzhou went, that's enough."

The bottom of the pool is unfathomable.

As the chains clanged, a dark figure swiftly rose from the bottom of the pool, gradually approaching the surface, heading towards Lu Han, who was being held down in the pool by Ning Xiu.

Oh oh oh!

A deep, resonant voice came from below, causing the bubbles on the water's surface to rise and fall.

Lu Han panicked even more upon seeing this, knowing that the thing was about to arrive.

"I'll tell you, I'll tell you! Fang Jingzhou went to the altar at Dengtian Hill! The Holy Envoy took him there, and that's all I really know! Quick, pull me up there!"

Ning Xiu reached out and pulled Lu Han out of the pool. At the same time, a dark shadow followed closely behind, reaching out a blue arm covered in crocodile-skin wrinkles to grab Lu Han's ankle.

The moment he grasped it, he was about to exert force and pull it into the pool.

Ning Xiu frowned, and his arm instantly exerted force, and at that moment he began to wrestle with the guy underwater.

Both sides were powerful and fiercely contested each other at this moment. All the pressure was placed on Lu Han, who was caught in the middle, and he cried out in pain.

Seeing the strange arm that was gripping Lu Han's ankle tightly, Ning Xiu snorted coldly, his strength suddenly increased, and at the same time, he used his other hand to strike the water with his internal force, which caused the strange arm to release its grip, thus saving Lu Han.

The owner of the aching arm was clearly unwilling to let Lu Han escape so easily, and suddenly burst halfway out of the water, allowing Ning Xiu to see his true appearance.

It turned out to be a strange creature with a turtle-like face and no hair, covered in crocodile skin. Its gray eyes were filled with resentment as it stared at Ning Xiu and opened its mouth to spit out a mouthful of black poisonous liquid, which rushed towards Ning Xiu.

"You're courting death." Ning Xiu's inner force surged, and the poison couldn't even get close to his body. Instead, Lu Han, whom he was holding, was soaked, and his clothes were corroded and torn to shreds.

"Why did you save him! Saving him means you're making an enemy of my Xuan Clan!" The strange creature spoke in a human voice, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth and a black tongue, clearly a poisonous creature.

Ning Xiu completely ignored what the monster said, waved his hand and struck out with a palm, knocking the strange man to the bottom of the pool, where he disappeared without a trace.

"What is that thing, and why is it imprisoned underwater by your Black Heaven Gate?" Ning Xiu asked Lu Han.

Lu Han, who had narrowly escaped death, was still shaken. He realized that if he didn't confess honestly, Ning Xiu would probably do the same thing to him again. So he slowly said, "They are Xuan Clan people. They have Xuanwu bloodline in their bodies and are excellent living blood extraction tools."

"The Xuan Clan?" Ning Xiu looked puzzled. He had never seen any information about the Xuan Clan in the Demon Subduing Division.

Lu Han referred to the strange man at the bottom of the pool as a member of the Xuan Clan, which means that the strange man was not a demon incarnate, but a different race that lived in this world just like humans.

Xuanwu is one of the Four Symbols. Those who possess the Xuanwu bloodline must be quite powerful.

Just now, when the Xuan Clan member had half his body above the water, Ning Xiu heard the clanging sound of iron chains rattling. It must have been the Black Heaven Gate people who had bound that guy with chains, preventing him from escaping from the Bagua Pool.

Ning Xiu continued to press Lu Han for information about the Xuan Clan. Using the interrogation methods he had learned from the Demon Subduing Division, he actually managed to extract a considerable amount of important information from Lu Han.

It turns out that the altar that Heitianmen performed for the White Mountain Elephant Kingdom was called the Four Symbols Altar. It mainly used the power of the four symbols to perform rituals. If the ritual was successful, the Four Symbols Holy Souls would assist in the ritual, allowing the White Mountain Elephant Kingdom to exert even greater and fiercer strength in battle.

This Four Symbols Altar requires the power of the Four Symbols. The Vermilion Bird Blood is the Vermilion Bird Power, the Xuan Clan is the Black Tortoise Power, and the Azure Dragon Power is the Azure Dragon Power. The Black Heaven Gate originally chose the day of the conjunction of the stars to come to the Dragon King River to cultivate spiritual energy, but unexpectedly, a Demon Subduing Officer ruined the plan, forcing the Black Heaven Gate to choose a new source of Azure Dragon Power.

The source of the final White Tiger power remains a closely guarded secret by the Black Heaven Gate, a fact that even a deacon like Lu Han is not entitled to know.

"The Four Symbols Altar..." Ning Xiu nodded. Since the Four Symbols Altar was created by the Black Heaven Gate and it benefits the White Mountain Elephant Kingdom, its success would have a significant impact on the Great Shang Dynasty.

If I had the chance, I could try to destroy this altar.

The Xuan people possess the Xuanwu bloodline, which extends to the longevity characteristic of Xuanwu. Every two hundred years, their bodies undergo a change in shape.

In the first two centuries, their bodies began to keratinize, enabling them to survive underwater and manipulate toxic water.

The second two hundred years later, armor plates grow on its back, which can resist enemy weapons and at the same time awaken the power of Xuanwu.

The third two-hundred-year-old shell-like structure resembles a tortoise shell, with mysterious inscriptions on its surface, said to contain profound mysteries.

Those Xuan Clan members who can live to be two hundred years old are all Xuan Clan elders. According to Lu Han's confession, the Xuanwu power of the Black Heaven Gate this time was caused by a Xuan Clan elder.

The elder was incredibly powerful, unlike the ordinary Xuan clan members in the Bagua pool; he was imprisoned in a separate, strictly controlled location.

After learning about these circumstances, Ning Xiu had an idea in mind.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Releasing this Xuan Clan member will allow him to summon reinforcements from the Xuan Clan and work together to destroy the Black Heaven Gate's altar plan.

At each of the eight corners of the Bagua Pool stands a bronze statue, each with an iron chain in its mouth extending into the water, presumably used to bind the Xuan Clan members.

Ning Xiu walked over and grabbed the iron chain, then began to pull it out with all his might, inch by inch, making a rattling sound.

At first, a force of resistance rose from beneath the water, as the Xuan Clan member struggled against Ning Xiu. But how could he possibly be a match for Ning Xiu? After a few exchanges, a large number of chains piled up at Ning Xiu's feet, and at the same time, the figure of the Xuan Clan member reappeared on the surface of the water.

boom!

Ning Xiu wrapped his palms with the Heavenly Gang, then snapped the iron chains with a forceful pull.

After Ning Xiu severed the eight iron chains one after another, the Xuan Clan members were no longer bound and leaped up, landing beside the pool.

Only then was Ning Xiu able to see his true appearance clearly.

The Xuan people are seven-tenths similar to humans, both having upright limbs, but their feet are no different from those of turtles. This Xuan person has a large number of black plates growing on their back, which is the second stage of the Xuan people's life, which lasts for two hundred years.

"Roar!"

Seeing that Ning Xiu had actually released them, the Xuan Clan members, though unsure of the situation, nodded to Ning Xiu, their hostility noticeably diminishing.

Since the Xuan people couldn't understand human language, Ning Xiu could only wave his hand to indicate that he could leave.

Unexpectedly, the Xuan clan member simply tore off a piece of armor from his back and threw it at Ning Xiu, who caught it.

After doing all this, the man turned and ran, leaping over the wall and quickly attracting the attention of the guards outside.

"Let me go. I've said everything I needed to say. After revealing so much, I can no longer stay in the Black Heaven Gate," Lu Han said to Ning Xiu as he lay on the ground.

He never imagined that, as a third-rank cultivator, he would be no match for Ning Xiu in a fight, and would be powerless to resist him.

In reality, Ning Xiu was just an ordinary third-rank martial artist in his normal state. However, when he activated the Great Black Heaven state of the Heavenly King Vajra Technique, his strength increased two or three times, and he could no longer be measured by the strength of an ordinary third-rank martial artist.

Lu Han's defeat was not unjust at all, because there are very few people who can increase their strength as drastically as Ning Xiu.

In response to Lu Han's words, Ning Xiu stomped down, breaking his throat and killing him instantly.

[Defeat the demon and gain 4000 general proficiency points]

Nine out of ten of the demons who join the Black Heaven Gate are evil and wicked people. Exceptions like Lu Changqing are extremely rare and can be almost ignored.

Ning Xiu naturally had no reason to let this Lu Han demon go. After killing him, Ning Xiu left the camp in the opposite direction. Presumably, with the escape of the Xuan Clan, most of the defense forces here had been drawn away. He should not encounter many Black Heaven Gate demons as he retreated in the opposite direction.

According to Lu Han, the opening day of the Four Symbols Altar arranged by the Black Heaven Gate is in two days. The location is Dengtian Hill, which is three or four days away from here. Ning Xiu must seize every moment from now on in order to have a chance to catch up with the time and arrive at that place.

He couldn't afford to waste a single second, otherwise he would definitely stay and wipe out the Black Heaven Gate's base in order to gain more general proficiency.

Upon arriving at the place where the dragon and the demon Buddha were waiting for him, Ning Xiu jumped onto the dragon's back and immediately pointed out the direction, heading straight for the Ascending Heaven Hill.

……

As the region where the Black Heaven Gate demons were most active, Sixiang Prefecture was practically their territory. In addition, they had a close alliance with the White Mountain Elephant Kingdom, so they were very influential in Sixiang Prefecture.

Even the Demon Slayers have to be careful and discreet when they arrive in this place, otherwise they could easily be left here forever.

With the issuance of this Demon Subduing Summoning Order, many Demon Subduing Officers must have secretly infiltrated the Four Symbols Prefecture. Ning Xiu estimated that he had wasted some time in the East Sea Prefecture, and those Demon Subduing Officers who had arrived earlier than him had already reached the Ascending Heaven Hill and were lying in wait.

They were just waiting for an opportunity to kidnap Fang Jingzhou and bring him back to Da Shang.

In order to catch up with his colleagues, Ning Xiu made the dragon travel at full speed without stopping for a moment. Fortunately, it was a dragon, and its endurance and stamina far surpassed those of other strange beasts. Otherwise, even the strange beasts in the Beast Taming Workshop would not have been able to withstand such a journey.

"The altar borrows the power of heaven, but because the cost of holding it is extremely bloody, it is considered a heretical path in the Great Shang Dynasty, and few people would use it. However, the Black Heaven Gate, being demons, has no such concept. They are willing to sacrifice everything for power. So if this Four Symbols Altar is successfully held and the power of the Four Symbols is obtained, the demon kingdom of White Mountain Elephant Kingdom might become more powerful. In that case, it could lead to a bloodbath for the soldiers on the border of the Great Shang Dynasty. They absolutely must reclaim the Vermilion Bird Blood and its power." Sitting on the head of the dragon, Ning Xiu thought to himself.

With the combined strength of him and the Demon Buddha, it would take at least three first-rank experts to suppress them. Ning Xiu's prepared forces for coming to the Four Symbols Prefecture were quite substantial.

Just as the dragon leaped over a mountain, a pure white cloud suddenly flew in from the left, blocking Ning Xiu's path and forcing the dragon to stop on the spot.

Ning Xiu looked closely and saw a short old man with white hair and a youthful face sitting on the white cloud. He was holding a whisk in his hand and carrying a Tai Chi Bagua plate on his back. He had a red mole between his eyebrows and looked very righteous.

When you encounter such a person in a foreign land, you must be especially vigilant, because not all people who appear righteous have the same inner qualities as their outward appearance.

"What is it?" Ning Xiu asked.

"I am Liu Zaiyi, young friend. Do you have time to stop and chat with me?" the short old man said.

Just as he finished speaking, Ning Xiu heard another voice, also from the old man.

"Young friend, I am a secret envoy of the Demon Subduing Bureau, lurking in the Four Symbols Prefecture to provide intelligence for the Demon Subduing Commander. There are some things I need to tell you. If you have the time, could you lend me a hand?"

This is an incredible ability to transmit sound; this old man is no ordinary person.