HUMMM!
The Wolf Demon’s internal organs felt as if they’d been struck by a formless, violent force.
Its silver fur lost its luster. Before its claws could even touch Yang Lijun, it was struck by Chu Lingguang’s Long Spear.
AWOOOO!
With a wretched howl, it was sent flying out of the post station.
All the power within Chu Lingguang’s Spear Stance, as if guided, surged toward the Wolf Demon.
Before the Wolf Demon could even get up from the ground, its body was pierced by several beams of spear light.
It let out a final whimper in the forest, then breathed its last.
This Wolf Demon was even a bit weaker than the Cloud Mist Flood Dragon he had encountered at Xiazigou. Back then, Chu Lingguang had just broken through to a new level of cultivation, yet he had still been able to slay the Cloud Mist Flood Dragon with ease.
Tonight, he had proactively set an ambush.
The moment the Wolf Demon charged into the post station, it had already stepped through the gates of hell.
"This..."
Yang Lijun was stunned. She knew Chu Lingguang was strong—he had killed Batu Mu in Yunchuan City, helped Mo Shan’s group of four break out, and later even became an Advanced Scholar.
But she never could have imagined that the Wolf Demon—a creature that could shatter her Dharma Aspect’s defenses with a casually summoned Wind Blade—would be killed by Chu Lingguang in a single exchange.
That was a Great Demon of the True Martial Realm Level.
’Just how strong is Chu Lingguang?’
"Let’s go. We leave this place at once."
Chu Lingguang sensed several auras in the woods behind the Wolf Demon, none of them weak.
The post station couldn’t guarantee their safety.
"Okay."
Yang Lijun had already come to see Chu Lingguang as her pillar of support.
The two of them immediately mounted their horses and rode north.
「A quarter of an hour later.」
He Mingxuan, the Vice Capital City Commander of the Demon Suppression Bureau, led Hu Yanlin and several other experts from the Bureau out of the woods. When they saw the Wolf Demon’s corpse, they all froze in place, stunned.
"What formidable Spear Technique."
He Mingxuan could tell at a glance that the Wolf Demon had died to a Spear Technique. The wounds on its body were all connected; the attacker had incapacitated the Wolf Demon in an instant and killed it on the spot.
"Sir, there’s a post station up ahead,"
Hu Yanlin reported.
"The Wolf Demon was knocked out from the post station. Go and investigate who was staying there."
He Mingxuan ordered.
"Yes, sir."
Hu Yanlin immediately led his men to the post station to investigate.
The Wolf Demon’s attack had shattered many of the post station’s doors and windows. Many people were startled from their sleep, and quite a few had fled into the night, just like Chu Lingguang.
But the station kept a register of all who came and went.
Although some of the station’s staff had been injured or killed, Hu Yanlin still easily obtained a copy of the guest list.
’Chu Lingguang? Why is it him?’
’Could it be... No, impossible.’
He had spotted Chu Lingguang’s name on the list.
During the final round of the Palace Examination, the single Thrust from Chu Lingguang’s spear had injured his, Yan Zhen’s, and Qin Yu’s internal organs to varying degrees.
Because Yan Zhen had already experienced that power from Chu Lingguang during the Provincial Martial Arts Examination, he had an advantage in the final round of the Palace Examination and ultimately won the title of Martial Champion Scholar.
Hu Yanlin had held a grudge about this ever since.
He believed that Yan Zhen had only become the Martial Champion Scholar with Chu Lingguang’s help.
By that same token, it was Chu Lingguang who had cost him the title.
Because of this, he paid close attention to Chu Lingguang’s whereabouts. When he learned Chu Lingguang was stationed on Black Bear Island, he planned to visit the island to "exchange a few pointers" someday when he was in Qingzhou Prefecture suppressing demons.
He never expected to find traces of Chu Lingguang at a post station in the Divine Land Mansion.
The personnel of the Demon Suppression Bureau moved mysteriously, traveling all over the land. They were usually focused on where demons might appear and rarely paid attention to other matters.
Hu Yanlin was still unaware that Chu Lingguang had wiped out the pirates at Xiazigou, received a major promotion, and been transferred to Wolf Valley Pass.
’Senior Fifth Grade... He actually...’
But the list recorded Chu Lingguang’s official information: Vice Commander of Wolf Valley Pass, a Senior Fifth Grade position.
That was half a rank higher than his own position as a School Director in the Demon Suppression Bureau, a Junior Fifth Grade official.
And he was the Martial Runner-up Scholar, no less.
The Demon Suppression Bureau was a relatively dangerous department. Even though he was only a School Director, he had started at the Fifth Grade. Yet, from what he previously knew, Chu Lingguang had only been a Captain on Black Bear Island, a Senior Sixth Grade post.
Now, he had been transferred to Wolf Valley Pass as a Vice Commander, promoted from Senior Sixth Grade to Senior Fifth Grade. It was clear that Chu Lingguang had distinguished himself with meritorious service before him, earning an exceptional promotion.
This discovery was a bitter pill for Hu Yanlin to swallow.
Thinking of the wounds on the Wolf Demon, his breathing quickened.
He and Vice Capital City Commander He Mingxuan had been tracking this Wolf Demon for days. Even He Mingxuan wasn’t confident he could kill it alone.
’Could Chu Lingguang’s strength already surpass He Mingxuan’s?’
"What happened earlier..."
Hu Yanlin proceeded to question several of the post station’s staff in detail.
Then he went to report to He Mingxuan. "Sir, this is the list of people who were at the station. Your subordinate questioned some of the staff. The Wolf Demon attacked the station unprovoked. Most people didn’t know what was happening. By the time they ran out, the Wolf Demon was already dead outside. Many were worried about the danger and have already fled into the night."
He Mingxuan carefully examined the contents of the list.
Among those resting at the post station tonight, the highest-ranking person was Chu Lingguang. But he was only a Senior Fifth Grade official. It was impossible for him to have killed a Wolf Demon that even he himself might not have been able to handle.
Just then, Hu Yanlin released a Spiritual Sense Fluctuation, trying to check if the Wolf Demon’s internal organs had been violently struck.
However, the Wolf Demon’s silver fur blocked his Spiritual Sense probe, so he couldn’t determine if its organs had suffered a severe blow.
Thus, he couldn’t be certain if the Wolf Demon had died at Chu Lingguang’s hands.
But He Mingxuan kept staring at the list.
"Sir, did you find something?"