Chapter 357: Spreading the Dao

Chapter 357: Spreading the Dao

When Chen Huai’an brought Lin Lingling back to the Demon Slayer Division in Province C,

the front entrance was already piled with spider demon corpses.

But what puzzled him was that these spider demons didn’t all seem to have been killed by his own demon slayers.

A large number of them had clearly died under lightning techniques and swordsmanship.

And to his knowledge, none of his subordinates had mastered such powerful lightning or sword techniques.

Old Li’s swordsmanship was decent, sure, but to kill hundreds of spider demons with a single slash and leave sword marks on the ground? No way.

Once he stepped through the heavy alloy gates of the Demon Slayer Division, the mystery was solved.

Zhao Ying and the other old subordinates were standing at the entrance of the main hall,

and in front of them stood a group of cultivators whose clothing was a curious mix of ancient and modern styles.

Among them was a familiar face—Wang Shouyi.

Wang Shouyi had sharp spiritual senses.

He instantly picked up on the powerful aura behind him,

and when he turned around, his guarded expression quickly softened into a smile.

“Senior Chen! Long time no see!”

“It has been a while,” Chen Huai’an replied, inwardly relieved.

As long as they weren’t here to cause trouble, it was fine.

Wang Shouyi was still the same Wang Shouyi.

Except his cultivation had already reached the late-stage Golden Core.

Even Chen, with all his cheat-like boosts, found that progress terrifying.

Chen stared at the ominous gray aura above Wang Shouyi’s head.

Sure enough, it had grown even thicker.

He must’ve used something like the Ascension Pillar again.

Seeing the smile on Wang Shouyi’s face, Chen Huai’an frowned slightly.

He didn’t know how to warn Wang Shouyi.

Right now, everything he had came from the Ascension Pillar—there were only benefits, no visible drawbacks.

And before the downsides emerged, people rarely believed there were any dangers.

But when those hidden dangers did erupt, it often meant total ruin.

“And this is…?”

One of the cultivators beside Wang Shouyi stepped forward and looked at Chen Huai’an.

They didn’t recognize him but were intrigued by his imposing aura.

Was he also an ascender?

If not, and he’d cultivated to this level on his own—that was truly impressive.

More importantly…

Wang Shouyi had actually addressed him as “Senior”?

Wang Shouyi was a Golden Core, for crying out loud!

And this man only had the aura of a Foundation Establishment stage?

That was just too weird.

“This is a senior I met a while back,” Wang Shouyi introduced with a smile, sounding a little proud.

“If not for Senior Chen, I would’ve been dead long ago. He’s the one who saved my life!”

As soon as those words left his mouth,

the gazes of the surrounding ascenders toward Chen Huai’an immediately changed.

There was now respect and admiration mixed with their curiosity.

Chen Huai’an could tell from their reactions that Wang Shouyi clearly held sway among them.

He might even be their superior.

“You and your group took care of the spider demons outside?”

Chen asked, even though he already knew the answer.

“Yeah,” Wang Shouyi scratched his head and grinned sheepishly.

“I saw all those spider demons when I got here today and just dealt with them on the spot.

I know they’re probably nothing to you, Senior,

but at least it saved you the trouble of getting your hands dirty, right?”

“Oh? So you came to Province C’s Demon Slayer Division on purpose?

You’ve made up your mind to join us?”

Chen Huai’an’s heart stirred.

Wang Shouyi had solid strength—bringing him in would be a great help.

Though he couldn’t compare to the Sect Summoning Token,

the token could only summon a Nascent Soul-level expert for a minute at most.

And exposing the token would bring no advantage if there were real Nascent Soul monsters out there.

Besides, Wang Shouyi was still an ascender.

If he joined the Demon Slayer Division, he could serve as their public face—a great cover.

At the very least, his presence could ease some of the hostility from other ascender factions.

“Haha, nothing gets past you, Senior.”

Wang Shouyi smiled bashfully and cupped his hands.

“I’ve already discussed it with my sect. The elder has approved my joining Province C’s Demon Slayer Division.

Now it’s just up to you, Senior, whether you’re willing to take me in.”

Chen Huai’an felt a tug on his arm.

Turning his head, he saw Lin Lingling frantically winking at him.

Her look was clear.

Let him join!

Get him on this Demon Slayer boat!

Golden Core cultivator, okay? That’s on par with a King-level, maybe even Emperor-level existence.

If he became part of their team, Province C’s Demon Slayer Division would skyrocket!

“I’ve got no objections,” Chen Huai’an said.

“But these fellow Daoists behind you… are they joining too?”

He pointed to the eight ascenders behind Wang Shouyi,

each dressed in Daoist robes paired with Li-Ning sneakers.

“Oh, them? Nah, they’re just my brothers from Qingfeng Sect.

They’re here today to spread the Dao.”

“Spread the Dao?” Chen Huai’an raised an eyebrow. “What Dao exactly?”

Honestly, if this were the old days,

the moment someone said “spread the Dao,” the police would’ve been called to round up a bunch of cultists or pyramid schemers.

But judging from the expressions of these Qingfeng Sect folks—

Chests puffed out, faces full of pride,

they really looked like they believed “spreading the Dao” was some glorious mission.

Stick them in school uniforms with red scarves,

and they could pose for elementary school propaganda posters.

“It’s like this, Senior Chen,” Wang Shouyi explained seriously.

“As you’ve seen, the Demon Lock Tower has resurfaced, and the people are suffering.

Just these spider demons alone have caused countless casualties among mortals…”

His tone grew solemn,

and the fire of righteous anger flickered in his eyes.

“In the past, all the hidden sects had strict requirements for accepting disciples.

But to alleviate the suffering of the masses,

they’ve decided to openly share basic cultivation techniques.

Every sect has dispatched a preaching team, like these Daoist friends from Qingfeng Sect.”

“Oh, so that’s what you mean by spreading the Dao.”

Chen Huai’an glanced again at the gray aura above Wang Shouyi’s head,

then looked at the others from Qingfeng Sect.

If anything, their gray haze was even thicker.

It would’ve been fine if he hadn’t known.

But now that he did, there was no way he’d let anyone fall into the traps of these hidden sects.

Even if cultivating their techniques without touching the Ascension Pillar didn’t come with side effects,

better safe than sorry.

Chen had more techniques than he knew what to do with.

Province C’s Demon Slayer Division didn’t need these basic methods.

Of course, he wouldn’t say that outright.

Instead, he put on a surprised and delighted expression.

“Wonderful! Truly a timely blessing! A pillow just when I was about to nap!

This humble governor has struggled to support the Demon Slayer Division—no techniques, no resources,

just watching the land overrun by demons and sighing helplessly!”

Chen Huai’an beat his chest and looked on the verge of tears.

Lin Lingling: “???”

No resources?

Wasn’t the warehouse overflowing with pills and sword marbles?

No techniques?

Didn’t he just say he’d assign techniques to Zhao Ying and the others soon?

“This governor is getting better at bullsh*tting…”

Lin Lingling narrowed her eyes.

Seeing the governor act so over-the-top,

she could already picture the Qingfeng Sect folks getting royally screwed.