Da Xuan Martial Saint

"Demons!"

The moment the fish demon sprang out of the water, many of the nearby villagers were terrified. Chaos reigned on the cliffside until the fish demon was slain by Chen Mu with a single strike, and only then did some of the villagers barely regain their senses from the shock and trembling.

But since the cliff was too narrow, there were still a few who were standing on the edge and got pushed over it, slipping down the steep slope toward the flood below. Cries for help and screams filled the air, creating complete disarray.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"Silence!"

It was at this time that Chen Mu's voice rang out, instantly drowning out all the chaos.

Some wooden twigs that had come loose from a crate appeared between his fingers and flew out, nailing the straw cloaks of several falling villagers, halting their descent.

The few villagers spared from the fall into the floodwaters still had expressions of unsettled fear, while the rest of the villagers on the cliffside fell silent, quickly bringing quiet to the scene.

"Do not panic, do not make noise."

Chen Mu addressed the villagers on the slope in a deep voice, containing a deterrent force that quelled the chaos in the hearts of the villagers. It also reminded many of the scene where Chen Mu had dealt with Bao Yinlin earlier, causing them to dare not move rashly.

Seeing the situation once again under control, Chen Mu then said sternly, "Leave the water demons to me. Those who cause a commotion will be punished for their crimes afterward!"

A single demon was nothing to worry about, but if all the villagers on the small hill were to panic and people from all directions fell into the water, that would be a big problem for him, and he might not be able to attend to everything.

With a trace of the thunder's authority in his voice, Chen Mu frightened all the villagers into calmness. Old Man Zhao and his granddaughter Hong'er, who were nearby, also trembled silently without making a sound.

Without further exchange with the many villagers, Chen Mu stood directly at the edge of the cliff, gazing intently at the water below.

Splash!

Suddenly, another demon surged out of the water, this time a snake demon, its body covered with green scales, as thick as a bowl and two or three meters long, and very fast, striking like lightning toward the person closest to the edge of the cliff, intending to bite them and drag them into the water to devour them.

But before it could bite its prey, a pebble enveloped in traces of Thunder Arc shot through the air, and with a single strike, it shattered the creature's head. The massive snake body flew sideways, plunging into the water far away, disappearing from sight.

This time, although the nearest villagers were also startled, they did not descend into chaos, crowding, and trampling each other as before. There were childish screams of terror, but they were immediately silenced by the adults next to them who had recovered.

"The aura in the water is still indiscernible..."

Chen Mu murmured to himself as he watched the water's surface.

With his Xun Wind Artistic Conception having reached the second step, the Autumn Wind Sense made his perception incredibly sharp. Within ten yards, even the faint activity of a mosquito fluttering its wings could be clearly caught by him. However, his perception was significantly hindered underwater, and he could only catch the movement of the demons when they leapt out of the water.

If he had mastered the Kan Water Artistic Conception, then his perception in water would have been very clear. Nonetheless, he had chosen to practice Gen Mountain first. Everything had to be taken one step at a time; it wasn't possible to achieve everything all at once.

After a moment of contemplation,

another demon jumped out of the water, but just as it broke the surface, not yet reaching its prey, it was hit by a pebble flung by Chen Mu, smashing its skull and sending it back into the water where it disappeared in the distance, leaving a bloody trail.

This continued repeatedly for more than half an hour, during which Chen Mu successively killed seven or eight demons. Finally, a shadow appeared on the vast endless surface of the water.

As the shadow drew closer,

it turned out to be a canoe.

Standing on the canoe were several figures including White-Clothed Guards of the Demon-Slaying Office, Thousand-households of the Inspectorate, and a Deputy Governor of the Demon-Slaying Office, a man with a square face and large ears, exuding authority—it was Xu Hongyu's Third Uncle, Yu Jun.

Last year, during the drought and demon chaos, when Chen Mu joined Xu Hongyu in demon slaying in An Yu County, Yu Jun was his immediate superior, responsible for the coordination of the entire county.

But less than a year had passed, and during this flood disaster throughout the Qingping River area, all officials from various Yamen were under his command, including Yu Jun, who was now one of his subordinates.

At this time,

the many officials from Demon-Slaying Office and Inspectorate on the canoe had already noticed the crowd on the small hill and quickly spotted the solitary figure at the edge of the cliff.

"There are actually survivors."

"Hmm, more than I expected. No wonder Lord Chen sent out a signal."

Several White-Clothed Guards whispered to each other.

Meanwhile, as Yu Jun watched Chen Mu's figure from afar, he felt a pang of admiration.

Although he knew that once Chen Mu had mastered the Artistic Conception, he would become an extraordinary figure, he had never imagined that in less than a year, Chen Mu would rise to be the Metropolitan Commander and Demon-Slaying Office Commander, becoming his immediate superior, and even using his own power to decisively defeat the He Family, which had contended with the Yu Family for countless years.

Soon,

Yu Jun and the others arrived at the foot of the small hill.

"Metropolitan Commander!"

All the personnel from the Demon-Slaying Office and Inspectorate saluted Chen Mu, including Yu Jun, who did not presume any pride.

But Chen Mu, without waiting for everyone to finish their gestures, immediately interjected, "During critical times, there's no need for formalities... How was the situation as you came here?"