A new Commander of the Defense Division had recently arrived in Hongye City. This news quickly spread throughout the local cultivation circles but did not cause a great uproar.

The Tian Clan within the city, and the Gold Toad Tower and Thriving Gold Sect outside it—these three major powers—had not yet expressed their stance. Consequently, the cultivation families and minor immortal sects they led showed no earnest intentions to visit Shen Mo.

Local rogue cultivators also had intricate connections with these cultivation families and sects. For example, many city guards were rogue cultivators receiving a monthly salary from the Tian Family. Others earned meager resources from businesses run by cultivation families and immortal sects. Even if they wanted to join the Defense Division, they had many reservations.

Thus, during Shen Mo's first few days in Hongye City, it seemed as if nothing had changed. Shen Mo himself also showed no intention of altering the status quo at this time.

Every day, he would activate his Flawless Dharma Eye to survey and inspect the four directions. The territories of powers like the Tian Clan, Gold Toad Tower, Thriving Gold Sect, and many other cultivation families and minor immortal sects of certain strength were protected by Formation prohibitions. In the view of the Flawless Dharma Eye, only a thick fog could be seen.

Of course, Shen Mo did not need to pay too much attention to the safety of these forces. Their own clansmen and disciples would clear out evil entities and protect the peace of their cultivation sites.

What Shen Mo focused on were the vast, unprotected areas between the fog: towns and villages where ordinary mortals gathered, and numerous regions teeming with creatures, such as main roads and small paths, lakes and rivers, wildlands and forests.

This diligence paid off, as he indeed discovered several abnormalities. Shen Mo personally dealt with them, successfully slaying a few Body Tempering Realm evil cultivators hidden in the villages and countryside. In addition, he also uncovered a Class I Heavenly Demon that had Demon-corrupted a mortal.

This Heavenly Demon, its origins unknown, had Demon-corrupted a woodman in a remote mountain village. Moreover, this demon head was incredibly cunning. It hadn't harmed the woodman's wife and children, nor had it devoured any of the mortal villagers. Instead, under the guise of cutting firewood in the mountains, it continually consumed the flying birds and running beasts, as well as weaker demonic beasts. Shen Mo only discovered a clue because the creature population in the mountain was dwindling.

By the time he arrived and shone the Bone Viewing Mirror on the woodman, the clear light turned an eerie red. The demon head, realizing it could no longer hide, unleashed a dense wave of Demonic Qi, preparing to fight Shen Mo to the bitter end. Thanks to its consumption of mountain creatures, it had advanced to the middle-stage of Class II. If all the cultivators from the city's Defense Division had been sent, they probably wouldn't have been able to eradicate it; instead, they would have become blood meals for its advancement to the late-stage.

Unfortunately for this woodman demon, it encountered Shen Mo. With a single stroke of his Universe sword style, it died on the spot, leaving behind only a Demon-corrupted and mutated human corpse and a dissipating cloud of cold, fetid Demonic Qi.

Killing the mutated Heavenly Demon didn't take Shen Mo much effort. However, returning the woodman's corpse to the mountain village for funeral arrangements proved quite troublesome. Neither the woodman's wife and children nor the villagers could believe that the always honest and simple woodman was, in fact, a creature-devouring demon. Intimidated by Shen Mo's "Immortal Master" status, they didn't dare act disrespectfully, but the disbelief, confusion, and hatred in their eyes were undeniable.

The Heavenly Demon's soul and body were in one combined whole, and the woodman's original soul had been Demon-corrupted and devoured. With the body dead, the soul was also gone. Shen Mo couldn't use the Soul-binding Spell to summon the corpse's residual soul to show the wife, children, and villagers.

Fortunately, the woodman's body was no longer that of a mortal. After Shen Mo cut open the corpse and patiently explained the situation, the woodman's wife, children, and the other villagers finally accepted the truth. They turned from their suspicion to gratitude towards "Master Shen."

Upon returning to the Defense Division in Hongye City, Shen Mo resumed his usual cultivation rhythm: practicing various cultivation methods through [Martial Performance], refining Elixirs, and making Talismans.

However, the Spiritual Qi here was sparse, completely incomparable to that in an Inner Door cave mansion of the Riverside Sect. It was even inferior to the Outer Door area.

Each time Shen Mo circulated the "Purple Mansion Heart Scripture," he created a huge Spiritual Qi vortex, siphoning off the surrounding nature's spiritual energy. This caused Zhu Dahai and the other four Body Tempering Realm cultivators in the Defense Division to groan in collective dismay. They were already lacking Elixirs to aid their cultivation. Now, even the scant Spiritual Qi of the Defense Division was being completely absorbed by the new Commander, and they couldn't compete for it. This brought their already slow cultivation to a near standstill.

「In Zhu Dahai's room.」

The four downcast Body Tempering Realm cultivators gathered. Even Tian Shouren, the elderly cultivator, had been invited.

Zhu Dahai carefully retrieved a crumpled Talisman from his robes and stuck it on the main door. As a faint spirit light glowed, he turned and sighed, "Mr. Tian, fellows, Master Shen shouldn't be able to hear our conversation now. What are your thoughts? Please speak your mind! Should we continue to stay in the Defense Division... or should we resign from this post and find another way to make a living?"

Tian Shouren held his wine gourd, savoring a mouthful. The gourd contained the spiritual wine Shen Mo had given him, diluted with a large amount of Hongye City's finest mortal wine. He treasured it so much that he was unwilling to share even a mouthful with his four fellow daoists from the Defense Division.

After a wine-induced burp, Tian Shouren said leisurely, "I don't have much Lifespan left; at most, I'll live for another twenty or thirty years.

"I don't want to struggle anymore!

"As for you youngsters, you still have hope for further progress. Whether to stay or leave, decide for yourselves."

After speaking, he went back to savoring his fine wine, clearly intending not to get further involved.

Zhu Dahai and the others, hearing this, paid him no more mind and began discussing amongst themselves.

"Brother Zhu," a square-faced cultivator said, "I came to the Defense Division for a place to live and cultivate, as well as for that not-so-generous monthly stipend.

"But over these years, our monthly stipends are always delayed, and even when they arrive, they're often not the full amount.

"The new Master Shen doesn't seem to intend to make up for the missing stipends, nor does he show any inclination to bolster the Defense Division's prestige!

"And now, he's even snatching away all the meager nature's spiritual energy.

"I don't see any future for myself if I stay in the Defense Division.

"In a little while, I will go to Master Shen and tender my resignation!"

Zhu Dahai nodded. He also had the same thought.

He then looked at the other two Body Tempering Realm cultivators.

Contrary to Zhu Dahai's expectation, neither of the remaining two intended to leave. Their main reasons were that they lacked connections and couldn't find other means of livelihood. Moreover, by staying here, they could still receive some monthly salary. No matter how small, it was still a cultivation resource. It was far better than being destitute outside, struggling just to survive.

Zhu Dahai sighed softly. He didn't despise them; after all, everyone had their own aspirations, and he couldn't force them all to leave together. Besides, he himself didn't know where he would go to make a living after leaving the Defense Division. If he had connections to find a good livelihood, he wouldn't have ended up killing time in the Defense Division in the first place!

Their minds made up, Zhu Dahai and the square-faced cultivator prepared to go find Shen Mo.

Just then, Shen Mo's voice suddenly sounded from outside the house, "Fellow daoists, please come to the main hall for a discussion!"

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