Sitting composed in the inner hall, Shen Changqing gazed at the dim night outside, his expression calm.
Only at this moment did he truly feel the difficulties faced by the Demon Suppression Division.
The number of demons and evils was vast, but the number of experts in the hands of the Division was limited.
To train an ordinary person into an Exorcist capable of standing alone required an immeasurable amount of time. Even if some experts were trained, they were powerless against the sheer multitude of demons.
More importantly, what the Demon Suppression Division lacked most right now was time.
Therefore, the Division had adopted a method akin to raising venomous insects.
They collected talented individuals from all over the world and brought them into the Division, providing them with resources such as martial arts. Once their one-year term was up, they were all dispatched; if they could successfully advance, it was considered a success.
Although this method sacrificed many people, it was the most efficient and, at the same time, the greatest time-saver.
"Those capable of dealing with demons are ultimately too few!" Shen Changqing sighed inwardly.
One could see it just from Lin'an City. With demons causing havoc, his presence alone here would inevitably leave him stretched thin. If a small city suffered such severe demonic plagues, one could only imagine how rampant the demons were across the various regions of Great Qin.
"Forget it. How the rules of the Demon Suppression Division are set is not something a mere Exorcist like me can influence. For now, I should focus on stabilizing the situation in Lin'an City!"
Shen Changqing shook his head inwardly, driving away the stray thoughts in his mind. He wasn't certain how many demons had infiltrated Lin'an City, but one thing was certain: he absolutely could not be led by the nose by those demons.
Currently, all the constables had been dispatched; as for the specific outcome, it would depend on their own luck. Shen Changqing knew well that he could not afford to move recklessly right now. By staying at the yamen, he was stationed at the very center of Lin'an City. Any sign of movement would allow him to respond appropriately at the first instance.
"There has been no news from the Heaven-Sensing Guard yet; I fear the situation is not optimistic either—"
***
In the dark streets, several constables were patrolling the main road, holding torches. Because of the curfew, there were no idle people on the streets. Not only that, but due to the terror caused by the demons, even the night watchmen were not working. The surrounding streets were so silent that one could only hear the sound of footsteps and nothing else.
"Do you think how many demons are in the city right now?"
Zhou Yang tightened his grip on his torch, his eyes scanning the surroundings warily. The pitch-black houses made the ominous premonition in his heart impossible to shake.
Hearing this, some of the constables beside him replied.
"Who knows? First, Zhao Fang colluded with demons, then the Zhang family was exterminated by demons, followed by an earthquake, and now Lin'an City is plagued by demons. Why are we so unlucky!" one constable said with a mournful face.
The hearts of the other constables were also heavy. When demons caused havoc, ordinary citizens could hide, but they had no choice. Just as Shen Changqing had said, they were eating the imperial grain and receiving salaries from the people's taxes; at this critical moment, they were not allowed to retreat. Otherwise, if the imperial court held them accountable, it would be a death sentence.
Zhou Yang held a torch in one hand and a bottle of chicken blood in the other.
"Lord Shen said chicken blood can deal with demons. I only hope we don't have the chance to use it!"
"Speaking of which, is chicken blood really effective?" someone asked, looking at the bottle in their hand with a certain amount of doubt.
"Who knows," Zhou Yang shook his head. "We can only pray it works, otherwise, you and I are in big trouble!"
After speaking, Zhou Yang paused his steps and turned to look at the people behind him. Suddenly, his expression changed slightly.
"Where did Old Wang go?"
As soon as he spoke, the constables instinctively turned around. When they saw that one person was indeed missing, they looked at each other in confusion.
"Wasn't Old Wang following right behind us?"
"I don't know. I just saw him. Maybe he went somewhere to relieve himself—"
Seeing their reactions, Zhou Yang's face gradually darkened.
"We're going back immediately to report this to the Lord!"
Having served for many years, he already sensed that something was wrong. Old Wang was not a novice constable; it was impossible for him to leave the group without a word. Furthermore, given the current situation, the man might not even have the courage to leave the group to do something else.
Thus, only one possibility remained.
Seeing Zhou Yang's grim face, the remaining constables' expressions also instantly turned ugly.
"Chief Zhou, are you saying Old Wang—"
"Don't say another word. We're going back immediately. Keep an eye on your surroundings; if anything feels wrong, use the chicken blood in the bottle immediately!" Zhou Yang cut them off.
There was no doubt; since Old Wang had disappeared, a demon must have struck. If he was lucky, he might save his life, but if he was unlucky, there was nothing to be done. Demons were not something they could handle. Now that they had discovered a demon, the correct course of action was to return and report to the Lord so that he could strike it down.
Immediately, none of them dared to linger, and they hurried toward the yamen.
Not long after, Zhou Yang suddenly felt that the surroundings had become deathly quiet. When he looked back, the people who were following him had also vanished without a trace.
In an instant, his back was soaked in cold sweat.
In Zhou Yang's current situation, either everyone else had been trapped by a demon, or he himself was trapped. Clearly, the latter was the most likely.
Looking at the street ahead, he had patrolled it countless times in the past and should have been intimately familiar with it. But at this moment, the familiar street gave him an unprecedented sense of strangeness. Darkness covered the front of the street, making it impossible to see the end.
"What do I do!"
Zhou Yang swallowed hard. Looking at the scene ahead, his legs felt as if they were filled with lead, unable to move.
"According to the Lord, the greatest trick of demons is using illusions to deceive. That means I might currently be trapped in some kind of illusion—"
Thinking of illusions, Zhou Yang's heart did not calm down; instead, he became even more nervous. Even though he knew he was in an illusion, he could not relax in his current environment. Not to mention, if an illusion existed, a demon certainly existed as well.
*Whoosh!*
A cold wind suddenly blew from behind, as if someone were breathing on his neck. The chilling sensation made goosebumps erupt all over Zhou Yang's body. His stiff body stood frozen in place. With his other hand, he tremblingly opened the bottle of chicken blood.
He turned around, only to see a rotting face without eyeballs.
*Bang—*
The chicken blood and the bottle were thrown directly at the thing before him. The crimson blood landed on the rotting face like boiling water, causing it to let out a shrill, piercing scream.
At the same time, Zhou Yang sprinted frantically toward the yamen. At this moment, only that rotting face echoed in his mind. His inner terror had been completely unleashed. Even Zhou Yang himself did not realize that his movements today were much faster than usual.
***
"Lord, it's bad! Something happened!"
Zhou Yang scrambled into the yamen, shouting loudly.
Sitting in the inner hall, Shen Changqing arrived immediately upon hearing the news.
"Calm down!"
A loud shout dispersed much of the fear in Zhou Yang's heart. Shen Changqing's expression was cold. "What happened? Tell me everything, step by step."
Seeing that familiar face, Zhou Yang calmed down instantly. He swallowed hard. "Lord, we were attacked by a demon. I don't know what happened to the others; I only managed to escape because I used the chicken blood bottle."
A demon attack!
"Where? Lead me there!"
"This subordinate... this subordinate obeys!" Zhou Yang did not dare refuse and led the way.
Before long, the two arrived at the original street.
"Lord, we were patrolling this street, but before long, Old Wang and the others all disappeared—"
Looking at the familiar street before him, Zhou Yang thought of his recent encounter. If Shen Changqing hadn't been by his side, he would never have dared to come back.
Hearing this, Shen Changqing did not answer; he simply stood still. His Heavenly Martial Qi rose from his dantian, and his perception was pushed to the limit.
A moment later, he took a step forward, his palm carrying Heavenly Martial Qi, and struck directly at the air. The extremely fierce Heavenly Martial Qi surged like raging flames, causing the surrounding temperature to rise sharply.
Then, under Zhou Yang's horrified gaze, he saw everything before him dissipate bit by bit like ash. As the street dissipated, another street appeared before his eyes. However, the difference was that the previously missing constables were now lying scattered on the ground.
Before Zhou Yang could react, Shen Changqing suddenly drew his blade and slashed at an empty space. A shrill scream erupted from the seemingly empty air, and a mangled body was sliced in half by the long blade before finally dissipating like smoke.
Sheathing the blade, Shen Changqing sneered, "A mere Ghost-level anomaly dares to set up an illusionary barrier in the city right under my nose. Truly seeking death!"
He harvested a wave of Slaughter Value; although it wasn't much, it satisfied him somewhat. Clearly, this demon had appeared here long ago and had set up an illusionary barrier. Anyone stepping onto the street would unknowingly fall into the illusion.
Having finished this, Shen Changqing approached the constables. Everyone's face was pale, but their chests were still heaving, proving they were still alive.
Quite bluntly, he slapped each of them, slapping the unconscious constables awake. As they slowly regained consciousness and saw Shen Changqing's face, they immediately snapped to attention.
"Lord!"
"The demon here has been slain by this official. Follow me back first!"