Chapter 109 - 105: Yongling
Lü Zhong had heard about the Yongling Order back in the Yanling Mountain Market.
Unlike in the Yanling Mountain Region, foreign cultivators who wished to settle permanently in the Yongling Region had to collect a certain number of Yongling Orders to rent houses of different grades within the city.
Otherwise, they could only stay in expensive inns.
Hearing this, the ink-faced old man’s eyes lit up. A Yongling Order!
His beard trembled with excitement. He quickly approached the Law Enforcement Team’s young captain and volunteered, "Let me handle this! There’s just a single Demon Cultivator who has lost control in the inn. I have a way to deal with it!"
"So it’s just a Demon Cultivator who’s lost control?" Upon hearing this, the expression of the young captain in the Jade Crown relaxed considerably.
A sane Demon Cultivator was extremely difficult to deal with, but one who had lost their mind was no different from a rabid beast. Although it would be a hassle to resolve, the danger level dropped by more than just a notch or two.
Lü Zhong, standing to the side, was lost in thought.
The Demon Techniques that Demon Cultivators practiced were of an unorthodox nature. In the beginning, their cultivation progressed with abnormal speed—with enough resources, their cultivation speed could even rival that of someone with a Celestial Spirit Root.
But naturally, such an astonishing rate of cultivation progress did not come without a price.
The single-minded pursuit of rapid advancement would cause them to lose control of themselves.
Thus, it was common for their Demon Techniques to spiral out of control and backfire on them.
Furthermore, the negative nature of Demonic Spiritual Qi caused everyone who practiced Demon Techniques to undergo a drastic change in temperament, becoming abnormally paranoid and radical. After losing control and transforming into a Demon Monster, it was common for them to annihilate villages and slaughter entire cities.
Therefore, in the Cultivation Realm, Demon Cultivators were hunted by all.
After all, no one wanted to see the fruits of their hard labor instantly and utterly destroyed by a Demon Cultivator.
If the ink-faced old man was correct, a Demon Cultivator must have lost control and transformed into a Demon Monster.
Meanwhile, the young man in the Jade Crown still felt a bit uneasy and asked the ink-faced old man, "How did you discover this?"
"In response to my fellow cultivator, I am a Puppet Mechanician. I’ve already scouted ahead with a Mechanical Beast..." the ink-faced old man replied, showing off a monkey-shaped Mechanical Beast that was incredibly lifelike and perfect for reconnaissance.
As he spoke, he removed a Memory Stone from the Mechanical Beast and handed it to the young man in the Jade Crown.
He injected Spiritual Power to activate the Memory Stone, and a somewhat blurry image quickly appeared.
The image showed a mangled, bloody figure shrouded in a cloud of blood, hanging upside down from the rafters of the guest room. It looked as if a person had been twisted into a flesh-and-blood spider, a scene strikingly similar to a Demon Cultivator losing control.
"Very good!" The young man in the Jade Crown nodded.
Then, he said to the ink-faced old man, "The Law Enforcement Team will have a separate reward for you later. For now, step aside."
"What?" The ink-faced old man couldn’t believe it. The captain still didn’t want him to get involved. He hurriedly explained, "I really am at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer! Dealing with that Demon Monster will be a piece of cake. I can swear on it!"
"That won’t be necessary." The young man in the Jade Crown shook his head.
To him, a Puppet Mechanician was merely a practitioner of an Outer Dao.
Lü Zhong, wearing a Dharma Robe, was different. He was clearly from a wealthy background, and judging by the aura he exuded, he was obviously cultivating the Four Spirits Technique. Perhaps he might even join the Heling Sect in the future.
Currying favor with him now was definitely a worthwhile investment.
Thinking this, the young man in the Jade Crown turned his gaze to Lü Zhong and clasped his hands. "Fellow cultivator, would you be willing to enter the inn with me and deal with that berserk Demon Monster?"
Lü Zhong had been listening from the side and already understood the situation.
For him, earning this Yongling Order wouldn’t be too difficult.
Clasping his hands in return to the young man in the Jade Crown, Lü Zhong accepted the plum assignment.
Just in case, he didn’t forget to cast Malice Detection.
’Huh? A reaction?’
Lü Zhong looked ahead but didn’t notice anything amiss. It wasn’t until he turned around that he saw the ink-faced old man looking at him with an obviously hostile expression.
’Does he hold a grudge against me?’
A thought flashed through his mind. Pretending not to have noticed the man’s malice, he said to the young man in the Jade Crown behind him, "I have a Magic Skill that can directly obliterate the berserk Demon Monster inside, but the only issue is that it will destroy the inn along with it."
"Oh?" The young man in the Jade Crown was slightly surprised, then laughed heartily. "If you truly have a way to do it, my fellow cultivator, then by all means, go ahead. The Law Enforcement Team will handle any and all damages."
Compared to a small loss of property, ensuring his own safety was what mattered most. A berserk Demon Monster was no easy foe; injuries and deaths were common, and there was no need to take unnecessary risks.
As for the repairs to the inn after its destruction, that was a matter for the Construction Hall.
Having received his assurance, Lü Zhong retreated to a position outside the inn.
He formed hand seals and began Chanting. In a moment, thirty-six Fireball Bullets materialized.
"Tsk, tsk, the Qingyang Fire Rain Technique!" The young man in the Jade Crown clearly knew the origin of this skill. He inwardly marveled at what a brilliant move he had made, and at the same time, began to speculate about Lü Zhong’s identity.
After casting the Magic Skill, Lü Zhong didn’t immediately launch the Fireball Bullets. Instead, he recalled the berserk Demon Cultivator’s position from the Memory Stone’s recording and made slight trajectory corrections to compensate for the drop and prevent the impact points from drifting.
Only then did he point two fingers forward, and all the Fireball Bullets instantly shot out with a whistle.
Instantly, flames raged and explosions thundered without end.
For a moment, the entire street was illuminated by the fiery glow.
"AAAHHH!"
Amidst agonizing wails, a figure wreathed in flames leaped through a window.
Who else could it be but the berserk Demon Monster?
At this moment, Demonic Qi surged from its entire body. Under its influence, the creature’s body had mutated again; now, not even a hint of its human form remained. It looked more like a spider of flesh and blood.