I Grind to Martial Saint

Han Yuan made his way back to the Observatory.

Although Han Yuan had put his hidden Piyao Robe back on to cover his wounds on the way back,

the moment he stepped into the main hall, Jiang Henian smelled the thick stench of blood.

Beyond that, there was also a faint, sinister, and eerie aura mixed in.

”What happened?”

Jiang Henian asked in surprise.

He thought that with Han Yuan’s strength, dealing with a Blood Soul Evil shouldn’t have been a problem.

”You almost got me killed.”

”What was hiding in Sanling Village wasn’t some Evil Spirit, but a newly reawakened Evil Demon Seed.”

Han Yuan said, shaking his head.

The Holy Snake of Sanling Village was, of course, not as powerful as the Yellow Springs Saint Mother.

After all, the Yellow Springs Saint Mother had shown signs of reawakening long ago. She had numerous followers, occupied an entire commandery, and was nourished day and night by the Power of Faith.

Back then, it had taken the combined efforts of Han Yuan, Ling Yun, and Zhao Mengtian—and a heavy price—to finally slay her.

This Holy Snake’s power was much weaker.

It had, after all, only devoured a few hundred lives and hadn’t recovered much of its strength.

But even so, Han Yuan’s injuries were extremely severe.

”What?! An Evil Demon Seed?”

Jiang Henian’s face was a mask of horror.

The very words ”Evil Demon Seed” were now enough to make his heart pound with terror.

”Mhm.”

”The people of Sanling Village themselves worshipped that Evil Demon Seed, which they called the Holy Snake... Recently, the Holy Snake began showing signs of reawakening. It released its corrupting power and tainted everyone in the village...”

Han Yuan explained the whole story.

As Jiang Henian listened, cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

If that Evil Demon Seed had been allowed to continue devouring living beings and recovering its strength, he feared that even Jianghe Province City would have been in danger.

Thankfully, they had sent a formidable man like Han Yuan this time to nip the threat in the bud.

Otherwise, it might have escalated into a major disaster for Jianghe Province City.

”Director Han, this was indeed my miscalculation...”

”After all, Evil Demon Seeds have rarely appeared in the past, so I didn’t even consider that possibility.”

”We originally agreed on ten thousand Contribution Points for this mission. Since it was an Evil Demon Seed, I’ll raise it to twenty thousand for you.”

Jiang Henian said apologetically.

He truly hadn’t anticipated this situation.

He had thought it was just a haunting by some Evil Spirits, never imagining an Evil Demon Seed would be involved.

Hearing about the extra ten thousand Contribution Points, a smile instantly appeared on Han Yuan’s face. ”Now that’s more like it. You’d best send some men to Sanling Village and burn the place to ashes.”

The place was already severely tainted by the Evil Demon Seed. According to Ding Zihu, it was also a natural gathering place for yin energy in the mountains, so burning it down was the safest option.

Otherwise, another Blood Soul Evil might spawn there before long.

”I’ll send people over right away.”

Jiang Henian also understood the gravity of the situation, his expression solemn.

”In that case, I’ll be going back to treat my wounds.”

”Remember to send someone to notify me before the Spiritual Land opens.”

Han Yuan said softly.

”Don’t worry.”

Jiang Henian nodded.

...

He returned to his residence.

After swallowing more than ten Healing Elixirs in one go, Han Yuan began to circulate his Innate Great Demon Qi to mend his body’s injuries.

During this process, Han Yuan also quieted his mind and began to think.

In truth, it wasn’t just Jiang Henian who hadn’t expected it; even Han Yuan himself was surprised.

He never thought an Evil Demon Seed would actually appear in Sanling Village.

’It seems the world’s great transformation is truly beginning.’

’Even Evil Demon Seeds are appearing this frequently.’

’I must find a way to increase my strength as quickly as possible.’

’An Evil Demon Seed that was just beginning to reawaken could injure me this badly.’

’If it were a fully-formed Evil Demon Seed, it could probably crush me with a single flick.’

’The great upheaval of the world is coming... My power is still far from enough!’

Han Yuan murmured to himself inwardly.

His resolve was now firm: he had to enter the Spiritual Land and break through to the Gang Essence Realm!

For the next few days, he never took a single step out of his room. He focused solely on recovering from his injuries, awaiting the day the Spiritual Land would open.

Naturally, Han Yuan wasn’t the only one who would enter the Spiritual Land, which opened only once every ten years.

Although this Spiritual Land was controlled by the Jianghe Celestial Observation Bureau,

there were twenty slots available for entry each time it opened.

The Jianghe Celestial Observation Bureau had six slots, the Government Office had four, and the major families in the city had five. In addition, the five major sects in Jianghe Province each had one slot.

All twenty slots were occupied by the major powers of Jianghe Province.

Never mind the Martial World Wanderers; even ordinary factions had no hope of getting in.

Four days passed in the blink of an eye.

The day for the Spiritual Land to open had finally arrived.

On this morning, just as the sky was beginning to lighten, the mist had not yet dissipated.

Han Yuan walked out of his room, the Dragon Sparrow Cloud-Splitting Saber on his back.

Someone had specifically notified him yesterday to gather at the entrance of the Observatory this morning.

When he arrived, he found that quite a few people were already there.

The ages of these people varied greatly. There were a few old men, so ancient they looked as if they had one foot in the grave.

There were also several young faces, both men and women, their expressions full of arrogance, as if they looked down on everyone.

Of course, there were also seven or eight middle-aged people, all of whom had a divine light in their eyes and potent auras.

Seeing Han Yuan approach with the Dragon Sparrow Cloud-Splitting Saber on his back, they seemed to recall something, and their gazes turned curious as they sized him up.

Han Yuan’s gaze was profound. He didn’t interact with anyone, simply finding a corner to wait.

He discreetly counted the people present. Including himself, there were nineteen.

One person had yet to arrive.

Among the crowd, besides himself, there were three other young Demon Exterminators clad in Piyao Robes.