Start slaying demons from the proficiency panel.

The ground was covered with undulating talismans, arranged in a circle and connected end to end, resembling some kind of formation.

Above the formation, there were many iron chains tied with jade stones, which were glowing with firefly light.

Manager Chu, holding Han Wan'er, ran into the formation and activated it without any hesitation.

Suddenly, the talismans on the ground lit up with dazzling white light, and the light rose up like square pillars of light, eventually enveloping the entire formation.

As Ning Xiu approached, the entire formation was already enveloped by the pillar of light, and the figures of Steward Chu and Han Wan'er inside began to become blurry and illusory.

Although he didn't know what was going on, it didn't stop Ning Xiu from trying to stop it. He immediately slammed his hammer down, attempting to break through the light pillars around the formation.

Unexpectedly, these beams of light were extremely hard, and even the Thunder Hammer could not cause them the slightest damage.

In the next instant, the entire formation suddenly dimmed, unleashing a massive shockwave that sent Ning Xiu flying backward.

The jade stones above the formation were all turned to powder at this moment, and the talismans on the ground were also severely damaged.

Looking back at the formation, Steward Chu and Han Wan'er were nowhere to be seen.

"A teleportation array?" Ning Xiu stared incredulously at the spot where Steward Chu had disappeared.

Although there are indeed array formations in the Great Dao, Ning Xiu has never heard of any teleportation arrays.

This involves matters of space, and the demons have already mastered it?

There was no time to think too much; I should just report this to my superiors as soon as possible.

Ning Xiu turned around and looked at the few demons who had caught up, and immediately went to meet them.

According to Liu Yong's instructions, he only needed to leave one person alive for interrogation.

[Defeat the demon, General Proficiency +800]

[Defeat the demon, General Proficiency +700]

[Defeat the demon, General Proficiency +900]

……

By the time Ning Xiu had recovered from the effects of the Heavenly King Vajra Technique and returned to the pool carrying one of the unconscious demons, Qin Ben and the others had already subdued the remaining demons.

After Li Yueying issued a notice to the outside world in a manner that was as loud as a conflagration,

Spring Pavilion was surrounded by the Demon-Subduing Guards again after a few days, and this time the situation was different from the last time.

Ning Xiu and his group have found evidence that Marquis Wuyi is connected with the sorcerer, so Marquis Wuyi can no longer escape suspicion.

"That sorcerer escaped?"

Seeing that Ning Xiu hadn't brought Han Wan'er back, Liu Yong immediately had a bad feeling.

"I'm sorry everyone, it was my mistake." Ning Xiu sighed, bowing his head, and then explained in detail what had just happened.

Although he encountered a demon who used a teleportation array to escape, he had no ability to stop him.

However, with Han Wan'er taken away, the Demon Subduing Division lost an important piece of evidence, which was indeed his responsibility.

"That's not a teleportation array."

After hearing Ning Xiu's words, Han Wan'er immediately denied it, saying, "If what you say is true, then the demon used the formation 'Shrinking the Earth to an Inch,' which is a fourth-grade formation that allows those within the formation to merge with the earth in the blink of an eye and burrow several miles away."

"You mean that the sorcerer and Madam Han are still in Chaotiandu?" Liu Yong asked.

"That's right. Moreover, the Shrinking Earth Formation is different from the Shrinking Earth Technique. This formation must be set up at both the beginning and the end simultaneously to ensure that the person inside can come out from underground again without suffocating in the layers of yellow earth. Therefore, the location where the person reappears after the earth escape is fixed and must be on another formation."

The four exchanged a glance and spoke at the same time: "The Marquis of Wuyi's residence!"

Just then, a large number of footsteps suddenly sounded in the passageway at the entrance.

Ning Xiu turned his head and saw a large number of Demon-Subduing Guards running out from among them, including many of the Bronze Leopard Demon-Subduing Guards with bronze leopard tokens hanging from their waists.

It seems that Li Yueying's raging incense has stirred up a huge storm in the capital tonight.

Regardless of whether they were iron horses, bronze leopards, or silver tigers, they had all been caught in the eye of this storm.

Among the dozen or so Bronze Leopard Demon Subduers who came here, Ning Xiu even spotted Su Qianqian.

The other person clearly noticed him as well, and immediately gave him a questioning look, as if asking for advice.

Ning Xiu shook his head, indicating that this matter could not be understood through mere eye contact.

After many Bronze Leopard Demon Subduers appeared, Silver Tiger Demon Subduer Qin Daorong also appeared. He glanced at all the demons who had been subdued and killed, and then walked towards Ning Xiu and his companions.

The Golden Dragon Demon Slayer is rarely seen within the Demon Slayer Bureau and is reportedly not in charge of managing the various personnel and affairs both inside and outside the Bureau.

The Demon Subduing Division is now led by Qin Daorong and two other senior Silver Tiger Demon Subduing Captains, hence the three are also known as the 'Three Tigers of Demon Subduing'.

Qin Daorong, a third-rank painter, is arguably the strongest person Ning Xiu has ever met since joining the Demon Subduing Division.

"Lord Qin." Ning Xiu and the other three bowed respectfully.

"You've been here for quite some time, have you discovered anything?"

"My lord, the most urgent task now is to go to the Marquis of Wuyi's mansion to capture Marquis Wuyi. We must not let the sorcerer take him away from Chaotian Capital. I will tell you the details on the way," Ning Xiu said hurriedly.

Upon hearing this, Qin Daorong immediately sensed the urgency in Ning Xiu's words. He then took the wooden box from his back and opened it to find paper, ink, brushes, inkstones, and various pigments.

Qin Daorong pulled out a sheet of Xuan paper, tossed it into the air, and then picked up his brush to paint.

As he wielded his brush with brilliance, splashing ink with swift strokes, in just a few breaths, before the Xuan paper even touched the ground, a magnificent blue phoenix appeared on it.

The moment the Xuan paper hit the ground, a clear cry rang out from the cave, and the blue phoenix actually flew out from the Xuan paper!

With a wingspan of two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters), magnificent plumage, long tail feathers, and eye-shaped markings of red, yellow, and white on both wings, it was truly a divine bird.

To paint with a flourish, and to bring the brush to life—this is the divine power of painting.

"You come with me. The rest of you, proceed to the Marquis of Wuyi's residence immediately." Qin Daorong put away his brush and ink, jumped onto the back of the Azure Phoenix, and Ning Xiu followed suit.

Upon receiving Qin Daorong's order, Qingluan immediately took flight and crashed headfirst into the cave ceiling.

boom!

Instantly, a huge hole appeared in the ground.

It bursts forth from the earth and soars straight into the heavens.

The Azure Phoenix changed direction and flew towards the location of the Marquis of Wuyi's residence.

A fierce, swirling wind swept across my face, and below, the houses and streets of Chaotiandu were all within my view.

This rare scenery is even more thrilling than flying in my previous life.

The Azure Phoenix has a broad back, providing ample space for people to stand. Ning Xiu braced himself to keep from being blown off balance by the wind.

After a dozen or so breaths, the two people and the bird had already landed in the sky above the Marquis of Wuyi's residence.

Under the moon and amidst the clouds, one can look down upon this most famous royal palace in Chaotiandu.

"You just said that a sorcerer wants to take Marquis Wuyi away from Chaotian Capital," Qin Daorong said with his hands behind his back.

Ning Xiu then explained everything about Steward Chu, the Spirit Gathering Banner, and Han Wan'er in just a few words.

"My lord, the sorcerer has resurrected the long-dead Lady Han. Marquis Wuyi has no more ties in Chaotiandu, and it's only a matter of time before he escapes. We must hurry and arrest him to prevent him from leaving Chaotiandu using the Shrinking Earth Formation."

"No need to worry, he can't escape." Upon learning the situation, Qin Daorong sat down on the spot.

Reopen the wooden box, ready to paint on site.

Seeing that his superior's superior wasn't in a hurry, Ning Xiu calmed down and stood behind Qin Daorong, intending to see what he was going to draw.

The methods of cultivating the art of painting are unique and different.

This approach emphasizes observing things, understanding their essence, grasping their spirit, and adding the finishing touch.

First, observe reference objects and do a lot of practice to get the proportions, perspective, and light and shadow of the objects right.

Just as people have three courts and five eyes, things also have aesthetic proportions.

Only when the painting is done correctly will the objects in the painting have meaning and charm. The final stroke is the finishing touch, bringing the painting to life and allowing one to enter the ninth level of the art of painting.

Those who are at the lowest level in the art of painting are slow at painting, and it is normal for them to take a quarter of an hour to finish a painting. If they try to speed up, their paintings will lack depth and spirit. Therefore, they always carry dozens of unfinished paintings with them, and they will add the finishing touches when they need to create a masterpiece.

Those who reach the third rank in the art of painting excel in painting speed, completing a painting in half an incense stick's time. Some even paint themselves to enhance their supernatural understanding.

Those who reach the highest level in painting, like Qin Daorong, possess solid and profound painting skills. They can paint at will, with every stroke imbued with divine essence. Creating a painting is merely a matter of a single thought.

Unfolding a sheet of Xuan paper, Qin Daorong began to paint, and black moths fluttered their wings, escaping from the painting and swarming downwards in groups.

Before long, the entire Wuyi Marquis's residence was filled with black moths, which seemed to be searching for something as they flew around.

……

When the surrounding pillars of light dissipated, Steward Chu found himself in a clean stone chamber.

Upon seeing this place, Steward Chu, who had captured Han Wan'er, breathed a sigh of relief, as this was the terminal of the formation.

But she had no time to waste. She was sure that the Demon-Subduing Commander would soon find the Marquis of Wuyi's residence, so she had to quickly take Wu Huanian and escape from Chaotiandu through another Shrinking Earth Formation.

Stepping out of the stone chamber, he saw Wu Huanian sitting in the outer hall. When he turned his head and saw Han Wan'er, he was immediately stunned.

Doubt, shock, joy... all sorts of emotions erupted in Wu Huanian's heart, and two lines of hot tears flowed silently without warning.

Thinking back to when I was eleven or twelve, my wet nurse brought back a timid girl from her hometown. When she first arrived at the Prince's mansion, she knew nothing and could only follow me around in fear, hiding behind me all day long.

At the age of sixteen, the two secretly ran out of the palace hand in hand on the night of the Lantern Festival, went to the Milky Way to release lotus lanterns, and ate glutinous rice cakes.

Halfway there, the girl said she wanted to dance for me by the Milky Way, but she was so clumsy that she fell into the river. It took me a lot of effort to rescue her.

That night, the two returned to the palace soaking wet, and were scolded by their parents quite a bit.

At twenty, a man reaches adulthood, while a girl has long since reached the age of marriage.

He dragged her all the way to the Peach Blossom Star Lord Temple, where people prayed for marriage. They solemnly lit three incense sticks and told the star lord their wishes.

On that day, he gave the maid a hairpin, and the maid gave him a jade pendant in return. Although it was a simple gift, it sealed their fate in front of the Peach Blossom Star Lord.

She was married into the royal palace in a grand procession carried by eight men, and the couple remained loving and devoted to each other for many years.

The two were still the same young master and the little maid who followed behind him.

"I really can't accept that you're gone. I can't live in a world without you."

Wu Huanian slowly stood up, crying like a child with grievances, her hands trembling as she walked towards Han Wan'er, her longing in her eyes unspoken.

At this point, Steward Chu didn't allow Wu Huanian time to express her true feelings.

First, the Demon Subduing Division could arrive at any time; second, Han Wan'er's current situation does not match Wu Huanian's expectations, and if they were to talk about it, the truth would be revealed.