Demon, don't come any closer!

Chapter 35 The Mysterious Dou Family Makes its First Appearance

who said it?

Dou Changsheng also heard the last sentence.

He couldn't help but look at Constable Wang beside him, but he could clearly see that Constable Wang also looked horrified. It was obvious that this was not Constable Wang, nor Magistrate Zhang, nor Cui Shuyu.

Dou Changsheng was also certain that these were not his own words.

It wasn't them, and it certainly couldn't be the Golden Jade Guards; there was a third-party force present.

But this was no time to dwell on it; escaping was the most important thing. Dou Changsheng twisted his body like a spring, instantly turning around and then charging wildly out.

The Seven Illusions of the Serpent, having diligently practiced every day, has finally shone brightly today. Dou Changsheng is the first to run away.

The others reacted a beat slower, but they also realized something was wrong. Officer Wang leaped into the air like a large bird, soaring into the distance.

The powerful aura, almost tangible, transformed into wings, flapping continuously and creating a violent airflow that propelled Constable Wang towards the distant horizon.

The ring on Xiang Jielong's finger emitted wisps of light, which began to extend rapidly until the final twelve-foot-long fire-tipped spear appeared in Xiang Jielong's hand.

The gun barrel was entirely crimson, as if it were forged from lava, and a wisp of condensed, tangible golden-red flame constantly flickered at the tip.

Xiang Jielong came from a distinguished family and possessed exceptional talent. Naturally, his family would not be stingy with resources and personally forged this magical artifact for him.

The twelve-foot-long Fire-Tipped Spear was perfectly suited to Xiang Jielong's Wildfire Nine Heavens Technique, making him even more powerful. Now, in his rage, he immediately unleashed his strongest killing move.

Phoenix soars to the heavens!

Mysterious runes flowed across the crimson gun barrel, as if unlocking a sealed power. The leaping flames danced with the gun, leaving a dazzling yet deadly trail of light. Wherever they passed, the air distorted and heat waves rose.

The surrounding temperature soared, and a fierce, murderous aura that seemed to burn the entire world spread out. A phoenix, wings outstretched, soared into the sky, leaving a long trail of flames in its wake.

Zhang, the county magistrate who reacted the slowest and was closest to the scene, was the one who suffered the most and was the first to be hit.

The phoenix spread its wings, and the raging flames burned fiercely, finally engulfing Magistrate Zhang completely. His screams echoed through the heavens and earth, then stopped abruptly.

Even though Lang County is remote and a lower-level county, the county magistrate is a seventh-rank official, but the county assistant is an eighth-rank official, both appointed by the imperial court and are legitimate officials appointed by the imperial court.

Now that she had died tragically at the hands of Xiang Jielong, Sun Wenxiu seemed to wake from a dream after this scene, and looked up at Xiang Jielong, who was standing there dumbfounded after the attack.

Sun Wenxiu knew this was not Xiang Jielong's intention. Xiang Jielong had been framed, a fact that Sun Wenxiu deeply understood. In her anger, she had almost done something wrong, but even those above knew that Xiang Jielong was innocent.

It is also a fact that a high-ranking official of the eighth rank was killed.

In broad daylight, under the watchful eyes of so many people, how could she possibly conceal it? Sun Wenxiu was momentarily at a loss.

Xiong Fangchu, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up: "We've already fallen into their trap, so let's make the mistake one step further and kill them all to end it all. Then no one will argue with us, and whatever we say will be the truth."

Sun Wenxiu looked shocked, unable to believe that such words could come from the mouth of an honest and upright companion. Xiong Fangchu ignored Sun Wenxiu and continued to persuade Xiang Jielong, "Opportunities are fleeting."

"Killing them was not to hide the truth, but for the sake of the Great Chu."

"There are Black Ice Guards stirring up trouble in the shadows. They are deliberately creating misunderstandings. If we cannot act decisively, Lang County will be in chaos, which will affect the overall situation on the front lines."

"We are doing this to maintain stability. The higher-ups will understand. Everything will be handled quietly for now. If it really causes Lang County to rebel against Chu, you and I will both be sinners against the Great Chu."

Seeing that Xiang Jielong was hesitant to move, Xiong Fangchu couldn't help but scold him: "Commander, you are a member of the Xiang family, and now that General Xiang is personally leading the Chu army to confront the tyrannical Qin at the age of sixty, how can you hold him back?"

"If chaos were to break out, would you be worthy of General Xiang's sacrifices?"

"For the sake of the nation's overall interests, what is there to fear in terms of reputation? I humbly request your assistance, and I am willing to take on the responsibility of the mastermind."

Sun Wenxiu also came to his senses and couldn't help but say, "Hesitation only leads to trouble!"

Xiang Jielong took a deep breath, his eyes hardening. His slender fingers gripped the twelve-foot-long fire-tipped spear tightly. The spear moved like a dragon, and a stream of extremely condensed flames tore through the air, emitting a sharp explosion, as if it would burn a hole in the space itself.

The flames erupted unrestrainedly, like shooting stars, crashing in all directions. At this moment, Xiang Jielong, his killing intent ignited, no longer held back.

Not only did Xiang Jielong make a sudden move, but Sun Wenxiu's three-foot-long sword was also drawn. After the sword was slashed out, sword energy was generated, which scattered like rain between heaven and earth.

One after another, the servants and maids, and even the officials in the county government, died.

Screams and wails filled the county government office as a massacre broke out. Xiong Fangchu's goal was simple: to quickly eliminate all unstable factors before Lang County could react. This way, even if Lang County wanted to rebel, it would lack a leader and would be easily suppressed.

They've gone mad, completely mad.

The Seven Illusions of the Serpent was an excellent escape technique, but the most important factor was that Dou Changsheng was right next to Cui Shuyu, holding onto one of Cui Shuyu's arms tightly, which is why they escaped unharmed.

A palm-sized shield was now firmly gripped by Cui Shuyu. The shield was covered with irregular scales, and one after another, mysterious runes began to light up. Every time flames attacked from afar, the shield would light up, perfectly blocking the attack.

This was also a magical artifact, and thanks to its high grade, Dou Changsheng and Cui Shuyu managed to survive time and time again, despite their desperate escapes.

Despite Xiong Fangchu's repeated attacks, he could not break through the defense.

"A thousand households!"

With a roar, Xiong Fangchu had completely given up on killing Cui Shuyu and Dou Changsheng. Cui Shuyu's strength was not much, but the treasure in his hand was too powerful. It had at least twenty-four magic runes, which was no longer a fifth-grade magic weapon, but a fourth-grade magic weapon.

Despite being an unlearned and incompetent son of Emperor Yan, whose martial arts skills were not high, the Cui family of Qinghe treated him with the utmost respect. He was even given a fourth-grade magic weapon for protection. After all, if the son of Emperor Yan were to be killed by some nobody, it would be a disgrace to the Cui family of Qinghe.

If the Yan Emperor, renowned throughout the world and awe-inspiring among all races, couldn't even protect his own son, it would truly be the biggest joke in the world.

Feeling the intense heat emanating from behind, as if a furnace was rapidly approaching, Dou Changsheng knew danger was imminent. There were advantages to fleeing with Cui Shuyu, as they could use Cui Shuyu's treasures for protection. However, the disadvantages were also obvious: Cui Shuyu was a target of the enemy's attacks due to her high profile. It was a case of both advantages and disadvantages.

Cui Shuyu felt it too, sweating profusely, and roared furiously, "Xiang Jielong, are you crazy?!"

"They even dared to kill me."

"It's just that Magistrate Zhang died. You should stop now. I can help you settle this by having a demon commit the murder, and then we can pretend it never happened."

"Don't you have two other people with you? Just let them take the blame. You are a member of the Xiang family, and I believe the higher-ups will be lenient. After all, General Xiang is currently confronting the Qin state, and they won't dare to make things difficult for you. At most, they will just send you to the front line."

"There are too many ways to solve this problem; there's no need to go down this path of no return."

In order to survive, Cui Shuyu spoke recklessly and dared to say anything. Dou Changsheng interrupted and said, "Your Excellency, there's no need to say anything more. It's not just County Magistrate Zhang; so many people have died."

"The matter has escalated to an uncontrollable level."

"They only have one option: to kill us all, so that Lang County will be at peace."

"If you have any good stuff, bring it out and use it. If we just hold on for a bit, victory will be ours."

Dou Changsheng lowered his voice and said, "It's not that Xiang Jielong and the others have gone mad, but that someone is stirring things up behind the scenes. These Golden Jade Guards are too incompetent; they've probably fallen for a trap."

Dou Changsheng felt helpless about this. Of the three waves of Golden Jade Guards he had seen, one wave was stronger than the next. Fang Ziyu at least managed to withstand one attack before being defeated. The second wave was wiped out without much struggle. The third wave consisted of members of the Xiang family from the Lower Prime Minister. What a prestigious name they were, yet they were defeated inexplicably.

They knew nothing about the process, but the result was clear: they were killed by the Black Ice Platform.

I've fallen to this state entirely because of the incompetence of the Golden Jade Guards. If they weren't so weak, I would have been living a happy and fulfilling life long ago.

This shows one thing: the State of Chu is doomed.

After a sigh, Dou Changsheng spoke again: "Reinforcements are on their way. As long as we prove our worth, someone will definitely come to our rescue."

The Black Ice Guard wouldn't let them die; they would definitely make their appearance in front of everyone. But Dou Changsheng also knew that this was just his guess and might not be true, which was why he wanted Cui Shuyu to bring out another trump card to save their lives.

Dou Changsheng had been on the run with Cui Shuyu all along, and he knew that the bigger the tree, the more the wind would blow against him, but he still did it. Not only did he want Cui Shuyu's treasure, but he also thought that the Black Ice Guard might not be able to save him.

Since his own value was not as high as Cui Shuyu's, he stayed by Cui Shuyu's side, waiting for the Black Ice Platform to make a move so that he could be rescued.

Cui Shuyu also came to her senses and understood Dou Changsheng's meaning. She couldn't help but look at her short, chubby hands. Finally, she gritted her teeth again and again. Her fingers were already at her lips, but she still didn't dare to take a bite.

Dou Changsheng was stunned by what he saw. He grabbed Cui Shuyu's hand and, without realizing it, produced a dagger. He slashed Cui Shuyu's finger, and blood began to flow.

Cui Shuyu screamed in pain, quickly clutching her wound and saying, "It's no use."

"The blood of Emperor Yan flowing in my veins has long been imprisoned by my ancestors. It will never appear unless I do so. If I resist even slightly, it will all be in vain."

"Damn, this is really troublesome," Dou Changsheng cursed under his breath.

He hurriedly urged, "Your Excellency, please do it yourself!"

Cui Shuyu took a deep breath, and with a final, resolute decision, bit her other finger. A drop of golden blood appeared and fell into the palm-sized shield. The shield suddenly shone brightly, and pure gold began to expand until it covered the entire shield.

The shield was pure and clear, as if cast from gold. One magical rune after another began to emerge out of thin air, and finally the thirty-six runes intertwined and emanated a holy light.

The phoenix, soaring with outstretched wings, crashed head-on into a sacred barrier, producing a deafening metallic clang. Large bursts of intense sparks exploded and scattered like fireworks, leaving scorch marks on the ground.

The thirty-six magic runes intertwined, vaguely transforming into a divine rune. Xiang Jielong frowned upon seeing this. Cui Shuyu, this good-for-nothing, had actually condensed such pure Yan Emperor blood. The fourth-grade magic weapon in his hand, after its sublimation, was already vaguely about to transform into a divine weapon.

Of course, Xiang Jielong also knew that he couldn't get past this hurdle, because the Yan Emperor's blood had only temporarily boosted its power, but it was now very troublesome, as it was now equivalent to a quasi-divine artifact.

I underestimated Cui Shuyu. She's really hiding her true abilities. What does martial arts cultivation amount to?

Being fat first doesn't matter; being fat later can overwhelm the bed. As long as Emperor Yan's blood is pure enough, Cui Shuyu's ability to catch up is not a problem at all. If they had known he had this ability, how could the Black Ice Platform have targeted him?

Cui Shuyu's motives are impure; it seems she also intends to vie for the title of the next Yan Emperor.

This bastard acted too well, putting Xiang Jielong in a difficult position. Because Cui Shuyu's mouthful of blood was not only to save himself, but also a gesture of support, as he knew that the Cui family of Qinghe would definitely come to his rescue.

Suddenly, a man with a thin face and a long beard that flowed down his chest appeared.

With graying temples and a square scarf on his head, a three-foot-long sword danced around the man like a dragon. Each swing of the sword collided with the twelve-foot-long fire-tipped spear, sparking brilliant fireballs and terrifying aftershocks that swept in all directions.

A powerful stranger appeared and blocked Xiang Jielong's advance. At the same time, he said to Dou Changsheng, "Nephew Changsheng, do not be afraid."

"With Uncle Nine here, no one can hurt you."

Xiang Jielong's hand, gripping the twelve-foot-long fire-tipped spear, trembled incessantly. He knew that the best opportunity had already passed, and the unfamiliar powerful figure before him was definitely not from Chu, but must be from Qin.

Xiang Jielong was filled with regret. He regretted that his will was not strong enough, which allowed him to be influenced by the Seven Emotions Heavenly Skill. He also regretted that he had not listened to Xiong Fangchu's advice earlier and started taking action sooner.

Xiong Fangchu sighed helplessly and immediately urged, "Let's go."

"We can't stay in Lang County any longer. The three of us are no match for the power of an entire county. If we don't leave now, we won't be able to leave."

"We've gone to the neighboring county to redeploy troops. We haven't lost yet; there's still a chance to salvage the situation."

"As long as Lang County is pacified quickly, the Great Chu will not be thrown into chaos."