"General Long Zilu?"
Lin Sheng chewed on the name. Although he didn't know what the Dragon Demon Army was, the position of General of the Fu City showed his status. He was definitely a high-ranking official in Linjiang Prefecture City with significant power.
"This General Long Zilu is a genuine Divine Form Realm Martial Artist, and the commander of the Imperial Court's orthodox Dragon Demon Army. He possesses the Dragon Demon Bloodline and is one of the top experts in the entire Linjiang Prefecture."
"With such an expert personally stationed there, coupled with the Blood Demon Grand Formation, it's normal that the Phantom Demon Beast could be driven back again. It's just a pity that many people had to die and get injured this time."
When he said this, Huang Quan's tone carried a hint of melancholy.
"You mean?" Sensing something off in Huang Quan's words, Lin Sheng asked at the appropriate time.
Since the Phantom Demon Beast had been sealed, how could there still be many deaths and injuries?
"Hmph, do you think the Blood Demon Grand Formation is just a matter of placing a few Formation Flags and sticking them in the ground?"
Huang Quan snorted, took another deep puff from his pipe, exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, and then continued.
"That Blood Demon Grand Formation is extremely sinister. It is primarily composed of eighteen blood demon fangs, and the origin of these blood demon fangs is quite significant."
"They were made from the fangs of an extremely terrifying great demon from a thousand years ago, and then refined by the Northern Yan Grand Ancestor hundreds of years ago, costing countless precious materials to create these Formation Flags, which possess immense power."
When he said this, Huang Quan was clearly a little emotional.
"Speaking of which, that Northern Yan Grand Ancestor was truly a figure. Northern Yan has three Paths and fifteen Prefectures, and each Prefecture has powerful foundations similar to the blood demon fangs. Half of these foundations were basically created by the Northern Yan Grand Ancestor. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to suppress everything and keep the sects and aristocratic families from raising their heads."
Hearing this, Lin Sheng's heart was also shaken.
Although he hadn't seen the so-called blood demon fangs with his own eyes, being able to suppress a powerful demonic beast like the Phantom Demon Beast made it easy to imagine the might of these blood demon fangs.
And there were at least fifteen sets of such powerful treasures, not counting the foundations in the three higher Paths and the Imperial Court. The national strength of the Great Yan was indeed extremely formidable.
Seemingly realizing he had said too much, Huang Quan didn't continue on this topic but turned back to the Blood Demon Grand Formation.
"Alright, I've strayed a bit. Let's not talk about the foundations of other Prefectures. Let's just talk about Linjiang Prefecture's Blood Demon Grand Formation. Although these 18 blood demon fangs have immense power, they also consume a great deal to unleash their power."
"Although the threat of the Phantom Demon Beast has been quelled this time, besides Yangping Town being razed to the ground, two towns near Yangping Town, with populations of no less than tens of thousands, have basically followed the same fate as Yangping Town."
"Besides these, the Chen Family in Lin'an County and other large and small forces like Zhenshan Tower have also basically been reduced to less than one-tenth of their original strength."
When he said this, Huang Quan clearly paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping towards Lin Sheng.
"Now do you know what I meant by 'consume a great deal'?"
Lin Sheng narrowed his eyes, remaining silent for a while before finally uttering two words.
"Human lives."
Hearing this, a strange smile appeared on Huang Quan's face.
"That's right, not too stupid. It's human lives. Besides Yangping Town, the other losses are basically the cost of activating the Blood Demon Grand Formation."
"Judging from such losses, it is estimated that the number of blood demon fangs General Long Zilu mobilized this time should not exceed 10, otherwise the losses would not be just this much."
"Since Linjiang Prefecture had already sensed that something was wrong, why didn't they send more experts? Even without using the blood demon fangs, it might not have been impossible to deal with the Phantom Demon Beast."
Lin Sheng asked, somewhat puzzled.
After all, according to Huang Quan, Linjiang Prefecture had some kind of 'Manifestation Mirror' and had detected the anomaly here in advance. Why didn't they send more experts?
Hearing this, Huang Quan immediately chuckled mockingly and spoke with some disdain.
"In the eyes of the big figures in the Fu City, what does a remote little place like Lin'an County count for? Even if everyone in Lin'an County dies, it's not a big deal for the Fu City."
"Do you think the main purpose of sending people over was for Lin'an County? Wrong. The main reason was the worry that the Phantom Demon Beast's continuous growth would threaten the Fu City."
"Otherwise, with General Long Zilu's strength, he could have held off this injured Phantom Demon Beast until his Dragon Demon Army arrived. Even without using the Blood Demon Grand Formation, he could have forced the Phantom Demon Beast back into the depths of Yangping Mountain. It would have just taken a little more time."
When he said this, Huang Quan curled his lip and exhaled another heavy puff of smoke.
"How could that compare to the direct and decisive use of the Blood Demon Grand Formation?"
...
Coming out of Tongming Academy, Lin Sheng's heart was filled with mixed emotions.
He hadn't expected this world to be even more cruel than he had imagined. Not only were there various powerful exotic beasts, but also overbearing and strict upper-level authority.
From Huang Quan's casual description of the matter, it was clear that such things were nothing new to him.
"Just using a half-finished Blood Demon Grand Formation came at the cost of tens of thousands of lives, not including the experts from the aristocratic families and martial arts Schools in the County Town."
He gently exhaled, once again realizing the danger of this period. It wasn't just from fierce beasts; perhaps it was more from people.
But thinking about it carefully, it made sense. This was not his previous life, but a completely different cultivation world.
Powerful Martial Artists could decide the life or death of a person, or even a city, with a single word.
"In a world like this, strength is everything."
He didn't linger, leaving with Big Yellow.
Before long, he arrived at a small courtyard with a closed door on the west side of the city.
This was where Lin Hong and the others were hiding. As for how he knew, it was naturally from Huang Quan.
Arriving at the door, he gently knocked on the courtyard gate.
As the knocking sounds echoed, a cautious question soon came from within the courtyard.
"Who is it?"
"It's me, Xiao Shi," Lin Sheng said softly.
"It's Lin Tou!"
The cautious voice in the courtyard immediately turned into one of surprise. With hurried footsteps, the courtyard gate quickly opened, revealing Xiao Shi's joyful face.
"Lin Tou, you're back! Are you alright? We were worried sick about you..."
Xiao Shi's voice quickly alerted the others in the courtyard. Lao Zhou, Xie Guilan, and Lin Hong all came out of the rooms and gathered around Lin Sheng.
"It's good you're back, it's good you're back..."
Xie Guilan kept repeating, running forward to touch Lin Sheng's arms and legs. The worried frown on her face finally relaxed.
Lin Sheng smiled and nodded, helping Lin Hong back into the room. He didn't mention the dangers of the past two days, just briefly glossed over them.
After settling the two elders, Lin Sheng finally walked out of the room. Xiao Shi and Lao Zhou had been waiting in the courtyard and quickly went up to him when they saw him come out.
"Lin Tou."
"Mm, you two have worked hard these past two days."
Lin Sheng patted their shoulders.
He noticed that both of them still had some bruises and scratches, and their aura was weak, indicating their injuries hadn't fully healed.
Both had been injured during the transport team mission, and later injured by Meng Yu on the way to Tongzhi County. Although not life-threatening, they were not comfortable.
The past two days, they had been busy, not only renting this courtyard but also taking good care of Lin Hong and the other. They had indeed worked hard.
"Lin Tou, what are you saying? This is what we should do. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't know what our situation would be like now!"
Lao Zhou waved his hands repeatedly, and while speaking, he took out several banknotes from his chest.
"Lin Tou, this is the remaining money. Please take a look."
"No need. You keep it for now. There are still things I need you to do later."
Lin Sheng glanced at it and shook his head slightly.
"Go buy some wound medicine first and heal your injuries. Also, buy some medicinal herbs and bring them to me. We will stay in Tongzhi County for now."
"Yes, Lin Tou."
Lao Zhou responded readily and left quickly with Xiao Shi.
Watching their figures disappear into the distance, Lin Sheng didn't linger either. He returned to the room they had prepared for him and began to focus on recovering.
Although his current state was much better than before, he hadn't fully recovered. It was better to heal his injuries as soon as possible before talking about anything else.
Time flew by like a white colt, and three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Inside the room, steam rose from a wooden tub large enough for a person to sit in, where Lin Sheng was seated cross-legged.
As time passed, the medicinal liquid in the tub began to thin.
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, crisp sounds of bones cracking continuously came from within him, quickly returning to silence.
It was then that he slowly opened his eyes and gently exhaled.
"Three days, and my injuries have finally fully recovered."
At this time, he was in the Silver-patterned Black Crocodile possession state. With the boost from high Physique, combined with the healing medicinal bath and Spirit Beast jerky.
This allowed him to completely recover from his injuries in a short period.
In the battle with Black Bear, although he was the one who had the last laugh, it could only be considered a tragic victory. If it weren't for the Silver-patterned Black Crocodile's Physique boost of up to four points, even with the Spirit Beast meat, he would definitely not have survived.
This was the most difficult battle he had encountered since he began cultivating. Even now, thinking back on it, he secretly considered himself lucky.
He had to admit that the strength Black Bear displayed was quite formidable. If he hadn't injected the potent poison into the opponent's body through the wound on his shoulder during the fight, and if the subsequent burst hadn't caused the opponent to make a mistake, he might not have been able to take him down so quickly.
If the time had been delayed any longer, he feared that before the opponent could make a move, the berserk Earth Affinity power within him would have directly caused his Physical Body to explode.
"I was able to have the last laugh in this battle, and there was no lack of luck. Luck won't always favor me. If I encounter this situation again next time, it might not be me who survives."
Lin Sheng said to himself.
"Indeed, on the path of martial arts, the further one cultivates, the greater the gap between each major Realm becomes."
One must know that the gap between Body Tempering and Forging Tendons Realm is far from being as disparate as the gap between Forging Tendons Realm and Blood Transportation Realm.
"However, the strength Black Bear displayed should not be as simple as just entering the Blood Transportation Realm. He should not be considered too weak among those in the Blood Transportation Realm."
Although besides this battle with Black Bear, he had no experience fighting other Blood Transportation Warriors, he had indeed asked Wang Sanyang about matters concerning the Blood Transportation level frequently in the past.
He had a vague understanding of the combat power of Blood Transportation Warriors in his heart. The combat power Black Bear displayed was clearly stronger than the initial Blood Transportation Warriors he had estimated in his mind.
"With my current strength, I should be able to fight against an average Blood Transportation Warrior."
Lin Sheng pondered, comparing the gap between himself and Blood Transportation Warriors.
"If my weakness is also obvious, it's the limited duration. My full burst state can only last for a short time. If I can't kill them within that time, then I can only be slaughtered."
The more he thought about this, the more he felt lucky to have won the battle against Black Bear. If Black Bear hadn't chosen to clash head-on after his full burst, but had turned and run, then he would have had absolutely no way to stop him.
He could only watch the opponent leave, and then return to harvest him after he was exhausted.
He lay back, resting his neck on the edge of the wooden tub, contemplating his weaknesses.
"After my full burst, my strength is not inferior to a Blood Transportation Warrior, and even surpasses that of ordinary Blood Transportation Warriors, but my speed is not as good. I can only rely on strength for instant burst sprints."
"So, if I encounter a Blood Transportation Warrior again in the future and have to make a move, I must strike first, trying to give the opponent no chance to react and kill them directly. That is the best strategy."
"In addition, the Ape Demon Transformation and Earth Affinity talents can indeed unleash powerful combat strength far exceeding my normal level. The drawback is the excessive burden on my own muscles and bones. Even with a four-point Physique boost, it cannot last long."
"However, this point is easy to solve. As my cultivation breaks through, my Physical Body will also become stronger, and the corresponding duration I can maintain will definitely be longer. In addition, after the second imprint is activated, I can choose to possess an exotic beast known for its Physique. No, it's best to choose an exotic beast known for both Physique and Agility, so as to maximize the compensation for my weakness after the burst."
Thinking of this, Lin Sheng had a clear plan for his future direction.
The second imprint is not far from being fully activated. During this time in Tongzhi County, he should activate the second imprint as soon as possible.
At the same time, he should look for an exotic beast known for its Physique and Agility as the preferred choice for the second imprint.
In addition, he should cultivate the Ape Embryo Skill and break through to Forging Tendons Late Stage as soon as possible.
Finally, the Three Corpse Soul Severing Palm cannot be neglected. He is very satisfied with the power of this poisonous art. When fighting others, it can often play a decisive role in the outcome of the battle.
Having made up his mind, he sat down cross-legged again, closed his eyes, and began cultivating the Ape Embryo Skill.
Two hours later.
"This courtyard is good. You can bring my Father and Mother over later. We will live here for this period."
In a residence that was significantly larger than the previous courtyard, Lin Sheng nodded in satisfaction. He was very pleased with Lao Zhou's efficiency.
Although the previous courtyard could accommodate the few of them, Lin Sheng always felt it was a bit small and inconvenient for practicing. Also, there were fewer rooms. He needed a separate room for medicinal baths and a quiet room for cultivation.
Now that he had money, there was no need to be frugal in this regard. As long as his strength improved, making money was not a difficult task.