Start slaying demons from the proficiency panel.

On the road outside, a figure with stiff steps was slowly moving forward.

In the darkness, his body was disproportionately large on the left and small on the right, full of irregular twists and turns, and he walked with a stagger, looking nothing like a living person.

The moment Chen Peifeng pushed open the door, the figure stopped in his tracks and turned to look at him.

Swish!Swish!Swish!

In an instant, as many as seventeen eyes opened on this person's face, all of them emitting a dim red light, which was extremely frightening.

"Oh no, this evil spirit is no ordinary creature!" Master Kongxu, who came out next, exclaimed as he looked at the figure.

Just as he finished speaking, the eerie figure immediately turned around and walked towards them.

It wriggled all over, several arms grew from its left side, and a lot of sharp bones grew from its right side, causing its body to swell dramatically.

A terrifying aura suddenly erupted from his entire body, blowing away the dust on the ground.

boom!

Suddenly, the eerie figure moved.

Although it looked huge, it was incredibly fast, and in the blink of an eye, it was already in front of Chen Peifeng.

With a single swipe of its palm, the copper coin sword in Chen Peifeng's hand shattered instantly, scattering into countless copper coins that fell to the ground with a jingling sound.

Chen Peifeng was no match for the fierce attack. He was sent flying backward and crashed into the wall, where he was embedded in the wall by the strange man's force.

"Pei Feng!" Seeing his good disciple acting like this, Master Kongxu roared angrily and raised his hand to slash at the strange man with his peach wood sword.

He has never lost any of the magical treasures left by his ancestor.

Then, the Tai Chi Bagua symbols on Master Kongxu's Taoist robe lit up, his whole body shone with light, and his hair stood up straight, like a spear pointing skyward.

His eyes flashed with lightning arcs, his entire body was covered in bulging veins, and his muscles were bulging wildly, stretching his originally loose Taoist robe to a tight fit.

The peach wood sword gleamed crimson, and the three-foot blade extended directly from its tip, displaying extraordinary power.

"Dare to harm my disciple, you fiend, die!" Daoist Kongxu roared.

The sword had already struck the strange figure in the chest.

"Pfft!!!!"

The next instant, a blood-red fist appeared on the face of the Empty Void Daoist, knocking his head to the side. Teeth and blood gushed from his mouth, and his body was embedded in the wall to Chen Peifeng's left like a kite with a broken string.

"Hiss!" A strange figure suddenly split open its chest, revealing a mouth full of sharp teeth and a long tongue, and charged wildly toward Chen Peifeng and his companion, intending to crush them on the spot.

But the moment it crashed into the wall, Chen Peifeng and his companion were enveloped in white smoke, turning into two withered grass figures that fell to the ground. Their figures disappeared without a trace.

The strange man looked around, turned around, walked back to his original position, and continued forward.

That night, the chickens and dogs were silent, and the whole village smelled of blood.

……

Within the circle he had drawn, Ning Xiu abandoned the idea of ​​inspecting the villages where tragedies had already occurred.

Instead, they investigated the nearby villages and towns that were still safe, reasoning that if the evil spirit intended to continue causing trouble, it would likely target those nearby villages and towns.

After a day and a half of travel, Ning Xiu rode his Iron-Eating Beast to his seventh destination, Changqing Village.

This is a village that is very inconspicuous on the map, but it is located between several villages and towns where tragedies have occurred, making it very worthwhile to visit.

As soon as he arrived near Changqing Village, Ning Xiu frowned.

The wind blowing from Changqing Village carried a faint smell of blood.

“Yes, someone is dead,” said Ning Xiu, the Demon Buddha who was following behind Ning Xiu.

"Looks like I'm too late. Something's already happened in this village." Ning Xiu immediately ordered the Iron-Eating Beast to speed up and rush into Changqing Village. Instantly, he saw several yellow dogs lying on the ground. Their lower bodies had been brutally crushed into minced meat by something unknown, and even the bones were not spared.

The upper body still retained the appearance of a person fleeing in terror before death. Even though he had not experienced the situation, Ning Xiu couldn't help but have some imagery in his mind.

As you venture deeper into the village, you see nothing but severed limbs, even human scalps with hair still attached, and spines that have been pulled out while the person is still alive.

"The methods used are far more brutal and vicious than before; this time it's practically wiping out the entire village." Ning Xiu clenched his fist, his tone extremely gloomy.

Such a cruel thing happening within the territory of the Great Shang Dynasty would surely enrage the Demon-Subduing Commander.

As they gradually entered the village, Ning Xiu suddenly ordered the Iron-Eating Beast to stop. He vaguely sensed two faint auras nearby. These auras were extremely small, and if Ning Xiu's perception hadn't been quite good, he probably would have missed them entirely.

"This aura... is underground." Ning Xiu glanced at the Demon Buddha Ning Xiu after looking at a collapsed house not far away.

The other party instantly understood and waved his hand, causing the ruins of the house to separate. Then, the earth was lifted layer by layer by the immense force, digging to a depth of several meters.

Beneath the ground, two large clumps of withered grass were found.

As the Demon Buddha Ning Xiu lifted the grass from a distance, the two clumps of grass immediately flew out of the pit and fell to the ground.

Whoosh!

All the withered grass fell away, finally revealing two figures inside the clump of grass.

Ning Xiu looked closely and saw that they were two Taoist priests, one old and one young.

"They're still alive." Ning Xiu was overjoyed upon sensing the presence of the two.

[063] The Bronze Leopard Squad has recruited members ahead of schedule.

Seeing the two Taoists unconscious, Ning Xiu quietly used his Qi-gathering technique.

The good lines on these two bodies far outweigh the bad lines, indicating that they are people who often do good deeds. Among the two, the old Taoist's luck line is dark blue, while the other young Taoist's is light red. This means that this person is extraordinary, with luck far exceeding that of ordinary people.

Ning Xiu stepped forward and reached out to check the two people's breathing, and breathed a sigh of relief.

Although their breathing was weak, it was not life-threatening. As Ning Xiu pressed the philtrum, the two Taoists slowly opened their eyes.

Danger!

The moment Chen Peifeng regained consciousness, a thought flashed through his mind, and he immediately tried to dodge to the side. Only after seeing Ning Xiu's appearance clearly did he stop.

"You're from Changqing Village, right? You're quite strong to have survived. Tell me, what exactly happened in this village?" Ning Xiu said.

"You are the Demon Slayer!" Seeing the black silver chainmail on Ning Xiu's body, Chen Peifeng immediately relaxed. The appearance of the Demon Slayer meant that the current situation was safe.

He and his master, Master Kongxu, successfully escaped a calamity thanks to the spiritual treasure left behind by their ancestor, known as the "lifeline."

But recalling the scene from last night, Chen Peifeng still felt a cold sweat break out and was extremely frightened.

That monster was far too powerful; I was no match for it at all.

"Master, Master, are you alright?" Chen Peifeng asked anxiously as he helped Master Kongxu up from the ground.

"Cough cough... Thank God we're still alive." Daoist Kongxu coughed loudly, spitting out a lot of blood and foam.

Last night, he fought that strange man, and the injuries he suffered were far more serious than those suffered by Chen Peifeng.

Looking at Ning Xiu standing before him, Daoist Kongxu slowly said, "Lord Fumowei, the situation in Yunze Prefecture this time is serious. My master and I encountered that evil spirit that was wreaking havoc everywhere last night, but it was powerful and we were no match for it. We could only worry about saving our own lives first, but the villagers of Changqing Village are probably in dire straits..."

"You two don't need to blame yourselves. Your priority is to protect yourselves before protecting others. Now tell me the specifics of that evil spirit," Ning Xiu comforted him.

Chen Peifeng's contact with that strange man lasted much longer than that of the Empty Void Daoist. He then entered a state of recollection and recounted in detail everything he had seen the previous night. It was not difficult to detect a trace of fear in his tone.

It has half a body with multiple arms, half a body with sharp horns, seventeen red glowing eyes, a vertical mouth on its chest, and immense strength.

This is Chen Peifeng's description of the strange man who wiped out the entire Changqing Village.

This strange man's strength is conservatively estimated to be at least at the fifth or sixth rank, as he directly defeated Chen Peifeng, a seventh-rank Immortal.

In terms of its modus operandi, the annihilation of Changqing Village was quite different from the previous cases.

The letters Ye Hang showed Ning Xiu indicated that although some people had been killed in more than ten villages, the remaining villagers were all alive and well.

The villages where the victims were killed seemed to be secretly holding some kind of ritual, while Changqing Village was like a locust swarm that had invaded, leaving nothing but barren land.

Are there two groups of evil spirits at work, or have the evil spirits already completed their ritual and now all they need to do is unleash a massacre?

“Lord Demon Slayer, you alone are no match for that monster. I think you should report to your superiors and request that more Demon Slayers be transferred here.” Master Kongxu shook his head.

Ning Xiu smiled calmly and said, "Thank you for the reminder, but I still need to search for the traces of that evil spirit to prevent it from continuing to roam around Yunze Prefecture and harm people. Seeing that your injuries are not serious and your movements should not be affected, I will take my leave first."

Although they arrived late and missed finding the strange monster Chen Peifeng mentioned, learning about its appearance was still a valuable gain.

Seeing Ning Xiu preparing to leave, Daoist Kongxu quickly raised his hand and said, "My lord, if you want to find that evil spirit, I can offer you some assistance."

"Oh?" Ning Xiu looked at the man curiously: "Please speak, Daoist Master."

"I have been learning the Dao of Immortality from my master since childhood. Although my aptitude is low, I have learned quite a few spells, including one that can help you find people and identify objects. This can help you solve your problems."

"There is such a technique? That's wonderful. I would be very grateful if you could demonstrate it for me, Daoist Master."

A hint of melancholy appeared on the face of the Taoist priest Kongxu: "Once this technique is used, it will surely find the location of that evil spirit. I will help you, sir. Can you grant me a small favor?"

Ning Xiu nodded and said, "As long as it's reasonable, I will choose whether to agree or not within the bounds of reason. You tell me."

Master Kongxu reached out and pulled his good disciple over: "My aptitude is lacking, but this disciple I've taken in is a prodigy of the immortal path. At such a young age, he has already reached the seventh rank of the immortal path. If he continues to follow me, he will only be a pearl obscured, wasting his lifespan and his talent."

"I've come to a realization. It's too dangerous for my disciple to continue slaying demons and monsters by my side, and he won't be able to grow as a person. I hope you, sir, can lead him to join the Demon-Slaying Division and make him a Demon-Slaying Captain."

Upon hearing Master Kongxu's words, Chen Peifeng's expression changed instantly. He had never thought of leaving his master. Now, only he and his master remained at Changqing Taoist Temple.

If I go to the Demon Subduing Division, what will happen to the lonely and powerless Daoist Kongxu, whose strength is only at the eighth rank of the Immortal Path?

Chen Peifeng was extremely worried, so he hurriedly said, "Master, don't talk nonsense. Your disciple will not leave you. I will take care of you in your old age."

"Silly child, with your talent, you must join the Demon Slayer Bureau. That's the place where you can truly unleash your abilities, protect the world, and safeguard the common people."

This is what my master and I have always wanted to do, isn't it? Once you join the Demon Subduing Division, you can increase your strength, protect more people in need, and save innocent civilians who don't need to die at the hands of evil spirits.

"No, Master, we'll go together or stay together."

Ning Xiu scratched his arm, looking thoughtfully at the master and disciple.

After returning to the company, I will need to replace the token with the one belonging to the Bronze Leopard Demon Subduer.

There's no way to avoid building the Bronze Leopard Squad when the time comes, but Ning Xiu doesn't yet have any candidates to recruit into his team.

According to the rules, he could either go to the Champion Camp to select suitable apprentices, go to the Demon Suppression Prison to select trained executioners, or recruit people into the team himself.

These two guys in front of me are not bad. One is at the eighth rank of the Immortal Path, and the other is at the seventh rank of the Immortal Path. They meet the strength requirements.

Ning Xiu had no worries whatsoever about recruiting outsiders with unknown origins into the Demon Subduing Division.

The Demon Extermination Bureau has its own strict, timely, and precise inspection procedures, regardless of whether you harbor evil spirits or are deliberately disguising yourselves.