perished.In fact, in this wave of demonic beast attack, more than a hundred cultivators have died in battle! Not even their bodies were left behind.Jiang Wang pressed closely against a massive, ox-lik...Just as Jiang Wang saw the small skeleton, his emotions surged at that moment.

A sharp, piercing wind suddenly blew through.

Jiang Wang's wrist turned, and with impossible speed, the sword and its sheath rose behind him, precisely blocking the sharp projectile. A clang of metal echoed through the air.

Jiang Wang followed suit, drawing his sword in one smooth motion. As he turned back, he caught a glimpse of the incoming object: a ghastly white finger bone. Before he could even think, his body instinctively spun around again.

>

And on the bed, the skeletal remains of the little girl rose into the air, her skull splitting open, and she lunged at Jiang Wang, biting with all her might!

Jiang Wang had no hesitation whatsoever. He kicked the skeleton back into its original position with a single, powerful blow. Then, his long sword whirled in a blur, like a bolt of purple lightning dancing through the darkness. In an instant, the small skeletal remains were severed at every joint, falling back onto the bed as if nothing had happened.

“桀桀桀桀, little Taoist, I killed this little girl. You seem very angry, but her last remnants were destroyed by your own hands.”

The sound was sharp and piercing, yet ethereal, coming from an unknown source.

Let me know if you have other text you'd like translated!

This kind of camouflage is not simple, indicating that the enemy lurking in the shadows has been well-prepared.

Jiang Wang's foundation wasn't established, and his five senses were not yet open. He couldn't break through this illusion for the time being. But he wasn't flustered. According to the knowledge he learned in the Daoist academy, he had two judgments now: first, the enemy's level wouldn't be too high. The reason was simple; if it were a truly high-level powerhouse, the other party wouldn't need to rely on illusions, and could even kill him at the first moment.

The second point derived from this is that, limited by the opponent's strength, the level of this deception wouldn't be too high. The moment the opponent attacks or is attacked, or even just moves, it will automatically be dispelled. Evidence supporting this is that the enemy's first attack previously was merely manipulating skeletons, rather than acting personally.

"You are the one who killed her, and you are the one who destroyed her remains. Side paths and heresies cannot shake my heart!"

Jiang Wangren walked with his sword, and in a moment he had traversed the entire small room. His sword light almost illuminated the entire room!

Purple Qi Comes from the East Sword, First Style of Killing!

In that instant when the entire room was filled with light, all the sword lights were gathered together. Jiang Wang extended his hand, as if grasping this ball of sword light, and slashed straight forward with one sword!

The door, which had been shut for who knows how long, suddenly burst open.

Zhang Linchuan stood outside the door, with a faint glimmer of lightning in his hand.

"Just now, two corpses outside were manipulated and faked, I've destroyed them. What about your side" he asked.

"I was attacked too. I couldn't break through his illusions. But my sword still wounded him!" Jiang Wang shook the long sword in his hand, a single drop of bright red blood dripping from the tip.

Zhang Linchuan reached out and caught the drop of fresh blood in his hand. The blood droplet hung suspended in his palm. "With this, it won't be difficult to track down the demon's whereabouts."

A hint of approval crossed his face, "Junior Brother Jiang, you have made great contributions this time."

Jiang Wang searched his surroundings, but saw no more bloodstains. "Zhang Shixiong," he said, "perhaps the demon hasn't fled yet."

Zhang Linchuan flipped his palm to put away the blood bead, closed his eyes to sense for a moment, and shook his head. "There's no trace left."

Hardly had his words left his lips when the stench of death that permeated the entire courtyard vanished in an instant.

“Let’s go.” Zhang Linchuan put away the blood bead. “There are no more useful clues here. Give this drop of blood to the deputy dean, he is proficient in Liu Yao, he will surely be able to find out that demon.”

This line brought an unprecedented psychological shock to Jiang Wang. Although those bandits and robbers were indeed notorious for their crimes, compared to these demons who indiscriminately slaughtered entire households and even desecrated and manipulated corpses after death, they were simply amateurs.

He saw the cruel and ruthless side of the cultivation world. Extraordinary power can also bring extraordinary cruelty.

Jiāng Wàng wanted to look back at the little girl's bones, but he didn't dare.

At this moment, Zhang Linchuan said again: "The officers of the Criminal Justice Department have already investigated once, but there was no progress. And as soon as we arrived, we encountered a demonic attack. There is something fishy about this."

"What does senior brother mean...

"

"Hmph." Zhang Linchuan sneered twice.

>

Upon entering the sect, Jiang Wang only sought cultivation and had no desire to get involved in the conflict between Dong A and Wei Qiji. But Zhang Linchuan pointed out this possibility.

Unfortunately, he still doesn't have the right to refuse.

“Junior Brother Jiang’s swordsmanship is extraordinary, it’s definitely not those superficial tricks collected in the Academy.” Zhang Linchuan remarked seemingly casually.

"As for us cultivators of the Taoist path, swordsmanship is after all a minor skill. Senior Brother's thunder techniques are truly remarkable."

Now, the two skeletons from the hall and the courtyard were gone, leaving only a layer of ash where they had been. Jiang Wang could almost picture the scene: the two skeletons had just been manipulated, hadn't even had time to move, when they were obliterated by the lightning strike.

"Junior Brother Jiang is too humble. In fact, our Daoist swordsmanship isn't inferior to others'. It's a pity that our Fenglin City Daoist Academy doesn't have this kind of practice. Throughout the entire Zhuang Nation, probably only the National Daoist Academy does." Zhang Linchuan said with a touch of regret.

The Dao Gate also has a method of entering the sword through the Dao, which is extremely sharp and not inferior to ordinary sword cultivators. But after all, it's not mainstream. The Fenglin City Dao Institute does not have a master who can guide this practice.

At this moment, Jiang Wang didn't have any desire to speak, but she couldn't ignore Zhang Linchuan either. She simply said flatteringly, "With your talent, Senior Brother, entering the National Dao Institute is just a matter of time."

"Indeed, it was only a matter of time." Zhang Linchuan suddenly sighed, standing in the courtyard and gazing towards the distant Qi Chang Mountains. "But sooner or later are ultimately different things. I often feel like there's a knife behind me, stabbing at me, every moment filled with urgency."

Such a young master who is both talented and capable, with a noble character and a preference for cleanliness, his voice reveals genuine anxiety and sorrow.

Jiang Wang fell silent. He too yearned to grow stronger, to reach the place he was meant for, faster.

Every fleeting moment is precious.

"Across that mountain range lies Yong Guo," Zhang Linchuan said. "If the demon flees into Yong Guo, we'll be unable to capture him."

Jiang Wang, of course, knew why he said that.

The Zhuang nation has existed for over three hundred years. When the founding emperor, Zhuang Chengqian, established the nation, he was a general in the Yong Kingdom. He led his troops to conquer vast territories. Taking advantage of an opportunity when three kings of the Yong Kingdom vied for power, he seized control and founded his own nation. Later, through alliances and strategic maneuvers, he established the Dao Men as the state religion and allied with Jing Guo, another powerful nation that shared the Daoist lineage, securing their position and ensuring their legacy to this day.

But also because of this history, the two countries of Zhuang and Yong have always been at odds.

Perhaps the enemy of the Zhuang State would be welcomed with open arms in Yong State.

Jiang Wang did not say anything more, but silently followed Zhang Linchuan out of the courtyard.

Tang Dun, who was guarding the door, immediately rushed forward, his eyes full of anticipation: "How did it go Is the demon exterminated"

Let me know if you'd like me to translate something else!

He had just heard noises outside the courtyard, knowing that a battle was taking place inside.

"We have a lead," Jiang Wang said, turning to Zhang Linchuan, "Brother, could you lend me some money"

Zhang Linchuan didn't ask the reason and casually tossed him a purse of money.

Jiang Wang weighed it slightly and took out the smallest sliver of silver—he had intended to take some copper coins, but Zhang Linchuan's money bag contained only gold and silver.

"Here's some silver, Captain Tang," Jiang Wang said, handing the small bag to the town constable. "There's a child's skeleton inside. Please use this money to buy a coffin and bury her properly. There are two urns of ashes in the yard, they belong to her parents. Just bury them together."

Tang Dun's rough face was clouded, but he resolutely pushed away Jiang Wang's hand. "I will take care of their affairs," he said firmly. "I cannot accept your money."

"Take this." Jiang Wang forcefully placed the silver pieces in his hand. "Just consider it my way of finding peace of mind."

The patchwork on Tang Dun's guard uniform showed his family was not well off. Being assigned to receive him and Zhang Linchuan, a group who were disliked, indicated that he was also a marginalized figure within the government.

He couldn't break free and could only tightly grasp Jiang Wang's hand, "On behalf of the little one, thank you!"

It turns out her name is Niuer.

The canvas hanging on the wall seemed to appear again before her eyes. She had once naively wanted to preserve a spring. But her life, however, had never bloomed again.

Baby, baby.

Jiang Wang silently repeated the name in his heart several times, as if he had tied a certain responsibility to his Dao heart.

>tanding there with her chest held high.Of course, he recognized his aunt, the Empress, as well as his cousin, the Crown Prince, and his wife, the Crown Princess.But his mind was still in turmoil.Until...