Yin Tianshou's dragon head soared to the sky, his spine standing erect like a blade.
His body erupted in a dark red halo, a myriad of reverse scales transformed into a meteor shower of fire toward the Jiao Demon.
Beside him, Yang Huan donned divine armor, with two sinister tiger heads descending from his shoulders gripping his chest.
He wielded the True Martial heavy halberd, suddenly unleashing thirty-three layers of celestial fiendish aura!
Attacking in unison with Yin Tianshou at the front, the halberd blade cleaved down, revealing the inverted imagery of the All Heaven Stars.
The twenty-eight constellation spirits roared in unison within the halberd's light, shattering the undeveloped extinction demonic light on the Jiao Demon's horn, scattering a thousand wailing souls.
The Jiao Demon's sharp claws emitted an eerie dim light, the innate demonic qi spewed from its mouth collided at the meeting point of halberd blade and dragon flame.
The mass of refined demonic qi exploded thunderously, the shockwave reducing the mist within a hundred miles into powder.
Seizing the opportunity, Yin Tianshou's dragon claw tore open the Jiao Demon's spine, viciously extracting its dull magic serpent tendon,
Yang Huan's halberd light followed suit, grinding this vile tendon into dust.
With its main tendon severed, the Jiao Demon let out a painful howl that resonated through the clouds.
"Young ones, my true spirit roots are deeply buried within this realm's wheel sea. When the Yellow Springs overflow and the world's light and dark converge,
I shall awaken from the wheel sea, and by then this whole city of blood debt will become my rebirth offering!"
"Noisy!"
Dragon claw and halberd light erupted simultaneously, the Jiao Demon's remains bursting into countless blood foams.
"Let me banish it!"
The Jiao Demon's fragments and blood beads were highly toxic; if spilled into the city below, not one living soul would survive.
Yang Huan waved his hand, conjuring a dazzling light of earth and sky from his sleeve, channeling the scattered fragments and blood beads into the whirlpool of the void.
Moments later, the celestial phenomenon and the two of them vanished without a trace.
On the ground, Long Jiu let out a long exhale of relief.
"It's finally over..."
The fierce battle concluded, though the Jiao Demon's rampage left Yong'an with immeasurable losses tonight.
Fortunately, slaying the Jiao Demon ultimately was more important than anything.
In the distant west, there once was an ancient kingdom called Baron.
Back then, its power ranked among the world's top ten, but the threat from the Demon Nest completely altered Baron's fate.
At that time, no one had reached the Great Saint level; a powerful great demon had escaped the Demon Nest and wreaked havoc in the human world, causing a monstrous calamity in Baron.
In the face of disaster, Baron exerted its entire national strength and engaged in an earth-shattering battle with the demon for nine days and nights.
Finally, at the cost of several Celestial Kings' sacrifices, they managed to suppress the demon.
But it also left Baron greatly weakened, and its prosperity and splendor gradually faded.
Over the long history, the glory of the ancient kingdom of Baron gradually dimmed, finally disappearing from the annals of history three hundred years ago.
Fortunately, the Great Chu is now at the peak of its national strength, even if its main body escapes, a Martial Arts Great Saint can come to suppress it.
After the battle, Long Jiu worried:
"But if it's a creature from a life-forbidden zone that humans cannot handle, how would the Great Chu cope?"
"Kunlun Taihang..."
Long Jiu exhaled, knowing it wasn't his concern.
If the sky falls, there will be someone tall to hold it; he only needs to guard Yong'an's turf.
At this moment, several captains from the martial arts family within the police department gathered around him from all directions.
Long Jiu's earpiece had turned to dust amidst the demonic light.
Liu Jinglong, as the captain, stepped forward from the crowd to report.
"Chief, all units at Chaoyang Mansion have completed their tasks to perfection.
We captured 268 remnants of the Demon Summoning Hall, eliminated 304, awaiting chief's instructions for further actions."
Long Jiu inquired:
"What's the casualty status of our people?"
Liu Jinglong responded solemnly:
"Five killed in action, six severely injured, including one martial artist captain, over forty slightly injured."
The strange methods of the Demon Path made sacrifices inevitable; no one could assure an absolutely flawless mission.
"What about the rest of the action groups?"
"The group capturing black market personnel at the casino has yet to report; they requested support just now but then canceled it. Chief, should we..."
Long Jiu calmly said:
"Meng Chuan has the battle armor, so you can be assured. I chose him for this task, it is sure to be infallible."
The youngster's strength was indeed formidable, and with the chief's assurance, Liu Jinglong felt much more at ease.
"You stay behind to handle the post-battle condolence and conveyance of Demon Path remnants, while I report to the municipal overnight."
"Yes, sir!"
Long Jiu was also heavily injured, but tonight's commotion was too big, some procedures had to be followed, and his injuries could only be tended to the next day.
...
Inside the casino.
Old Wu stood by, reporting the situation on-site to headquarters.
On the other end of the phone, Liu Jinglong chuckled:
[Your captain indeed has no problem, even defeating the Jiao Demon's split soul.
It's a great victory this time, and we collected so many soul-nurturing items, I'll petition the chief for your credit when you return.]
[One more thing, Captain Liu, we've also captured nearly fifty gamblers this time; we need the department to send a few more transport vehicles.]
[No problem, I'll notify the logistics team right away, they'll be there within half an hour, well done everyone.]
Cracking down on gambling was a way to legally increase income for the department, Liu Jinglong was in a jubilant mood.
Meanwhile, Meng Chuan was chatting with the oil shop owner.
"Brother, trafficking with the enemy and conspiring with evil demons, you're lighting a lamp in a latrine pit."
"Uuh! Uuh!"
"What?"
"Uuh!"
"Alright, the police van is arriving soon. Let's not waste any more time.
If there's anything that can contribute to a reduced sentence, just tell me promptly, and I'll report it for you.
If you keep babbling, I'll stuff that smelly sock in your mouth."
Little Mustache nodded repeatedly, realizing that some external possessions were nothing compared to his life.
"Ugh... Sir, I still have a large box of Western Region's spirit-enhancing items hidden in the shop.
And... and half a box of Esoteric Sect's body-tempering oil to offer you, just to beg for a way out, sir!"
Meng Chuan waved his hand; he wasn't accepting bribes. Once the task was over, he was just a student.
The reason for bluffing this guy was because the more contraband seized during this mission, the more merit points he would earn.
Seeing Meng Chuan wave, Little Mustache broke out in a cold sweat, assuming the other was dissatisfied.
He gritted his teeth and quickly said:
"Sir, are you cultivating an Esoteric Sect technique?"
Meng Chuan remained silent.
Little Mustache regrettably said:
"There's a secret compartment behind the chair I usually sit on in the shop. You can find it by touching it.
Inside is a book of Esoteric Sect cultivation techniques that I received by chance, but I didn't study it much due to my poor martial arts aptitude.
But I guarantee it's top-notch! I planned to sell it for a good price.
Sadly, the Esoteric Sect's techniques aren't popular in Great Chu, so it's just been wasting away in my hands."
"Oh? If you're lying to me, your end will be terrible."
Meng Chuan pretended to threaten.
The small shop owner was too cunning, and it wasn't ruled out that he was plotting against him.
"I wouldn't dare, sir! I just want to survive!"
Meng Chuan feigned agreement.
"Alright, if what you said is true, consider it contribution for your crime."
This wasn't a lie; the spirit-enhancing items he hoarded were intended for trade with the Demon Summoning Hall.
This behavior was already enough to classify these spirit-enhancing items as enemy-supporting contraband.
And voluntarily confessing the hiding place of contraband was considered a meritorious act under Great Chu law.
"Esoteric Sect cultivation technique..."
Though it was contraband, he should also get a glimpse.
But Meng Chuan didn't have high hopes, expecting an ordinary vendor to produce world-class martial skills was unrealistic.
The sound of sirens rose and fell in the distance, and Meng Chuan assisted the officers in escorting the criminals onto the vehicle.
He had already reported the items in Little Mustache's store. There was no need for him to go personally, as the nearby station at Foreigner Street would send people to search.
Afterwards, he rode in the police car heading to the station; tonight's matters were plentiful, making it unlikely for him to return home for a rest.
In the police car, Meng Chuan had a phone conversation with his uncle.
Meng Yongzhi was also working overtime at the station that night, sitting in the control center responsible for coordination and dispatch, naturally knowing that Meng Chuan was also leading a team on a mission.
[Chuan'er, well done!]
Meng Yongzhi praised, as Meng Chuan's bravery that night once again brought him great pride in front of his colleagues.
[Just the next time you encounter this kind of emergency, don't fight recklessly. Apply for reinforcements when needed, don't show off.]
Meng Chuan reluctantly agreed, though the monster was sinister, the armored suit made it helpless against him.
[Understood, Uncle.]
Meng Yongzhi, knowing the station's rules, continued:
[There's nothing much here. Report the task's completion, then tell me and we'll head home together.]
[Okay.]
...
Yong'an Police Station Building.
The transport vehicle delivered the criminals to the detention center, and Meng Chuan led his team to the office building.
Long Jiu wasn't there; in the hall, Liu Jinglong was responsible for post-action statistics.
Meng Chuan stood beside him and said aloud:
"Captain Liu, the casino operation was successful; all enemies were captured with no escapes."
Liu Jinglong laughed and said:
"Thanks for your hard work, everyone. Xiaowu already briefed me on the situation on the way. Take a seat and rest for a moment, we'll head to the meeting room when everyone returns."
Meng Chuan's performance tonight lived up to Long Jiu's expectations.
Facing an enemy transformed into a Celestial Demon, they managed to directly confront and even subdue them.
This amazed Liu Jinglong; even with the support of battle armor, ordinary martial artists at the seventh level couldn't even see the movements of a Jiao Demon, let alone defeat one.
Meng Chuan was quietly looking forward to receiving abundant rewards this time, greatly alleviating his financial struggles.
...
A moment later, all police forces returned in Perfection.
Inside the meeting room.
Long Jiu wasn't present, so Liu Jinglong took the leadership position.
Many of the officers met Meng Chuan for the first time and were greatly impressed after hearing about his exploits that night.
Confronting the vicious Demon Path martial artist, he ended with a physical confrontation against a Serpent Demon's Split Soul!
The officers present no longer considered Meng Chuan a student.
Instead, they placed him on equal, if not higher, footing.
"A martial arts prodigy, though not yet my equal, his youth is his biggest asset..."
Sitting at the head, Liu Jinglong, after watching the enforcement footage from the casino team, felt deeply moved.
Seeing it firsthand was truly shocking; in his youth, he was also considered a one-in-a-thousand martial arts prodigy.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have broken through the second great limit before reaching the age of destiny.
But compared with Meng Chuan, it was only a matter of time before he was surpassed.
He was certain that in the future, Meng Chuan would become a rising star in Great Chu's martial arts realm!