Chapter 389
The Great Demon
In Chang'an, the flower market was as bright as day.
Today is the Emperor's birthday, so the curfew has been lifted to allow the people to celebrate together. Although it is already night, the lanterns are still as numerous as clouds and the crowds are huge.
Under the emperor's nose, in the city of Chang'an, a scene of prosperity and peace unfolded, forming a stark contrast to the continuous famines, banditry, wars, and demonic disturbances plaguing the various prefectures.
It's as if you've been transported to another world.
"There isn't one to the east."
"There isn't one to the west."
"There isn't any in the south."
"There aren't any in the north either."
Standing in the sea of people, Bao Ying listened to his subordinate's whispers and frowned slightly. He gazed at the people around him holding lanterns, as if trying to discern something from their joyful faces.
"Boss, that demon in disguise is really cunning. It slipped into the crowd during the chaos, and with its human skin covering it, even the most discerning eyes couldn't see through it. It disappeared in the blink of an eye!"
"Damn it, it got away again!"
"If the curfew hadn't been lifted, we would definitely have caught him tonight!"
Hearing his subordinates' angry voices, Bao Ying calmly looked at the compass in his palm, his voice composed and firm.
"It can't escape."
"The spirit disc is still fluctuating, which means it's still around. Everyone, stay alert and listen to my orders. Once I locate it, immediately fire the demon-suppressing nails and cast the talisman net. We must not allow it to harm innocent people."
Upon hearing Bao Ying's telepathic message, everyone in the Xuanqiong Division was greatly encouraged and their faces lit up with hope.
Without the help of special divine eyes and magical treasures, it would be wishful thinking to find the evil spirit hiding among the crowd, but since the person who said this was Bao Ying, they absolutely believed him.
With the conclusion of that sensational case, Bao Ying became a hero in the hearts of countless people, and his prestige was so high that he was practically at the height of his power within the Xuanqiong Division.
No case that Baotou is asked to handle will fail!
After giving his instructions, Bao Ying cleared his throat, took a deep breath, circulated his magic power, and suddenly shouted.
"monster!!"
This sound was like a thunderclap, and it even used the Yin Opera vocalization technique that Zhou Sheng had told him, making the sound even more powerful and resonant, like metal and stone.
After the case was closed, although he was in Chang'an, he often corresponded with Zhou Sheng. The two worked together to solve the case and became close friends with the same ideals. Sometimes they would also exchange some methods of incense burners and ghost play masters.
This is exactly what I need right now.
With this loud shout, the lively atmosphere around him instantly froze, and countless people turned to look at him.
In an instant, Bao Ying's eyes sharpened like lightning, and in the sea of people, he spotted someone who not only didn't turn around, but instead lowered his head and sped away.
Those who dare not turn back are merely imposters!
"It's her!"
With a flick of Bao Ying's finger, several demon-suppressing nails shot out, instantly piercing the woman's back. What flowed out was not blood, but a viscous green liquid.
The woman let out a shrill scream, staggered, turned her head and glared angrily. Half of her face had somehow been peeled off, revealing a chilling and terrifying half of her face.
Painted Skin Evil Spirit!
They would paint their facial features on human skin, often impersonating beautiful women to seduce men, and then cut out their hearts and eat them.
Seeing that his actions had been exposed, the evil demon revealed a ruthless look in his eyes and tried to pounce on the ordinary people around him and grab one of them as a hostage.
Just then, a pebble flew by and silently struck her acupoint at the center of her chest, causing her to pause slightly.
Meanwhile, the captains of the Xuanqiong Division had already set up a strange, large net, which looked as if it had been soaked in cinnabar or chicken blood, and was covered with many Taoist talismans.
The evil spirit with painted skin was immediately torn apart by the net, its body emitting blue smoke and crackling sounds.
It fell to the ground, howling and struggling in agony, but to no avail, and eventually turned into a puddle of pus.
"Boss, it really is her! You're amazing!" His subordinates all praised her with admiration.
Bao Ying showed no arrogance, but instead instructed them to appease the people, while he looked at the spirit plate in his hand for a final confirmation.
Seeing that the pointer on the spirit compass had stopped moving and returned to position A, he nodded to confirm that everything was correct.
"Once this case is resolved, I will be able to apply to leave Beijing and investigate cases in other places."
Thinking of this, Bao Ying couldn't help but smile slightly on his serious face.
With the Xuanqiong Division stationed in Chang'an, and even having many Tribulation Transcending Realm experts among its retainers, demons rarely cause trouble. Even if they do, they are usually small, arrogant demons who are quickly captured.
Looking at the peaceful scene of singing and dancing before him, Bao Ying sighed silently. Having been on the move for more than a decade, he knew very well what the world outside Chang'an was like.
He would rather go to the places where he is truly needed.
However, in order to protect him, the Crown Prince forcibly kept him there and made an agreement that he could not leave the capital until he had solved one hundred cases.
Just as Bao Ying was about to put away the spirit plate and leave, he suddenly stopped.
He suddenly raised the spirit compass, and saw that the pointer on it was moving forward rapidly, from position B to position C, and then to position D, advancing one position in the blink of an eye.
Bao Ying's heart skipped a beat, a chill suddenly rising within him. He immediately shouted, "Evacuate the people! Evacuate the people quickly!!"
He was almost out of control at this moment, completely lacking his usual composure. This young Bao Gong, who could always face countless powerful and influential people with a cold eye, was now filled with fear in his eyes.
The object in his hand was called the Spirit Disc, a treasure developed by the Xuanqiong Division. If demons appeared nearby, the pointer of the Spirit Disc would jump, and the stronger the demon's magic power, the greater the jump of the pointer.
Divided by the ten Heavenly Stems, with Jia at the beginning and Gui at the end, the further back the Heavenly Stem the pointer points to, the stronger the magic power of the nearby demons.
The previous one, the painted skin, only made the pointer jump to the second position, but this one, in just a few breaths, has already made the spirit plate jump to the fifth position of the ten heavenly stems!
In that brief moment of distraction, Wu jumped from the fifth position to the seventh position, Geng.
Jumping to the poles twice in a row!
Even more terrifying, the pointer's movement not only didn't slow down, but instead accelerated, finally crashing into the final Gui position in Bao Ying's horrified gaze.
Click!
Under the violent striking of the pointer, the spirit compass actually developed a slight crack.
"Boss, what happened?"
While following orders to evacuate the civilians, his men couldn't help but turn around and ask questions.
"Great demon!"
"A powerful demon at the Tribulation Transcending Realm has entered Chang'an, and they're nearby!!"
Bao Ying shouted, and his words sent chills down the spines of his men.
Demons at the Tribulation Transcending Realm enter Chang'an?
How many years has it been since something like this happened?
In a daze, they even wondered if the spirit plate had made a mistake, but when they saw the disheveled, tattered old man with a purple face, dressed like a beggar, slowly walking towards them, they felt as if they had been struck by lightning.
A fear stemming from instinct caused even those who had seen countless demons and monsters to tremble uncontrollably.
"Hungry, hungry..."
The "beggar" muttered to himself, a bloodthirsty glint flashing in his eyes, before opening his blood-red maw and taking a deep breath.
In an instant, the wind swept away the clouds, and the air was filled with the stench of corpses.
boom!boom!boom!boom!
Almost powerless to resist, their bodies exploded one after another, their blood and qi like streaks of crimson ribbons, which were swallowed into its belly.
Flesh and blood kept exploding, the sounds echoing like fireworks.
The once peaceful and prosperous city of Chang'an was instantly transformed into a living hell.
...(End of this chapter)