The two of them didn't continue their journey. Chen Xuanze instructed the recently renamed Chen Qianqian, the snake demon, to practice first. He aimed to suppress the demonic energy before meeting the others. While others might not notice, sharp-eyed individuals like Wang Qingxuan and San Zang could.

Chen Qianqian obediently sat by the roadside, closing her eyes and immersing herself in cultivation. After a while, she opened her eyes, and her vertical pupils were filled with a look of astonishment.

"This technique is strong, too strong. Let's see if I can suppress the demonic energy."

Chen Qianqian nodded and activated the concealment technique within the skill. Soon, her green hair turned black, fair skin slightly yellowed, and vertical pupils transformed into ordinary black eyes.

"Tsk tsk, this effect works well. Alright, let's hit the road."

The two set off again to catch up with Li Gou and the others. Li Gou's group hadn't gone far; they waited for Chen Xuanze at a relay station ten miles away. Seeing the staff being absent for a long time, the monk and Taoist volunteered to investigate.

Soon, Chen Xuanze, riding on Xiaoqing and embracing Chen Qianqian, met the returning monk and Taoist. From a distance, Wang Qingxuan shouted, "Brother Chen, Lord Li Gou asked us to come find you."

Observing the beautiful girl sitting in front of Chen Xuanze, the monk and Taoist didn't ask anything, understanding their lord's eccentricity. Asking might lead to a scolding, and it was better not to see and not to be annoyed.

After a while, the majority of the group gathered, and they continued their journey. On the way, Li Gou gestured and winked. With a girl around, it wasn't easy to ask directly. This girl was really beautiful, comparable to the girls in Yanzhi Street.

Everyone had mounts, making their journey much faster than before. Just as darkness fell, they arrived at the location where Lord Gao had exterminated the Yellow Ninth Insect last night.

Looking at the long black marks on the official road, Li Gou sighed. It was evident that someone had burned something here, and it had been trampled by passing vehicles, creating this appearance.

Deciding to camp on the spot and not travel at night, the group had gained a lot from this mission, including money and mounts. There was no need to rush through the night.

Chen Xuanze gazed at the black marks not far away and scanned the surroundings. "This is the place where the second-rank demon fell. The result of the collision of Yin and Yang energies, with traces of an extreme yang artifact."

This information surfaced in his sea of knowledge.

"Second-rank, terrifying as it is. I wonder when I'll reach the second rank. I reckon the big shots from the Exorcism Bureau have taken action. It's truly frightening."

In the continuous severe drought within a hundred miles of Kyoto, people didn't bother setting up tents. Instead, they reached a nearby forest along the official road to cook their meals. After eating and drinking their fill, they found a tree, laid out their bedding, and spent the night there.

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Since joining forces with the monk and Taoist, the white-clad girl, Chen Qianqian, remained silent. She could clearly hear the whispered words of the Exorcism Bureau's personnel. However, she always managed to display appropriate expressions of panic, fear, coyness, and helplessness at the right moments.

The members of the Exorcism Bureau were completely baffled. Her skin lost its previous fair complexion but gained a touch of charm akin to a girl next door. Men generally liked a bit of curves, harboring a secret admiration for the neighbor's pretty girl.

During dinner, a group of people took turns bringing delicious food, leaving Chen Xuanze bewildered. "What kind of creature did I bring back?"

Now that everyone had gone to sleep, Chen Xuanze quietly got up, exchanged a glance with Chen Qianqian not far away, then used the Night Travel Technique to turn into a shadow and depart.

He wasn't worried that Chen Qianqian wouldn't be able to find him. At the seventh-rank stage after a hundred and twenty years, she lacked the skills. It would be better to end himself early, avoiding embarrassment for the white-water black-mountain demon tribe.

White-water black-mountain, a heritage of thousands of years. If not for the ruthless slaughter by the Killing Life Monastery fifteen hundred years ago, how could they have fallen to their current state? They were once the white-water black-mountain that defied the holy grounds.

Second-rank demons roamed freely, and the white-water black-mountain in the third rank were worse than dogs. First-rank beings appeared every hundred years, suppressing the three thousand miles of wilderness.

Even the Mongolian cavalry wouldn't be enough to be a snack for a first-rank demon. One couldn't help but admire the monks from the Killing Life Monastery; for the sake of enlightenment, they were truly ruthless.

Away from the camp, Chen Xuanze stood in an open space. Chen Qianqian's figure soon appeared and stopped in front of him.

"No more nonsense, three rules. First, hide those enchanting expressions. Second, no evil deeds. Third, from now on, you're a human, not a demon. Disobey, and you die!" Chen Xuanze's voice was unusually cold, devoid of emotion.

Following a brief pause, he continued, "Follow or die, this is the last chance." Chen Qianqian remained silent.

Chen Xuanze shook his head again, saying, "Then die. It's just the bloodline of the feathered snake. If you won't use it, what's the point? Even if you have the bloodline of a giant dragon, it's none of my business."

With that, five thick bolts of lightning appeared out of thin air and were about to strike down.

"Do you listen to me or obey? Understand?" The three and a half-meter-long snake body had shrunk to three meters by now.

"Obey, master, I obey!" Chen Qianqian couldn't hold on any longer; the man in front of her was truly not afraid to kill her. Besides, she was curious about what the feathered snake bloodline really was.

"In the Nine Provinces Records, it is said that the feathered snake, born in ancient times, has a snake's body with wings. It governs the cycle of life and death and perished on the day the Six Paths were established. Its body transforms into the cycle of reincarnation in the animal path, and its bloodline is rare," explained Chen Xuanze about the feathered snake bloodline. As for the Nine Provinces Records, it was what the Exorcism Diagram told him.

Later, he sat cross-legged, waiting for Chen Qianqian to regain her human form. As for whether Chen Qianqian truly obeyed or pretended to obey, it didn't matter.

Dealing with a demon was similar to dealing with a hawk, if it resisted, beat it; if it didn't listen, keep beating it; if it continued to be troublesome, cook it into soup. There was still a long way to go.

In a short while, Chen Qianqian transformed back into her human form. Her height had shrunk to about 1.4 meters, and she looked spiritless and dejected. She sensibly explained her background and actions in Kyoto to Chen Xuanze.

"Is that all?"

"Yes."

In the latter half of the night, the two returned to the camp. Li Gou, who had gotten up to relieve himself, muttered quietly, "Young people don't understand moderation!"