"I’m not sure."
Chang Yi put on a respectful expression, eager for an explanation.
"Remember what I just taught you all? What’s the most important thing when hunting for Demons?" Gong Yue asked, his voice like that of a kind elder, patiently guiding him.
"Create an opening?"
Chang Yi ignored the envious looks from his colleagues. His gaze fell upon the hand resting on his shoulder, and his eyes slowly narrowed.
His entire body tensed, and his mind raced.
A moment later, driven by instinct, a white stream of light shot from his fingertips as he lunged for the man’s neck without hesitation.
At the same time, Gong Yue’s voice, tinged with a smile, echoed where he stood.
"Here, let me teach you how to create that opening."
He ignored the feeble Moonlight Claw Technique, casually raising a knee and slamming it into Chang Yi’s abdomen.
CRACK!
Before a Core Formation Cultivator, Chang Yi was no different than an ant. This was true even after he had consumed numerous Elixirs from the Demon-slaying Bureau and reached the very threshold of Foundation Establishment.
Gong Yue hadn’t even used his Spiritual Power, yet the young man was instantly rendered powerless.
He grabbed the young man’s hair and jerked his face, contorted in pain, upward. "Nephew of a Demon," he sneered, "thinking you can earn merit by hunting your own kind? We dug into ten generations of your family history before you even set foot in the Demon-slaying Bureau."
"Brother Gong," one of the Captains said softly, a troubled look on his face, "we already recruited him. There’s no sense in picking fights now."
"Today, let this be a lesson for all of you. We are constables of the Demon-slaying Bureau. When it comes to finding a Demon, nothing is off-limits."
Gong Yue casually produced the Demon-Binding Rope and, with a flick of his wrist, bound the dark-faced young man. "A Demon’s nephew is a Demon himself. No mercy is required."
His gaze swept over the new recruits.
Everyone’s face was deathly pale. They stood frozen in place, as if struck by lightning.
Wang Hong had always found the guy to be a bit of a killjoy, but after eating and living with him for so long... A sharp gasp escaped him. Seeing Chang Yi on the verge of death, Wang Hong’s eyes went wide, a lump forming in his throat.
Soon, the dark-faced young man was thrown among the recruits.
"Find a tall tree and hang him from it. Draw his blood and scatter it around. Leave two men to watch him. Give him water and rice—don’t let him die."
Under Gong Yue’s chilling gaze, the terrified recruits finally stirred, their minds in turmoil.
Just as he had said, once you created an opening, finding other Demons became much easier.
After the recruits dispersed, the other Captains approached. "Brother Gong, are you certain his aunt is hiding here?"
At this, Gong Yue simply raised an eyebrow. "She’s fleeing toward the Border Region, so she might be here. It’s worth a shot. We’ll just keep searching as planned."
His nonchalant tone left the other Captains stunned for a moment. They then shook their heads with a sigh of grim admiration.
’Perhaps you really do need that kind of no-holds-barred personality to be qualified to fight those vicious Demons.’
’If anyone’s to blame, it’s the Demons themselves.’
「Within the Qingming Demon General’s territory. At the foot of a low, open mountain.」
Monkey sat sprawled majestically atop a pile of firewood. Below him, a few Little Demons were forcibly holding a red-faced man to the ground.
"You’ve been sneaking around out there for ages."
"Speak! Are you a spy for the Demon-slaying Bureau!"
He stood up, brandishing the Demon Slaying Saber in his hand. "One lie, and I’ll lop your head right off!"
The Group of Demons had plenty of spies inside Yongzhou Pass, so they were well aware that the Demon-slaying Bureau was on its way.
Elder Xu was taking Chen Xiangzhu’s corpse to the Great Shun to trade with a Demon Monarch for resources.
So he had temporarily entrusted them to the Qingming Demon General.
Although the beautiful Demon General wouldn’t go out of her way to protect these Little Demons, at least they had a temporary place to stay.
"His name is Lu Yun. He is Chen Xiangzhu’s disciple."
Just then, two graceful female figures slowly approached from the distance.
Xie Yutang frequented Shihu City, so she recognized the man with ease.
"Chen Xiangzhu’s disciple? And you still dare run to the Demon Mountain? Even she’s dead, and you’re on the verge of Demon Transformation yourself."
As Monkey spoke, he suddenly had a thought and scratched the back of his head. "Wait, don’t tell me he’s here to defect to the Demon Mountain?"
The other Little Demons quickly yanked the gag from the man’s mouth. "Quick, talk! What are you doing here?"
COUGH! COUGH! COUGH!
Lu Yun choked and coughed violently, his face a mask of grief and indignation.
’The legends about the ferocity of Demons are true after all. They actually gagged me and interrogated me for two whole hours...’
"I came here to surrender, but I’ve changed my mind! Because you... all of you... you’re all insane!"
Pinned to his knees, he roared at the demons around him.
"Hey, brother, you have to understand. He’s not all there."
Monkey hopped down from the woodpile and pointed to an old man whose head was missing a chunk.
With Xie Yutang to vouch for his identity, there was no need for further interrogation. As long as he wasn’t from the Demon-slaying Bureau, no disciple would dare spy on the Demon Mountain.
Besides, with Chen Xiangzhu having just died, they only needed to hold him for a week or two and he would inevitably undergo Demon Transformation.
"Come on, tell us your sad story. Give the brothers a good laugh," Monkey said as he untied the red-faced man.
Clearly, everyone present had personally experienced the sting of being abandoned by their Master.
Lu Yun wasn’t about to say a word. This group of Demons was nothing like he had imagined, completely different from what he’d expected.
Just as the crowd was starting to jeer, a few of the Qingming Demon General’s subordinate Little Demons walked in.
"How strange. The Demon-slaying Bureau is fighting amongst themselves."
"It’s not really infighting. That dark-faced kid they strung up isn’t even an official Captain."
"Oh, you’re the expert! I just don’t get it. They’re clearly using him as bait, but who in their right mind would try to rescue someone from the Demon-slaying Bureau?"

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