Attaining Immortality, Starting From Slaying Demons

"Ah?"

Hong Lei was stunned for a moment, realizing that the group of people on the mountain showed no sign of surprise.

So after these days of encircling the mountain, the demon hunters had thoroughly exposed the swordsman's past?

Even Zhang Hengzhou had admitted to his demon identity.

Then... why hadn't they made their move?

This time, not only Shen Yi, but even he himself was somewhat baffled, and could only look doubtfully towards the old general in the front.

Chen Qiankun's eyebrows didn't even twitch as he calmly faced Zhang Hengzhou's bitter resentment and slowly said, "Actually, this general had hesitated as well, wondering if there truly were demons in this world who sincerely wished to assimilate into the mortal realm. Later, I thought about how over the past hundred years or so, you have had no less than five hundred women, if not three hundred, by your side."

"They came to me admiring my chivalrous reputation, willingly." Zhang Hengzhou gasped for breath, the injuries all over his body showing faint signs of opening.

"I do not mean that."

Chen Qiankun waved his hand, sighed, and said, "I just suddenly recalled, each time they bore your offspring, they were taken away by demons, and nine out of ten would vanish without a trace. The very few who were saved ended up bolstering your reputation as a romantic hero, yet they also quietly died after just a few short years. Being mere mortals, giving birth to dragon demons, upon seeing the creatures they bore, must they not have felt desolate?"

"When it was time to give birth, there were demons to kidnap; when hungry, there were demons to slay villagers, each time punctually arriving, spanning hundreds, if not thousands, of miles."

"What sin did the demons of Qingzhou commit, to have encountered your family of heroes?"

"How many children must my people in Linjiang Prefecture have each year in order to support such a chivalrous being as yourself?"

In the voice slightly tinged with coldness, the figure clad in the Black Light Mystery Armor slowly stood up.

The old man grasped the Crude Iron Halberd and looked over with indifference: "I, Chen Qiankun, am but a sinner, what virtue or ability do I have to dare to give you a chance?"

Under that icy gaze.

Zhang Hengzhou's features tightened as he staggered several steps backward.

Until a pair of aged hands supported his shoulders from behind.

He turned his head to look, breathing heavily: "Master."

The Qingfeng Sect Master, in his Flowing Clouds Green Robe with unkempt hair, seemed to not have slept for a long time, his face showing age but he patted his shoulder gently: "I know you feel wronged, he will not give you a chance, but your master will."

With these words.

The Sword Cultivators, who were kneeling quietly on both sides of the altar, suddenly showed a touch of despair in their forlorn expressions.

Many Demon-suppression Marshals in the audience showed anger, and an irascible Lieutenant Colonel stepped forward and shouted, "After giving you so much time, you're still so confused. He is a demon, what kind of chance do you want to give him?!"

The Qingfeng Sect Master did not respond, standing before his Disciple, then turned to look at Chen Qiankun.

"Brother Chen."

He suddenly smiled with a reminiscent expression, slightly pleading, and gestured with his hand: "When I first picked him up, he was only this big."

Another Lieutenant Colonel scoffed, "When he transformed to be this big, he was older than your grandfather!"

The Qingfeng Sect Master still acted as if he hadn't heard, continuing to stare at Chen Qiankun, his mouth rapidly murmuring, "Brother Chen, you know I was born impaired, the Qingfeng Sect is the Zhang Family's Qingfeng Sect, it cannot end with me... when I picked him up from the river, I named him Hengzhou, taught him swordplay, made sure he ate, and secretly protected him when he went demon hunting..."

He seemed to have a lot more to say.

"But he is a dragon demon." Chen Qiankun said calmly.

"But I have already raised him to be like this! I even prepared the Sword Pool to cleanse him, I prepared the Sect Master position for him!"

"It was that wretched wench who chose to give birth before others, turning him into a dragon demon!"

The Qingfeng Sect Master's aged face instantly twisted, his voice turning hoarse!

Seeing Chen Qiankun unmoved, he abruptly turned around, his disheveled appearance transforming instantly from a grand sect master into a raging madman.

"Qingfeng Disciples, form the array! Form the array!!"

Above the altar, whether they were Elders or Disciples, all averted their gaze.

"..."

Seeing this, the Qingfeng Sect Master seemed to have anticipated it, and with a mad laugh, pulled out a Sword Elixir the size of an infant's fist from his bosom.
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He withdrew his hand.

And the Sword Elixir indeed began to glow, suspending itself in midair.

"I have said, this is the Zhang Family's Qingfeng Sect."

Blood dropped into the Sword Pool, not to pledge allegiance to Qingfeng Sect, but to the Zhang Family lineage!

Under everyone's watchful eyes, he suddenly knelt down, then fiercely kowtowed to the ground and loudly said, "Ancestral Sword! Please punish!"

As the white stone bricks shattered under his forehead —

The object referred to as the Ancestral Sword immediately emitted a humming sound.

As it vibrated, so did the swords at the waist of every disciple; besides the swords' tremors, an unusual flush appeared on their cheeks.

The Sect Master kowtowed again.

Immediately following, someone spat out a mouthful of blood plasma.

"..."

Shen Yi stood in the distance, the scene before him somewhat beyond his comprehension.

"Hold them down!"

Hong Lei bellowed, those disciples whom they had escorted here, who had been as docile as sheep, now under some bizarre torment, couldn't help but reach for the sword hilts at their waists.

The colonels surged forward to control them ahead of time.

Atop the grand altar, countless sounds of swords unsheathing continued without end, providing the only brief respite from the "Ancestor's" punishment when grasping the sword hilts.

Sharp long swords slowly aimed at the people from the Demon-suppression Bureau.

In front of the great hall, the group of elders sitting cross-legged unwillingly closed their eyes, their robust auras converging forward.

"Dammit, even if there were concerns that demons might have mixed in and escaped, they shouldn't have been brought up the mountain. What on earth is Patriarch Chen thinking?"

Even Hong Lei could not help but question at this moment.

The Qingfeng Sect Master had such means, the other party couldn't possibly be unaware.

Thousands of Qingfeng Disciples' auras converged, forming the Ten Thousand Swords Demon-Slaying Formation, among them were the Qingfeng Sect Master and two other Condensation Elixir Realm elders.

Invisible sword intent quickly enveloped Chen Qiankun, radiating a perilous chill.

"With this formation, to give Brother Chen half a month's time, should not be considered excessive."

The Qingfeng Sect Master prostrated on the ground, no longer raging, and slowly turned his head back in desolation, "You should have a place to hide. Go now."

Zhang Hengzhou's face showed ecstatic joy, and he finally glanced at the young man with the Black Blade at his waist in the distance, and took to the sky without hesitation!

"..."

Shen Yi grasped the palm of a young disciple, whose face was full of despair, uncontrollably thrusting the sword forward. The consequences of raising a hand against a Demon-suppression Marshal, they were more aware of than anyone else.

However, Shen Yi's attention wasn't on him.

Looking up at the figure rapidly fleeing into the sky, his heart sank instantly.

The guess was correct, the serpent demon could indeed sense his presence.

And now, the adversary was about to escape.

Just then, surrounded by the boundless sword light, Chen Qiankun slowly closed his eyes.

Under the shocked gaze of the sect master.

His Crude Iron Halberd, as if taken by an invisible figure, leapt into action while the man remained in place.

Unleashing boundless might in that unseen grasp, it seemed to hold the power to cleave the heavens and the earth, fiercely slashing towards the retreating figure of Zhang Hengzhou!

"Roar——"

Within the sharp dragon's cry, the entire altar turned dark as evening. Above Qingfeng Mountain's great hall, a monstrous serpent nearly a hundred feet long obscured the sky, its dark, rounded body struggling mightily, its sharp forehead horn sharper than any divine weapon.

However, it was merely a moment.

As the halberd came down, monster blood sprayed across the sky, half the serpent's body thunderously crashing from the heavens.

The sinister serpent, left with only half its torso, blood and entrails raining down like a downpour, fled in terror far away, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

With the halberd returning to his hand, Chen Qiankun reopened his eyes, still calm, looking indifferently at the sect master on the ground: "Half a month is too long, I'll give you an incense stick's time, to say your last words."

"You… you've broken through?"

"Halfway there."

Chen Qiankun quietly looked towards the Sword Elixir in the sky: "Elder, you've kept me waiting for a long time."

For so long, my bones have truly gone soft from sitting.

"No!"

As the Qingfeng Sect Master showed signs of closing his eyes again, he screamed in horror, reaching for the Sword Elixir, but the Ancestral Sword vibrated and whirred into his embrace before he could touch it.

In an instant, the long swords in the hands of thousands of Qingfeng Disciples returned to normal, and the sky-wide sword light also dissipated within a breath.

"Told you there was no need to rush, General Chen wouldn't harm you."

Hong Lei released the disciple in his grip, pushing him away irritably.

"Tsk! Guarding the mountains to prevent demons from escaping, trapping the serpent to coax out the Ancestral Sword; Patriarch Chen had long guessed the Qingfeng Sect Master's vengeful intentions. Rather than wait for him to act covertly, better to deal with it once and for all, not letting that serpent demon harbor any thoughts of escaping..."

Excitedly turning around, Hong Lei wanted to boast to Shen Yi about his own experiences working under General Chen.

But before he could finish speaking, he suddenly froze.

Where is he?