“Minister Wang, I have found a substantial amount of blood at the canyon, which is suspected to be remains of a Feral Emperor!”


  Pei Donglai exclaimed as he flew towards him. “It seems that Jiang He had been in pursuit of the sacred beast sentinel, splashing blood down on the ground after slaying it high above.”


  Then, Three Blades Lin arrived with a dark look as well. “I found two corpses and they must have been the Cardinals of the Sky Demon Cult. One died to a sword wound which pierced his heart from the back while Jiang He was in pursuit.”


  “The other one is a little horrible—Jiang He punched through his chest entirely.”


  Puzzled, Three Blades Lin asked uncertainly, “It is actually good news if Jiang He killed both the Cardinals of the Sky Demon Cult, so what’s with that scowl on your face?”


  “What the……”


  Three Blades Lin was about to resort to profanity, but when he remembered that it was his very own grandfather who was asking, he promptly composed himself and calmly said, “These two cardinals would have been equal to me in combat strength, with both of them being divine-tempest pinnacle. In other words, the kid whom I had gone to Lingzhou specifically to protect just twenty days ago has become perfectly capable of killing me in just the blink of an eye……how could I be happy here?”


  Lin Tianzheng was taken aback at first……

  But soon, he laughed insincerely.

  Nearby, Pei Donglai and Wang Hou started laughing as well after they heard that.

  Still, their astonished spirits recovered slightly.

  Three Blades Lin was speechless. What was so funny about that?

  “Why are you laughing?” he muttered. “Jiang He first slayed the Golden-Winged Roc, then the Dragoncroc Emperor, and now even the sacred beast sentinel of the Sky Demon Cult. Or could any of you be stronger than the sacred beast sentinel or the Dragoncroc Emperor?”


  There was silence once he said that.

  Lin Tianzheng traded glances with Wang Hou, unable to say anything for quite a while.

  Then, Three Blades Lin added more fuel to fire and said, “Moreover, according to the undercover agents, Jiang He had left in pursuit of the Saint of the Sky Demon Cult and did not return. I have a hunch that he must have died by Jiang He’s hand too.”


  Even as he spoke, he deliberately shot Wang Hou a look, leaving him scowling.

  He immediately understood Three Blades Lin’s meaning……the Saint of the Sky Demon Cult had wounded Wang Hou just a few days ago and yet somehow ended up being killed by Jiang He now. As such, the gap between them was very obvious.

  Without saying a word, Jiang He quietly took out his phone and gave Zhou Yu a call.

  The general gist was……

  To belay the earlier orders: the redirected elites did not have to come.

  Moreover, they must arrange for other elites to start a search in the Miaojiang province in pursuit of the Sky Demon Cultists who had fled.

  After that, he tried to call Jiang He again, but his phone remained not within the service area. So, he simply said, “Let us look carefully. The Sky Demon Cult has deep pockets and they must have a treasure vault as well as a Secret Realm……”


  ***

  While Wang Hou and the others were busy searching everywhere across the great canyon where the base of the Sky Demon Cult was located, Jiang He was very busy back home as well.

  He only fell asleep after the sun got up.

  Sleeping all the way until four in the afternoon and waking up invigorated, he found that Sora had prepared food after washing up.

  It was a shame that he had not ground the rice he planted yesterday down to rice grains, which was why he was still eating normal rice today.

  After finishing his food, Jiang He took out a bottle of rank-nine Origin Fluid and took a few sips before he went to sit at the sofa, taking a break before going out to the farm for a look.

  As he leaned back on his sofa, he whipped out his phone from his System Backpack.

  But just as he took it out, it started ringing.

  It was Three Blades Lin.

  Jiang He frowned. Why would Old Lin be calling?

  Nonetheless, he answered albeit after waiting for several seconds, smiling as he asked, “Why would you call me suddenly, Old Lin? By the way, where is Bro Lin? Has he been well?”


  Back at the base of the Sky Demon Cult, located deep inside the great canyon in Miaojiang, Three Blades Lin had been a little thrilled when his call was answered, but what Jiang He had said left him feeling as if Jiang He dumped a bucket of water that Jiang He had used to wash his own feet right into his face.

  After appearing taken aback for a moment, he then seethed, “Are you really taking advantage of that, Jiang He?”


  “Why would I?”


  Jiang He laughed out loud.

  Damn it!

  Three Blades Lin really wanted to duel Jiang He to the death then.

  Not only did you address me as ‘bro’, but my grandfather too—did you think that is appropriate?

  That said, others would certainly find that inappropriate……and Three Blades Lin was actually fine with that. It was certainly better than becoming grandson, was it not?

  Then, catching a glimpse of the dark look on Lin Tianzheng’s face, Three Blades Lin promptly changed the topic and said, “Jiang He, Minister Wang, my grandfather, and Commander Pei are standing at the base of the Sky Demon Cult right now. We found a treasure vault and a Secret Realm, and Minister Wang intends for you to collect them since you wiped out the Sky Demon Cult single-handedly.”


  Treasure vault?

  Secret Realm?

  On the sofa, Jiang He’s eyes lit up and he said, “Alright, I’ll be coming over right now.”


  After slaying the Saint of the Sky Demon Cult last night, he had been rushing home to sleep and searching for a treasure vault never crossed his mind. And one should know that he had been gunning for the Sky Demon Cult’s Secret World for quite some time.

  To be precise, the ‘sun and the moon’ in the Secret Realm.

  Of course, Jiang He was uncertain if those stuff existed in the Sky Demon Cult’s Secret Realm.

  “I am hoping I would not be let down here…… Moreover, the giant snake in the Sky Demon Cult wielded a daemon weapon too, just as the black robes, golden mask, and even the crescent blades of the Saint of the Sky Demon Cult were all mystic treasures—perhaps there would be more in the treasure vault.”


  Jiang He got up and rushed to the farm at that.

  He harvested the dozens of Doom Shrooms that had matured before heading off to Miaojiang.

  ‘If I move quickly, the next batch of Doom Shrooms would mature by the time I get back……’ Up in the skies, Jiang He thought to himself as he traveled with Royal Sword Flight while arranging his schedule.

  The sky demons would be arriving in a matter of ten days.

  Time was short and every second must be used well to improve his personal ability.

  ‘I need to spare some time.’


  ‘Stating from today and until I take down the Sky Demon Legion, I’ll sleep five……or maybe three hours less every day.’


  Jiang He thought about it.

  He would be sleeping around six to seven hours if he were to sleep three hours less. The specific timeframe was uncertain, since his sleep quality had been lacking—there was no order to when he wakes up and when he falls asleep, and he would usually just sleep after dozing off until he woke up naturally……

  At times, he slept up to fourteen hours, or just eight hours before waking up all on his own.

  ***

  Swish!

  Sword radiance cut through the skies.

  Standing atop the Scarlet Flame Sword, Jiang He had a grim look on his face.

  The Sky Demons must die!

  They founded the Sky Demon Cult that were bent on killing him every other day, bothering him so grievously. And now, after he got rid of them after much difficulty, the Sky Demon Legion was about to reach Earth.

  Soon, Jiang He arrived at the outback of Miaojiang.

  As he looked at the rubble that the ten Doom Shrooms left, Jiang He suddenly got an idea. ‘The Sky Demons must pass through the Stargate if they want to descend upon Earth, so could I blow the Stargate up instead?’


  His head went into action at once.

  ‘With my strength alone, it would be definitely impractical if I tried killing my way into the Stargate and snipe the Sky Demon Legion. So, I would have to target the Stargate instead.’


  ‘If they could only come through it, wouldn’t they be unable to enter if the Stargate was blown off?’


  Jiang He thought that the idea was very viable then.

  The only problem was that there is no telling how tough the Stargate was……how many yields of Doom Shroom would he need?

  “The Stargate must have a limit in durability!”


  “At worst, I could try throwing a few more Doom Shrooms…… I will throw ten to start with and if I fail, I will throw fifty, and then one hundred if fifty fails……heck, I would throw five hundred Doom Shrooms if one hundred still isn’t enough!”


  Jiang He breathed a long sigh.

  In truth, that solved the problem but not the cause—in the end, if the Sky Demons were able to open the first Stargate, they definitely could open a second and a third. He certainly could not keep blowing them up, could he?

  Therefore, the best solution was to counter-invade when the Sky Demons opened the Stargate, kill his way through them. After slaying enough Sky Demon champions, they definitely would not dare to invade anymore.

  “Though that idea would leave no future problems, implementing it is exceedingly difficult.”


  “Though I am powerful, I am still a martial arts newbie with only two months’ worth of experience, and a one-month novice of Immortal Arts. Would my strength alone be able to repel the forces of an entire extraterrestrial force?”


  Even as the thought crossed his mind, Jiang He flew into the canyon.

  Several figures flew towards him from the deeper reaches then.

  As the four elites—Wang Hou, Lin Tianzheng, Three Blades Lin and Pei Donglai—sensed Jiang He’s arrival, they personally went to greet him. In fact, Wang Hou bowed, offering Jiang He a fist-palm salute and prostrating himself reverently.

  Jiang He quickly went to him and pulled him up, exclaiming, “What are you doing, Minister Wang?”


  “The Sky Demon Cult has plagued the Hua Nation for years. But now, you have rooted them out entire with your strength alone, and that deserves my gratitude.” Wang Hou appeared solemn.

  Jiang He was left a little embarrassed at that.

  To tell the truth, Jiang He had no thoughts about serving the country and the people.

  After all, he had no such profound ideals. All he wanted to was live in peace and quiet as he farmed without having to worry about being ambushed when he slept, ate, walked the streets, or even went to the toilet.

  Then, following a few exchanges, the party landed.

  Jiang He cut straight to the point and asked, “Where is the Sky Demon Cult’s Secret Realm, Minister Wang?”


  Wang Hou led the way, guiding Jiang He into the huge temple.

  He had discovered how to unlock the Secret Realm and was able to quickly open it.

  Once inside, Jiang He looked up to find a great sun hanging high up in the air. Curiously, however, it was shining in a gray radiance, blanketing the entire Secret Realm in a sheet of gray.

  When he imagined hanging a gray sun in his farm, Jiang He almost threw up!

  Damn it!

  Jiang He cursed before looking at Wang Hou and asked, “Minister Wang, do you want this Secret Realm?”


  Eh?

  Wang Hou did a double take, unable to react immediately……

  What does that mean?

  Do we want it?

  Nonsense! Who wouldn’t want a Secret Realm?

  Possessing this meant an unending stream of elites groomed. As a matter of fact, the Five Great Holy Grounds of martial arts had survived for so long because they each possessed a Secret Realm.

  Indeed, aside from the martial clans to possess legacies dating from the Old Martial Era, martial schools, as well as the many providences and Heritage Sites found in the Revival of Qi, the Hua Nation was able to groom so many martial elites thanks to Wang Hou securing a Heritage Site himself.

  Of course……

  The legacies of martial art cultivations were vital too.

  Still, that was not an issue for Jiang He at all. His strength alone was entirely capable of founding clans and schools, and possessing this Secret Realm could mean it would end up as another Holy Ground for martial arts.

  After a while, Wang Hou came to his senses and exclaimed a little agitatedly, “Jiang He……are you saying that you’re giving me this Secret Realm?”


  Jiang He was speechless.

  Do you take this stuff for walnuts?

  “Not give, sell.”


  Jiang He said, “The Secret Realm is useless to me and could be sold to the country for grooming martial artists, although we can save the specifics for later……by the way, where is the treasure vault of the Sky Demon Cult? Could you lead me there?”


  With that, Wang Hou guided Jiang He to the treasure vault.

  There were many combat armor and medicinal pellets there, along with other curious novelties, floral spirits, and cultivation manuals.

  And yet, Jiang He needed none of those things—after a glancing scan with his spirit and ascertaining that there was neither mystic treasures or daemon weapons in there, he could not help cursing in disappointment……”What the hell? Is the Sky Demon Cult that poor?”


  Still, he quickly came to a realization before he was done cursing.

  Wait a minute……

  Daemonic weapons and mystic treasures were far more valuable than anything that could be found inside this treasure vault.

  Perhaps the Saint of the Sky Demon Cult carried them with her!

  He promptly took out her corpse from his System Backpack with a wave of his hand and simply threw it on the ground.

  After a glance, he could not help exclaiming in surprise, “The Saint of the Sky Demon Cult was actually a woman?”


  ***

  The Saint of the Sky Demon Cult appeared to be resting in peace.

  With her spirit and consciousness having been vanquished by Jiang He’s Twenty-Three Swords technique, there was not a single wound left on her body at all. In fact, her corpse appeared very much alive, and it was as if she had merely fallen asleep.

  Her facial features were as exquisite as ever. The black silk she was wearing accentuated her stunning figure and it was obvious she had been a great beauty when she was alive.

  Shocked, Wang Hou turned towards Jiang He and exclaimed, “Jiang He, do you really not know the gender of the Saint of the Sky Demon Cult when you were the one who killed her?”


  Jiang He felt pained right then.

  I would know……my foot!

  After eating a pepper at the time, and then assuming its side effects had become worse when he thought the Saint of the Sky Demon Cult was very hot, he quickly ended her with Twenty-Three Swords and stuffed her inside his System Backpack. How was he supposed to know her gender when he only checked now?

  And was he supposed to tell Wang Hou about the entire course of events?

  No way.

  Keeping a straight face, Jiang He laughed. “The clouds were too thick last night and everything was pitch-black. Moreover, I killed her too quickly and destroyed her spirit and consciousness with a single stroke, so I did not actually see if she was a man or a woman.”


  Wang Hou suddenly felt very miserable right then.

  Nonetheless, he put on a strong face and smiled, while Jiang He had already dropped to a crouch and carefully studied the corpse of the Saint of the Sky Demon Cult. After he stretched out his hand to stroke her cheeks a few times and even pinching them to ensure it was not a disguise, he said, “Before this, I assumed that she was a Sky Demon when I heard the way she spoke. Could it be that she actually was not a Sky Demon?”


  “Oh?”


  Wang Hou shifted his gaze then as he asked hesitantly, “What would you think that?”


  “Aside from the Saint of the Sky Demon Cult, I’ve killed all four of their cardinals as well. Every single one of them had been baptized at the Holy Lake, and parts of their body had turned into Sky Demon.”


  “Their faces were grotesque and their skin a steel blueness. Moreover, they also had fangs and nails that resembled the Chinese zombies spoken of in legends, although the Saint of the Sky Demon Cult was no different from a normal human.”


  Wang Hou mused to himself for a long while when a lightbulb lit in his head, having thought of something. “We can’t actually tell for certain,” he said. “From what I’ve read in some of the ancient text that I procured from the Five Holy Grounds, the brief mentions about the Sky Demons assert that were an incredible great race from beyond the skies, and that they maintain a very strict guard over their bloodline hierarchy. While ordinary Sky Demons would definitely look ugly, their royals appeared no different from normal humans.”


  “You have information about the Sky Demons?” Jiang He exclaimed in delight then. “Could you give me a copy of that?”


  Still, he soon became perplexed and added, “Minister Wang, the Stargate has yet to be opened and logically speaking, the Sky Demons should not be able to descend. So how did the Saint of the Sky Demon Cult managed to make her way to Earth?”


  “Around five to six hundred years ago, the Sky Demons had once invaded Earth. She might be a remnant that had survived from back then.”


  And that was about the only plausible explanation.

  Five to six hundred years ago was by coincidence the age where the Old Martial Era had fallen to decline. Perhaps the decline of that period had something to do with the invasion of the Sky Demons?

  If the opportunity arose, there should be a conversation held with the people from the Five Holy Grounds—those people just might know something.

  Then, noticing a rather old but ordinary ring that the Saint of the Sky Demon Cult Was wearing on her finger, Jiang He took it off and studied it closely.

  “A Spatial Ring……” He could not help exclaiming in delight.

  Shedding a drop of blood to refine the item, and use his spirit to look into the Spatial Ring.

  The Void Storage it held was not actually vast and just around a hundred squared meters. Aside from daily necessities and clothes, there was also a pile of Orirocks—it was not much, just around 300 of them.

  Besides those, there were three weapons: two swords and a blade.

  The blade was a blood-colored combat blade of outstanding quality. Still, it was no mystic treasure, but a weapon from the Old Martial Era.

  On the other hand, both swords were mystic treasures!

  Delight showed on Jiang He’s face, though just as he was about to say something, there was another change in his expression. Drawing one of the blades that was breathing out blackened Demonic Qi, he gasped in surprise, muttering, “The aura flowing from this sword is a little familiar……”


  “Minister Wang, did the Saint of the Sky Demon Cult stab you the other day with this sword?”


  Wang Hou was speechless.