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I Become a Martial Arts God in the Chaotic Demon World-Chapter 97 Black Mountain Demon (Last one, please subscribe!)
Southern Mountain Demon Cleansing Department Headquarters.
In Wen Tingyun's study.
After listening to the reports from Ye Liuyun and Han Zheng, Wen Tingyun's expression turned somewhat strange.
She never expected that a simple investigation task would lead to the encounter with a Xuan Gang Realm Great Demon.
Han Zheng and his team—one at the Peak of Innate Transcendence and three in the Late Stage of Innate Transcendence Realm—were actually able to slay a Xuan Gang Realm Great Demon, which was an extremely astonishing feat within the entire Southern Mountain Demon Cleansing Department.
What surprised Wen Tingyun even more was Han Zheng.
Ye Liuyun didn't take credit for the achievement, speaking truthfully about every detail.
From the beginning of the investigation to the final action, Han Zheng had played a pivotal role, performing exceptionally well.
Although Wen Tingyun already knew that Han Zheng should perform well, she never expected him to excel to such an extent.
After pondering for a moment, Wen Tingyun said, "You all did very well, especially Han Zheng, who acted decisively.
The Demon Cleansing Department cannot kill innocent civilians, but remember, anyone who colludes with demons to harm others is no longer an innocent civilian."
When she said this, a touch of indifferent killing intent emerged in Wen Tingyun's tone, causing Han Zheng to be slightly startled.
"Also, you were quite fortunate this time to encounter a plant-based Great Demon that was at the critical moment of transformation.
You can say that you interrupted its transformation process, which allowed you to severely injure it.
Had the opponent not been at the critical moment of transformation, it would not have been so easy for you to slay it."
Ye Caiyun expressed her amazement, "That tree demon was fifty feet tall, almost reaching the height of the city walls—could such a huge thing transform?"
"When I say transform, I don't mean transforming into a human form. Those who can freely transform into human form are either Yang God Realm Demon Kings or possessors of certain secret techniques.
The transformation of this tree demon means completely changing its natural form.
Among the numerous types of demons, the plant-based demons have the biggest disparity in power.
The strong ones are extremely strong, and the weak ones are extremely weak, and most of them can't move freely.
Its true form is an old locust tree, which has yin properties. It must have absorbed countless amounts of yin ghost energy to become a demon, and its roots need to constantly delve underground to absorb yin energy.
It requires a young maiden each year to refine them into an extremely yin attribute root container so it can absorb yin energy without having to insert its roots underground, allowing it to move freely.
Had you not acted, it's possible that in a few years, the locust tree demon could have completely transformed.
The strength of demons doesn't go through the hassle of moving from the Early Stage to the Middle Stage and then to the Late Stage like martial artists do.
Before its transformation, this locust tree demon had the strength of the Early Stage of Xuan Gang Realm, but after transforming, it might even surge to the Peak of Xuan Gang Realm."
Han Zheng and the others can say that their timing was just right. Had they been any later, it might have been a death sentence.
The villagers of the Li Family Village were also lucky.
Did Li Youde really believe that the Mountain God could protect their Li Family Village for generations?
To that locust tree demon, the Li Family Village was just like those ancient demons that would farm the Human Clan—it was only to ensure a yearly supply of a maiden.
Once it fully transformed and no longer required a maiden as a root container, that would spell the end for the Li Family Village.
Over the years, the increase in the Li Family Village's population would become blood food for the demon.
"By the way, Lord Wen, that tree demon mentioned it was under the command of the Black Mountain Demon King—what kind of entity is the Black Mountain Demon King?" Han Zheng asked.
Wen Tingyun's eyebrows slightly furrowed as she said, "It's been a long time since I've heard the name of the Black Mountain Demon. I didn't expect that it would reappear now.
The Black Mountain Demon is the very Black Mountain Demon King mentioned by that tree demon. It is said to be a demon transformed from a black rock with a spirit and once wreaked havoc in the Southern Mountain.
After Chen Zhenfu took charge of the Southern Mountain, he struck a severe blow to the Black Mountain Demon, forcing it to flee deep into the Tiancang Mountain Range, and it hasn't appeared for decades.
The strength of the Black Mountain Demon isn't actually that fearsome; among the Yang God Realm Demon Kings, it is fairly average.
Chen Zhenfu defeated him with ease, and had it not been for some secret escaping technique, it would have already become material for artifact refining by now.
However, the truly troublesome aspect of the Black Mountain Demon is not that it's a fierce demon that only knows how to eat people.
Its true form is a black rock that has no desire for flesh and blood. It does not consume humans, but it is very adept at manipulating human hearts.
When the Black Mountain Demon caused turmoil in the Southern Mountain, it incited disputes among countless sects and noble families.
Furthermore, it also covertly controlled many powers in the Martial World and the Loose Cultivators, using their desires to serve its own ends."
"You might find it hard to imagine, but the number of demons under a Demon King is not the largest; instead, it is the Human Warriors who make up the majority.
Colonel Chen once said he would rather face a demon ten times stronger than the Black Mountain Demon than deal with this guy.
Now that the demons of the old Black Mountain Demon have reappeared, I fear the Black Mountain Demon himself might be on the verge of making a comeback.
You don't need to worry about this matter for the time being; I'll handle the investigation and deal with it.
You've done well on this mission. Rest up well these three days and regain some strength.
You were facing a Great Demon of the Xuan Gang Realm this time, so if you want to extend your vacation, that's also possible.
I've already distributed the Merit Points, and the demon's body has been exchanged for merit as well. You can go check with Taozi."
According to the rules of the Demon Cleansing Bureau, there is a three-day leave after completing a mission.
Aside from those urgent tasks, or tasks where you're indispensable, the orders from above usually skip over the warriors from the Demon Cleansing Bureau who are on leave.
"Yes, sir."
After Han Zheng and the others left, Wen Tingyun rubbed her temples and sighed.
"Little Wen, you're so young and you're already sighing every day; be careful not to get wrinkles."
Xu Cunbao strolled in with his hands behind his back and asked, "Is there some new trouble?"
"It's not a big mess, but it's somewhat tricky; subordinates have spotted traces of the Black Mountain Demon again, and just our luck, Chen Zhenfu is not here."
Upon hearing this, Xu Cunbao's expression grew solemn: "Is that old demon gearing up for a comeback? That's really not good news.
I'll send someone to investigate right away; we cannot let that old demon stir up trouble in the Southern Mountain again."
A cold light flashed in Wen Tingyun's eyes: "There's no need to investigate the Black Mountain Demon directly; that old demon is very cunning. As long as he doesn't want to reveal himself, our search will be useless.
But in keeping with the habits of the Black Mountain Demon, he must have already bewitched numerous forces to do his bidding before making an appearance. These fools and idiots are the ones we should clear out first."
Xu Cunbao nodded seriously, "I'll take care of it now. By the way, who discovered the Black Mountain Demon?"
"It was Han Zheng, the one recommended by Zhang Tianyang last time. That kid is truly talented; he performed even better than Ye Liuyun on his first mission."
Mentioning Han Zheng brought a smile to Wen Tingyun's lips.
What she appreciated most about Han Zheng was not his power but his decisiveness when the villagers from Li Family Village stood up to defend the demon.
Although the Demon Cleansing Bureau was short-staffed, there were plenty of experts.
By contrast, a warrior like Han Zheng, with strong competencies and decisive actions, was truly rare.
...
After leaving Wen Tingyun's office, Ye Liuyun and the others went off to rest, while Han Zheng prepared to use his merit at the Guardian Storage.
"Sister Taozi, I'd like to check my Merit Points."
Han Zheng felt Sister Taozi's gaze on him, and it always gave him a chilling sensation, as if he was being completely seen through.
"Oh, it's Han Zheng. I heard that you and Yang Tianqi made quite an impressive record."
Sister Taozi flipped through the merit register and exclaimed, "The contribution you guys made this time is substantial—a total of one thousand Merit Points, with you taking four hundred of them. You now have six hundred Merit Points in hand. What would you like to exchange for?"
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Han Zheng hadn't expected the Demon Cleansing Bureau's reward to be so generous.
The Swallowing Ghost Child's head was worth five hundred Merit Points, and killing this Cang Mountain God granted a thousand.
Not every Great Demon was valued at a thousand points.
The calculation of Merit Points in the Demon Cleansing Bureau depends on the potential damage the target could cause in the future.
Had Han Zheng not eliminated this Cang Mountain God, it would surely have become more powerful and troublesome in time.
And since it was one of the underlings of the Black Mountain Demon, its status was different from that of an ordinary Great Demon.
Moreover, its body could be used for Artifact Refining, which naturally meant more Merit Points were awarded.
"I'd like to exchange for Cultivation Techniques."
Sister Taozi handed over a booklet to Han Zheng: "You can now exchange for any Cultivation Technique of the Innate Realm and Xuan Gang Realm. Since you're not high-ranked enough, you'll need to apply to Officer Wen to exchange for techniques above the Xuan Gang Realm.
However, I suggest you save some Merit Points. Once you reach the Xuan Gang Realm, you'll definitely need to exchange for a Gang Skill.
Gang Skills of the Xuan Gang Realm in the Demon Cleansing Bureau start at least from a thousand Merit Points.
I've seen many Martial Artists get promoted to Demon Sweeping Captain, but because they wasted too many Merit Points during the Innate Realm, they couldn't acquire a Gang Skill until the middle stage of the Xuan Gang Realm."
Sister Taozi kindly offered her advice on the side.