The success of the demonic beast purge spread throughout Dongyuan Prefecture, and the citizens, learning that this was a genuine effort, were thrilled.
For them, eradicating the demonic beasts in the prefecture meant a peaceful environment, free from the constant fear of their homes being destroyed.
Thus, the citizens wholeheartedly supported and championed the plan.
As reports of victories continued to pour in, more rogue cultivators eager to slay demons signed up, along with many families and sects outside the top hundred, swelling the ranks of the purge forces!
Meanwhile, in the Demonic Beast Mountain Range, inside the cave mansion of the demon lord Di Yong, the Red Refined Demon Tiger rushed in.
“Your Excellency, bad news! Lin Yun has truly united the families and sects of Dongyuan Prefecture. Their massive purge has fully begun, and this time, they mean business!”
“What!” Di Yong, in the midst of cultivation, paled.
“Your Excellency, in just two days, they’ve killed thousands of our beasts. If this continues, our demonic beasts in Dongyuan Prefecture could face annihilation!” the Red Refined Demon Tiger said urgently.
“How could this happen! Why would those families and sects willingly fight for him? How could he have such influence!” Di Yong could hardly believe it.
“Your Excellency, he’s done it. What do we do now? The demonic beasts in Dongyuan Prefecture are panicking and begging for help!”
“Help? How can we help? March down the mountain? The time for all-out war hasn’t come. The Huoyun Empire’s elite Demon-Suppressing Army guards the foothills. We can’t go down to aid them, or it would spark a full-scale war,” Di Yong said, his face dark.
“Then what?” the Red Refined Demon Tiger asked.
“Tell them to organise resistance themselves. Even if they die, they must take as many humans with them as possible and uphold the pride and ferocity of our demon race!” Di Yong’s tone was icy.
…
Two days later, inside the One Thought Clarity Tower, ten days had passed in the tower while only two days elapsed outside.
Lin Yun opened his eyes, slowly spreading his palm, which shimmered with an eerie light, radiating an unsettling aura.
The *Heaven-Shaking Hand* fourth stage was complete!
“Go!”
Lin Yun swung his palm, grabbing at the air, causing the space to twist and collapse.
“Not bad. The fourth stage’s power is impressive,” Lin Yun said, smiling with satisfaction.
Cultivating *Heaven-Shaking Hand* required high realm and physical strength, both indispensable. Insufficient hand strength or realm would prevent advancement.
Lin Yun’s Pure Yang Body was more than sufficient.
With both requirements met, mastering *Heaven-Shaking Hand* was natural.
The jump from third to fourth stage brought a noticeable power increase.
With his current strength, Lin Yun was confident he could slay the two demonic beasts that ambushed him last time!
Compared to then, his Pure Yang Body had boosted his defence and explosive power, and with the fourth-stage *Heaven-Shaking Hand*, the strength was unimaginable.
“Phew…”
“Keep improving!”
Lin Yun took a deep breath and resumed cultivation.
*Withered Silence* and *Shadow Sword Art* needed time to advance.
While Lin Yun trained calmly, Dongyuan Prefecture buzzed with activity as the grand demon race purge raged on.
This was a battle that could reshape Dongyuan Prefecture’s landscape.
…
Two months later, inside the tower, ten months had passed while two months elapsed outside.
After ten months, Lin Yun was preparing to advance to the seventh-stage Tribulation Realm.
During cultivation, he heard a disturbance outside, stopped, and returned to his chambers.
Knock, knock, knock!
A knock sounded at the chamber door.
“Come in,” Lin Yun called.
The door opened, and Huo Zhen and Yang Wan entered.
“Big Brother, the demon race purge officially ended yesterday. Over two months, we killed over 20 million demonic beasts, mostly low-tier, but including over 1,000 Mahayana realm equivalents and eleven Tribulation Realm equivalents!” Huo Zhen said, grinning.
“Excellent!” Lin Yun couldn’t help but praise the results.
“What about our casualties? And have the rewards been implemented?” Lin Yun asked.
“We had many injuries, but we used prefectural funds to buy vast amounts of healing and life-saving pills, keeping deaths low. Only about 10,000 died,” Huo Zhen said.
Compared to the number of beasts killed, this was a small sacrifice. Lin Yun’s forces were numerous and high-quality, while the demons, isolated without reinforcements, mostly hid and couldn’t mount effective resistance when found.
Huo Zhen continued, “As for rewards, we’ve reported to the empire. Based on the number and quality of beasts killed, merit points are awarded, usable at Huoyun Pavilions in prefectural or county cities for resources. For example, the Jiuxuan Sect’s grand elder, with many merit points, can buy valuable resources.”
The Huoyun Pavilion, like the Xingwu Pavilion in the Xingwu Empire, was run by the Huoyun Empire across every county city, handling resource trade, surveillance, and intelligence for the empire.
Lin Yun nodded, “Good. We can’t let their efforts go unrewarded.”
Yang Wan added, “Big Brother, Dongyuan Prefecture’s safety now far surpasses other prefectures. It’ll enjoy peace for a long time, free from constant fear of beast attacks. This purge is monumental for Dongyuan Prefecture, and the citizens are celebrating.”
As a border prefecture, Dongyuan had always been less safe, ranking near the bottom among Huoyun Empire prefectures, with countless citizens killed by beasts annually.
This purge had changed that, a historic achievement!
One great effort for lasting peace.
Unless beasts from the Demonic Beast Mountain Range descended, Dongyuan Prefecture would remain safe, even if Lin Yun left, without fear of internal unrest.
