Demon Slaying, Gaining 60 Years of Cultivation From the Start

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The setting sun dipped below the horizon, leaving a smear of twilight red as blood across the sky.

At this moment, Gu Chen transformed into a dazzling beam of light, streaking across the heavens like a meteor, rushing to Tiandu at the greatest speed.

"Halt, who goes there!"

By the time he arrived in front of the gates of Tiandu, Gu Chen was surprised to find that the usually crowded city, with its endless stream of people entering and exiting, was now completely deserted.

Furthermore, the gates of Tiandu were tightly shut, with rows of the Royal Sword Guard stationed on the city walls, each with a stern expression.

When the radiance dissipated and they could clearly see Gu Chen, they were utterly astonished.

"The... the Marquis of Wu'an?!" A soldier exclaimed. The commanding officer regarded Gu Chen with a wary eye and then, beckoning someone over, he spoke in a low voice.

After hearing the orders, the soldier quickly trotted away, clearly dispatched to report the news to his superiors.

Gu Chen's expression was icy. He had no time to waste at the city gates and spoke directly, "Open the gates!"

Hearing this, some soldiers hesitated, but the officer on the city wall, after pondering for a moment, waved a commanding hand and ordered, "Open the gates and let the Marquis of Wu'an in!"

Amidst a rumbling noise, the sealed gate opened and Gu Chen, draped in black garments, with a tall and sturdy frame, stepped through without any hesitation.

Creak!

As Gu Chen stepped inside, the gaping gates began to close slowly as if the maw of a ferocious beast were closing to swallow Gu Chen alive.

At this moment, Tiandu had already become a dragon's den and a tiger's lair, and yet Gu Chen had still come!

After entering Tiandu, Gu Chen quickly sensed that something was off with the atmosphere in the streets.

In the past, even the outer city was bustling with activity, the streets teeming with people, the cries of hawkers echoing through each alley. The population living within the city was extremely dense; calling it a constant flow of carriages and horses would not be an exaggeration.

But today was quite unusual compared to norms.

The atmosphere inside Tiandu was solemn, with few pedestrians in the streets, and even the hawkers were scarce. Many taverns and shops were closed.

The unprecedented lockdown of Tiandu in recent days had obviously made the citizens aware of something.

Add to this the nonstop patrols of the Royal Sword Guard, the air within Tiandu became heavier, a stark contrast to the usually lively vibes.

"Is that... the Marquis of Wu'an?"

"I'm not seeing things, am I? The Marquis of Wu'an has returned?"

"Wasn't the Marquis of Wu'an in Yan State dealing with the barbarians? Why has he returned to Tiandu?"

"That's great, the Marquis of Wu'an is back!"

At this moment, seeing Gu Chen in Tiandu, residents and warriors peeking through their windows started to whisper excitedly amongst each other.

Meanwhile, the patrolling Royal Sword Guards, having received the news, didn't dare to obstruct Gu Chen, allowing him to stride forward uninhibited.

It wouldn't take long for the news of Gu Chen's return to Tiandu to sweep through the city like a hurricane.

With Gu Chen's current status in the world, his appearance anywhere was bound to be the center of attention; it would be difficult not to attract notice.

Gu Chen wore a detached expression, his demeanor at that moment was cold and ruthless. His strides were purposeful, but he was not heading towards the imperial palace; instead, he was making his way to the prison.

Just now, through his conversation with Yuan Feng, he learned that his uncle, Gu Chengfeng, along with his wife Xu Qinge and daughter Gu Qingyan, had been imprisoned in the jail, awaiting their fate.

Upon hearing this news, Gu Chen's heart clenched. He was well aware of what kind of place the prison was. His uncle Gu Chengfeng could handle it, being a martial practitioner with cultivated skills.

But his aunt Xu Qinge and cousin Gu Qingyan were ordinary people, and females at that. How could they possibly endure the suffering of the prison?

Therefore, Gu Chen's first priority was to proceed to the jail and extract his uncle and his family.

"Lord Gu, halt!"

Just as Gu Chen was about to head for the jail, suddenly, a detachment of the Royal Sword Guard approached, stopping Gu Chen in his tracks.

Among them were several members of the Royal Sword Guard who were colleagues of Gu Chen's uncle, Gu Chengfeng. Seeing Gu Chen, they kept making meaningful eye contact, gesturing for him to leave Tiandu swiftly, the place fraught with danger.

Gu Chen's face showed no emotion as he looked at the leading officer and coolly asked, "You dare stop me?"

His tone was calm, showing neither joy nor anger, and his voice was not loud. Even so, upon hearing those words, the commanding officer couldn't help but shudder, feeling a genuine sense of fear deep within.

By now, Gu Chen's name was known far and wide. Although the news of his slaying of the barbarian army of half a million in Yan State hadn't completely spread due to the turmoil in Tiandu, just his existing titles alone were enough to send shivers down the spine of most people.

"Lord Gu, I am also under orders, and I hope you won't make things difficult," the commanding officer of the Royal Sword Guard said after taking a deep breath and bowing with clasped hands.

"Under orders, whose orders?" Gu Chen asked, his eyes deep and abyssal, as still as dead water, not creating the slightest ripple.

Below the calm exterior was a burning wrath within Gu Chen, ready to rip apart the heavens!

"King Huai!" The commanding officer didn't dare to hide the truth and promptly replied.

"You serve as the imperial palace's Royal Sword Guard, why would you obey King Huai? Where has the Emperor gone?" Gu Chen questioned.

"This…" The commanding officer hesitated. His cultivation was not weak, being a master of martial arts, but in Gu Chen's presence, let alone a master, even grandmasters and top-tier grandmasters were nothing to speak of.

Clearly, he had sworn allegiance to King Huai. In that case, there was nothing more to say.

"To betray the new Emperor and side with the rebel, you shall be executed!"

A glint of cold light flashed through Gu Chen's eyes. His black hair whipped around, but with no visible movement, a "puff" sound was heard, and in an instant, the head of the officer in front of him burst like a watermelon, spraying red and white all over the ground.

This scene immediately shocked the remaining Royal Sword Guard soldiers, with some trembling in fear.

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"Scram!"

With the lesson of the preceding events before their eyes, where would they dare to stay in front of Gu Chen? Except for the old brothers of his second uncle, Gu Chengfeng, the rest of the Forbidden Army all fled into the distance.

"How... Why would Marquis of Wuan want to kill the Forbidden Army? Could it be that he is plotting a rebellion?!" Some uninformed commoners spoke with disbelief on their faces.

"Don't speak nonsense. How many contributions has Marquis of Wuan made for Da Xia? How could he possibly betray Da Xia?"

"But then, what is this scene before our eyes?"

"Just now, Marquis of Wuan said that these Forbidden Army troops have betrayed the new Emperor. It seems like they have gone over to King Huai?"

"I heard it too, it seems to be the case."

At this moment, the commoners were all discussing fervently. The coup by King Huai was too quick and swift at the time, so the citizens of Tiandu only knew something big was happening but did not know what it was.

At this moment, the few old brothers of Gu Chengfeng looked at Gu Chen with troubled expressions. After hesitating for a long while, they finally approached and said, "Lord Gu, you shouldn't have come."

"King Huai has been preparing in Tiandu for some time now. This is a net, and he has been waiting for you to jump into it."

"You can still leave now. King Huai has joined forces with the six major holy places. Even the Tower Supervisor is no match for them. Lord Gu, you'd better leave quickly. As long as you remain alive, there's always hope."

These people were all urging him, but Gu Chen just shook his head in response to their words without saying anything.

Seeing Gu Chen's determined expression, the few of them obviously felt it was inappropriate to say more.

Afterward, Gu Chen took steps toward the inner city of Tiandu, where Da Xia's sky prison was located.

Along the way, there was no hindrance, but more and more Forbidden Army troops began to gather. Armed with weapons and shields, they all stood ready, watching Gu Chen intently.

And those uninformed commoners wore puzzled expressions, not knowing what had happened.

"Is Marquis of Wuan staging a rebellion?!"

At this moment, an untimely exclamation resounded, as one of the commoners covered his mouth, showing a face of shock.

Gu Chen paid no attention and continued straight towards the direction of the sky prison.

However, such comments aroused fierce debates like stones creating ripples in water, instantly stirring intense discussions.

"Could it be that the heightened alertness in Tiandu recently is all to deal with Marquis of Wuan?"

"But there's no reason for Marquis of Wuan to betray Da Xia, is there?"

"And the new Emperor, why hasn't he appeared? It's said that even the morning court sessions have been suspended recently."

As everyone discussed, Gu Chen, with an indifferent expression, had already arrived in front of the sky prison.

It was a black structure, from which one could faintly smell the blood seeping out.

In front of the building stood three elders. They hailed from the Vault of Sky Sword Sect, Burning Heaven Valley, and Mount Tianzhu, each possessing a mid-stage Coagulation Field martial cultivation.

Clearly, King Huai and his allies were unaware that Gu Chen had broken through to the mid-stage Coagulation Field.

After all, he had achieved this breakthrough during the battle with the barbarian high priest, Saranguis, and then had immediately returned to Tiandu. It was normal for them to be unaware.

At this moment, the three elders from the holy lands looked at Gu Chen with a playful expression, clearly thinking that with Gu Chen at the initial stage of Coagulation Field and with the three of them together, they would be more than capable of dealing with him.

"Move aside. I don't want to repeat myself a second time. Move, or die," Gu Chen said with an expressionless face.

"Gu Chen, your good days have come to an end. This time, no one will be able to protect you!" the three holy land elders said coldly.

Seeing this, Gu Chen no longer wasted words with them and directly took action.

Boom!

The next moment, an aura that made heaven and earth tremble emanated from within Gu Chen, like a stone breaking the sky, causing the three holy land elders to instantly change color.

If Gu Chen had not intentionally restrained it, that mere aura would have been enough to destroy everything before his eyes.

"What... How is this possible?!"

At this moment, the three Coagulation Field mid-stage holy land elders were dumbfounded. They couldn't understand why, even though they were at the same cultivation level, the mere aura from Gu Chen's body was making them tremble to the point where they could not even stand.

"I warn you, this is inside the city. Do you want to see countless citizens of Da Xia die horribly?!" The three holy land elders threatened with a fierce tone but underlying fear.

Pfft!

The next moment, Gu Chen gave his answer with his actions. With just a wave of his sleeve, Gang Wind swept over them. Instantly, the three mid-stage Coagulation Field holy land elders turned into a mass of flesh and blood, soaking the ground red. The pungent smell of blood began to spread through the streets within the inner city of Tiandu.

Seeing this scene, everyone showed terrified faces, and the Forbidden Army soldiers felt a chill, fearing that they would be the next to die.

"Whoever blocks, dies!"

These cold, murderous words echoed through the inner city of Tiandu in front of the black sky prison, where three peak martial artists had been reduced to a mass of flesh and blood, with fresh blood continuously flowing in the streets. The scene stunned everyone present.

To dare to commit such an act of violence on the street, over the years, only Marquis of Wuan, Gu Chen, had done so!

At this moment, Gu Chen burst into the sky prison. He was aware of the purpose behind King Huai's actions—to wear down his strength, constantly arrange for people to harass him, and at the same time, probe his power.

But Gu Chen was unafraid!

For he believed that with his current strength and trump cards, he was well prepared to face all the storms that Tiandu could bring!

"Second uncle, aunt, Qinyan, don't be afraid. I'm here. And King Huai, this time, I will slay you!" Gu Chen's determined expression did not waver as he strode forward, heading toward the depths of the sky prison.