The scene before him seemed like a dream, making Yang Qing unable to return to his senses for a long time.

It was only when the sound of Qin An sheathing his sword rang out that Yang Qing awoke as if from a dream.

"This..." Yang Qing's Adam's apple moved, his voice dry, "Was all of this done by Mr. Qin alone?"

Qin An nodded slightly.

The many household officers felt a bone-chilling cold.

Yang Qing suddenly recalled Qin An's earlier words.

Back then, Qin An said he was not good at political machinations and was unwilling to attend family banquets.

Yang Qing thought Qin An to be like his departed close friend, only dedicated to slaying demons and eliminating evil.

Now it seemed that this was indeed the case.

The difference, however, was that Qin An possessed strength that even he could not hope to reach.

With such cultivation, one indeed need not concern oneself with family invitations.

Qin An was unaware of Yang Qing's thoughts, his gaze like lightning as it darted to a spot: "There's still one left."

At these words, Yang Qing immediately understood.

The remaining one naturally referred to Qian Yong.

As Qin An's gaze locked on, Qian Yong's figure finally emerged on the battle-scarred battlefield.

At this moment, Qian Yong's back was already soaked with cold sweat.

When he heard the sounds of battle from within the courtyard, he was still full of confidence, certain that Qin An and the others would die without a doubt.

As the sounds gradually ceased, Qian Yong came to tidy up, only to see Qin An standing alone amidst a sea of corpses, wiping his blade.

Once this scene appeared, Qian Yong understood the reason, feeling as if he had fallen into an icy abyss.

He forced himself to remain calm.

As long as his identity remained hidden, he was still the Prefecture General of the Evil Extermination Bureau.

As for his late arrival, he could make any excuse.

Thinking of this, Qian Yong worked hard to calm the chill in his heart.

"Mr. Qin's cultivation is unrivaled," Qian Yong forced a fawning smile, flattering, "Just now I was led away by a demon's diversion tactic; if not for Mr. Qin's intervention, the consequences would be unimaginable."

Yang Qing cast a meaningful glance, secretly noting that Qian Yong's act was quite convincing.

Qin An, however, carried his chilling aura as he stepped closer under the moonlight.

Under the moonlight, the bloodied dark robes made Qian Yong's hair stand on end.

Qian Yong instinctively stepped back a pace, but remembered he was not exposed, and forced his composure.

It wasn't until he met Qin An's eyes, full of murderous intent, that Qian Yong finally reacted.

"Mr. Qin..." Qian Yong's voice trembled, "What do you mean by this?"

Qin An's tone was indifferent: "In Ding County, the entire town was in league with the demonic pseudo-gods, and I slaughtered them all. What do you think I mean?"

Qian Yong was shocked, feigning anger: "Do you suspect me of colluding with demons?"

Qin An raised an eyebrow: "Is there a need to suspect?"

Qian Yong clenched an iron hammer: "I am the Prefecture General of the Evil Extermination Bureau, even if you suspect, it is necessary to return to the Bureau and have the higher-up Silver Prefecture General decide!"

Yang Qing frowned at these words.

What Qian Yong said was indeed true.

The matter of Qian Yong colluding with demons remained just a suspicion without evidence for him and Qin An.

Without evidence, indeed a decision by higher-ups was needed.

Seeing Yang Qing's expression, Qian Yong was secretly pleased, his words having made an impact, a smile creeping onto his lips.

A decision?

Over the years, he had accumulated connections in Xunyang Prefecture.

Without evidence, upon returning, he could rely on his network to bury the matter into obscurity.

Thinking this, a hint of spite rose in Qian Yong's heart.

Qin An, time after time, thwarted his grand plans.

If he returned, he would certainly find an opportunity to eliminate him.

Yang Qing sighed, intending to settle the matter hastily and end it.

But just then, a flash of cold light passed by.

Yang Qing's expression changed drastically, exclaiming in shock: "Mr. Qin, don't!"

But it was too late.

Qian Yong only felt a chill on his neck, followed by intense pain.

His head rolled to the ground, and his headless body collapsed with a thud, convulsing briefly before falling silent.

Yang Qing smiled bitterly: "Mr. Qin, that was impulsive."

Qin An spoke indifferently: "If we wait for him to return and mobilize his network in Xunyang Prefecture, it'd be like letting a tiger loose to return to the mountain."

Yang Qing helplessly said: "But without evidence..."

"Why is there no evidence?" Qin An said slowly, "Those household officers are living witnesses, aren't they?"

Yang Qing understood in an instant upon hearing this.

Qian Yong relied on connections, but his subordinate officers had no such confidence.

Close confidants would surely know the inside story.

That indeed counted as evidence.

Qin An said coolly: "I'll leave it to you, Mr. Yang."

The Hunter Conference was taking place throughout Xunyang Prefecture, and their location was just the tip of the iceberg.

Though many demons were dealt with, they needed continued vigilance until they received a task or the Hunter Conference concluded.

During this time, it was essential to detain all of Qian Yong's subordinate officers.

As for where to detain them, the Zizai Sect was indeed a good place.

Yang Qing clasped his fists, "Rest assured, Mr. Qin, this small matter is within my capability."

With that, he didn't hesitate, and led a group of household officers towards the mountain path where Qian Yong's subordinates were.

Soon, the sounds of commotion came from the mountain path.

Qin An pondered slightly, then turned to look at Mr. Chen: "I'll go rest first, if there's anything else, come find me anytime."

Mr. Chen dared not say more.

The battle just now had left an indelible mark on his mind.

The figure before him was someone who battled ten Pulse Condensation Realm opponents single-handedly!

Never mind resting in his room, even if he were to take the main hall's seat, Mr. Chen wouldn't dare say a word.

Without waiting for Mr. Chen to say more, Qin An headed towards the inner courtyard of the Zizai Sect.

Mr. Chen looked over the battlefield and waved his hand, "Clean up the battlefield."

Only then did the many Zizai Sect disciples react, rising one by one on trembling legs to clean up the corpses on the ground.

...

In the side room.

After returning to his residence, Qin An closed the door and counted the gains of this trip.

He originally had seventeen magic crystals, and in this battle, he gained ten more Vein Condensation Realm magic crystals, for a total of twenty-seven.

Ten of them have been integrated into himself, and the remaining seventeen are temporarily stored on his person.

Additionally, there were several hundred magic essence from demonic creatures at the Gui Cang Realm, which Qin An wrapped in cloth and placed on the table.

Converted, these magic essences are equivalent to nearly three magic crystals.

"Carrying them with me is indeed somewhat inconvenient. I wonder if the Zizai Sect has magic crystals available for exchange," Qin An thought to himself.

The quantity can match up with quality.

Whether it's magic crystals or magic essence, they are essentially condensed from qi and blood.

So exchanging them wouldn't cause any loss.

Qin An thought that although the Zizai Sect is not a top-tier force, it is a mid-to-lower faction and should have some reserves.

But at the moment, Sect Leader Chen was leading the disciples in cleaning the battlefield, so Qin An did not return to propose the exchange for magic crystals.

"The forces in Xunyang Prefecture are deeply rooted and more complex than those in Lingzhou."

Qin An lightly tapped the tabletop with his fingers, thinking, "I've already offended Jiao Long Hall and Carefree Mountain within just a few days of arriving."

"That residual pseudo-god power is not a concern."

"The other two forces need to be eliminated early."

Both Jiao Long Hall and Carefree Mountain are mid-level forces in Xunyang Prefecture, with experts at the Outer Elixir Realm.

To the current Qin An, they are formidable foes.

Qin An's plan is now straightforward.

Quickly increase proficiency in his professions, leveling all of them up to ten, while also collecting a large amount of magic crystals through missions.

Once all the magic crystals are collected, he will be able to establish a Supreme True Elixir Foundation.

By then, he will practice the scholar profession separately, advancing his power to the Outer Elixir Realm.

Only after reaching the Outer Elixir Realm will he have the qualification to stand in Xunyang Prefecture.

In front of him, smoke appeared, condensing into the butcher profession's proficiency, floating in mid-air.

[Butcher lv.9 (600/3000): The livestock you slaughter are tastier, enhancing their essence, improving slaughtering speed]

[Talent: Gui Cang Realm Knife Cultivation Technique Mastery, Gui Cang Realm Weapon Cultivation Technique Insight Mastery, Gui Cang Realm Knife Cultivation Technique Damage Mastery]

Slaughtering demonic creatures could increase the butcher profession's proficiency, and combined with today's battle, where Qin An extracted a large number of magic crystals and magic essence, the butcher's proficiency has risen to 600 points.

Qin An estimated that with a daily increase of two to three hundred points, he would need just about ten days to train proficiency to level ten.

By that time, just finding another knife cultivation technique would allow him to advance the Ice Flame Blood Transformation Saber to the Great Success level of the Vein Condensation Realm.

However, the Hunter Conference is still ongoing, so he will have to wait to improve until he returns.

Thinking of this, Qin An's ears moved slightly, hearing the diminishing sounds from the main hall.

Then, Qin An stepped out of the side room to find Sect Leader Chen in the main hall.

Sect Leader Chen was slightly startled, unsure of Qin An's purpose in coming here.

Qin An said, "I have three hundred magic essences. Can they be exchanged with the Alliance Hierarch for three magic crystals?"

Sect Leader Chen breathed a sigh of relief.

He thought it was something major, not expecting it to be such a minor issue.

"Mr. Qin, no need for courtesy. Grand Elder, quickly go to the treasury and retrieve three magic crystals for an exchange with Mr. Qin."

The Grand Elder dared not say more, quickly disappearing from the spot and taking three magic crystals from the treasury to exchange with Qin An.

Qin An placed the three magic crystals in his pocket, thinking to himself, "Now I have a total of thirty."

Apart from the ten stored within, these twenty magic crystals will not be used for the time being.

With this in mind, Qin An did not linger any longer and returned to his room to rest again.

...

The event of the Hunter Conference took place in every corner of Xunyang Prefecture.

Both loose cultivators and sect forces were attacked by demonic creatures.

Many forces successfully slaughtered the demonic creatures, coordinating with the people from the Evil Extermination Bureau for cleanup.

However, some sect forces, along with many prefecture generals executing tasks, were completely wiped out.

Both sides suffered losses and made gains.

It's been two days since the last battle.

In the dungeon of the Zizai Sect, over a hundred household officers were imprisoned here.

These household officers were all under the command of Qian Yong.

At this time, their entire cultivation had been sealed, huddled dejectedly in the cells.

Just yesterday, one household officer finally succumbed to the pressure, revealing all of Qian Yong's crimes, and jointly signed and sealed a confession with many other household officers.

Qian Yong's crimes have been confirmed.

Yang Qing and Qin An, along with the other hundred household officers, still stayed at the Zizai Sect, waiting for the Hunter Conference to end.

Yang Qing sat on a stone bench, holding a wine cup, and clinked it with Qin An.

After drinking it down, Yang Qing's eyes showed a hint of sentiment.

"There's never been a Hunter Conference as easy as this before, all thanks to you, Mr. Qin."

Qin An watched the clear wine in his cup, took a small sip, and said lightly, "Just helping each other out."

Hearing this, Yang Qing could only smile bitterly.

This wasn't mutual help; it was clearly benefitting from Qin An's strength.

However, Qin An's words did not damage his dignity; instead, it gave him a lot of face.

After a brief pause, Qin An continued, "I wonder how many more days until the Hunter Conference ends?"

Yang Qing held up three fingers: "Around three days."

Though the Hunter Conference is held annually, the duration isn't long.

After all, neither side wishes to incur too many losses.

"Three days..." Qin An pondered, "If that's the case, it won't be too long."

Recently, Qin An couldn't practice his butcher proficiency, so he practiced the dancer proficiency instead.

The dancer only needed indoor practice, allowing Qin An to increase proficiency quite a bit.

While not a waste of time, Qin An's plan didn't change.

Once back, he would continue training in the butcher proficiency.

Yang Qing knew Qin An longed to return but did not mention it, instead simply drinking with Qin An.

It was already noon.

The two had drunk a lot, but fortunately, as cultivators, they felt no drunkenness.

Qin An was ready to take his saber and leave, returning to his room to continue practicing dancer proficiency.

But just then, a series of footsteps suddenly approached.

A household officer rushed into the courtyard, wiping the dense sweat from his brow: "Mr. Zhou sends word; there is a change in the Hunter Conference—quickly go to Cangnan Mountain!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.