I Become a Martial Arts God in the Chaotic Demon World

"Sir, we've already reached the thirty-five li mark, even gone beyond it a bit. Should we turn back?"

A constable in his early forties, dressed in official attire, clutched his waist saber, panting as he asked.

They had also run into bad luck as there hadn't been a moment's rest these past few days.

First, the Green Sun Sect and the Li Family were annihilated. Such a significant event had them rushing about, investigating overnight and reporting to the Demon Cleansing Bureau.

Then came the panics and fears, anxious that the Blood Wolf Thieves might break through the county town, so worried that they could scarcely sleep well for several days.

It was only with great relief when the Demon Cleansing Bureau finally arrived, but a member of the Blood Wolf Thieves still managed to escape, compelling them to assist in the search.

After several days, their legs felt like they were wearing thin.

Han Zheng looked at the constables with a somewhat speechless expression.

The grassroots strength of the Great Zhou Court was too poor. Most constables in the county towns were nothing but ruffians in official clothing—some were not even Postnatal Martial Artists.

It was fine to have them catch petty thieves, but anything beyond that was a stretch.

"Let's rest for a bit."

Han Zheng waved his hand, and the constables sighed with relief, immediately sitting down on the ground.

The thirty-five li area wasn't large, and with the strength of the people from the Demon Cleansing Bureau, they should be able to reach the edge.

But no one had signaled yet, meaning the other members probably hadn't found Chou Jingxiao.

However, it was unlikely for such a man to just vanish into thin air. It was possible that Wen Tingyun made a miscalculation, and the target might have fled beyond the range we were searching.

But given Wen Tingyun's capabilities and character, it was unlikely that she would make such a miscalculation.

Chou Jingxiao must still be within this range; the question was where he could be hiding.

What kind of place could hide him from the Demon Cleansing Bureau's notice?

Han Zheng rubbed his head, suddenly struck by a thought.

"Within this thirty-five li radius, are there any families devastated by the Blood Wolf Thieves?"

The arrest officer paused, then said, "There's one, the Li Family, though it's a bit far from here, right next to Julong Cave.

I led the team to the Li Family. The scene there was like hell on earth, and those Blood Wolf Thieves were simply beasts!"

As he spoke, anger sparked through the arrest officer, who stood up abruptly, as if he had regained the strength to pursue the Blood Wolf Thieves.

These government officials from the county, though they typically exploited and oppressed the common people, were no saints.

But the appalling atrocities committed by the Blood Wolf Thieves were enough to provoke outrage among gods and men, lower than animals.

"Take me there to have a look."

Chou Jingxiao was cunning and sly; if he was hiding, he would definitely choose a place unexpected by others.

Putting himself in Chou Jingxiao's shoes, the best strategy was to hide in plain sight.

Everyone thought Chou Jingxiao would definitely flee far away, the farther the better.

But what if he was hiding around Julong Cave, near the Li Family that he had annihilated?

The more Han Zheng considered this possibility, the more likely it seemed, prompting him to lead the constables back in the direction of Julong Cave.

The Li Family was only seven or eight li away from Julong Cave, located in a not-so-small estate.

According to the arrest officer, the Li Family was not a major family, and their patriarch was only in the early stage of the Innate Realm.

The Li Family lived outside the county town because they made their living by cultivating Spiritual Medicine, and every Li Family disciple was adept at tending to these plants.

Thus, the Li Family was non-contentious and even-tempered, and rather than a Martial Arts family, it was more accurate to call them a group of herbal farmers.

Good people don't live long lives, though; while other nefarious families in the town got off scot-free, the Li Family was annihilated – the men tortured to death and the women raped before also being killed brutally.

Outside the Li Family estate,

What should have been a brightly lit estate was now shrouded in darkness.

Even though several days had passed since the Blood Wolf Thieves' rampage, Han Zheng could still smell the pungent stench of blood.

Han Zheng handed the flare to the arrest officer, saying solemnly, "Follow behind me later on, and if anything goes amiss, immediately signal with the flare."

In fact, Han Zheng was confident he could handle Chou Jingxiao on his own, now that the latter's Qi and blood had been thoroughly depleted.

However, Han Zheng was always cautious, fearing not the ten thousand problems that might arise, but the one unforeseen.

Before the others from the Demon Cleansing Bureau arrived, if he could take care of Chou Jingxiao himself, naturally, the credit would be his alone.

If Chou Jingxiao still had strength to spare and he himself couldn't defeat him, then the others from the Demon Cleansing Bureau could come to assist in a timely manner.

He pushed open the main gate; the stench of blood within became even more pungent, and splattered blood was even visible on the walls.

But there were no bodies.

After the Li Family had been annihilated, the local Martial World forces felt a shared sorrow; they pooled money together to bury the bodies of the Li Family, ensuring they would not be exposed to the wilderness.

Just as Han Zheng was about to explore his surroundings, a fierce and chilling killing intent abruptly assaulted him.

Autumn Water Shocking Swallow suddenly slashed towards the side, Gang Qi exploded, and Han Zheng was immediately blasted back several steps.

In the darkness of the night, Chou Jingxiao glared at Han Zheng with a fierce face, "I never expected that, hiding here, you dogs of the Demon Cleansing Bureau could still sniff me out with such precision!"

Han Zheng glanced at the constable, who showed some quick wit, pulling out a signal flare immediately.

Instantly, a piercing burst of firelight soared upward.

But the next moment, an acute fluctuation from an Array abruptly occurred, and the firelight suddenly halted.

Chou Jingxiao casually tossed out an Array disc seemingly made of crystal, sneering, "Did you think I wouldn't be prepared?

If Wen Tingyun were here, I'd have no chance at survival, but you, a mere youngster, dare come to kill me? You're seeking death!"

The signal flare from the Demon Cleansing Bureau didn't contain ordinary gunpowder, but was made with Fire Attribute Spirit Crystals combined with a simple Array.

Once activated, this kind of signal flare could soar and illuminate, even in torrential rain, impervious to any severe weather.

But its single weakness was that it relied on a simple Array to ignite, hence it could easily be interrupted by other arrays.

"One person is enough to kill you!"

Han Zheng waved his hand at the constables, "All of you retreat, go find others from the Demon Cleansing Bureau to come here."

The constables scampered off in a panic.

Chou Jingxiao did not attempt to stop them.

These constables were slow, and it didn't matter if they went for help.

Since this place had already been discovered, he couldn't stay any longer; he had to kill Han Zheng and find another place to hide.

"You want to die? I will grant your wish! But I won't let you die so easily; first you have to cough up that Sword Skill before dying! By then, you might even be begging me to kill you."

Chou Jingxiao sneered cruelly.

He was still fixated on Han Zheng's Avici Path Asura Slash.

Back in the Julong Cave, if he had had such a Sword Skill, perhaps he could have fought to death against Wen Tingyun.

As his words fell, the intense killing intent around Chou Jingxiao converged into a crimson Sword Gang that slashed towards Han Zheng.

Killing intent cold and piercing to the bone, the Sword Gang spread for several yards, its might in no way diminished compared to before.

His previously held curved sword had been destroyed by Wen Tingyun, but facing Han Zheng, he planned to overpower with Gang Qi, so the absence of a weapon made little difference.

Han Zheng did not utilize Autumn Water Shocking Swallow, but instead, he spurred the Great Black Heaven Demon Technique, gathering a robust and surging Demonic Qi into a gang around him.

With Dragon Elephant Prison Suppressing Power added to his body and his hands forming the Vajra Ming King Seal, he struck forcefully, countering that ultimate killing strike.

Following the explosion of Gang Qi, the Sword Gang True Qi scattered into all directions, and Han Zheng was flung back several steps by the strike before coming to a halt, his Demonic Qi having been completely torn apart.

But a smile emerged on Han Zheng's face.

"Chou Jingxiao, it seems you're extremely weakened, that Blood Demon Escape Shadow Technique must have drained all the Qi and blood in your body.

Now you are just a shell, powerful on the outside, frail within, not even capable of Gang Qi Transformation anymore, and I suspect even your flesh has been inflated with True Qi, hasn't it?"

Back in Julong Cave, a casual slice from Chou Jingxiao could achieve this level of lethality.

But just now, although Chou Jingxiao seemed to be slashing casually, Han Zheng could tell that he had almost exerted his full strength, and even so, he wasn't able to produce a strike like before, one that could morph Gang Qi into the fierce Blood Slaughter Sky Wolf.

Now, Chou Jingxiao, without any Qi and blood in his body, was like a skin-covered skeleton.

His body was a sham, merely inflated with True Qi to maintain the skin, keeping him looking somewhat normal and not like a bare skeletal frame.