Qin An stood up and skillfully peeled away the clay sculpture from the Joyful Buddha statue.

Only when a glowing Pseudo-God core emerged did Qin An then absorb it into his body.

The whole process was extremely practiced, as if it had been rehearsed many times.

The Pseudo-God core of the Jade Bone Realm can no longer be called a core, but rather a Pseudo-God Marrow, corresponding to Blood Marrow.

One piece of Pseudo-God Marrow is equivalent to a hundred Blood Crystals.

The harvest was quite fruitful, and Qin An was satisfied.

This task not only garnered significant merits but also yielded a piece of Pseudo-God Marrow.

Upon returning, he could be promoted to Silver State Guard and exchange for Jade Bone Realm Cultivation Technique.

The pink mist completely disappeared, and everyone took the opportunity to accelerate their recovery.

Qin An sheathed his black blade and found a place to wait by himself.

Half an hour later, Ye Lengshuang stood up, pondered for a long while, and walked to Qin An's side.

"Thank you..."

Upon these words, everyone was shocked.

They all knew the leader's personality and found it unbelievable she would thank a Bronze State Guard.

Nonetheless, Ye Lengshuang ignored the gazes from those around her.

For someone with her aloof nature to express gratitude was indeed unprecedented.

However, she was clear about right and wrong. Qin An spared her from humiliation, and she did not feel that thanking him was a loss of face.

Qin An responded with a hmm.

Ye Lengshuang said no more and instructed her subordinates to clean up the battlefield.

The Evil Extermination Bureau moved quickly, and after the area was thoroughly searched, a Bronze State Guard approached holding a plaque.

"Sir, this..."

Upon seeing the item in the Bronze State Guard's hand, Ye Lengshuang's expression changed slightly.

The plaque appeared jade-like, with intricate patterns faintly visible on it.

Ye Lengshuang was slightly surprised, examined it for a moment, then clenched the jade plaque: "Yao Hall."

At these words, the entire place fell silent.

Qin An stroked his black blade, looked around, and noticed a hint of suspicion in everyone's eyes, then frowned, "What is Yao Hall?"

Ye Lengshuang came back to her senses and put away the jade plaque: "The most terrifying demon force in Lingzhou."

"It entrenches in Lingzhou, absorbing many demon forces into itself, becoming overwhelmingly powerful, claiming that all demons in Lingzhou submit to it."

Submit to it all?

Hearing this, Qin An's eyes narrowed slightly as he rubbed his black blade.

The forces in Lingzhou are entangled, aside from the human sects and families, the demon Pseudo-Gods also have numerous powers.

Their interactions form an all-encompassing network of relationships.

Now, with the emergence of a Yao Hall, it intrigued Qin An.

How much Blood Marrow would that be?

Of course, Qin An was merely speculating and would not be foolish enough to provoke them.

Ye Lengshuang's eyes showed a hint of concern: "Any force that the Evil Extermination Bureau cannot encircle has its reasons."

"Cangyun Valley is situated in a perilous location, very far from Lingzhou. A long-distance raid would result in significant losses."

"The Tree Lord is a Pseudo-God, adept at concealing with plants, making it extremely difficult to discover."

"As for the hidden mountain where the Fox Mother resides, it's shrouded in heavy fog, impossible to locate."

"Only Yao Hall is different."

The mention of Yao Hall prompted Ye Lengshuang to pause briefly.

"Yao Hall gathers a group of demons, yet it serves to balance the forces."

Qin An raised an eyebrow, "How does it balance?"

The word 'balance' revealed something unexpected to Qin An.

The Evil Extermination Bureau, known for its ruthless methods, having a means for balance, piqued Qin An's interest.

Ye Lengshuang lifted her gaze, "There is also strife among the demons, and because Yao Hall gathers them, its power is the strongest."

"But for this reason, other demon forces refuse to submit, leading to internal conflicts. The existence of Yao Hall can balance numerous demon forces."

"Moreover, annihilating Yao Hall would also severely weaken the Evil Extermination Bureau, so keeping Yao Hall serves as a balancing factor."

By now, Qin An understood the reasoning.

There are many frictions among demon Pseudo-Gods, especially with Yao Hall, and keeping it, instead balances the various forces.

Additionally, if the elimination of Yao Hall cannot achieve total obliteration, the fleeing demons would instead pose a threat to many county cities in Lingzhou.

Ye Lengshuang remarked, "I didn't expect Yao Hall to extend its hand into Bodhi Sect, it seems they wish to mimic humans and deploy infiltration tactics."

Assuming small situations reflect larger ones, the infiltration of Bodhi Sect suggests that other forces might face similar threats.

Upon returning, Ye Lengshuang would need to report to the Jinzhou Guard for determination by them.

The matter was concluded; there was nothing else to address.

After everyone recovered, Ye Lengshuang led her many subordinates hurriedly toward Lingzhou.

...

By the time they returned, it was already nightfall.

The waning moon hung like a hook, the night sky as dark as ink.

As the leader of the task, it was naturally Ye Lengshuang who would report on the mission's progress.

The Internal Affairs Department was responsible for the computation of the achievements, but it was estimated that it wouldn't be fully completed until tomorrow.

With nothing to do, Qin An returned to his residence with a black sword hanging at his waist.

Though it was late at night, Qin An lit the oil lamp on the table and sat on the bed, deep in thought.

Lingzhou was overly complicated, and now even demon factions were surfacing.

Qin An was well aware that while there was no apparent danger, crises swirled around him like a white mist.

"The Fox Mother has issued a bounty on me, her hatred even surpasses that of the Tree Lord and the Monkey Demon."

"Once tomorrow's achievements are calculated, I need to quickly exchange for the Jade Bone Realm cultivation technique to enhance my strength."

"The Tiger Race's treasure is about to open, and I can't miss it; if I can gain benefits from it, there would certainly be a qualitative change."

Although he had already reached the Jade Bone Realm, Qin An did not want to relax in the slightest.

He had already formed a plan.

Taking advantage of the time without tasks and before the Tiger Race's treasure opens, he should quickly advance all his professions to level five.

Then, through cultivation technique deduction, push all the specialized cultivation techniques to the Jade Bone Realm.

"Tomorrow's rewards will likely include several Blood Crystals, just right to make up for the lack of only having one Pseudo-God Marrow."

Thinking of this, Qin An stopped musing and blew out the oil lamp on the table.

No matter the time or place, one must maintain adequate energy.

Even within the Evil Extermination Bureau, Qin An did not want to waste energy by staying up late.

...

The next day.

The sun shone brightly, streaming in through the windows.

A State Official from the Internal Affairs Department knocked on the door, holding a wooden tray in both hands, waiting respectfully.

Qin An changed into clean black clothing, tidied up briefly, and with the black sword hanging on his waist, opened the door.

The State Official from the Internal Affairs Department, seeing Qin An open the door, immediately bowed his head and raised the wooden tray to the top of his head.

"Congratulations to Mr. Qin on being promoted to Silver State Guard, another mighty general added to Lingzhou, congratulations!"

On the wooden tray rested two pieces of Blood Marrow, both of the Jade Bone Realm grade.

In addition, there was a silver plaque reflecting a cold light, with the word 'Exterminate' inscribed on it facing up.

Qin An put away the silver plaque and the Blood Marrow, first fully digesting and storing the Blood Marrow, then hanging the silver plaque on the other side of his waist.

Throughout the process, the State Official from the Internal Affairs Department kept his head lowered, not daring to look at Qin An's face.

After all, this was a Silver State Guard, enough to make most demonic creatures and Pseudo-Gods tremble in fear, his hands stained with uncountable blood.

Every Silver State Guard was listed on the bounty board by demonic creatures and Pseudo-Gods.

They held both prestige and were surrounded by danger.

If it was a Bronze State Guard, the State Official from the Internal Affairs Department might dare to take a glance, but Qin An was a Silver State Guard, and he didn't dare offend Qin An.

Seeing the State Official hadn't left, Qin An asked, "Is there anything else?"

Usually, after delivering items, the State Official from the Internal Affairs Department would sensibly leave.

Today, he hadn't left, which made Qin An suspect there was something more.

The State Official from the Internal Affairs Department clasped his hands together, raising them above his head, still with bowed head: "Mr. Yang has requested your presence."

Though the full name wasn't mentioned, Qin An already knew who it was.

Within the Evil Extermination Bureau, those with the surname Yang who could be addressed as 'sir' and were relevant to him, could only be Jinzhou Guard Yang Quanfeng.

Qin An nodded and said, "Understood, you may leave now."

"Subordinate obeys." The State Official from the Internal Affairs Department backed away, leaving quickly once he was a certain distance away.

Qin An pondered for a moment, closed the door, and headed toward the courtyard where Yang Quanfeng resided.

...

A quiet courtyard.

Yang Quanfeng held a hammer in his left hand, and a white cloth in his right, meticulously wiping it.

After wiping until it gleamed, he lifted the wine jug nearby and took a swig.

The sound of footsteps approached.

Yang Quanfeng paused, and upon seeing Qin An with a silver plaque at his waist approaching, revealed a slight smile: "Not bad, looking more spirited than before."

Qin An shook his head and said, "It's just a change of silver plaque."

Yang Quanfeng picked up the wine jug and offered it to Qin An: "Care for a drink?"

Qin An raised a hand and said, "I need to stay clear-minded at all times."

Yang Quanfeng didn't mind, took another sip, and then set the wine jug down.

As he set the wine jug down, Yang Quanfeng's expression turned slightly solemn.

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