Demon Slaying, Gaining 60 Years of Cultivation From the Start

"Cao Ying!" Luo Feng said solemnly.

"Cao Ying?" Hearing this name, Gu Chen was instantly puzzled, unable to recall who this person was.

Mainly because he had killed too many people, and there was no way he could remember the name of each person who had died by his hand.

Seeing this, Luo Feng also felt somewhat helpless and explained, "Brother Gu, this Cao Ying is Cao Zhen's guard, sent by Marquis of Pingxi to protect Cao Zhen's safety."

Upon hearing this, Gu Chen suddenly saw the light and realized who Cao Ying was.

On his journey from Tiandu to Qiongtian Mansion, Cao Ying had led a group of men to ambush him, all of whom Gu Chen had subsequently cut down.

Considering that it was Cao Ying who had placed a bounty on him at the Bloody Garment Tower, it could not possibly be Cao Ying's own idea but had to be a mission assigned by Cao Zhen.

As such, Gu Chen felt that Cao Zhen's death was indeed deserved, as he had harbored the intention to kill him early on.

Seeing Gu Chen's nonchalant expression, Luo Feng reminded him, "Brother Gu, you should not take this lightly. No matter how you see it, in the eyes of Marquis of Pingxi, you cannot be separated from Cao Zhen's death, especially since Cao Zhen had a grudge against you while he was alive."

After saying these words, Luo Feng looked deeply at Gu Chen. He had also been investigating the grievances between Gu Chen and Cao Zhen during this time and knew Gu Chen's character all too well. If Luo Feng were to believe Cao Ying's death had nothing to do with Gu Chen, that would be utterly implausible. Discover exclusive tales on empire

At his words, Gu Chen's brows also furrowed, as he could clearly discern Luo Feng's thoughts. After all, Luo Feng hadn't concealed anything. If even Luo Feng could guess that Cao Zhen's death was probably related to Gu Chen, then even more so could the inscrutable Marquis of Pingxi.

Gu Chen now wondered whether the Marquis of Pingxi also believed that he had intentionally caused Cao Zhen's death.

Or, to put it another way, after investigating the course of events, could the Marquis of Pingxi discern that the primary cause of Cao Zhen's death lay with Gu Chen?

This was a point Gu Chen had to consider.

After all, the Marquis of Pingxi was very powerful. Although he was usually stationed at the border, he had many supporters in the court. Moreover, not to mention other aspects, the border territory of Yan State alone had been fortified into an impregnable fortress under his rule. Even the governor of Yan State would not necessarily carry more weight than the Marquis of Pingxi within that domain.

It could be said that there, the Marquis of Pingxi was akin to a king, an emperor of the soil, and he alone dictated everything about the border. Additionally, he commanded hundreds of thousands of loyal and elite troops, making his might formidable indeed.

Further, the martial cultivation of the Marquis of Pingxi himself was not weak; he was at the very least at the Returning to True Stage and quite possibly higher, reaching the realm of a martial arts grandmaster.

However, since the Emperor of Da Xia had gone into seclusion, it had been quite some time since the Marquis of Pingxi had come to Shen Zhou to report his duties, and very few were privy to his current state of affairs.

Gu Chen had seen certain files regarding the Marquis of Pingxi in the Jing Tian Department and knew that this man was deep and cunning, brutal and ruthless. Should he learn that Gu Chen had killed his only legitimate son, he would certainly not let Gu Chen off the hook.

Not taking action now could only mean that the right opportunity had not yet arrived.

Gu Chen's brows knitted slightly. If it were not for Luo Feng's explicit warning, Gu Chen would never have thought that such a powerful enemy was already lying in wait for him in the shadows.

But even if Gu Chen were given a chance to do it all over again, to return to that pivotal moment, he would show no hesitation and make the same choice as before to kill Cao Zhen.

After all, at that time, Cao Zhen was too great a threat. If Gu Chen were to leave Tiandu, Cao Zhen would undoubtedly find a way to target his second uncle, Gu Chengfeng, and his family.

And Gu Chen, as the Metropolitan Procurator of the Jing Tian Department, could not possibly stay by his second uncle's family's side at all times.

Furthermore, at the time, Cao Zhen already had intentions against Gu Chen and wanted him dead. If Gu Chen had not taken the initiative to strike first, it might have been him lying dead once Cao Zhen had made all preparations.

"Brother Gu, Marquis of Pingxi is no ordinary individual. According to the information from my Red Dust Tower, he has been accumulating strength over the years and seems to be secretly preparing for something. You must be extremely cautious in all matters," Luo Feng warned with a grave expression.

Gu Chen nodded. He was clearly aware of the threat the Marquis of Pingxi posed. However, he was now at the height of his power in the Jing Tian Department, not only having achieved great merits but also having demonstrated his formidable talent. Without concrete evidence, the Marquis of Pingxi could not simply act against him, and neither the Jing Tian Department nor Da Xia would agree to it.

The Marquis of Pingxi certainly would not be so foolish as to start a conflict with Da Xia over the matter of Gu Chen.

The reason he had sent his only legitimate son to Tiandu, besides wanting Cao Zhen to build his own network in preparation for the future, was a reluctant necessity.

It was because he had repeatedly delayed his visits to the capital, raising suspicions among many of Da Xia's ministers and power brokers, even including the crown prince.

After all, with the current Emperor in seclusion, the undercurrents were already turbulent, and with the emergence of Six Union God Sect, the situation in the nine provinces had become even more complex and unpredictable. If the Marquis of Pingxi had ulterior motives, it would be a severe blow to Da Xia.

If the Emperor were present, the Marquis of Pingxi naturally would not, and could not afford to have other intentions, but now, with the Emperor absent and the Marquis wielding significant power, stationed at the border and epitomizing the adage 'an army abroad may disobey the sovereign's orders,' what he wished to do was beyond Da Xia's immediate knowledge.

Perhaps the Marquis of Pingxi was also aware of Da Xia's wariness towards him, so he sent his only son to Tiandu in time. To speak less favorably, Cao Zhen's arrival in Tiandu was akin to that of a hostage, albeit one with high status whom nobody was willing to provoke.

But should the Marquis of Pingxi dare to betray Da Xia, then Cao Zhen's life could be at stake.

And now, with Cao Zhen dead, the Marquis of Pingxi had lost his restraint, which was why King Huai had claimed he would personally resolve the matter in the court.

Now in all of Da Xia, apart from the Tower Supervisor of Qintian Monitor, only King Huai could suppress the Marquis of Pingxi.

As for the Jing Tian Department and the Mingjing Department, the Marquis of Pingxi knew that the Jing Tian Department oversaw the whole land and had no time to deal with him amidst the current turmoil. And as for the Mingjing Department, with his vast army, they wouldn't find it easy to confront him, unless one of the four great Procurators took action.

Of course, the primary reason was that the grand commander of Jing Tian Department and the Tower Supervisor of Mingjing Department were not present.

All in all, the Marquis of Pingxi would definitely not act against Gu Chen in the short term, at least not overtly. Privately, Gu Chen was not too concerned.

Despite the strength of the Marquis of Pingxi, Yan State and Shen Zhou belonged to two different major states, separated by vast distances, making it not as easy as imagined to harm Gu Chen in secret.

In the end, it was all about time. As long as Gu Chen had time, he firmly believed that he could fear no one.

At this moment, Gu Chen looked toward Luo Feng and said, "You just said there are two people who have placed a bounty on me at Red Dust Tower, one is Cao Ying, who is the other?"

Luo Feng heard this and replied, "I don't know the exact identity of the other person; he has concealed it very well. All I know is that there's a very high chance that this individual is from a local power within Qiongtian Mansion."

At Luo Feng's words, a trace of cold light flashed in Gu Chen's eyes. With what Luo Feng had said, he had a vague guess as to who else might have placed a bounty on him through Red Dust Tower, besides Cao Ying.

If there were no surprises, it was quite likely the Sunset Sword Sect!

Only the Sunset Sword Sect had the guts and capability to contact Red Dust Tower and dare to issue a bounty against him.

"Brother Gu has a suspicion?" Luo Feng looked at Gu Chen and asked.

Gu Chen said indifferently, "It's highly likely."

To be honest, Gu Chen was somewhat thankful to Luo Feng. If it wasn't for Luo Feng, he would have had no way to find out that these two parties had placed a bounty on him at Red Dust Tower.

Gu Chen had considered informing the Jing Tian Department about this, but Cao Ying was already dead, and Cao Zhen was dead too. The matter had nothing to do with the Marquis of Pingxi, and the imperial court would not see fit to question the Marquis of Pingxi over his case. They would consider it good enough not to question Gu Chen himself.

And as for the Sunset Sword Sect, without solid evidence, the Jing Tian Department would not easily take action against such a top power in the nine provinces.

Especially at this sensitive juncture, if they were to go to war with the Sunset Sword Sect, the Jing Tian Department would definitely be distracted, allowing demons and evil spirits to take advantage.

Of course, if Gu Chen could find conclusive evidence that it was the people of the Sunset Sword Sect who had placed a bounty on him through Red Dust Tower, then the Jing Tian Department would strike with the speed of lightning. Without evidence, the Department's actions would lack legitimacy and would invite questions from all across the land.

At that time, the Six Union God Sect might come out to stir the pot.

Since the Human Emperor entered seclusion, and with the Six Union God Sect reemerging while the calamity of demons and evil spirits worsened, the Jing Tian Department was no longer what it used to be.

It was entangled in far too many matters.

Gu Chen's expression was stern, his gaze deep. One day, he would personally ascend to the Sunset Sword Sect and shatter their gates.

"This time, I truly thank you," Gu Chen sincerely thanked Luo Feng and said, "Should you ever need my assistance in the future, just say the word."

Upon hearing this, Luo Feng immediately laughed heartily and said, "Brother Gu, then I won't hold back."

Gu Chen neither agreed nor disagreed, simply saying, "Of course, that's no problem, but that's for later. For now, you still need to tell me the locations of Red Dust Tower's thirteen strongholds in Qiongtian Mansion."

Immediately afterward, Luo Feng restrained his smile, took out a map, and pointed out to Gu Chen the locations of Red Dust Tower's thirteen strongholds within Qiongtian Mansion one by one.

"Red Dust Tower really has some nerve!" After Luo Feng finished pointing them out, Gu Chen's brows immediately lifted, his eyes filled with a chilling intent.

No other reason but that within Qiongtian City itself, there was a stronghold of Red Dust Tower lying right under the nose of the city lord's mansion.

It had to be said, the most dangerous place is often the safest. It seemed that many within Red Dust Tower were deeply aware of this principle.

"Wait here for me, I'll be back shortly."

After leaving these words, Gu Chen went back to the inner room to change his clothes, then directly sought the head of Qiongtian Mansion, Wen Ziyun, explained his intent, and requested him to mobilize the troops to annihilate Red Dust Tower.

Wen Ziyun had been dead drunk the previous night, just managed to get out of bed with the help of his maidservants today, and was washing up when Gu Chen arrived, giving him quite the fright.

Upon hearing that Gu Chen wanted to eradicate Red Dust Tower, Wen Ziyun naturally agreed at once and sent word to the garrison troops of Qiongtian City, all of whom were to follow Gu Chen's command.

Gu Chen, acting decisively, saw that Wen Ziyun had agreed and left at once.

In truth, even if Gu Chen were to act alone, with his current strength, he could single-handedly eliminate Red Dust Tower's stronghold. But now that there were troops available, there was no need for him to do everything himself.

Watching Gu Chen depart, Wen Ziyun murmured, "This Lord Gu really can't sit still. Can't go a day without stirring something up, can you?"

After saying this, he shook his head and continued to freshen up with the help of his maidservants, still suffering from a hangover headache.

At that moment, Wen Ziyun truly appreciated the benefits of having a decent level of martial arts cultivation — at least having a strong body meant no hangovers would occur.

Meanwhile, Gu Chen, dressed in dark robes, with sword-like brows over sharp eyes and a long sword at his waist, promptly left the city lord's mansion with Luo Feng in tow.

Outside the city lord's mansion, the garrison troops ordered by Wen Ziyun acted swiftly. Soon, dozens of soldiers gathered there, following Gu Chen's instruction that not too many were needed; these were enough. Wen Ziyun naturally carried out any command from Gu Chen unquestioningly — whatever Gu Chen said, he did.

"Move out!"

Gu Chen's face was steely as he mounted his horse, his hair flying in the wind. He waved his hand to signal the order, and instantly, the dozens of soldiers moved with remarkable precision, following behind Gu Chen.