Surviving in a world of demons and monsters to achieve martial arts sainthood

Shen Lian remained silent, his breathing became long and even, and the martial arts mark between his eyebrows lit up.

The man in black robes shot out and instantly closed in on Shen Lian. His right hand formed a claw with five fingers, bringing a gust of bloody wind as he grabbed straight for Shen Lian's throat.

This claw strike came extremely fast, containing some kind of evil and strange force, specifically designed to break through the body's protective qi and blood.

Shen Lian's feet moved in quick succession, using the agile footwork of the "Tiger Subduing Stance" after mastering it. He twisted his body backward to avoid the fatal claw.

The man in black robes suddenly moved his right hand, his right claw grazing Shen Lian's shoulder and tearing a small piece of his flying fish robe.

Shen Lian slashed upwards with his longsword, aiming for the inside of the black-robed man's wrist.

The man in black robes immediately slammed his palm down, striking Shen Lian's longsword.

clang!

The man in black robes felt a tricky force coming from the blade, which actually reduced some of the force in his claws.

"Such a tricky blade strike."

The man in black narrowed his eyes and looked at Shen Lian more directly. This kid's swordsmanship was not only fierce and swift, but also contained a clever touch, and his grasp of timing was equally precise.

He immediately changed tactics, throwing a punch at Shen Lian's face while simultaneously kicking Shen Lian's knee silently with his right foot.

The moves are insidious and ruthless, a fighting style that is entirely based on risking one's life in actual combat.

Shen Lian's aura was deep and focused. He stomped his left foot on the ground and spun around like a top. His long sword drew an arc with his body, and the sword energy spread in all directions.

This move is not a fixed move of the "Demon Subduing Blade Technique". Rather, it is a variation that naturally arises in actual combat after mastering the blade technique and having a deeper understanding of the blade's momentum.

The black-robed man's attack was immediately thwarted, his claws and legs were forced back, he snorted coldly, and his figure suddenly retreated three zhang, creating distance between himself and Shen Lian.

He looked at Shen Lian with a gloomy expression. The strength that Shen Lian had shown far exceeded his expectations.

This made him wonder if Shen Lian was really just a newcomer to the Demon Suppression Division?

Li Hu exclaimed in surprise, "Brother Lian's swordsmanship has become so strong? What he just used looked like the 'Demon Subduing Sword Technique,' but it was also somewhat different."

Chen Yun said, "Shen Lian has unique insights into swordsmanship. That move just now must have been something he learned from the 'Demon Subduing Sword Technique'."

Li Hu looked at Shen Lian, who was holding a knife, his eyes filled with admiration.

From the moment he entered the Demon Suppression Division, Shen Lian displayed astonishing talent. Whether it was the "Tiger Subduing Stance" or the "Demon Subduing Blade Technique," he was able to master them in the shortest amount of time. Compared to him, Shen Lian was still far behind.

The man in black robes, his eyes bloodshot, hissed, "The Demon Suppression Division has produced a promising talent, but unfortunately, you will die here tonight."

After saying that, his blood and qi surged, and his hands glowed with a crimson light, indicating that he had pushed the Blood Claw Technique to its limit.

Shen Lian's breathing was steady, his long sword pointing diagonally at the ground, the blade gleaming coldly.

The black-robed man moved swiftly, heading straight for Shen Lian, his claws tearing and ripping, creating a sharp whistling sound.

Shen Lian swept his longsword horizontally, unleashing the three moves of the "Demon Subduing Blade Technique" in succession. The next moment, the longsword transformed into an arc of light, slashing towards the man in black robes.

"break!"

The blade flashed, shattering the blood claws and piercing the black-robed man's right shoulder. One arm flew up, spraying blood, and the black-robed man screamed and staggered backward.

Shen Lian stood holding a knife, blood dripping from the tip.

"Take him down!"

Upon seeing this, Chen Yun and Li Hu immediately stepped forward to capture the other party.

"Trying to catch me? Dream on!"

Seeing that the situation was hopeless, the man in black raised his left hand and smashed the top of his head with great force.

The black-robed man's corpse lay on the ground, blood still seeping from his severed arm.

Shen Lian sheathed his longsword, exhaled, and the martial arts mark between his brows disappeared.

"What a decisive guy!" Li Hu said through gritted teeth.

They thought that by capturing a member of the Blood Worship Cult alive, they might be able to find out why the remnants of the Blood Worship Cult had suddenly reappeared after lying dormant for more than a decade.

Now that the person is dead, the trail has gone cold.

Shen Lian walked to the old beggar in the corner and stopped. After examining him, he shook his head and said, "His life essence has been drained. There's no saving him! We shouldn't stay here any longer. Let's take their bodies back to the Demon Suppression Division first, and then report the situation."

Shen Lian collected the items from the man in black robes, and a yellowed booklet caught his attention.

The booklet cover had the words "Secret Record" written in distorted characters. Flipping through a few pages, one could see that it contained the cultivation method of the Blood Claw Technique.

Chen Yun leaned closer for a look, then frowned and said, "This evil technique requires the essence and blood of living people as a catalyst. The cultivator's mind will gradually become distorted, eventually turning them into a monster of slaughter."

Shen Lian closed the booklet and said in a deep voice, "The sudden reappearance of the 'Blood Worship Cult' after more than a decade of silence is definitely not just for the purpose of cultivating evil arts. Their secret activities must have other motives."

The three men wrapped the bodies of the man in black robes and the old beggar in oilcloth and carried them back to the Demon Suppression Division.

Apart from the sound of the night watchman striking the gong, there was no other noise on the street.

Soon, the three of them carried the corpse back to the Demon Suppression Division.

Apart from a few veteran demon slayers, the Demon Slayer Division consisted mainly of newly appointed demon slayers; the rest of the team followed Zhao Shan to capture the murderer in the Heart-Digging Case.

The three immediately sent the two bodies to the morgue.

"Commander Zhao and the others haven't returned yet," Li Hu said in surprise.

Zhao Shan led his men to arrest the murderer in the heart-ripping case a long time ago, and they haven't returned yet. We still don't know what's going on.

Chen Yun said, "The murderer in the heart-ripping case is very strong and has a strong sense of counter-surveillance. He won't be easy to catch."

Shen Lian gently stroked his longsword and said, "The opponent is very cunning. He probably already knew that our Demon Suppression Division was targeting him. He is very likely to keep his distance now."

Just then, Sun Yan, who was in charge of guarding the Demon Suppression Division, arrived.

Shen Lian recounted to Sun Yan the details of their encounter with the remnants of the Blood Worship Cult that night.

Upon hearing this, Sun Yan angrily retorted, "What a disgrace to the 'Blood Worship Cult'! Taking advantage of our main force being away, they've come out to commit crimes again. This man in black robes was quite strong; if you hadn't killed him, I'm afraid even more civilians would have suffered."

Shen Lian laughed and said, "This person's strength is not top-notch, otherwise even the three of us working together would not be a match for him. These are the things we found on him."

As he spoke, he handed the secret manual containing the "Blood Claw Technique" to Sun Yan.

Sun Yan took the technique, flipped through a few pages, and said in a deep voice, "This technique is extremely insidious. The remnants of the 'Blood Worship Cult' have been lying low for many years, and their sudden reappearance must indicate a larger scheme behind them. You should all go back and rest first. Remember, do not publicize what happened tonight to avoid causing unnecessary panic."

"Understood."

Shen Lian and Li Hu returned to their quarters. After the previous battle, both of them were exhausted and immediately fell asleep on the bed.

The night passed quickly.

As dawn approached, Zhao Shan led his men back to the Demon Suppression Division. Everyone looked exhausted; they had been on guard all night but had not gained anything.

Clearly, the perpetrator of the heart-ripping case had gotten wind of the crime and chose not to continue, leaving everyone empty-handed.

Upon learning that remnants of the "Blood Worship Cult" had taken the opportunity to commit crimes in Qinghe County.

Zhao Shan was furious. In response, he increased manpower to ensure the safety of Qinghe County and to ensure that no one else would be killed by the remnants of the Blood Worship Cult.