As expected, conflict arose at the city gates last night. Some people sensed something amiss and attempted to flee under the cover of darkness, but fortunately, Gu Chen was well-prepared. He ordered Wu Qian to seal off the city throughout the night, and with his timely arrival, he subdued these individuals on the spot, turning them into points of merit, which contributed to his own standing.
Having been up all night, Gu Chen was in the prime of his youth and strength, and as a cultivator of some accomplishment, the lack of sleep had no effect on him.
But Zhou Rang was different. Already old and being just an ordinary person, staying up all night with Gu Chen had indeed taken a toll on the elderly gentleman.
The next morning, Zhou Rang sat in the county government office drinking tea, leaning back in his chair, his aged face looking extremely haggard.
"Youth is truly wonderful," Zhou Rang remarked, admiring the still lively and spirited Gu Chen after a half night's rush and an all-nighter.
In response, Gu Chen offered a slight smile and said, "This night has truly been trying for Elder Zhou."
He then extended his palm and placed it on Zhou Rang's wrist, channeling his robust inner energy through the meridians, transferring it into Zhou Rang's body.
With the nourishment of Gu Chen's inner energy, Zhou Rang instantly felt reinvigorated. The deficit in his body was replenished, warmth spread through him, dispelling the weariness on his face.
The elderly gentleman pinched the teacup, squinting his eyes as he leaned back, looking rather content.
"I'm indebted to Lord Gu," Zhou Rang said with a smile, clasping his hands towards Gu Chen as he withdrew his palm.
"Not at all, Elder Zhou is being too polite," Gu Chen said with a smile on his face. He glanced at the sky and added, "It's about time. The heads of the families should be ready by now."
"Wu Qian."
Gu Chen called Wu Qian over and ordered him to set out immediately with his men.
After that, Gu Chen and Zhou Rang also left the county government. They had discussed the previous night that Ning City had a population of 150,000. Searching every household was too time-consuming, and it was uncertain how long a thorough search would take. Temporarily sealing the city was feasible, but if prolonged, it would inevitably cause public anxiety.
Therefore, after discussions, Gu Chen and Zhou Rang decided to divide Ning City into four areas, searching one area per day. If all went as planned, they would need only four days to completely eliminate all the demons lurking in Ning City.
Of course, Gu Chen dared to do this, to gather everyone together because of his absolute confidence in his own power. Should any demon appear, he would suppress it immediately, preventing any harm to other citizens.
Even the usually composed Gu Chen felt a surge of excitement and exceptional joy at this moment.
However, beyond the joy, Gu Chen also felt a sense of urgency.
If a single county in Ning City was already in such a state, it was hard to imagine how many demon spirits lurked in other places across Qingyang County, or even in Qiongtian Mansion, throughout Da Xia, and the rest of the nine states.
And how many innocent people would these numerous demon spirits cause to die tragically?
"It seems that the scourge of demon spirits has become increasingly serious and is likely already eating away at Da Xia, even the entire nine states," Gu Chen pondered.
The threat of demon spirits was not only to Da Xia but to the entire nine states. By their very existence, demon spirits inherently stood in opposition to all of the Human Clan, or rather, all living beings, as no creature could escape their predation.
No one knew the origins or source of the demon spirits, nor how they came to appear in the nine states.
At least, Gu Chen couldn't find any trace of them in the memories of his predecessor, and the Jing Tian Department had no related records, either.
The only thing Gu Chen knew was that the demon spirits first appeared over three hundred years ago, which was when the nine states first became aware of their existence.
Now, after more than three hundred years, the Human Clan of the nine states still had not figured out the source of the demon spirits. They seemed to appear out of nowhere, leaving no trace or method to be found.
As a member of the Jing Tian Department, whose duty it was to eliminate demon spirits, battling against them was an inevitable part of Gu Chen's life.
Even if he were to leave the Jing Tian Department, the mystery and unpredictability of the demon spirits meant that no place was absolutely safe. Furthermore, the number of demon spirits had been increasing over the years, so leaving the Department did not equate to safety.
On the contrary, as long as he was with the Jing Tian Department, Gu Chen could continuously enhance his own strength by unceasingly slaying demon spirits, thus ensuring his ability to protect himself in such a dangerous world, and perhaps even safeguard his family.
Moreover, as the Jing Tian Department was one of Da Xia's most important organizations, Gu Chen could exchange the merits earned from slaying demon spirits for various techniques and treasures to further strengthen himself.
After searching for four consecutive days, Gu Chen was mentally and physically exhausted. At dusk and back in his room, he chose not even to practice his inner energy as usual but to fall into a deep sleep instead.
With this, the matters of Ning City were considered to come to a close. However, what Gu Chen did not know was that at this moment, the Gu Family was facing a crisis.