Attaining Immortality, Starting From Slaying Demons

Qingzhou City, Great Shun Gathering.

At dusk, the crowd bustled, and the streets were brilliantly lit.

Tian Zhiwen stood at the entrance of the grand restaurant, greeting the many young members of martial sects and noble families with a beaming smile, "Today, I'll be your host. Please, come in without hesitation."

The young master of Tianhai Tower, the chief disciple of Baihe Hall, the young masters of the Huang Family...

Though they were the younger generation and didn't have much say in Qingzhou, they were all recognized figures.

Gathering here today, they not only showed regard for Tian Zhiwen's face but subtly revealed the intentions of their own sects and families.

Even though General Chen had already shown restraint in his actions, the collapse of Qingfeng Sect had everyone feeling vaguely uneasy, subconsciously wanting to band closer together.

"Oh!"

Tian Zhiwen suddenly spotted a familiar figure and hurriedly squeezed through the crowd to greet him, sycophantically smiling, "Young Master Zhao has arrived."

In the midst of speaking, he quietly broke out in a cold sweat.

Today, he was hosting a banquet on behalf of Brother Li, and according to the latter's wishes, the invitations were sparse, mostly to second and third-tier powers. How had this gentleman been invited?

"Just feeling irritable, taking a casual walk," replied Zhao Kangyun as he slowly entered the Great Shun Gathering, fanning himself.

Seeing his slightly impatient demeanor, the others felt a chill in their hearts beyond their respectful greetings.

It was said that one of the Zhao Family's young masters had suffered a mishap at Qingfeng Mountain.

As one of the prestigious Four Clans and Five Sects, the Zhao Family could only resort to walking to alleviate their worries, signifying that the Demon-suppression Bureau, with the backing of the Imperial Court and the General, was growing increasingly unrestrained in their actions.

Without uniting, we might be left with nothing but bones.

Fortunately, the General was not presently in Qingzhou City, and without the presence of the Demon-suppression Great General, the various colonels and captains couldn't stir up much trouble. They wouldn't meet the same fate as Qingfeng Mountain, at least not anytime soon.

"Why is he here?" pondered Li Xinhan, sitting on the second floor, wearing a fresh green shirt to hide his injuries, his movements hindered, forcing him to lean against a rosewood chair.

"Don't bother with him," said Li Mujin, clad in a long gown, calmly standing to the side.

For siblings of their status, hosting guests usually just meant eating and drinking, and incidentally inviting people from Vajra Gate to prevent them from harbouring any premature fears.

As for the rest, whether they sided with the noble families or the Demon-suppression Bureau, it wasn't something for the younger generation to worry about.

"Please start, I'll go instruct the kitchen to switch to a lighter menu," Tian Zhiwen said, after seeing to Zhao Kangyun and finding an excuse to slip away, quietly heading to the second floor.

Upon entering the room, he glanced at the Li siblings and then settled his gaze on a young man in a dark scholar's robe, seated at the head of the table, whose expression was inscrutable as he idly scraped at the tea foam with the lid of his cup, not once taking a sip.

Was he implying the tea was too poor?

Tian Zhiwen immediately felt certain of the social hierarchy present.

Looking at him, Tian Zhiwen did not recognize who he was or to which power he belonged.

Why was he hosting people from all over today? Was he dissatisfied with the Demon-suppression Bureau's brutish actions and seeking to rise as a leader?

"Brother Li, shall we start the banquet?" Tian Zhiwen asked.

"Let's wait a while longer," replied Li Xinhan, looking down from the second floor. After a moment, he turned to the side, "He's here, shall we call him up for questioning directly?"

At this, Tian Zhiwen was momentarily taken aback and also looked downwards.

Just what kind of person was it who merited the black-robed young man's wait, with both the Li and Zhao families present—or could it perhaps be the remaining members of the Sun and Qian families? Yet he had not been notified to send out an invitation.

A moment of confusion flashed in his eyes as he recognized the figure at the entrance of Great Shun Gathering.

In the noisy hall,

A slender young man entered with a smile, his hair cropped short, draped in a loose white cloth showing off half of his oiled and muscular torso. He carried a shiny iron rod in one hand while leading a heavy iron chain in the other.

"It appears everyone is here, including Young Master Zhao. Apologies for my tardy arrival," he said.

"A martial artist playing monk," Zhao Kangyun scoffed, closing his fan, "Your Vajra Gate only started erecting Buddha statues a few decades ago, just three months before that scripture-chanting governor took office here. Before that, you probably couldn't even properly count prayer beads."

"You're right in your teachings, Young Master Zhao," Yuan Gang responded, unbothered, simply saying with a smile, "Diligence can overcome deficiencies. With enough reciting and counting of scriptures and prayer beads, over time, one naturally gets the hang of it."

At that, the others burst into laughter.

However, as Yuan Gang's gaze swept over them, the laughter quickly subsided.

Vajra Gate was showing signs of rising prominence, using half a tome of the Condensation Elixir Tempering Method, the heads of the sect achieved great advancements in just a few decades, rumored to have the capacity to contend with those in the Condensation Elixir Realm.

After the decline of the Bodhi Vajra Tree, the sect inexplicably seemed to regain its ability for rapid advancement in body refining, even more astonishing than before.

A group almost on par with those at Jade Liquid Perfection and another barely matching the Condensation Elixir Realm were two entirely different concepts. If the rumors proved true, in a few hundred years, Vajra Gate might fill the vacancy left by Qingfeng Mountain among the Four Clans and Six Sects, rising to a first-rate power.

"Hmph."

It seemed that upon this thought, Zhao Kangyun let out a cold laugh, but did not continue with the mockery.

"This humble monk didn't intentionally arrive late, merely that I've been spreading the scriptures and teaching the dharma recently, cultivating good karma. I've traveled through seven or eight counties these days, and it was not easy to rush back to Qingzhou."

Yuan Gang carefully scanned the surroundings, as if looking for someone or something.

Not seeing the figure he imagined, he squeezed out a smile again and tugged at the iron chain in his hand, "After a full meal, this monk will also perform a 'Buddha Ape Vanquishing Demon' play for everyone, to boost the spirits."

With the clattering sound of the iron chains.

A tall and corpulent figure was pulled into the Great Shun Gathering.

He was as sturdy as a small hill, dressed in a blue short jacket, a huge belly particularly eye-catching.

Of course, apart from the belly, the man's face was covered with a thick beard, painted with black ink to resemble a demon, with furry pig ears hanging on both sides of his head, and even a live pig's snout hanging from his nose and mouth.

He looked quite comical.

His eyes were vacant, as if he had lost his soul, totally devoid of vigor.

Even as laughter like waves sounded again, the big man simply stared blankly at his feet.

This time, even Zhao Kangyun was amused, "Where did you find such a good material? The pig demon portrayal is really lifelike."

"He is an old friend of mine, he loves to play the pig," Yuan Gang said with a grin of teeth, then turned and laughed, "Right?"

The big man seemed not to hear until the young man with the buzz-cut fiercely tugged at the chain. He then numbly nodded, his voice hoarse and dry, "Yes…"

"This idiot," Tian Zhiwen frowned with annoyance.

As an acquaintance and old friend, whatever deep grudge that existed, it wasn't worth a fight to the death, beheading and putting an end to the enmity. Yet here they were, parading this humiliation.

Before his words fell, there was a chill behind him, and the atmosphere in the room became increasingly eerie.

Li Xinhan's body stiffened while Li Mujin bit her lip hard.

Only the young man in ink-colored clothes calmly set down his teacup, his expression growing ever more placid as he stepped out of the private room and walked down the stairs.

Amidst the laughter and joy, an incongruous figure quickly attracted quite a few eyes.

Zhao Kangyun looked up and his expression swiftly cooled. He himself condescended to enjoy the fun with everyone else, sitting downstairs, but there were still people upstairs. What was Tian Zhiwen thinking?

He soon took in the face of the young man in the ink-colored scholar's robe.

Confusion creased his brow, along with a faint flicker of recognition…

Shen Yi stood still in front of the young man who called himself a monk.

He silently watched the large man behind the monk as if questioning everyone in the hall.

His voice was devoid of ripples, "Is it funny?"

Hearing the familiar voice, the big man instinctively raised his head. Upon seeing the person before him clearly, he shook all over, instinctively stepping back and raising his large arm to cover his face.

He once boasted to Shen Yi about Qingzhou and his own exploits.

In his life, he had achieved nothing sans the two or three acts of chivalrous heroism worth mentioning.

He was Zhang the Butcher, not afraid to make trouble for anyone, not a pig demon to be chained up.

Shen Yi, new to Qingzhou, should not offend others for a simple fool playing a pig.
Your next chapter awaits on empire

"..."

Yuan Gang was slightly taken aback. Although the other party was unfamiliar, he had come down from the second floor and Tian Zhiwen was not a fool, so... at the very least, he must be someone of Zhao Kangyun's standing, or even higher.

With that thought, he shrugged it off with a smile, "If you don't like it, then we won't perform. It's just a pity for everyone's spirits."

With these words, an unusual look emerged in the eyes of others. Zhao Kangyun flipped open his fan again; he could see that Yuan Gang was trying to stir up trouble.

But the problem was that he had laughed too, and he had more or less guessed the identity of this person.

Zhao Kangyun slowly stood up, about to speak, when a detached voice sounded in his ear.

"Did I ask you this?"

With these words came Shen Yi's casually raised hand.

In almost an instant, Yuan Gang had thrown away the chains and took up the shiny long staff with both hands. Light surged between his skin as he exerted all his strength to swing the staff in a block!

Beneath his seeming youthful appearance, he was actually older than everyone in the building, even older than Zhang the Butcher by nearly a generation.

With Jade Liquid Early Stage cultivation, yet possessing a physical body comparable to the Jade Liquid Late Stage.

"The monk has offended because the master brought it upon himself!" Yuan Gang clenched his teeth, a ferocious look on his face, but in the next moment, Shen Yi's hand, with distinct joints, landed on the staff he firmly held.

The horrifying force easily broke the painstakingly crafted long staff and then stamped on Yuan Gang's chest. After years of body refining, his indestructible physique collapsed in a breath!

Boom!